Switching from Spectrum - Verizon: Part 2---Amazon Fun!

Amazon has been doing this two step verification to sign in using both your email and your phone. I added my phone but each time they tried to send me the text to my phone, I got nothing. I tried multiple things and yet nothing. 

So I went to the chat on Spectrum and got sent over to the mobile tech chat and a guy there told me that Spectrum blocks short texts. I was like what? Oh damn! Well that explained things but it opened up a whole other issue now.

I called Amazon about an order I had made in November for some apple cider where the one bottle came broken and I had emailed about it but didn't see a reply until now.What a nightmare! The first person I got on the phone kept trying to verify my account by sending me a code to my phone. I laughed and said no, you won't be able to do that because I am not getting those. She then tells me she can't help me if they can't verify my account then, sorry. I was like can I talk to a supervisor then? She tells me that a supervisor will not be able to help me at all because they will have the same trouble as her in not being able to verify my account. I laughed and I said I didn't care, I wanted to talk to one anyway. She said ok hold please. I am on hold for a few minutes only for her to come back and say for me to call back in 5-10 mins and they would be able to help me then. Asked me if that was ok? I said no, it isn't. She assured me that her supervisor would be able to resolve this problem etc etc. I knew it was a mistake to hang up at that point. But I did.

Next call, I get a guy and I immediately ask for a supervisor. He ignores me and tries the verification text bit on the phone and I tell him, no, you can't do that, it won't help. He keeps interrupting me and trying to tell me he can't help blah blah blah unless he can verify, blah blah, I explain what the last lady told me and he then tells me I could go on the site and ask for them to call me and then I wouldn't need to go thru the verification process. I told him it's not on the site, I can't find it. He goes silent. I think he hung up on me and he finally comes back on and tries to explain again and as I am saying I thought I lost him, then he goes silent again. I had a feeling he was just pushing his mute button not wanting to hear me. I finally hang up on him when he goes silent for the 4th time. Yup, I am persistent.

So then, I call again. I get this nice lady named Queenie and I immediately ask for a supervisor, she politely asks if I could give her a chance to help me and I am short at this point and frustrated to no end and I cut her off and say no, you can't, the other two couldn't, I need a supervisor. They told me to call back to ask for one as everyone keeps wanting to verify me via my phone and no one is listening that my phone service won't let me. 

She listens to me and then asks me what my original question was. I told her about the broken bottle of apple cider and how I just saw the reply now and I have the order number etc. She says she has to verify my account but what she can do is call me back. So asked for my phone number and I gave it to her and we hung up and she called me right back! Then she looked up the order and in no time, bingo-bammo it was done! Refund issued! YAY!

 Love Amazon!!

www.amazon.com

Now that the Amazon issue was resolved, I know I still need to be able to get those texts should I need to log in again with Amazon or if I have an issue. I decided to call Spectrum back to find out if there was any way they could flip a switch or maybe pay for a more premium service or something to allow those short texts to go thru?

 

 To be continued...

 

 

Shopping Changes for Black Friday

Normally, my daughter and I get up like around 3 am, and out the door by 4 to head to JCP and get our free Mickey snowglobe and toodle about, buying clothes for us and whatnot. Then we head to a couple of other stores nearby, then to Ihop for breakfast and done usually by around 9 or 10. That's been our routine for years now and I've loved it.
This year, with the stores opening Thanksgiving afternoon/evening/night, she went out with her bf and shopped and then they slept in Friday.
I stayed home and had a Grimm marathon after the big Turkey dinner.

I slept in a bit more Friday morning cause I knew I only needed to go to like 2-3 stores. I still expected to see a crowd but as I got out there, probably more like 5:30, I went to JCP first and the parking lot wasn't jammed full. Inside, it was like almost no one was there? I had gone in without a jacket expecting to get hot with all the people like usual and nope. They still had plenty of stuff there, had carts even! No snowglobe but I didn't need that,  but...wow...so after I walked around, picked up a couple things and then left. Normally I think I spend several hundred there and this year, like $60?

Then off to Bed, Bath, & Beyond. (Gotta love that store!) Now there, I shopped! They always have the neatest stuff in there. They had 20% off your entire purchase! I was like wow! Plus gave you a coupon for World Market and so I popped over there (didn't stand in line for the free teacup *snorts*) and picked up a few stocking stuffers in there as they always have the old fashioned and new innovative things there. Then one other stop and again, it wasn't jammed or overloaded with people. Amazing.

Off to IHOP and swung by to pick up a friend to go with me and got a seat right away no problem. Waitress there said she heard the police had to step in at a Walmart in Lewisville cause people were fighting over stuff. It's really not worth that. She also told us that they were not packed full this morning like they usually are.

She felt the stores ruined things by opening up Thanksgiving night. I have to agree in a way. On one hand, it was so nice to go out and not battle crowds Black Friday morning or stand in these hour long lines to checkout. I went right up to every register and they still had pretty much all I was looking for.
But on the other hand, I find the timing of it is really bad. To open on Thanksgiving night? Really? After your turkey dinner, it's nice to relax and watch shows together with the family. We still did that a little but I think its a shame to have the stores start their Black Friday deals on Thursday. Trying to prolong their sales and thinking to increase their revenue for this time of the year. But you know, more and more, I hear people sit home and just order it all online, wait for Monday, Cyber Monday now it's called and just wake up for their deals, click-click, sip of your hot chocolate and then go back to bed and sleep. 

It just seems to be getting crazier and crazier all the time!

Most things I don't need to run around for and can order much of it online. I think tho' I may still end up at Bed, Bath & Beyond as they had the best deals I've seen and always a pleasure to shop there.
But I still don't need to wake up and OHMYGODEARLYAM to get anything.

I hope your experience shopping yesterday was as nice and relaxed and my own! :)