There is a crochet along (CAL) starting soon with a company call Scheepjes. They're quite a well known company and have held annual CAL's for a while. I saw this years advertisement and thought "why not?", and promptly joined their international page on Facebook. It's quite something listening to all these ladies across the globe waxing lyrical about crochet. They are a very supportive bunch and their excitement at the new CAL had recached near hysterical proportions. Here's what the CAL will produce. It pronounced Hoo-ga and it's danish for cosinesss and warmth. A bit like a Cwtch....
Gorgeous, but quite challenging I think! But I've done cross stitch in the past so I thing I can do it.
There are three colours to choose from, so I chose the rainbow (above) as my youngest daughter wants it. So off I go shopping on the internet looking at the suppliers who will stock it. It comes in a kit with everything included. There are three kits. Rainbow, Jewel and Pastel.
Then, they added a special limited edition Danish mermaid colour scheme a week or so later. It's not been made yet so there no way of knowing what it looks like finished! But here's the colour scheme for what is called Simy's Choice.
So the kits aren't going to be released for a few weeks and I have to register an interest in them on various well know yarn stockist here in the UK.
A week or so later I get an email to say that the kits are in stock and I can place an order, which I manage to do within about 2 minutes of getting the email. I was really very happy. I want to do the CAL in time with everyone else as it kind of motivates you to keep up and share your progress, ask about any problems as you go along. I'm looking forward to it in my own sad nerdy little way.
A few day later my kit arrives and I absolutely squeal. The Facebook page is buzzing with people ordering and receiving by now, so I'm looking to forward to contributing to the online conversations.
When I opened the package it was obvious straight away that they'd sent me the wrong colour, I'd received pastel. Ok, no biggie, mistakes happen, its not been done on purpose. So I call the supplier and have a quick convo with their customer service. They send me an email returns label and they offer me a refund.
"Can't I just swap the colour?"
"No, no more kits available."
"These things are like rocking horse poo to get hold of!" I say, "Can you just send me the yarn colours instead of the kit" I plead.
They called me back, "Yes that's fine. Send back the kit and we will despatch the yarn colour pack."
Lovely, happy, feeling relieved.
I go and post all this on the Scheepjes CAL Facebook page. I got various reactions from across the globe. Some were worried that they might get the wrong colour kit, others outraged at the inconvenience and disappointment. But by then of the day, other ladies have come forward with the wrong kits being sent as well and all hell had broken loose! Demands for compensation, keeping the kits, discounts etc. But I am sanguine. I am unworried. My kit has been returned and my pack will arrive in due course.
Or so I thought.
A week has passed, and nothing has arrived. I call the supplier and they tell me that they're very sorry, but I won't be getting the yarn pack as they decided to wait until the get the kits back in stock (which so happens to be the end of February and 2 weeks after the CAL starts). I'm fuming.
"Why didn't you let me know last week?!" I say, "I could have placed an order with someone else?"
"We sent everyone an email."
"Yes I know. I replied to the email telling them I had returned the kit and was awaiting the colour yarn pack. This was acknowledged."
"We're very sorry." they say.
"I want a refund," I say, "all you've managed to teach me today is that unless I complain and throw a tantrum I get nothing. If your nice and polite your ignored."
I was telling my elsdest daughter my tale of woe.
"Just order another one from someone else." she says.
"I can't. They're all sold out everywhere. They sellout, like in half an hour of the emails, it's crazy."
"Wow, it's like they're the Kylie lipkits of the crochet world."
Sheesh 21 year olds! Pmsl.
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