TDG and the Search for Wireless Internet

The $35 dollar gift card was burning a hole in my pocket on the way home from work. The idea of blogging on the couch from my neglected laptop was calling to me, and the wireless router was on sale for $50. It was going to be a steal.

The Office Depot was only 1/3 of a block from my house, so I could get it and be home. I promised a friend I'd be online to help him out with a problem by 6pm. It was 5:15 when I walked into Office Depot.

Why is it the only one on sale is the only one with that big gaping hole where it should be? With a sigh, I turned to mow down an employee. I came across Employee #1 and Supervisor #1. They said they'd look in the back room and disappeared. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach…something was telling me it wasn't going to be back there. I was thinking of asking them to call another store when they came back with a piece of paper. They said they didn't have it in the back, but they gave me a list of the other stores, with an inventory of my router. This was better than a phone call! Or so I thought.

I went to the next closest Office Depot, who had 8 according to the sheet Employee and Supervisor #1 had given me. Here I found Supervisor and Employee #2...some of the stupidest men I've ever met. They were looking everywhere that I knew that it wasn't. Like, behind the pens. It’s not going to be behind the pens boys! They said it wasn't their fault because Store #1 hadn't called them to make sure they have it on hold. But, they will call Store #3 and make sure they are holding it for me. Supervisor #2 stays on the phone with Store #3 for about 20 freaking minutes. At this point my cell is dying, and I’m late for my internet meeting.

Because I don't have a choice, I head to Store #3, because they will only hold my router until closing. I’m so tired by this point I just buy what they hand to me (I was only paying attention to the price) and walked out the door. Of course halfway back to my car I stop. I stop in the middle of the road because the feeling suddenly hits me that it was to easy. I've had issues with Store #3 before, and they always screw up. I look in the bag and sure enough it is an adapter, and not a router. After dealing with Supervisor #3 and #4, and Employee #3, 4, 5, and 6, I was ready to kill someone. I pretty much deal with everyone in the store, and get this half-baked story about how the delivery is late so the computer doesn't reflect what they really have in the store. They refused to do anything for me, and were pretty much useless. I returned the adapter and headed back to Store #1.

Supervisor and Employee #1 are still there. I go in and let them have it. The whole story. I happen to add that I just drove 30 miles and am still without router. The sale will end before any of the stores get the router. When Supervisor #1 looked to not be breaking or cutting me a deal, I had to drop the "what are you going to do for me?" bomb. I happen to know from working in customer service that this is the home stretch. "What are you going to do for me?"roughly translates to "Do something for me or I'’ll throw a damn fit. Make it good asshole."

I walked out of the store at 8:30. He gave me a faster router for $50 instead of the original $90. Plus, don't forget I had a $35 gift card. I made out like a bandit! All I had to sacrifice was a little of my sanity. And the gas in my car.

So here I am, blogging while watching "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" It doesn't get much better than this.