I founded The Learning Village Homeschool Resource Center a couple years ago because I had heard about this fabulous homeschool charter in Visalia (an hour away)...and I wanted something like that here in Fresno. I decided, after many online discussions with local homeschoolers, that we could make that happen here and went about making it so. I got our 501(c)(3) status and founded and led the board, and did nearly all the classes myself, and enlisted help in other areas as needed...And it seemed so promising initially...there was lots of interest and lots of people who said they'd help. But as time went on, I became more and more frustrated as everything and everyone fizzled.
I ended up cancelling all the classes from lack of attendance...And due to a difficulty in getting any help with the program or governance of the organization...I became extremely disheartened and my own energy and passion for this dream fizzled and has practically died at this point.
Apparently Fresno Homeschoolers simply don't want a homeschool resource center.
OK, so I'm facing this reality...and hating it...and pissed as all hell about it (why did so many people say they DID want it when I started throwing out the idea? Why did people say they'd help then never stepped up to the plate or then disappeared once things were finally happening?) But life must move on.
I'm not completely giving up on the dream. The lending library is still there and waiting to be organized and made available. I fully plan to continue with that...and keep the nonprofit status for that library. I plan to get all those items online and visible and once the library is ready, start making it available to local homeschoolers again. We've even decided to drop the membership rate significantly to make it more accessible to more people...But I don't hold a lot of hope that this will help. I've come to be so disheartened by the homeschoolers in my area that I just don't expect anything to work anymore.
I get that not everyone wants what I want. I get that. So a lot of our local homeschoolers don't feel a need for more activities and programs. That's fine. But I never would have even attempted this if I hadn't gotten a LOT of positive feedback.
I grew up in a church community...I'm used to being surrounded by a community...I no longer attend church so I naturally have wanted a homeschool community around me. But the Fresno homeschool community is so fractured into pieces. And those in any one of those pieces that are well organized and cohesive are perfectly happy and not interested in anything else. These are the religious groups typically. That's fine and dandy. I wanted to bring all these groups together in The Learning Village and find a way to have one large cohesive group of ALL local homeschoolers...I seriously believed "If you build it, they will come." Not so in Fresno.
I've just gotten so fed up with the failure of so many businesses and ideas in this area. I've talked at length with other people who attempt to organize groups in this area and they all say the same thing...that people in this area just don't want to commit. They lack in follow through. I don't know if this is really true or not...but its been my experience. And I keep thinking that no, its me, that I've been a lousy leader...that I've not done what I need to do to get things going properly....But then I think about all that I HAVE done. And yes, there's always room for improvement...but it really comes down to a lack of support in the things I'm trying to do. It ALWAYS ends up being an issue eventually. I've done a LOT of things here in this area...but nearly all of them have fizzled and died or fizzled down to just a simple online group (where there are no commitments necessary...and most members don't even post!) because anything more just hasn't gotten the people behind it to make it happen.
I cannot do it all on my own. I just can't. I keep thinking I won't have to...that if I start organizing things that people will naturally just join in and help out. They don't. Or not for long. Its SOOOOO FRUSTRATING!!
So I'm about at the end of my rope. I'm done. I'm just not going to organize things that no one wants to help with, or even take the time to attend. I'm just so done. I'm so very fed up and pissed off and DONE. (And right back at desiring to move away again.) And its so sad and exhausting. Sad more then anything. :(
So I went back to the original desire I had for Eleanor Roosevelt (that Visalia charter I mentioned earlier)...and finally have decided that even though I never wanted to be plugged into the public school system in any way (don't get me started on all my reasons...I could go on for hours...) I decided, after looking further into it, that this particular homeschool charter could be the best of both worlds. I have talked a LOT to friends that have been going there and what they like about it...and I even went down there and visited last week. I LOVE IT. Hopefully the reality of the programs will be as awesome as the stories I've heard...We'll see...Worse comes to worse, it doesn't work and I'm back to where I have always been...in having to create something myself. But I have very high hopes that this program will be just what I've been wanting.
Yes, I have to drive about an hour (one way) to get there...but we will only go once a week for the enrichment programs. I have a dear friend that has decided to give it a shot as well and carpool with me and split the gas money. I am going to give this a shot and sincerely hope its just what I have been desiring.
This place just sounds fantastic...very open to what *I* want for my kids....letting me have the flexibility to choose the style of education my children get...but provide guidance for me. They have a community which sounds like just what I've been looking for. They have enrichment programs and outings that I have been wanting for myself and my kids...AND I DON'T HAVE TO ORGANIZE IT!!! And its FREE! (public school charter, funded by public school funds.) Wish they were closer but at this point, I'll take it.
