SAMSUNG INSTINCT VERSION 1

I am going to get right to it since I have been away for a while. The Samsung Instinct mobile phone is AWFUL. I purchased this phone in January because we just moved back to the states and we needed a phone. I had a Sprint phone in the past and never had a problem, also both of my younger sisters recommend this phone to me so I looked a the features and my husband and I agreed that we would get this phone.

For the first few weeks the phone was fine, I loved it and then it happened. I was on the phone with my sister and I could hear her but she could not hear me. So there I am in the car with the family yelling into my phone "Felicia, can you hear me, I can hear you can you hear me, can you hear me now? I will call you when I get home since you cannot hear me." This was when I knew that this phone was going to give me trouble. The next week the screen began freezing up on me and I was not able to access the Internet. I would have to remove the battery in order to get back to the main menu, it was a mess.

I know what you are thinking, why didn't you take the phone back if you were within your 30 day return window? I am glad that you asked. The Instinct has some features that we needed at the time. As I stated earlier we just moved to Washington State from England and we were not familiar with the area and the phone has GPS. It also has a "live search" feature that allows you to speak into the phone, tell it what you are looking for and it will locate it for you and give you driving directions to it. This is a great feature as we were looking for a church home.

So, we kept the phone and with every passing day things got worse. The battery lasts for 4 hours if you do not use the phone. Should you be inclined to use the phone for whatever reason you will only have 2 hours of battery life. The Samsung people knew that the battery was garbage so they give you an extra one with the phone. As the weeks went by calls were dropped all the time, no one could hear me when they called and some calls were not getting through. Oh, did i mention that the phone only charges when it feels like it?

I decided that I was going to contact Sprint and see if they would help me with this issue. I went to the store where I purchased the phone and told them of my troubles. The sales rep was very nice and told me to go to one of the retail stores and let them know what the problem was because her store was a satellite and they were unable to assist me. I did as she told me and got nothing. The sales rep at this Sprint store could care less, he said "if you want to upgrade it will cost you $200." I said "I don't want to upgrade I want a phone that works. I will even down grade, I don't need a smart phone." His response was to call Sprint customer service and have me sit on hold for 6 minutes and wait for a representative to tell me that she could send me a refurbished Instinct. I declined to accept this offer and asked what the consequences would be to terminate my contract since they would not give me different phone and was told that I would have to pay $200.00.

This experience has been frustrating to say the least. I have since sent a letter to the CEO of Sprint detailing my awful experience. I figured it couldn't hurt to vent to someone that might be able to help me. I will be sure to keep you posted as the saga unfolds. I will say this, I do not recommend this phone because my sisters have since told me that they are experiencing the same problems that I am having so it is not a single incident.

MEANINGFUL BEAUTY By Cindy Crawford

Today I would like to talk about the "Meaningful Beauty" skin care line. Before I get started please remember that the information in this blog is my opinion. I am giving my opinion in order to help other consumers make an informed decision before purchasing something they may have questions about. Now, having said that, lets talk about the the product..

I ordered the meaningful beauty system because I wanted to decrease the size of my pores and make my skin look a little more vibrant (two of the many claims given in the infomercial). First let me me tell you that when you watch the infomercial be sure to read the fine next to the price and at the bottom of the screen. The reason I suggest this is because this product does not cost what it is advertised to cost. You will pay the price listed ($29.99) in 3 installments and your first payment will be more because of shipping and taxes. In total you are going to pay about $125.00 for a 90 supply of the product.

Does this product work? Well, it did not work for me. After two weeks there was no change in the size of my pores and I noticed that there was some discoloration on the lower part of my face. I continued to use the product for 10 more days hoping that my skin would even out and I would awake to the skin that was advertised on television. Sadly this was not the case. The discoloration of my skin got worse and could not be concealed by makeup. I had very noticeable white blotches on my face that remain today.

Once I realized that this problem was not going to get better I stopped using the product and called the customer service line to ask to be removed from the auto-shipping club. The customer service rep was very nice and she not only cancelled my auto-shipment but she took the lot numbers from the products that I received for documetation and she gave me arefund for $89.00 that I had already paid for the product. The discoloration on my face is getting better and I am only washing my face with water twice a day. For me this product was a flop and I specifically asked if this was a product that black women could use when I ordered it because I did not see any black women in the infomercial. The representative that took my order assured me that this was a product for all skin types and colors. In my case, she was mistaken. My advice is to use caution when ordering skin care products from infomercials no matter who your are. Your skin is too important to take chances with even if a super model indorses the product.

