La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
The good news is in. Dudo’s latest blood work was excellent and he will continue on the current medication, same dosage. What a relief. I’ve been wandering the city and have so many photos to share. And I still have photos and stories from New York. Plus, I still haven’t visited any of the local museums. My brain will be full. The Kid Brother and I video-chatted Tuesday night and all is well. He’s stuck on the Superman TV routine where I’m Jimmy Olsen, cub reporter, and he’s Perry White, editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet newspaper. I’m getting a bit tired of being told, “And don’t call me Chief!” I think anyone would tire of it after 60 years. However, he does sometimes switch to the Three Stooges. I’m always getting hit in the head. At least it’s now only sound effects.
San Geraldo and I had to switch internet providers when we moved to Córdoba. We hadn’t planned to, just hoped to get service with the same company up here. But, after doing all the paperwork, the rep could not get our bank to accept the new contract and monthly payments. The bank thought there was already a contract. The rep thought it was because she had only just cancelled the old contract. She very kindly took us around the corner in the shopping mall to their competition, the other major internet provider, who was easily able to provide service. Meanwhile, the previous agent told us she had taken care of cancelling everything else.
Recently San Geraldo noticed that our former provider has been charging us every month, anywhere from €17 to €68. Easier to take care of it in person, I said. We were there yesterday. The first thing we were told after I explained it all was, “Well, of course, you’re still paying, you still have service there.” Uh, no! SG had noticed we were paying for a landline, and she confirmed it. I told her we had cancelled the landline several years earlier and, besides, I was told by her co-worker in November that everything was cancelled.
She THEN read our complete recent history and saw that everything was supposed to be cancelled as of 31 October. That still didn’t explain why we were paying for a landline we had cancelled years earlier. She then spent more than a half hour on hold for someone in billing. And she works for the company!
Finally, she was successful and very pleased. She told me we were already being refunded the €47 we had been charged this month. SG asked and I translated, “What about all the other bills we paid.” “Oh, those won’t be refunded,” she replied perkily. “Oh, yes, they will,” we said in English and Spanish.
So, then, she spoke to the manager, showed him everything, and he took care of it. Sort of. The billing office will be in touch regarding the remaining refund. Shades of our last move and payments. Click here for that story.
Some photos of the apartment today. A work in progress. But it’s clean. More rooms still to come.
La buena noticia es que el último análisis de sangre de Dudo fue excelente y continuará con la medicación actual, en la misma dosis. Qué alivio. He estado deambulando por la ciudad y tengo muchas fotos para compartir. Y todavía tengo fotos e historias de Nueva York. Además, todavía no he visitado ninguno de los museos locales. Mi cerebro estará lleno. El hermano menor y yo charlamos por video el martes por la noche y todo está bien. Él está atrapado en la rutina televisiva de Superman donde yo soy Jimmy Olsen, reportero novato, y él es Perry White, editor en jefe del periódico Daily Planet. Me estoy cansando un poco de que me digan: “¡Y no me llames jefe!” Creo que cualquiera se cansaría de eso después de 60 años. Sin embargo, a veces cambia a Los Tres Chiflados. Siempre me golpean en la cabeza. Al menos ahora solo son efectos de sonido.
San Geraldo y yo tuvimos que cambiar de proveedor de Internet cuando nos mudamos a Córdoba. No lo habíamos planeado, solo esperábamos tener servicio con la misma compañía aquí. Pero, después de hacer todo el papeleo, la representante no pudo conseguir que nuestro banco aceptara el nuevo contrato y los pagos mensuales. El banco pensó que ya había un contrato. La representante pensó que era porque acababa de cancelar el contrato anterior. Muy amablemente nos llevó a la vuelta de la esquina en el centro comercial a su competencia, el otro gran proveedor de Internet que podía proporcionar fácilmente el servicio. Mientras tanto, la agente anterior nos dijo que se había ocupado de cancelar todo lo demás.
