Blog galore!

I know! I'm blogging incessantly, probably to take advantage of some idle time that I rarely get these days. Besides, I need to keep my sanity intact, what with all my projects and the certification track I have to take 2 weeks from now.

Just a few rants and raves:

Rants

I just really need to bitch about this:

I've been a loyal Powerbooks client. In fact, I've kept my membership for almost 5 years now. I just noticed that their customer service is beginning to suck.

They used to be loved for their speedy yet courteous manner of attending to customers. They will be more than willing to ship your reserved book from their branch in Alabang to Greenbelt. And they will patiently look for your book or get it abroad (whatever and wherever it may be). In fact, they will even call you to notify you that your book already arrived.

This afternoon, I called Powerbooks Greenbelt to look for Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist: The Gift Edition. It's a limited hardbound edition that I would like to give to a friend as a birthday gift.

I asked the Customer Service Rep on the other line if they have it, by clearly saying both author and book.

He asked me: "Ano po, The Optimist?"

I had to repeat the title of the book and the author. And I had to spell both for him.

Eyes rolling. Hello!?!?!? The Alchemist happens to be consistently included in their bestsellers.

To make matters worse, I was put on hold for 10 friggin' minutes. When he got me again, he said: "Ma'am, nag-s-spell check pa po, eh."

Ohmygaaaaaaaaaawd.

At the very least, their reps should know what's in their much-coveted list.

I was so irritated I'm considering shifting loyalty to either Fully Booked or Page One.

I wish Barnes and Noble is here in Manila. :-(


Rave

Thanks to B. and her trip to Thailand and the US, I have loads of new stuff!

1. Bags, bags and more bags
- a light brown leather Steve Madden
- a straw hobo bag
- a Thai shoulder bag with quilts and prints for denim day

2. A Tinkerbell snowglobe from Disney, Cali
3. Silk pillow covers and quilts from Bangkok

Happy, happy, joy, joy!