Letter of Complaint : RESOLVED

Dearest Sir or Madam:

I apologize if this is the wrong contact email for this particular situation, however, after my very long, tedious, and exhausting experience in my recent relations with your company and after extensively searching online for a customer support email address, this was all I could find.

If I am in error, please do me the kindness of forwarding this on through the appropriate channels.  I apologize if this appears very unprofessional and not very business like. 

Hello, my name is Ben Wolfinger and I have used Cricket Cellular Service and Mobile Broadband Service off and on for a few years now.  The line of work I am currently in does not require me to have a cell phone because I work from home now and communicate with my customers through Google Voice or Email via my computer.

Allow me to apologize because this is going to be a very long email as I plan on going into precise detail of the recent turn of events leading up to me contacting Cricket Headquarters.

IN A NUTSHELL - An error on your website at mycricket.com resulted in a triple charge to my debit card.  In attempt at resolution, I have been bounced around between multiple different departments within your organization repeatedly.  Primarily the In Process Department and Payment Specialist Department.

- I have spoken with each of the above departments more than a half a dozen times.

- No one in either department was able to offer me an acceptable resolution.

- I first was given a phone number where no one was able to be reached.

- One representative just wants to pass the buck to the next guy.

- I was told by one representative, as a resolution, to wait for the three phones to arrive and reject the shipment.  In which case the money would be automatically credited back to my account.

- I was told by a customer service manager to perform a stop payment on the purchase with my bank.

- The same manager who suggested the stop payment also suggested I could wait for the phones to arrive and call back and request a return authorization.

- I have been asked by multiple Cricket Representatives to explain to another department how to do their job basically. (Payment specialist asked me to inform the In Process Department that there is no need to speak with the payment specialist department again because the transactions had already been completed.) - and that happened several times

- and received the run around more than any other company I have ever dealt with. (Except for possibly the IRS)

This matter requires immediate action from the highest ranking official possible if we are to continue having a professional business relationship.  I will go into detail in the sections below and a phone recording is available upon request for the conversation that took place with one of your customer service managers.  For your reference, I will also provide employee names, ID Numbers, and the notes of the conversations that took place in the sections to follow.

Even though I don't currently have a need for a cellular phone, I have still always referred business to your company because of the great reception you offer in our area.  In addition to referring business your way, I was also considering signing back up for your mobile broadband internet service to make my life a little more simple when traveling in areas that don't have WiFi Hot Spots available.  A recent experience with your customer service department, however, has ultimately left me wondering if your company would be the best choice to do business with.  I am also contemplating referring my clients, friends, and family members to another provider as well as contacting the BBB in regards to my latest dealings with your company.

On March 15, 2013, (merely three days ago) I was attempting to make a purchase on the "mycricket.com website.  I was looking for a phone for my mother. She lives in a slat stone house and currently gets very poor reception while in doors with her current provider, Straight Talk.

After referring her to your website and allowing her to pick out the phone of her choosing, I continued to the checkout process.  After reviewing my "cart" I was then directed to enter my payment information and click the "submit payment" button.

Once the button was clicked, a little orange gear, or wheel, just continued to spin and spin at the bottom of the page.  This went on for sometime before finally stopping and it failed to direct me to the confirmation landing page.

Due to never receiving verification of my order, I was inclined to repeat this process and so I did, two additional times in fact, before giving up and just assuming that your website was experiencing technical difficulties with your server.

I recalled seeing, a few pages back, an 800 number that would allow me to place my order via telephone through a representative in your sales department.  I then clicked the back button on my browser two times so I could return to that page, get the required phone number for the sales department, and place my order via telephone.

Upon placing my call to your sales department, I was connected to a very pleasant lady (forgive me for not being able to provide her name as I was not yet taking notes) who, after explaining my situation to her, politely asked if I could check my online bank statement to be sure the payments hadn't already been charged to my account.

After logging into my bank account online, I soon realized that not only had the payment already been processed through my bank, it had done so three times!  I am very grateful for the sales lady I spoke with at that time because without ever receiving a confirmation number or even being redirected to the confirmation page for that matter, I would have never thought to check my account for payment processing.

The kind sales lady then placed me on hold while she contacted the appropriate department (or so we thought at the time) that could assist me in resolving this issue.  She also stayed on the line until that department picked up and asked me if it was okay for her to disconnect or if I would prefer for her to stay on the line with me until the situation was resolved. 

That sales lady gets a full five stars in my books and I would hire her for sales or customer service any day of the week!  I only wish I could say the same about the many other representatives I spoke with following that initial call. (And believe me, there were many representatives yet to come.)

After telling the sales lady that she could disconnect and thanking her for her time and assistance, my conversation was then directed to another individual from, I believe, the payments department.

The gentleman I spoke with there informed me that I would need to be transferred to a supervisor because there was nothing he could do from his end.  I admit, I thought that to be a little weird because I would have assumed that the first sales lady I spoke with would have apprised him of the situation before ever connecting me with him.

I consider myself to be very patient and understanding, however, and I have to deal with a lot of customer support issues in my line of work, so I patiently waited to be directed to the next guy.

