I am Tamiya…

Many of you will know that I generally refer to A2 as my #MonsterChild (amongst other things), specially on Twitter. And that he is having a Monster Party for his 1st Birthday, which is 57 sleeps away, btw. And he’s exactly 10 months today!! And you may have also noticed, if you follow me on Pinterest, or are my friend on Facebook, that I have a semi-obsession with (cute) monsters – anything monster related.

(Now that I have almost reached my punctuation mark target for the day, let me continue)

A while ago, on Pinterest (where else?), I saw someones pin for a pair of Monster Pants. I immediately fell in love, and just HAD to HAVE them for A2. Luckily, I have a very talented and innovative friend, Sally Jane (who can be reached here or here). I emailed or tweeted her the picture of said pants, and begged her to make me some! I was desperate to have them! Fortunately for me, she agreed and a few weeks later (seeing she’s a Stay-at-home-home-schooling mom of 3, one of those 3 being a brand new baby, and a business to run ook nog) I got a slip from my Post Office for a parcel. I just *knew* it was for my (okay, A2′s) pants! I collected it yesterday, and put it on him last night. Man, I just wanted to eat him right up! He just looked too cute!

Here’s the original picture I sent Sally:

Original picture of Monster Pants

And here is A2 with his monster pants:

A2 in his monster pants

I can’t stop myself – I really really LOVE these pants! They will also be part of his birthday outfit on his big day!

Thank you, Sally, for being so amazing and not laugh at my ideas and being up for the challenge and making sure my boy looks so cute!

xoxo

I’m tossing and turning between making this a password protected post, or leaving it open to the world. So I’ll just write and see where I get and decide when I’m done what I’m gonna do. Generally I’m not one to do PPPs, but I need to write about this and get it all out of my head.

When I was little and growing up, I always said I only want two children. Could be because I come from a two-child family. I have my two boys now. And I love them to bits, more and more every day. A1 is still my snuggle child. He always has been. We could always lie and snuggle on the couch and have epic 3 hour naps. Even now, he (and I probably even more so) likes to get into my bed at night and fall asleep there. I love that, it’s like having my own personal little heater next to me. And he holds me or I hold him. And the stuff he comes up with! Sometimes I marvel at his wisdom, and sometimes I burst out laughing. Where he gets it all from, who knows, but conversations with him are one of the highlights of my day!

A2′s personality is really starting to shine through now. I’m getting to know that baby-child better everyday. He’s starting to play games with us, peek-a-boo being one of his favorites. And I swear, last night, on Father’s day, he said Pappa for the very first time. And properly too. And he was looking around/behind him in the direction his daddy walked and shouting Pappa like he was calling for him. It made my heart melt on the spot. He’s such a little piggy lately too. Much prefers his food over his milk, and we really battle to get him to drink a bottle during the day. But offer him food after he’s declined the bottle, and he wolfs it down like he hasn’t had anything in daaaayyyyyyyssss. And he has quite a varied diet, eating anything and everything offered to him.

My family should now be complete, right? The two children and adoring father/partner I’ve always dreamed about. So why doesn’t it feel like it? Why do I feel like we need an A3? How do you stop having children once you’ve reached a certain point? (And this has nothing to do with anything financial. For personal reasons, I don’t want to discuss money. The abundance or lack thereof or the middle ground in between). And how do you *know* you’ve reached that certain point?

I am exceptionally broody at the moment. It’s almost an aching, gaping hole in my chest. I lie awake at night thinking about this. What if A3 turns out to be a little girl. I’ve always said I was blessed with boys because I make a much better boy-mamma than I would a girl-mamma. But what if I turn out to be a better girl-mamma than I give myself credit for? And if A3 is a boy, then that is fine too, I know how boy-bits work by now. And ideally in my world, the 3 brothers will be the best of friends for ever.

Perhaps if I just wait for a bit, this feeling too shall pass? I know I am exceptionally lucky to have been blessed with my two children, when I know there are countless couples out there struggling to just have one child of their own. But I don’t really want to think about that right now. For now, I am writing about me, my feelings and stuff. I don’t want to think about what other people “want to read” or what is “the right thing to say”. If I do that, then I’m fooling myself and still not getting the fight in my head out on paper (metaphorical paper even) and then there’s no point to this ramble anyway.

