I placed an order with JCPenney, Wednesday, February, 24th. After ordering, I realized that I needed to have the order shipped to my home address instead of the store. JCPenney doesn’t let you to modify an order after it’s placed like Amazon does. So, I emailed customer service and asked them to ship it to my home instead of the store. I received an e-mail response that the order had already processed and couldn’t be modified.

I then checked the order status, and it was still “in process”, so I emailed them back asking that they cancel the order. I received another e-mail response stating that they couldn’t cancel the order, because it had already processed.

I checked the order status again, and the status still hadn’t changed. It was still “in process.” I sent another e-mail expressing my displeasure, and today I received a response stating that I’ll receive another email when it ships, and it should arrive at my local JCPenney Friday – 9 days after the order was placed and 9 days after I tried to have the shipping method changed.

JCPenney needs to wake up. Poor service doesn’t cut it, because they’re not the only game around. Next time, Amazon will get my business, just like they do for most other items I order.

JCPenney Contact Us  	Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 18:35
Reply-To: JCPenney Contact Us 
To: Stephen Jenkins 
Thank you for your email.  We appreciate your taking the time to provide
us with your comments and suggestions.

This email is automatically generated to let you know that JCPenney has
received your email.  A JCPenney Representative will respond to you
within 48 hours.

You can always access helpful customer service information at
www.jcpenney.com. For information regarding the JCPenney company you can
log onto www.jcpenney.net.

Thank you for choosing JCPenney.

JCPenney Contact Us  	Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 19:27
Reply-To: JCPenney Contact Us 
To: Stephen Jenkins 
Thank you for contacting us online.

We are unable to make the change you requested to your jcp.com online
order.  Orders with the status of 'in stock' process quickly and a
change is not always possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

JCPenney Internet Customer Service
jcp.com
Every Day Matters

Original Message Follows:

Form Message

Subject: Recent Orders
First Name: Stephen
Last Name: Jenkins
Topic: request order cancellation or change
OrderZipCode: 
ItemNumber:
OrderNumber: 
Comments: Can I change the shipping destination?  Instead of shipping it
to the store, I'd like it shipped to my billing address.

Thanks
Email Address: 
Cluster: ww3.
Browser: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.1.8)
Gecko/20100214 Ubuntu/9.10 (karmic) Firefox/3.5.8




Steve Jenkins  	Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 08:48
To: JCPenney Contact Us 
Then I'd like to cancel the order.  I just checked the order status, and it says it's in-process, so please cancel the order.

Steve Jenkins
[Quoted text hidden]
JCPenney Contact Us  	Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 08:49
Reply-To: JCPenney Contact Us 
To: Steve Jenkins 
[Quoted text hidden]
JCPenney Contact Us  	Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 21:49
Reply-To: JCPenney Contact Us 
To: Steve Jenkins 
Thank you for contacting us online.

We have not been able to make the change you requested to your jcp.com
online order.  Orders process quickly and a change is not always
possible.  If you have additional questions about the order, please
reply to this note.

JCPenney Internet Customer Service
jcp.com
Every Day Matters
7235

Original Message Follows:
[Quoted text hidden]
Steve Jenkins  	Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 21:52
To: JCPenney Contact Us 
This is ridiculous.  I just checked the order again, and it's still "In Process", i.e., it hasn't shipped.  
This the first time I've ever contacted your customer service department about an order, 
and it is the LAST time I will ever do business with JCPenney!

Steve Jenkins
[Quoted text hidden]
JCPenney Contact Us  	Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 22:01
Reply-To: JCPenney Contact Us 
To: Steve Jenkins
[Quoted text hidden]
JCPenney Contact Us  	Sun, Feb 28, 2010 at 15:20
Reply-To: JCPenney Contact Us 
To: Steve Jenkins
We appreciate your taking the time to contact us.

Orders are processed in a timely manner, usually the next business day
after your order is submitted.  Although all of the merchandise you have
ordered is available, the fleece jacket was not in stock in the center
that usually fills your orders.  We are happy to inform you that we are
able to obtain this merchandise for you from another center.  Because of
this, please allow an additional 1-3 business days for delivery of your
order.

You will receive a shipping notification email once your order has
invoiced.  The email will provide the total of your order and invoice
number.  Please make note of the invoice number as it is helpful in
researching your order, should it become necessary for you to contact us
in the future.

Your order should be ready for pickup at the Tanglewood Mall after 3:00
PM on 3-5.  The Catalog Desk will contact you when your order arrives.

