A few years ago I was the lucky one who got to photograph the property Life’s Patina is on in Malvern. I photographed the property when it was on the house tour for Tredyffrin Historic Preservation Trust.
Tonight I got to see the barn renovation totally completed! So awesome!
I am here right now for the special event benefitting Home of the Sparrow! There is a special sale all weekend, check it out!
You can find the information on Life’s Patina or Home of the Sparrow Facebook pages.
After meeting my friend Pattye for coffee at The Buttery I did the rain crawl back to my car.
I stopped in Up Home for a Mother’s Day gift. I love this store! So pretty and the nicest staff! I especially love their selection of soaps, hand lotions and candles and La Guiole cutlery.
Up Home is the perfect store when you need a little accent for your home or a hostess gift or a Mother’s Day present or birthday present. They also have some beautiful art hanging on the walls that is for sale. I posted photos because actually the store carries a lot of items that you don’t really see with the same quality at other stores.
Check it out – on King in Malvern!
In today’s mail was a letter from Dirt Devil (Royal Appliance Mfg. Co.) about a voluntary recall on certain models of the Dirt Devil Total Pet Cyclonic Upright Vacuum.
Why the recall? Well their plugs have apparently been coming off in electrical sockets. I got the letter because I had (for once) registered an appliance when I bought it almost a year ago. Nice little vacuum, easy to manage, lightweight to store. I got tired of heaving vacuums up and down stairs, so this was my upstairs vacuum.
So, if you have an affected model but have NOT registered the unit, call Dirt Devil Customer Service. 1-800-373-6290. They couldn’t be nicer. They will walk you through the process and open a case for you and tell you how to return NOT the entire unit but a certain section of cord and the other info they need. They open a case for you and you will receive a replacement that is essentially the next vacuum up in this line of vacuums is what an e-mail I received just said. I will further note that my vacuum was a factory refurbish I had purchased from them at a discount and I am still going to get a new vacuum out of it.
Again -the defect is serious – the cord plug prongs have been detaching from the plug and essentially getting stuck in electrical outlets which is quite a hazard. Dirt Devil says they have had no instances of injury but are recalling before that occurs.
Anyway, I have not seen this being reported by consumer affairs reporters so I thought I would post about it.
UPDATE 12/10/2015 There is this lady who works for UPS in Fort Worth who is amazing. Her name is Scarlett and she located and retrieved one of my packages – so the one destined for Colorado will actually get there now. BUT the package really destined for Texas dropped off the face of the earth in Horsham. I find that unacceptable.
I will note that I have gotten this far with lost packages because I hunted on the Internet until I was able to find the e-mail addresses of the Chairman and other top executives at UPS. I should not have had to do that, but I did. I put my problems in writing. Those things don’t leave their servers.
UPS does customers a disservice with the off-shore call centers. Those people are useless. And rude.
One down, one to go.
UPDATE:
I am still in UPS hell. Overnight some social media customer service person basically had the so sad too bad attitude. So I looked up the corporate office phone number. Calling UPS is like calling Fort Knox or the White House –you can’t get through to anybody. I ended up in the retirement plans department for employees first. They transferred me to a number that got me nowhere. Then I did a little googling and found the media relations phone number (404-828-7123).
The man who answered the phone did not want to deal with an irate woman. So I was finally able to obtain the corporate customer service phone number in Atlanta Georgia. That number for any of you who are interested is 404-828-3700. After an estimatedI don’t know how long hold time very nice woman named Teri Miller picked up the phone. She transferred me to a woman who is my caseworker with UPS. Several days later I did not know I had a caseworker. I got her voicemail her name is to Tenille Stephens. So I am in my next level of UPS limbo.
Meanwhile the package destined for Colorado that ended up in Texas has been delivered somewhere in Texas. So basically I don’t know where any packages are. I also located a bunch of corporate emails we will see if that does anything.
ORIGINAL POST:
I am in UPS hell as in United Parcel Service hell.
Last week I sent two holiday packages out of the Staples in Exton. One package bound for Colorado and one package bound for Texas.
Both left Staples with UPS I assume properly.
Only for some reason the package bound for Texas went to Horsham PA after West Chester PA and hasn’t been heard from since.
The package destined for Colorado got rerouted to Texas. Yes, Texas. So I called and was told the package would be correctly routed to Colorado.
The package last heard from in Horsham supposed to go to Texas is purportedly being “investigated”. Or that’s what some phone rep in the Philippines told me yesterday. Yes, the Philippines because like other US companies they route the call centers on overflow to the Philippines. And when they go to the Philippines these calls you get people who do not have a complete command of every day American English vernacular. And I can’t seem to deviate from some UPS provided script.
