Prague Journal

Thursday, September 9, 2005.

A pilgrimage to the Dell Computer store to get an adapter took up most of the day. When I received my new laptop this spring, I had feared that getting a European adapter would pose a problem, since Dell – unlike any other manufacturer I’ve observed – has a non-standard plug that attaches the outlet cord to the power supply. I had looked at Dell’s website and called their support line several months ago and was told that I would have to get the proper cord after I arrived in Prague. Hooking the US plug to the transformer seemed to alleviate the problem, until it interfered with the phone line.
Armed with the part so as to avoid any language problem, I headed toward town. A computer shop close to the city center was listed as a Dell dealer in the phone book, so I went there first. The person in the shop (one person, small shop) directed me to another store about a block away. When I encountered the same story there, I set off across town to the Dell headquarters, armed with the map and directions.
I arrived nearly an hour later to a very new, very modern glass-and-steel complex “The Park.” It is not on the map that I have, but the Dell website had a map showing its location, clearly visible from the Chodov metro station. It looks like all the major high tech offices are there: IBM, Sony, GE, Panasonic, DHL, etc. The Dell office was easy to find. Once inside, I was greeted by a young woman who spoke very good English and who informed me that the person who handled the part I needed was sick and would not be back until Monday. She gave me the woman’s e-mail address and office phone number and advised me to contact her. Upon further inquiry, she called someone from the back room who thought he could find the part for me. After about ten minutes, he had the part number and after another 15 minutes, he had the part in hand. I was obviously relieved that I would not have to make a second trip, so I said that I would buy it. It took another person about 15 minutes to find the price, after which a third person processed the invoice, which also took 10-15 minutes, and another accepted my money Finally, after nearly 45 minutes from the time I arrived, the young woman at the front desk gave me my change and a receipt for the cord (which cost nearly $9). Cord in hand, I set off for the long trip home.
I decided to make the most of the short time available before most shops close and get a haircut near the Grossetto’s at Dejvicka, not far from our bus route. Success again, although not without some difficulty as no one in the shop spoke any English so it was difficult for me to describe how I wanted my hair cut. I was able to convey the fact that I did not want any extras such as shampoo, blow dry, curl, etc (everything is itemized and charged separately).
Back home, Rick and I went together to shop for dinner groceries. We bought a roast, sauerkraut, rye bread, salad fixings, and pastries and ice cream for dessert (and more beer, of course). I looked for applesauce, but none was to be found. I had picked some apples from the trees in our yard, so I put some in the oven and we had soft baked apples with our dinner! It felt like a very Czech meal.
The rest of the evening was spent fussing with our computers – downloading mail on a dialup connection is painfully slow – and trying to troubleshoot some credit card problems and the problematic plane tickets. Sometimes the internet is not a timesaver. The auto reply from the credit card company assured me that someone would contact me within two business days. Both the credit card website and the airline website give toll-free numbers that only work within the US. When I tried the from-outside-the-US collect phone number, I could not get through. Technology has its limits.

posted by JWinn @ 8:10 PM