Saturday musings

Yesterday ran right on by me, sorry about that!

Today I thought maybe I'd talk about the TV set.  We got it last October at BJs Wholesale Club where we've been members for a number of years now.  The set got a long break between about April until a week ago when we sought refuge in the basement from a storm.  My "smart" phone told us to seek shelter immediately so we took our BLTs and glasses and headed down the steps to our cave.

We put on the TV to find out more about the path that the weather was taking, but it didn't take but about 30 seconds to realize that something was wrong.  The television set was turning itself off and on about every minute or so.  Can you even imagine how annoying that was?  I ate my sandwich and when it seemed pretty obvious that the storm wasn't going to be a threat, went upstairs to turn on the other TV and make sure it was working.

Then we turned the TV downstairs OFF.  In a little while, it came back on again.  So we unplugged the cable box.  In a little while, it came back on again.  And again.

So I think my husband thought it was over and we went upstairs.  When we were getting ready for bed, he went over to shut the door to the basement and said we must have left a light on down there.  It wasn't a light.  It was the dumb TV again!!

So he unplugged everything and then the really interesting part started.  We've been going back and forth with the company ever since.  The set is under warranty.  They seem to know exactly what is wrong with it (telling me that a whole lot of other customers had the same thing happen) but we cannot seem to make an appointment for someone to come over here.  We've left three messages on the machine and I called the customer rep directly -- in San Jose, CA. 

When we had our old TV, the company that serviced it because we bought some extra protection for it, came out of Parma.  Well, it would seem as though this is where the technician is coming from again this time but what is going on?  Stress.  Don't we hear a lot about stress?  How we should do what we can to reduce it in our lives.  I'm doing what I can -- I retired!!  I crochet!  I do watercolors!  I babysit and laugh with my grandchildren!  I volunteer my time!  Yikes. 

So where does the stress come from?  My stupid television set, that's what. 

With each passing day, my husband is getting more irritated and more upset.  He saved the box that the set came in and says he is going to box it up and take it back to BJs.  That will likely not go over very well.  They aren't going to accept it there, I'm pretty sure.  And he is also talking about the State's attorney general too because he thinks they are running a flim-flam operation hoping that enough time will pass that the warranty is up.  I don't know, but it just seems as though businesses have gone backwards.

My husband says that when their set was under warranty when he was a kid, the repairman was there the next day.  The next day!  You called him and he came.  Now we have to call one number, then send a copy of the receipt, then call another number, then they call from an unintelligible number and you miss the call, then you call back and back and back and they don't respond whatsoever.  Maybe he's right!

At any rate, I know in my heart of hearts that the TV set in the basement isn't really all that important.  I know it is just a material thing that has no eternal value.  And I went to holy hour yesterday and read part of a very interesting book about how we can try to "pray without ceasing."  All this and then I come home to the aggravation of a broken TV set and a company that has farmed out its repair operation to someplace in CA and they obviously don't give a hoot about anybody's customers.

I'm going to Curves to work out.  I bet they call when I'm gone.