On what day of the week were you born?

I was born on a Monday. What day was your birthday? Wanna find out?

Here’s an online program that’s easy to use and requires no sign-in.

Why would you want to know upon which day your birthday happened to fall?

Maybe it’s simple curiosity. I found it sort of fascinating.

Plus, there’s an old nursery rhyme about the days of the week and the children born on each of them. Ever heard this one?

Image created by this user on quote generator. All rights reserved.

 

Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

- Traditional Nursery Rhyme

Fair of face? That’s supposed to point to pulchritude, either cuteness or glamour. (I beg to differ, especially when I look in the mirror in just-cleaned reading glasses. Pretty scary. But I digress.)

Just for fun, I looked up the rest of my family. My husband was a Saturday baby. According to the poem, that means he “works hard for a living.”

And my kids? Well, I have a Monday baby (like me) and a Wednesday baby. My Monday-born girl is a beauty, but so is the midweek-born one. The poem says the Wednesday-born child would be “full of woe.” I beg to differ there, because that kid is a hilarious and cheerful one, who brings compassion and humor to nearly every situation.

How does your own day of birth measure up to your own personality?

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.

Temper’s perking over an Amazon 3rd party vendor

Yes, my temper is perking a bit.

Sometimes a Fine Trade is anything but a fine trade, especially when it comes to returning an unwanted item.

I’m ready to spill the beans over this one.

We received a Keurig K55 coffeemaker as a gift for Christmas. The generous giver included the Amazon receipt, which was handy, since a certain someone in our house (the only one who actually drinks coffee) decided we didn’t actually need this item.

The product package is still sealed and unopened. We assume the item is not defective or damaged in any way. 

I tried to return the coffeemaker.

Usually, Amazon returns go through without a hitch, especially as we pay to be Amazon Prime customers. We have done so for several years.

OK, so I went through all the right motions on Amazon. Within a week or so, I received the approval code for the item return. But it did not include an accommodation for the shipping.

I contacted the third party vendor (a company called Fine Trade).

Something’s brewing here, but it’s sure not coffee.

Checking the order number on the item return, I discovered that the buyer had purchased through this particular third party vendor on Amazon, probably because this seller advertised that a small amount of the proceeds of the sale would go to a chosen charity. That all sounds good.

But their customer service and return policies leave a lot to be desired.

Here’s how this still-unresolved process has unfolded (quoting directly from correspondence I have on file).

December 30^th – from Amazon.com
We've accepted your return request. Once Fine Trade receives the return, we'll issue a refund to your Amazon account.

The gift sender will not be notified about your return.

My response:

I am attempting to return a gifted Keurig K55 Single Serve Programmable K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, Black. I have received your approval for the return. However, the shipping label and instructions do not indicate how to arrange pre-paid / credited shipping or which carrier to select. This is a large item, and (particularly as an Amazon Prime customer), I am not satisfied with paying for shipping to return an item we do not want. Please advise. Thank you.

January 2^nd – from Amazon.com

Here is a copy of the e-mail that you sent to Fine Trade. Please allow 2 business days for the seller to respond.

January 3^rd – from Fine Trade

Thanks, please provide Amazno [sic] order number so that we can assist you accordingly? Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

My response:

Two weeks later, I still await your reply on this matter. Order: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Return authorization: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . The package has been ready to ship for weeks. Awaiting your shipping code/instructions. Please advise ASAP. Thank you.

January 15 – from Fine Trade

Thanks for getting back to us. I'm very sorry to hear that you have returned your item but yet to receive refund. I apologize for the inconvenience caused. I've gone through the details of this order and found that you have returned this item on your own. So please provide me return tracking number as soon as possible so that I can forward to our return department for refund. Please let me know if there are any other questions. I'll be glad to help.

My response:
Still trying to resolve this issue and awaiting a satisfactory response from your company.
Order: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Return authorization: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .
The USPS quoted a price of nearly $50 to ship this Keurig coffeemaker back to you for a refund that is supposed to total about $75. I am extremely unhappy about this and unwilling to pay this shipping.
I am a professional journalist, and I routinely do plenty of product /service reviews. I have never seen this problem with a vendor before. Please advise immediately about how this situation may be resolved properly.

As of January 24, I have received no response to my latest missive.

Does Fine Trade actually expect me to shell out $47.50 to return an item that will credit my Amazon account with about $75? And that assumes that they will actually follow-through on the credit. Based on their track record with me so far, I am not feeling so sure about that.