But then, on the other side of the coin. A2 hasn’t even hit the 10 month mark yet – 4 days to go. We aren’t really actually sleeping through yet, we still have a definite wake-once every night, and sometimes maybe twice. It is getting better though (touch wood, salt over my shoulder, wishes to the moon fairies, broom up a tree, spoon in a pot plant ensovoorts). He’s doing exceptionally well on solids, we have just moved to size 4 nappies and it seems we have moved past the point where he gets so excruciatingly sick like a few months ago. I hope it stays that way.

Which brings me to this: Do I *really* REALLY want to do this all over again?? The whole newborn thing, at first struggling to figure out what my kid wants and when he wants it and how. Sleepless nights again. Sick babies you can’t really do anything for, again. I know that IF by some chance it happens again, I am definitely giving the whole breastfeeding thing a skip, right from the very start. I’ve tried it twice now, and clearly I’m not meant to be a feeder. And why put my child through that emotional trauma (and myself) when I know it doesn’t work for me/us? I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Not anymore. I’m older and more mature (I like to think so) than I was when we had A1. I’m over the need for acceptance. It’s never going to happen anyway, so why pine for it then?

And from TF’s side – he hasn’t exactly completely said NO to having another one. He’s said ideally we are done now and we probably won’t actively be making an A3, but you know, sometimes stuff happens and if it does, it does. I am currently on the injection-contraception, so the chances of it happening are rather slim, but not entirely impossible (Hello, A1). I also haven’t had a period since the day I stopped bleeding after giving birth to A2. So I can’t even tell you when I’m ovulating or not, but I’m assuming I’m in some kind of heavy hormonal period right now, which is increasing these yearnings exponentially.

I am probably being rather ridiculous right now though. But another little bundle of love to love won’t go amiss. And they get even cooler as they grow older, if A1 is anything to go by. Logistically, this might not be the best thing for various reasons, but emotionally, man, my heart is paining.

Again, I ask, how did you know enough is enough, whether you had 1, 2, 3 or even 4 or more?

xoxo

I’ve re-read this whole thing 3 times now, and have decided against password protecting it. Now is when I need the support of my most awesome circle of friends, mamas and perhaps even the odd papa (Hello, G!).

**My Wordless Wednesday**

xoxo

It’s 6am, I have just bathed and washed my hair, and got dressed. The towel is wrapped around my head.
A1: Mommy, you look very pretty. But the towel doesn’t look very pretty, it doesn’t match…

Last night, in the car on the way home.
A1: Mommy, when the doctor cut your tummy so my baby could come out, did you die?
Me: What? No, I’m right here, driving the car!
A1: Yes, but did you die?
(I wonder what they spoke about at school?)

Conversations (mainly one-sided)from him these days generally sound like this:
A1: Yoh! Blah blah blah. Yoh! Dis so cooooool! And yoh, blah blah blah, dis SO cooooool! And yoh! Blah blah blah…
This can carry on from when we leave the house until I drop him off at school. There are usually very many hand gestures accompanying the narrative.

Songs he’s singing randomly about the house, mainly for his Boo – Boo being his baby of course:
Rescue wah wah wah, Boo is on fire on the dance floor.

And

Baby, baby, Boo. Baby, baby, Boo. (Repeatedly, until I ask him to stop and/or sing something else)

xoxo

I can handle being forgotten during increase time, because I wasn’t here. I can handle being made to feel inferior, when it really isn’t true. I can handle not being liked very much by people who don’t exactly matter very much.

But…

…specially when it comes from the one person I love most in this entire world. The man I promised to share my life with. The father of my children. The one I share my home with. The one who’s shoulder I cry on, whom I turn to when there is darkness in my life. The one I share my hopes and dreams with. The man I chose to be my family and make a family with.

I can’t handle that.

