In 2010, they began a Phase 3 pancreatic cancer clinical trial for their “HyperAcute® Pancreas Immunotherapy”. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - I would encourage you to visit their website to learn more. You can also visit cancer.gov for more information about this type of cancer.

That said, a recent purchase from Sears now has the distinction of being the absolute worst shopping experience of my life (so far). Some of you will read this and likely recall even worse situations that you’ve experienced (and I welcome your comments below) - but I think you’ll agree that Sears really failed me this time.

It all began last Saturday when I made the decision to find a Christmas gift that our entire family could enjoy together. Once winter starts in Iowa, you can count on spending a lot of evenings and weekends cooped up in the house. I wanted to find a game that got us up and moving - one that my 7 and 10 year old daughters could play in addition to my wife and I.

What I decided on was a ping pong table, also known as a table tennis table. Since we already have a pool table in the basement (billiards is still a little tough for my youngest daughter) I started searching for table tennis pool table covers. You know…the ones that lay on top of pool tables.

I checked a few online stores, including Amazon.com (where I’d ordered several Christmas gifts this year) but decided to spread the money/love around a bit by ordering from Sears.com. They had a few options to chose from and I found one that was normally $120, but currently on sale for $99. Seemed like a great deal (at the time). Looking back…I should have stuck with Amazon.

I had never made a purchase on Sears.com before so I had to start from scratch filling out my billing and shipping address. That process was fairly easy, especially since I use Roboform. But, as I was completing the final check-out steps - the shopping cart system crashed and an error message/page was displayed. So, rather than trying it again I found the sales/service phone number to call in my order.

The phone order process wasn’t quite as easy since the person taking my order most likely didn’t speak English as a first language. We got through the process only after I repeated the necessary information a few times. As a bonus, the salesperson told me that I could still get free shipping on this item, saving me about $69 and making my final price $105.10.

When I checked my online banking account the next day, I discovered that Sears had actually charged me $175 - obviously missing the free shipping I’d learned about during the phone call. I called Sears support 4 times that day, but on each occasion I learned that their system computers were still down and I’d have to keep trying back.

The following day I called a 5th time and this time the computers were working. The person who looked up my order was very pleasant but had to put me on hold a few times to sort out the billing issue. After about 20 minutes she returned with the bad news…no free shipping on this item. Since I’d been told about the free shipping when I ordered, I asked to speak to a manager. After several more minutes a supervisor came on the line. I explained the entire situation again and I was told that I did get free shipping, but not free delivery. What??

After discussing the semantics and not getting an answer as to how much the free shipping saved me, I ended up canceling the entire order. For the extra $70, I would pick the item up myself. Since I didn’t get an email order confirmation the first time I placed the order (the supervisor said my email wasn’t in the system) I asked for one this time on the cancellation. Although I was assured I’d get one, it never happened. I was told that the credit would appear on my credit card in 7-10 days.

Because I really wanted the ping pong table, I went back to Sears.com the next day and ordered the same table for local store pickup. I borrowed a truck, drove 28 miles to Southridge (since the Merle Hay store no longer had any in inventory) and got it home. Finally I thought the ordeal had ended.

The next day I got a robocall from Sears home delivery regarding the delivery of the first table I ordered…the one I canceled. I called them back and explained the situation. Again I was told, the order has been canceled in our system. Over the next 2 days I received 3 more robocalls from Sears, reminding me that the delivery was coming on Saturday.

This afternoon I got a call from a Sears dispatcher, telling me the delivery people were at my house. I explained to him that I canceled that order several days earlier, and that I called to make sure it was canceled after the first robocall. Based on everything that had already gone wrong, somehow I knew the order never had been canceled After 3 days, I had not received a credit and I still had no confirmation via email.

I have no idea where things will go from here. Maybe it is over now and I won’t hear from Sears again. Maybe my account will be credited for the $175 charge in 7-10 days. Maybe someone from Sears will call me and apologize for putting me through this mess. Somehow, I don’t think any of this will happen. My guess is that this isn’t over.

Regardless, as things stand today I have decided that I will never buy from Sears again. Sears…you failed me.

On a much happier side note: Totally unrelated to this, let me tell you about an incredible shopping experience that happened to my wife this week. She purchased $750 of gift certificates from the Jordan Creek area Walmart store about 10 days ago. Several of those certificates were given to a local family in need, totaling $75. Then a few days ago, that family lost their home in a fire…along with the gift certificates.

My wife was at Walmart today and explained the situation to see if those lost, but unused cards could be recovered. Even without the original receipt, a manager at the store gave my wife a $75 gift certificate to replace the ones that were lost. This will make a huge difference for the family and it sheds a positive light on Walmart. Now that is taking care of a customer.

12/29/2010: The saga continues. It has now been more than 10 business days since I cancelled my order with Sears and I still haven’t received a credit on my card. Called the number referenced in the billing (CHECK CRD PURCHASE 12/11 SEARS COM INTERNET 800-676-5543 - $175.98) and guess what?…that number is no longer a valid Sears number. Looked the number up online and called customer “support”. I asked why the credit hadn’t been issue yet. Found out the order cancellation was not entered into the system until 12/22 (9 days after I made the call to cancel it, and 3 days after I refused the delivery that I’d previously cancelled and confirmed). No surprise here.

