This may be a bit too long for the average reader, but if you have or think you have sleep apnea, it may be worth the effort.
About three years ago, I underwent a sleep study to determine if I had apnea. I posted a video and a blog entry about getting wired-up for the night, and said I would follow up in about a week. As a charter member of the Procrastinators Club, I'm just now getting around to that update. Actually, I have written about it on Facebook, but not here.
I was diagnosed with mild apnea and active legs. I thought I woke up about three times during the night, but the electrodes indicated that it was MUCH more than that and my legs were so active I think I ran a marathon.
The Dr. prescribed a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure). It's basically the same kind of device I used during the study, minus all the wires and additional probes. I knew that I would not like it. Who would? Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, and being harnessed to a machine constantly pumping air in your face is not exactly my idea of a fun night, but I decided to give it a try.
I joined a sleep apnea online forum and learned a great deal about the condition and the machine. Being a geek, I also downloaded the software that allowed be do examine the DETAILED data recorded on the SD card in the machine. As a result, I realized that while the Dr. knew much more about apnea, I knew more about the machine. It's important to note that this was a conclusion arrived at mutually over the coming year.
The initial settings used on the machine are a "guesstimate" based upon the test results and the common practice of erring on the safe side, a sad side effect of our litigious society. The Dr. started with a pressure setting of 11.
The machine records all the activity it can without additional probes used during the study. One of the important measures is the AHI index, a tracking of breathing "events". Anything under 10 is acceptable, but they like it to be 5 or less. I was averaging about 8, but I was having difficulty getting to sleep and had to take a sleeping pill each night.
The readings were ok with the Dr., but I knew this would not be a long term solution for me. I wasn't happy with how it was effecting my sleep and began experimenting with the pressure settings on the CPAP machine. Over the next few weeks, I gradually lowered the pressure settings from 11 to 9. I was happy to see that my AHI gradually dropped to about 5.
At the next visit, I discussed what I had done with the Dr. It was then I found out that I knew much more about the workings of the machine than she did. Because only the sleep technician normally makes changes to the machine, it would have taken multiple additional visits to do what I had done.
I realized there were serious flaws in the medical system. The Dr. was happy with the average AHI of 5, but I was not. I was still having trouble getting to sleep and still taking pills. I continued to experiment and eventually worked my way down to a pressure setting of 4, which is the lowest setting the machine would accept. Considering my visits started about 3 months apart and are now down to once a year, what I did myself in a few weeks would probably still be an ongoing process.
The good news is that since I started, I heard there are machines that are Internet ready, can monitor and report back to the Dr., and they can make adjustments accordingly. However, it's not the typical situation.
My AHI had also dropped to an average of about 2 and I went off the sleeping pills, additional good news for me. The bad news is that I would always wake up about 3-4 hours later. However, that was normal. Even before the CPAP, I would wake up at least once a night to urinate, which was what was happening now. The problem is, I could not get back to sleep after that unless I discarded the CPAP, which I got into the habit of doing. I was only getting about 4 hours of CPAP sleep a night, which is the minimum they want to see.
During this time, I had also changed my diet and began going to the gym regularly. I lost about 15 pounds and was in good shape. When we would go on trips, I would not take the CPAP and my wife noticed that I was no longer snoring. Prior to that she suffered from my snorts and I suffered from her elbows and pillow blows. This led me to wonder if my mild apnea had improved to the point where I might not need the CPAP.
I emailed the Dr. with my questions. About 6 months ago she set up home study which involves wearing a monitor which straps to your chest and a finger probe to measure breathing events the CPAP does not, along with oxygen levels.
The results indicated a significant improvement, but I was still having periods where I stopped breathing. She recommended I continue using the CPAP. I've been following her advice, but have been unhappy with wearing it and went back on the sleeping pills, which brings me to the side effects and quality of life part of this blog.