He knowingly lied to me. He consciously chose to deceive me. He had the audacity to ask me “Why would I lie to you? Why don’t you believe me?” and when I asked for proof of what he said, he provided a false truth, making me feel like pond-scum for not believing him in the first place. Until 2 hours later, I realised I was fooled, taken for a ride, duped.

I gathered the boys and got in bed.

This morning, he claimed “being drunk” as the culprit behind his actions. He apologised. Said he loved me. Asked if I still loved him? Eventually I said I don’t feel he deserves to hear that right now. He’s grovelling. He’s (graciously) allowing me the right to be angry.

I AM angry. I am furious! I want to cause him grievous bodily harm. I want to bash him with the pan I cooked our (A1 and myself) dinner in at 20:30 last night. I want to scream and kick and shout. And I am, on the inside.

On the outside, I am serene and calm. I am not talking to him. I am ignoring him. And I will continue to do so, until *I* feel better, however long that may be. I don’t feel better yet.

And you know what’s the saddest part of all of this? The unnecessity of it all. If he had just been honest with me from the start, all of this could have been avoided.

xoxo

The title comes courtesy of this site. Can you believe half the year is almost over? It’s actually quite scary how time flies as you grow older!

Anyway, I have been very busy lately, with all kinds of things, so I’ve quite a bit to share

• I wrote about the sewing I’ve done lately: An order for Playmats, A new Matchy-Matchy set for A2 and my Fabric Find.
• I went for a fitting for a Sass Designs dress this weekend. The dresses are just amazing and I want not one, but TWO. One for an LBD/every day kind of wear dress, and another one as my Maid of Honor dress for my friends’ wedding in February. Naturally, after the wedding, I’ll be able to wear that dress more often too. It is just so versatile and stylish! TF said I can order my first one at the end of the month #countingdownthesleeps
• On Saturday, we had an EPIC nap!! Well, actually, it turned into more of a nap. I really struggled to get A2 down after waking from his 1 o’clock nap. Eventually, I get him to fall asleep at 17:30. TF wasn’t home and wouldn’t be for a while, so I didn’t see the harm. I would be the one having to deal with him later anyway. I fell asleep right along A2 on my bed, and A1 was happily passed out on the couch. At one stage, I wake up, notice it’s dark outside and guesstimate the time at about 7-ish. I look at my phone and WHAT?!? It was 22:30!! We had all been sleeping for 5 hours already! Somewhere, A1 must’ve woken up and joined us in the bed, because there he was, next to his brother, snoring away. TF still wasn’t home, so I made sure everything was locked, and got back in bed with the boys. We managed to stretch our nap till 6 the next morning! Total FTW moment!
• I noticed a while ago that it seems as though A2 has a slight cleft in his chin. It now looks as if it’s becoming all the more prominent, specially in certain light.
  

  A2 and his slightly clefted chin and his almost hair

  ‘Scuse the mess on his clothes, it was dinner time just before the photo was taken. I’m secretly quite pleased with his little chin, think he will look rather dashing when he grows up. And he joins the ranks of gorgeous celebs like Ben Affleck, John Travolta, Micheal Douglas, Elijah Wood and Marc Anthony.

• As you know, I’ve become a distributor for Tranquil Body Treats. Not only has Tranquil Body Treats been featured in this month’s Natural Medicine magazine, we also have a tremendous offer for you, for this month – the Winter Warmer Special:
  

  Available in the following fragrances: Lavender, Vanilla, Zesty Lemon and Strawberry.

  Winter warmer pack valued at R346.   You  pay R280 a R66 saving. What a nourishing way to start the winter!
  ~Go on, INDULGE your winter skin~

• The beautiful Julia gave me a blog award yesterday. I feel honored to have received one, and she wrote such nice things about me. I’ll be writing a special Award post tomorrow. Thank you, Julia!

Okay, it’s home time for me. May you all stay safe and warm!

xoxo

…right now. With a baby in the house, one tends to sing a lot. Specially if it seems to soothe them. And even though I’ll never be eligible to enter Idols or Popstars or Singstars or any type of talent show that requires me to sing, my kid seems to love my voice. So I’m singing, a lot. All kinds of songs, even though he has a few firm favorites. His include Baa-Baa Black sheep, I love you (the purple dinosaur theme song), You are my Moon(Sun)shine and Somewhere over the rainbow.