So today when I went to check on the tracking of the package destined for Colorado but taking a tour of Texas I see that it is out for delivery in freaking Texas. So I call UPS and I spend forever on hold and get someone in the Philippines. This person in the Philippines could not understand me and could not deviate from some stupid UPS script and also told me I had no reason to be upset. I hung up on her.
So now I have spent another hour of my life on hold with UPS as they try to straighten out their hot mess. I’m really tired of getting all my US company calls routed to offshore call centers who also tell me things like if a package gets lost I can just go buy something else??? Really???
I spent a total of another two hours on the phone with UPS because it took a while to get someone in a stateside call center. Hopefully they have located one package but the other package is still anyone’s guess.
The moral of the story is don’t ship during the holidays.
I have a big bad case of bah humbug thanks to United Parcel Service.
UPDATE 11/11/2015 12:56 PM : Francisvale’s Executive Director has contacted me. In the spirit of keeping things civil our discussion remains off record. I consider this at an end.
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This is Elsie. She is a dacshund mix. She has been living in an office at Francisvale for I think four years. Recently she was sprung from an awful kind of of animal purgatory by one of my dearest friends who agreed to be a foster mom to her.
Elsie has been with my friend for a month and a half and has made great strides. She is finally almost completely house trained (dachshunds are stubborn!) and she is a good dog who has had a crappy life.
this is Elsie’s photo off the rescue’s website. Note the way they have her harness and leash and collar hooked up. Guaranteed to hurt a dog shoulder right? That is their photo, not the rescue mom’s living eith her.
I have spent quite a bit of time with Elsie and my friend and really like her. I think she’s a great dog. But she does have some fear based aggression which is not unusual for rescues. Today even though she has been around me, something in her switched and well, she bit me. Through my clothes, yes broke skin, but clothes didn’t tear. She made a mistake. It happens. I have to admit it was somewhat startling because I’ve never been bitten by a dog before.
My friend had to call Francisvale to report this as a foster mom. The executive director was terse with my friend. All my friend asked was for permission and the money they said was there to take her to behavior training at What A Good Dog in Malvern. What A Good Dog is amazing with these issues.
But no, no conversation, just bring the dog back. They have an endowment, correct? Why not pay for the training? Why are they in the rescue business? To act a non profit hoarding situation?
The executive director did NOT even ask my friend for my name and phone number at the time to see if I was ok. How is that for a caring rescue? Professionalism is optional?
So I called the executive director twice. I did not want Elsie removed from a caring foster situation, just get her the help she needs and keep her out of the kennel and get her to a furever home. But the woman would not take my call. “Too busy” was what I was told by whomever answered the phone—I got this woman who was practically reading from a script about how to patronize people while calming them down.
I am now in tears and so is my friend as she takes Elsie back to life in a cage. Or worse.
I am so upset and technically I am the aggrieved party with a dog bite. But the reason I am upset is I know Elsie is a good dog. Not vicious, just scared. She made a mistake and they are a rescue that can afford behavior modification training. Her foster mom is willing to devote the time to do this – Francisvale just needs to pay for the training which is what they are supposed to do dogs and a foster situation aren’t they?
You know years ago I considered rescuing from them. I even was one of the people who supported them the last time their neighbors are nearby streets complained about noise coming from the kennels.
I am being public with this post because I think Elsie and my friend are getting the short end of the stick.
The phone number to Francisvale is 610 688-1018. Their address is 328 Upper Gulph Rd., Radnor PA 19087
I think they pretty much suck right now.
Again let me reiterate: I got bitten. I know it was an accident and I know this is a good dog. I also know that any rescue worth it’s salt doesn’t like dogs coming back into a kennel once they have gotten out as it can ruin a dog.
It makes me very very sad that I now wonder if this rescue is actually living its mission.
Elsie is getting the short end of things right now. She is a victim of stupid human tricks. I hope St. Francis looks out for her.
Located at 385 Lancaster Avenue in Malvern, they are a new addition to the businesses in Malvern and Frazer along Lancaster Avenue. They have been in business for years and relocated here to Malvern from Exton recently.
Farmers Market Gallery not only does framing but they represent several local artists. I used them to have a couple of things reframed recently, and having done a bunch of reframing elsewhere in the summer and I can tell you they were significantly less expensive and the work was just as good, if not better.
Plus they are super nice people. Support local businesses and give them a try! And be sure to check out the local artist they represent. If I had any more wall space there are two things I would bring home right away!
There Malvern location is very easy to get in and out of with ample parking.
Thanks for stopping by.
Run don’t walk to Akio Sushi in the Lincoln Court Shopping Center in Malvern.