I'm 71 years old and aside from the sleeping pill, the only medication I take is for my thyroid. I have the normal aches and pains one would expect as one gets up in years. Considering my wresting career in high school, college, and coaching with it's numerous associated injuries, I felt I was doing pretty well, until this week.
I've never been one to pay much attention to the side effects of medications, but recently I began researching the various sleep meds I've taken over the two years. (We've tried 3 different meds.) I noticed that they all had some side effects in common. I've also come to the conclusion that MANY people have side effects without realizing it. That was certainly the case with me.
I searched my memory and did some experimentation and observation of my body both off and on the pill and realized that while mild, I was experiencing at least three side effects, namely drowsiness, headache, and constipation. I fully expected the drowsiness, but never really noticed the other two, because neither was serious.
The headaches didn't even require aspirin and the constipation didn't require laxatives, but for me both were significant. Prior to taking the sleeping pills, you could count on one hand the number of headaches I've had in the last twenty year and except for when I was cutting weight for wrestling, I never had a constipation problem.
This is leading me to re-evaluate you use of the CPAP. I've always said I want to live to be at least 100. Do I want to spend the next 30 years strapped to a machine or suffering side effects. That negatively effects my quality of life. If don't deal with my mild apnea, it could shorten my life a few years. So what should I do?
I've come to the decision to go off the CPAP, but I'm not ready to give up those few years, because I do have two other options, only one of which I feel is acceptable. There is a dental appliance that the Dr. will gladly prescribe as an alternative. It would be a custom fitted mouthpiece that is designed to hold the lower jaw forward as I sleep, thus opening the airway and minimizing breathing problems caused by relaxed muscles. The other is surgery, which I haven't even discussed with her and I don't think I would want to under go.
I'm going to give the Dr. a call to set up and appointment with a dentist who specializes in making the mouthpieces and give that a try. I'll report back here on the results. Hopefully, it won't be two years from now.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Henry Ford's Impact on the Squirrel Gene Pool
More than 60 years of driving back country roads has led me
to the conclusion that Henry Ford has had a significant impact on the squirrel gene
pool. I came to this conclusion about a
year or two ago and have been casually making observations to confirm my suspicions.
While my study has been anything but scientific, I feel
confident enough to voice it now, in the hope that others may chime in and either
confirm or refute my conclusions. My
line of thinking goes something like this.
Henry Ford’s Model T and more specifically, the development
the assembly line for automobiles, made cars available to the masses. This led to a chain reaction of events
including an explosion in the number of cars on the road, improvement of roads
and highways, increases in speed and horsepower, and an undeclared and somewhat unnoticed war on squirrels and other
critters, including the chicken crossing the road.
The term road kill entered our vocabulary, as did the
term, nutty as a squirrel. It seems obvious that term came into being because of their love for acorns and the way
they behaved while trying to get across the road and avoid the on-coming
traffic. Their indecisive back and forth
method of getting to the other side became the butt of
many a joke. If squirrels had a lobby, they would probably be seeking a more politically correct term.
Think about it for a minute and pay close attention the
next time you see one on the side of the road.
I’ve noticed that a good number of squirrels making it across the road
without the expected back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. In fact, a significant number of them make it
in a single dash.
Once upon a time the squirrel population was
dominated by squirrels that had a gene that caused indecisive road crossing. However, a small number of squirrels lacked
this gene and when crossing the road, they did it in a decisive manner. As indecisive squirrels became road kill, the
decisive squirrel population grew.
Today, there are enough decisive squirrels in the population for us to
take notice. It’s a case of survival of the fittest and natural selection, though automobile is hardly a force of nature. It's actually more akin to the evolution of the peppered moth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppered_moth_evolution
Now before you start ridiculing my theory, I know that this
is a gross over simplification of natural selection, and much of this is
written with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. However, I ask you think about this the next
time you see a squirrel trying to cross the road. Is my observation about their
behavior accurate, or am I as nutty as our furry friends?