But I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites, lyrics and all, that totally tickle my fancy these days.

1.

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily, Merrily Merrily, Merrily

Life is but a dream

Rip, rip, rip your pants

Gently down the seam

Merrily, Merrily Merrily, Merrily

Hear the ladies scream

A1 always giggles hysterically when I sing this.

2.

My mommy bought a toothbrush

It was a lovely pink

And, when it looked across to

dad’s I’m sure I saw it wink

That night I had a funny dream

While fast asleep in bed

Two toothbrushes were

holding hands

And this is what they said:

You’re a pink toothbrush

I’m a blue toothbrush

Have we met somewhere before

You’re a pink toothbrush

And I think toothbrush

That we met by the bathroom door

Glad to meet toothbrush

Such a sweet toothbrush

How you thrill me through & through

Don’t be hard toothbrush, on a soft toothbrush

’cause I can’t help loving you

Every time I hear you whistle

It makes my nylon bristle

You’re a pink toothbrush

I’m a blue toothbrush

Won’t you marry me in haste

I’ll be true toothbrush

Just to you toothbrush

When we both use the same toothpaste

Every time I hear you whistle

It makes my nylon bristle

You’re a pink toothbrush

I’m a blue toothbrush

Won’t you marry me in haste

I’ll be true toothbrush

Just to you toothbrush

When we both use the same toothpaste

My mama used to sing this to us when we were little, and I loved it then too. I’d actually forgotten all about it, until I discovered it on a CD we bought this weekend.

3.

How much is that doggie in the window

The one with the waggely tail

How much is that doggie in the window

I do hope that doggie’s for sale

I must take a trip to California

And leave my poor sweetheart alone

If he has a dog, he wont be lonesome

And the doggie will have a good home

How much is that doggie in the window

The one with the waggely tail

How much is that doggie in the window

I do hope that doggie’s for sale

I read in the papers there are robbers

With flashlights that shine in the dark

My love needs a doggie to protect him

And scare them away with one bark

I don’t want a budgie or a kitty

I don’t want a parrot that talks

I don’t want a bowl of little fishes

You can’t take a goldfish for a walk

How much is that doggie in the window

The one with the waggely tail

How much is that doggie in the window

I do hope that doggie’s for sale

I hope you have a happy, sing-song, positively amazing day!

xx

…to help you procrastinate just those few minutes longer

• We NEED a bigger bed! Way back when, when futons were all the rage, I had one too. And then I fell pregnant with A1. And then my loving   dear Old Man bought his daughter a double bed. This was less than 5 years ago. We are still using this same bed now for us, in our house. Except, now we have 2 kids who like to share our bed with us. And 4 bodies are not meant to fit on a double bed… My shoulder today hurts like a mofo! We’re hopefully looking into a new bed soon. A king-size. Doesn’t necessarily even have to be extra-length, we just need the extra width.

• <vent>I am sick and tired of hypocrites. Totally over them! The old adage: People Who Live In Glass Houses Should Not Throw Stones comes to mind! Who the fuck are you to think you can judge me/my decisions??</vent>

• A friend on Twitter was complaining how she couldn’t find snuggly soft fluffy suits for her baby (12 – 18 months). I had the same problem a week or so ago, looking for stuff 6(9) – 12 months for A2. Granted, I only looked at Jet and Edgars, but I looked in a few of them, hoping for a wider selection. Jet advertises their baby section as Newborn to 12 months, but all the warm winter baby stuff stops at sizes 3-6 months. At the one particular Jet store, I found only 3 clip-at-the-bottom long sleeved vests, in lemon. Nothing in blue or green or even white. No pink either, but I wouldn’t have bought pink anyway. So I took all 3 of those vests. (At this point in time I was at a Sorry for you, first come first served basis). We found some more at Edgars, but at double the price of a vest at Jet. I bought 4 more there, so he has 1 for every day of the week. I didn’t find the fluffy suits that would’ve been so nice, but did find 2 fleece ones, and 2 super-padded Eskimo like suits. I prefer him to sleep in these all-in-one jobs, I just think it’s warmer.

