First my desktop, now the laptop. No, I’m not kidding.
Saying I want to throw up is an understatement.
(I haven’t stopped crying for the past few hours, so bear with me.)
I’m coming to you live from the likes of the “dinosaur” we like to call the “kid’s computer” that we were given by grandma just before we moved here, which was supposed to be for ‘games’. A computer we never connected, until now, because of our nightmare house, which has no phone jacks upstairs for us to connect to. A computer with 498 mhz and 128 of RAM. Like I said, dinosaur.
Same rules still apply – warranty for the laptop is with Best Buy, same as the desktop, where Best Buy will send it away (now both of them) for an undetermined amount of time, meanwhile I’m now on this thing, this dinosaur. While the internet is wicked fast, the processor in this thing is so slow. It’s like putting in ammunition for a bazooka into a pistol. And because two surges happened within the span of two weeks, let’s see how long I last on this bad boy.
(I can joke all I want here in writing, but if you saw how puffy my face is from sobbing..)
Of course, I called housing and cried told them what happened. The first lady didn’t even seem to care, which made it that much worse. I did speak to some great people, though, after her, and they’re having the maintenance manager, who luckily is also a licensed electrician, to come out and inspect our wiring, since there’s obviously a problem.
But how can I trust that this doesn’t happen again?
This move has been one big ball of suck, to be perfectly honest. I’ve been the cheerleader this whole time, trying to make the best out of this, but even Katja can tell you, there is nothing here, and my will is broken trying to stay positive. It almost seems like the second we get comfortable, the second it isn’t too bad, is the very second something catastrophic happens. I’m almost afraid of what’s next.
Oh, and since I’ve begun typing this, the electrician/maintenance supervisor came by and he blames it on the light bulbs. Nope, again not kidding. Says that the whole area gets surges from time to time and our computers should’ve been protected on the surge protectors. He says the reason for the lights burning out within the first week of moving here is because incandescent light bulbs are cheap (which is why we can’t use them, we use CFLs) but that, as far as he can see, our ‘polarity’ is ok and our output is normal.
Someone please tell me how losing two computers in 2 weeks and blowing out every light bulb within a week of moving in is normal?!
I’m not sensing that housing is going to do much about this, now, much to my dismay. I thought they were going to pull for me, here, and I think it’s going to be more of the same ol’ slapping a bandaid over a gaping wound, instead of fixing it the right way.
The reality of my situation, long and short of it, is this:
- We go without our super-fast computers for however long it takes Best Buy to fix or replace, and I continue using this dinosaur (so long as it doesn’t encounter a surge), or the library, or the computer ‘spot’ at housing.
- Once replaced or fixed, we re-purchase warranties on them (obviously), costing us a few hundred dollars.
- We can file a claim with housing, which will cost us $250 per incident (so $500 total) which will more than likely cover the cost of both computers, plus their warranties, but we won’t see that anytime soon.
- We get the local guy to fix them, pay out of pocket (an arm and a leg) and be reimbursed, but again, not any time soon.
- We purchase a new computer, new surge protectors, to get me on something fast right now, which will cost a fortune we don’t have, right at Christmas.
Not a single one of these options is good news at the moment, really. I really don’t know what to do. I just keep wondering exactly what I did to deserve this.
Rest assured, I will do what I need to do to finish up the product reviews and giveaways and such I promised and have coming. I will submit articles I need to for the rest of the month, even if it entails me writing it on paper and coming online briefly to type them up to submit, wherever that’ll be. My commitments will be met. I made promises. I never break promises.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about my electronics. I’m apparently a master at breaking those.
Cue more sobbing…
