Category Archives: Not-so-Nice Therapy

DISHONEST BUSINESS PRACTICES: Barnes & Noble

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

If you’ve been a long-time reader of this blog, you may remember that I won a Nook (first edition) in December of 2010 from our local library’s essay contest.  I also spoke about my Nook and how much of a blessing it was with my newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) – here and here.

I have spent HUNDREDS of dollars, if not more, to buy eBooks through Barnes & Noble.  I bought my husband a Nook.  A secret Santa bought ALL FOUR of my children Nooks this past Christmas.  I was happily convinced that we were going to be a Nook family.

I was so very happy with my first generation Nook, but I (selfishly and greedily) wanted more.  I earned a bit extra money this past year and my husband agreed that I could get a Nook Color, since I was not only an avid reader but also because it truly was something that helped me cope with the symptoms caused by my MS.  I loved it, especially when I traveled, I didn’t need to take my computer along as I could check my eMail via my Nook Color.  I rarely went anywhere without it and it continued to help me be able to deal with my MS symptoms.

About two weeks ago, my Nook Color went wacky.  That’s about the best term I can use for what happened.  It would not charge fully or even partially charge.  It would switch between screens when unplugged – making itself and me crazy enough that it would just shut down completely.  The only time it worked as it should was when it was plugged in – which truly was not a viable solution for me because I wasn’t always near a plugin.

I had my husband find the receipt for when I purchased it and we took it to the big box office store that we bought it from.  They refused to help me with it, since I did not purchase their extended warranty.

And let me interject here a thought I had just after this happened – if the extended warranty is at least half of the purchase price of a new product, there were OBVIOUSLY more people having trouble with the product.  I didn’t take that as a warning sign until my psycho Nook Color went on a bender.  You can bet I will ask about the price of an extended warranty before we purchase ANY future electronics in the future!

I tried the chat help on the BN.com website, but except for some simple manipulations, they could not help me and referred me to the second tier help with a toll-free number for me to call.

I took the time to call Nook and ask for help on 6/11/2013.  “Roxie” did not speak English very well, which was my first clue that this issue would not be solved to my satisfaction – if I cannot understand a customer service rep, why would I expect her to understand me???  The minute I mentioned the power cord and the inability for my Nook to charge completely, she refused to listen to the rest of my complaints.  I *knew* it was not the power cord, but she insisted on sending me out a new one and asked me to give it three days after receipt to make sure it worked.  I VERY SPECIFICALLY asked if my warranty would be extended because of this issue and she assured me it would.  I asked again, at least once if not twice about my warranty (the original warranty was good until 6/17/2013) and she continued to assure me that she extended the warranty until the issues was resolved.

After three days with the new power cord, the problem was NOT solved and I called the second tier help line again.  This time, I got someone named “Karina” – date was 6/18/2013.  She told me the warranty was NOT extended by “Roxie” so my Nook Color was no longer covered under the original one-year warranty.  This made no sense based on my communications with “Roxie” (who either lied to me or did not understand me) – but she assured me that it had expired.  I nearly blew a gasket – told her EXACTLY what my conversation with “Roxie” entailed and … wait, I DID blow a gasket.  I was so very upset over the whole ordeal (and for those of you who follow my MS life, stress is one of the biggest factors in exacerbating MS symptoms).  “Karina” put me on hold to talk to a supervisor about extending my warranty to cover the issue that had never been resolved.  When she came back on the phone, she informed me she was authorized to send me a NEW (emphasis added) Nook Color and that I should be receiving it within the week.  I had to agree to send the wacky one back on their dime, which I agreed to.  The kicker was that my NEW Nook Color only had a three-month warranty.  Of course, if you think about it, that let them off the hook much sooner.  I had researched problems with this electronic device and could not keep up with all of the issues it was having.  I now knew the product sucked and I was pretty much screwed UNLESS I had purchased the extended warranty from our local office store.

