printer drums, customer support, verizon, and quasi-relatives not returning my phone calls for help
So, I've got a moment.... yes... to myself! It's been many weeks cine my last confession. Since then, I got a job (have I written since then?), and my trials and tribulations have evolved -- from simply surviving the boredom, chaos, suffocation and despair that is often known as a COMMUTE, to the matter of "The Elusive Printer Drum", general customer support complaints, Verizon calamities, and quasi-relatives not returning my phone calls for help (not a new issue but a thron in my side throughout the Verizon debacle).
A bit on the Printer Drum scenario, since it is undoubtedly the most interesting (being utterly fantastic and dramatic, my work life hinging on the successful arrivel of a non-defective drum TODAY, finally, I hope), and I of course, would like to impart my knowledge for future generations of office managers. As a new office manager myself, one of the first "office managing" tasks I performed outside of the "administrative" tasks was ordering supplies for the office, including one printer drum. The original printer drum died as I was finishing a rush job of press kits, leaving me scrambling to Staples to finish the press kits out-of-pocket (and wasting precious time as the Staples bitch was BUSY). I hadn't even been given the job officially yet, so the person before me should have placed the order beforehand (but of course didn't).
I felt responsible for the dead drum and stressed the next day about ordering the drum, making phone calls and looking online. It's something that must be ordered, not something stores keep in stock. I found a store that claimed to have it, asked him to triple-check, and went all the way downtown only to find out that the sales person didn't know what he was talking about and had been advising me on an INK CARTRIDGE. Anyway, I found this cheap website online, which would save 50% of the $200 price tag, and the printer drum arrived quickly (thankfully!). Only, it turns out this cheap online shop shipped me a defective cartridge which started having serious problems two weeks later! I spent a long time on the phone with an HP rep before I realized that was the problem -- then the rep offered to ship me a repleacement. I begged and pleaded, crying for overnight shipping, telling him that we are in the midst of a huge fundraising push, with heavy printing needs daily. He couldn't tell me when it would get here, but promised to check in. And he did check in, daily....He reported to me two days later that something went wrong with the original order, so he had to re-order.
Then on Friday, the day I had originally been told it would arrive by, he advised me that it was on back-order and wouldn't arrive until the 30th!!! OMG. I immediately called Staples and ordered one to be shipped to us, to arrive today. Why is HP, the maker of the printer, drum, and cartridges, unable to ship it as quickly? And why were they unable to give me accurate information immediately on the estimated arrival of the drum? I made love to the Staples guy over the phone as best I could, gushing and crying my gratefulness and undying love and admiration. If it comes today, I will be able to breathe again.
Of course, the next step will be to deal with this crappy online company! Ugh.
I realize, belatedly, that my original intention to go over ALL of "todaysshit" that I have been dealing with lately was over-ambitious. I will have to touch on those issues later. Wish me luck with the drum in the meantime.
A bit on the Printer Drum scenario, since it is undoubtedly the most interesting (being utterly fantastic and dramatic, my work life hinging on the successful arrivel of a non-defective drum TODAY, finally, I hope), and I of course, would like to impart my knowledge for future generations of office managers. As a new office manager myself, one of the first "office managing" tasks I performed outside of the "administrative" tasks was ordering supplies for the office, including one printer drum. The original printer drum died as I was finishing a rush job of press kits, leaving me scrambling to Staples to finish the press kits out-of-pocket (and wasting precious time as the Staples bitch was BUSY). I hadn't even been given the job officially yet, so the person before me should have placed the order beforehand (but of course didn't).
I felt responsible for the dead drum and stressed the next day about ordering the drum, making phone calls and looking online. It's something that must be ordered, not something stores keep in stock. I found a store that claimed to have it, asked him to triple-check, and went all the way downtown only to find out that the sales person didn't know what he was talking about and had been advising me on an INK CARTRIDGE. Anyway, I found this cheap website online, which would save 50% of the $200 price tag, and the printer drum arrived quickly (thankfully!). Only, it turns out this cheap online shop shipped me a defective cartridge which started having serious problems two weeks later! I spent a long time on the phone with an HP rep before I realized that was the problem -- then the rep offered to ship me a repleacement. I begged and pleaded, crying for overnight shipping, telling him that we are in the midst of a huge fundraising push, with heavy printing needs daily. He couldn't tell me when it would get here, but promised to check in. And he did check in, daily....He reported to me two days later that something went wrong with the original order, so he had to re-order.
Then on Friday, the day I had originally been told it would arrive by, he advised me that it was on back-order and wouldn't arrive until the 30th!!! OMG. I immediately called Staples and ordered one to be shipped to us, to arrive today. Why is HP, the maker of the printer, drum, and cartridges, unable to ship it as quickly? And why were they unable to give me accurate information immediately on the estimated arrival of the drum? I made love to the Staples guy over the phone as best I could, gushing and crying my gratefulness and undying love and admiration. If it comes today, I will be able to breathe again.
Of course, the next step will be to deal with this crappy online company! Ugh.
I realize, belatedly, that my original intention to go over ALL of "todaysshit" that I have been dealing with lately was over-ambitious. I will have to touch on those issues later. Wish me luck with the drum in the meantime.