The manager I was connected with (and again I must apologize for not being able to provide names at this point but other then getting the run around a little bit, I had yet to see the need to take notes) informed me that I was in the wrong department entirely.

According to this gentleman, the payments were already in process and I actually needed to speak with someone from the In Process Department to resolve these issues.  He then provided me with their phone number in case I was disconnected (major bonus points for that because I hate getting disconnected and having to start the process all over again) and transferred me to the appropriate department.

When transferred to "IN PROCESS" a recording immediately came on, announcing that no representatives were currently available to assist me.  The recording then suggested I try my call again later and disconnected.

After about twenty minutes went by, I attempted to call the number for that particular department again and once again was greeted with the same lovely recording informing me that no one was available to help me.

By this time I was slightly perturbed but not really worried because I figured, "Hey, this is a big organization." "They will make it right, it just may take a little longer than expected."  I did not attempt another phone call that evening.

It is important to note that all of the above took place on Friday evening, within an hour or two of placing the original order online.

Saturday I was extremely busy with work and some other personal errands and there was no way I could spare the time make additional calls to resolve this matter, especially with the way I was getting the run around from various Cricket Representatives.  As I said, I still wasn't really concerned because I figured that it would get worked out eventually.  It was just a slight inconvenience to me due to the amount of time it was costing me on the phone with multiple individuals.

Yesterday, Sunday - March 17, however, I scheduled some time out of my day in attempt to finally resolve this matter.  Unfortunately, the phone number that was provided to me for the In Process Department, was saved on my laptop in Windows Notepad and somehow got closed out.

I then logged into my bank account online and seen there was a phone number listed on the transaction so I decided to give that a try.  That particular number connected me with a payment specialist.

The payment specialist I spoke with at that time informed me that I was in the wrong department.  The payments were already processed so I needed to speak with someone from In Process.  He then gave me the phone number and directed me to call in and speak with them.

Upon reaching the In Process department, I was connected to a lady by the name of Madalynne, I believe.  (By this time I was starting to at least make a mental note of the various people I was speaking with.)

After explaining my situation to her, she asked me for a confirmation number.  I informed her that I didn't have a confirmation number because the website never directed me to the confirmation page.  She proceeded to tell me there was nothing she could do from her end and that I needed to speak with a Payment Specialist.

At that time, I told her I had just spoke with a Payment Specialist within three minutes of placing my call to her and that he directed me to the In Process Department.  She apologized for the inconvenience but reiterated that there was nothing she could do to help me resolve this matter.

I then hung up and redialed the Payment Specialist phone number that was listed on my bank statement online.

I was then connected with a Payment Specialist Supervisor by the name of Don.  His Rep ID# is 0234.  I then repeated the entire scenario to him in detail at which time he placed me on hold to try and determine if there was anything that he could do from his end to help resolve this matter.

Unfortunately for me, there was nothing Don could do to help.  He did give me all the information that he thought I would need for the In Process Department to be able to resolve this matter.  He also informed me, and I quote "Be sure to tell them in the In Process Department that these are completed transactions and there is NO NEED to speak with a customer payment specialist. 

I really appreciated all that Don did in attempt to help resolve this matter but to be completely honest, I was somewhat irritated that me, as a customer, the one spending the money here, had to be the one to tell these people how to do there job.

I will copy and paste my notes from Don in the section below:

     

     "866-384-4425 In Process Department - Cricket Wireless

      866-448-3657 Payment Specialist - Cricket Wireless

      $69.54 Done on mycricket.com 3 transactions

     1 - 46884343

     2 - 46884428

     3 - 46884713 

Don - Rep. ID # 0234 Payment Supervisor Says These are        completed transactions and there is no reason to speak with a specialist."

I then thanked Don for his time and effort and proceeded to call the In Process Department yet again.

After giving the representative in this department my new found information, courtesy of Don, I was placed on hold yet again.

Upon her return, this "barely English speaking" representative informed me that the numbers Don provided were not confirmation numbers but were instead transaction numbers.  She informed me that the numbers I needed would be 9-12 digits long.  I explained that I didn't have access to that information because of an error with the website.

Next she offered me a resolution.  She said that all I had to do was wait for the shipment of the three phones to arrive at my house and when they did, just reject the entire shipment.  She explained that if I rejected the shipment that the money would automatically be credited back to my account.

I informed her that I really wanted to keep one of the phones because my Mother really liked it and I know Cricket gets good reception in her house, a house that kills most cell signals upon entry.

She then told me that the only other thing I could do was speak with a payment specialist and possibly they would have access to additional information required to resolve this matter.

By this time I was pretty upset and I explained that I had been bounced back and forth SEVERAL times between a payment specialist and and the In Process Department.

I also informed her that I was just considering contacting my bank and requesting a stop payment on the ACH and take my business elsewhere, along with contacting the Better Business Bureau and letting them know just what kind of operation is being run over at Cricket Wireless.  I also contemplated placing a very extended review on all three of my websites to inform my clients what kind of a racket you guys are performing over there.

