Commerce2024-03-28T17:39:17Zhttps://d.moonfire.us/categories/commerce/D. MoonfireCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 InternationalAlarm clock saga #3 (final)2013-05-17T05:00:00Zhttps://d.moonfire.us/blog/2013/05/17/alarm-clock-saga-3-final/<p>Since I posted about it, I think the alarm clock sage is now at an end. Sears finally got the right people lined up and gave me my money back. The net is just the six weeks I spent ordering, waiting, and then trying to get my refund. So, it cost me but nothing that has a dollar value (time and good will).</p>
<p>The entire experience has been fairly frustrating. If Sears didn't have it in stock <em>anywhere</em>, then I don't think I should have been able to buy it from them. And, even if I did, it should have taken four weeks for a refund to come through. I'm sure it would have been faster if I went through them instead of PayPal, but I honestly can't see why it would take <em>weeks</em> to refund a purchase.</p>
<p>I also have a problem that Sears didn't consider the cancellation emails if the product wasn't in any store. It seemed like a pretty basic test case for any automated system.</p>
<p>I'm not the type of person who will refuse to buy from Sears again. Not my thing and I don't bother remembering grudges. But, I'm glad it's finally over and I can go back to enjoying my clock.</p>
<p>... which I love.</p>
The alarm clock saga #22013-05-05T05:00:00Zhttps://d.moonfire.us/blog/2013/05/05/the-alarm-clock-saga-2/<p>It's been a week and I still feel the need to talk about my alarm clock. Why? Because there isn't closure on it, but also because things started to work in my favor. There still isn't closure, but I'm down to one thing left outstanding.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<h1>Sears</h1>
<p>I'm still struggling to get my money back from Sears. Apparently, they have never canceled an order before. I know that isn't true, but I'm having a little bit of troubling believing that a company I grew up with could have this much trouble with PayPal and their own ordering process.</p>
<p>I bitched about it on Friday on Twitter. Yeah, it was petty, but it got answers. My "assigned executive contact" finally answered the messages I've been leaving for a week without an answer. "I was on vacation," was the excuse. It wasn't on her voicemail message, so all I got was no answer for days at a time. I think she was annoyed at me, but it has been two weeks and I'm actually getting annoyed.</p>
<p>Something else must have happened because I got an email that told me that I will be getting a refund in 3-5 days. Because, they can take my money in 30 seconds, but it still takes a week after I bitch enough to give it back to me.</p>
<p>SMWM was annoyed that they are refunding exactly what I spent on them instead of offering something for the (apparently five) weeks of trying to handle this order. I knew they wouldn't, Sears is a big company and I assume they a) don't care and b) assume I'm never going to do business with them again. I can't answer that.</p>
<h1>eBay Purchase #1</h1>
<p>The broken alarm clock I got on eBay, on the other hand, went smoothly. I sent an email saying that a button didn't work. They apologized and told me to send it back. Two days later, they got the package and refunded me for the entire price. They also refunded my costs to ship it back.</p>
<p>I didn't get anything extra, but you know what? They were prompt, friendly, and responsive. I'm okay because <em>they tried</em>. I also gave them positive feedback because... well, they were nice.</p>
<h1>eBay Purchase #2</h1>
<p>Yeah, I bought the clock again from an eBay. This was a refurbish with free shipping. It showed up... also broken. But, they didn't say it was "factory new" like the other one. And the ways it was broken (one burned out, non-essential LED and a missing lithium battery) were acceptable things. So, I accepted it, gave them positive feedback, and plugged it in.</p>
<p>I didn't accept the first one because the <em>Alarm 2</em> button wasn't working. I can live with not knowing it's Thursday, I don't work well without a second alarm.</p>
<h1>Amazon</h1>
<p>Amazon is too easy, but I also don't trust them. My guidelines are "local and small" because large companies (like Amazon and Sears) stop caring about people and start obsessing about only one thing: money. They don't try to help because there is simply too much going on. This comes from Amazon's "permanent decision" that occasionally pop up or Sears struggling to refund my money after weeks of trying.</p>
<p>I prefer local because it means taxes. Taxes pay for the road in front of my house, services around him, and the general quality of life. People who do business on eBay pay taxes and help their communities. Companies like Amazon and Sears make big deals with counties and states to avoid taxes which means they don't help people. So, the "small and local" is to help more than just myself... though I have to pay more to get it.</p>
<h1>The clock</h1>
<p>Now, the biggest fear after all this drama is that the clock actually sucked. I was being picky about it because I knew what I wanted, though it was almost impossible to find. But, it is just about perfect. It isn't too bright, the color is easy on the eyes, the alarm is perfect. It doesn't do 24-hour, but that's a minor thing. In the end, it was exactly what I was looking for.</p>
<p>Just wished it wasn't so hard to get....</p>