• On a very happy note, I have become a Tranquil Body Treats distributor. I am really excited to be part of this team, as I think the Tranquil Body Treat products are fantastically awesome in their superior quality. If you would like more information on our products, feel free to leave a comment here, or I can be reached via BBM (for all those Blackberry lovers): 2179E998. If you would like me to keep you up to date with the special promotions and/or any TBT news, let me know and I’ll add you to my list. **Insert small disclaimer here: Your email address will not be used for any other purposes than to receive TBT news from me**

• An A1 update: Last week we were informed that his teacher had given 24-hour notice, effective immediately, at his school. We were told this was due to personal conflicts she had with the Headmistress/Owner, and not because of her teaching skills. Those were never brought into question. I was a bit shocked, and also scared, about how A1 was going to handle this situation, as he loved his teacher dearly. But I picked him up, we discussed the situation and he looked fine about it. I tried to explain why she left as best I could, and told him it wasn’t because of him or any of the other children. And that things would be quite exciting because he was now getting a new teacher. Together, we wondered what she would look like and if she would be nice (I firmly believe she would be) and what color her hair is, and if she would be big and tall or short and small. I dropped him off at school this morning, again excitedly chattering about the new teacher, and told him he needs to tell me all about it when I pick him up this afternoon. He looked quite okay with the whole situation, which helped ease my fears slightly. I hope it went well today.

• I joined a forum recently, for mommies and such, and spent a few days hanging around, commenting where it felt appropriate, tried to initiate a conversation or two aaaaaaaannnnnndddd then it went all pear-shaped (refer previous two posts). But never mind, I’ve actually come to realise that I don’t need to be part of a forum for that sense of community. I have it already, in my Twitter stream. These ladies (and some men) have been part of my everyday life for a very long time now. They know me, and I know them. I no longer feel apprehensive about tweet-ups, because I’m guaranteed to know at least 2 people already in real life at any such get together. I don’t need to re-introduce myself to strangers, and hope they don’t mind my ramblings or wonder what they’ll think of me. Chances are, if you follow me on twitter, or read my blog, you don’t mind my ramblings. And if you did mind them, well, you wouldn’t be reading this or following me on twitter, now would you? So, just in case, I Love You, Friends In My Phone. Thank you for always being there for me. And thank you, very special friends, for always having my back!

• Last update, A2′s Monster Party planning is coming along roaringly. I’ve already started ordering nommy-goodness here and there, and the invites have already been designed and are ready for naming and sending. I’ve done a party game too, that also just needs printing. I have a bunch of awesome ideas pinned to the dedicated Pinterest board, and have already started working on the take home (you guessed it, Monster) toys. They’re looking super cute, even if I do say so myself. (I think I’m having too much fun with them though, have already given the ones I’ve made so far names and stuff. Blame the overactive imagination vs procrastination…)

Okidoki then, I think that is it for now.

Hope y’all have had a super awesome Monday! I’ve been pretending to be a celeb hiding from the paparazzi all day with my scarf tied around my hair**, sans Jackie-O’s. I think I look rather snazzy!

xx

**The real reason for this is my hair is down for a change and the wind is blowing it into my smoke the whole time, singeing it at funny angles…

Wow! It seems my post yesterday caused quite an uproar. Some people agreed with me, and some really slammed me for daring to say anything like I did. Which ever way the post made you feel, at least it accomplished two things:

1. Allowed other unhappy customers to see they are not alone, and maybe even gave them the courage to say so out loud
2. It has come under Calora Mangement’s attention that there are flaws in their system/company/approach.

As promised on their Facebook Page yesterday, a member of Senior Management, Mark, gave me a call earlier today to discuss my issues. We had a long chat, where he explained to me the way their company works and how they are reliant on outside suppliers for their products. He also gave a brief history of how things were before they launched their Mega Store – the only one in our country of that magnitude – and the immense pressure they are under since the launch.

