Category: HAPPENINGS

Or Lowes is spelled Slowe.

To bring you up to speed. We picked out a propane range last year when we picked out all our other appliances. The brand was Kucht, and we checked that it was on the Massachusetts list of approved appliances and plumbing fixtures (which we did for everything that we planned on installing). The Kucht brand was not carried by the company that our builder used for all the other appliances, so I ended up ordering it from Lowes.

The range was ordered in the spring a few weeks before the cabinets came in. The builder wanted the range in hand to make sure he got the spacing correct when he installed the cabinets. We were still three months from completion at that point.

Fast forward to the process of getting an occupancy permit. This involves a series of inspections, safety, electrical, structural, plumbing (and others). Well, we failed the plumbing inspection. Specifically, the inspector was unable to find the Kucht range on the Massachusetts list, so it had to be removed and replaced with something on the list.

Needless to say, that was a surprise. We had checked a year earlier and it was on the list. But we had no choice at the time. We removed the range and scrambled to get an alternative that met our needs, could be installed with 2 days and was on the list. Meanwhile, the Kucht range was going to go back to Lowes for a refund.

Well, that’s when things got messy. First of all, Lowes does not accept appliance returns for refund after 48 hours of delivery. But the range is still unused and illegal to install in Massachusetts. Lowes does care, or better stated, Lowes associates do not even understand the issue.

The next step was to talk to the manufacturer. After finding the right person at Kucht (which took two calls), they admitted that they let their Massachusetts paperwork lapse and although they would be fixing that problem in the future, it was too late for us. Kucht told me to have Lowes send Kucht an email to get a return authorization.

I called Lowes and after they complained (“why didn’t I send the email,” they asked; “because Kucht needed it to come from Lowes,” I answered) Lowes sent the email and got the return authorization.

I knew this because, among other things, I got an email from Lowes informing me of the schedule pickup date for the range. To be more precise, Lowes email told me when they would be delivering my appliance — their scheduling system does not know how to differentiate between a delivery and a pickup. But the truck came on August 7 and picked up the range (we were storing it in the yard under a tarp). Lowes said that a refund would take up to 2 weeks and to be patient.

Three weeks later, I had heard nothing so I called Lowes. They were very polite and said that the would fix the problem and that I would hear back within 24 hours. As expected, I heard nothing.

Three days later I called them again. This time they said they reopen the case and send the information to the warehouse and I should hear back in 24 hours. I did not.

The next week, I called again. At this point it was a month after the range was picked up. They explained that Lowes did not know if the range was currently in the warehouse (in Franklin) or in the store (in Woburn). They needed to find it before they could issue the refund. Lowes said the issue had been escalated to a manager and I would hear back in (you guessed it) 24 hours.

Two more calls. Two more assurances that I would be contacted in 24 hours. Then just before I was going to call again, I got a email from their scheduling system that my range was going be be delivered in two days … to an address in Wilmington. Lowes never told me what was happening, but my guess was that the range was finally located at the warehouse and needed to be shipped to the store before a refund could be issues. It was a little strange to see the delivery to an address that is not my house, but at least there was action.

A few days later (we are now 7 weeks after the range was picked up), I got a notification that they had refunded my purchase. Finally.

I could commute to work by bicycle from my old house. The whole trip was 8.5 miles, of which 3 miles of which were on the Minuteman Bike Path. The whole trip, home to work, was 269 feet of elevation up and only 66 feet down. So while there were hills (one bad one in particular), there were no unnecessary hills.

Today I tried to commute to work by bike from my new house. The route recommended by Google was also around 8.5 miles, however, there was 380 feet of elevation gain and 290 feet of elevation loss. This means lots of hills, including two really bad ones. And the whole route was along a busy street without a shoulder.

Here is the elevation profile from my old house.

And here is the route I tried this morning from my new house. The gray lines are alternate routes. That first hill was a killer, but it was the last two hills that really did me in since I was pretty tired by then. Total uphill — 384 feet.

On the way home, I tried a different route that was longer, but less hilly. If I reverse that route, you can see that it will only have 207 feet of elevation gain, but it will be a half mile longer. And there is still a steep hill at the end.

I suspect that I will still commute to work, but less frequently. Probably once a week until it gets too dark in the morning to travel safely.

The OARS group held a Rivermusic today. Rivermusic is like porchfest, except along the Sudbury river. Here is a map and schedule.

Daphne and I used our row boat and visited sites 3, 4, 5, 6 and back to 4 before bladder pressure ended our afternoon. Here are two pictures from site 3, where Sarah Whitney played the violin (and was the highlight of the afternoon).

There were a lot of boats, mostly kayaks with some canoes and paddle boards. We were one of the few people in a row boat and smart enough to have brought umbrellas since it was a sunny day.

The rain finally let up and it turned out to be a beautiful day on the river. Daphne and I went out kayaking.

Here is Daphne.

Here is the northern end of Fairhaven Bay.

And here is a picture of the bald eagle nest on the southwestern shore of the bay. Unfortunately the eagles were not home when I tool the picture although they had returned later (when I was too far away for a good picture).