Stuff & Nonsense

I was all geared up today for the first carboot of the season and had even convinced Mr BK (Balancing Kiwi) that he needed to come. We got there all excited....only to find it was cancelled as the field was waterlogged. Now why they couldn't think 'outside the box' and hold it in the ginominous carpark is anyones guess, but there you have it - no car boot today.

Now there was actually a good reason why my hubby wanted to go. A few days ago was a charity bag collection for the blind children's society. I'd bagged up four bags of clothes and they had been sitting on our front porch. I thought that the van might miss them as we are a good 30 - 40 feet from the road, so I took them out to the front path. I came in, Mr BK looked out the front door, asked me where the bags were, I said out the front, he dashed out there only to find they had gone already, apart from one bag with coathangers in, which they obviously didn't want (worth a try I thought). Anyway, Mr BK was very upset as he had changed his mind about one of the garments in the bag which belonged to his father. So off we dash in the car looking for the collection van. Luck would have it that we did find it, only to discover that neither the driver nor the passenger spoke any English - nor did they understand it! With much gesturing and them making a phone call to their office, we were able to clamber in the bag of the van to retrieve said item. Would you believe NONE OF OUR BAGS WERE IN THE VAN! Some very selfish greedy person for want of better words, must have been waiting for bags to go out and whipped them. I mean I literally walked down our path, closed the front door when hubby asked me about them and dashed out. It couldn't have been much more than a minute. I still find it incredible that someone actually STOLE bags for charity! So poor hubby has no chance of retrieving this jacket, but we thought perhaps someone might try selling the items at a car boot.

Now this post has ended up rather long, but I really feel like sounding off, so my apologies.

I don't know why I find it incredible really as the last few weeks have seen me experience several examples of people and their consummate lies. Do you remember my Sewing Box I won from eBay? I ended up receiving a box that was completely rubbish and nothing like this sewing box/table.

Yes thats right, this one with all the lovely goodies inside.

The one that never arrived.

Well the first the seller told me; Hi, just to keep you informed, I am trying to contact the buyer of the box to see if they have your sewing box. I will be back in contact with you as soon as possible.mandy

Then she sends me a refund so I ask her why and this is the reply I got; Hi I am glad that the refund has arrived with you safely. I did email you yesterday to explain about the refund. If I do get the sewing box back I will let you know and send it out to you. Once again appologies for any inconvenience.mandy

Um, no sorry you didn't send me an email to explain about the refund. I email her again and say I never received an email and could she please try and locate the box.

I am then told,

Hi, sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I am back and forth to
the hospital at the moment as my son has been admitted. I dont think
I am going to be able to get the sewing box to you. My appologies for
all of this.
mandy

Okay, well I accepted this, as disappointed as I was, as nobody can help it if their son has had to go into hospital (even if in the meantime they are still selling and dispatching items!) But my motto is to try and be forgiving and generous and give the benefit of the doubt. (Even if I am becoming cynical)

So anyway I had emailed via ebay the person who I believed had probably received my box. I had no reply so I sent another one and was totally flabbergasted when I got this response!

I received the work box and sent you an e-mail in response to yours asking if I wanted to keep the box. I answered yes and have started to restore it.Mike 27955

Well that is quite simply a lie. I pretty much told him as much! I NEVER told him he could keep the box, and I certainly didn't ask him if he wanted to, quite the contrary!

So either he is lying or the seller is, or quite possibly both! I just can't believe how people can just let the lies roll off their tongue/fingers. I mean do they really not care. I mean the cheek of it. That was MY sewing box!

Okay I am probably slightly obsessed, but this is the second 'incident' on ebay in the last month. The other was when I won a quilt. The seller was charging £12.50 postage which I thought was quite hefty postage, especially as she was quite local to me. But I didn't quibble, I just paid for my item and the postage on the Sunday as soon as I won it. I hadn't heard anything by the Wednesday so emailed to ask when to expect the item. This is the reply I got (as taken from email)

hellothank u for the enquiry. u should get soon as you purchased on sunday and i have sent on monday.i could not have posted fatser. regards

I thought it strange that I hadn't received it, then got another email on the Thursday:

hellojust found your quilt. sorry i had washed it and left it in the linen room to dry. i have got rid of green stain so it is all dru and packed up to go. i am so sorry i had sent so many off on monday had forgotten about the washing of youras. i cannot send off today as I have no money oin pay pal and will need to wait till i get paid to send. i will try the post office this afternnon but it will go out today or tomorrow and shgould have tomorrow regards
- busyboys101

Does anyone else think this is a strange reply - i cannot send off today as I have no money oin pay pal and will need to wait till i get paid ?

I pointed out that I had paid postage on the Sunday, and that first she told me she had posted it on Monday, and then that she hadn't and couldn't afford to post it. I pointed out that I had paid within three minutes of the auction ending and that I was disappointed, but that I still looked forward to receiving the quilt. Next thing I know I get an email from her saying she was refunding me and also a message from Ebay saying we both disagreed over the terms of the transaction. Forgive me for being a bit vague - but did we?

ok I am so sorry i will refund your pay pal money as I dont think I have been unreasonable, I dont thin you can expect delivery a day after you have bid. But maybe other sellers do so I wish you good luck else where and hope there is not hard feelings. sincer apologises and regards Wendy
- busyboys101

Had I said she was unreasonable? No, I simply stated that I was disappointed. I emailed her again to say I hadn't said anything of the sort, but no luck. How strange! What is wrong with people and why do they lie?

There was a third incident. Not on eBay but through the Gumtree ads. I responded to an advert selling a bass clarinet. Now I have wanted a bass clarinet for a long time and this model was just the one I was wanting within my price range. I emailed the people who duely sent me photos. They said they would send postage free when they knew where I lived. I'm too far away to have been able to collect it. They wanted me to pay by bank transfer which I said fine, but could they give me a few more details such as name, address and telephone number to reassure me and my husband that it wasn't a scam and yes you guessed it - I've heard nothing since. Oh I was given a telephone number that does seem to exist, but conveniently can't be connected! So probably a lucky escape. But I guess the motto is: If it is too good to be true, it probably is.

Well enough of the moaning myrtles!

Yesterday I made a carrot cake. I have been making this since my teenager was a baby. I used to make it for our La Leche League meetings.

Strangely there is none left today! Ooops.

This is my corner where I have typed today's moans.

I bought a picture for our bathroom yesterday from the charity shop for £2.99.

It brightens it up abit - Don't look too closely, you'll spy the cobwebs I missed until I uploaded the photo!

After a busy day today, preparing my piggies for the show tomorrow we had a lovely dinner, salmon, baby potatoes and salad.

Tomorrow I am off up to Norwich for a Cavy show which I am looking forward to. I hope the weather stays good as it has been a lovely day today.