Water Under The Bridge

On Monday, January 10, with misgivings as expressed in a prior posting, I refused the shipment of my digital camera from Quill. The next day, DHL delivered the camera which I had ordered from Dell.

This morning, I called Quill to determine if they had received the returned camera from UPS. Despite the fact that they had no record of the camera having been received back from UPS, the Quill representative authorized a credit to my account.

Now, is that service or not? You can appreciate why I recommend Quill to those who wish to order office supplies and equipment. Check out Quill.com

Last night as I was playing Jacks or Better poker at POGO.com and chatting with Topncal, he suggested I check my e-mails. Lo and behold, he had gifted me a one year subscription to POGO. His generosity was and is overwhelming. It was difficult for me to find the words to express my appreciation; so a simple but heartfelt thanks were offered. Topncal has become a close friend whose friendship, counsel and tech support knows no bounds. Thank you, Topncal

Back on December 4, 2004 I placed an order with Dell for a digital camera. At that time they e-mailed to confirm that shipment would be made on or before December 20. The camera was to be a Christmas present to myself (I think I deserve it - LOL). Although the December 20 shipping date was possibly a little late for arrival before Christmas, I figured that I could live with that.

By December 13, with a couple of prior online reviews of the status, an e-mail was sent to Dell requesting an update. It should have been anticipated; yeah, the response was the usual generic reply without addressing my concerns.

Yep, you may have already guessed, by December 20 there was still no shipping confirmation and my e-mail enquiry received the usual generic reply. A follow-up e-mail was sent on January 2 with, once again, the same generic reply. Right now, at the back of my mind, I seem to recollect that a January 5 shipping date was mentioned but I am unable to confirm that.

Prior to all of this, an online search for the digital camera was made but nothing was out there; but my niece and my friend, Topncal, told me that they had seen the camera at local stores and offered to get it for me. Perhaps my loyalty or my frugal Scottish nature (I was getting a better price through Dell) got the better of me and I declined their offer. This proves the adage that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

With the January 5 date still on my mind, another online enquiry was made with Dell and the status had not changed. OK, frustrated, I went online to Quill (an office supply company) where a few days prior I had seen the camera was available, saw that it was still there, the price had not changed and was the same price as had been at the stores with free delivery. Naturally, an order was placed with shipment scheduled for this Friday, January 7.

This morning, January 6, with the intent of canceling the Dell order I went online and, much to my chagrin, saw that the camera had been shipped yesterday. The DHL tracking system confirmed that the camera was on its way.

Since I had found that it was easier to work with the Quill (online and by phone) and with embarrassment on my part, I cancelled the order with Quill. In my dealings with Quill, the representatives have been exceptionally courteous and helpful and it bothers me that I did not stick by them. That was a judgement call based on the difficulty in communicating with Dell, the anticipated hassle if I had refused the shipment and further hassles in obtaining a credit.

In the final analysis, the good guys lost and the bad guys won. Based on my experience, Dell is way down on my list and Quill.com is deserving of being at the top. Also, a few dollars saved may not be worth the anxiety and frustrations.

November and December of 2004 were not the best of months for me when it comes to my health. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) has been part of my life for so many years that breathing normally is totally unknown to me; but, hey, I’m still smiling.

The situation had reached a more difficult stage when an appointment was made with my primary care physician on the morning of Wednesday, December 29. After examining me, he made an immediate referral appointment for that afternoon (luckily there was a cancellation) with my pulmonary doctor. With some minor changes to my meds, he ordered chest x-rays and made a call to my cardiologist since he was concerned that the stress of breathing may be having an impact on my heart. Back in July of 2003, under going by-pass heart surgery was another of the delights of my ongoing trials and tribulations when it comes to my health.

By the time I had reached home, the cardiologist had set me up for an echocardiogram for Tuesday, January 4.

Well, so far so good; but this is only the beginning of the saga. Thursday evening, December 30 I was sitting at my laptop when an ache developed in my left arm. With initial concern, I continued to plod away at the laptop; but my concern increased as an ache appeared in the left side of my chest. Hmmmm !!! Not sounding too good.

Sitting down to watch a DVD with my wife (ok, I didn’t tell her how I was feeling), I felt the aches persist and, finally, popped a nitroglycerine tablet under my tongue. This was followed by two more tablets at appropriate intervals with no change of circumstances.

In a quiet and calm voice, I told her what was happening and called 911. While the fire department and ambulance were on the way, I powered up the laptop and printed a listing of all my meds so nothing would be lost in providing medical information.

For those who know me, my sense of humor is major part of my nature; so it is no surprise that, despite my concerns, I “entertained” the ambulance crew and the emergency room staff. Hey, their work does not have much levity to it; so it was therapeutic for all.

All of this started around 8:30 PM and it was not until around 2:00 AM that a bed was found for me in the cardiac care unit. Despite more nitro in the ambulance and two injections of morphine in the emergency room, the aches continued for 12 hours. Obviously, bed rest was not an option since blood was drawn on a few occasions, x-rays were taken and I was hauled off for a CAT scan (no, I was not purring - LOL).

After all of this, there were two events that placed me in a better frame of mind. The first and most important was my cardiologist telling me that there was no problem with my heart with an explanation as to what may have caused the episode and the second was his placing a pharmacy order for a drink of scotch with my evening meal and another later to bring in the New Year. What a guy !!! But wait !! Placed on my breakfast tray (New Year’s day) was another drink of scotch.

At last, my discharge took place late New Year’s day morning with orders for some other tests.

Interestingly, perhaps because of the constant oxygen during my “visit”, my breathing has improved but still is a matter for concern. A claim has been filed for State Disability Insurance since I’ll be away from work until the first part February. That is where my Scottish nature comes to the fore - “show me the money” - LOL . Although one does not have to be a Scot to look for financial benefits; and, lets face it, I have contributed to the system.

And that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Obviously, more could have been written but the story is long enough as it is.