I'm VERY EXCITED about getting started! Will be updating here when we get some things to report about. Wish me luck! :)
The Life and Times of a Work-at-Home Homeschooling Mama
Showing posts with label pissed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pissed. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, November 02, 2009
RANT: Parents who dress children in scream masks
I posted all our Halloween pics on our shutterfly site. Kids had fun, but far too many instances of them getting scared. Maeven wanted to go home early because of it. :(
Just wanted to fume here for a sec about parents that allow their children to dress in those horrid scream masks...especially the ones that bleed! Good god, what in the world are people thinking? We saw at least 3 of them on Van Ness, maybe 4, where we were trick or treating...not to mention all the other really creepy masks and bloody costumes. But those scream masks freak my kids out the most. I don't blame them. Even if I hadn't gotten tricked into seeing the first Scream movie years ago (I HATE HATE HATE slasher films...had no idea that's what I was agreeing to), that mask is creepy with a capital C! And then they make them to bleed? I mean seriously, WHAT are parents thinking???? I saw kids that weren't even that big wearing them!
I seriously question the rationale of a parent that would allow their children to dress in something that is so creepy and scary that you KNOW that it will scare other children who are trying to also enjoy the holiday. There were a lot of little kids out and about, and I'm sure that mine weren't the only ones being scared by these things.
I don't think we'll be taking our kids to Van Ness anymore. There are HORDS of kids that go there...I'm guessing lots of parents drive their kids over there, as we did. It was so crowded that getting up to the houses and back again was a pandemonium. Popular neighborhood. I can't imagine how much those people have to spend on candy to keep the kids happy. Probably why most houses only gave one piece of candy out per child. I don't blame them. (Nor do I care, my kids don't need that much candy.)
There seemed to be a large amount of creepy and gross costumes there. Not sure why that is, except perhaps the families that seem to not care about their kids scaring other kids might have been from some of the poorer neighborhoods, and came to Van Ness because its a wealthier neighborhood. I don't blame them for coming there, that's why we came there too. But I don't know why it is that it seems like the poorer families tend to have more instances of kids in those creepy masks. Do they really just not care as much about how it affects others? Do they really not care about the message they send their kids, that its ok to do what they like and not to care about the little kids? Do they really not care that their kids even LIKE these sorts of scary/creepy/violent things? Are they already exposed to such violence that they don't care if they wear a representation of it for fun? Is there more here than I'm getting? Is it not so much as I'm reading into it? I really don't know, but I find it disturbing and I know we didn't see hardly any of this sort of thing in my parents' neighborhood in Clovis, which is a pretty well-to-do neighborhood and didn't seem to have so many children brought in from other neighborhoods (other than us, LOL!) Not so many scads of children either, and just overall not so scary for my kiddos. We will be going there again next year, whether my parents are home or not, because I'm tired of the creepiness and traffic at Van Ness.
Anyway, am I the only one that cares that people are allowing their kids to make MY kids Halloween scary? My nearly 9yr old is more freaked by it than my 4yr old, because that's her personality. She's much more sensitive. But even Tyr was getting scared at times. There were even what looked like college students dressed as the members of Kiss towering over him that scared him. It was just overwhelming overall, I think. I need to remember all this next year and go to a different neighborhood.
But seriously...WHY do parents allow their kids to dress in those hideous masks, knowing that they will scare the little ones? Good god! THINK, PEOPLE! SHEESH!!
Glad Halloween is over now. I like Halloween but it is too much sometimes with all the negative stuff and creepy and scary stuff. Even I had a bit much of it this year. Now on to Maeven's birthday.
Just wanted to fume here for a sec about parents that allow their children to dress in those horrid scream masks...especially the ones that bleed! Good god, what in the world are people thinking? We saw at least 3 of them on Van Ness, maybe 4, where we were trick or treating...not to mention all the other really creepy masks and bloody costumes. But those scream masks freak my kids out the most. I don't blame them. Even if I hadn't gotten tricked into seeing the first Scream movie years ago (I HATE HATE HATE slasher films...had no idea that's what I was agreeing to), that mask is creepy with a capital C! And then they make them to bleed? I mean seriously, WHAT are parents thinking???? I saw kids that weren't even that big wearing them!
I seriously question the rationale of a parent that would allow their children to dress in something that is so creepy and scary that you KNOW that it will scare other children who are trying to also enjoy the holiday. There were a lot of little kids out and about, and I'm sure that mine weren't the only ones being scared by these things.
I don't think we'll be taking our kids to Van Ness anymore. There are HORDS of kids that go there...I'm guessing lots of parents drive their kids over there, as we did. It was so crowded that getting up to the houses and back again was a pandemonium. Popular neighborhood. I can't imagine how much those people have to spend on candy to keep the kids happy. Probably why most houses only gave one piece of candy out per child. I don't blame them. (Nor do I care, my kids don't need that much candy.)
