My Miserable Experience with the Summer Blu-Ray Movie Offer

I was hopeful until the second rejection notice came from the Summer Blu-Ray Movie Offer. It seemed like a no-brainer -- buy a nifty blu-ray player and get 5 free movies. The Sony PS3 was to be the centerpiece of our new home theater, and the free movie offer was like icing on the cake.

Little did I know that actually qualifying for the movies would be like trying to buy world series tickets online from the Rockies -- lots of hope and enthusiasm to begin, but ultimately a real bummer, followed up with a smattering of humiliation watching my home team get swept.

I'm what folks would consider a savvy tech shopper. I have a Best Buy Rewards card. I cherish my Amazon Prime Account. I read Gizmondo and Engadget, and friends and family ask my opinion before they splurge on new computers, big-screen TVs, and the ilk.

I bought the Sony PS3, completed the paperwork, carefully cut out the UPC label, and sent it all in, and expectantly waited for my movies. Weeks went by, and I received my first rejection notice from nameless, faceless, "Fulfillment Center".



Huh? There were a couple of bar code stickers on the Sony PS3 box -- could I have sent in the wrong one? Luckily, I still had the box (OK, I was too lazy too clean up the study). There was another bar code left, so I cut that out and resent the paperwork.

Another few weeks pass, and I expectantly checked the mailbox for my movies. Disappoint turned into anger when I received my SECOND rejection notice. The reason? Incorrect UPC!



To make matters worse, they enclosed the first rejection notice, just to rub my nose in it, and drew an "X" through my carefully cut-out label.



Now, if I, a self-proclaimed tech savvy shopper, can't successfully locate and remit proof-of-purchase for this offer, how many other folks out there must have hit the same brick wall?

Shame on you, Summer Blu-Ray Movie Offer, for making it so hard, nay, impossible, for me to get my movies. Shame on you for not providing consumers instructions on where to locate the UPC label on our qualifying product. Shame on you for rejecting me twice, and not giving me the benefit of the doubt. Shame on you for not providing any contact information — email or phone number — to contact your "Fullfillment Center", either.

The Sony PS3 box is long-gone (I couldn't keep it around forever), so I'm out of luck. No more hopeful bar codes to cut out. I couldn't give the Summer Blu-Ray Movie Offer the chance to reject me again even if I wanted to.

I still enjoy my Sony PS3, but I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth over the whole experience. I had expected a moment of magic watching my movie selections in their hi-def glory, but instead what I got was a miserable experience dealing with rejection notices from the Summer Blu-Ray Movie Offer.

What's your experience with the Summer Blu-Ray Movie Offer? I'd like to hear you story, too.

My New Bike

I live right behind an excellent trail that runs the length of the city, with paved and unpaved sections. Mostly gentle stuff, with a few steep inclines. I got tired of watching people on bikes have all the fun from our kitchen, so I dusted off my 10-year old mountain bike and went for a ride.

It was fun and felt great, until about third mile, when my wrists and lower back started to hurt. Just as I was considering turning back, a rider came upon from the opposite direction. He had a big smile on his face, and as he flashed by, I noticed the comfortable-looking handlebars that reached up to his hands, and that we was sitting upright, and not hunched over like me.

A couple weeks later while I was flipping through Bicycle magazine in the waiting room of a doctor's office, I came upon a photo that looked familiar. Wait — it's the happy rider on his comfortable bike! Well, it wasn't the same guy, but the bike sure looked familiar. Hmm, an Electra Townie ...

I couldn't shake the vision of the happy rider in the weeks that followed, so when I had a chance to do a little shopping on a Saturday morning, I popped into the local bike shop. I strolled past racks and racks of low handle bars, mountain bikes and racers, thinking "no, no, no."

At the end of the isle, a solitary Electra Townie. Nice silver color, broad, comfortable looking saddle, those wonderful high handle bars — I had to try it. After handing over my ID, credit card, and filling out a form (when did it get so hard to test ride a bike?), I was given a loaner helmet and told to go have fun.

As I pedaled around the parking lot in front of the store, I marveled at how comfortable, quiet, and smooth the bike felt. The nice, upright position may have not been ideal for single tracking up gnarly mountain sides, but at this point in my life, "I'm just in it for the cruise." I rolled up to the store, paid for the bike and took it home.

Later that night as I was admiring the bike, something felt a bit odd. The Townie was a marvel — lightweight, comfortable, and attractive, but what about that second bar starting at the yoke that pulled down towards the crank ... holy crap, I had bought a woman's bicycle!



A mini-identity crisis followed. I really liked the Townie, it was easy to get on and off and rode so nice, but could I live with myself for owning it? I asked my wife her opinion, and she just shrugged and said "Call Dan."

Since we were kids, my best friend Dan has built, restored, and ridden all sorts of bikes, Schwinn models in particular. He had the coolest Stingray on the block, until a kid we knew (Julio) ripped it off out of his parent's back yard. He replaced it with a 10-speed, and has since added to his collection all sorts of classic Schwinn cruisers from the 50s and 60s, including a neat, light-blue three-wheeler with a basket in the back.

If I had any doubts about my new bike, Dan would settle them once and for all. "Do you fit on it?" Yep. "Do you like the way it rides?" Un-huh. "Ride it!" he said. "No one is going to care, anyway. As long the bike feels good, that's all that really matters."

I took Dan's advice, and I'm loving it. I'm riding much more often, and when I come across other cyclists on the road, backs bent over their mountain bikes, I just smile, lean back a bit, and keep pedaling. Just like a happy rider.

Toilets and Kids

My six year old son loves to make every chore a game, including stripping off clothes for bath. He goes through a routine where he spins each piece of clothing over his head like a lasso, and shoots for the clothes hamper or the corner of his bedroom. His underwear and socks get the soccer treatment--he balances them on his foot, then punts.

Tonight he scored in an interesting and unexpected way. He was undressing for bath time, and attempted a shot with his underwear into the clothes hamper in the bathroom. I heard my wife scream, and I ran upstairs to find the toilet gurgling and both kids with a guilty look on their faces. My wife explained that Ethan missed the hamper, and landed his underwear in the toilet just as my daughter flushed. Goodbye underwear! Momma was not amused.

Scapegrace

I learned a new word today, scapegrace, or somone who purposely "escapes from grace". As opposed to falling from grace, which can be involuntary. Hmm, I wonder if "fallgrace" is a word?

Happy Birthday to Me

It's May 16th, and I'm one year older. Or should it be, one year wiser? I do feel like my mind is growing, but my body is getting a bit worn out. But, today is a happy day for celebration, and I'm thankful for my health, family, job, and friends. Like Clarence the Angel once said to George Bailey, "you really have a wonderful life."

It was true for George, and I feel like it's true for me too.

I'm looking forward to sharing my life in this blog, and learning and growing by sharing experiences with others.