Chateau Keyboard

Friday, June 6: Messy pickup

Over to our favourite local estate agency (yes, we tell all of them they're our favourite) to pick up their computer. Computers. Well, one of mine and one of theirs. Theirs was blown up by the previous person who had a go at it a few weeks ago, and I've got a new motherboard, memory and CPU to fit. Being a generous chap, they've been using one of my spare ones for the past two WEEKS it's taken Eurisko to get the parts round to Chateau Keyboard. I've used Eurisko before and they've not been bad enough to complain about, and until recently have had much of the online computer bits market in France to themselves. But this time they really messed me about, refusing to accept my order until I'd proven that I live where I say I live. I countered that they've delivered several times to this very address, and they came back with some more scripted nonsense. I said fine, cancel the order then - and they then miraculously found that ah, yes, you are indeed an existing customer. But we're not sorry.
So I won't be using them again, and nor should you.
And then the nice lady at the agency calls and asks when I'm coming round. Er, 5, I say, like we arranged. Oh, she says, you can come earlier if you like. Fine, I say, when will you be finished with the computer. Finished with it? Why, are you taking it away? What, all of it?
You can hear me sighing now, can't you? Suffice to say, I do manage to explain that I do indeed need all of the computer in my presence in order to take it to bits, so Yes, I'll be round at 5.
When I get there, the printer is also on the fritz - look look, there's ink sprayed all around the inside. Hmm, I say. I'll take that too. So I pick it up and take it out to the car - and it promptly vomits ink all over me and the car. Ah. That'll be broken, then. I'm going to be covered in ink for the next three years by the look of it, so I chuck it into a bin bag and head on home with it and various computers strapped into the car.