There seemed to be a large amount of creepy and gross costumes there. Not sure why that is, except perhaps the families that seem to not care about their kids scaring other kids might have been from some of the poorer neighborhoods, and came to Van Ness because its a wealthier neighborhood. I don't blame them for coming there, that's why we came there too. But I don't know why it is that it seems like the poorer families tend to have more instances of kids in those creepy masks. Do they really just not care as much about how it affects others? Do they really not care about the message they send their kids, that its ok to do what they like and not to care about the little kids? Do they really not care that their kids even LIKE these sorts of scary/creepy/violent things? Are they already exposed to such violence that they don't care if they wear a representation of it for fun? Is there more here than I'm getting? Is it not so much as I'm reading into it? I really don't know, but I find it disturbing and I know we didn't see hardly any of this sort of thing in my parents' neighborhood in Clovis, which is a pretty well-to-do neighborhood and didn't seem to have so many children brought in from other neighborhoods (other than us, LOL!) Not so many scads of children either, and just overall not so scary for my kiddos. We will be going there again next year, whether my parents are home or not, because I'm tired of the creepiness and traffic at Van Ness.
Anyway, am I the only one that cares that people are allowing their kids to make MY kids Halloween scary? My nearly 9yr old is more freaked by it than my 4yr old, because that's her personality. She's much more sensitive. But even Tyr was getting scared at times. There were even what looked like college students dressed as the members of Kiss towering over him that scared him. It was just overwhelming overall, I think. I need to remember all this next year and go to a different neighborhood.
But seriously...WHY do parents allow their kids to dress in those hideous masks, knowing that they will scare the little ones? Good god! THINK, PEOPLE! SHEESH!!
Glad Halloween is over now. I like Halloween but it is too much sometimes with all the negative stuff and creepy and scary stuff. Even I had a bit much of it this year. Now on to Maeven's birthday.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
network marketers, go away!!
good god i'm SO tired of all these scams out there! i get advertisers all the time via my websites, and more often then not they are network marketing scams that are trying to hook unsuspecting and naive mamas.
i read a fabulous article called "Seller Beware", about the world of the work-at-home scams. i already pretty much felt that way about the MLM and network marketing world...it just confirmed my feelings.
i don't want to be advertising this crap. oh sure there are legitimate companies like pampered chef and usborne books and discovery toys and such...but they still have the potential to end up losing women tons of money in the long run. usborne books is the only direct sales company, actually, that i've seen successfully run to the point that still, all these years later, the mom is still doing quite well. i think that's because they really do have fabulous products and all of us clamor to buy those books! but they are the exception to the rule, i think. there's always at least one.
anyway, as a website owner that offers advertising, i'm always bombarded with crap. i always try to turn away the blatant crap, and have even gotten to the point of turning away the lesser known crap. i hate network marketing companies as a whole, so why should i advertise them on my site? well they do pay, bleh. its a real dilemma at times when our family seriously needs the money. but i don't want my sites becoming a repository of crap ads like most of the rest of the net. it really cheapens the website.
and i don't think people take your site so seriously when there's so many crap ads on them. maybe even if there's a bunch of ANY ads, even quality ones! well i suppose it depends on the ad.
well i've accepted some ads that i was ok with. but i just refunded some money and deleted a new network marketing ad. i knew right away that it was one of those scams, like all the thousands of other ones out there. i don't want that on my site. i still have mixed feelings about some of the ads that i still have on my site, but i'm working my way through them.
i don't allow anything that i know is melaleuca on my site anymore. that's scam with a capital S! stories abound on the net about THAT company! the problem is keeping up with which companies are melaleuca! stayin home and lovin it & m.o.m. team come immediately to mind, but i can't remember all the rest...there's a ton!
i need to go through and purge my mommy biz directory again...i think some melaleuca and some other crap have slipped through.
all of this just makes me really want to figure out a way for moms to be able to work from home that is LEGITIMATE! something that they can trust me to tell them about...something that is real and up-front and i can employ other moms to help me with ...something that will benefit me to benefit them, but it will all be totally true and real and easy to understand...hm, the only idea that comes to mind is my idea to have a local family resource site for people to set up like mine. sell a template of what i have. actually i will have to redo my own template first, since i'm not longer working with the designer that designed that one and i want to redo it anyway.
well, that's an idea i've had for awhile and i plan to pursue it at some point truly. i think its a fabulous idea...although i don't know how many others out there will think so too. we'll see, i guess.
first i need to revamp my own site and then figure out how to package it for sale. well, it can be done! :)
i've also already written and published a book to share with other moms how to start their own in-home mommy and me classes! i just wish i could know if there were lots of moms that have benefited from it or not. i've sold like 50, but have yet to hear back from any of them how it went. :(
i read a fabulous article called "Seller Beware", about the world of the work-at-home scams. i already pretty much felt that way about the MLM and network marketing world...it just confirmed my feelings.
i don't want to be advertising this crap. oh sure there are legitimate companies like pampered chef and usborne books and discovery toys and such...but they still have the potential to end up losing women tons of money in the long run. usborne books is the only direct sales company, actually, that i've seen successfully run to the point that still, all these years later, the mom is still doing quite well. i think that's because they really do have fabulous products and all of us clamor to buy those books! but they are the exception to the rule, i think. there's always at least one.
anyway, as a website owner that offers advertising, i'm always bombarded with crap. i always try to turn away the blatant crap, and have even gotten to the point of turning away the lesser known crap. i hate network marketing companies as a whole, so why should i advertise them on my site? well they do pay, bleh. its a real dilemma at times when our family seriously needs the money. but i don't want my sites becoming a repository of crap ads like most of the rest of the net. it really cheapens the website.
