Earlier this week I put my beloved Canon 85mm 1:2L lens for sale on Amazon. By the time I woke up the next morning I had received an e-mail, supposedly from Amazon, inquiring on the lens. The e-mail looked legit and I didn't question the validity of it because it came from "Amazon Marketplace". I wish I could blame my idiocy and lack of wisdom on the fatigue I experienced from having to take my dad into the emergency room that same morning but who am I fooling, really? This is the e-mail I received:
And in a matter of a few hours I received the following two e-mails after I responded that I would not send the lens until payment was confirmed:
Nothing in these e-mails indicated that the transaction was bogus. When I received these e-mails I had already spent almost half a day in the emergency room waiting for my dad's test results. Desperation from selling my lens mingled with the frustration of healthcare that I was operating on minimal brain cells. But that is NO excuse.
Ray called and texted me repeatedly with his concerns and warnings. True to form I was highly irritated and indignant with him and his lack of faith in my intelligence. "Look, I KNOW you know. But I'm just saying it doesn't sound right. Please be careful. Do NOT send the lens until you make sure!" He didn't see the rolling of my eyes and the exasperated tugging of my hair as he expressed his concerns and warnings on the phone. I told him that the e-mails looked legit and that I'd have to get my lens packaged by the end of the day to send to Nigeria.
Okay, the word "Nigeria" should have rung alarm bells in my head so loudly it would have deafened me. But oh no. Noooooo. I couldn't get past my EGO! I was more offended that my own boyfriend didn't trust in my judgment. I was more focused on the fact that I hated a man telling me what to do so how dare he, Mr. Know-IT-ALL, harp on me so relentlessly knowing full well that I was dealing with my dad in the emergency room. And this--my headstrong, pigheaded, obstinate self-has always been my problem. I know, I'm working on it. But as I sat there in that miserable and freezing cold emergency room lobby in Kaiser Permanente I kept thinking about Ray's track record of being right. I sat there remembering how he has ALWAYS told me that I tend to move forward so fast when I want things done that I don't stop to think about the ramifications. I sat there telling myself to stop being so stupid and listen to him. Ugh! He sent me the following text:
Okay, the word "Nigeria" should have rung alarm bells in my head so loudly it would have deafened me. But oh no. Noooooo. I couldn't get past my EGO! I was more offended that my own boyfriend didn't trust in my judgment. I was more focused on the fact that I hated a man telling me what to do so how dare he, Mr. Know-IT-ALL, harp on me so relentlessly knowing full well that I was dealing with my dad in the emergency room. And this--my headstrong, pigheaded, obstinate self-has always been my problem. I know, I'm working on it. But as I sat there in that miserable and freezing cold emergency room lobby in Kaiser Permanente I kept thinking about Ray's track record of being right. I sat there remembering how he has ALWAYS told me that I tend to move forward so fast when I want things done that I don't stop to think about the ramifications. I sat there telling myself to stop being so stupid and listen to him. Ugh! He sent me the following text:
"...please listen to me. I know u know everything. Please triple check. Nigeria is the country that most of the mail fraud originates. Can u at least call Amazon to get a verbal? Get Verbal. Sounds like a scam to me. Love you!"
So just to shut him up I called Amazon and then I really shut up! Here is what I learned:
- Amazon does NOT deliver to Nigeria.
- Amazon order #s do NOT begin with "7001".
- Nannette IS a stubborn a$$ fool!
***To Ray, thank you for being my voice of reason and I...I...ap..apolo...apologize for being so stubborn. Yes, you DID save me from peril.***