However, after careful consideration, I decided to give it one more shot. I called back to speak with a Payment Specialist just ONE MORE TIME.

Upon reaching this department at a final attempt to resolve this matter civilly and like respectable, intelligible adults, I was connected with a payment specialist by the name of Carolynne.  Her Rep ID# is 0151.

After explaining the situation all over again and playing the waiting game while on hold, I was presented with no new information that could assist me in resolving this matter.

She did, however, inform me that only two of the payments had processed and that one was still pending.

Carlolynne was also kind enough to refer me to - where?  You bet!  Right back to the In Process Department.

I am sure you can imagine that there was "no chance in hell" that I was going to attempt yet another phone call to that Non-American, Non-English speaking bunch of monkeys to attempt a resolution.  I will again copy and paste my notes from this conversation with Carolynne in the section below.

     "Carolyne - Rep ID # 0151 Payment Specialist Says 1 transaction      is still pending and redirects me back to In Process Department.  This   amount of time spent on this call was 22:15"

It was at this time that I decided the only logical thing to do would be to take my business elsewhere and notify my bank of the stop payment.

Being Sunday, my bank was closed but I was able to send them a message using their "secure message center" informing them of the situation and providing them with my request.  It was then that I learned my request wouldn't even be seen for up to one business day and that by then the payments most likely will have fully processed.

So then I decided to call Cricket at a whole new phone number, the customer service hotline.  After reaching a representative at this department I immediately asked to speak with a customer service manager.  The gentleman I spoke with was very reluctant but did eventually transfer me.

The CSM I spoke with at this time was Arnie and her employee number is 9563AM690.

I informed Arnie about all the lack of communication and mishaps about this matter thus requesting her permission to allow me to record my conversation with her.  After first avoiding my question altogether, when asked again I did receive full consent to make my recording.  I will make this recording available to you upon request.

I went on to explain to Arnie the situation in full and also informed her that I attempted to make a stop payment on the transaction with my bank but because it was Sunday and the banks were closed, I was unable to do so.

After waiting on hold for what seemed like an eternity, Arnie returned with two resolutions for me.

I could either contact my bank and do a stop payment (imagine that?  She must have been hard of hearing when I told her I had previously made that attempt.)

-OR-

I could wait for the three phones to arrive and after accepting the shipment, call her back and she would be sure to transfer me to the return authorization department and request an RA.

I am not happy with any of the above resolutions but it would appear I am left with no choice.  I believe if we are going to continue to use your service and I am going to continue to refer clients to your company, some type of compensation is required.  I have spent way to much time trying to resolve this matter and feel as though many of the employees I spoke with at Cricket in the past few days either don't care about there jobs or are just halfwits.

I will once again attach a copy of my notes from the conversation with Arnie for your review.  As I said, a copy of the recorded phone conversation is available upon request.

     "Called Customer Service and asked for a manager @ 5:51 pm on 03/17/2013

Manager or Representatives Name : Arnie Emp #9563AM690

Offers 2 Resolutions

1.)Call Bank to Cancel Payment

2.)Wait for phones to arrive then call back and request a return authorization (RA)

Call Ended @ 6:26 pm - (35 minute phone call)"

At the risk of sounding hostile, I am impressed to tell you that without some form of real resolution offered by your corporate office, I will regrettably be forced to take additional action.

I own several websites and all of which I reach out to consumers and give them reviews for multiple products that I either feel are worth looking into or not.

Without some form of proper resolution, I fear that I will have to give your company a major black eye in the market industry.

Additionally, once I perform the required research to determine whether or not it would be within my legal rights to upload my recorded conversation with the Customer Service Manager to my website, without being considered slander, then I may be forced to do that as well.

I regret that this matter has gotten so far out of hand and again, I really am a fan of the coverage area your service provides, however, I think you can agree that no customer should have to go through the events that I have went through over the past few days.

Please feel free to contact me with any further questions you may have.  I can be reached by phone at 574-400-5393 or by Email atben.wolfinger@gmail.com.  Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation regarding this matter.  I look forward to hearing from you soon with a solution to this problem so that we can continue a good, professional, business relationship.

Best regards,

Ben Wolfinger

Owner/Operator

www.nowthatmakesense.com

I Love You With All Of My Hands

"I love you with all of my hands."  The elderly woman told her grandson as she was tucking him into bed that night.  "I love you with all of my hands too Grandma." Whispered the small child.

Hello again everyone.  It's me again, Ben!  I was inspired to write about this story because of a recent turn of events in my life.  I remember the Pastor at the church I used to attend preaching a message one time about this very same story.  A story that has stuck with me through the years and one that will always be held very close to my heart.  

Pastor Kenneth H. Mendenhall (best Pastor in the whole wide world) of the Ironwood United Pentecostal Church of South Bend preached this very message.  It, along with many others, is one of my favorite sermons of all time.  I can't remember every detail of the story but I will do my best and I guarantee that by the time I finish, the moral of this story will be very clear.

