Zero Tolerance

Well, I'm about ready to scream in frustration, but I thought I'd write a blog entry instead. Seem like a good trade to you?
I've spent half the afternoon on the phone with Dell. Welcome to the world of Ridiculous Wait Times and Really Bad Jazz. Oh, and people who barely speak English. I really don't have anything against East Indian people. I think they have a fascinating culture, and their traditional clothing uses some really gorgeous fabrics. But if your accent is thick enough to be cut with a Ginsu knife, and I can't understand a word you're saying, then perhaps customer service is not the place for you. I'm thinking of adopting this little slogan of Chris's for my very own. After a couple hours on the phone with Dell I found out that a) I'd been transfered to the wrong department at least four times 2)they didn't update my address last time, as I asked them to and 3) when I talked to them a couple weeks ago about the possibility of extending the warranty, they didn't tell me there was an expiration date on the offer.
So I took my laptop to a place in town - it seemed to be a minor power issue. No. The motherboard is gone. One month after my warranty expired. Replacing it would cost a minimum of $500. Oh, and did I mention I made one of the stupidest decisions of my life when I bought the computer, and decided to finance through Dell - and I've still got a year to go? The "decision" to finance (I was 19 and easily influenced) was at my father's urging of course. Because he's always been so good with money - so good that I'm pretty sure he pawned my guitar. Thanks daddy, you're the bestest. Can the Zero Tolerance policy apply to family? Because that'd be terrific.
Oh, and I'm in a bad mood. Just about the right time to write a philosophy paper, eh? Aristotle, here I come.