Day 69: Bloomex - their customer service sucks

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 69: Bloomex - their customer service sucks

This has been a highly frustrating day. It started this morning. Or actually, it started over the weekend.

Dieter and I were invited to lunch by a friend (let’s call her Amanda) who recently moved from a townhouse to an apartment.

While I was looking forward to see Amanda again, I was also rather excited meeting the five kittens she fosters.

So intent on meeting the kittens was I that I completely forgot to take along a housewarming gift for our hostess.

After our visit, which was both nice and sad (I didn’t get to take any of the kittens with me) I decided to rectify my mistake and send Amanda a bouquet of flowers. To do this I contacted Bloomex and this is where the trouble started.

I sent the flowers on Monday and when I hadn’t heard from Amanda on Tuesday, I send her a follow-up email. I thought it rather strange that if she received the flowers, she wouldn’t let me know. I found Amanda’s reply this morning stating that she hadn’t received the flowers.

This was rather upsetting. For one, the cat was out of the bag and the flowers would no longer be a surprise, and two ... if Amanda hadn’t received the flowers, where were they? I had received this email from Bloomex

Your Order has been Delivered

I contacted Bloomex on my phone and started a chat with customer service specialist Paul. After the initial complaint, Paul stated “Hold on while I investigate”. I waited and waited and Paul never got back to me.

Next, I moved to my computer and started another conversation, this time with Kelly. Kelly stated that the delivery guy had tried to deliver the flowers but couldn’t find the address.

And this is where I’m partly to blame. I had mentioned the address as 120 Kling Street (not Amanda’s real address). This was my mistake as it should have been 120 King Street. Now, this is where I’m starting to wonder about the intelligence of the courier person.

Courier people know Toronto like the back of their hand and know very well that there’s no such thing as Kling Street. When in doubt, they look at the postal code which pinpoints them to the exact location.

Apparently, this courier person didn’t have much intellect as he couldn’t find the address. Which begs the question ... why didn’t anyone contact me? At the order form, I had given my phone number and email address, yet nobody contacted. Instead, I received an email stating that a delivery had been made.

A string of emails followed. First, they were apologetic and I was now I VIP client and I didn’t need to worry, the flowers would be delivered today.

Next, I was no longer a VIP client and I had to pay an extra $8 for delivery changes, as it was my fault that the flowers couldn’t be delivered.

It is now Wednesday evening and Amanda still doesn’t have her flowers.

While Bloomex might have a wide selection of flowers at reasonable prices, their customer service sucks! If Bloomex wants to improve their reputation, they should change courier companies and make use of people who actually know Toronto.

What’s more, Bloomex blew a major contract. This order for Amanda was just a trial run. If this order had gone smoothly I would have recommended them to the head office of a string of funeral parlors, people who order hundreds of bouquets a month.

Sorry Bloomex, no such contract for you.

Day 110: A Visit to Home Depot

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 110: A Visit to Home Depot

Now that spring has finally sprung in Toronto, Dieter and I took a trip to Home Depot to buy flowers for the balcony. It’s a trip that I love, although it’s also a bit frustrating. There are so many flowers to choose from, but that I can’t have because many them are toxic to cats. Since I put safety before beauty I stick to petunias.

The petunias were on special actually with a sign that said ‘2 for $11’. I couldn’t believe my luck, two whole trays for $11! As it turned out, the sign was a bit misleading. It wasn’t two trays for $11, it was two baskets for $11 and each tray contained three baskets.

In addition, we also bought two hanging baskets with petunias, a basil plant (because I love, love, love basil), two tomato plants and potting soil.

Total cost: $135.

Before leaving Home Depot we also looked at a new chandelier for the dining room. The chandelier we have in the dining room now is beautiful, but a big pain in the you know where. It’s one of those crystal chandeliers with lots and lots of bells and cleaning them takes hours and hours.

First, the chandelier has to be disassembled, then I wash the bells in hot water with detergent, then to give the bells their shine I rub each individual one with lemon juice, and then the chandelier has to be assembled again. Like I said, it’s a pain, so we decided to look for something else.

While Home Depot had a number of nice chandeliers on display, none of them actually stood out. A few of them were very nice but were made up of crystal bells, and I’m not falling for those again.

Next, we wanted to look at ceramic tiles for the kitchen and balcony. Dieter found some very nice tiles for a reasonable price, but before buying, he would have to measure both areas to know how many square meters we need to cover.

While in the tile section, we also looked at backsplash tiles for the kitchen and that’s where I got into a spot of trouble. I saw some beautiful white and blue glass subway style tiles and got all excited because the price was a mere $5,99. I was all ready to put the tiles in the trolley when Dieter took a closer look. The price of the tiles was not $5,99 per box, but $5,99 per tile. Oh, well that changed things a bit.