Now see, I get all of that. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again now, I understand they are new. I understand there might be issues with either products out of stock due to high demand - because of Calora’s good name in the baby-world and huge fan base – or courier companies being unreliable (I’ve heard many a complaint about that) or even suppliers being unreliable. And I understand that the overwhelming response to their initiative was, well, overwhelming. I like to believe I am not an unreasonable person.

My issue yesterday, was none of the above. It was in fact about the lack of communication. And the miscommunication. Communication that translates directly into Customer Service. During our conversation though, Mark reassured me that all of their staff will receive Customer Service training, allowing them to appropriately deal with a customer complaint. Hopefully in future, a situation like mine can be avoided.

Furthermore, Mark explained that they will (and have) taken steps on their online site for Out Of Stock items. (I noticed this yesterday when I went back to check if they’re still advertising the nappies as available). You can now no longer add an item to your cart if it is OOS. The option has been removed. This is a good thing, because you won’t be unnecessarily disappointed as a result of having to wait extra long for your order due to an item not being available. This proves that Calora is not just about the sale. They don’t just want your money and then leave you high and dry.

I was informed that Bridget would personally be delivering my order today, this afternoon. She has just phoned to say I can expect her around 15:30. I look forward to meeting her.

I have a few suggestions that I’m hoping they will take seriously enough to perhaps implement them on their site and via their staff:

• Be honest. Explain the reasons behind the delay, whatever they my be. Also give a truthful estimate on time. If you’re not sure when a supplier will deliver, say so. People are more understanding than what they get credit for.
• Have system updates on orders – available online or as an email. Even if it is an automated one. People just like being kept informed.
• Perhaps instead of saying an item takes (for example) 4 days to ship PLUS another 24-48 hours to be delivered, just say 6 days (which includes your original 4 days and the longer part of the courier delivery time). This way, no one gets confused about the time frames and if an order gets delivered a day earlier, people will actually be that little bit more impressed.
• If there is a particular item, say nappies, you are waiting for, why not send a mass email (even a generic one) to all the customers who ordered these particular nappies explaining that their order has been delayed due to nappies being out of stock or something along those lines. Just keep people informed.
• I know I am stressing the use of email, but that is because not everyone who places orders are part of the Calora Forum, or follow you on Facebook or on Twitter. And even if they are, most people have very restricted access to such websites due to company policies.

A friend of mine has said: “People complain with the expectation of not being taken seriously. By hearing them and acting on what they have said you validate them and create an experience that build loyalty” and you know what, that is almost exactly how I feel. I may have lashed out yesterday in anger and frustration. I am not discrediting or retracting what I’ve said though, as I still feel I had a very valid reason to complain. If Calora is serious about the feedback I got from them (and I trust that they are), then everyone who is unhappy now, will be happy customers soon.

I’m not entirely sure yet if they will see me as a customer again, but I won’t be warning all and sundry against them anymore. I do hope *you* give them a chance though, as I’m sure Calora will do their absolute very best to avoid anything like this happening again in future.

Love,

Tamiya

**Calora has also sent me a voucher to spend in their store. I haven’t mentioned it before, because it was NEVER about extorting them for free stuff. I didn’t ask or demand one. They sent it of their own free will. At this point in time, I would really just like the stuff that I ordered.**

**I am also publishing this now, at 14:45, before my order has been delivered. I am basing this on the phone call I received from Bridget 5 minutes ago. I am taking them by their word; I hope I don’t land up with egg on my face** <- My order WAS personally delivered by Bridget as promised at about 16:30 on Friday.

I was recently informed of a new online store for baby goods – Calora, which is a South African based business. The brand Calora has become increasingly popular in the baby world, offering advice, forums and Calora branded products. I first saw/heard of them at a baby expo I went to when still pregnant with A1, more than 4 years ago, so I knew it wasn’t a fly by night operation. So when their store was launched, I was really excited, because this meant I could buy my baby goods from the comfort of my office, have it delivered to my office and avoid any unnecessary shopping trauma with a baby who hates shopping.