"I love you with all of my hands."  That's not one you hear everyday right?  Most of the time you will hear someone say, "I love you will all of my heart."  That is a much more common saying and a very good saying as well.  It's just that "I love you with all of my heart" will never hold as much of a meaning with me every since I originally heard this story for the first time.

I have recently found myself using the words, "I love you" quite frequently.  You might even say that I've been over using the words.  Some people may argue that you can never over use the words "I love you" when referring to the people you hold dear to your heart and don't get me wrong, that is a very good point.  But let's be honest.  Talk is cheap.  I know you've heard that before right?

No matter how many times you say those 3 little words and no matter how much you mean it, doesn't it make sense that sometimes it's nice to show someone how much you care for them rather than just saying it all the time?  Well I certainly do.  You may be thinking, "Okay Ben." "So how do I go about doing that?"

I'm not referring to material things here.  Don't go out and buy that special someone in your life a diamond ring, some chocolate, or some flowers and think you are off the hook.  And for God's sake don't you dare go out and get a tattoo with someone's name to show your love either.  I mean, I know nothing says I love you more than a permanent disfiguring mark but I believe there are better and less painful ways to show your love.

Please don't get me wrong, the above ideas are nice to do occasionally (except for the tattoo, because that's just dumb) and I am a big fan of those romantic kind of things and have even been dubbed "a hopeless romantic" in times past.  The truth of the matter is though, love cannot be bought, well not in any traditional sense involving monetary gain.

Okay.  So just saying the words isn't enough, just buying nice gifts for you're loved one isn't enough, and getting a tattoo to show your love isn't enough either.  Then what should I do?  What is enough?

Action.  I consider the word "love" to be a verb.  I'm not going to turn this into an English lesson but we all know what a verb is.  It requires action.  Like run or jump.  These words are verbs as well and you let me show you how not taking action may present a big problem for you.

Let's pretend you are out in the woods with a friend looking for a good place to set up a deer stand.  All of a sudden and out of nowhere a swarm of bees pops up right behind your friend.  You scream at the top of your lungs to warn your friend of the impending danger.  "RUN!"  "There is a swarm of bees on your tail!"  

Your friend hears your concerned cries and begins to yell back, "RUN!"  What he doesn't do though is perform the action and actually run.  He just continually stands there yelling, "Run, Run!"

What happens to your poor friend?  Well at the very least he will probably end up with a few stings need some Benadryl.  Hopefully he doesn't end up like Macaulay Culkin  from the movie "My Girl" where he had a sever allergic reaction and went on to meet his maker.  If only he would have taken some action and actually ran when you warned him to.

I consider love to be the same way.  Sure saying it is nice and I'm sure your loved ones can appreciate the verbal recognition of your feelings for them.  Every now and then though, I think it's nice to go the extra step and take some action to show those closest to you just how much you really care.  Still not exactly clear as to where this is going?  That's okay because you will be.  Let's get back to the story.

One day, up and out of the blue, the boy said to his grandma, "Grandma, why are your hands so ugly?"  With tears in her eyes the grandma answered back in a weary unstable voice, "They got this way because of all the love they have given over the years."

This immediately brought back memories of her younger days when people used to make fun of her for the way her hands looked.  For quite sometime, she used to wear gloves anytime she left the house because she was embarrassed of the disfiguring scars all over her hands.

It wasn't until the Pastor of the local church she attended learned of how her hands got this way and offered her the words of encouragement she needed to quit feeling ashamed, that she began feeling comfortable leaving the house again without her gloves.  

Johnny, the little boy, still didn't get an accurate response as to why her hands looked like that but the grandma figured he was too young to understand anyways, so she put the thought far from her mind and decided that one day, when he was older, she would explain everything to him.

The years pass quickly for the little boy and his grandma.  It was clear that Johnny's grandma definitely had more years behind her then she did in front of her.  Somewhere along the way, the boy, who was now well into his teens, let those words his grandma used to whisper in his ear at bedtime sort of fade from his mind.  

After all, it had been many years since his grandma tucked him in at night and she was the only one he had ever heard use that phrase.  "I love you with all of my hands" was lost somewhere deep in the boys subconscious mind.

Then it happened.  Johnny was in his senior year of high school and was in second period when he got a message to report to the principles office.  "What did I do now?" The boy thought as he scurried along to the office.

When Johnny got to the office, he was surprised to see his dad standing there and immediately he got a sick feeling deep within the depths of his stomach.  He knew that something had to be wrong just by the look on his dad's face.  He could see in his dad's eyes that he had been crying.  In all the years Johnny had been alive, he couldn't recall ever seeing his dad cry.

"It's Grandma." Said Bob, Johnny's dad.  "She is in the hospital and the doctors say she probably won't make it through the night."  Johnny was in awe.  He wasn't so naive as to think his grandma would live forever but he certainly didn't see this coming right now.

In the car on the way to the hospital no one made a sound.  The windows were down and the radio was turned off.  Just the humming of the wind and the sound of the tires on the pavement was all that could be heard.  Johnny's mind was racing and all he could think about was how much he and his grandma had drifted over the years.