and i don't think people take your site so seriously when there's so many crap ads on them. maybe even if there's a bunch of ANY ads, even quality ones! well i suppose it depends on the ad.
well i've accepted some ads that i was ok with. but i just refunded some money and deleted a new network marketing ad. i knew right away that it was one of those scams, like all the thousands of other ones out there. i don't want that on my site. i still have mixed feelings about some of the ads that i still have on my site, but i'm working my way through them.
i don't allow anything that i know is melaleuca on my site anymore. that's scam with a capital S! stories abound on the net about THAT company! the problem is keeping up with which companies are melaleuca! stayin home and lovin it & m.o.m. team come immediately to mind, but i can't remember all the rest...there's a ton!
i need to go through and purge my mommy biz directory again...i think some melaleuca and some other crap have slipped through.
all of this just makes me really want to figure out a way for moms to be able to work from home that is LEGITIMATE! something that they can trust me to tell them about...something that is real and up-front and i can employ other moms to help me with ...something that will benefit me to benefit them, but it will all be totally true and real and easy to understand...hm, the only idea that comes to mind is my idea to have a local family resource site for people to set up like mine. sell a template of what i have. actually i will have to redo my own template first, since i'm not longer working with the designer that designed that one and i want to redo it anyway.
well, that's an idea i've had for awhile and i plan to pursue it at some point truly. i think its a fabulous idea...although i don't know how many others out there will think so too. we'll see, i guess.
first i need to revamp my own site and then figure out how to package it for sale. well, it can be done! :)
i've also already written and published a book to share with other moms how to start their own in-home mommy and me classes! i just wish i could know if there were lots of moms that have benefited from it or not. i've sold like 50, but have yet to hear back from any of them how it went. :(
Thursday, April 02, 2009
proselytizers at the park
i meant to blog about this when it happened, like a week and a half ago...but just now remembered.
ok, anyone who's read my blog for any length of time knows that i'm not religious...haven't considered myself christian for like, um...going on 20years. maybe more like 15, i guess...since my early to mid-20s at least. anyway...probably because of this i'm pretty sensitive to most things religious.
i already know all about christianity and i don't like anyone trying to convert me. i was raised by a preacher (navy chaplain for most of my childhood, but preacher til i was 7, then again after he retired from the navy, when i was in my early 20s.) a very liberal, open-minded preacher...not at all a fire and brimstone, you're going to hell if you don't believe my way kind of guy (thank heavens!) very respectful of other's beliefs, kind of dad-preacher. (but don't believe for a second that it doesn't hurt him to know that i've not followed his beliefs...and that makes me very sad because i do wish i could believe like him, because i know it means so much to him...but i simply cannot believe in one way anymore. but that's a topic for another post someday perhaps...) so anyway i KNOW about jesus and all the yada yada yada that the missionaries and jehovah's witnesses and bible thumpers of all kinds want to cram down my non-believing throat any chance they get. (is this a sensitive subject to me...ya betcha!)
so in the first place i find proselytizing INCREDIBLY ARROGANT. actually any religion that claims to be the "only way" i find incredibly arrogant...and going out and telling people that they are wrong and are going to hell if they don't change their ways and believe as they do...i just have serious issues with.
so its bad enough that they consistantly show up at my doorstep (i REALLY need a sign to tell them to GO AWAY!!!) but when they start approaching me at the park where i'm playing with my children...this just made me seeth!
yup, 2 mormon missionaries (you can always tell their mormons...they always go in 2s, nearly always boys/men, even though i'm told females do missionary work as well, i've yet to see any...always in white dress shirts, black dress pants, black tie, riding bicycles with helmets...not doubt when you see them, the always look the same.) were making their way through railroad park the other day when i was there...i didn't notice them until one of them approached me...
its hard enough when they come to your door...but at the park?? at least at home i can close the door on them if they don't take no for an answer. at the park you're kind of a captive audience...unless you want to ruin the day for your kids and scoop them up protesting loudly and take them home to get away from the missionaries. which i don't believe those missionaries have the right to do to my day, so i won't do that!
this young guy starts his spiel and i immediately tell him as kindly as i can through clenched teeth that i'm not interested in hearing what he has to say (i DO try to be nice, but they REALLY piss me off with what they are doing...see previous reference to arrogant beyond belief)... usually they desist and leave me alone when i tell them this...and they usually are super nice about it too (really, there is one thing i can say for sure...mormons truly are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet...i think that's part of their religion, truly...for good reason, i'm sure it helps win over many people. not me though.)
so this guy doesn't take no for an answer and starts to ask me if i know anyone that would like to be able to be with their loved ones for eternity...this REALLY pissed me off...because maeven was relearning how to ride her bike and she was getting further and further from sight as i'm wrangling with this guy...and tyren is nearer but also on his bike (trike) and getting further away as well, and i need to follow them and this guy is following behind me distracting me from my kids!! so i snarled something like "PLEASE!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" i'm afraid i lost all my niceness once he persisted and i was just super perturbed that he would even be approaching me at the park in the first place!
