Sigh. My first complaint through the BBB.


Your complaint has been assigned case # X139435.
Correspondence regarding this complaint will be emailed to : xxxxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com
Please print a copy of this for your records.

Filed on : November 26 2007
Tom Schroeder
XXX XXth St NW
XXXXXXX XX 12345

Filed against :
Evans Glass Inc
900 Poplar Place S
Seattle WA 98144-2830

Complaint Description:
I believe on 10/6 I agreed to an appointment by a sales rep to find out what a quote would be to replace approximately 14 windows in my home. I was/am genuinely interested in replacing the original wood frame windows in my 1923 Arts & Crafts home and this was the first company through which I sought an estimate. The salesman - for whom I cannot recall his name (unfortunately I discarded all information after contacting Evans Glass customer service after this initial sales visit to my home which I will elaborate on below) - was polite. However, towards the end of the visit, he discarded his polite cap and put on his high-pressure salesman cap. In order to keep him from needing to come out again should I decide to go with Evans, he assured me that if I signed the paperwork he would write up - which included employment and credit information - that would save him time. In an effort to accommodate him as he had been generally polite and I was honestly interested in the offer, I reluctantly agreed to fill out and sign the paperwork. I held off on providing any bank/employment documentation that would be required to officially open a line of credit for which he spelled out the terms and which seemed fairly reasonable. This information was never provided. He then proceeded to tell me that it was necessary for him to place stickers on all my windows that would be easy to remove in the event that the transaction did not proceed. I signed a document of course stating that I had 72 hours to retract the contract. The following day, on 10/7, I visited Lowe's and talked to a window salesman about getting another quote. When he found out I had received one from Evans, he informed me he had actually been an installer for Evans Glass for five years and that yes, their product was of good quality but overpriced and he could get me similar quality for roughly 30% less. The day following that, on 10/8 - approximately 48 hours after signing the paperwork with the Evans salesperson - I faxed in my signed document canceling the transaction. I followed up this fax two hours later with a telephone call to verify the fax had been received and did in fact get verification it had. I thought the transaction was over and I would continue to entertain other bids for replacing my windows. Approximately two weeks later, however, I found a voicemail at home that an installer had been by to make final measurements on all my windows. Concerned that I would end up getting billed for windows I did not order or even dealing with any further hassle with Evans Glass, I immediately called the customer service number and reiterated that this transaction should have been cancelled two weeks prior. It was not resolved during that conversation, and was not until the day after that I followed up to ensure it had been cancelled. After being reassured it had, I promptly discarded the information and paperwork I had pertaining to Evans and was left frustrated at having to peel off stickers on all of my windows that were NOT easy to remove along with having had to take the time to cancel the transaction - twice. Today, I returned from work to find a new voicemail, this time from a different contractor, stating that he had been out and had measured all my windows for Evans Glass. At this point I am infuriated with Evans Glass and their apparent lack of ability to cancel a transaction that - in hindsight - was pushed on me by an aggressive sales tactic and that I had already been forced to cancel twice. The irony here is that, at the time I originally cancelled the order, I was only doing so to keep my options open and had not ruled out going with Evans Glass. However, after the first debacle when a contractor came out to measure my windows when I had not authorized that, I firmly made up my mind that I would not do business with them. After this second, IDENTICAL, occurrence I will not only never do business with Evans Glass, but I am also filing this formal complaint.

Your Desired Resolution:
To destroy the credit information collected and all associated paperwork relating to my name and this cancelled transaction so as to not make the mistake again of ordering a contractor to my home to take measurements of my windows and to keep from contacting me regarding any promotions or other sales gimmicks at my place of employment or my home. I will begrudgingly remove the stickers from each of my windows, though it would certainly be appreciated if the salesperson who so quickly slapped them on, assuring me they would be easy to remove, would not mind spending his time doing just that.

This case will be reviewed by a complaint specialist at Better Business Bureau, and then forwarded to the business for their response. You will be notified when the business has responded.

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~ Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, in an autobiographical sketch

~ Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, in a letter to Vladimir Stasov

So I just started reading this book called The Future of Ice by Gretel Erlich (wonder if it's any relation to Paul Erlich, author of The Population Bomb) - and it's very, very good. Made me think, though - and maybe just has lit a fire under me cos I've had it in the back of my mind to do this at some point anyways but to do it soon - hike Mt. Rainier's Wonderland Trail solo in the dead of winter.

OK, I admit - the "in the dead of winter" part I just added after starting this book. I always wanted to hike it solo for whatever reason, maybe cos I'm just weird. But it strikes me that to see Rainier in its element harsh and cold up and down tens of thousands of feet of elevation of 90 miles would be the way to go, to get out of the humdrum of suburban/city drawl. In addition to that, I could be assured of more solitude on the trip. I'm sure I'd see someone, but maybe just one other person.

Years ago I wrote this short story about an imagined solo climb up Rainier's Mowich Face in the dead of winter that had at least one person who read it wondering how the hell I had climbed it when in fact I never had. That link, though, mentions the very reason I am drawn to it (as well as to the line of the climb, which is beautiful and direct and steep) - there were no recorded attempts on it this year. If someone's looking for a challenging day out, they head over a couple of miles to the north and do Liberty Ridge.

So anyways, I'll finish the book (although it would be a perfect companion on a week's-long epic of circling Mt. Rainier) and look into making some more definitive plans.

OK, so I'm starting my Christmas list now - seems about the right time. Please, see below -

• The Mangroomer® - there's not just advantages to this product, there's Serious Advantages™! What, you might ask? Well, let me count them!

