Bamboozled

There are a lot of things I can stand for, but taking advantage of people is not one of them. Especially when it's someone I happen to think is pretty freakin' awesome, like Shannon. The interwebs can be a beautiful thing, people supporting people they've never even met, individuals coming together to raise awareness and mucho dinero for worthy causes, but it can also be a nasty reminder that people really suck sometimes and you've gotta watch your back. If someone as intelligent as Shannon can get bamboozled, you might be next. *shudders* That's why the following post is being passed along. Read the story and be cautious.

I'm involved in this awareness day, because I was one of the unlucky bloggers. One of the unlucky that was scammed by Jess, the previous owner of Delicious Design Studio. {This in no way involves the current owners of DDS}

I loved her style. I loved her blog. I loved her portfolio. I wanted her to bring all of my ideas to life, and I wanted to pay her good money to do so because I knew she could. At the end of 2008, I decided I wanted a blog design done for my birthday in May, 2009. She had all of my ideas and my $112 down payment. At first, everything was great. I watched as names were scratched off of the schedule list, and the time for my design was getting closer. Then, I got an email saying she was going through personal problems with her family (health) and that she promised she would get around to it by a certain date. The end date was creeping up, and I hadn't heard from her. I would send emails asking how things were going, only to get automated "out of office" replies. Then, the final day came where I was supposed to have everything installed and published. I still hadn't heard from her. So, I decided to write her another email.

Hey Jess,

I feel like I bother you all of the time, so sorry! I'm just checking in because today is the final day and I haven't heard from you yet. I'm just anxious to see it! Can't wait to hear from you!

Working on the mock ups to send to you tonight. Just got into the office for the day/evening :)

I got super excited to see that she actually wrote me back herself, and that she was working on mine. Then she wrote me again! She sent me a link to look through her stock images and choose some final touch ups. I was overwhelmed with happiness that she was contacting me so much, and that my design was going to be on my screen for my approval shortly. Then I got this automated email.

Thank you for your e-mail! I appreciate your inquiry and will respond as quickly as possible. :)

::project status//details//notes::
sent mock ups, working on final edits & installations:
kathy, marci, shari, april marie, tammy.

current projects for July 6th - 11th:

(finalizing mock ups for review)
andrea, asmah, karmeka, shannon, summer, michelle, stephanie, katie,

steph, abi, leoni & tonia.
Friendly Reminder: I will be away from my desk Sunday, July 12th - Wednesday, July 15th and not have access to my e-mail.

So now she's out of the office and not going to send me the mock up she had just promised? Since it was July 10th, and I saw she was going to be out of town, I decided the next day to write her this email.
The main goal of this awareness day, is so that it doesn't happen to others. Please tweet about this, repost it, whatever you can to help spread the word. We've been told she's still doing blog designs, but under a different name. Be cautious of who you give your money to! We learned the hard way.

Hello lovely lady :) wondering how the process is coming along. I know you will be out of the office starting tomorrow so I wasn't sure if you'd be finished with my mock up by then or not. I hope everything is going well, I know you are very busy...just checking in :) thanks for your time and always being so sweet!

Love,
Shannon

July 30th rolls around (more than 2 weeks since she had been back from "out of town")...yes I let it go that long.

I don't mean to sound rude, but I was under the impression my mock up was supposed to be sent to me by the 11th this month, and I haven't heard from you at all. Bills keep popping up and it's getting kind of difficult to watch the money sit there. Should we reschedule the date or will it be ready soon? Just let me know. I hope you and your family are well!

Love,
Shannon

Hey Shannon -

I appreciate your patience. I got so wrapped up in my last design that I got sidetracked. Don't worry about the final payment. I will not expect it since this has taken a little longer than expected.. I will finish this up at no charge. :)

Jess,
That would be SO helpful. Thank you!

And like a sucker, I believed it. I got happy again, and was so excited to know that I wouldn't have to pay the 2nd half. As it turns out, I never got my design, or even a design worth at least the money I paid. I never got my money back, and I never heard from her again. I truly thought with so many bloggers I read that had her designs, that I wouldn't get treated like this. And furthermore, how does she choose who she rips off? After all the frustration and disappointment, I was too drained to even try and get my money back. I have recently found out that it wasn't just a couple of people that were scammed by Jess. It's much more than that. In fact, there's reviews written about it here, here, and here. Even a blog site dedicated to it here. That's not including all of the comments left on those reviews by people in the same boat! I understand I should have done this research before hand, so it's my loss. But that doesn't make what she did right.