It’s amazing. Super fresh, clean, excellent service.
Located at 215 Lancaster Ave, Malvern, PA 19355 , phone (610) 889-3888
This morning I met a friend for breakfast and coffee at Malvern Buttery on King Street in the Borough of Malvern. So much fun!
It was my first time there and what a nice open space with friendly staff! We had amazing organic yogurt and croissants along with coffee and a chai latte.
They are very kind and there were plenty of people parked there with laptops. Ironically I was at the same table as the Madam of the Malvern Farmers’ Market. She was holding court at the other end of my table.
Anyway if you haven’t been, check out Malvern Buttery ! It’s terrific!
My mood is like that sky out there right now.
Many of us as residents in Chester County have to deal these third party tax collectors for the local taxes. Like Keystone Collection Group out of Irwin PA.
Since May they have been harassing me over a tax year I was NOT a resident of Chester County. I was at that point only dating a resident of Chester County. As far as I am aware that was not a taxable event?
When they sent their first death threat masked as a tax collection nasty gram, I promptly sent them my federal return that clearly shows (and was professionally prepared, no less) my address, municipality and county of residence and so on. My federal tax return gave them every piece of information they needed to say “I’m sorry we made a mistake” and then close the books on this.
Instead, they sent me a second letter basically telling me that a federal tax return was not acceptable proof and a long laundry list of items for me to prove where I lived.
Being somewhat outraged at this point I called them. Basically I was told that a federal tax return was not good enough and unless I sent them all this other information I was a liar.
Then the person on the other end of the phone says something to the effect of well maybe I was confused about the years. And I said no I wasn’t confused about the years it was the year I was treated for breast cancer I know exactly where I was all year long.
So I sent them everything they asked for and it was remarkable I had some of what they wanted which included copies of old bills with my address at that time. It’s only because I’m such a paper pack rat that I had any of those old bills as I had shredded most of them. They also got a W-2 and the state return I had filed with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for that year. And oh did I mention when I called them they told me that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania directs them to do this? Really?
I sent them all of this additional information and it should have once again been the end of it with them sending me an apology and closing the book on this but they haven’t.
I have even contacted my elected representatives offices regarding this. And Keystone has gone back to them saying now they wanted my federal tax return even though I sent that in the first place and as per their instructions on their last correspondence I have satisfied everything they requested and they told me a federal tax return wasn’t sufficient proof when I submitted it several weeks ago. They already have the information.
I am done. I gave them what they asked for, they have made a mistake with this particular year, and they won’t let it go. At this point they are harassing me. I have complied with the requests and it should be case closed.
The other problem with dealing with this company is there is no secure way to send them information. When you have to send a company like this your personal information wouldn’t you rather do it with some kind of a secure email or fax? How do we really know what they do with the documents you send them that have your personal data on them?
I have heard many, many horror stories regarding this company Keystone Collections Group. I don’t know why they find this so difficult it’s really very cut and dry: I wasn’t living here as a resident then. I was a visitor, albeit a frequent visitor. I was a resident of not only another municipality, but another county entirely.
As residents of various municipalities out here we shouldn’t have to be paying for these people and their mistakes and their harassment. They are taking money out of residents’ pockets. As far as I’m concerned or municipality should be able to handle this in house, saving all of us money that could be put to better use.
Thanks for stopping by.
Something I did not like today in the checkout line. I had a developmentally challenged adult man who was bagging my order. He had an aide with him who was kind of pushing him too hard.
The grocery store was picking up with a lot of people in line to check out and I could tell he (the bagger) was getting a little flustered. The aide attached to the man bagging was not picking up on the cues being given by this guy that he needed a break.
I wasn’t pushing them to get out of the store more quickly, I was happy to wait an extra few minutes so that the man doing the bagging who was developmently disadvantaged could complete his task. But what was happening is the person there being the aide was not particularly patient with the person he was assigned. I don’t know how else to describe it.
The aide was reaching up and around him and basically just push push pushing him when you could see the man doing the bagging reacting much the same way a child who was upset and being pushed too much would react – he was getting very flustered and I felt very badly. The aid kept saying “you have to do your job, you have to do your job” or something basically like that.
So I went to the store manager on my way out. The manager was reluctant to go over there and told me that the Giant employees don’t generally interfere with these people and their aides. I was at the Giant on Boot Road in West Chester.
I do not know what the protocol is here, and the gentleman who was with the aid during the bagging did not appear to be Down’s Syndrome but something else. He was fully capable of doing his assigned tasks, he was just doing it a little more slowly than probably the average person would. Again, I had absolutely no problem with the job he was doing, I had concerns about the way the aide was treating him.