The shop has 1000s of items from most of the popular brands in their market, from nappies, formulas, toiletries, clothing and apparel. So really, you are spoilt for choice. The entire experience of adding stuff to my shopping cart was most rewarding. I had to stop myself from going overboard, because it’s just so easy to click “Add to Cart”. But I managed, and my total order came to R943.46. That’s a lot of money, in my books! But I didn’t just buy ‘nice-to-haves’. I bought nappies, formula, cereal and food – you know, consumables, stuff that is actually necessary to look after my child. And the opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. Considering there is a 4 day delivery period, we had just enough stuff to last us until delivery was supposed to take place. (Bear in mind, it’s 4 BUSINESS days, so technically, we had a 6 day waiting period, because there was a weekend in between.)

I placed my order last week Tuesday, paid for it and emailed a Proof of Payment notice to Calora with my order number as reference. I then excitedly announced on all of my social media platforms how awesome Calora is and what a pleasure the online shopping experience was and urging my friends to go check out their site.

On Thursday, I received an email stating that my order had been successfully processed. Happy Days!! I immediately sent an email back, very friendly, asking since my order has been successfully processed, when can I expect delivery to take place? My reasons for asking was that we were starting to run low on formula, and if delivery would take place on Friday, great, and if only on Monday, that I might need to purchase a small tin of formula just to tide us over. (Remember, I just bought TWO 1.8kg tins of formula from Calora, so I really didn’t actually want to spend more money on something unless I really needed to.)

Bridget, from Calora responded:

Hi Tamiya,

 

We should have your order shipped to you tomorrow, if not, then Monday. If delivery hasn’t happened by tomorrow, then maybe just a small tin to tide you over for the weekend might be suggested. Will update you tomorrow once shipped.

 

Thank you for your purchase, your business is greatly appreciated!

 

Have a great day,

 

Well, obviously, it wasn’t shipped or delivered on Friday, or there would be nothing for me to write about.

Sometime on Monday morning, while browsing Facebook, I almost missed the following update from Calora:

Although 90% of purchases have been shipped on time, due to high volumes and teething problems (we’re still a 2 week old baby), some orders have been delayed. We sincerely apologise and assure all Calora Shoppers that most issues have now been resolved. As a token of our appreciation for your patience, late orders will/have been credited with 50 cash-back points. www.CaloraBaby.co.za

Late Monday afternoon, I gave Bridget a call requesting a status update on my order. She told me that they were waiting for the nappies (of which I ordered TWO packs) and that my order should be shipped that afternoon for delivery either tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday. Tuesday, nothing. On Wednesday, I send Bridget an email again:

Hi Bridget,

Please will you be able to give me an update as to when my order will be delivered?

I spoke to you on the phone on Monday, and was informed you were waiting for the nappies at the warehouse, and that the order should be shipped either yesterday or today. Will I be receiving my order today?

Thank you,

Tamiya

I was lucky, I got a response within the hour:

Hi Tamiya,

 

Unfortunately there has been a delay with the couriers and we are urgently trying to sort out this matter! Your order should be there by tomorrow before 17h00 latest, or else we will have to deliver it personally. We apologize for this inconvenience!

Hopefully this doesn’t affect you negatively, your business is greatly appreciated by us!

Once the issue with the couriers is sorted out, there should be no more delays and very quick deliveries.

Again, my apologies!

 

Now this really grated my (hypothetical) nuts! I was reading all over on the forums and on Facebook about other people who had already received their orders. On top of this, the only time I received any news on my order was when I contacted them. There were no emails or phone calls or sms’s updating me on the progress, or lack thereof, or the problems they were experiencing. Even a mass-email would have been nice to receive. All my contact details were available to them, as per my order. So I replied to Bridget:

Hi Bridget,

I realise the store is quite new, and you may experience some teething troubles, but having to read on all forms of social media about other customers who have already received their goods, and constant delays with my own order, is actually rather upsetting.

I was happy when placing my order that there would be a 4-day (6 days if you count the weekend) delivery time frame attached to it, and planned as such. However, my order contains consumable goods – Formula and Nappies and Cereal and Food, which makes it rather urgent/necessary that it gets delivered within the stipulated time!

I’m sure that as a company you do not plan to have any issues with delivery etc. but had I known this would be the case, I would’ve taken the R700+ and gone to a regular shop to buy the goods and have it immediately.