I hate having something so negative on my blog, and bad mouthing is just drama in my book that I want no part of. However, this is different. This is a crime. $5, fine keep it. $10, $20 even. But money that could have been used to pay a bill if I would have known I was going to get nothing in return? That's just wrong.

I don't know about y'all, but I'm all for getting a mob together to hunt this so called "Jess" down. Wrong-doing hussy! Feel free to pass this along. Awareness is totally the key.

That's It...

I've had all I'm going to take today. Despite the fact that I've now been prescribed, and am hopped up on, anxiety/antihistamine meds(who knew these two were related?!) I am ready to rip someone a new one. No joke. I've had all I'm going to take today.

Problem. I'm not very assertive. Expressing my anger usually brings about the same reaction as the following adorable puppy(thanks google images ^_^).

In college a friend of mine told me that I had the intimidation factor of a declawed kitten, and he was right. Sometimes I wish I could be mean. Though, I'd probably feel bad about it later.

So, back to my anger and disdain.

I long ago accepted the fact that my tonsils hate my guts, or at least my ears, nose and throat. So, tonsillitis hanging on for dear life? I can deal. Breaking out in little red stripes that itch a lot? Been there. Done that. For years. And now I have meds for it! Which seem to be helping. Whether it's an allergic reaction to my antibiotic/the world, or stress-these wee little white pills are just the thing.

What I can not accept today, little white pills or not, is a pushy person. Not today. Maybe tomorrow, but NOT today.

I'm at work, minding my own, when I get this call. This chick on the phone starts blathering on about how she needs some healthy marriage classes. I work for a non-profit family services agency. I'm used to calls like this, but before I can refer her to someone who may be able to help her she starts getting all belligerent. Seriously.

Apparently my name is on a website, along with a friend of mine, as offering healthy marriage counsel.

Whatchu say?! TIME OUT. Not so.

I tell this lady that it's a mistake. I politely (as always) inform her that I am not trained to, nor have I ever taught such a course.

Does she say, "Oh, okay. Thanx. Bye!"?

OF COURSE NOT. She proceeds to treat me like I'm a liar, and explains how much she needs this course.

Now, I feel bad for her and all, but oy vey! I am not a healthy marriage counselor, and I'm not lying! My tonsils hate me, despite uber huge horse pill antibiotics. My chest, neck and back look a little like I was attacked by a hoard of angry pixies in dire need of manicures, and I'm doped up. So, best be easin' up out my face 'fore som'n bad hap'n. A'ight?

I'm ready for bed now.

x_x

List Lust VII

Obviously, that last post left out some important details. In honor of the List Lust that I would like to have written, I think I'll just go ahead and list the facts. The terribly creepy, disgruntling facts.

Initially, we thought perhaps these things were all separate issues, but now we know otherwise.

1.) For about a week and a half now, Todd and I have been arguing over who is leaving the back door unlocked/not completely latched. Like a good gust of wind blows, and the door is standing open. You have to kind of slam it, and finagle to get the dead bolt locked.

2.) In the last three days I've come home to the door either standing open or the handle is locked, but the door is not shut all the way. To the untrained eye, it appears to be shut, but it's ghetto. The door way swells, making it less than incredibly easy to shut it.

3.) As of late, my living room smells of earthy strangeness. Todd and I have been burning candles and incense, climbing under the house to see if there are rodents in the ventilation system. Something is making my house smell, well, a little less like hazelnut cream, and a little more "mossy".

4.) My poor Kimchi Kitty has been getting sick as of late. Like, not normal. Sometimes he eats too much, and I find wee piles of already loved kitty kibble, but this is different. His tummy is obviously upset.

5.) Once or twice I've come home to find the kitchen door open, which is NOT okay. We ALWAYS shut it. We installed it to keep the birds safe from the kitty, when we're not home.

6.)Yesterday, I got up about 20 minutes after Todd left for work. I went in the laundry room to grab my clean clothes, and found the back door not shut all the way. It looked shut, but it was not. Only the handle was locked.