Recientemente, San Geraldo se dio cuenta de que nuestro proveedor anterior nos ha estado cobrando todos los meses, entre 17€ y 68€. Es más fácil solucionarlo en persona, dije. Estuvimos allí ayer. Lo primero que nos dijeron después de explicarlo todo fue: “Bueno, por supuesto, todavía estás pagando, todavía tienes servicio allí”. SG se había dado cuenta de que estábamos pagando por una línea fija y lo confirmó. Le dije que habíamos cancelado la línea fija varios años antes y, además, su compañero de trabajo me dijo en noviembre que todo estaba cancelado.
Luego leyó nuestro historial reciente completo y vio que todo debía cancelarse a partir del 31 de octubre. Sin embargo, eso no explicaba por qué estábamos pagando por una línea fija que habíamos cancelado años antes. ¡Argh! Luego pasó más de media hora en espera con alguien de facturación. ¡Y ella trabaja para la empresa!
Finalmente, tuvo éxito y quedó muy satisfecha. Me dijo que ya nos estaban devolviendo los 47€ que nos habían cobrado este mes. SG preguntó y yo traduje: “¿Qué pasa con todas las otras facturas que pagamos?” “Oh, esas no se reembolsarán”, respondió alegremente. “Oh, sí, lo harán.”, dijimos en inglés y español.
Entonces, habló con el gerente, le mostró todo, y él se encargó de ello. Más o menos. La oficina de facturación se pondrá en contacto con nosotros en relación con el reembolso restante. Recuerdos de nuestra última mudanza y pagos. Haz clic aquí para ver esa historia.
Hoy, algunas fotos del piso. Es un trabajo en progreso, pero está limpio. Aún faltan más habitaciones.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
There must be a global school for “customer service” kind of like “Italian Waiter” school (deep sarcasm.) Nice bright kitchen, an inspired place to create. A dishwasher?
David:
Especially in internet and cable services. We’ve had a dishwasher in each of our places in Spain. The one in Sevilla was small and inefficient and would run the entire night. So, we stopped using it. The one in Fuengirola was also small, and it was old, and we worried the few times we used it. This one is full size and very efficient. Hallelujah.
LOVE the interactions between KB and you! Takes me back to my early ‘teaching days’ and a couple of individual students I interacted with.
Your new home looks wonderful. Enjoy.
Jim:
Thanks. The place is getting better and better. Still a number of things to be done. Enclosing the terrace will change everything.
Very nice and comfy-homey! Enjoy!
wickedhamster:
It’s getting there. Thanks.
You guys decorate in the style I call “adult”. Meaning- it looks like actual grown-ups live there! My house is styled in what you might call “preschool.” Alternately, “circus.”
It looks gorgeous! Your home, I mean, not mine. Great news about Dudo. He’ll be around to point out that it’s treat time for many years to come.
So it’s not just the US that has companies like the one you describe? I wish we could live without them.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
Hilarious. It does look kind of adult, doesn’t it? I miss circus. But I love what I’ve seen of your home. Dudo is not so desperate for treats anymore. Moose is back to being the problem. We’re trying to slow the pace. I have never in my life found a cable company/internet provider that I feel can be trusted, no matter where we’ve lived.
Mitchell, it just looks so great 🙂 I lingered over every photo. I just loved looking at each one.
So glad to hear good news for Dudo, and that you’re back to video chats with Chuck! Now, that crazy customer service… crazy.
Judy:
Things are coming together all around. The customer service is the pits and, sadly, no surprise. Do you have an internet provider that makes life easy and can be trusted?
No, I do not! We have our TV cable and our cell phones with AT&T and I find them to be absolutely ridiculous to deal with. It’s impossible to get information, or to get something fixed about a charge, you get the runaround online or on the phone, and, in person, the people who work in their shops are just obnoxious and condescending. I feel pretty trapped, honestly, but I don’t feel like it would be much better with any other company.
Your new home looks SO great! Comfy and inviting! Those uncanceled bills suck, though — hope you can get a full refund!
Debra:
Thanks. Still more to do. Why do I have my doubts we’ll ever see that money again? I don’t know that I have another one of those “provider” fights in me.
Oh lordy – don’t get me started on internet “providers”! They’re the worst, most inefficient of the lot – and make even delivery courier companies seem like a streamlined, professional operation.
The apartment’s looking lovely, dears. You should be very proud. Jx
PS that is the biggest fridge-freezer I have ever seen – no wonder it caused issues with the light-fitting!