What Johnny didn't know, was that his fathers mind was racing too.  After all that his mom had done for him as a child and then helping to raise Johnny after his wife had passed away during birth flooded his mind.  He was full of emotion and soon found himself feeling angry at God for first taking his wife and now getting ready to take his mother too.

When they got back to the hospital they were immediately approached by the nurse on duty.  "You better come quick."  "If there is anything that either of you would like to say to her, I suggest you do it now."  "She doesn't have much time."

The words echoed through their heads as they stood in the doorway just watching their mom and grandmother.  They could see she was struggling with every breath.

Bob was the first to make a move and approach the bed of his dying mother.  "Mom I love you so much!" he exclaimed.  "I can't believe Jesus would take you from us right now!" he cried.  "And right when Johnny is getting ready to graduate!"

"Bite your tongue right now young man." Came the voice of his dying bother as struggled to breath.  "Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"  "Jesus loves us all more than we can even imagine."  "He showed us his love with his own two hands, as he allowed the spikes to pierce his skin and he hung on the cross so all humanity could live eternally." 

"I know mom but it just doesn't seem fair." Replied Bob. "Life often isn't fair." Said the struggling old lady.  "We make the best with what God gives us and always keep in mind that everything happens for a reason."  "I have lived a long life and had the pleasure of helping you raise my grandchild."  "I could ask for nothing more."  "Now can you please send little Johnny over here?"  "There is something I have to tell him."

Johnny approached his grandmothers bed with tear filled eyes.  "I love you so much Grandma." He said.  "I can tell you are in a lot of pain so if you're ready to go, it's okay."  "Go be with Jesus Grandma but just know I will miss you so much and I love you with all of my heart."

"What did you just say?" His grandma whispered back.  "You love me with all of your what?"

"My heart Grandma!" "My heart."  "I love you with all of my heart." Replied Johnny.

A tear rolled down his grandmothers cheek.

"Johnny, do you remember when I used to tuck you into bed at night?"  "Of course Grandma."  "How could I forget."  "I used to not be able to sleep until you could tuck me in." Said Johnny.

Johnny couldn't help but notice a look of sadness come over his grandma's face as another tear rolled down the other side of her cheek.  He reached out and grabbed one of her scarred, disfigured hands and clenched it tight with his own.

"Do you remember what I used to tell you every night right before I would leave your room?"

"Um, I'm not sure Grandma." "Can you remind me."

"I love you with all of my hands." She said, as she closed her eyes and appeared as if she had fallen asleep.

"Please never forget that Johnny, never ever forget that." Was the last words she mumbled before the medical equipment around her started making a bunch of noise.

Within no time the room had filled up with medical staff and Bob and Johnny were asked to wait in the hall.  A few minutes later they were approached by a doctor who confirmed their suspicions.  Betty, the little old lady, who was a great grandma to Johnny and the worlds best parent to Bob, had indeed passed on.

A couple days passed by and Johnny couldn't get his grandma's last words out of his head.  "I love you with all of my hands"  She had said.  "Please never forget that Johnny."

"What does that mean Grandma?"  He said as he looked up at the sky hoping some way she could just yell down and answer him.  Unfortunately, she never did.

At the funeral when everyone got their turn to go up and say there goodbye's.  Johnny noticed his dad clasping on to his grandma's scarred hand for dear life.  Tears were rolling down his fathers face and he was sobbing out loud.  All through growing up he hadn't so much as see his dad shed a single tear.  He couldn't even recall his dad ever saying ouch when he would hit his thumb with a hammer or something.  Now, in three days time, he had seen his father break down and cry four times.  This was just too much for Johnny to bear and he too began to cry. 

It was now his turn to approach the coffin and say goodbye to his grandma.  The woman who raised him like he was her own child.  He reached down and grabbed her disfigured hands and began stroking them with his own.  Suddenly he remembered the time when he was younger when he told his grandma that she had ugly hands.

"How could I have been so cruel?" He thought to himself and began to cry even harder.

And that's when it hit him.  He remembered his grandmother saying that her hands got that way because of all of the love they had dealt out over the years.  He still didn't completely understand this and was still beating himself up over telling his grandmother that she had ugly hands but he was determined to get to the bottom of this and find out just what she meant. 

Later that night, the whole family got together for dinner.  Johnny and Bob were joined by Betty's two sisters, Thelma and Helen, and Johnny's uncle Barney from his dad's side of the family.  About half way through dinner, Johnny spoke up and his words came as quite a shock to the entire family.

"You know how grandma's hands were all scarred up and kind of disfigured?"  No one answered.  "Well, I asked her how they got that way once and all she told me was it was from all the love she poured out over the years."  "Can someone please tell me what she meant by that?"

There was a long pause and the room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Finally, his dad rolled up his right sleeve and revealed a nasty scar near his right shoulder.  "You see this scar?" Bob said.

"Yeah Dad." Said Johnny.  "You told me you got burned when you were a baby right?"

"That's right." Answered Bob.  "We just never told you the whole story because it was a very emotional subject for your grandmother."

"You see, your grandfather, my dad, loved me and your grandmother very much but he had an alcohol problem."