On second thought, just answer the former question. If you know me, you already know the answer to
the latter.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
I Heard it Thought the Grapwevinwe
I offer this video with no further comment.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Condominium Musings - Different Perspectives
Those of you who are following this blog, but are not my friend or neighbor may not know I am the president of our condo association. I've not included much of that part of my life in this blog, but that is about to end.
This week I told the board that when my term expires in October, I will not be running again. With the terms of three members ending, it is impossible to predict that makeup of the board for 2015-2016. We spoke about what I can do to make the transition as smooth as possible and the need to recruit good candidates, as well as the systems we've already put in place to make things easier for future boards.
Though I am not going to be on the board, I fully intend to remain active as a resident and member of the building and grounds, and conservation committees, as well as the Sherwood Samaritans. I will also be more active in terms of communicating with residents on this blog, the Sherwood Beavers blog, and the website, something I have been unable to do as a board member, because time did not allow it, but more importantly I found there were things that I wanted to say as a resident, that I couldn't say as a board member. That ends today.
First a little background for folks who are relatively new to Sherwood Glen or don't know me. In 2009, my wife and I moved to be near my grandson. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to fill the term of the Board Secretary who was resigning. While I didn't really want to do it, I've always had a problem saying no to anyone who asks for my help, and I felt that it was a good way to immerse myself in my new community. So began my 6 year stint as a board member.
Then in October of 2013, the then president resigned. I became president, not because I wanted the job, but I was the one best prepared to take over. (If I had a nickle for every time I told Jill Coppi I would never want her job, I would be retired on an island somewhere.) For me. accepting the role of president was the beginning of the end. This was a job I knew I did not want as far back as 1970, and if you had asked me then if I would want to be the president of a condo association, I would have said NO in a heartbeat. Nothing has changed since then and nothing will change in the future.
Flashback to 1970... My 40 year teaching career was anything but typical. During my first three years, I worked closely with administration and saw more aspects of the school culture than most classroom teachers experience in a lifetime.
For three days a week during my senior year in college (I only had classes two days a week), I was a substitute teacher in Philadelphia. After graduation, my first teaching job was as a permanent sub in a new junior high of 1700 students. In my second year, they offered me a special class they were establishing. I would have a self-contained classroom of the 13 worst discipline problems in the 9th grade. They gave me carte blanche to run the class as I saw fit, and told me that I would handle grades, all subject, parents, and anything else that came along. They didn't want to be involved unless it was a police matter.
For that year, I ran my own mini-school within a school, and experienced the full spectrum of the school culture. I was principal, guidance councilor, mentor, and teacher. It was the toughest year and most rewarding year of my life. If my writing skills were up to par then, or my memory up to par now, I would have a best selling book. On the other hand, if I did today some of what I did in 1970, you wouldn't be reading my book, you would be seeing me on news at 11:00.
During the year, the principal and assistant superintendent kept encouraging me to go back to school for my administrative certificate, but having had a taste of administration, I knew it was not for me. I can remember what I said to Jim Moran when he suggested it. "No way, Jim. I would never be able to hold a job. I've seen the way you have to bite your tongue at board meetings. I would never be able to do that."
I proved that point later in the year, by being one of the team leaders in one of the second teachers' strikes in NJ. I did it with the knowledge that I would be "fighting city hall", and would not have a job the following year. Boards tend to frown on non-tenured teachers being strike leaders. I did it because I had the tools to do it and it was the right thing to do.
As my teaching career progressed I added to my skill set and became an association vice president, member of the negotiating team, and member of the grievance team. As time progressed, I honed my skills at being able to see conflicts from the perspective of both parties. It served me in my job and it was a skill I stressed in my teaching.
None-the-less, there were two other times during my teaching career where I was forced into leadership roles when my heart and soul said, "Don't do it. It's a job you hate," but my brain said, "You have the tools and skills to help those around you and if you don't do it, it will bad for your heart and soul."
That's the position I found myself in when I accepted the role of condo association president. Probably, the main difference between now and 1970 is that I've mellowed, can bite my tongue, and have been able to view things from the perspective of all parties involved.