What is even more upsetting is that there has been no feedback from you or any Calora staff member with regards to outstanding orders and the issues you are experiencing. Besides an email on Thursday, which I’m assuming is an automated response, saying my order has been processed successfully, and an almost missed announcement on Facebook on Monday, all communication has been initiated from my side. This is not what one expects from a customer service point of view.

I’m not sure if I can trust that delivery will take place tomorrow, because after every query, the answer has always been ‘tomorrow’. Tomorrow never comes though.

I am very disappointed.

Regards,

Tamiya

 

I was absolutely livid at this point, but decided to keep my cool and be as civil about this as humanly possible. Bridget responds:

Hi Tamiya,

I understand your complaints and we are trying our absolute best to sort these matters out! It is difficult to find reliable suppliers, and having a delay with our couriers is a disaster. Orders are meant to be delivered 24 hours after shipping, and we are discovering that our couriers aren’t sticking to that timeline, which is creating a lot of unnecessary annoyance. We are trying to rectify this problem asap, and are hoping they deliver no later than tomorrow!

Hope you enjoy your day.

 

This morning at 10:55, I get a phone call from Bridget, quoting my order number saying she sees here I ordered Olli baby food, but the flavours I ordered are Out of Stock at the moment, and can she give me different flavours? Caught off guard, I reply sure, as long as it’s fruit. Great, we’ll have your ordered shipped today, so delivery should be tomorrow or the day after. The conversation ends.

But then it hit me: WAIT, WHAT?!?!? They don’t have Olli for my order, an order which according to Bridget should have been shipped already and technically been delivered by no later than 17:00 TODAY! Why am I only NOW being informed of the missing Olli, when I was only told about the Nappies on MONDAY, and none of the subsequent correspondence stated any such thing?? And again, there she goes with the TOMORROW. The day after is SATURDAY, they don’t deliver on SATURDAYS, so it *might* only be on MONDAY NEXT WEEK!

So I phoned Bridget back. This time much less calmly than before, and told her that this kind of service is unacceptable. Again I stated I realise they are new to this business and there might be hiccups, but EVERY single time *I* phone them, there is always an issue and it will always be delivered tomorrow. “Yes, but we are having some trouble with some suppliers”.  And WHY would the Olli be there on Monday, but not today?? Don’t you pack the boxes for each order as they come in? And if there are missing items, you get them, put them in the box and send it off?? So why is the Olli missing? “Oh, someone in warehouse must have taken it out of the box for another order.” At this point, I nearly exploded! But I managed to keep to a respectable level of anger. I told her to send the order. Just send it. Without the Olli. Credit me for the [damn] Olli, just.send.my.order! And refund me for the Olli! But I need my stuff and I need it TODAY! “Okay, where are you based?” They’re in Jhb, I’m in Jhb, and I say so. “You’ll get your stuff today” Are you *sure* I’m getting my stuff today? “I’ll see what I can do.” Okay fine, but please keep me updated on the progress. “Yes I will.”

I am not upset by the Olli. I am upset about Monday no nappies no delivery, Tuesday no delivery, Wednesday no delivery and citing courier company troubles as the cause, Thursday no delivery and phoning to say you don’t have xyz can you give me abc, which means that my order was never sent to the couriers from your warehouse in the first place, so you were blaming someone else for your own mistakes and lying to the customer about it.

This was between the hours of 12:00 and 13:00. It is now 15:23 and I haven’t heard anything back from Bridget or any member of Calora. I get the feeling (as I did whilst on the phone with her) that Bridget is going to treat this/me as a petulant child, letting me whine and moan, yet will do nothing about it.

Needless to say, I will NEVER EVER buy from Calora again! I will use the same media platforms on which I promoted them, to tell everyone about my terrible experience! If you had a good experience from them, I’m happy for you, but I haven’t. And I’m never taking a chance on being disappointed again!

Tamiya

(I work in the FMCG – Fast Moving Consumable Good industry myself, and I don’t feel that I’m being unreasonable with my expectations.)

**I underlined and bold-ed some bits of the email communication for this post, as these are bits that I read to be of importance