Today, I received my NEW Nook Color in the mail.  When we got home, I opened it – only to find this sticker on the end of it (I did open the box so the torn sticker is by my hand, it did not arrive that way):

IMG_0124 (450x299)

I am sure you can imagine the colorful language I used when I saw that sticker. My NEW Nook Color was, in fact, new to me – but NOT new from Barnes and Noble!  Why in the heck would I want a pre-owned, refurbished machine that probably went wacko like my original one???  And it probably wouldn’t go wacko until long after that lovely three-month warranty ran out.  This is like purchasing a used automobile and finding out after you took it home that it had been in an accident and that information was never disclosed to you.  This NEW Nook Color will promptly be sent back to B & N along with the wacky one.

Is this really how to run a business as big a B&N is?  Is it really necessary to LIE to customers?  I am quite a Pollyanna and had the expectation that the B&N folks would follow through with what they promised me.  Land sakes alive, I am extremely unhappy.  I will read the books I already own and save up my money for a Kindle from Amazon or some other tablet that allows for me to read books.  I adamantly REFUSE to be treated the way Barnes & Noble has treated me.  It is not right.  It is a swift kick in my hind end for my blind trust in all things good and I have purchased the last book from Barnes & Noble unless they right the wrongs with me.  I will just re-read the books I’ve purchased and wait for whatever comes next.

Barnes & Noble, at the very least, you are DISHONEST to at least THIS consumer.  My money will NOT line your coffers anymore – unless you make this right.

To my friends, please feel free to share this blog post and re-tweet it with as many folks as you can.  My bottom line is that my MS symptoms are in jeopardy and my children deserve to have as much of a mother as I can be – and I need an eReader to be that mom because I’m not only allergic to the print in a book, flipping pages in a book or magazine makes my MS act up and I get extremely dizzy.  It’s not just for entertainment anymore.  Not only has Barnes & Noble lied to me, I believe they are just as liable for my deteriorating health these past few stressful weeks.  Unhappy is as nice of a word I can use to show my disdain for being screwed by a big corporation who has forgotten that customer service and customer satisfaction is what continues to grow a business.

For Free or Not for Free? That is the Question!

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

I design quilt patterns and then write the instructions and post them on my BOMquilts.com website for free.  It seems to me that I have been doing this for at least 10 years but would have to go through way too many files to find an exact date so will just leave 10 years as my best guess.  MOST of the time, I work with quilt shops, designers, etc. to bring you well-written pattern instructions that have been tested.  This works well for all involved, at least based on the fabric and thread sales that come from one (or more) of my quilt patterns.

Quite some time ago, I had a respected shop owner tell me that because I was offering free patterns, I was basically putting a lot of quilt designers out of business.  I certainly have no desire to put anyone out of business but it really chapped my khakis that she would say that to me.  While I understand her point, what I don’t understand is how in the world could little ole’ me put anyone out of business?  Each quilt designer has their own special niche, as I do.  They have their current customers as well as a lot of ways to increase their customer base – both virtually and in person.  Every designer wants to be seen and heard and make sales.  The bottom line for this unwarranted advice was that the dollar is king.

Whether I choose to design quilts and give free patterns to the masses is my decision.  I am not taking money out of a quilt designer’s pockets – I am merely sharing the wealth, as the shops I work with are making sales on the kits for the patterns I design.  I am not making money, but again, that is MY decision.

What brought me to this revelation was that I saw a friend who worked in a quilt shop take pattern books and/or current quilt magazines home and copy patterns from them – as did the owner and her coworkers.  She had quite a few binders full of patterns she wanted to make, and it only cost her the copier fees, binder costs and page protector costs.  As well as a few minutes or hours a week.  What she was doing was probably not illegal, but it is more in the grey area of copyright laws.

Then, another quilt friend offered to give me her patterns that she had purchased, once she’d made quilts from them.  Again, this probably violated copyright laws but it’s done ALL. THE. TIME. right under the unsuspecting designer’s nose.

And what about those of us who go to Quilt Market and get free magazines, patterns and/or perks from the vendors?  We have not PURCHASED anything, but they are giving it away for free.  Does that mean we get free reign on what we do with them after they are gifted to us?