I could go on for pages about, but I won't right now. I will do that in future posts. For now, I'll try to provide some insight into why I'm not going to continue on the board.
One reason is that as president, I have to do things considerably different than I would be doing as an individual resident. For example, I sometimes get complaints about things that are clearly home owner responsibilities. A case in point would be the clearing of snow around cars parked in the driveway. Depending on the circumstances, as president, I have to explain (sometimes in vain) that it is not an association issue. Seldom does it leave me (or the other person) feeling good. On the other hand, if that same person had come to me as a neighbor and said, "Art, can you help me clear my driveway?" I would be out there in a heart beat and we would both feel better about the situation. In my capacity as neighbor AND a past president, I could even help them see why it isn't an association issue. The net results is that we will probably both walk away happier from a conversation with Art the neighbor, than Art, the president. This is taking a toll on my spirit.
Another thing that is contrary to my nature, is the way people view imperfections. When some of us look in a mirror, we are not happy with what we see. We see the pimple in the middle of our forehead and allow it to dominate our self perspective. We might think, that everyone who sees us will zoom in on that imperfection and judge us for it. Others see the pimple, deal with it, forget it, and let it clear up and heal as it always does.
Yesterday, we had mulch spreading and landscape work. Those who focus on the imperfections will who look out to their yard and see only the dead shrub that was reported last week. They lose sight of the fact that this is just one of 1400+ shrubs in the development. No one is judging them for let the small blemish dominate their perspective. It's just the way some people are wired, but while focused on the blemish, they ignore the immense beauty around.
Before you go trying to figure out, whose plant this is, it is not a plant from Sherwood Glen and I'm not referring to any one plant or any one incident. As always, some complaints are legitimate and others are not.
The reason this kind of incident bothers me is because if this plant was in front of my house, here is how I would handle it. I know that each year, the board walks the property with Outdoor Pride to see what needs to be done during spring clean up and planting. I would take a picture of the plant, send it to Great North and ask them to check it out. That would be the end of it. If it got replaced, great. If it did not, it's not a big deal unless this kind of thing was also happening all around the development. I know that people visiting Sherwood Glen will not judge me or our development based on the dead plant. They will judge us by what they see as they drive through our property.
Is your glass half empty or half full? Mine is half full and even at that level, there is more water in it than I need. I don't fault those who see the glass as half empty, because their perspective is different that mine. I consider myself lucky that I'm happy with what I have. When I look at what I have, my feelings are tempered by a constant view of those who have less, rather than a view of my neighbors or those who have far more than I.
So there you have my first Condominium Musing. Feel free to leave your comments and perspectives and I hope you'll continue following my ramblings.
This week I told the board that when my term expires in October, I will not be running again. With the terms of three members ending, it is impossible to predict that makeup of the board for 2015-2016. We spoke about what I can do to make the transition as smooth as possible and the need to recruit good candidates, as well as the systems we've already put in place to make things easier for future boards.
Though I am not going to be on the board, I fully intend to remain active as a resident and member of the building and grounds, and conservation committees, as well as the Sherwood Samaritans. I will also be more active in terms of communicating with residents on this blog, the Sherwood Beavers blog, and the website, something I have been unable to do as a board member, because time did not allow it, but more importantly I found there were things that I wanted to say as a resident, that I couldn't say as a board member. That ends today.
First a little background for folks who are relatively new to Sherwood Glen or don't know me. In 2009, my wife and I moved to be near my grandson. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to fill the term of the Board Secretary who was resigning. While I didn't really want to do it, I've always had a problem saying no to anyone who asks for my help, and I felt that it was a good way to immerse myself in my new community. So began my 6 year stint as a board member.
Then in October of 2013, the then president resigned. I became president, not because I wanted the job, but I was the one best prepared to take over. (If I had a nickle for every time I told Jill Coppi I would never want her job, I would be retired on an island somewhere.) For me. accepting the role of president was the beginning of the end. This was a job I knew I did not want as far back as 1970, and if you had asked me then if I would want to be the president of a condo association, I would have said NO in a heartbeat. Nothing has changed since then and nothing will change in the future.
