Spring time

Spring has arrived. The sun has comes out and the cherry blossums are in full bloom. Lambs are bouncing about and the ewes are proud of their young ones. It's a wonderful time of the year.

Enjoy Spring.

Oh Hell, Dell Computers - Part Two

This is Part Two for the "DELL HELL STORY" from last week.  See Link below for Part One.

LINK

Well, I sent the email to Mr. Dell and the next day a person from the cooperate office called me in the morning. He made a point of repeating several times the warranty only covered the laptop and not the mouse or battery. That’s all fine and good BUT the point that I was stressing to him was that I was TOLD the warranty covered everything that I bought. There was NO MENTION of it not covering the mouse or battery but I was told it covered EVERYHING that I had purchased. I still think Dell, in good faith and making a customer happy should give me a mouse since their agent gave me incorrect information. A free mouse would go a long way of making me happy and telling everyone that Dell has five star service.

But I guess the Dell manager who called felt it was more important to stress that the warranty did not cover the mouse and thus save a few dollars and make a customer unhappy. Maybe a lesson from Nordstrom would be good for them. Or REI, for that matter.  Oh, I own stock in Dell too. Nice to know as a shareholder that Dell is not doing well by me.

Anyways, he said he ordered a new fan and heat sink and a tech would be out to repair it. The laptop was making loud jet-engine type of noises and getting very warm. Nice to know that was covered under the warranty as well as the tech visit. We live about 40 minutes from Seattle and it was covered under warranty. This is good.

Later that day, the tech called and was very pleasant on the phone. He came out on time as he stated on the phone. So far, so good! He was very POLITE and had no attitude. He is making Dell look good at this point. He quickly replaced the fan, heat sink and DVD player, and then found some other issues. My motherboard was dying, a couple of keys were failing and the case was cracked. He called in for the new parts. He was very meticulous and made sure that I was happy by the time he was done.  His name was Rick and he was the first person from Dell that I had confidence in and actually felt like he cared for the customer.

We made an appointment for Monday to have the rest of the laptop repaired. On Monday, he called and would not get out to my place until later and since I don’t believe he should be working well past normal hours, we changed the time to Tuesday morning. I appreciate the fact he called and gave me status on Monday on his schedule.

Early on Tuesday, he arrived. Oh yea, each morning, Dell cooperate would call to make sure everything was going ok. Aside from the mouse fiasco, all was fine. Rick worked on the laptop, replaced all the parts and made extra sure that it was all running up and smoothly and fast. He also updated the bios and by noon, he was done. He put quite a bit of time in making sure the laptop was in prime condition and that I was happy. He did a fantastic job and I wish that Dell cooperate would provide the five star service he had done.

I doubt they will give him a bonus but Dell, if you are reading this, you better acknowledge him. He repaired the trust and did major damage control for you.  Rick went all out to make an unhappy customer a very happy customer and made sure my laptop was in fine form. I hope you do something for Rick as he is what Dell should strive for: excellent customer service.  Don’t take him for granted as he is a asset for Dell.

However, Dell, I still think you owe me a mouse and need an answer to the mysterious $7 fee you charge when customers order on the phone.

Update: Wednesday. The Dell Manager called to make sure I was happy with the laptop repair. I told him that I was and we closed the case. Dell has been very good about the daily followup. However, no answer on the $7 mysterious fee or mouse replacement.

Super Moon

Sarah the barn cat

Sarah is two years old. I got her and her two brothers, Simon and Ringo, from Vicki Romero. They were feral kittens rescued from the streets of Tacoma. Vicki spent some time taming them but they will still semi-feral when I got them. We locked them in a dog kennel for a few weeks to get them used to the barn. My mother saw Ringo and snagged him and now he lives in a high rise condo, being spoiled and eating well.

Sarah took a shine to me and quickly became my buddy. For the longest time, she wouldn't let anyone else touch her but now she has warmed up to everyone. She can be a pest and demands to be petted and cuddled. She has us trained well as we all spoil her.

I was gone for two weeks for work. When I got back, Sarah jumped in my lap and acted all super lovey-dovey. She refused to leave me and even came into the house and sat next to me on the couch. (She is a barn cat).

Then I had the heart surgeries and didn't come down to the barn for a bit. So basically for most of three weeks, Sarah didn't see me. This is when I was able to go down to the barn a few days after my surgery. Sarah was so happy and purred and purred. 

I always wanted a Tortieshell  cat and finally I got one. She is a doll and always makes sure that she brings me dead rats or mice as a present. I think she likes to see me running (and screaming) from her when she brings me a half dead rat and puts in my lap. I reward her for bringing dead mice and so forth, by giving her canned food but I draw the line at half-live rats.

This is me happy to see Sarah and Sarah happy to see me. It was a wonderful greeting!

Diamond Pet Food recall

Brands Affected By Recall

• Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
• Country Value
• Diamond
• Diamond Naturals
• Premium Edge
• Professional
• 4Health
• Taste of the Wild

List of States and Canada

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Canada

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At least 14 people in nine states have been sickened by a rare strain of salmonella linked to contaminated dry dog food, government health officials reported.

Some of the human salmonella Infantis infections appeared to be tied to at least three recalled brands of dry dog food produced at a single South Carolina plant operated by Diamond Pet Foods of Meta, Mo.

People could have become ill after handling the contaminated dry food or after contact with animals that had eaten the food. Anyone who may have become sick after such contact should consult a health care provider, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised.

Diamond Pet Foods’ first recall was issued on April 6, when company officials voluntarily pulled select bags of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food.On April 26, certain bags of Diamond Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dog food was recalled, followed by a recall on April 30 of select bags of Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food. At the time of the recalls, Diamond Pet Foods officials said that no human cases had been reported. Michigan agriculture officials detected the contamination in April in an unopened bag of the lamb meal dog food during a routine retail testing of dry pet food, according to a CDC report.

CDC investigators later took evidence of the rare salmonella Infantis strain -- which is typically reported three or fewer times per month -- and then checked for human cases that matched the genetic fingerprint of the bacteria.

Interviews with ill people showed that seven of 10 ill people said they had contact with a dog in the week before getting sick. Of five ill people who recalled the type of dog food, four identified Diamond Pet Foods products.

Among ill people for whom information is available, illnesses began between Oct. 8, 2011 and April 22, 2012. Victims range in age from less than 1 year to 82, with a median age of 48. Among nine patients with available information, five were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Victims include three each in Missouri and North Carolina, two in Ohio and one each in Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Consumers should check their homes for recalled dog food and discard the products promptly.

Pet owners should wash their hands thoroughly after contact with pets and their food.

Symptoms of salmonella typically include vomiting, diarrhea, cramping and fever. They usually resolve within a week, but in serious cases, some patients require hospitalization.

The CDC estimates that for every case of salmonella reported, 29.3 go undetected. Using that multiplier, at least 410 people may have been sickened by the contaminated pet food.

LINK