Laptop City in El Paso offers poor customer service

I called Laptop City this morning to see about them repairing my computer. I told them I was sure it was the hard drive and asked how much to repair it. He told me they couldn't give me an amount, but that they would charge me 19.95 to look at it and that would go toward the repair price. I asked for just a ball park figure. They said they couldn't do that, but if it was a hard drive, it would not be too much. He said it could be fixed within the day.

When I dropped the computer off, the lady told me it would be 39.95. I told her I had been told 19.95. She said ok. She said I would get a call some time today. I got the call at 7 pm. I was told that it was going to be 269.00. I can buy a new computer for not much more than that. I told them they had said it was not going to be much. He asked how much I wanted to spend. I told him 100. If they had given me some idea - which they could know- I had already had Office Depot look at it and knew it needed a hard drive. If I had been told it was going to be over 200 I would never have taken it in. Of course they would not have gotten the 19.95 from me.

Office Depot false advertising

Have you ever seen the sign at Office Depot that says "We fix Computers"
That statement is a lie - oh wait - I was just told that is a broad term - it doesn't cover hard drives. Way to go Office Depot - not only do you offer crappy customer service - you also practice false advertising!

Office Depot equals major customer service fail!

In January of 2010 I needed a new computer. I shopped at Office Depot and Best Buy comparing the different laptops along with their extended warranties. I visited with several employees at both stores. I asked specifically at both stores what the process would be if I had computer issues. At both stores, I was told I would bring it to them. Because Office depot had the same laptop with a larger battery for the same price, I went with Office Depot. I purchased the longest and best extended warranty. I was told that it would cover physical damage as well as other things. I was also told it did not cover anything related to a virus.

At the end of 2010, my adapter went out. I called the tech number. I was informed that since my computer was still under warranty by HP, the tech people could not help me. I had to talk to HP. I called HP. It was going to take several days to get an adapter, so I had to go in and purchase one for 90.00. Yep, after spending over 200 on an extended warranty that covered adapter replacement, I had to spend 90 more dollars. I am really turning into a fan of the extended warranty at Office Depot.


A few weeks ago, I started having trouble with my laptop. It would not stay logged into the internet. I called the tech department. They are so clever, they told me to reset the modem- something I was having to do every few minutes. It had to be my computer since both  JA and the television were accessing the internet just fine. They refused to do anything - just told me to keep resetting the modem. Yep. I am a fan of Office Depot's Tech.

3 weeks ago, I started getting a message that my laptop did not have windows installed correctly. I took the laptop to Office Depot. They tried to run their scans on it. No luck. Said it must be a bad virus and it would be a minimum of 160.00 to have them redo. I thanked them but said no thank you. Mcafee is cheaper. I went home and worked with McAfee and a representative from Microsoft. I was told there was nothing they could do for me. I took it to a local tech. He said it was no virus, but it did have something to do with Windows. Fine. I got that fixed.

Today, more trouble. My hard drive went out. I know it was my fault. I set it down and my hand was shaky and it slipped. It was sitting vertical and fell onto the floor. My mistake, but it is covered under my warranty. Yep, it is,  but I have to send it in. It will take a minimum of two weeks! What about the fix it in the store that I was promised. They don't do anything with hardware- only software. So, in fact they lied to me the day I bought the computer. I should have bought the one at best buy.

I called the support number for my paid protection plan. 2 weeks is what they tell me.

I called Office Depot Customer Care - told my complaints- too bad nothing they can do. I asked for a supervisor. Too bad, they are busy but they will tell me the same thing.

So, I have come to realize that Office Depot really doesn't need a customer care department as they really don't care about their customers.


it is really sad to me when large companies hold all the power over you. I would have been better off not purchasing the extended warranty. It was a waste of money.

Thank You Southwest!

Thank you Southwest for providing great customer service! I appreciate it more than you know. I am so happy my entire family will be reunited. We are losing 60.00, but that is a small price to pay for getting everyone together! I am super excited.

Soutwest Airlines is really disappointing me!

I am very disappointed with southwest airlines! I cancelled 2 tickets on April 25th because of a weather issue at the destination. (Dean and Rick were going fishing with our friends from Tyler and the river was flooded!)

I was told that I could use the amount for any traveler, not just the ticketed ones. Supposedly on April 29th, Southwest Airlines decided to enforce the policy said to have been in place for 10 months and no longer will allow it.

Eric has been out of the country for nearly 2 years. We were trying to book tickets for Joy Anna and Jeremy to meet Eric and Ashley in Dallas. Joy Anna has school every day (including weekends) the week Eric is in El Paso and can not come down from Santa Fe. This was going to be her opportunity to see him before he moves to North Carolina. It is also her opportunity to get to meet Ashley and Eric to get to meet Jeremy.

We have planned an entire week of family/friends reunion based on the fact that we had these funds to purchase tickets. Now, Southwest Airlines is refusing to let me use the funds.

It is too far for my daughter and her boyfriend to drive because of their commitments at school. If we don't get this worked out, it will be 6 more months before they see each other as he is moving to North Carolina that week!