The Sears representative said I should be getting the credit in the next 5 days. I asked her to send me an email confirmation of that. Guess what? They don’t have my email in the system. For the 3rd time in 3 weeks I gave my email address and said I’d hold on the line until I received the email. As I was waiting, I walked the support person thru the entire incident and then asked, “Is there anything Sears does in situations like this to make matters right again?”. After a long pause the reply was, “I could authorize a 5% discount off your purchase price.” I was shocked. Five Dollars?

I told the representative that I’d pass on the gracious offer and said, “It would seem that in situations like this, Sears would want to do something of more value to make up for all the mistakes that were made…maybe a $50 or $100 gift certificate. $5 doesn’t even begin to make up for the time I put in to doing business with Sears.”

Anyway, I told the representative it wasn’t her fault, wished her a Happy New Year..and now I wait…again.

Update 01/06/2011: Didn’t want to leave any of you readers hanging so thought I’d give you another update. When I last wrote on 12/29, I had just received a confirmation email from Sears that my credit/refund would be arriving in 72 hours or less. Since it has now been 6 business days and still no credit, decided I better call them back to see what the story was this time.

First person I spoke with couldn’t find me in the computer based on my home phone and cell phone. Strange they had used these numbers to robocall me. After 10 minutes on hold I was transferred to another department. Not surprising, the call was dropped before I made it there.

Called back and this representative was able to find me in the system based on my Order number (from the email). They still had my incorrect phone number from 2005 and my email was not in the computer…even though they used it to email me 9 days ago. Rep said the refund was issued. I said it wasn’t in my account yet. She checked another “system” and agreed that is wasn’t issued. Said she would expedite the process and I should have something soon.

I had to laugh as I have been hearing this since 12/14/10. I am not sure if this is completely intentional or if Sears has simply got the worst communication system of any major company on the planet. By my best estimation, I’ve now spent over 4 hours on the phone trying to get this resolved. Anyone have any suggestions?

1.  Where do I vote (in Des Moines, Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines etc.)?
2.  When can I vote in Iowa and can I still vote early?
3.  How do I know if I’m registered to vote in Iowa?
4.  How do I find election polls and voting surveys for Iowa and the entire U.S.?
5.  How can I find my voting location?
6.  What are the voting hours in Iowa?
7.  What time to polls open in Iowa? (hint: they open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.)
8.  Who should I vote for in 2008?
9.  Who will win the election?

We need a voting assistance guide! And the list goes on and on, including questions about voting times, voting days, polling hours, polling places, sample ballots, and general voting information. I had some of these exact questions last week, and most of the people I asked had no idea. It seems the candidates have done an excellent job of filling the airwaves with their ad campaigns, but for some reason when the time comes to vote, I am left wondering where to go.

I did a few searches myself this morning, and the best site I found for answers was http://www.vote411.org/. I’m sure there are many others, but I specifically wanted to know where I needed to go to cast my vote tomorrow. For that answer, the more specific page is www.vote411.org/pollingplace.php.  From there, you simply enter your state (Iowa) and enter your address, city and zip code.

My search resulted in the following, which is a new polling place for me:

Your Voting Location

Name: Waukee School Adm Building
Address: 560 Southeast University Avenue, Waukee

Now if I can only find that place! 

Just guessing, but Tuesday night and Wednesday I’m betting the top searches will be about Iowa voting results, Des Moines local election results, and generally ”who won?”!

Update From the 2008 election: I voted at 8 a.m. this morning and there were no lines/no waiting at my location. Probably will be a lot busier from 4-9 p.m. Most popular searches this morning include: exit polls 2008, presidential election results, early voting exit polls, election news/coverage/update/returns and election tracker.

Local donations were also awarded as weekly and final prizes to encourage employee wellness. These incentives included tickets for Iowa Chops  and Iowa Cubs  games, gift certificates and memberships to Anytime Fitness in Des Moines (SE 14th & Beaver Ave.), passes to Woodland Hills Golf Course, a fruit bouquet by Edible Arrangements, free bowling to Plaza Lanes, Fridley Theaters passes, and 32 oz. jars of Salsa By Joni.

Seneca’s Biggest Loser Mike Freese lost nearly 22% of his body weight during the 10-week period. A recent graduate of Iowa State, he currently works in the Seneca Distribution warehouse and from the get-go hoped his weight loss and new diet would provide more energy and stamina throughout the workday. “I had to cut out my Mountain Dew and snacks to begin a much healthier diet, and I feel so much better now that I have lost that weight.” He adds, “It’s a tough economy out there, and if losing weight makes me do my job better and faster, I am all for it!”.

Seneca will begin their second Biggest Loser contest on May 1st, encouraging new participants to increase wellness and physical activity throughout the company.