It got better though, before leaving Home Depot, I went to look at the kitchen displays. With the first one I saw it was love at first sight: beautiful white cabinets, a generous granite sink, drawers that smoothly opened and closed, it was a dream. I looked at the price tag and saw $2,000. Hm, a bit expensive for six cabinets and a sink.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” I turned to Dieter.

“It is,” he nodded, “but way out of our price range.

“$2,000 isn’t that bad,” I said. “It looks like really good quality.”

“$2,000? Mom put your glasses on,” he said. “This kitchen isn’t $2,000, it’s $20,000!”

Since I couldn’t believe that this kitchen could cost that much I dug into my bag for my glasses and had another look … Dieter was right, these six cabinets and sink were indeed $20,000. OMG!

A cab took us home, we lugged the flowers and soil upstairs and placed everything on the balcony. The soil on the ground, the trays with petunias on the ledge and the baskets on hooks in the ceiling.

And would you believe it, Halley was scared of the baskets. More than just scared, she was petrified. She was fine with the soil and immediately rolled around on the bag. She didn’t mind the trays with petunias, whom she sniffed. But the baskets … oh no, she wanted nothing to do with those.

Dieter picked her up to let her get acquainted with the flowers and … oh no, she struggled to get out of his grip. 

Fortunately, her fear didn’t last long. After only a few days she realized that those flowers meant her no harm and now she quite okay again to go out on the balcony and enjoy the sun. She loves to roll around on the floor and would you believe it, her white coat stays spotless. You try doing that in a white outfit …

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Day 100: What is your favorite season

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 100: What is your favorite season

Today’s creative writing prompt is … 'What is your favorite season?' Well, let’s see …

While for many people summer is their favorite season, I’m not one of them. I’m fine with a temperature of up to 26 degrees C (78.8 degrees F) but anything more than that makes me extremely uncomfortable. As someone once said, “For winter you can dress warm, but what do you do in summer … there’s only so much you can take off.” All I can say is ... thank goodness for A/C. Whoever invented air-conditioning deserves a medal the size of Texas.

As much as I dislike the heat, I absolutely hate fall. While it’s true that fall displays a magnificent array of colors in foliage, I find it a depressing season. Trees, shrubs, and flowers die, their remains lying on the ground to rot. I do like the rain that the fall brings though. Not surprising since I’m originally from Belgium where it rains nine months out of the year. Why do you think Belgium is known as frog land …

As for winter … while winter is not exactly my favorite season, but it does have its perks. There's nothing like a snow-covered landscape and along with snow and ice comes skiing and skating entertainment. Cold dark cloudy days are perfect for enjoying thick soup, cuddling up by the fireplace with a good book, or watching old movies. Winter is also the time for Christmas when the house gets decorated and we go shopping for presents for loved ones.

So that leaves us with spring. Yes, spring is my favorite season. A time when nature comes alive, when trees sprout delicate green leaves, daffodils bob their bright yellow heads, and when people shed their dark winter clothes and boots in favor of pastel colors and sandals.

Along with spring comes nest building for the birds, which is something a couple of finches are busy with right now on my balcony. I for one will be very happy when their construction work is finished, because their constant twittering at the crack of dawn interferes with my beauty sleep.

The cats on the other hand are delighted with the finches’ presence. Now that the temperature has hit double digits, they’re allowed to go out on the balcony and they never tire of seeing the finches in action. “They’re just to look at,” I told them, “not to eat. If you catch one, you’re grounded for a week.”

Don’t forget to donate to the Toronto Cat Rescue.

Any amount will make a difference.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

The easiest flower to care for

Soon it will be spring and millions of people will make their annual journey to the local nursery to shop for flowers.

If you have your heart set on geraniums, know there are several different kinds.

Geraniums are one of the most popular flowers because they are beautiful, versatile and easy to care for. Whether they are planted in flowerbeds, hanging baskets, balcony containers or window boxes, a geranium will grow without needing much care. Available in a variety of colors, leaf shapes and sizes, get acquainted with the different types of geraniums.
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http://www.ebay.com/gds/Different-Types-of-Geraniums-/10000000208404070/g.html

Namaqualand's transformation

While living in South Africa, a neighbor recommended we should visit Namaqualand. Apparently it was just the right time. I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I was prepared to take her word for it. So we went.
The 1111 km (690 miles) was quite a long drive and we hoped it would be worth it. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at our destination and we found a brown colored, barren land. This, this is what we had come all the way for! 

Not that we were alone. There were hundreds of other people there, strolling around, emerging from tents, having breakfast on blankets.

We soon found out that some of the people were reporters and photographers, having camped out at this location for days. According to them, any moment now something amazing was about to happen.

“This happens but once a year,” one of the reporters told me. “One moment there’s nothing but barren landscape, the next a sea of flowers explodes before your eyes.”