ok so that's probably just my own beef...i suppose others wouldn't be so bothered by it. but i am. so there. and as i watched later, i saw them continue to go through the entire park, hitting (as far as i could tell), every single parent there! and it was a busy day!
unbelievable.
seriously, the gall. i'm sorry, i really just don't have any patience or understanding for missionaries harassing me and my children. UGH!!
ok, anyone who's read my blog for any length of time knows that i'm not religious...haven't considered myself christian for like, um...going on 20years. maybe more like 15, i guess...since my early to mid-20s at least. anyway...probably because of this i'm pretty sensitive to most things religious.
i already know all about christianity and i don't like anyone trying to convert me. i was raised by a preacher (navy chaplain for most of my childhood, but preacher til i was 7, then again after he retired from the navy, when i was in my early 20s.) a very liberal, open-minded preacher...not at all a fire and brimstone, you're going to hell if you don't believe my way kind of guy (thank heavens!) very respectful of other's beliefs, kind of dad-preacher. (but don't believe for a second that it doesn't hurt him to know that i've not followed his beliefs...and that makes me very sad because i do wish i could believe like him, because i know it means so much to him...but i simply cannot believe in one way anymore. but that's a topic for another post someday perhaps...) so anyway i KNOW about jesus and all the yada yada yada that the missionaries and jehovah's witnesses and bible thumpers of all kinds want to cram down my non-believing throat any chance they get. (is this a sensitive subject to me...ya betcha!)
so in the first place i find proselytizing INCREDIBLY ARROGANT. actually any religion that claims to be the "only way" i find incredibly arrogant...and going out and telling people that they are wrong and are going to hell if they don't change their ways and believe as they do...i just have serious issues with.
so its bad enough that they consistantly show up at my doorstep (i REALLY need a sign to tell them to GO AWAY!!!) but when they start approaching me at the park where i'm playing with my children...this just made me seeth!
yup, 2 mormon missionaries (you can always tell their mormons...they always go in 2s, nearly always boys/men, even though i'm told females do missionary work as well, i've yet to see any...always in white dress shirts, black dress pants, black tie, riding bicycles with helmets...not doubt when you see them, the always look the same.) were making their way through railroad park the other day when i was there...i didn't notice them until one of them approached me...
its hard enough when they come to your door...but at the park?? at least at home i can close the door on them if they don't take no for an answer. at the park you're kind of a captive audience...unless you want to ruin the day for your kids and scoop them up protesting loudly and take them home to get away from the missionaries. which i don't believe those missionaries have the right to do to my day, so i won't do that!
this young guy starts his spiel and i immediately tell him as kindly as i can through clenched teeth that i'm not interested in hearing what he has to say (i DO try to be nice, but they REALLY piss me off with what they are doing...see previous reference to arrogant beyond belief)... usually they desist and leave me alone when i tell them this...and they usually are super nice about it too (really, there is one thing i can say for sure...mormons truly are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet...i think that's part of their religion, truly...for good reason, i'm sure it helps win over many people. not me though.)
so this guy doesn't take no for an answer and starts to ask me if i know anyone that would like to be able to be with their loved ones for eternity...this REALLY pissed me off...because maeven was relearning how to ride her bike and she was getting further and further from sight as i'm wrangling with this guy...and tyren is nearer but also on his bike (trike) and getting further away as well, and i need to follow them and this guy is following behind me distracting me from my kids!! so i snarled something like "PLEASE!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" i'm afraid i lost all my niceness once he persisted and i was just super perturbed that he would even be approaching me at the park in the first place!
ok so that's probably just my own beef...i suppose others wouldn't be so bothered by it. but i am. so there. and as i watched later, i saw them continue to go through the entire park, hitting (as far as i could tell), every single parent there! and it was a busy day!
unbelievable.
seriously, the gall. i'm sorry, i really just don't have any patience or understanding for missionaries harassing me and my children. UGH!!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
my friggin son won't go to SLEEP!!!
its nearly 12:30am...its xmas day for pete's sake!! and he WON'T sleep!!!
i am so friggin mad right now!!!
i have a buttload of stuff still to do!!!! and i can't do it all til he goes to sleep!!!
i am so friggin mad right now!!!
i have a buttload of stuff still to do!!!! and i can't do it all til he goes to sleep!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
stay away from elgo bay
i had a whole lot of ANGER recently over tyren's xmas gift...long story, but i'll try to shorten it. (key word, "try")
i ordered a space station toy for tyr at elgo bay on monday the 15th. i put in the notes of the order that i needed this in time for xmas. (1st time i told them) didn't create an account because it said that i didn't have to. didn't think about the fact that they would only be able to contact me via my paypal email since that's all that i had given them...my paypal email doesn't work anymore. (well it didn't, i've since recreated it. during the recent move to a new host, i just didn't recreate the email.) so they called me that same day and said that i needed to fix this. but i didn't have my cell on so i missed that call til the next day.