Flashback to 1970... My 40 year teaching career was anything but typical. During my first three years, I worked closely with administration and saw more aspects of the school culture than most classroom teachers experience in a lifetime.
For three days a week during my senior year in college (I only had classes two days a week), I was a substitute teacher in Philadelphia. After graduation, my first teaching job was as a permanent sub in a new junior high of 1700 students. In my second year, they offered me a special class they were establishing. I would have a self-contained classroom of the 13 worst discipline problems in the 9th grade. They gave me carte blanche to run the class as I saw fit, and told me that I would handle grades, all subject, parents, and anything else that came along. They didn't want to be involved unless it was a police matter.
For that year, I ran my own mini-school within a school, and experienced the full spectrum of the school culture. I was principal, guidance councilor, mentor, and teacher. It was the toughest year and most rewarding year of my life. If my writing skills were up to par then, or my memory up to par now, I would have a best selling book. On the other hand, if I did today some of what I did in 1970, you wouldn't be reading my book, you would be seeing me on news at 11:00.
During the year, the principal and assistant superintendent kept encouraging me to go back to school for my administrative certificate, but having had a taste of administration, I knew it was not for me. I can remember what I said to Jim Moran when he suggested it. "No way, Jim. I would never be able to hold a job. I've seen the way you have to bite your tongue at board meetings. I would never be able to do that."
I proved that point later in the year, by being one of the team leaders in one of the second teachers' strikes in NJ. I did it with the knowledge that I would be "fighting city hall", and would not have a job the following year. Boards tend to frown on non-tenured teachers being strike leaders. I did it because I had the tools to do it and it was the right thing to do.
As my teaching career progressed I added to my skill set and became an association vice president, member of the negotiating team, and member of the grievance team. As time progressed, I honed my skills at being able to see conflicts from the perspective of both parties. It served me in my job and it was a skill I stressed in my teaching.
None-the-less, there were two other times during my teaching career where I was forced into leadership roles when my heart and soul said, "Don't do it. It's a job you hate," but my brain said, "You have the tools and skills to help those around you and if you don't do it, it will bad for your heart and soul."
That's the position I found myself in when I accepted the role of condo association president. Probably, the main difference between now and 1970 is that I've mellowed, can bite my tongue, and have been able to view things from the perspective of all parties involved.
I could go on for pages about, but I won't right now. I will do that in future posts. For now, I'll try to provide some insight into why I'm not going to continue on the board.
One reason is that as president, I have to do things considerably different than I would be doing as an individual resident. For example, I sometimes get complaints about things that are clearly home owner responsibilities. A case in point would be the clearing of snow around cars parked in the driveway. Depending on the circumstances, as president, I have to explain (sometimes in vain) that it is not an association issue. Seldom does it leave me (or the other person) feeling good. On the other hand, if that same person had come to me as a neighbor and said, "Art, can you help me clear my driveway?" I would be out there in a heart beat and we would both feel better about the situation. In my capacity as neighbor AND a past president, I could even help them see why it isn't an association issue. The net results is that we will probably both walk away happier from a conversation with Art the neighbor, than Art, the president. This is taking a toll on my spirit.
Another thing that is contrary to my nature, is the way people view imperfections. When some of us look in a mirror, we are not happy with what we see. We see the pimple in the middle of our forehead and allow it to dominate our self perspective. We might think, that everyone who sees us will zoom in on that imperfection and judge us for it. Others see the pimple, deal with it, forget it, and let it clear up and heal as it always does.
Before you go trying to figure out, whose plant this is, it is not a plant from Sherwood Glen and I'm not referring to any one plant or any one incident. As always, some complaints are legitimate and others are not.
