Why Telcel, WHY??

I have often heard many people complain about their telephone, cable, and anything else company in Mexico. Well.... I now have to chime in on my nightmare with Telcel. So let's read about a little game called "How long will it take to get Lauren her phone"? Any guesses???

Okay, so 2 full weeks ago I walked into Telcel with my Suegro and Esposo to get me a nice little Blackberry. We wait in a line at Gran Plaza Cancun for 1 1/2 hours, and we finally get some help. Nice guy tells me "Oh we have the perfect promotion for you, $400MXN/month and you get a great plan and free Blackberry". GREAT - sign me up! This process takes almost 30 minutes more. Why? I don't know, but heck this is Mexico and I know everything takes a little longer... DONE. Guy tells me to come back tomorrow as they don't have the phone, and it will take a day to set up. Okay that I can live with....

Next day... we go into Telcel and wait in line again. Only about 30 minutes this time, and we are told NO, it's not ready yet. Come back tomorrow. On a Sunday we ask? Ohhh yes as we will have the phone by the end of today, so tomorrow you just need to come and get it.

Okay, 3rd day. We are told it's not ready again, and that since tomorrow is a holiday it will be ready on Tuesday.

Tuesday we get a suprising phone call from a nice lady from TelHELL. Lady tells husband that there was a mistake and that I can't get my phone. Husband asks why? Lady explains - it's a student plan, and clearly your wife is not a student. Husband asks why guy sold us this plan then? Lady responds...."We can't expect all of our staff to know all of our products". WHAT!!! Ohh, no, you are right because what would be the good in that? They are only SELLING it and all....So we tell lady we don't want it then. The End. Right? Wrong.

A week later, yesterday, we get a call from Telcel. Oh it was our mistake and since your phone is ready we will honor the plan. Are you kidding me? Am I back in Canada!!??!! So we thank her, thank her, thank her. Lady gives us a confirmation #, and tells us to go and pick up the phone. We go to Telcel last night around 6:30, wait in a line...again. Lady at counter asks why we're there, we explain to pick up a NEW phone. Lady takes 5 minutes with our information then comes back to tell us "sorry, no new phone pickups after 6". Are you kidding me? You didn't know this 5 minutes ago when we told you that's exactly why we are here?

Okay, so that brings us to today. My suegro goes to pick up my phone on his way home from the office. He comes home - NO phone. We ask why? SORRY because you are not a student we can not give you that plan. WHAT THE FUCK!!!??!!!

Okay, sorry guys I usually keep the swearing to myself, but SERIOUSLY????? So, 2 weeks and no phone, and no plan.

Thanks a lot Telhell.

Love it, or Hate it!?

Okay, so as I've mentioned in a couple previous posts we have been busy renovating a house. Did I mention a house that isn't even ours, oh and we are paying for it? Okay, okay, that`s just me bitching just a little bit. Is that right? I don't know, but I do know that there are some things that NEED to be fixed/changed. Those are the things that we will try to get subracted from a months rent. For example: water pipe busted in main floor washroom and leaking all over the place, A/C (central) broken. HELLLOOO - we are not stupid and would never rent a place with out A/C in Cancun!!! Come on now!! Thank goodness it's only February.

One of our "fun" projects has been adding some colour to our very white house. **cheers, cheers**

So, most people will either love it or hate it. What colour do you ask? We went from Casa Blanca to Casa Alive. It's a work in progress. We ended up running out of paint as we had our muchacho who we like to call Superman keep on going. Maybe we are getting a little carried away, but for now we love it!

Renos are taking over my life!!

Sooo..... now that I am "sorta back" I can fill you in on a task that is taking up almost all of my time - home renovations!!!

My husband and I are currently "renting"... something I swore I would never do.

It's been quite a different experience from owning your own place, and renting/living in someone elses. Our biggest dillmena? What do we fix? What will our land lord cover? Is it worth fixing if it's not ours? Etc ....

It's soo much different than back "home". Here we rented a place with A/C - does it work? No. We tell our landlord and they swear it worked 5 months ago.... Well I'm telling you it doesnt', and we hired and paid someone to tell us it didn't. Now what? How long will we have to wait to have it replaced?
Better yet, we have termites. We tell the landlord and he tells us " oh yeah, we know". Okay??? Well, not my problem....

They tell us they had someone clean the place? I DON'T THINK SO!!! Unless you hired someone with absolutely no standards...then I call bullshit. The place was filthy, and disgusting. The stove should have been replaced as it was sooo rusty, but we had our muchacha cleaning it for 2 days with a special product that eats rust.

Okay, well I won't complain too much. I didn't take any before and after photos, but I will take some tomorrow as we plan to paint and add some much needed colour. Hubby wants yellow, and I want a nice dark orange. Tacky? Only if it's flourescent!! LOL!!!