ok fine, my fault. i was a dummy for not giving them a valid email and not having my phone on.
so they cancelled my order and refunded my money because apparently they have to have a valid email to process my order. fine.
so i went in as soon as i could on tuesday the 16th and created an account and emailed them about the new account so they knew that i could be contacted there...and would it still be possible for me to order and get the thing in time for xmas (2nd time i talked to them about needing it for xmas). they responded yes, that they were just in L.A., no problem.
so i re-placed the order that same day. (although the paypal transaction didn't go through til the next day, wed...not sure why that is...my mom even says she remembers me placing the order while she was over picking up maeven for nana time, which is on tuesdays.) and again i put a note in there that i needed it for xmas. (3rd time i told them this)
anyway...so then i get confirmation and notice that it was being sent from a warehouse. didn't say where the warehouse was...and again they told me that they were located in L.A. and it shouldn't be a problem. (remember this was the THIRD time that i told them i needed it for xmas). that's 2 times now that they responded to my email address (which they obviously had at this point because they were communicating with me) that yes, they are in L.A., so no problem getting to me by xmas.
then i get a fed ex message that the estimated time of delivery is DECEMBER 30!! and that is was being shipped from PENNSYLVANIA!!!! (i'm in california)
i paid for USPS priority mail, by the way...and apparently its now being shipped fed ex ground. no one told me this ahead of time.
ok i get that sometimes items are drop shipped from different places...but TWICE they told me it would be coming from L.A. and don't worry about it. TWICE!!! they even acknowledged this in our pissy back and forth emails about this situation...apologized for saying it would come from CA!!! (by the way, for those that don't know, i live only about 4 or 5 hours north of L.A.)
i get an email back that i shouldn't point the finger at them because *I* was the one that took my time responding and reordering....uh NO! i remedied (i thought) the situation the very next day!!
and he even had the nerve to tell me, and i quote: "Even if the gift arrive late for christmas, he will have the gift soon after." (bad grammar was in his original note...i think english is a second language for him...so that's understandable. i'm not suggesting anything negative about english being second language...just that i think that's the case.)
um.
YOU tell my 3yr old that he doesn't have a gift from Mommy and Daddy to open on xmas!!! And please explain to him that he has to watch his sister open her gift but his will be here in just 5 more days, don't worry sweetie. !!!!!
i was so mad i was spitting fire!!!
i told him in no uncertain terms that he had his info incorrect, and that i was NEVER told that it would be shipped from elsewhere and that i paid for priority shipping and was never told that wasn't possible! (after we started emailing, he tells me that the vendor doesn't ship USPS and has to do fed ex. ok fine, but tell me that ahead of time! he claims that it was stated when i made the purchase on the site. nope. it wasn't. and it STILL says, on HIS site, in my account transaction record, that its shipping USPS priority mail.)
he hemmed and haw'd:
um, nice to tell me this NOW! after the item is now in fed ex's hands!!! and after i told you not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES that i needed this for xmas!!!
after i told him that i would refuse the product and i expect a full refund after its back in his hands, he said:
ugh. like i'm not stressed enough these days with all our money problems...and we were (at the time this was going down) essentially OUT of xmas money and not even close to done shopping. going handmade for most everyone but still need to purchase a few supplies for printing the photos for them. (making bookmarks, etc to give to family....thought they'd like it and its a lot more affordable then a bunch of random items.)
so now we'll be dipping into our "house money", which is the money that we borrowed from adam's mother to finish the big room. the room that has been in limbo for like a year and a half now. and which causes me stress quite regularly cuz we have no access to most of our art supplies and no place to work on projects without first clearing a space...and i could go on and on but i digress. that room has been a headache for so long and now the money that was supposed to help us finally get that room back is going to start getting chipped away for xmas! *sigh*
and most likely will lead to us having to borrow MORE money to finish the damn room.
and tyren doesn't have a room until that's done.
and i already spent twice what i wanted to spend on tyren's gift. (i alotted just $20 per child for a gift from Mommy and Daddy...but that gift, with shipping was nearly $40, but its what he's been asking for...a space station. and they were sold out all over the net and i really didn't find it cheaper anywhere, not that their price was more than a couple dollars cheaper...and had i known they would be such insensitive ASSES, i would have stayed far away!)
anyway, here it is monday, a week after this whole thing started...and guess where, according to fed ex's website...tyren's space station is now? STILL IN PENNSYLVANIA!!! i'm seriously hoping that they are slow to update their site or something cuz if its still sitting there and they got it in their hands (according to their records) on the 19th...that's beyond ridiculous!
my last email to elgo bay has not been responded to. i went off on him about how it is NOT out of his hands (he last told me it was out of his hands)...that it absolutely is IN his hands and he is fully capable of still giving GOOD customer service and fix this. he could refund me the FULL amount RIGHT NOW so i could go buy something for my kid to open from Mommy and Daddy on xmas...he could order me a new one and ship it one day service at his expense to make sure we have one in our hands on time. he could at the very least admit they made a very big error and at least TRY to do something to fix it instead of trying to make this all MY fault!