"One night, before you were born, when I was just a baby, your grandma had already tucked me in and had went to bed herself." "Later that night, my father came home from the bar and had had just one too many drinks."

"Apparently, he used to like to sit in the rocking chair in the nursery and watch me sleep."  This night was no different."

"He came into the nursery and sat there in the rocker but must have passed out."  "He didn't have time to put his cigarette out he must have dropped it onto the floor next to him."

"The fire spread quickly through the room and engulfed your grandfather in no time."

"Luckily, the smoke detector went off and your grandma is a very light sleeper."

"When she got to the nursery the flames had already consumed your grandpa and there was no way for her to reach the crib to get to me."

"Your grandma was a very determined lady and she loved her family very much so she did the only thing that made sense to her."  "She reached her hands through the flames and into the crib."  "She snatched me up and ran outside."

"When the fire trucks and ambulance arrived she was looking me over to make sure I was alright."  The paramedic said she was crying uncontrollably."

"Are you hurt mam?"  Screamed the paramedic.  "I'm fine." Answered your grandmother.  "I'm just worried about my baby."  "He has a burn on his shoulder.?  "Let me have a look." exclaimed the paramedic as he reached out to take me from your grandmothers hands.

"It was then that he seen how badly your grandmothers hands had been burned in the fire and passed me to another medic who was standing by."

"Mam, your hands are very badly burnt and I think you are in shock."  "Those are third degree burns and we have to get you to a hospital right away."  Is there anyone else in the house?"  Said the frantic paramedic.

"My husband." Said your grandma.  "But it's too late."  "The fire had completely consumed him by the time I got to the nursery."

"Your grandmothers hands had been burned beyond repair and she lived a hard life from that day forward."  "For a long time she wouldn't even leave the house without gloves because people would whisper, stare, and call her names."

The whole room grew silent again.  Johnny couldn't help but shed some more tears thinking about his grandma and how hard it must have been as a young adult to have such a noticeable disability.  Finally, Johnny spoke again.

"Poor Grandma." He said.  "That must have been awful."

"Well young man." Said his Aunt Helen. "Although it took sometime, your grandmother finally realized that Jesus had a similar experience."

"His hands weren't burnt protecting his loved ones but something else happened to his hands."

"That's right, the nails on the cross right?" Sobbed Johnny.

"That's right." Aunt Thelma butted in.  "And Jesus was put on display for all the world to see and a crown of thorns was placed on his head but he wore those burdens proudly."

"I die, so that others won't perish, were his words."  Said Aunt Thelma.

No one spoke throughout the remainder of dinner.

After dinner, Bob and Johnny wished their relatives goodnight and Bob advised that everyone should try to get some sleep.  Helen and Thelma had a long drive tomorrow because they lived two states away and neither of them liked to fly.

"Goodnight."  They all said to one another and headed off to their designated sleeping areas.

Helen took Betty's room and Thelma slept on the couch.  Bob and Johnny of course slept in their own beds that night.

Laying in bed Johnny just kept thinking about his grandma's last words.  "I love you with all of my hands." "Please don't ever forget that Johnny."

"I won't grandma." Johnny said out loud.  "And I understand now, I understand everything now."

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

~ The End ~

That's the story or at least as much as I can remember of it.  I'm sure some things are off but you get the idea right?  Sometimes words just aren't enough and when they're not, action has to be taken.  Action that will indeed show your loved ones how much you care.

The next time you catch yourself telling those dearest to you, "I love you with all of my heart" stop yourself and say this instead.

"I Love You With All Of My Hands!"

They may give you a funny look but who knows?  One day, they may very well understand exactly what you  meant.

Thanks for reading and I hope this touched the hearts of some of you readers.  I try to live a simple life and I don't think there is anything simpler than showing your loved ones how much you care.  Take action!  Show them now how much they mean to you!  Tomorrow may be too late.

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF MY HANDS

Why My Simple Life Hasn't Been That Simple Lately

I Can Do It... Can't I?

Hello there! It's me, Ben!  I thought I would take the time to share with you why us "simpletons" should leave the high tech plumbing work to the professionals.  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the DIY (Do It Yourself) projects and consider myself to be quite skilled in many fields.  

Plumbing, however, should be left to the professional plumbers. If you insist on taking on that plumbing project with little or no experience, you may very well find that you've earned yourself a few more gray hairs and some extra wrinkles.  If your project turns out to be as stressful as mine was, you could quite possibly find that you have substantially less Xanax in your bottle then when you first began.

The Problem... Cold Showers Are Not Fun

In order to get hot water, there are a few vital things that have to take place.  First you have to have a supply of water and it has to be able to make its way to your water heater.  Next your water heater has to heat the water up.  Depending on which type of water heater you use will determine how this function is performed.  I happen to have an electric water heater so that's what I will talk about in this article.

Besides water, your electric water heater also needs power.  I have a Richmond 40 gallon water heater and it gets its power from a dedicated 30 amp breaker.  If you have a "quick recovery" water heater or a bigger model, like 50 plus gallons, you might need a 50 amp breaker.