Then there is a virtual quilt shop owner who, in the early days of her business start-up, made her husband spend days and days on policing the Internet to make sure none of her shop’s images were used elsewhere.  She had very distinct images, as well as a logo on each of her images – and her husband had to send not-nice letters to anyone who was using her unauthorized images.  The thing about this that I still don’t understand is that they were NOT her images, they came from the fabric manufacturers – she just gussied them up so they APPEARED to be her images.  And with the evolution of Pinterest, now many quilt shops, bloggers and designers want folks to pin their images to their Pinterest pages.  (btw:  I do not allow my images to be used elsewhere from this blog and I do not have a Pinterest account).

At least with me giving the patterns away for free, I know what I’m getting into.  The vendors I work with know how my website works.  Everyone is happy because sales are made with each design I make and offer to my viewing audience.

Think about a quilt designer who ONLY sells her patterns to magazines – and they print them so a quilter who gets those magazines can get basically a free pattern.  She may make $300 – $500 with just one design in a magazine.  She’s the smart designer, the savvy businesswoman.  She is not relying on individual sales but gets her name out in the professional and personal quilt world because of her presence in a magazine.  She technically is not giving her patterns away but do you realize how many individual patterns she would have to sell to make up for that lump sum magazine payment?

To be judged by those who do not know me personally is sad.  To be judged by my designer peers is sad.  But to not take advantage of this wealth of quilted knowledge that I possess?  That’s someone who is trying to clip my wings based on their own greed.  That will not do.  Not now, not ever – not for me!

Quilting with an Unloved Color

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

I posed this question on Facebook yesterday and got some very interesting responses.  Let’s see if I get any others that may help me in the future.

What do you do when you are making a quilt out of colors specifically chosen by the gift recipient – but, the main color is one you absolutely cannot stand?

I will admit that for me, the color I abhore is purple.  I am not sure why except that I cannot wear purple or lilac because of my skin tones – hence, I dislike working with nearly all shades of purple.  That seems to be the only issue I can think of in my memory that makes me dislike the color so much.

ACK – bad, bad color!  But, I tried to make it a better experience by using part of the quilt in the header image of this blog this month – yet, I cringe when the blog comes up each time 🙁 .

You can be sure I will NOT be wearing purple when I get older, as that one poem suggests.  NOT. GONNA. HAPPEN.

I am on the final leg of the journey through this quilt of purples:

IMG_9773 (450x292)

The binding is all that is left, and I just could NOT help myself – I strayed from plain Jane purple and added some batiks that had purple in them for the borders.  Making a totally purple quilt is just not something I’m capable of doing, so I had a little fun with the binding 🙂 !

What do YOU do when having to make a quilt with a color you dislike?

Quilt Pattern Use Permission Rant

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

Like all quilt designers and other pattern artists, I have a copyright on the bottom of all of my free quilt patterns, that the quilt the pattern is used for is for personal use only.  I have a hard time believing people cannot read, and I am pretty sure people know the copyright issues because they always rear their ugly head in online and offline quilt groups, on the various social media pages, etc.

My rule has always been that if a group, such as a quilt guild, wants to use one of my patterns for a project – they should ask me for permission.  My response is always that I would prefer each person print out the instructions from my website but if that is not feasible, then the group may copy it for everyone, as long as my copyright and web address are not left out.

I have had a lot of lovely emails from far and wide who want to make one of my patterns for their quilt groups or guilds….and even shops who ask for permission to kit it for a group setting.  Again, I give them the first requirement but I also ask that they take a photo of the group either with one of the blocks from my pattern or a photo of their finished quilts from my pattern – and email that to me so I can use it on my websites.  Of course, ALL of them readily agree and promise to send me photos.

I have had my BOMquilts.com website for about 10 years.  In that amount of time I have NOT.  RECEIVED. A. SINGLE.  PHOTOGRAPH. from anyone who has asked for permission.  NOT.  ONE.

Today, I responded to a comment on this blog about the size of a pattern that was incorrect.  From the comment, I gleamed that the person was part of a group who was making one of my quilts.  Not enough information was given for me to know whether each member of said group was making the quilt or if the group was just making one of my quilts.  In this instance, not a single person in that group emailed me for permission.