The alarm clock saga2013-04-25T05:00:00Zhttps://d.moonfire.us/blog/2013/04/25/the-alarm-clock-saga/<p>I'm picky when it comes to my sleep. I don't like bright lights because they keep me awake or wake me up. My brother used to torture me by keeping on the light and then beating me up whenever it went dark. Since he could doze with light off, it meant that I spent the entire night awake because I just couldn't sleep.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<h1>The light</h1>
<p>This leads to my <em>hatred</em> of ultra-bright LEDs. In specific, the blue ones that every humidifier, fan, and recharging cable seems to think is the greatest thing in the world. And, "ultra bright light that will keep you up" isn't listed on the side of the box, I don't know that I'm going to have a blinding light until after I buy it and set it up.</p>
<p>My alarm clock is the worst offender of all, mainly because I can't cover it with duct tape (my usual answer to bright lights) or bury it. By its nature, it needs to actually be visible to be useful.</p>
<h1>The history</h1>
<p>When we moved a year ago, we lost one box. Naturally, it contained my "good" clock which was a tolerable Emerson alarm clock with amber numbers and a decent dimmer. It also had the gradual buzzer (starts soft and gets louder), two alarms, and the 7-5-2 alarm modes (weekdays, weekend only, or all the time) for both alarms.</p>
<p>I have two other Emerson alarm clocks already. The green LED one is in the guest room and starts off with the mind-shattering loud sound. The blue one, which is the one I use, is so bright, I put it face down every night just so I can sleep. But, since both works (the green one sometimes fails which is why its in the guest room, it also doesn't get below green laser intensity), I had no reason to replace it.</p>
<h1>The excuse</h1>
<p>At least until SMWM said she wanted a clock on her own side. She was tired of using her Android phone for an alarm (since that means it has to be in a known location and charged, something we both are bad at). After a brief negotiation (e.g., me begging), I got to look for a new alarm clock that doesn't hurt my eyes as much and lets me sleep.</p>
<p>With all the excitement in the world, I got to go online and get <em>a clock</em>.</p>
<h1>The first drama</h1>
<p>I like Emerson clocks, mainly for the sound but their side and sturdiness. Sadly, Emerson doesn't really make alarm clocks anymore and the one that is available is in soul-scarring blue. The amber version (CKS9051) is almost impossible to find.</p>
<p>I did find it at Sears and Amazon. When I was trying to decide on where to get it, SMWMW reminded me that my philosophy is "buy small, buy local". I already canvased every store in the area to find any clock that was close, but couldn't find anything. So, Sears qualifies as smaller than Amazon, so I went with them.</p>
<p>After a few minutes of trying to figure out what their Max program is (Sears' version of Amazon Prime), I went with cheap delivery and paid by PayPal. And then sat down to wait for my clock to show up.</p>
<p>April 17 came around and nothing. Getting a little worried, I went online and found out that the order was canceled. Not by me, but by their system. Apparently, they sold something that wasn't in stock in <em>any</em> store and their system doesn't send cancellation notices if there is no stock. So, I got no email saying it was canceled, no notice that my money was refunded, or anything.</p>
<p>I bitched on Twitter and got the Sears <em>adjective adjective</em> Customer Care group person DM'ing me and then calling me. After going back and forth, they found out why I didn't get an email, why it was canceled, and figured out where my money went. According to the, it takes 7-10 business days and a fax to PayPal to refund my money. Last I checked, I just click the "refund" button on PayPal, but apparently they need a "fax" from Sears. I also guess no one has ever had the system cancel their order <em>ever</em> since it took a day to figure this out.</p>
<p>I haven't gotten my money back, but at least I know that Sears is not an option.</p>
<h1>The second drama</h1>
<p>I still could go with Amazon, but I decided to keep with my philosophy. After doing some searches, I ended up on eBay. There was only one "new" version of the clock, so I made an instant buy, paid for it and the $10 shipping, and waited another few days for it to show up.</p>
<p>I finally got to hold it in my hand. Plugging it in, it looked like exactly what I needed. Except... one of the buttons didn't work. Apparently, "new" means smelling like smoke and not actually working. After going back and forth with the seller, I found out they plugged it in but never tested it beyond seeing the lights go on.</p>
<p>This afternoon, I sent it back in exchange for a full refund and them paying for the shipping. I'll find out in a few days if they actually will do that, but it's frustrating.</p>
<h1>The never giving up</h1>
<p>I decided to try again on eBay. The clock looked pretty good for what I saw of it in person and I think I want it. So, there are a few others selling that clock, so I'll find out if there is going to be a third drama in a few weeks.</p>
<p>It's hard to imagine that buying a clock would be such drama, but I know what I want and what I don't want. And I suspect that much of the world is migrating toward smart phones or just keeping their clocks for 20+ years, so the market for good clocks is going down. I've noticed that for a while now, but the selection is growing thinner every year.</p>