The reason this kind of incident bothers me is because if this plant was in front of my house, here is how I would handle it. I know that each year, the board walks the property with Outdoor Pride to see what needs to be done during spring clean up and planting. I would take a picture of the plant, send it to Great North and ask them to check it out. That would be the end of it. If it got replaced, great. If it did not, it's not a big deal unless this kind of thing was also happening all around the development. I know that people visiting Sherwood Glen will not judge me or our development based on the dead plant. They will judge us by what they see as they drive through our property.
Is your glass half empty or half full? Mine is half full and even at that level, there is more water in it than I need. I don't fault those who see the glass as half empty, because their perspective is different that mine. I consider myself lucky that I'm happy with what I have. When I look at what I have, my feelings are tempered by a constant view of those who have less, rather than a view of my neighbors or those who have far more than I.
So there you have my first Condominium Musing. Feel free to leave your comments and perspectives and I hope you'll continue following my ramblings.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Hanes, the Untimate Fail
It appears that the final resolution in my two month Hanes odyssey is, CAVEAT EMPTOR! If you read Hanes Not Your Way and Hanes Continues to Fail, you know that on January 22, I ordered 6 items, two of which (deep navy and light steel #H5580) turned out to be out of stock and back ordered.
You also know that each time they gave me a projected delivery date, it would pass and be replaced by another projected delivery date. After NUMEROUS calls to customer support, on 3/12 I came to a semi resolution with a customer support manager. She located one of the items in an outlet store, substituted a different style for the other one she could not locate, and said the substitution was not a replacement for the back ordered one, which I would get when it came in.
Well there were a few problems. Apparently, the clerk in the outlet store had problem, because the deep navy turned out to be black and identical to one of the items that WAS shipped earlier. Maybe they were saving money on lighting or maybe there was a color blind issue, but the color was wrong.
But things took a turn for the worse today when I got an email with the status update of the light steel that was projected to ship yesterday. I expected to see that another delivery date had come and gone. In a way it did, because IT IS SOLD OUT!!!
That raises a few issues, because the item has not been in stock since January 22, but has been continually sold since then, to hundreds or even thousands of customers. I assume that like me, each sale had a projected delivery dates 6-10 days after the sale. I assume that like me, each delivery date has come and gone, and been replaced by a new delivery date, which has come and gone. Finally, I assume that hundreds, if not thousands of people received an email similar to the one I received today, which states the product is sold out.
I can only wonder how many other styles and how many other customers have been treated the same way. Sorry, Hanes. This is the ultimate fail.
You also know that each time they gave me a projected delivery date, it would pass and be replaced by another projected delivery date. After NUMEROUS calls to customer support, on 3/12 I came to a semi resolution with a customer support manager. She located one of the items in an outlet store, substituted a different style for the other one she could not locate, and said the substitution was not a replacement for the back ordered one, which I would get when it came in.
Well there were a few problems. Apparently, the clerk in the outlet store had problem, because the deep navy turned out to be black and identical to one of the items that WAS shipped earlier. Maybe they were saving money on lighting or maybe there was a color blind issue, but the color was wrong.
But things took a turn for the worse today when I got an email with the status update of the light steel that was projected to ship yesterday. I expected to see that another delivery date had come and gone. In a way it did, because IT IS SOLD OUT!!!
I can only wonder how many other styles and how many other customers have been treated the same way. Sorry, Hanes. This is the ultimate fail.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Hanes Continues to Fail
This is a follow up to my post of 2/23/15 titled, "Hanes Not Your Way."
The March 9 projected ship date has come and gone. I called the order line. They said they are still backordered and the new projected date is April 6. (This is the third projected date that has come and gone.)
I then went online and started to place an order to the item I have been waiting for since Jan. 22. If I purchase today, the website is projecting a ship date of March 23. That means anyone ordering today is being told their item will ship a week before someone who ordered on Jan. 22. I have duplicated these same same steps THREE times since I ordered in Jan., each time with the same outcome.