Your order will be charged to your credit card at the time it is shipped
from the warehouse.  For identification purposes only, please bring the
credit card used for payment when picking up your order.

Orders are held for 10 days only, so please call if you need extra time.
After 10 days, merchandise is returned to the warehouse and your account
credited for merchandise plus applicable sales tax.

To find the location of any of our stores, please return to
http://www.jcp.com and click on Store Locator at the top of the screen.
You may also access our store locator using the following URL:
http://www.jcp.com/jcp/StoreLocatorMenu.asp

Cordially,

JCPenney Internet Customer Service
jcp.com 7691
[Quoted text hidden]

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Posted via email from sj’s posterous

testing the P2 theme

Scott’s Variety Store and Bar-B-Q in Hemingway, S.C., slow-smokes whole hogs over hardwood coals — a way of cooking that is disappearing.

For aficionados in search of ever-elusive authenticity, Scott’s offers all the rural tropes of a signal American barbecue joint. The main building is tin-roofed and time-worn. Dogs loll in the parking lot, where old shopping carts are stacked with watermelons in the summer, sweet potatoes in the fall. On church pews under the eave, locals visit with neighbors and barbecue pilgrims commune with foam clamshells stuffed with pulled pork, $8 a pound.

The cookery is simple, but the processes used by the Scott family are not.

[Read](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/dining/10United.html?partner=rss&emc=rss “Read the Article”) (New York Times)

For the first time in 12 years, two British soldiers have been killed in Northern Island.

The news that two soldiers had been shot dead at the Massereene military base in County Antrim on Saturday night came as a shocking reminder that the peace process, in which the British, Irish and U.S. governments have invested so much in time and money, is still a work in progress.

It was notable that the soldiers were killed at one of the few army bases in Northern Ireland.
The assassins had to go there to find them, as British Army patrols, once so ubiquitous on the streets, largely have withdrawn to barracks.

[Read](http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/ireland/090308/fear-returns-northern-ireland?page=0,1 “Read the Article”) (GlobalPost)

Posted using ShareThis

The mailbox contained:

* July 2008 issue of [SQL Server Magazine](http://www.sqlmag.com “SQL Server Magazine”) (10 Common Performance Problems To Avoid) [T.O.C.](http://www.sqlmag.com/Issues/IssueID/914/Index.html “View the Table of Contents”)
* July/August 2008 issue of [The Family Handyman](http://www.familyhandyman.com “The Family Handyman”) (Streamlined Shed – Spacious, bright and easy – no concrete work!)
* July/August 2008 issue of [Sound & Vision](http://www.soundandvisionmag.com “Sound & Vision”) (Top 50 DVDs of All Time)
* July 7-14 2008 issue [U.S. News & World Report](http://www.usnews.com “U.S. News & World Report”) (The American Revolution – Myths and Realities) [Read](http://www.usnews.com/features/news/national/the-american-revolution.html “Read the Cover Story”)
* June 30/July 7, 2008 issue of [Information Week](http://www.informationweek.com “Information Week”) (Precision Security – If your investments aren’t driven by risk assessments, you’re wasting money.)
* June 2008 issue of [SPIN](http://www.spin.com “SPIN”) (Weezer) [Read](http://digital.spin.com/spin/200806/?pg=1&pm=2&u1=friend “Read the Magazine”)
* Summer 2008 issue of [The Kenyon Review](http://www.kenyonreview.org “The Kenyon Review”) (A moving memoir by Meredith Hall about one remarkable young girl, taken by the stat from abusive parents – and all but abandoned in the shadow world of shelters) [T.O.C.](http://www.kenyonreview.org/issues/summer08/index.php “View the Table of Contents”)
* July 2008 [Musician’s Friend](http://www.musiciansfriend.com “Musician’s Friend”) Catalog
* A [Learning Tree International](http://www.learningtree.com “Learning Tree International”) Catalog
* An offer from [Verizon](http://www.verizon.com “Verizon”)
* An offer from [Columbia House](http://www.columbiahouse.com “Columbia House”)
* A plea from the [Appalachian Trail Conservancy](http://www.appalachiantrail.org “Appalachian Trail Conservancy”)
* Some medicine

Almost eight years after al-Qaeda nearly sank the USS Cole with an explosives-stuffed motorboat, killing 17 sailors, all the defendants convicted in the attack have escaped from prison or been freed by Yemeni officials.

The collapse of the Cole investigation offers a revealing case study of the U.S. government’s failure to bring al-Qaeda operatives and their leaders to justice for some of the most devastating attacks on American targets over the past decade.