<ul>
<li>Two alarms with 7-5-2</li>
<li>Gradual crescendo for the buzzer</li>
<li>Red (preferred) or amber, as dim as it will go</li>
</ul>
<p>It seems like a small thing, but I also think this is important. A quality sleep is something that most people don't get and I think it is because they don't think about bright lights, background noise, or temperature. The problem with knowing what I want is that it makes it that much harder to get what I think I need (and I'm always willing to realize that it won't quite work out).</p>
<h1>The alternatives</h1>
<p>I actually found an alternative which is to use the window tinting film and basically tint over the screen to make an existing clock dimmer. I could also build a clock, which sounds like fun but I have <em>so</em> many other project right now.</p>
<p>Sadly, the only clock I found that looked like the perfect clock, the <a href="http://www.muse-europe.com/en/products/alarm-clock-radio/m-15-cr.html">Muse M-15 CR</a>, but sadly it's a Europe-only clock. But, it does 24-hour time. Oh well.</p>
Casting Call is free for this week2012-05-07T05:00:00Zhttps://d.moonfire.us/blog/2012/05/07/casting-call-is-free-for-this-week/<p>One of the reasons I published Casting Call on Amazon was to try out the Kindle Select program. It is in there for 90 days and Amazon Prime members get to "borrow" it for free for all three months. During that period, I get one five day period to make it free and pimp it out as much as I can.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;font-size: x-large;font-weight: bold"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008097Y52">US</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008097Y52">UK</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.de/dp/B008097Y52">DE</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B008097Y52">FR</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.es/dp/B008097Y52">ES</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.it/dp/B008097Y52">IT</a></div>
<p>This week is it. I'm not going to ask my friends to pay for my story, so if you want to see what I wrote, this would be the week to do it. Hopefully, it will show up on a few people's radars and maybe get a bit of interest.</p>
<p>Pimping out my stuff is not a skill I have yet. (Actually, my results to date are... pathetic.) I haven't figured out the right mixture of community and charisma that most of my writerly friends seem to have. Since there is no magic formula, I have to figure it out, but I think the best way to do it is the same as my writing: just keep swimming.</p>
Casting Call by D. Moonfire2012-05-05T05:00:00Zhttps://d.moonfire.us/blog/2012/05/05/casting-call-by-d-moonfire/<p>Casting Call is now available for the Kindle (and their cloud reader, PC's, etc) for $2.99 (or the equivalent).</p>
<p><a href="http://d.moonfire.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/casting-call-30.jpg"><img src="/assets/casting-call-30-200x300.jpg" alt="Cover to Casting Call by D. Moonfire" width="200" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2268" /></a></p>
<blockquote><p>For the last six years, Marla was a fixture of the wildly successful Donna's Teddy Clubhouse, a show aimed for competitive Caucasian Northern American Girls 14 market. But, age betrayed her and she was fired for not having a profitable enough body according to the exacting standards of the production company. Eighteen years old and alone, she has no future in the holographic markets and no skills to find new employment. Does she abandoned her love of acting and find a new job? Does she just survive on the paltry incoming from her investments? Or are there shows out that don't belong to the standard, cut-throat markets?</p>
<p>Casting Call is a short story set in a cyberpunk world of ubiquitous computers, razor-thin profitability, constant advertising, and microsecond management.</p></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;font-size: xx-large;font-weight: bold"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008097Y52">US</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008097Y52">UK</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.de/dp/B008097Y52">DE</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B008097Y52">FR</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.es/dp/B008097Y52">ES</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.it/dp/B008097Y52">IT</a></div>
<p>(I didn't translate it into these languages (not that good), but this is where they are located in the country-specific Amazon sites.)</p>
<p><!--more-->This is my first foray into the Amazon Kindle store (actually self-publishing anything online in a commerical sense) under my own name. I've helped others put up books and stories, but I've never done it before. Naturally, I spent <em>weeks</em> fussing about it, tweaking the format, and worrying about the last three paragraphs. I've never done it before and I wanted it to be "perfect", but as Fluffy told me repeatedly "it will never be perfect." So, I just hit the switch last night and figured that I've done the best job I could.</p>
<p>I had a lot of help with this one. I have to thank everyone who sufered through my previous cover post and the Twitter discussion. The cover I liked the most (#4) ended up not being the one I picked. Only three people picked it, seven picked the one I used, and two picked #2. I think that was a pretty good answer.</p>