Santa was a bad boy.

Well, it wasn't exactly Santa, it was United Mileage Plus non-air rewards program, that was bad. Oh... so very bad they are. They played a mighty mean trick on me. As we all know I've be a good girl all year long. I haven't pouted, I haven't cried (to much) and most of all I never, ever shout. All I wanted was my new camera for Christmas, one with a lens! You take better pictures that way.

What did I get???? Well have a look. Clickie to biggie and you can read right on the box, lens not included!! So somebody goofed or can't read or both.




As I tore open the box and surveyed the contents, I knew immediately something wasn't right and SRC, the optimist that he is, says, "Where's the lens, why would you order just the body?" Duh give me a little credit. Thinking it just had to be there I checked and double checked, like I was going to find a secret compartment in this small box. Nope it wasn't there, the lens or the compartment! I didn't get the toy I've deliberated about for months. I didn't get a flight to Oregon to see my friend Harlekwin, or a flight to Mexico to bask in the sun. What I got was a camera without a lens. Yippee, she cried!

When I make a expensive purchase I think about it long and hard. When I do finally make up my mind about things of this nature, I can even be patient, but this was cruel an unusual punishment. I checked my order number and yes, I had ordered a camera kit which included the lens. Someone screwed up and sent the wrong kit!

United has let me down on more than one occasion, let me explain....

Year before last, I booked a direct flight to Pa using my mileage plus miles, that we were able to rack up with the expenses during building. Most everything we purchased went on the card. I hate flying, so direct flights are a must. The flight to Pa went without event. Coming back, another story, it became somewhat disastrous, when my brother and I, night before my flight, dooh, were figuring out what time I needed to be at the airport the following day. Brother Dale, was looking at my itinerary and said, "Wait a minute this flight your on, is going to take you 10 hours". "How can that be I asked, it's a direct flight?"

To make a very long story short (yeah right), someone in tim-buck-to, tried to convince us on the telly, that a direct flight doesn't necessarily mean non-stop. Oh the horror!! I was scheduled to fly to 3 different places, on the same plane of course, which constituted direct! They offered all kinds of solutions, one of which took me to Washington DC on a puddle jumper, which I then could get a direct flight to Denver or I could walk and they'd refund my miles (kidding on the later).
We just couldn't get CS idiot, to understand what "our definition" of direct was. I ended up having brother Dale along with his wife, son and SRC just drop me off early at the airport. Figured, I'd do better in person with a customer service person that, a: I could understand, and b: could understand me!

Brother and I could see on the computer there was in fact, a direct, non-stop flight earlier in the day and by god, I was going to be on that plane, was my thought. I took my chances and played the, woe is me card, you ladies know the one, and ended up getting back to Denver earlier than I anticipated on a direct non-stop flight and I even got a courtesy round trip ticket, which I promptly let expire in the next 6 months, another problem was created by getting a different flight, because I didn't have a ride till later in the day, being I wasn't to arrive for 10 hours. You might be saying to yourself, how did I not notice all this before. Well, I did notice a time discrepancy on the itinerary, but not factoring the time you gain heading west instead of subtracting off, oh you know what I mean... I blew it off. I had my trusty Sudoku puzzles to occupy my time. So all was good, and actually was able to get my son to pick me up earlier than planned. But my point is UNITED sucks.

Back to this dilemma... Now, what I have to do (click on do, to see letter) then wait , wait, wait again, not to mention I haven't a clue where I might be, to have it sent. You all think I'll have it by Valentines day?? Ya.. think they'd just overnight a lens. Nooooooo, of course not that would be to easy.