This is very upsetting! If that was Southwest Airline's policy on April 25th yet not being enforced, why was I not told that it couldn't be done?

Southwest Airlines has a very unhappy customer today. I was promised a call back and all I got was an email! So much for customer LUV!

Days 5-7

Oops! I got a little busy. I have had so many photo shoots! I am super excited about that, but I slipped up on posting on my blog. So . . . . . .I am going to go back to Sunday, Day 5.

We were planning to meet our friends for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. To allow me to eat what I wanted, I had grapefruit for breakfast. I had planned on having fajitas or something grilled. Didn't work. We found out that they did not allow ordering off the menu until after 12. That meant my only option was the brunch buffet. Yeah. Not the best situation. I managed to get some eggs, a little bbq style shredded chicken, and a tortilla. Thankfully, they had lots of yummy fruit. I did splurge on a piece of toast. I only had half- really was probably like a 1/4 of a hamburger bun size (just the top) but it had butter on it. I survived. I did another aerobic photoshoot in the late afternoon and then for dinner, we met Rick and Suzy at Road house. I had salad, kbobs, and a dry baked potato. I know it is weird, but I like them that way.

Monday, day 6. I started the Made to crave Bible study with three friends. We met at 9,. I needed to go to walmart before the class, so I spent 8 points on a burrito from McDonald's. I also had a diet coke. I try so hard not to have them, but they feel so good on my throat. My throat has been really hurting the last couple of weeks. For lunch, I enjoyed another piece of the cabbage casserole. Yummy. Dinner was grilled chicken and veggies, a salad, and some refried beans. Overall, it was a good food day for me. I had another photoshoot, too!

Tuesday, day 7. Breakfast was my usual egg, canadian bacon and ff cheese. I really enjoyed the 2 cups of chai that was only 1 point. It was grand. I went to work at the office. I started training my replacement. She is going to be great. I am so excited that I have the opportunity to actually do photography. I am also going to really work hard on Zizi Jewelery. Hopefully, that will really make a financial difference for me. Lunch was at Ripe. I had the grilled veggie sandwich without bread and a salad. I did eat two tiny little shortbread cookies. It was minimal in points. I said 10 to be on the safe side. We were rushing like crazy for dinner because there were so many meetings tonight. We went to eat Mexican. I enjoyed my enchiladas. The book says 10 points for chicken enchiladas. Again, it seems like the book over does the points. But, I use it anyway.

Tonight I placed a great order from my shoot on Saturday night. I also ordered some photos of Joy Anna and Jeremy. Really cute.

Made it through week one! Score! I did well, I think. I hope the scale shows it tomorrow, but even if it doesn't, I am excited that I am making changes for me. Healthier eating, moving more . . . . . . . . . .

Day 4

Woohoo! Made it through a Saturday. Dean and I slept late. Well, late for him. I could have kept sleeping. We piddled around and took our time getting out of the house. We ended up at corner bakery for brunch. Below is a photo of my 13 point breakfast. I am not sure why it is so many as there is fruit and eggwhites, but that is what my app on my Iphone says it is. It was supposed to have cheese and bacon, but I don't think there was anywhere close to that many points of bacon and cheese. Oh well.

After brunch, we had my car cleaned up and then went to the airport to meet the missioners. We had had the Snow's dog while they were gone. After they were all delivered home, Dean and I headed over the mountain for a photo shoot. I got in several points in activity credit out there. The little boy was a whirlwind of activity. I am glad I have lost some weight, but boy, doing a shoot like that reminds me how much easier it would be if I weighed less. I was really Dean went with me as I had a flat when I came out of the theater in the canyon.

We tried to get it fixed, but we couldn't. I only had a few shots left on my memory cards. Taking photos of a whirlwind takes lots more frames. It was a lot of fun though. We went to a couple of places to see if we could find a memory card, but we couldn't. We decided I would just have to make sure I had the shot before shooting it. We were doing that because it was the night of the super moon. We were going out to the desert to take photos. Before we did that, we went to dinner at the Edge of Texas Steak House. That was the best steak I had had since we moved to El Paso. I did great on the food plan. The sirloin was very lean, but very tender. I did not eat the butter or sour cream on my potato. I only had vinegar on my salad. I scraped off the croutons. I did have one small slice of bread with olive oil. I still stayed at my point level for the day!

Tomorrow will be another challenge. We are going to a mexican place for lunch with friends. I am planning to have fruit and one string cheese for breakfast and that will give me more points for lunch. I can do it!

And on the third day . . .

I did ok. I worked at the office again today. I started the day with the same breakfast. It is easy and fills me up. I need to get some whole wheat bread and add some toast. Maybe that would help me not have so many points left at the end of the day. I think I am going to buy an air popper for pop corn. I think that would help me too.

For lunch I had left over pesto pasta - added in some string cheese and it was really, really yummy.

Dinner was an experience. I made a cabbage casserole. It was quite time consuming to make. I liked it. Dean thought it was ok. It made a huge dish for 6 servings. The servings were more than ample. I had all these left over points. I hate that. Need to plan better. That is going to be slightly difficult for the weekend. We have lunch plans for Sunday noon. I have a photo shoot tomorrow at 4:30. I'll take along water and string cheese to keep up my strength.