Well...hubby and I are off to Home Depot to get the paint and osme plants for our "superman". We like to call our carpenter "superman" as there isn't anything he can't do. He's our electrician, security man, carpenter, painter, etc... What can't the guy do??

Off we go, and nos vemos pronto!!! With photos, I promise!!!

I'm back...sorta!

I am officially the worst blogger ever.... Sooo I am back, and plan on writing more often now that I may have more time on my hands!!!
Keeping this one short and sweet, but only to take more time to write about my experiences being back in Cancun, and blog about: my daily trips to Starbucks - I have problems. First gyno appointments, thank goodness for great friends, and caring for my dear Shit-Zu.... She had a great haircut, but waaaay too much perfume was used.

So until manana!!!

Merry Christmas, and ready for the New Year

Well Christmas has come and gone yet again...wow was that fast!! We couldn't have asked for it to be any better with white snow on the ground and trees, and it was only -2 celcius! That is good in Canada - LOL. Reallllly good.

My angel sleeping under a friends tree

I just can't believe how fast the holiday season is going. Before we know it it's going to be NY's and we'll be headed back to Cancun. We've pretty much taken care of everything up here that we could... I'm sure once we are in Cancun we'll remember all of the things we didn't accomplish. I am trying to get all my documents notarized (easy as my step dad can do it for me), but trying to get all the documents I think I need? Impossible!!! LOL!!

Hubby and brothers enjoying beers in the hot tub on Christmas Day

Hubby is going before me as we get posession of our home the second week of January. Our shipment should arrive sometime after that.... we hope. Hahaha - seriously want to see what ends up back in our posession, and what goes "missing". I'm really going to have to write about the experience as we dont' know too many people who do ship their things down very often.... Maybe for good reason. YIKES!

Nothing like home

Well, I hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas, and wish you nothing but the best for the New Year!! Happiness, health and prosperity!!!

Oh and I have one extra special thing I'm hoping for - a VERY merry high season in Cancun this year! We can't afford another bad year!!!! We as in Cancun!!! Come on tourists!!!!

A little bit of this and a little bit of La Isla

Sooo much has been going on in my life that it really is hard for me to put it in one blog entry. I don’t want to bore everyone – so I won’t. I’ll just give a small update and add a few pics for your viewing pleasure of one of my personal favourite things to do.

Recently we had the fundraiser for my step-mom. Results were fantastic, we had more than 220 people attend the silent auction, and even more people send their love. What a turn out – also we were very successful and were able to raise some money for her clinical visits, and ALS foundation. How wonderful to see so much love.

I’ve been busy in Canada getting ready for her night, and packing up our house that sold recently. Almost all of our things are in Mexico, but we are sending some more with a moving company. I’ll have to write about that experience after it’s all said and done – wish us luck 

Looking forward to Christmas, even more so shopping for my family. I love shopping for people for the holidays. One of my favourite malls in Cancun La Isla Mall is not too far from our place, and is in the hotel zone for all you tourists. I love this mall not because I can afford everything there, but because it truly is beautiful. It’s along the lagoon, and is outdoors. Before I came back to Canada to settle a few things I was able to get some Christmas shopping in for my 4 younger brothers and snapped a few pics for you all to see what I’m talking about. I took them in the evening, but it still looks beautiful. You have to see this place in the day time. It’s great.

I got a job!!! Tengo un trabajo!!!

I got a job!!!
For those of you who live in Mexico, or are trying to live in Mexico – you may or may not have noticed how hard it is to find a job as an expat. Heck, it’s hard to find one as a Mexican.

Cancun is supposed to be “better” than some other areas with regards to the unemployment and all. I can’t say it is or isn’t, but I do know that a lot of people are finding it difficult just “getting by”.

Well for me things are looking positive. I almost feel bad even saying it as I know many friends who are struggling on the work front, however, my situation is different than a lot as well. My family in Mexico does not really rely on the tourist industry – well with the exception of our transportation company which relies solely on tourists…. Yes, I’m contradicting myself, but that business is different and has been running for many years now.

I will be working for my dad – thank you papa C!! Most people that I know in Cancun who are expats usually own their own business and are able to work from abroad. Others in the area work in timeshare sales, entertainment, dancers at hotels, teach English, etc… I won’t be doing too much, but anything just to keep myself from going insane. I need my own moola. I need my own “thing”. I love hubby to death, but I can’t spend all my time with him…. I am the type of person that NEEDS to do their own thing. Have a purpose….

Anyways, even though it’s your basic administrative stuff I am happy. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s mine. I just don’t get to start for about 10 more weeks – after Christmas to pay off some bills!