Just my luck

Well, my trying, yesterday, to buy gift cards on Raise.com for the store that I want to buy the desk from didn't work out quite as planned. First off, there were no more gift cards available to buy at the 6% discount. But, apparently you can buy full price gift cards from Raise and they will give you 3% cash back to use towards a next purchase.  I did some checking first and this cash back is given immediately to use on your next order and could be used on any order. It also appeared that I had to buy what I needed in gift card amount in 3 separate purchases to equal what I need. Ok, that works.

Purchase #1 bought the 1st gift card and earned cash back.

Purchase #2 bought 2nd gift card and applied the cash back from 1st purchase to the order.

Purchase #3 was trying to buy 3rd gift card with cash back earned from 2nd order.

My credit card declined. Ok, had a feeling that might happen. I immediately got a text from my credit card asking if I made these 3 purchases and I texted back confirmation that I did. Then I got a text saying my card was good to go now and if anything got declined to try re-ordering now.

So, I still had the order screen where I was declined up and I clicked on "place order" again, but it still showed declined.  I started over with the 3rd order, but now my cash back to use from the 2nd order was missing. Show's I used it. So then I went on my credit card online and the 3rd charge (along with the first 2) was showing as pending.

Finally figured out how to chat with a live agent (their chat service is annoying) and he said he saw the charge and canceled it and it should now drop off my card. I realize this can take a day or two to drop off. For the cash back issue, he had to transfer me to a different person in a different dept. Ok. 

While I'm waiting for the second chat agent, I look on my credit card online again, and now there is another charge for the 3rd order! what in the world? The second agent comes on and tells me he credited me the missing cash back to my account. I ask about the now 2 charges on my card for the 3rd order and he says he'll have to transfer me back to the other dept again. I thought I was minimizing the chat screen for a few seconds, but apparently closed it. The only way to get back on is to start over. You end up having to enter your name and email twice every time. And then they say "chat line" is closed, you will have to handle questions via email. I tried to call the phone number showing up on my credit card, but it's just a recording saying to do online chat or email. So, now I have an email in as to why there is now 2 charges showing for my 3rd order, but they still have no 3rd order being processed.

I understand the fraud alert hold put on my card isn't their fault, but I released it right away and it should have let me reorder and there shouldn't be 2 charges for it on my card. There was no email reply this morning, so then I logged into my credit card and both the extra charges were now gone, so I went ahead to buy my 3rd gift card. Ok, now I have the 3 gift cards codes and enough time before I have to leave for jury duty this morning to get the order placed.

Only they increased the price of the desk by $240 overnight!! Are you freaking kidding me?!! If this had been not such a cluster/mess yesterday I would have ordered it yesterday at the lower price (that it has been at for all the months I have been looking at it!). I was so stinking mad. But, I had to go ahead and order it because I already had purchased the gift cards. And all but the 2 "top" pieces that go on top of the file cabinet and shelf unit, that go under the desk, are shipping soon. Those 2 pieces are estimating June....sigh.....

I get to town at 9:10 and no parking because everyone reporting for jury duty, LOL. Find a spot about a block down and get in to check in at 9:15. Sign in and get a paddle with a number 25 on it. Then they say sorry, but the courtroom is being used for a district court trial so we have to send you over to a meeting room in the fire station. So, then I have to walk 2 blocks over to the fire station and find my seat #25, end of third row. It's not the trial we had heard about for the county employee who was fired and sued. It was for some out of state truck driver who didn't have his oversized load properly marked with a reflector and apparently this is a criminal offense?! Crazy.

Sat through about an hour of information and general questions, some to the group as a whole, some to individuals. It was only a 6 person trial with one alternate and towards the end it became clear they were just focusing on the people in the first 2 rows and going to pick the 6 from there, which is what they did. Then the rest of us got to leave. The prosecutor also said, in the beginning, that the trial would start after they picked the jurors and be a quick one day trial. So, at that point, not knowing they were going to pick from the first 2 rows, I was like whew, at least it will only be one day if I get picked. The defendant was from New York and an immigrant from some former Soviet union country, I can't remember how to pronounce, let alone spell, LOL. This is such a small town/county, I even knew 2 of the other people there, haha. Neither of them got chosen either, though one of them had a better chance, as she was in the 2nd row.

And to add another annoyance, I ordered some of my mom's prescriptions to be refilled on Monday. As I want to go see her Sunday and to make dang sure they'd be here by Saturday, I paid extra for 2 day shipping.....still not here! 2 day shipping should have been Thursday at the latest, as they show shipped out on Monday. Tracking shows today, but says it's not even at my local post office yet. USPS shipping is awful and paying extra to get it here is a joke. I'm going to be so mad if it's not here tomorrow, as then I will have to take time off work during the week next week to get it to my mom, so I can refill her dispenser.