SPANX!!!!!!!

Good day to you all. I wanted to talk about a subject that is near and dear to my heart, Spanx.
I LOVE SPANX!!!!! I have been looking for a great undergarment that would hold in all of my lumps, bumps, rolls and humps for a long time. I am pleased and excited to say that I have found it in Spanx. I have tried girdles, corsets and other shape wear to no avail, then I found Spanx. I heard about them in passing but since I had such a bad experience with other products I never purchased them.

So, what made me change my mind? Well, I was watching Access Hollywood one day and they did a report on "How the Stars look so good on the red carpet." When I saw that Eva Longoria and Taraji P Henderson both wore Spanx under their gowns I thought "I have to give these a try." I went online (to the official Spanx website) and made my order on a Monday and had my Spanx in hand on Thursday. I immediately went upstairs and tried them on. Since this was my first purchase I ordered the lower body shaper that covers below the breast line and goes down to the thighs.

Once I got it on I thought it was not working because I did not feel any different. What I mean is I could breath! I did not feel restricted or sucked in at all. I did not feel hot or uncomfortable so in my mind it wasn't working. I was used to feeling uncomfortable and squeezed in when I put on shape wear in the past. Although I did not feel different I went to my closet and put on a pair of jeans that were a little tight, to say the least. To my surprise the jeans slid on like silk. I did not have to jump, shimmy and shake to get them on they just slid right on up. I was FLOORED!!!! So then I put on a shirt and looked in the mirror and everything was smooth. No lumps, bumps, rolls or humps. It was amazing.

I could not wait to go somewhere just so I could put on my Spanx. I looked smaller and my clothes fit better but there was no discomfort at all. I wear my Spanx everywhere under everything and you cannot tell. There are no lines or ridges like you get with a girdle. There is no lump under your breast like you can get from other shape wear. The very best part for me is that the Spanx did not make me sweat. Spanx are made from a very breathable flowing fabric that holds in your rolls and does not create extra heat. i don't know how I lived with them.

I was so happy with the body shapers that I purchased 2 cami's and they did not disappoint. Spanx has every kind of shape wear that you can imagine and they even make pants, shirts and skirts that have shape wear inside. To me the cost is well worth it. The prices range from $32.00 up to the  $100's, it just depends on what you want. In this moms opinion, every woman should own at least one pair of Spanx.

EMERSON LCD TV 32"

Good day to you all and please forgive my absence. I wanted to write about this television because I don't think that people consider everything that they should when making a large purchase like this. We made this purchase on the fly because we were in transition at the time. Our family had just moved from England to Washington and we had NOTHING! Our household goods were in storage until we found and house and we were living in an apartment for a while. Initially we went to the BX and purchased my favorite a 32" Sony LCD television (Sony is our favorite brand of electronics). After 2 weeks there was an accident with the television so we returned it to the BX and guess what? They did not have anymore 32" Sony LCD's in stock so we went to Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart had a large selection of televisions to choose from and we had a great time looking around and selecting a television. My husband and I decided that we would just get an inexpensive television to watch until we moved (this was really odd for us because we had never made a purchase based on price before we have always gone right to Sony because we know that quality and love it). We took the television home and set it up. The picture quality was satisfactory and for a few weeks we were pleased.

Three weeks passed since the purchase and I began to notice that there is a 10 second delay from the time that you turn on the television until you actually see a picture. That may not be a big deal for many people but it is a challenge if you are in a dark room. The biggest problem with this television is the remote. Yes, the remote. The remote control works great as long as you have it at the correct angle. If you are not pointing the remote directly at the infrared light on the lower panel of the television it will not power on, adjust volume or change the channel. This is a big problem. I am accustomed to Sony televisions which will power on if you are pointing the remote at the wall.

Once we moved into our new house I put the large Sony LCD in the family room and put the Emerson in the master bedroom. I do not like having this television in my room. It is so hard to get it to power on with the remote and adjusting the volume is outrageous. Granted we only spent $430.00 on this television from Wal-Mart, but we should have just purchased the television that we really wanted to begin with. We have really learned a lesson, you really do get what you pay for. Once I spoke to my husband he agreed that we can purchase the large Sony LCD that we originally wanted so I am very happy about that. Now I have to have a yard sale and try to get rid of this Emerson television so that we can make the purchase that we should have made in the beginning. The next time you are out making a large purchase like a television make sure you look at and play with the remote. You may not think it is a big deal but I promise you that a good remote makes enjoying television a lot easier.