“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” If you think those words make no sense, I will admit I didn’t come up with them first. Some famous writer named Charles wrote them a very long time ago. But that’s kind of how my week went.
I used to eat out for dinner basically every night of the week. So since mid-March, along with everything else going wrong, I couldn’t do what I always did: sit down at a restaurant and eat whatever I want, whenever I want it. I haven’t read much since mid-March, either. I usually only read when I’m eating. I know I’m not normal, but that’s what I used to do. A little over a week ago, however, I went back to a restaurant. When going out this past week, I felt a little nervous about the new set ups and rules. I felt a little like I shouldn’t be eating out, and I didn’t know why.
I feel bad that not every restaurant is open yet, or at all. I thought with the laws easing up, every place would be open and normalcy would return. It hasn’t happened yet. Not a lot of places are open yet. So I went to Ruby Tuesday, and it turned out great. All the protocols were being followed. I had my temperature taken, and I felt so happy that I passed and was allowed to sit. It was almost 100 days since I got to do this. I always enjoy an iced tea when I eat out, with a large glass of ice to keep it ice cold. I can’t describe how great it felt being able to do this again, to sit and eat at a nice restaurant. Remember, up until two weeks ago, I ate lunch with the bag of food on my trunk, and eating in parking lots. So this was a great feeling.
Now, the part about the worst of times. It wasn’t that bad, yet. But if you read this every week, first, thanks for reading. Second, I’ve written a few times about getting my refunds for tickets to pro games that I purchased for my annual trip that I never went on. Two weeks ago, Seat Geek e-mailed me and mentioned with the NHL regular season now officially cancelled, refunds are coming soon. It was weird that it said I’d get “at least” 100 percent of a refund. Why would I get more than 100 percent? Now I know. They said in two weeks I’d get notified on how the refunds worked. I had tickets for three games, averaging around $110 a ticket. Well, I get the three e-mails, all saying the same thing. Great news, it said. They were giving me 10% extra on my refund for a credit I could use within one year on any event through them. WHAT!?I didn’t want credit in their account. I wanted money put back on my credit cards. So I was not very happy about this. And at the end of this long e-mail explaining how great the bonus was and how to use the credit, there was one line about notifying them within seven days if I want to change the refund method. I responded in second seconds and I let them know I wanted credit back on my credit cards.
It’s been three days, and still no response. Wow. I used to always praise Seat Geek, but this was pretty sneaky. They’re hoping most people will just accept this credit and they won’t have to return the money. Who knows if fans will be able to attend a game in person a year from now? And of course, I am now waiting for their response to the three NBA games that I had tickets for, as well. I’ll bet they’ll try to make me an offer that I will refuse.
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