Thursday, June 11, 2009

Frustration and Shoes

A lot of my friends would call me a picky person. And I would have to say that they are dead on. Of course, there was no exception when it came to my shoes. After deciding on wedges due to it being an outdoor wedding and me not wanting to aerate the lawn with my heels, I began to search.


And search.


And search.


And search some more.


What I had in mind was simple, elegant yet casual. All i wanted was a simple design up front and longish straps that I could wrap around my leg and tie. Not too much to ask right? Apparently it was. After searching for (I kid you not) 4 months, finding some I liked only to have them be out of stock, discontinued or unavailable in my size- I finally found a pair that I loved on Lovemyshoes.com. They were a bit pricier than Id hoped considering Im trying to do this wedding on a small budget, but I purchased them.


Like with most online transactions there was a bit of guessing involved. I obviously couldnt try them on so I decided to purchase a size 9 (Im between and 9 and 10 normally). I ensured that they shoes were also available in a 10 just in case but had no concerns. I was told that I would be notified when my order was shipped, would be given a tracking number and that it would take about 7-10 business days to arrive.


Considering we were going to Arizona for 10 day shortly after my purchase, we arranged for Richards dad to come over, take care of the cats and keep a look out for the box. Upon returning home, there were no shoes. So I attempted to contact the company. No answer.


Being the patient person I am, I decide to wait for a while longer. A week and a half later, after I checked up on the order AGAIN I saw that they had shipped. A little twirked by this point because I had never received any sort of notification (it had been almost 2 weeks since I had originally ordered) I was finally beginning to see light. They promptly arrived 7 days later and where of course- too small.


I contacted the company and told them what was going on. The very unhelpful guy on the other end told me that there were plenty of the size I wanted and to check my email and print out the shipping form that UPS would send me. When I informed him that that was impossible since I had a virus on my computer that didnt allow me to access the Internet, he told me to take my computer somewhere that had WiFi. I wanted to scream! After re-explaining my predicament to him he agreed that I could call back and have them fax it to my work, which I promptly did the next day and had the box shipped out.


Then the waiting started again. After 2 more weeks they finally updated their website showing that the shoes had been received and that I had a credit. Again, I received no notification and had no idea what was going on. Again, I decided to be patient to see what was going to happen. Considering it was a Thursday I figured that my new shoes would be shipped out the following week. No such luck.


I had no clue what was going on until I check my bank account Tuesday morning and saw that they had refunded my money. FINE! Ill just go back on and reorder the correct size if these morons cant figure it out. Well guess what- size 10 is no longer available in white. At this point Im livid. Am I expecting too much in this day and age of cell phones and email to think that a company that does business all over the US would notify me and let me know whats going on?!


So screw it. Im done with that company. It took a few days of searching to find another pair I liked from- of all places- Old Navy. Sorry folks, but this girl is not an Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Buckle OR Tillys shopper- its just not my style to wear overly priced preppy clothes. Anyhow, I attempted to purchase them online but the website was screwy so I called the local stores and found one that had a pair in my size.


All of this was yesterday. Now this store that I went to was damaged by a tornado that touched down in the area on Sunday. Not majorly damage, but the AC unit was hit and not functioning. So I call, expecting them to be closed until the unit is repaired or replaced but they were open. The girl that answered was EXTREMELY helpful. I told her what I was looking for, she went in the back, grabbed my size ( I asked for a 10 this time) made sure it was what I wanted by explaining what they looked like and said she would hold them for me for two days (it was the only pair in that size) just in case I wasnt able to make it in last night. I went in, tried them on and bought them. Now thats what I call customer service!!


Im so happy with the shoes and I cant wait to try them on with my dress! Couldnt find a photo of the white ones but this is what they look like :-D

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

So Really Quick...

As always, been very busy, but here's what Ive been up to :-)


Finished Richards tie. Now just need to get it professionally pressed and have to find a clip on tie I can take apart to make little Darrolds tie.

Bought stuff to make the girls sashes. Yes, that is blanket binding and yes I really am using it!

Found this really cute dress in one of the magazines I got. Probably ridiculously expensive but now its actually go me considering making the girls dresses :-S (sorry its sideways....it wont upload the right way) Bought the frame we wanted from Walmart when it went on sale. The cake topper we want is just the people by them selfs and we are going to etch our own toasting glasses with just the upper porting of the figures.
Found these AWESOME salt and pepper shakers, lol. Theyre on LeWeddingFavors.com. Everything on there is very cute and extremely well priced. Check it out!

Signed up for our first (and probably only) registry :-)Considering Richard and I have been living together for a while, we pretty much already have everything we need. That being said, I never really understood the point of registering for a bunch of stuff that we didnt need or want at overly priced home goods stores so when i found out that American Furniture Wearhouse had a registry I singed up! Its basically a "cash account" where people can contribute how much they want (there is not minimum) and when we are ready we can just go pick out our stuff :-D Genious!
Well, thats about it! Have Fun!