The item was purchased in early December. Their return policy goes for 30 days. Sure, I made the initial return request long before that period elapsed. But who knows?

I’m not steamed at Amazon over this. But this third party vendor gives me grounds for growling.

Count me out as a potential Fine Trade customer.

And look out. Somebody we know is gonna get a brand-new coffeemaker for an upcoming birthday.

Lesson learned: Not all Amazon vendors hold to the same customer service standards, return policies, or business ethics. It pays to check them out before ordering. (Of course, all bets are off, when items are received as gifts from well-meaning senders.)

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V is for Volunteering as a Venture in Vulnerability

Volunteers are vital.

Culturally, we value those who pitch in and help others, giving their own time and talents with no expectation of reward or remuneration. We may even join the effort ourselves.

But volunteering can also become vile.

What happens when a volunteer stops volunteering?

Anyone who is even mildly altruistic has likely experienced the frustration that can accompany the end of a stint as a volunteer.

Professionally, I’ve concluded pro bono projects, only to find the beneficiaries of my efforts still expecting free work to continue. In my free time, I’ve finished church and community assignments and been intrigued to see those I helped actually becoming somewhat annoyed that I chose not to sign on for another tour of duty, so to speak.

Maybe you’ve had similar experiences.

Have you offered neighbors’ kids rides home from school and found this to become a daily expectation? Do you babysit for family members and discover you’ve suddenly become the default child care provider? Are you the designated driver for every outing with your circle of friends?

A person can serve on his own time for many years and still feel rebuffed upon resignation.

It’s almost as if folks are asking, “What have you done for me lately”?

One of my kids is learning this difficult lesson right now.

Facing a season of shortened work hours, my daughter spent nearly three months doing daily chores for a short-staffed friend. When her real full-time job schedule resumed, she bowed out of the free help business.

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What happened?

The friend and her actual employees grew frustrated that their workload suddenly increased, when my daughter stopped pitching in for free. They had become accustomed to her efforts, and they were miffed when their daily responsibilities returned to their original levels.

Volunteering is valuable, but it can make us vulnerable.

You can bet it’s all about boundaries. Let's not stop volunteering, but maybe we need upfront time limits on certain kinds of commitments. Sign us up for that, would you?

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Last year’s A to Z post: Vital and Verdant

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Image/s:

From: A Helping Hand

Y Eugene de Blaas

1884

Public Domain/Wikipedia Commons

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

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Practically at Home salutes 2012

Happy New Year from Practically at Home!

Goodbye, 2011, with all of your ups and downs. What a year! Twelve months of injuries and insights, happy moments and hurts, challenges and cheers, and so much more.

Are you happy to see the old year gone ... and the new one just beginning? For many, the dawning of a brand-new year brings hope and optimism. Let's count on it!

New starts are always promising.


What are you looking forward to the most in 2012?

Maybe it's a new job, a life goal, a physical fitness plan or even a mended relationship. Perhaps you are planning a big move across the country, starting to work on that book you've been meaning to write, or beginning to journal daily.

What changes are you hoping for, as 2012 begins?

Are you hoping for healing? Yearning for personal growth? Waiting for a long-expected answer on something truly telling in your own life?

Is there something you've been praying long and hard about? Maybe 2012 will be your year!

My 2012 hopes are hearty, but simple and trifold.

Personally, I'm stretching for healing, both from a long-term medical condition and from traumatic injuries I sustained when a quiet horseback ride turned into a bad rodeo last summer. It only lasted a moment, but the results have lasted many months. I'm praying for friends and family members for a host of reasons, both personal and practical.

Professionally, I want to stretch as well, seeking to continue improving my craft as a writer, as well as my efficiency as a freelancer. This seems to be a perennial purpose.

Spiritually, I desire to desire more of God - His presence, His character and His blessing. I want the Lord to continue to reshape me, making me less like me and more like Him.

Who wants to ask me (next December) how it all turned out?

Feel free to leave a comment, including a link to your own New Year's post, if you have one. Why not add Practically at Home to your blogroll, so you can stop by easily for future visits?

Related Items:

Fresh - a Rhymed Review of Starting Anew

How to Bid a Friend Farewell

Taking Umbrage - a Limericked Fad on a Most Callous Cad

Image:

New Year's Greeting

Vintage Postcard

Public Domain Artwork

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