Tag Archives: mail

It’s that time of year again!

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The Frango Mints have arrived! This is my work station in the casita. If you haven’t had a Frango Mint, you’re missing out.

I wrote about Frango Mints last year about this time HERE.

Every year for Christmas and Hanukkah, I mail out Frangos to my husband’s clients. They are a traditional holiday gift in Washington, my home state, where they were first made for Frederick & Nelson’s, a wonderful department store that no long exists.

I keep my postal workers in mind and follow their suggestions of when the best days and hours are to stop at the Carefree post office with my stacks of Frangos. It’s a tiny place and only one or two postal workers are on duty at any time. The people in Carefree who wait patiently in line behind me are so kind and nobody gets upset. I had a very different experience living in Palm Springs which I describe in last year’s story (link above). I also give Frangos to the postal workers. I notice they get showered with gifts each Christmas season.

The history of Frangos is printed on the back of the box.

I hope to get everything done and mailed in one week. After that I’ll be traveling to see my dad who was in the hospital totally out of it and incoherent for a few days. Now he’s in skilled nursing care and thriving. He’s alert, doing PT and eating well. It’s time to make some choices for his future. He may be choosing to enter assisted living at the same place where he’s in skilled nursing. He’s been living on his own, but he’s turning 94 in January. Yes, he does need more care than he needed the past few years.

What traditions do you have for the holidays? Any special foods, treats or movies?

The Plumbing Parts Mystery

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Our saguaros are wearing flower crowns.

Friday I got a package, which isn’t unusual because I use Amazon a lot. However it’s what was in the package that was odd. It was a diverter cartridge for a Danze faucet from a “Plumbing Repair Parts Specialist” in Ohio.

Note: we do not have any faucets with that brand.

I have never heard of the company. I have never been to their website. I did not order any plumbing parts. The part is $108.47. I doubled checked my Amazon orders and no I didn’t accidentally click on the part.

I emailed them asking how they got my name and number — and why they decided to mail me a part I don’t want and didn’t order.

I checked through all our various banking accounts and credit card. We have not been charged for the part.

Then I noticed a charge for $600 to PNP billpayments. I have never heard of PNP billpayments. I freaked out, called the bank and disputed the charge. I considered closing our account but decided to discuss with my husband. He told me to make a list of ACH’s and see if there was anything coming out soon — like the electric bill.

I called back to the bank to close our account. I was on hold for 20 minutes and gave up.

I googled PNP payments:

The PNP Bill Payment bank charge typically signifies an automated payment made to several municipalities nationwide in the United States. These payments are commonly utilized to cover various services, such as utilities, taxes, or other municipal expenses.
https://cashvapour.com/what-is-pnp-bill-payment-on-a-bank-statement/

I had an “AHA” moment. The $600 was for property tax in Washington for our family’s riverfront lots that I had made several weeks ago. It hit my account on Friday, but under a weird name.

Back on the phone with the bank to tell them I was an idiot. I asked to cancel my payment dispute. That took 45 minutes.

Saturday, I got another strange package. More plumbing parts that I did not order. This time it was two parts from a plumbing fixture company in Illinois. It was a pull-out faucet spray head and a Roman tub diverter assembly. At least that’s what the packaging says. There’s no invoice or paperwork. So, I don’t know how much this order cost.

I got on the company’s website and filled out an online form wondering what the heck is up with all of this?

I hope to get an answer from both plumbing companies today. Hopefully no more plumbing parts arrive in the mail.

The mysterious plumbing parts I got in the mail, one still wrapped because I’ll most likely have to mail them back. I don’t want to pay for the postage! Would you?

Why do you think I’m getting random plumbing parts in the mail?

Have you ever received items you never ordered? If so, what were they?

After I wrote this, I talked to my millennial son and he told me this sounds like a scam called “brushing.” Ever heard of that before? Be safe. Stay Aware. Change your passwords.