this is the most deplorable customer service i've ever encountered. so much for the good will of this season. i told him repeatedly that we are tapped and i spent the last of my xmas money on this gift for my 3yr old and now its not going to even get here in time??? luckily, that's now changed...but that just happened after i emailed him, and he showed no real sorrow for the situation. even said that he "loves kids" and has 10 of his own and understands their "expectations at this time of the year" or something like that. sorry, but my 3yr old doesn't yet HAVE expectations about xmas. this isn't about his expectations...this is about what will happen on christmas day when he might have no gift to open from mommy and daddy but his sister does!
i am still so completely enraged by this whole situation and i'm not sure how else to deal with it except to warn others to STAY AWAY FROM ELGO BAY!!! BAD BAD BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND NO HEART!!!
i ordered a space station toy for tyr at elgo bay on monday the 15th. i put in the notes of the order that i needed this in time for xmas. (1st time i told them) didn't create an account because it said that i didn't have to. didn't think about the fact that they would only be able to contact me via my paypal email since that's all that i had given them...my paypal email doesn't work anymore. (well it didn't, i've since recreated it. during the recent move to a new host, i just didn't recreate the email.) so they called me that same day and said that i needed to fix this. but i didn't have my cell on so i missed that call til the next day.
ok fine, my fault. i was a dummy for not giving them a valid email and not having my phone on.
so they cancelled my order and refunded my money because apparently they have to have a valid email to process my order. fine.
so i went in as soon as i could on tuesday the 16th and created an account and emailed them about the new account so they knew that i could be contacted there...and would it still be possible for me to order and get the thing in time for xmas (2nd time i talked to them about needing it for xmas). they responded yes, that they were just in L.A., no problem.
so i re-placed the order that same day. (although the paypal transaction didn't go through til the next day, wed...not sure why that is...my mom even says she remembers me placing the order while she was over picking up maeven for nana time, which is on tuesdays.) and again i put a note in there that i needed it for xmas. (3rd time i told them this)
anyway...so then i get confirmation and notice that it was being sent from a warehouse. didn't say where the warehouse was...and again they told me that they were located in L.A. and it shouldn't be a problem. (remember this was the THIRD time that i told them i needed it for xmas). that's 2 times now that they responded to my email address (which they obviously had at this point because they were communicating with me) that yes, they are in L.A., so no problem getting to me by xmas.
then i get a fed ex message that the estimated time of delivery is DECEMBER 30!! and that is was being shipped from PENNSYLVANIA!!!! (i'm in california)
i paid for USPS priority mail, by the way...and apparently its now being shipped fed ex ground. no one told me this ahead of time.
ok i get that sometimes items are drop shipped from different places...but TWICE they told me it would be coming from L.A. and don't worry about it. TWICE!!! they even acknowledged this in our pissy back and forth emails about this situation...apologized for saying it would come from CA!!! (by the way, for those that don't know, i live only about 4 or 5 hours north of L.A.)
i get an email back that i shouldn't point the finger at them because *I* was the one that took my time responding and reordering....uh NO! i remedied (i thought) the situation the very next day!!
and he even had the nerve to tell me, and i quote: "Even if the gift arrive late for christmas, he will have the gift soon after." (bad grammar was in his original note...i think english is a second language for him...so that's understandable. i'm not suggesting anything negative about english being second language...just that i think that's the case.)
um.
YOU tell my 3yr old that he doesn't have a gift from Mommy and Daddy to open on xmas!!! And please explain to him that he has to watch his sister open her gift but his will be here in just 5 more days, don't worry sweetie. !!!!!
i was so mad i was spitting fire!!!
i told him in no uncertain terms that he had his info incorrect, and that i was NEVER told that it would be shipped from elsewhere and that i paid for priority shipping and was never told that wasn't possible! (after we started emailing, he tells me that the vendor doesn't ship USPS and has to do fed ex. ok fine, but tell me that ahead of time! he claims that it was stated when i made the purchase on the site. nope. it wasn't. and it STILL says, on HIS site, in my account transaction record, that its shipping USPS priority mail.)
he hemmed and haw'd:
"We are sorry for telling you that the item will be shipped from California. Item ship, origin location is subject to change, item availability and type of item ordered."
um, nice to tell me this NOW! after the item is now in fed ex's hands!!! and after i told you not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES that i needed this for xmas!!!
after i told him that i would refuse the product and i expect a full refund after its back in his hands, he said:
"We can issue you a partial refund of $10 after you receive your order. You might even be able to pickup your order from FedEx facility in California if it gets there before Christmas. Keep your fingers crossed.so basically he's going to force me to keep it. i just checked his info on the site and its 20%, not 30% restocking fee, since the item would be unopened. 30% is for opened returns.