Jon:
I don’t think there’s been a time when we haven’t had some unpleasant situation with an internet provider. You made me laugh about the fridge-freezer. It IS tall (2.3 meters) but it’s no wider than the norm here. You must be able to buy “American fridge-freezers” in England. They dwarf what we bought. Also our fridges in the States WERE much bigger. I’ll try to get some better shots of the room where it doesn’t look so enormous.
Love seeing your apartment photos! It all looks so neat and efficient. Moose has no modesty.
Kelly:
Moose flips is often in that position but he flips like that the minute we walk into the room. “Love me. Love me!”
Such good news about Dudo, and the apartment looks wonderful! That refrigerator is crazy tall. No wonder it was a problem. At my so-called place of employment, I can’t call other departments at all. I can only message them and hope for a response. Maybe you can imagine “don’t call me chief” with different intonations or think of it in different languages. “Don’t call me, CHIEF!” “Nenn mich nicht Chef.” My imagination provides me with distractions when I’m tired of things.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
I DID want the tall refrigerator and it IS taller than I imagined. But the width is the usual. Great storage.
I’m Chief, so Chuck does the delivery and I have to remember Jimmy Olsen’s responses. The series ran for 60 years and we’ve been doing the routines for 60. There are only so many ways to play it. And they are supposed to be true to the show.
I understand you have to play the part with Chuck. I mean just think of it differently in your sweet head, like the way I imagine things I’m saying to people at work that I can’t actually say. I have a vivid imagination.
Wow, your place has really come together in such a short amount of time. If it were me, I’d probably still be taking things out of boxes.
Kirk:
And this is slow for us (well, for me). There are still things to go up on walls.
Good news on Dudo, and he certainly looks pleased.
Moose, on the other hand, just looks relaxed.
“Oh, yes, they will.” Best line ever!!
Bob:
Dudo is doing so well. It makes me happy to see. And Moose is simply a sweetheart, often goofy but always a sweetheart.
Your apartment looks lovely . We have a very similar mirror to yours above a ” wellington chest” on our landing!
Anonymous:
Would love to see your mirror and Wellington chest.
I could ” whatsapp” you a photo if you can send me your phone no! I think you can see my email?
Frances. ( sorry, I forgot that my name doesn’t appear when I comment on your blog!)
Frances:
I can’t see your email, but you can send me a private message by clicking the contact link at the top of the blog page. It will either be visible as CONTACT or you’ll have to first click MENU. I can often tell who the Anonymous writers are but the IP address.
From the polished look of everything, Merche is doing a good job. There’s so much to love about your new digs, but I especially love the kitchen flooring and the backsplash behind the stove’s burners. Good luck on getting that refund.
Shirley:
If I do expect to get that refund, it will probably going to take months of fighting. And I don’t think I have it in me. So much more to do around here, but I do look the direction we’re heading with the apartment.
Your apartment is beautiful! It must be such a relief to have it all set up and clean.
Have you ever wondered what your brother would be like if he’d never watched TV as a kid? He’d probably have latched on to some other routine he picked up elsewhere in life — or maybe one he made up. Interesting to think about.
Steve:
Thanks. Still not done, but more than just liveable. I need get on the stick with my to do list. I never had thought about Chuck without TV. Hard to imagine. However, there’s also music. If there was a funny or entertaining popular song around, I would sing it to him… and still do. Of course many did come from television. And there were always movies!
The apartment looks cosy but grand all at the same time x
finlaygray:
I don’t know about SG, but I’m always aiming for cosy and grand. Thanks!
Your apartment is beautiful. Great job!
Sassybear:
Thanks. A work in progress.
Your new apartment looks very cozy, welcoming and full of character, Scoot — just the way I like ’em! Glad to see that Dudo & Moose are hale and hearty too…. despite my allergies, I don’t think I’d be able to resist scratching Moose’s belly, LOL!
Tundra Bunny:
I’m so grateful to not suffer pet allergies. These boys leave a cloud of hair and dander wherever they go. I might spend today doing some more picture hanging. Still so much waiting to be done.
I too like the photos, but cats surpass always.
Urspo:
They do, don’t they?