Living La Viudez Loca
Showing posts with label not-quite-a-scam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label not-quite-a-scam. Show all posts

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Starting over

Or, I Guess I Got What I Paid For

Long story short: I took my glasses off to place them on top of the cabinet and dropped them on the floor.  As tired as I was, I failed to look where I stepped and my foot landed on top of them, with predictable results.  All efforts to try to fix them failed, so I thought maybe I could order another pair of frames and pop the lenses into them.  Unfortunately, the place I bought them from doesn't sell frames only.  I know that they say that into every life, a little rain must fall, but sometimes it seems like it's pouring over here.  But I have survived a lot worse, so I suppose it will turn out ok.
So... I have temporarily have had to return to using the falling-apart-but-still-usable-if-taped-together old pair and will have to check into buying a new new pair tomorrow. But if I can't blog tomorrow, that's why.  Thankfully, I just got paid last Friday and don't have to worry about rent until next paycheck.  So cue Gloria Gaynor...

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Important information for those getting an eye exam

When getting an eye exam, make sure to ask the optometrist if a pupillary distance measurement is included in the prescription, especially if you plan to buy your glasses online.  While you might be able to do the measurement yourself, it's one of those things best left up to a professional1.  If they won't supply it, you might want to consider taking your business to someone else who will.  I found out the hard way at Target Optical, they will only provide one when you purchase glasses with them2.

1 In fact, I believe I read somewhere while searching online to buy glasses that New York (state or city, I can't remember which) law requires a professional measurement when buying eyeglasses.  I don't know whether or not this means an optometrist is required to provide one.  Yes, I'm too lazy to look it up, so if anyone who knows could leave a comment, it would be greatly appreciated.
2 While I do not have a problem with them having such a policy, I think it's a bit dishonest to not inform people getting an exam of this beforehand.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Facebook wants me to... say what?

Allow me to get the following clear from the outset: if Facebook requires someone to photograph or scan his or her I.D. and then upload it to them before they activate the account, I have no problem with that. However much I may think it's a bad idea to not provide an alternative means to verify I.D. for those who can't or don't want to do so, it's their prerogative as a business to choose whatever methods are acceptable to them and withhold services from anyone who declines to follow their stipulations. However, when they fail to inform someone of this requirement until after said person has already signed up for an account and then fail to provide for a way for that person to delete the account, that's just... plain... stupid. It's a catch-22: one can't delete the account without verifying his or her i.d. and one either can't or doesn't want to provide an i.d. to verify an account one wants deleted.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

They're offering... say what?

While looking at various sites that offer to create an embedable1 timeline (because I wanted to include one on a static page that shows important dates in my deceased wife's and my lives), one of the ones that I found have a paid and free (lite) versions.  At the risk of overwhelming you with their generosity, the latter includes allowing the user to create one timeline with a maximum of five events.  Maybe it's just me, but this sounds like they are hoping that people will sign up for a free account, invest time and effort into creating a free timeline only to discover they need to add more than five events (because seriously, how many timelines have you seen that have included only five events?), and then decide to upgrade to a paid account rather than waste the time and effort they have already put into making the timeline.  Thanks all the same, but I'll think I'll pass.
Oh, they also offer a 100% money-back guarantee "if you aren't able to create a timeline that you absolutely love", but one should remember that if someone really needs or wants a timeline and already has invested time and effort into creating one only to find out that he or she doesn't "absolutely love" it, how willing one would be to expend additional time and effort to start over.
While their "free offer" might skirt the legal definition of a scam, it is of such limited use that I think it makes their motives for offering one suspect.

1 I had to look that up because my spell-checker was marking it as not a word. But what else would you describe something that can be embedded?