MANGROOMER is a one time purchase with one low cost.
MANGROOMER is easy to use, lightweight and do-it-yourself. Ah, DIY back trimming - you gotta love it!
MANGROOMER's fully extendable and adjustable handle locks into place at various lengths to reach even the most difficult middle and lower portions of the back for men of all sizes.
MANGROOMER has a large 1 ½ inch blade enabling you to shave large areas of your back with ease. Schwew! For those, um, larger men with backhair problems.
MANGROOMER's cutting edge blade design enables extremely close and smooth results without the potential of ingrown hairs straight edge and foil shavers commonly cause.
MANGROOMER let’s you rid yourself of unwanted back hair in the privacy of your own home – not some fancy/overpriced salon or spa. Damn those fancy/overpriced salons!
MANGROOMER is completely painless unlike waxing, laser or electrolysis.
MANGROOMER folds to a neat compact size for discreet storage or travel.
MANGROOMER enables you to shave your back whenever you feel you need it and is perfect for quick touch ups.



Of course, all this talk about backhair mangrooming® begs the question - just exactly how/why are women attracted to men?

• The Jumbo Remote® - Another fine product by the legendary brand Inovage™, who claim the "Jumbo size reduces eye strain and makes it harder to lose the remote." Well, no sh*t Sherlock! My, what innovative thinking.

Question: if we apply Moore's Law to the size of remotes, how big will a remote be in 5 years? 10 years? I can't imagine ...



Did I forget to mention this is available at harrietcarter.com? If it can be found at Harriet Carter, you know it has to be good!

• Wallet Pix® - cos there's nothing quite like looking at fifty-eight of my favourite photos on a screen roughly the size of a quarter.



And since this is one of those fabulous "As Seen On TV"® products - just like with Harriet - you know it's gotta be a worthwhile investment!

Well, I'll add to this list when I come across other things I just have to have to make this holiday season one to remember.

Day #133

Finished the floor in the kitchen today. I still need to put it in the laundry and back bathroom and out to the backdoor, which combined is just a little more than the kitchen was. Before doing that, though - since the bathroom had gross brown tile in it that I ripped out (most of it, anyways) - I have to uninstall the toilet (yea) to take out the rest of the tile, then lay a new underlay on top of the existing subfloor to bring it up to the same level as the rest of the subfloor, lay the new tile and replace the toilet.

That fun will probably be had this weekend.

Then I think all that is left is touch-up the paint, finish hanging the cabinet doors (which has turned into a total pain cos the hinges I bought are better albeit different than the ones that had been used so it's taken realigning all of the doors before I can install them), attach the remaining drawer pulls, put in a new baseboard (one that matches the 7" casing in the house, not the cheesy vinyl cove molding that was in the kitchen) .... then wait until I can afford new appliances.

I'll probably let the Bosch dishwasher I got on craigslist earlier this year survive for awhile cos it was a pain to install (and will be a pain to uninstall) and it's really quite nice. Now I've got my eye on a Samsung range cos it's a little cheaper than the LG I was originally eyeing. No idea about a fridge yet although I know I'm going to be getting a stainless french door model. Not sold on any brand yet. The thing is when I gut this whole kitchen in five years or so I'm going to be putting an island in right about where the dishwasher is now which will have a gas cooktop (for which I'll have to run a gas line) and separate in-wall ovens so whatever range I get is only temporary. But the fridge won't be going anywhere so I have to have the foresight to buy something that will work with whatever I end up doing for the real remodel, of which a lot I've already penciled out. So that means perhaps a counter-depth fridge like this one from LG. Ouch on the price, though. Or this one by Samsung, though it's not counter-depth.

Although that pales in comparison to the only french door fridge Bosch makes, which comes in at close to $7 G's.

Fun stuff.

From the foreword of Ansel Adams' last portfolio, Portfolio VII, which was produced in 1976 in an edition of one hundred and fifteen, each consisting of eleven silver gelatin photographs and one original, unique Polaroid Type 52 photograph:

"This portfolio of original prints represents a partial vista of my life in photography. I think of them as equivalents of expression - to borrow Alfred Stieglitz‘ explicit term. I hope that my work will encourage self-expression in others and stimulate the search for beauty and creative excitement in the great world around us.

"To repeat a statement I have frequently made: the negative is comparable to the composer’s score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways. When I look at the negative of ‘Boards and Thistles,’ made over forty years ago, the wonder and excitement of the creative event are sharply revived.

"This image represents the threshold of my experience in the clear, straight vision of photography; the essence of the Group f/64 approach. I hope that the original creative impact is not only retained but also expanded by the perceptions and techniques acquired over the intervening years.
I am both pleased and honored to have worked through more than half a century in the world of photography, and to have observed its ever-expanding potential as a medium of expression and communication. The original Polaroid Land print in this portfolio represents for me a voyage into the future. New aspects of seeing, new means of communication, new qualitites of image and new levels of subjective and intellectual comprehension lia ahead. While I have always worked with fairly conventional means and techniques, I anticipate new departures which, if I cannot examine them in my lifetime, will assure the power of future vision and accomplishment."

Holy cow:(From a Macworld story about how the internet will exceed capacity in a couple of years unless hundreds of billions of dollars is invested in its infrastructure. Al Gore talked about information overload in his book The Earth In Balance - I think this little bit supports that idea nicely)

Awesome:

Blah blah blah.

Messing around on Flickr and created this badge -

www.flickr.com koaflashboy's Halflight. photoset

Right now it's set to only display my half | light images, but perhaps one day I'll change it and have it display others. And something's amiss with this site being able to generate all the code, at least in Safari - there's supposed to be a grey background around all the images.

Just blogging the script for the film Shine for my own reference.

It is paradise to perform in front of an audience...I feel at one with the audience and I have an image in my thoughts which inspires me. I think of the beauty of the music and the imagination it generates.

~David Helfgott