Because I enjoy designing patterns and offering them for free, I am at risk of these types of users.  People who promise to send me photos but don’t.  People who use my patterns in group settings without first asking permission.  People who make quilts from my patterns and then sell them.

Bottom line:  People who are dishonest are always going to be wanting something for nothing.  I have to accept that.  I know a lot of folks who share patterns that they purchase, so the usage is just as bad for quilt designers who do not offer free patterns.  And none of us can stop them.

As for my designs on BOMquilts.com and QuiltTherapy.com?  I either have to accept the dishonesty of quilters or stop giving free patterns away and accept the dishonesty of some quilters by charging a fee for my patterns.  And to me, it’s a crying shame that I have to make this decision at all!

A Bit of a Controversial Subject

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

I don’t usually bring much of my private life into this blog, but this topic really hit me.  I was a victim of child abuse in at least one foster home (beatings, locked in the basement, etc.) and successfully survived….but, there will always be terror in me for adults or older-than-the-child who does things to children.

Recently an acquaintance was on trial for indecency with a minor.  He was 16 or 17 when the incidents occurred, with three different girls (ages 12-13). 

After the first day of testimony from one of the victims, he, his family and his attorney decided he should take a plea bargain.

Whether it happened or not isn’t the point – by taking a plea, he admitted guilt and will have a felony record the rest of his life, and he will have to be on the state/national sex registry for the rest of his life.  He really won’t have to worry about a job when he gets out, as his dad owns a business.

My writing here is not specifically about this young man, though he and his family will remain in our prayers.  He will go to prison.  My brother is in prison, and although it’s not where I would choose to live, my brother thrives in such a rigid environment.

After we were told about his plea bargain, the person making the statement said something that really made me stop and give thought.  He said (paraphrasing) that the system is all messed up.  We teach our children to have safe s*x, but we don’t give them the lawful information about who they can do that with.

What?

According to the testimony, one of these young girls (who incidentally are about the age of our second daughter – totally bringing this issue home for me) said that the young man took her home after being at his house with his sister, and he allegedly attacked her in the car. 

I’m sorry.  I just cannot wrap my head around the statement that I heard and the incident that the young girl, under testimony, gave.  A 16-17 year-old doesn’t know to keep his hands off of a girl that is his sister’s age?  And he doesn’t know consent?  It wasn’t a dating or romantic setting or situation – he was driving her home from a slumber party with his sister and he allegedly attacked her in the car!

One of the most basic rules in our house is to keep your hands to yourself.  If you ask my kids, they’ll say the exact same thing.  In case you’re wondering, the other main rule is that they are mind their own business, unless it’s for compassion purposes.

So, I wonder how this statement-making person (who hasn’t known the family very long) can make a blanket statement like that?  Right and wrong, in this type of situation, are pretty basic.  As a parent, our job is to teach our children those rights and wrongs – and we personally do that both via verbal communication and with our faith (i.e the 10 Commandments).  I know this young man went through the same teachings that our children go through at church.  I know they receive instruction in school on the same topic.

This isn’t really my problem.  It’s not my issue – except it’s yet another eye-opening topic that we need to make sure we address, age-appropriately, with our children.

No means no.  And no child of mine will ever be forced to allow anyone else to touch them (even via a hug) if they don’t want them to.  They never have to worry about us sticking up for them, if they are put into that type of situation.

But, to blame the system for this issue is way too much of a stretch for me.  If anyone is to blame, it’s a singular person – one that is going to get his first inmate number in a few days.  If his parents failed him, that’s their business.  If his school failed him, I can’t do a thing about it.  If society failed him, I’d like someone to explain to me how I, as an individual in this society, could have contributed to his behavior. 

I do know that those three young girls who were (allegedly) victimized by him will spend a lifetime dealing with what he (allegedly) did to them.  They have a life sentence.  He has five years.  I’m really having trouble understanding how the system is to blame for a person in this situation.