I called in on spec yesterday evening to get a sitrep. The didn't "quote me happy". Their computer said "no", so they made a few phone calls to confirm the bad news... "There are none available anywhere in the system. Realistically, there's no chance of us getting your shed for you before mid-May" .
It went something like this...
Monday:
I'd like to buy a shed, please.
Yes, Sir. Which one?
The 7x7 shiplap.
I'll just check the stock... yes, we have two in stock. Will you collect, or do you want us to deliver it for an extra £20?
I'll collect it tomorrow.
OK, just phone us an hour before you want to collect it so that we can have it ready for you. That'll be £££, please.
The deal is done.
Tuesday:
Hello. I'm calling to let you know that I'll be there in an hour or so to collect my shed. The order number is #######.
OK, I'll just check that. Yes, it's still in stock and has your name against it. We'll have it ready for you.
One hour later...
Hello, I've come to collect the 7x7 shed, order number #######. The van's in the car-park.
OK, I'll just go and get it.
It should be ready - I phoned an hour ago, just like you asked.
We've been a bit busy.
10 minutes later...
There seems to be a problem. It's not there. The computer's showing two on the stock, there's one out the back on display but the other one's not actually in the stock.
So you've lost my shed? You could have told me that before I got here, that's what the one hour of notice was for.
Much confusion ensued.
15 minutes later...
We've got some options here. There are plenty of 6x8s in stock.
That's no good - I've just built a 7x7 base.
Hmm... we'll phone around the other local stores and get a 7x7 for you as soon as possible.
Well, that's no good either. I've got a van and a driver waiting here, I can't afford to pay him again to pick up on another day.
Under the circumstances, we'll deliver it F.O.C.
OK. When?
We'll tell you that when we've found one.
OK, I can't wait any longer, so we're off now. Call me on the mobile as soon as you know what's going on.
Ten minutes later...
We've located a shed for you at (another store, many miles away). When would you like it to be delivered?
Thursday, please.
OK, that's booked, it'll be delivered direct from (the other store) sometime on Thursday.
Thank you.
Thursday... late on Thursday:
Hello, I'm still waiting for my shed. The "lost" 7x7 that's supposed to be delivered here today. Order number #######. It's getting late and there's no sign of it.
The driver went to collect it but it was damaged so he left it there. He says that he phoned you and told you about it.
That's bullshit. Nobody's called me all day. If he'd called me, why would I be calling you now?
Er... um... I'll talk to my manager and get him to call you.
You've got one hour before I lose my rag.
I understand.
A while later...
Hello. I'm sorry about the confusion. It turns out that (our company) has sold thousands of these sheds during the sale, but the supplier can only make 200 a week, so there are supply problems. We're doing the best we can, and appreciate that you're upset. We need to get this problem sorted, we'll call you back on Monday. Is that OK with you?
I suppose so. Look, I could do with a job. Can I work for you as a driver? I can drive and I'm really good at bullshitting, so I am qualified.
Ha.
It's not funny. This driver - how do you explain his actions?
It was his first day.
Say what? It's OK to lie on your first day? I'll have to remember that when I start my next job.
We'll have a word with him.
Yes, do so before I do. I'll expect to hear something good on Monday.
To be continued...
Apologies for the lack of regular blogging - there just aren't enough hours in the day. There's been no time for hiking or star-gazing, but to be fair we did manage to take a few hours off for a walk around Bosworth Park last Monday (which reminds me that I still have to upload the pics from that).
After two weeks of school holidays, I've a backlog of stuff to shift...
Never mind, we're looking forward to a carefree weekend, so it's not so bad.
A little chill-music would seem to be in order:
Our old knackered hut had given good service but was suffering from a tad (well, more like thirteen years) of neglect, as you can see in the following pic taken last autumn:
The offending shed, dwarfed by our Salix babylonica and by the bonfire-fuel.
Deadwood.
The roof was, er, partial, and had let in so much rain that the floor and bearers had rotted, but the T&G shiplap sides were mostly sound. The choice was simple - repair or replace. Well, I'm not one for wasting £400 of cash, so we went off to B&Q, discount card in hand, and raided their timber and board stocks. A week later, after a jet-wash and much sawing and screwing, the thing now lives a bit closer to the house and looks like this:
Revamped.
It's shrunk a bit - we had to trim 5" of rot off the bottom edge, and we shortened the length by 5" so that we could use 2400mm timbers and boards instead of having to buy and trim 10-footers. Now the floor and roof are better than they ever were when it was new, and it's been fully double-proofed inside and out.
Not bad, eh? And there's enough change from the budget to buy a few beers, which are well-deserved.
I reckon I'm getting the hang of this recycling malarkey.
Lyme Disease is on the increase and it can be a particularly debilitating condition. If you've been bitten by a tick and you suspect that you might have contracted Lyme Disease, you should go to your GP as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there's a fair chance that he/she'll have no idea what you're blabbering on about. Even if they do know, there's (allegedly) a lack of proper clinical guidelines for dealing with the condition. This needs to be put right, as early and ongoing proper treatment is much more successful than delayed action.
To this end, Gill Reese of Lyme Disease Action has raised an online petition, which can be found at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Lyme-guidelines/ .
Here's the pitch:
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to put in place Clinical Guidelines, SPECIFIC to the United Kingdom, for the diagnosis and treatment of all patients, including children, who have acquired Lyme disease or associated Tick-borne diseases.
These guidelines should be part of a national strategy to combat this increasingly common threat to health in the United Kingdom and should address the UK presentation of Lyme disease and other emerging Tick-borne Diseases.
Please sign the petition (and get as many others as possible to sign) before it closes on April 7th. The current number of signatories is 1775 - that's nowhere near enough.
Thank you.
