This is just a simple design, and not a planning printable.
This one is watermarked for now, I'm literally teaching myself how to make them available for download from the website, once I figure that out, I'll share "prettier" versions with you all!
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Printables!
I promised that I would start making them, and I'm super excited to announce that I have created my first printable!!
This is just a simple design, and not a planning printable.
This one is watermarked for now, I'm literally teaching myself how to make them available for download from the website, once I figure that out, I'll share "prettier" versions with you all!
This is just a simple design, and not a planning printable.
This one is watermarked for now, I'm literally teaching myself how to make them available for download from the website, once I figure that out, I'll share "prettier" versions with you all!
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Buyer Beware: Fitbit
I've been sitting on this issue for a while, but I feel I needed to speak out about the Fitbit company.
I first became a customer with them in 2013 when I purchased a Fitbit Flex from Radio Shack. I quickly realized it was a glorified pedometer, but I liked how it tracked my sleep, and it did motivate me to be more active. Unfortunately, I lost the Flex one day while at an NBA game, where it slipped off of my wrist and I didn't notice until I was at home later that night. I accepted the responsibility of losing it, and didn't call Fitbit to try and get a free replacement. Soon after, they released a new band: the Charge HR and I purchased it THE DAY it was available to replace my Flex.
I loved the Charge HR, it did everything the Flex did, PLUS now I could keep track of my heart rate, which (I assume) also meant that my calories burned tracking would be more accurate. Within a year of having my Charge HR, it literally fell apart one day while I was charging it. The back metal piece that holds everything in place, fell off. I contacted Fitbit and provided a picture, and they sent me a replacement, at no charge! What a GREAT company, right?!
Not so fast... my second Charge HR began to break within a year of me owning it (not due to excessive wear and tear, mind you, I took it off to shower and swim, and made sure to care for it). I contacted FitBit to receive a replacement and was told that the warranty had expired. They did offer me a discount if I purchased a replacement. Here's the catch: the warranty on your ORIGINAL device, also carries over to any replacement devices. So, if your replacements break, they will ONLY replace it for free if it's within the year that you purchased your original device. Let me repeat myself: The warranty for ONE device, carries over to a COMPLETELY different device.
Let's put that into perspective: Cell phones. When you have a phone that breaks and you get a replacement, the replacement gets its own separate warranty. They don't hold you to the warranty of your broken phone, because that phone is no longer usable.
I called several times and spoke to several reps. One tried to legalese me on their limited warranty and stated they were not legally responsible for replacing my device, so they would not. I went to their Facebook page and saw HUNDREDS of other people having the same devices break on them, and dozens of people who were in a situation like me, where they could not get those devices replaced by the company. I went through hundreds of posts, and asked those who shared a picture of their broken devices, if I could use the pictures to build an argument against Fitbit. They were manufacturing a faulty product, and replacing those with another faulty product. This was their new business model: make sure the trackers break within a year, replace the first for free; make sure the second breaks within a year, convince customer to buy a new one. The cycle would repeat every year (two years at most), so customers would essentially be paying $100+ dollars for a new device every year or two, instead of creating a superior product that had a life of several years, and increasing the price to reflect that (like cell phones).
Then Fitbit did something that NO upstanding and decent company should, or would do: They DELETED all of my comments about my broken device and negative experiences, and then blocked me from commenting further, or contacting them. What kind of company tries to HIDE issues instead of solve them?! A company that doesn't understand customer loyalty or marketplace longevity.
I have recently learned that they discontinued the Charge HR device (hmm, I WONDER why?!).
I still have friends who use Fitbit devices, and I do think that Fitbit makes a good (not great) and affordable fitness tracker, but they burned a bridge and I will no longer be spending any more of my money with them. Instead of sending me a replacement, and keeping my business for a lifetime, they decided to try and hide the issues I and hundreds of others were having.
The latest reports show that Fitbit revenue decreased by $50 MILLION in 2016. If they continue to manufacture faulty products that break every year, and continue to burn bridges with loyal customers, this company will be obsolete within a decade.
I first became a customer with them in 2013 when I purchased a Fitbit Flex from Radio Shack. I quickly realized it was a glorified pedometer, but I liked how it tracked my sleep, and it did motivate me to be more active. Unfortunately, I lost the Flex one day while at an NBA game, where it slipped off of my wrist and I didn't notice until I was at home later that night. I accepted the responsibility of losing it, and didn't call Fitbit to try and get a free replacement. Soon after, they released a new band: the Charge HR and I purchased it THE DAY it was available to replace my Flex.