The power in your water heater is used for two things, to power the heating element(s) (most have 2) and the thermostat(s).

The thermostat tells the elements when to activate and deactivate.  If set at 125 degrees then every time the water temperature in the tank falls below that, the elements turn on and begin heating the water.  Once it reaches 125 degrees the elements will shut off to avoid excessively heating the water.

The heating elements are of vital importance in obtaining hot water.  Without them, you are destined to a life full of cold showers.

The element has a long copper tube that comes out of one side on the back and forms a loop back to the opposite side.  That is the part that heats the water.  On the front of the unit, there are two screws that wires attach to.  Each wire comes from separate locations on the thermostat.  My wires were black and red though they may vary on different models.

Each of the screws on the front of the heating element make contact with each side of the copper tube on the back side, thus, performing a complete circuit when the thermostat directs power through those wires, into the screws, to the copper tube (remember it's a loop) and back out.

The trouble is that the water going into the tank is full of limescale and residue.  Over time, the lime and residue being in constant contact with the copper tube on the element, cause corrosion and eventually, one side of the copper tube will break.

*Tip - Using a water softener will greatly increase the life of your heating elements

So what happens when one side of the copper tube breaks?  Think about it.  You loose continuity.  You still have a supply of water and your tank is full.  The power comes from the breaker box into the thermostat and the thermostat kicks out the juice once the temperature drops below a certain point.  The electricity continues to flow through the wires and into the screws on each side of the front of the heating element.  It then travels back through the copper tube and is just beginning its return when... uh oh... there's nowhere to go!  The copper tube is broken and that was the only road the electricity could take to get home and reunite with the thermostat!  What happens next?

Your thermostat is smarter than you think.  It was sitting there patiently waiting for it's power to return so it could get it's fix.  When the power didn't come back though, it didn't waste anytime in alerting the media.  It didn't sit around and mope, cry, or pout about lost loves.  No Sir!.  It just shot out a distress signal back to your breaker box shouting at the top of it's lungs, Amber Alert!  Amber Alert!  It then demands that the breaker be shut down immediately until something is done about this madness and it's long lost love, "Mr. Electricity" has been returned home safe and sound.

Now you have a bad heating element and a tripped breaker.  You still haven't realized just yet though, that there's a problem because Mr Water heater still has 40 gallons of nice hot water on reserve just waiting for you.  But what happens when that reserve supply runs out?

Picture This (My Story)

You wake up in the morning after feeling like you just closed your eyes five minutes ago and you know you have a busy day ahead of you.  So feeling frustrated, overworked, and still tired as heck, you hesitantly pull the covers off your bed and sit up.  You perform your regular morning routine of stretching followed by some wicked yawns, followed by some more stretching, until finally your ready to stand up and make this day happen.

Now you hurry to the bathroom for that ever-so-needed relief (Don't try to deny it, everyone has been there!) because all of a sudden your bladder reminds your brain that it has went all night with no relief. After you've done your business you continue to the sink to wash your hands (we hope) and face.  You really hate how long it takes to get the hot water all the way up to the bathroom sink so you just go ahead with the cold because you figure, heck, a cold splash of water on the face wakes you up better anyways.

Skipping ahead and assuming you've already brushed your teeth and any other routine activities you may be accustomed to, now it's time for your favorite morning ritual, (except maybe breakfast) your shower.  You adjust the faucet to just the right spot so you can have that 120 degree shower you've come to love.  You take your time undressing because you know it takes about five minutes for the water to reach your desired temperature and your still not really awake.

Next you draw back the shower curtain and start to get in.  You get about 3/4 of the way in the shower before your "still very much asleep" brain registers that you're stepping into freezing cold water!  Now you're filled with goosebumps and immediately and instinctively begin fumbling with the faucet trying to determine what the heck went wrong.  The good news, you're no longer trying to wake up because the shock of the cold water has thrown you into a "wide awake" state of mind!

If you don't think this is possible allow me to set the record straight.  If the heating element in your electric hot water heater goes out, apparently you loose hot water!  Huh, who would have thunk?

That's Okay Why Not Fix It Yourself

Well that's what I thought anyways.  After all, I build computers, design websites, and I've even replaced a car engine or two.  How hard could a little ole heating element be right?  I couldn't have been more wrong.  In all fairness though, I wasn't at all prepared in terms of tools or knowledge and I was working with very limited funds.

My first mistake was sending someone else to pick up the new heating element from Lowe's.  I needed a 4500 watt element but what I got was a 5500 watt quick recovery one instead.  After doing extensive research as to whether or not it was safe to interchange the two, I decided to give it a go.

I will tell you that if you ever run into that same problem don't just assume they are interchangeable without doing your homework.  Mine uses 240 volts and I have a 30 amp breaker.  To determine if the 30 amp breaker will suffice, you have to divide the number of watts the element uses by the number of volts your system uses.  Providing your result is less than 30 you are okay on that part of it.

