Drama with the Speed Queens (and we haven't used them yet!)

As I've mentioned before, James decided we should get a Speed Queen washer because they have no electronics and the warranty is basically forever. I decided to get a Speed Queen dryer because matchy matchy and the warranty is something like five years shorter than forever. And so, we ordered them from Austex Appliance.

I placed the order online, and set up a time when I wanted them delivered, and paid for installation.

Two or three days later, I received an email from someone saying she'd tried to call me but my number had been disconnected. That was when my phone died and I had to get a new one. So, I called the office back and spoke with the lady, but she couldn't remember why she'd called. She said usually it was all online, but she couldn't see any notes. She posited that maybe she thought I needed to pay for delivery since it's not free until you spend a certain amount, but then she saw that I also bought the dryer and that answered that.

Two or three days after that, another lady called (Morgan) and we realized why the first lady had probably called. First, the washing machine I'd ordered was no longer being made, and they had none (it had been a really good sale). So I got one that was actually $100 cheaper, though not as nice because the first had been on clearance due to its discontinuation. Actually, the only difference was the number of operating modes, and I rarely use more than 2, so no biggie.

Second, apparently the website was out of date and installation wasn't $49, it was $100. James said he would have told them too bad, but I said, "Whatever. I'm on the second floor, and I need it to be brought up and installed." "Oh, you're on the second floor? Well, that takes two guys, so it's $150." WHATEVER.  The machine was $100 less, so we're back to even. And we were going for delivery on Thursday or Friday, May 28 or 29.

The first glitch came when it flooded on Memorial Day. I got a call a couple of days later, and she was very apologetic that, due to a bridge being washed out, they hadn't gotten their delivery on Tuesday as they'd expected, and they'd probably not be able to deliver by Friday. I reminded her that it was no problem; we don't live in the apartment, anyway, so the next week would be fine. She said they'd be there Monday, June 1.

I never got a call back after that, so wasn't sure when the units were to be expected. On Monday, Mal and I left the house about the time James left for work (Daphne was still asleep, natch). We got to the apartment about the same time the appliance store opened, and I called them to see when they'd be there. She said, "Oh, you're 4th on the list, so it'll be between 2 PM and 4 PM." Ugh, but whatever. She also said they'd give me about an hour's heads-up when they were on their way.

That day, I got a lot of work done, and was finished about 11:30. I packed Mal up and headed for lunch. He fell asleep in the van, so I ate at Sonic (I ate a LOT at Sonic: Chicago dog, fries, and Reese's Peanut Butter waffle cone sundae) then drove around to get a feel for the neighborhood.

We returned to the apartment around 1 and waited for a call. We walked the complex, visiting the pool, common areas, office, and even found there is a pet park on site that we'd never seen before.

The cats should love that, right?

We got back to the apartment around 3:15, when my sister and two of her kids came to visit. I had expected a call by 3, giving me the hour notice, so I called their office. It went straight to voice mail, which was full. FOR AN HOUR.

Finally, at 4, we left. I don't know whether you've ever tried to get from one part of Austin to a totally different part any time between 4:30 and 6 PM, but I don't recommend it.

That afternoon, at 4:54, I got a call from the delivery guy telling me they were on their way. Um, no. I was already back at the Nuthaus. I explained to him that I tried calling the office for an hour, literally 17 or 18 times, and it always went to a full mailbox. He said they'd gotten held up at the previous location for two hours (thanks for letting me know!) and  we could reschedule for the following Monday, June 8, because he was going to take Friday, the day I'd suggested, off. Fine.

On Wednesday, I called the office to see if we could set some kind of appointment window. She asked, "Didn't they do that before?" I told her no, that until I called that morning, I had no idea. She said, "Well, let me see... We're going to be in Houston for training on Monday, and we're up in North Austin on Tuesday so if we can't do it tomorrow, it'll be next week... let me see if we can do it tomorrow. I'll call you right back."

Did she? No. At about 3:30, I called the office back and she was gone for the day.

The next day, Thursday, I went to the apartment just in case. I had some stuff to do, anyway, and Daphne really helped me. She stinking (literally; it's hot!) earned her $20 that day.

When I called the appliance store and finally talked to Morgan, she said she wanted to schedule it for Tuesday, June 9. I said that'd be fine, and asked for a window again. She said, "Well, usually they leave the warehouse at 9, but that day they're going to leave at 7. They have to go up to *somewhere* then Hudson Bend at Lake Travis, and you're third."

Well, that means nothing to me. But before we hung up, she said, "Ma'am? If you look on our website and enter this number - invoice number - you can see where the delivery truck is, and when your estimated time of arrival is."

OH MY GOSH, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL TO HAVE KNOWN LAST MONDAY.

So, yesterday, I got up and went to my sister's because my son had had quite the night, and was already into quite a morning. I needed reinforcements! Once we got there (and he got a tiny nap in the car), things were already better. I saw that my "window" was unfortunately 3:30 to 6:30, but at least I knew. Also, so much for the truck leaving the warehouse early. I could see it on the website, and it was there until well after 10:30.

Mal and I hung out with the Brownies, went to Costco and bought a membership, then got to the new place around 2.

We made a couple of trips upstairs and then I just sat with Mal so he could get used to being in the apartment and not freak out when I decided to do a couple of things. There wasn't a whole lot to do, so we chilled for a bit.

I noticed that all of the bird seed I'd put out was gone, and the hummingbird feeder was about 1/5 emptied! Later, we were playing on the bed (which is the exact height of the window, and has a great view!) and I saw a bird trying to find seed in the empty feeder. We replenished that (not fully; I want to save some for when we move, so I can enjoy the birds!), but not until I spilled a few seeds. Mal, who is in a growth spurt, enjoyed snacking on those. Whatever. They're seeds.

I watched on my phone and saw the delivery time change, getting later and later, from 4:15 to 4:45 to 5:30, then again pop back up to about 4:30. The delivery truck was leaving Hudson Bend and I was next!

At 4:15, I got a call from the apartment complex saying that there was someone calling their office who wanted to deliver a washer and dryer to me but who couldn't get a hold of me and was about to cancel the appointment.

WHAT?!

I called them and Morgan said, "Oh, that's it. We had a '3' and it's a '4'." I said, because I couldn't not say it, "That's so weird, because this guy called me last Monday when he was on the way." She said, "But didn't your number change?" NOT SINCE A WEEK AND A DAY AGO.

Anyway, they were still heading over. I watched them go down the wrong street and get stuck on a dead end before they made it to the complex. Mal and I went down to show them where we were.

The first guy came up to assess the place and asked, "You just moving in?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Well, that answers my first question." I asked, "What was that?" "Whether you have any antibiotics." Wh-- huh? He pointed to his jaw, "I don't know if you can tell, but this is really swollen." "Oh, do you have an infection?" "Yeah. We went to the store so I could get something, but I accidentally took ibuprofen PM and I'm already getting drowsy." I said, "Well, I have some Aleve. Do you want that?" He indicated that he did.

Do I have any antibiotics? One doesn't help. Do you think I have a whole round of antibiotics to give you? What the??

Anyhoo, he took the Aleve and he and the other guy installed the washer and dryer and we got to leave about 5:30, which wasn't ideal, but Waze helped me get home without too much drama. (During the drive, a pop-up ad offered to change my voice directions to Colonel Sanders, so I had to go for it!)

Anyway, I could entitle this a review of Austex Appliance, but I'm hoping all of this was just a fluke for them. Maybe I'll do a complete review later, after we've used the washer and dryer for a while.