I loved the Charge HR, it did everything the Flex did, PLUS now I could keep track of my heart rate, which (I assume) also meant that my calories burned tracking would be more accurate. Within a year of having my Charge HR, it literally fell apart one day while I was charging it. The back metal piece that holds everything in place, fell off. I contacted Fitbit and provided a picture, and they sent me a replacement, at no charge! What a GREAT company, right?!
Not so fast... my second Charge HR began to break within a year of me owning it (not due to excessive wear and tear, mind you, I took it off to shower and swim, and made sure to care for it). I contacted FitBit to receive a replacement and was told that the warranty had expired. They did offer me a discount if I purchased a replacement. Here's the catch: the warranty on your ORIGINAL device, also carries over to any replacement devices. So, if your replacements break, they will ONLY replace it for free if it's within the year that you purchased your original device. Let me repeat myself: The warranty for ONE device, carries over to a COMPLETELY different device.
Let's put that into perspective: Cell phones. When you have a phone that breaks and you get a replacement, the replacement gets its own separate warranty. They don't hold you to the warranty of your broken phone, because that phone is no longer usable.
I called several times and spoke to several reps. One tried to legalese me on their limited warranty and stated they were not legally responsible for replacing my device, so they would not. I went to their Facebook page and saw HUNDREDS of other people having the same devices break on them, and dozens of people who were in a situation like me, where they could not get those devices replaced by the company. I went through hundreds of posts, and asked those who shared a picture of their broken devices, if I could use the pictures to build an argument against Fitbit. They were manufacturing a faulty product, and replacing those with another faulty product. This was their new business model: make sure the trackers break within a year, replace the first for free; make sure the second breaks within a year, convince customer to buy a new one. The cycle would repeat every year (two years at most), so customers would essentially be paying $100+ dollars for a new device every year or two, instead of creating a superior product that had a life of several years, and increasing the price to reflect that (like cell phones).
Then Fitbit did something that NO upstanding and decent company should, or would do: They DELETED all of my comments about my broken device and negative experiences, and then blocked me from commenting further, or contacting them. What kind of company tries to HIDE issues instead of solve them?! A company that doesn't understand customer loyalty or marketplace longevity.
I have recently learned that they discontinued the Charge HR device (hmm, I WONDER why?!).
I still have friends who use Fitbit devices, and I do think that Fitbit makes a good (not great) and affordable fitness tracker, but they burned a bridge and I will no longer be spending any more of my money with them. Instead of sending me a replacement, and keeping my business for a lifetime, they decided to try and hide the issues I and hundreds of others were having.
The latest reports show that Fitbit revenue decreased by $50 MILLION in 2016. If they continue to manufacture faulty products that break every year, and continue to burn bridges with loyal customers, this company will be obsolete within a decade.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
What I've been up to
I've been MIA for a little while, but it's been for good reason.
I was struggling with my mental and physical health, so I took some time to take care of myself. I'm back and better than ever!! I had my 4th knee surgery last week, and am still recuperating. I have staples in my leg, and I can't WAIT to get them out (tomorrow!). I am also excited to be able to work out again, although I have learned that I am no longer able to run. I can physically run, in the event of an emergency, but can no longer do it for leisure or exercise. I have no cartilage between my bones in my right knee, and running causes too much stress. If I run, I end up limping in pain for 2-3 days afterwards.
I see this as a good thing, because now I'm able to do some experimenting to see what exercises I CAN still do, and I am eager to share with other who may think they can not exercise due to physical limitations. Hooray for modifications!
I'm going to be tracking my exercise experiments as well as some good healthy recipes on the Willowjesky Fit blog, so be sure to check that out as well!
I am also going to begin making printables that will be available on the website, and some crafts I will begin selling online as well. Pretty gosh darn exciting!
Please stay tuned, and be patient with me as I try to organize all my ideas.
I was struggling with my mental and physical health, so I took some time to take care of myself. I'm back and better than ever!! I had my 4th knee surgery last week, and am still recuperating. I have staples in my leg, and I can't WAIT to get them out (tomorrow!). I am also excited to be able to work out again, although I have learned that I am no longer able to run. I can physically run, in the event of an emergency, but can no longer do it for leisure or exercise. I have no cartilage between my bones in my right knee, and running causes too much stress. If I run, I end up limping in pain for 2-3 days afterwards.
I see this as a good thing, because now I'm able to do some experimenting to see what exercises I CAN still do, and I am eager to share with other who may think they can not exercise due to physical limitations. Hooray for modifications!
I'm going to be tracking my exercise experiments as well as some good healthy recipes on the Willowjesky Fit blog, so be sure to check that out as well!
I am also going to begin making printables that will be available on the website, and some crafts I will begin selling online as well. Pretty gosh darn exciting!