This year, my goal is to play as many Des Moines public golf courses as I can, and I plan to sneak in a round at several of the top courses within an hour drive as well. Today in the Des Moines Register (print edition) I came across a list of metro-area public golf courses. Normally I cut this out and keep it at my office, but since I couldn’t find the same information on the Register website, I’ve decided to add some of it here.

In addition to listing these courses, I’d also like to add Des Moines golf course specials as I find them, and I encourage you to do the same. Since rates are constantly changing, please use this as a guide only. Many courses change green fees based on what time you tee off. Some also have discounted rates for juniors and seniors. Before you make any decisions based on the data below, please check the website or call the course to get update information and to schedule your tee time.

Updated 04/02/2010 - Information below has been updated based on the Des Moines Register newspaper’s 4/1/10 edition.

A.H. Blank Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
18 hole course, par 72
515-285-0864 or www.blankgolfcourse.com
18 holes with a cart runs $31 weekdays and $40 on weekends.

Beaver Creek Golf Course is located in Grimes.
27 hole course, par 72
515-986-3221 or www.beavercreek-golf.com
18 holes with a cart runs $39 weekdays and $46 on weekends.

Copper Creek Golf Course is located in Pleasant Hill.
18 hole course, par 71
515-263-1600 or www.golfcoppercreek.com
18 holes with a cart runs $40 weekdays and $45 on weekends.

Countryside Golf Course is located in Norwalk.
18 hole course, par 70
515-981-0266 or www.countrysideiowa.com
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $40 on weekends.

Deer Run Golf Course is located in Indianola.
18 hole course, par 72
515-961-5445
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $40 on weekends.

Grand View Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
18 hole course, par 70
515-248-6301 or www.golfgrandviewgc.com
18 holes with a cart runs $27 weekdays and $36 on weekends.

Jester Park Golf Course is located in Granger.
515-999-2903 or www.jesterparkgolf.com
18 holes, par 72 (plus a 9 hole, par 3 course)
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $43 on weekends.

Legacy Golf Course is located in Norwalk.
515-287-7885 or www.thelegacygolfclub.com
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $45 weekdays and $50 on weekends.

Otter Creek Golf Course is located in Ankeny.
515-965-6464 or www.ankenyiowa.gov/ottercreekgolf
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $39 weekdays and $49 on weekends.

River Valley Golf Course is located in Adel.
515-993-4029 or www.rivervalleygolf.com
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $38 weekdays and $44 on weekends.

Rolling Hills Golf Course is located in Norwalk.
515-981-1500
9 holes, par 36 (plus a 9 hole, par 3 course)
18 holes with a cart runs $25 weekdays and $30 on weekends.

Sugar Creek Golf Course is located in Waukee.
515-987-5247 or http://sugarcreek.waukee.org/
9 hole course, par 34
18 holes with a cart runs $32 weekdays and $35 on weekends.

Terrace Hills Golf Course is located in Altoona.
515-967-2932 or www.golfthills.com
18 hole course, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $36 weekdays and $41 on weekends.

Toad Valley Golf Course is located in Pleasant Hill.
515-967-9575 or www.toadvalley.com
18 holes, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $37 weekdays and $37 on weekends.

Tournament Club of Iowa (TCI) is located in Polk City.
515-984-9440 or www.tcofiowa.com
18 holes, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $67 weekdays and $67 on weekends.

Waveland Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
515-271-8725 or www.golfwavelandgc.com
18 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $34 weekdays and $44 on weekends.

Willow Creek Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
515-285-4558 or www.willowgolf.com
36 holes, par 72
18 holes with a cart runs $38 weekdays and $44 on weekends.

Woodland Hills Golf Course is located in Des Moines.
515-289-1326 or www.golfwoodlandhills.com
18 holes, par 71
18 holes with a cart runs $35 weekdays and $39 on weekends.

Worth the Drive:

Bos Landen (Pella): 641-628-4625
Coldwater (Ames): 515-233-4664
Harvester (Rhodes): 641-227-4653
Honey Creek (Boone): 515-432-6162
Lake Panorama (Panora): 641-755-2024
Preserve on Rathbun Lake (Moravia): 641-724-1400
Veenker (Ames): 515-294-6727

Others to Consider:

Cedar Pointe (Boone): 515-432-6002

Some weekly specials I ran across for 2010:

Countryside (Norwalk): 515-981-0266 | $218 unlimited golf (M-F). Add weekends for $150 more.  

These were specials from 2009 so we will see if they offer them again:

     Honey Creek Resort (Moravia 641-724-1400):  “Early Bird Special”…Monday-Thursday…before 11:00 am…18 holes with a cart…$30 w/ tax

     Countryside (Norwalk 981-0266):  “Monday-Friday Special” $34…18 holes w/ cart…”Junior/Senior Special” $26…18 holes w/ cart

     Copper Creek (Pleasant Hill 515-263-1600):  Mondays:  “2 for 1″ green fees with paid cart…every Monday (except holidays) throughout the summer

There are lots of additional golf courses we could add to the list including Harvester, Lake Panorama, Bos Landen, etc. If you’d like one added here, just let me know!