Never Too Old to Learn
By: Elizabeth Cowan
We should pay attention and learn from our mistakes.
But many of our slipups are minor and quickly forgotten. Some, not so much.
Consequently, we tend to repeat those easily forgotten minor errors. But, of course, when we repeat the same mistake, the aggravation level rises every time.
A recent lapse in judgment revolved around ordering chocolate candy bars online. As you may know, it is easy to succumb to the siren call of ordering items from the Internet instead of driving to the store.
Just because, according to the calendar, it is Fall, the temperatures in Texas rarely fall in line with the generally expected norm. So, after checking in nearby stores and coming up empty-handed, this lady ordered chocolate bars—Nestle Crunch and Butterfingers—for Halloween.
Her granddaughter warned her it was too hot and the chocolates would melt. “But I ordered Godiva Chocolates in the middle of summer, and they arrived in perfect condition,” the grandmother replied.
As is often the case, the supposed convenience of ordering online did not result in the immediate appearance of the candy bars. Finally, after two weeks of delivery delays, the candy bars arrived.
Imagine this lady’s surprise and displeasure when she opened the package to, yes, you guessed it, melted chocolate bars.
When she unwrapped a bar, they were such a sticky, melted mess that she promptly put them in the refrigerator, hoping to salvage them. Is it any wonder the Grand’s comment was, “I told you so”?
“But I never had that problem with the Godiva orders. They arrived in pristine condition because they were in Styrofoam with ice packs,” this lady replied.
“That’s Godiva. These are not the same level of quality shipping practices.”
Since this lady was understandably upset with melted candy bars, she posted a review online to complain. Unfortunately, Amazon’s response was to delete her review because the complaint did not reflect on Amazon. Instead, her complaint should go to the manufacturer.
In the end, the candy bars were still delicious but esthetically disgusting.
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She is happy to report that she saw the error of her ways and mentally circled it with a red pen. NEVER ORDER CHOCOLATES OTHER THAN GODIVA IN WARM WEATHER.
It is difficult to pinpoint the worst mistakes this writer has made in her life, but her most problematic errors in judgment are computer-related. Her excuse? She has an index finger that could rival the best quick-draw gunfighters of the Old West when it came to speedy but reckless action.
This writer reacts to unexpected messages before stopping to consider the proper response. Why? Because her first impulse is to panic and then click on the conveniently handy action button before engaging the brain. And the results have often proven to be near-catastrophic.
More and more scammers/crooks are no longer content harassing us by telephone. Instead, they have upped their attacks using the Internet.
Of course, as a tech-savvy person, you know that, but this writer lives in irrational hope, believing her life in the country makes her immune to such attacks.
However, she has gotten better about using her trigger finger after her son explained most messages that fill her with panic are scams. Fortunately, her IT friend has confirmed that on numerous occasions.
So now, when a message pops up and panic sets in, this writer stops and calls for help, either her knowledgeable IT friend or her son.
Recently, her computer screen locked down ostensibly from Windows Defender, stating on a constant loop that they detected a Trojan threat. “Do not shut down your computer. If you do, your computer could malfunction. Instead, call 1-844-756-1396 and let our engineers walk you through what you need to do.” At the bottom of the screen was an unintended IP address.
This time, she called her IT friend. She also took photographs with her mobile phone and texted them to him. He confirmed it was a ransomware attack and walked her through a process allowing him to connect to her computer.
He removed the problem. No trigger finger needed.
Did she finally learn her lesson? Time will tell.
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