The last couple of days have been just crazy. It seems like I can never catch up on things. The housework keeps piling up, my job is picking up, now one of our boys is sick. Aaaa... How, how do you all, amazing ladies, balance being Moms, wives, sisters, daughters and all the other responsibilities that you face every day? Yes, I feel a little overwhelmed and slightly frazzled today (I promise, you don't want to see what my hair looks like right now...)
For the past few days we've been trying to work on our future guest room but it seems like there is always something else that demands our attention. Especially when nothing goes right! Like it was today.
We are making a new book shelf to contain a ginormous amount of books that we have. We got some premade shelves and wanted to top it with a finished wood slab. We measured and remeasured and finally knew exactly what we needed and what was in our budget. And than we headed to Lowe's...
We picked up a nice-looking 12-inch wide board that was a little too long, so we had it cut to our measurements. We bought it back on Thursday but only got to working on it today. Imagine our surprise when we tried to line it up with the shelves (again, to double-check that everything was right) and realized that the wood was not wide enough! In fact, it was missing almost an inch, less than 11 1/4 instead of 12.
Long story short, Hubs headed back to Lowe's and received the cold shoulder there. They were so rude! They told him that they didn't care that it was the wrong size, that they are not responsible because they don't cut their wood but get it from somewhere else, that as wood dries up, it shrinks, that after the wood was custom cut (when they made it shorter for us), there was nothing they could do. OK, maybe, for some seasoned DIY pros out there, it's a no-brainer that you need to have an extra measuring tape with you every time you shop a hardware store but we are still novices in that. But seriously when I go to a store to buy a dress of certain length, I don't expect it to end up being a whole inch shorter and think it's OK. Maybe, I should buy less dresses and more lumber, huh...
The ordeal still ended up to our advantage. After my very nice and quiet husband threw a small fit (blame it on a long day!) they finally, well, after some verbal vulgarities, called a regional manager who told them to give the money back. I know, it was only $12 but, hey, I could use it somewhere better, right? Since we still need the wood...
And how was your day??? I hope it was much more pleasurable than ours :)
I don't juggle very well. Work is important, we all need the money, Family life is important because you can't get that time back. We need clean clothes. The dust will still be there tomorrow after you have done it today so do it tomorrow. Well done for getting the $12 back. My husband is too soft to do that,
ReplyDeleteCarolx
Mine is usually pretty soft too. But it was later in the day (actually an hour before the store closing), and it was a frustrating day. That's what I blame it on :)
DeleteSorry that you had to go through that frustration. Did they tell you that when measurements are given for lumber, that they are usually a half inch smaller that the stated dimensions from cuts, etc? For example, a 2x4 is really 1.5x3.5. Something to think about when planning projects
ReplyDeleteI didn't before but now I do!! :) Our wood was almost an inch narrower though, and that's way more than I expected. I iwsh they would have a note or something in the lumber area for naive people like us.
DeleteThey cut it to the wrong size and now it is your fault? What idiots. Yes, make sure you cary your own measure with you in future. Unbeleivable!
ReplyDeleteFrom now on I'm not stepping my foot to a hardware store without a measuring tape in my pocket :)
DeleteUgh! What horrible customer service! I would not have been happy with Lowe's either and I am giving your husband a pat on the back for getting your money refunded. I often wonder what ever happened to the "the customer is always right" attitude that businesses used to have. Not that the customer is always right all the time, but it seems at times that as a customer you have to actually fight to get the quality and service you deserve nowadays.
ReplyDeleteAnd as far as balancing everything from day to day, I think a lot of women feel like you- like you are juggling a lot of balls at the same time and it does get overwhelming at times. I know I often feel that way. I think you are doing great though, Lena, with all your responsibilities. Hang in there! And I hope your lil guy feels better really soon! :)
I think what bothered me the most is how rude they were. I understand we are novice and don't know much but it's not a reason to treat people with such disregard and mocking...
DeleteAnd thank you for your kind words :)
What has happened to customer service?? Back when the customer was "always right"! That's disgusting - I would shop at their competitor from now on (if there is one!) Your husband was right to insist on a refund. Good for him.
ReplyDeleteHint: NONE of us "do it all'... those who say they do, are embellishing the truth. ;) lol!! Glad hubby got his money back, what horrible service!! Geez!!
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