Rage Against the Machine

So I might have bought a refrigerator. Only time will tell.

Do you ever wonder how we managed without computers? Do you ever wonder why things are so much HARDER with computers sometimes?

Hubby and I planned to go to Sears after work to look at refrigerators, but having gotten some input from a few of you and having looked at more pictures and reviews, I decided I really didn't want to take the time to go to Sears and look at refrigerators when I could simply order one on the computer during my lunch hour. So I called Hubby and we talked over our options--I had narrowed it down to four models I liked. Because of our limited space, we eliminated two of the four. Because we like bells and whistles sometimes, we eliminated the not-quite-as-fancy model. That left one obvious choice. Wanna see it?

It's a Kenmore. 21.8 cubic foot side-by-side with neat stuff like lights and water and ice and--you know--neat stuff. (Dianne--see that turkey in the freezer?!) And it actually looks quite a LOT like the one we've had for many years, which means I can get a midnight snack without turning on any lights! So I ordered it. Maybe.

I checked the box on the computer screen and into my shopping cart went a 21.8 cubic foot refrigerator. (It's magic the way that's possible in the virtual world!) Then I checked the box saying we wanted the 5-year extended protection--a large expense, but from past experience, worth every penny. Then I checked the box saying we wanted it installed. Then I checked the box saying we wanted the old one hauled away, shot, and buried. Then I got to a box that asked me about my preferred customer number and the rewards program. And that's where the trouble began.

I DO have a Sears MasterCard with reward points, but an actual preferred customer NUMBER? Hummm. So I tried to log onto my account, but I had password issues. Many password issues. I never seem to be able to remember those details. So I called the customer service number and they also wanted my password. Luckily they were a little less picky--I was able to give them a ballpark guess on what I thought my password might be--or at least a variation thereof. And I told them all I really needed was my preferred customer number anyway--nothing that would breach national security. So they put me on hold for awhile, only to come back and say I didn't have a number, but maybe I should try my account number or the number on the back of my card.

Now, the only reason I was going to this trouble with the whole preferred customer thing was because when I clicked on the "what is this" link, it said there might be other discounts available, and I'm ALL ABOUT other discounts. Still, nothing I tried in that little box worked, even when I chanted "open sesame" while typing various numbers. So I gave up and proceeded on.

On the next screen, I realized that somehow I was buying TWO 5-year protection plans and TWO installations. Now what do I do? Well, luckily I noticed that some steps ahead, there was an order confirmation screen. So, okay, having a great deal of experience with online ordering, I figured I'd just edit my order when I got that far. So I continued on, inputting all kinds of information until I finally reached that screen. And I found that although I could edit just about everything at that point, the only thing that couldn't be edited was my actual order. ARGH!

About this time, I realized my lunch hour was over. And because the store saves everything in a customer's shopping cart for 30 days, I had to go back to the first screen and manually take everything out of the cart.

An hour or so later, after I calmed down a bit, I went back online and did the whole order thing over again. Since I knew what I was doing this time and had long given up on any kind of preferred customer recognition, it only took me five minutes to order the refrigerator. Yes, I got a screen that said I'd ordered the refrigerator and I'd get an email right away with my purchase information on it. Silly me! I believed them and didn't bother writing down the order confirmation number at that point.

Six hours later, and I still hadn't gotten an email. So I emailed Sears' customer service department, asking whether they'd received my order. Now I'm waiting. Waiting to hear something from Sears. Waiting for a new refrigerator. And something tells me it would have been far faster and easier to just go into the store and buy the darn thing! Or, better yet, just give Hubby a printout of the refrigerator I wanted and send HIM to Sears. That's pretty much what I've done in the past, and it works pretty well.

Sometimes low-tech works best, and that's a good lesson to learn. If this refrigerator thing doesn't work out, there's always the low-tech option of a styrofoam cooler and ice.