The next thing is to make sure your wire will support the higher wattage element.  The wire coming out of the top of the heater and running back to the breaker box can't be higher than 10 gauge.  12 gauge or higher would run the risk of burning up and starting a fire.

I suppose you could say I lucked out because my unit met all the conditions to use the higher watt element.  What I noticed, however, was the tubes on the back of the element were shaped a little differently.  This isn't really a big deal but it did make seating it in the housing slightly more difficult.

It seemed like it barely fit through the hole in the water heater and the different shape made it harder to hold onto while lining the threads up and screw it back in.  I'm not sure if the problem was my lack of experience or if the odd shape really is more difficult to install but regardless, it created a problem for me.

The next problem came when I tried to drain the tank.  I hooked up a hose to the bottom drain on the water heater, ran it over to the drain in the basement floor and opened the drainage valve fully expecting water to come gushing out.  It didn't.

I knew there was water in the tank because I turned the hot water faucet by mistake many times that day when I was washing my hands just out of habit.  So I gave the water heater a little shove and to my surprise it felt empty!

This really had me baffled and nothing I read on the internet could explain this.  I was Googled about anything you could think of regarding water heaters.  The good news was that I was becoming quite educated in all things water heater.  The bad news was that nothing could explain where the water went and it was really seeming as though it defied all logic.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm more left brained or just my personality but I don't do well when I can't figure out how something works or doesn't work.

After hours of research, posting new threads in forums, asking everyone on Facebook if they had an explanation, and calling a few friends for guidance, I finally decided that some things just don't make sense so I would just have to live with it.

I then attempted to remove old element.  Guess what?  The tool I borrowed from my uncle wasn't all I needed.  You see, he supplied me with the 1 1/2" socket but it was for a 3/4" drive ratchet.  The biggest ratchet I had available to me was 1/2".

That's okay though.  I'm pretty creative so I can make this work.  That's what I told myself right before making my next mistake.  I decided placing a large pipe wrench on the back of the socket should work pretty good because everything I've read online leads me to believe these things aren't installed very tight.  In fact, many of the articles I read actually warned against over-tightening.

That is definitely true when referring to installing the new element.  The old one, however, can be in there pretty darn good because of all the lime build up.

When the old element finally started to come loose I made my next discovery.  I could hear water coming out!  How could this be?  Well that's what I wanted to know!  What I eventually discovered, was the hose I had hooked to the drain was for high pressure and wasn't the best choice for draining a water heater with nothing to help pump it out other than gravity.

I didn't have another hose but I found that if I backed the high pressure house off the drain a little bit it would do the job.  That brought me to my next problem.

The water just kept coming and coming and coming and coming... Then it hit me!  I forgot to turn the water off!  Luckily for me there was a shut off valve right above the hot water heater... or so I thought.

When I turned the shut off valve water started spraying out of it like it was Niagara Falls!  I stood there watching water spray all over my boots for about 10 seconds before realizing that it wasn't going to stop.  Yes I know, I can be a little slow sometimes but I eventually get there.

Come to find out that shut off valve was for a second supply like a refrigerator or something. (Although I don't think a refrigerator uses hot water.)  Whatever it was for it wasn't to shut off the water supply to the heater.

I ended up just shutting the main water valve for the house off to avoid any further problems from happening.  Then I waited.  I waited and waited some more for the tank to drain and while I was waiting, I was reading some more information on water heaters.  Finally, the tank was completely empty, for real this time.

Then I finished removing the old element with now more difficulties.  Next it was time to install the new element.  First thing was to clean the threads to the housing on the water heater itself.  You are supposed to use a wire brush and only brush in the direction of the threads, never across the threads in fear of damaging them.

I, on the other hand, didn't have a wire brush so I used a dish rag.  This resulted in me not being able to adequately clean the threads and made things much more difficult to seat the new element.  In addition to not having a wire brush, as I explained earlier, the different shaped element posed a problem for me as well.

After I got the new element in and the water turned back on, I noticed a small drip.  No worries, I'll just give it another turn or two.  And that's what I thought to myself right before making yet another mistake. Your probably thinking that I stripped out the threads on the new element right?  Nope... Okay yeah I'm just kidding.  That's exactly what I did.  In my defense though, the tool I had rigged up didn't make it too easy to tell how tight I was actually getting the stupid thing.

Now I had one broken element and one stripped element.  You know what I didn't have?  Hot water!  So I was basically back to square one.

Since I had to go back to the store anyways, I picked up the correct element, teflon tape, and a wire brush.  The lady at Lowe's even exchanged the other element for the right one!  That was the best news I had heard all day.

After having the correct element and the right tools and accessories to do the job, plus a whole lot more knowledge than when I first began, the rest of the job went off without a hitch!  Well it went as smooth as it could have I guess for someone with "less than professional" plumbing skills.  

What I learned from this project is that I should stick to computers and writing.  It was a good learning experience, however, and if you find yourself in that same situation ever, make sure you have everything you need before hand and be completely sure you know what you are getting into ahead of time.

Thanks for reading and I hope this story can make life simpler for someone else... or at least gave you quite a laugh reading about all the dumb things I did during my project!