Tomorrow is a new day!

Day 2 on 'the plan'

Aside from one slight screw up on the amount of points that my applesauce 'cost' I had a pretty good day. For breakfast I had canadian bacon, ff cheese, and an egg (oh and that pesky applesauce). Lunch was a tv dinner and a banana. Dinner was a wonderful pasta dish. It was pesto. I had planned to put chicken with it, but I forgot. The lack of protein made me hungry in the evening. Thank goodness for string cheese. I will make the pasta again. but I will find the right kind of pasta and I'll add chicken.

I know weight watchers works. I see too many good results for it not to. The big drawback is it makes me focus on food too much. I am trying to take my focus off food. Not focus more on it. Not sure how to make this work. Thinking on it.

Day One - All over again

I wonder how many days I have had a Day One on a particular diet, food plan, lifestyle change, etc? I'm 47 and have dieted for most all of those years - at least as early as middle school. So, say I went on my first diet when I was 12 (I am groaning at the thought of having actually done that) and only started one diet per year, I have had 35 of them. I think some years I probably did two or three or even four day ones. Two of those first days resulted in losing nearly 100 pounds. Thankfully, I don't have that much to lose this time. I do have probably 60. Wow, how do I do this to myself? I always promise I am going to do better at that. I am going to be watchful and not let it get out of control. Each time I do.

And so, Day One - All over again

Let me tell you about Day One. I guess I need to give you a little back story as well. Over the last few weeks, I have been hearing about Made to Crave. It is a Bible Study focusing on changing the focus of what you crave. Instead of craving food to satisfy you, you crave a closer relationship with God. I certainly need more focus on God. So, this week bought the book for my kindle app. It is like she has been watching me, listening to me, living in my shoes and on my scale. One of the things she encourages is getting a plan. I have lost weight on weight watchers before. I am not as crazy about the point system as I was the exchanges, but I know it does work. Today, I joined up.

I was going to do what I always do the day before day one. I was going to eat anything and everything I want to eat. After all, if I am going to make a lifestyle change, I won't get to eat it anymore, right? I couldn't do it. I had stopped at McDonald's and had a breakfast burrito. I really would have rather had a biscuit, but even though I was having my last day, I decided to go ahead and make a wiser choice.

After the meeting, I signed up for the e-tools on www.weightwatchers.com and decided to go ahead and turn my last day into my first day. Thankfully, the burrito was only 8 points and you get a lot more now than you did this time last year. I had a light lunch of sirloin tacos on corn tortillas. Thanks to the app for my Iphone, I was able to make decent selections at Corner Bakery for dinner. I had a cup of chicken noodle soup and half of a ham sandwich on pretzel bread. I was glad I had the soup as the bread was sort of hard. I am a dipper, so I just dipped it in my soup. It worked.

Fruits and veggies are now free on Weight Watchers. I need to make a run for the store to get some of those.

One of the truths of weight loss is eat less and move more. I am trying to move more. Having been sick for nearly two weeks, moving is something I have not been doing much at all. Tonight I walked for 15 minutes. WooHoo! it wore me out, though.

after a trip to the grocery store, I am set for food for a few days. Here we go!

How do I let four months pass?

Well, it has happened again. I huge jump in time from the last time I posted on this blog. So much has happened.

We had a rather slim Christmas when it came to gift giving. Our renter had bounced his rent check and refused to pay it. That left us in the hole for a whole lot! A dear friend showed up one day and blessed us with $200.00. Exactly what I needed to pay the IRS their monthly bill.

Praise God, our house sold! Once again, God proved His timing and not ours. December 30 - 2 weeks from the day we were leaving for India. We paid off bills, we caught up on our giving commitment to our church, we donated to a mission organization to which we have close ties, and we paid for our trip. What an answer to prayer.

Our trip to India was amazing. If you want to read about it, you can check out http://rowelltravel.blogspot.com There are lots of photos since I sort of like photography and Dean and I decided to invest in a the new Canon 5d before we left. It really takes some nice photos.

We came home on the last day of January. We started right back into the daily grind. I had been really stressing over work before I left for India. I thought it was because I was trying to do things in advance. When I came home, I stressed because I felt like I was behind even though I had worked so hard to have things done before I left. I had really wanted to quit back last fall. I didn't quit, but I did go part time. I thought that was going to work. I finally gave my notice this week. I feel relieved in a way. I so want to be able to be creative and take beautiful photos without feeling pressured- pressure I put on myself. I am so good at putting pressure on myself for so many, many things. So, now in two weeks, I will have that freedom. I am trying not to pressure myself even though I know I need to have a certain number of photo jobs in order to make up for the money I will not be bringing in.

I have been very, very sick. I think it started as the flu, but rapidly progressed into a respiratory issue. My asthma is horrible. I am going to a different doctor tomorrow. I saw my regular doctor last week. I am thinking I might have pneumonia. I am in a lot of pain.

I am reading Made to Crave. I need a lifestyle change. Maybe this will motivate me to do that.