Earlier today, I called customer support and spoke with a manager. I am no longer asking when my order will be shipped, because three projected dates have come and gone. It's like hearing, "The check is in the mail."
The question I posed was, "How can Hanes legally continue to sell a product it has not had in stock for a month and a half and CONSISTANTLY project earlier delivery dates to people ordering today, than to folks who ordered on Jan. 22, and are still waiting for their orders?"
I went on to state that at the very best, this is horrible internal communications and processes. At the worst, it is possibly deceptive advertising and consumer fraud. It could impact thousands of items on backorder.
If that is the case, it is not an individual customer service issue, but a practice that could involve state or federal consumer law.
To date, Hanes has had not acceptable explanations and the only thing customer support has done is tell me I could continue to wait or to cancel my order. The manager said she would look into the issue and let know what she found out.
At this point, it is not about my order, I will not cancel and will continue to document and report on the progress of this issue until it is resolved one way or another.
Update 3/12/15
The Hanes customer support manager never called back. Today, I called in again and spoke with another manager. This time, I informed her that I was recording the conversation for customer satisfaction. In short I told her that I had given up on trying to get an answer to when my backordered items would arrive. All that was happening is was the promised date would pass and I would be given another date.
I told her that at best, they had horrible internal communication and web site updating, and at worst they were engaged in deceptive advertizing. If it was happening to me, it was happening to hundreds, if not thousands of other customers. I now just wanted an answer to my question of how Hanes could continue to sell an item they do not have, do not know when they will have, and are projecting a ship date to current customers, earlier than they project for me, someone who ordered on Jan. 22.
I think she realized that I was no going away or giving up and that I would peruse the matter until it was resolved. She promised to call back within an hour with an answer, which she did.
She thanked me for bringing the matter to their attention and assured me they would continue to look into the communications and web aspect of my issue. They do not have the backordered items in their warehouse, but she located one of them in an outlet store and offered a substitute in an slightly different style, both of which are being sent gratis for my troubles.
At this point I will pursue the matter no further with customer support. However, I will continue to make weekly checks on the status of the one item still on backorder. and if you are having a similar problem, this blog is here for your reference and use. My next update will be after March 23, that latest projected ship date.
I will close as is opened, with a statement that I am a fan of Hanes' products. All businesses go through rough times with supply chain problems, but sometime you have to acknowledge those problems and make things right with the customers even if it costs you money. It pays off in the long run. It's sad that Hanes failed to do that in a timely fashion and took so long to do what should have been done long ago.
The March 9 projected ship date has come and gone. I called the order line. They said they are still backordered and the new projected date is April 6. (This is the third projected date that has come and gone.)
I then went online and started to place an order to the item I have been waiting for since Jan. 22. If I purchase today, the website is projecting a ship date of March 23. That means anyone ordering today is being told their item will ship a week before someone who ordered on Jan. 22. I have duplicated these same same steps THREE times since I ordered in Jan., each time with the same outcome.
Earlier today, I called customer support and spoke with a manager. I am no longer asking when my order will be shipped, because three projected dates have come and gone. It's like hearing, "The check is in the mail."
The question I posed was, "How can Hanes legally continue to sell a product it has not had in stock for a month and a half and CONSISTANTLY project earlier delivery dates to people ordering today, than to folks who ordered on Jan. 22, and are still waiting for their orders?"
I went on to state that at the very best, this is horrible internal communications and processes. At the worst, it is possibly deceptive advertising and consumer fraud. It could impact thousands of items on backorder.
If that is the case, it is not an individual customer service issue, but a practice that could involve state or federal consumer law.
To date, Hanes has had not acceptable explanations and the only thing customer support has done is tell me I could continue to wait or to cancel my order. The manager said she would look into the issue and let know what she found out.
At this point, it is not about my order, I will not cancel and will continue to document and report on the progress of this issue until it is resolved one way or another.