If you refuse the shipment and it get returned, you will receive a refund minus 30% restocking fee, per our Return Policy."
ugh. like i'm not stressed enough these days with all our money problems...and we were (at the time this was going down) essentially OUT of xmas money and not even close to done shopping. going handmade for most everyone but still need to purchase a few supplies for printing the photos for them. (making bookmarks, etc to give to family....thought they'd like it and its a lot more affordable then a bunch of random items.)
so now we'll be dipping into our "house money", which is the money that we borrowed from adam's mother to finish the big room. the room that has been in limbo for like a year and a half now. and which causes me stress quite regularly cuz we have no access to most of our art supplies and no place to work on projects without first clearing a space...and i could go on and on but i digress. that room has been a headache for so long and now the money that was supposed to help us finally get that room back is going to start getting chipped away for xmas! *sigh*
and most likely will lead to us having to borrow MORE money to finish the damn room.
and tyren doesn't have a room until that's done.
and i already spent twice what i wanted to spend on tyren's gift. (i alotted just $20 per child for a gift from Mommy and Daddy...but that gift, with shipping was nearly $40, but its what he's been asking for...a space station. and they were sold out all over the net and i really didn't find it cheaper anywhere, not that their price was more than a couple dollars cheaper...and had i known they would be such insensitive ASSES, i would have stayed far away!)
anyway, here it is monday, a week after this whole thing started...and guess where, according to fed ex's website...tyren's space station is now? STILL IN PENNSYLVANIA!!! i'm seriously hoping that they are slow to update their site or something cuz if its still sitting there and they got it in their hands (according to their records) on the 19th...that's beyond ridiculous!
my last email to elgo bay has not been responded to. i went off on him about how it is NOT out of his hands (he last told me it was out of his hands)...that it absolutely is IN his hands and he is fully capable of still giving GOOD customer service and fix this. he could refund me the FULL amount RIGHT NOW so i could go buy something for my kid to open from Mommy and Daddy on xmas...he could order me a new one and ship it one day service at his expense to make sure we have one in our hands on time. he could at the very least admit they made a very big error and at least TRY to do something to fix it instead of trying to make this all MY fault!
this is the most deplorable customer service i've ever encountered. so much for the good will of this season. i told him repeatedly that we are tapped and i spent the last of my xmas money on this gift for my 3yr old and now its not going to even get here in time??? luckily, that's now changed...but that just happened after i emailed him, and he showed no real sorrow for the situation. even said that he "loves kids" and has 10 of his own and understands their "expectations at this time of the year" or something like that. sorry, but my 3yr old doesn't yet HAVE expectations about xmas. this isn't about his expectations...this is about what will happen on christmas day when he might have no gift to open from mommy and daddy but his sister does!
i am still so completely enraged by this whole situation and i'm not sure how else to deal with it except to warn others to STAY AWAY FROM ELGO BAY!!! BAD BAD BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND NO HEART!!!
Friday, December 19, 2008
really fed up
if one more person says to me "don't we all need cash?" or "times are hard for everyone" or something along those lines...i'm gonna go ballistic on them! i'm so tired of telling someone about how i'm doing something because we need cash bad or times are hard or whatever, just to be dismissed with "everyone's got it bad" or whatever. yes, i KNOW this! but frankly, i don't care about everyone...right now i'm worrying about my OWN family...and things are really not going well again...just found out our cash is gone. and adam just was paid a couple days ago and if i don't find about $300 fast, we're going to start bouncing in our main account. and the only people who currently have xmas gifts in this house are the kids and adam. i'm pretty sure adam hasn't gotten anything for me yet. but i don't really care about that. honestly.
i knew this would eventually happen...because of the pay cut.
but i'm just soooooooo tired of people essentially devaluing my situation because "everyone" has it bad right now. yeah, so? so if everyone is hurting, does it make it any easier on my own situation? no, i don't think so. and anyway, its not like i'm going on and on to some of these people...the latest one that told me this was someone that i only talk to on IM like once every 6months!!!
it just really pisses me off! why don't you just say "yeah, so?" cuz that's really what you mean!!! "yeah, so what? your family needs money...yeah, so? who cares? everyone has it bad, so why should i care about you???"
just really rude and hurtful, i think.
its not like i'm asking the person i'm talking to to FIX IT FOR ME!!!!
i'm just really so pissed right now about this because i hear it all the time!!!!!!
i knew this would eventually happen...because of the pay cut.
but i'm just soooooooo tired of people essentially devaluing my situation because "everyone" has it bad right now. yeah, so? so if everyone is hurting, does it make it any easier on my own situation? no, i don't think so. and anyway, its not like i'm going on and on to some of these people...the latest one that told me this was someone that i only talk to on IM like once every 6months!!!
it just really pisses me off! why don't you just say "yeah, so?" cuz that's really what you mean!!! "yeah, so what? your family needs money...yeah, so? who cares? everyone has it bad, so why should i care about you???"
just really rude and hurtful, i think.
its not like i'm asking the person i'm talking to to FIX IT FOR ME!!!!
i'm just really so pissed right now about this because i hear it all the time!!!!!!
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