So, I called Todd.

Me: Honey, did you go out the back door this morning?
Todd: Nope, and I dead bolted it.
Me: Obviously not. It was not dead bolted. Nor was it latched shut.
Todd: I checked it three times! Did you go out it for anything?!
Me: No. I was getting clean clothes and saw it wasn't shut all the way.
Todd: Someone has a key.
Me: What?!

What does that mean, friends? That means that someone has a key to unlock my deadbolt. It also means that they have no problems coming in the house WHILE I AM STILL SLEEPING/IN THE SHOWER.

I quickly got dressed in the privacy of a locked bathroom, and left for work. I checked our hide-a-key, and sure enough, it was gone. I vowed not to enter this home until we had replaced the locks, so Todd got on that.

We now have new locks and deadbolts, and a hidden camera to see who attempts to get in. Muahahaha. Plus, I'm hiding here today. Jeep's hidden in the back. I hope to God we catch them. We have an idea as to who it might be, but we don't want to point any fingers. We could be wrong, but someone has been coming in.

My bet, is that it's a teenager. Coming in with our spare keys. Smoking a little pot(thinking we don't know what it smells like). Watching some tele. Playing some PlayStation. Just to have a getaway. Punk probably thinks it's not that big a deal. Thinks it's not hurting anything/one. So, I'm not expecting the culprit until after school.

However, the teenager theory doesn't explain coming in while I'm sleeping. My Jeep was outside! They knew I was here. It's really my most hoped for scenario. I'm not afraid of this kid. I want to catch the punk, call the cops, and do a little life threatening. Then I'll be good.

If it's not the teenager? I'm not even going to think about it. Right now, I'm thinking we've got new locks. No one can get in. I'm in here with my kitty(who hasn't been sick) and my Louisville Slugger close at hand.

If I hear someone trying the back door? Say "Hello" to my little friend. I am going to dent their frickin' head in. I am so mad that someone would invade our privacy like this. SO MAD.

Oh, and working for a non profit teen shelter, I've heard all the creepy stories why teenage boys might enter your home. Let's just say that I've washed all my undergarments. *cringe* *shutter*

Mad Mad Madam Mim

I don't get mad very often. Frustrated? Sure. Down right mad? Not so much. Usually, a good rant and I'm done, but I guess that's because it's never that big a deal.

Invasion of privacy? Big deal! Breaking and entering? Big deal! Being all around creepy? Big freaking deal!

Someone has stolen our "hide-a-key" and is coming in our house-either while we're sleeping, or not home. Yeah. You read right. SOMEONE IS COMING IN OUR HOUSE!

Now, I realize a spare key out of doors isn't the best idea, but you have to understand who we're talking about here. ME.

I lock myself out of the house on a regular basis. In the cold. In my terribly mismatched pajamas. Without my cell phone. Or my car keys. And I'm too short to climb in our most likely locked windows.

So, all the locks have now been replaced, we've installed a video camera, and I'm working from home tomorrow...with my Louisville Slugger, and cell phone in hand.

At the moment? I'm not sure who I'd like to get a hold of. I just know I'd like to. I could seriously do some damage right about now.

What Day Is It?

Why do people put Christmas stuff out before Thanksgiving?!?! I mean, I love Christmas as much as the next person, but why ruin it? Why do I have to be subjected to holly jolly Christmas tunes before I darn well choose?!

I'm convinced that it's a marketing strategy. Someone in some marketing department somewhere really think we're that impressionable. Well, believe me you buddy. I am not that malleable, and I don't care how many times I have to listen to "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas," I will not get into the holiday spirit until after Thanksgiving! And I will not do it by shopping!

I've made my dorky/noble little pledge to hand make more gifts this year. I'm knitting, painting and crafting like a madwoman. Sure, I'll still buy some Christmas gifts, but it will not be on the biggest shopping day of the year. Nor will it be due to having been pumped full of freaking Christmas cheer for two whole months! You're sneaky little plan failed Mr. Advert Man. Nice try, though.

Now, the city putting lights up is fine. I like twinkle lights at night. It's all magical and whatnot. But the next schmuck I see stringing their house with lights before the day after Thanksgiving is gonna get it from all 5'4" of me. Right in the kisser.