Update 3/12/15
The Hanes customer support manager never called back. Today, I called in again and spoke with another manager. This time, I informed her that I was recording the conversation for customer satisfaction. In short I told her that I had given up on trying to get an answer to when my backordered items would arrive. All that was happening is was the promised date would pass and I would be given another date.
I told her that at best, they had horrible internal communication and web site updating, and at worst they were engaged in deceptive advertizing. If it was happening to me, it was happening to hundreds, if not thousands of other customers. I now just wanted an answer to my question of how Hanes could continue to sell an item they do not have, do not know when they will have, and are projecting a ship date to current customers, earlier than they project for me, someone who ordered on Jan. 22.
I think she realized that I was no going away or giving up and that I would peruse the matter until it was resolved. She promised to call back within an hour with an answer, which she did.
She thanked me for bringing the matter to their attention and assured me they would continue to look into the communications and web aspect of my issue. They do not have the backordered items in their warehouse, but she located one of them in an outlet store and offered a substitute in an slightly different style, both of which are being sent gratis for my troubles.
At this point I will pursue the matter no further with customer support. However, I will continue to make weekly checks on the status of the one item still on backorder. and if you are having a similar problem, this blog is here for your reference and use. My next update will be after March 23, that latest projected ship date.
I will close as is opened, with a statement that I am a fan of Hanes' products. All businesses go through rough times with supply chain problems, but sometime you have to acknowledge those problems and make things right with the customers even if it costs you money. It pays off in the long run. It's sad that Hanes failed to do that in a timely fashion and took so long to do what should have been done long ago.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Don't Get Gouged by Scratch Aide
Had it been me alone, I would have stopped right there, but my wife wanted it, so I decided to go online to see if I could just get the Scratch Aid and let them keep their BONUS.
Of course I went through the entire process, which included having OPT OUT of about a dozen different orders. I bet MANY of unsuspecting people order one or more those additional items without realizing it.
As I suspected, I had to enter all of my information, including credit card, before getting to the point where I found there was no way to refuse the BONUS. When I got to the point of the process before the final screen and confrimation, my $10 Scratch Aid was now up to about $29.
The thing that REALLY frosted me was that the BONUS was really a PENALTY, because you can buy the same items in any grocery store for less than 1/3 the price! $7.95 shipping for three sponges, when you can get a four pack of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for $3.14, is hardly what I would call a bonus. BOGUS maybe, but not a bonus.
At this point, I said, "HELL NO!" and closed the browser WITHOUT finishing the order. Incidentally, I've been purchasing things online since about 1980, long before the Internet, and I know the ordering process. I did NOT complete it. If that had been the end of it, you would not be reading this.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IS WHAT PUSHED MY OUTRAGE BUTTON
The following day, I received a call from Scratch Aid wanting to ask me about my order to see if I was satisfied. WAIT! I just went to the website YESTERDAY and DID NOT ORDER ANYTHING. How could I be satisfied and WHY WERE THEY CALLING? I DIDN'T COMPLETED THE ORDER!
Remember, I had to give all of my information. Obviously, they were using that to try to get the sale one way or another. Red flags were waving wildly in my mind. At best what they were doing was shady and a violation of consumer rights.
I stopped her in mid-sentence, which wasn't easy, and told her in no uncertain terms that I did not order anything and my credit card should not be charged. She informed me that had to be handled by billing, who I could reach them on Monday during regular business hours, and gave me the number to call.
I called a little while ago and after a long hold, I got through.(No surprise there!) After confirming all of my personal information, the agent said I see you ordered... Again I stopped her in mid-sentence by saying, "NO! I did not order anything! I never completed that order and my card should not be charged!"
At that point she politely told me that she would cancel the order, which she did. However, that is a problem in itself, because I DID NOT COMPLETE THE ORDER. If they had processed it, I believe that would be ILLEGAL.
I bet hundreds, if not thousands of people, end up paying exorbitant costs in over priced products and inflated shipping charges. In the end, it is CAVAET EMPTOR! DON'T GET GOUGED BY SCRATCH AID!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)