Rehabilitating my computer

Have you ever noticed how often bad things happen during a weekend, or even worse a long weekend? She was only 2 years old...my expensive laptop computer, a gift from my family to keep in touch with the world after I lost my husband. I called her my window to the world. We spend a lot of time together her and I. Till on this blessed long weekend she decided not to talk to me anymore. All I had done was write a letter and after trying to attach a picture she quit. Boom, flat out and the screen turned black. How could she have possibly done that to me, I didn't understand. So well, perhaps she got her wires crossed and hopefully I rebooted to see if that would straighten her out. She sighed a lot but did not show her face and with her went my window to the world on an "I am all by my self" long weekend. She can just not quit on me like that I thought, after all I have never abused her in any way.

I phoned the well known company for advise and after pushing all the right keys on my phone and a 10 minute wait I got a live voice from a far away country, I strained the best I could to make sense of her thick accent and have to admit that I didn't understand half of what she said, but I think that after much repetition I answered her questions correctly. Without hesitation she announced it would cost $400 and to please ship it to the company.......No, I couldn't do that just yet, so on to plan B.... There was a big electronic store not far away from my apartment and some well mannered young man (who I could understand, what a bonus) assured me that they had technicians standing by 24 hours a day and for the price of $50 they would gladly do a diagnostic test and call me later with the verdict. It took 10 days to get the bad news that it was probably the Motherboard and the advise was to send it to the company to get fixed. Is the shelf life of a Motherboard only 2 years and do they make them on purpose so that they self destruct one month after the warranty is up? I was getting upset.

Another strained phone call to the computer company. I had to fax over my salesreceipt. No, I don't have a fax machine but was determined to find one. In the mean time my computer companion laid limp in her box with not a sign of life in her and I missed her. That evening my son came to the resue with his old school laptop, because I was going through heavy computer withdrawal by than. To my surprise there was a "Customer status service" order in my e-mailbox with instructions on how to send it up and the good news they would fix it for free. Ah, I had regained some faith in the world of big corporations. It did occur to me though that they knew my computer was broke and still they send me instructions by e-mail....I proceeded to turn my place up side down next in order to find an appropriate box and packed her up. Sat home the next day waiting for UPS and was releaved to finally see her go.

Two weeks have past since, I am near the one month point without my computer now....Than a knock at the door this morning, the delivery service with my computer !!! Well that made my day, at least for one minute, till I opened the box and found this sheet inside:"Please note that this unit is returned unrepaired. Out of warranty, Proof of purchase not received" and at the bottom "please do not ship the unit back." What the hell ??? Again i pushed buttons on my phone waited patiently till a representative was available. I explained my situation, again I could not understand what she was saying and it was like talking to a cabbage, she just didn't get it. I asked why I wasn't contacted if there was a problem, I had followed all their shipping and sending instructions, plus had the conformation that they had received my proof of purchase, plus the promise it would be fixed free of charge, but she insisted it was past the warranty date. And than I exploded, yep I did, and slammed the phone down and had a good cry.

After I calmed down I phoned back again....they weren't done with me yet, this time I needed a manager. I am back to square one now, have to repack, wait for the delivery service and their box and label in the hope that this time the right hand knows what the left hand is doing, because there was obviously a big mix up. This time I hope to get it back fixed and preferably for free, because after all that is what was already promised in the first run and again this time.

Now I have to deal with my car's transmission. It is a Mom and Pop garage with a personal touch and they are there to help and of course also to run a business and to make money, but a little human compassion and a personal touch does go a long way when things blow up in your life. Let's just say that I do not like big corporations very much.