[Read](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/03/AR2008050302047.html?wpisrc=newsletter “Read the Article”) (Washington Post)

The Yard-Man lawn mower that I bought 2 years ago broke when I tried to mow the grass yesterday.  It worked great when I mowed grass on April 5th, but this time the blade fell off.  The bolt that secures the blade to the mower broke off inside the shaft that comes from the motor. 

I only used the mower 3 times last year because it was so dry, once this year, and 2/3 of a season in 2006.  That amounts to about 1 full season of use, or $200.  The Bolens I had before the Yard-Man lasted 3 seasons, so it cost about $60 per season.

Now, do I buy the cheapest mower I can find and only expect it to last a year or two.  Lowe’s advertised a Yard Machines with a 2-year warranty for $99 in its flyer this week.  Assuming I get 2 seasons out of it, that works out to $50 per season.

Or do I buy the current Consumer Reports Best Buy – a Cub Cadet, which has a 3-year warranty and Home Depot sells for $229.  Assuming I can get 4 seasons out of the mower, it would cost about $57 per season.

I think that my yard is too large for a reel, electric, or cordless mower, and my wife would be extremely unhappy if I dropped $2,500 on a robotic mower.

I just received a call from (877)372-4388, and the callerid showed “Unavailable.” It was DirecTV trying to sell the Starz package. At least the rep didn’t complain when I interrupted her in mid sentence and told her I wasn’t interested.

We’ve received a couple of calls from (540) 431-1940 in the last week. The callerid listed the name as Medallion. When I answered, the representative asked for someone who hasn’t lived here in 7 years. When I told them he had the wrong number, the representative went into solicitation mode and said he was calling on behalf of the Special Olympics. When I asked to be removed from their solicitation list, the rep put a manager on the phone, and the manager said he’d take care of it.

If I decide to make a donation, I’ll go directly to the Special Olympics website, because they’ll receive more money that way. According to an article in the November 4, 2007 issue of the Roanoke Times, if you give money when the telemarketer calls, the telemarketer keeps up to 85% of the donation.

According to an article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Special Olympics Hawaii has a contract with Medallion, and Medallion takes 65% of the donation. The article states that this is a pretty standard Medallion contract.

My buddy Stan died early Saturday morning after a short bout with pancreatic cancer. He was only 47. He left behind his wife and two children. Stan was a family man. He was involved in his church and his community and excelled in his career. He was a good friend, too. Stan dealt with cancer just like he dealt with everything else – with dignity. Sometimes, it seems like life isn’t fair, and this is one of those times. Goodbye Stan. We already miss you.

Stanley D. Whitt, 47, of Knightdale, NC, died February 16, 2008, after a short but brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Born June 21, 1960, in South Boston, VA, he was a graduate of Danville Community College and James Madison University. He was employed by RBC Centura as a Delivery Systems Data Manager. Stan served his community as a member of the Knightdale Land Use Review Board for seven years, and was active as a coach for his children’s sports teams in the Knightdale Parks and Recreation Leagues for many years. He was an avid sports fan and enjoyed playing golf and third base for the St. James United Methodist Church softball team for many years. He was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents and his brother, Michael. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Ellen and his children, Eric and Meredith all of the home. He is also survived by his parents, Lacy and Joyce Whitt, and his sister and brother-in-law, Becky and Ricky Hutcherson, all of South Boston, VA. He is also survived by his niece, Shawn Short and her husband, Eric their children, Patrick and Brooklyn, Nathalie, Virginia. He also leaves behind many great friends, his golfing buddies and the members of his college fraternity, Theta Chi. We would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to the members of St. James United Methodist Church, and Trinity United Methodist Church, the employees of RBC Centura and the residents of the Green Pines neighborhood, Knightdale, NC, for their unwavering prayers and support during the last 5 1/2 months. Memorial service 11:00 a.m., Monday, February 18, 2008, at St. James United Methodist Church, 3808 St. James Church Rd., Raleigh, NC, 27604 with visitation following in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Stan to St. James United Methodist Church or to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245. Condolences to the family may be made at www.poolefuneral.com. Published in The News & Observer on 2/17/2008.

Half of the 300,000 residents of the southern republic of Kalmykia are practicing Buddhists. How did there come to be so many Buddhists living in Kalmykia, an Ireland-sized region on Europe’s eastern edge, thousands of miles from the religion’s Asian heartland?

Read (Slate Magazine)

Marine Corps Moms: New addition to a field first aid kit

It looks like I need to add tampons to my first aid kit.