Money Talks and Bullsh*t Walks

We are a two TV household.  SM is a college football and basketball fan so, for at least 6 months out of the year, there's sports on our main TV. 

So like most couples, we've adapted a separate room for me to do my "girlie" TV viewing.  We have this big ole clunky projection TV that sits in my room.  We bought it in 1992 so it's going on 20 years old.  For years now SM has wanted to get rid of it and replace it with a new flat screen.  I've resisted SM's replacing it by saying that the TV did just fine for the few hours a week that I actually used it.  While the picture wasn't all that good anymore, why spend the money on something that was so secondary?  SM decided that this was the year to replace it, mostly because there's such good deals out there right now.  Fine.  I'm cool with that.

SM is the shopper in the family.  I've very little interest in this so SM called our neighbor Don who is an audio/visual wiz and together they came up with a plan.  Don said that LG makes a really good LCD flat screen TV, so SM went and bought a 47 inch from Sams Club.  He brings it home and we put it together.  The picture is beautiful but somethings wrong with the sound.  It sounds VERY "tinny"...far away...weird.  Thinking we had our cords mixed up, we called Don who came over and gave it "the once over."  He swapped some cords out with spares he had at his house to improve the "digital signal".  Still no good.  By this time it's late and I've got a migraine so we leave it for the day.

The next day we try again.  Still bad.  So SM calls the LG "hot line" which means we're talking to some dude in the South Pacific.  Nice enough guy but get this...Turns out that this model has a speaker/sound defect that LG is trying to resolve but has no solutions for at this time.

Say what?

So you're telling me that the manufacturer knowingly is selling a product that is defective?  SM popped a cork.  Me?  I'm waving him off as he rants on the phone,  "Just take it back." I say "And DON"T buy an LG ever again."

My Daddy once told me that "Money talks and bullshit walks."  In other words...Show your displeasure by not patronizing a business.  I've lived this motto for years.  It could be as simple as a bad meal at a restaurant or bad customer service.  Treat me well and you've got my business.  Treat me bad and I'll tell everyone.

So the TV went back and SM is still deciding what he wants.  In the mean time I do have a good recommendation.  IKEA.

IKEA has a store in Charlotte that SM and I visited last year.  Not really my style but they do have some neat stuff.  The TV needed a TV stand and I recalled that IKEA had one for about 50 bucks.  So SM went and bought it and we put it together.  No tools, easy directions, lightweight, sturdy and attractive.

I like it.

I also like this.

I toss my compostable items (coffee grinds, veggie and fruit scraps) in a bowl beside my sink.  SM doesn't like those tiny bugs that flit around it, so he bought this little container with a flip lid from IKEA.  Neat.

He bought some food storage containers from IKEA too.  I haven't tried those out yet but I'm sure they'll work out fine too.