Please stay tuned, and be patient with me as I try to organize all my ideas.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Why you should take a vacation during the month of your birthday
If you're anything like me, you look forward to your birthday just about every year. (However, this seems to happen less, the older I get)
This year, I took a vacation during the week of my birthday, and it was a positive experience for many reasons:
1. I saved a bunch of money!
I am lucky and my birthday falls in the springtime. I booked a flight to Daytona Beach, Florida for the first week of April. I was able to score a hotel for 4 days/3 nights and a round-trip flight for less than $500 total (AFTER tax!)
It's usually less expensive to travel in the "off" season. So for Florida, or warmer climates, fall, winter, and early spring can get you great deals, if you don't mind a little less "tropical" weather.
I used Skyscanner to find which flights would yield the least expensive tickets. (Sometimes, booking two separate one-way trips, is less expensive than booking one round-trip flight)
I use Kayak to compare the most popular travel sites (such as Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc...) and also to find a good hotel deal (or at least a ballpark for a per-night rate in the area you're staying in). I ended up booking via Orbitz, and using Ebates to get some cash back on the deal (more on Ebates later). I used Google and Yelp to look at reviews of possible hotels I could stay at.
2. I ate for free.
Since it was my birthday week, I keep accounts with some of my favorite restaurants, and get free stuff during the month of my birthday. (Some places let you sign up in the month before your birthday and will still send you something, and some send you something just for signing up!) I have to shout out Joe's Crab Shack, I got a free appetizer for signing up, and one for my birthday. I had so much food between my appetizer and the entree I got, I took food back to the hotel, and ate it later that night. They have some pretty entertaining cocktails, as well.
I recommend using Google Maps to find restaurants near where you're staying, and then signing up for their loyalty programs. Bonus tip: create a spare email to route all of your emails that you use for promotional uses only, so that it doesn't clutter up your personal (or work) email.
3. I beat the crowds.
This may be dependent on where you choose to go, but I know that Daytona Beach is a pretty popular destination spot during certain times of the year. There's Bike Week, Spring Break, Cheer and Dance Competitions, etc... I got pretty lucky and was only there during the Cheer and Dance competition week, and it didn't really affect my trip at all. There was an entire Cheerleading team in the same hotel as me and I had no idea until the day that they checked out and were loading onto their bus in front of the hotel.
This year, I took a vacation during the week of my birthday, and it was a positive experience for many reasons:
1. I saved a bunch of money!
I am lucky and my birthday falls in the springtime. I booked a flight to Daytona Beach, Florida for the first week of April. I was able to score a hotel for 4 days/3 nights and a round-trip flight for less than $500 total (AFTER tax!)
It's usually less expensive to travel in the "off" season. So for Florida, or warmer climates, fall, winter, and early spring can get you great deals, if you don't mind a little less "tropical" weather.
I used Skyscanner to find which flights would yield the least expensive tickets. (Sometimes, booking two separate one-way trips, is less expensive than booking one round-trip flight)
I use Kayak to compare the most popular travel sites (such as Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, etc...) and also to find a good hotel deal (or at least a ballpark for a per-night rate in the area you're staying in). I ended up booking via Orbitz, and using Ebates to get some cash back on the deal (more on Ebates later). I used Google and Yelp to look at reviews of possible hotels I could stay at.
2. I ate for free.
Since it was my birthday week, I keep accounts with some of my favorite restaurants, and get free stuff during the month of my birthday. (Some places let you sign up in the month before your birthday and will still send you something, and some send you something just for signing up!) I have to shout out Joe's Crab Shack, I got a free appetizer for signing up, and one for my birthday. I had so much food between my appetizer and the entree I got, I took food back to the hotel, and ate it later that night. They have some pretty entertaining cocktails, as well.
I recommend using Google Maps to find restaurants near where you're staying, and then signing up for their loyalty programs. Bonus tip: create a spare email to route all of your emails that you use for promotional uses only, so that it doesn't clutter up your personal (or work) email.
3. I beat the crowds.
This may be dependent on where you choose to go, but I know that Daytona Beach is a pretty popular destination spot during certain times of the year. There's Bike Week, Spring Break, Cheer and Dance Competitions, etc... I got pretty lucky and was only there during the Cheer and Dance competition week, and it didn't really affect my trip at all. There was an entire Cheerleading team in the same hotel as me and I had no idea until the day that they checked out and were loading onto their bus in front of the hotel.
Point of this post: travel close to your birthday because it's FUN, you DESERVE it, and you could save some serious $$$!
*I do not get paid to mention any of the websites I have mentioned. I actually use these sites to help me save money and plan my trips. If you sign up for Ebates by clicking my link, I will get a referral credit.
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