Flowers? Where were these flowers going to come from? I saw nothing but soil and rocks.

"You just wait," he said, "just tight and you’ll witness something you won’t forget for the rest of your life." So we waited.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. During mid-afternoon, dark clouds gathered over Namaqualand and when the first drops of rains splashed on the ground, everyone got terribly excited. 

Within minutes, I could see why. Patches of color started to sprout from the barren soil and the more it rained the more flowers started to bloom. By the end of the day, there were flowers as far as the eye could see.

This video shows the event in a way that I could never explain. Not to worry, you don’t have to watch the whole 51 minutes of it (although you might want to). At the 45 second mark, you can see Namaqualand’s transformation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gx-aCsURq0

If you prefer photos, this reportage shows some beautiful images.

http://www.atlasofwonders.com/2013/02/namaqualand-flower-power.html

For all the singles on Valentine's Day

For countless single men and women, Valentine’s Day looms like a dark grey cloud on the horizon.

Throughout the year they can handle being single, enjoy it even, but on Valentine’s Day they are suddenly confronted with the fact that they don’t have that special person in their life. 

Even though family and friends may love them dearly, when they are not in a relationship on Valentine’s Day, they may feel that nobody loves them because they don’t have anyone to love.

Continue reading at: 

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/for-all-the-singles-on-valentines-day

Getting through Valentine's Day

Being alone again is not easy and going through a breakup shortly before Valentine’s Day makes it all the worse. 
There is no need to feel blue though, on the contrary, use this day to celebrate your independence.

First and foremost, get out of the house.  Don’t curl up with chocolates, a romantic movie or sad music.  You don’t want to depress yourself even more, do you?  Rather grab your credit card, throw caution to the wind and spoil yourself a little.  After what you’ve been through, you deserve it.

Continue reading at: 

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/getting-through-valentines-day

What to do on Valentine's Day without a date

When you are single, Valentine’s Day is not the easiest of days.  The stores are packed with ‘I love you’ cards, cuddly bears and balloons, while the flower stores have stocked up on red roses and baby breath.  Depressing, isn’t it?  What to do on Valentine’s Day without a date?

Continue reading at:

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/what-to-do-on-valentines-day-without-a-date

Can real estate agents read?

We had some excitement this morning.

While having breakfast I suddenly heard the sound of dripping water on the balcony. Was it raining? No, it was our upstairs neighbor’s balcony leaking water for some reason.

This has happened before, but not as severe as this morning. On previous occasions there was just a bit of dripping of water. At the time I thought our neighbor was watering his plants and our balcony was the recipient of a little excess.

This morning it was quite different. The dripping changed into pouring and what pooled on the balcony floor wasn’t clear, but soapy water. To the best of my knowledge nobody tends to their flowers with soap and water. Within no time my balcony flowers were ‘knee deep’ in the soapy stuff and it was time to do something.

I considered going upstairs and asking my neighbor what was going on, when I remembered going up there to ask him to stop banging on the walls at all hours of the day.
His reply at the time was ‘Shut up’, followed by slamming the door in my face.

So, this time I played it smart ... I called the superintendent of our building and he could take care of the soapy problem.

The super took one look at the flooded balcony and went straight upstairs. Minutes later the downpour stopped.
Problem solved. No idea what caused it though.


As for an update on the real estate problem ... I'm wondering about estate agents' intelligence.

Now that we are in the market for a new place to live, I went on the Remax and Centure 21 websites and completed their little questionnaire regarding what kind of new property we are looking for.

I selected condos, townhouses, lofts and houses as possibilities, with the must have of: A/C, close to public transportation and pets allowed. Within 24 hours a representative of Century 21 sent me a message with two possible condos he found.
Both of them had no A/C, were miles away from public transportation and had a no pets allowed policy.

Makes you kind of wonder, doesn’t it.

On the balcony

Aah this is the life. For a change this is not written under the Toronto sun, but under the Toronto moon and stars.

Although it has cooled off tonight and we have three fans going, it is still stifling warm inside.

While watering the flowers on the balcony, I felt how nice and cool it was outside, so I decided to move to the balcony with my laptop. It is so much better here.
Nice view too.

On my left are two neighboring buildings where it seems most of the occupants have gone to sleep as windows are dark. Here and there, there still are some lit up windows though.

In front of me is the building’s park, now completely deserted. Beyond the park is a pond, also deserted. There used to be ducks and geese, but I haven’t seen or heard them in a long long time. Beyond the pond is a residential area, now covered in darkness but dotted here and there with white and orange lights. Street lights I presume.

On my right is a railway, a townhouse complex, a bingo hall and a soccer field. And beyond that, some 25 miles away, the skyline of Toronto with the CN tower as the most noticeable light beacon.

Aah it’s so peaceful and quiet here, this balcony would be the perfect place to sleep.