Debbie’s Lockdown diary – Tuesday 31st March – DIY online is not so easy!

Day 16 and my second trip to the supermarket. The weather wasn’t great – heavy showers – so I was hoping that it wouldn’t be too busy. I must say, it was much better than my last trip. Much more organised – gloves and hand sanitiser now also by the entrance from the parking and people seem to be generally a lot more considerate of each other – standing aside so you can pass and waiting until you leave an aisle before they enter it. The shelves were fully stocked and I was able to get everything I needed. I did quite a big shop – my aim is to make it last 2 weeks so I don’t have to go out again. If Shani can do it with a family of 5, I’m sure I can manage to feed just the 2 of us!

 

Project bedroom was at a standstill due to lack of cement!! We take for granted just being able to call into the local builders’ merchants to get whatever we need but with everything closed, this is not possible. We have materials for stage 3 – laying the wooden floor but we can’t finish stage 2 – leveling the floor. Leroy Merlin, the big DIY chain here in Spain, are offering an online service so we decided to check it out and see if we could order all we needed to finish the bedroom and get it delivered – Here’s where the fun started!! Firstly, you should know that I am absolutely hopeless at DIY – Andy says I am on the only person he knows who can get paint under a dustsheet!! :) Anyway, we start by writing a list of what we need, then we try to find the products on the website. I have no clue what we are searching for – Andy is trying to explain to me that there are different types of cement, and different types and sizes of plasterboard depending on what you want it for – and then he tries to give me a lesson on how to soundproof a wall!!! I nod and try to look like I “get it” but I think he knows he’s wasting his time and in reality, I have no idea what he is talking about!! :))

It transpires that certain products are not available online but you can order them by telephone directly from your local store so, eventually,  we end up with a “basket” for the online order and a “list” for the telephone order. I cannot find any information on delivery charges anywhere on the website so we go with it and try to place the order. It takes ages to load then says there’s an error. GRRR!. It seems that within the time it took us to find all the products, some of them are now no longer available online and you have to order by phone – so we delete them from the “basket” and add them to the “list”. Try again to place the order but it’s still not loading – maybe everyone is doing DIY whilst at home and the website can’t cope. We notice that the line for telephone orders closes at 8pm and as it’s already 7.40pm we decide to leave online order and try the telephone order. For the telephone order, you find your product, then check availability at your local store. I put in our postcode for Manilva and it took me to the Malaga store – even though Marbella and Los Barrios stores are much nearer. Anyway, check stocks and all available, so I call Malaga – they note we live in Manilva and tell me to call Marbella branch!!!! I can’t check stocks in Marbella because the website has now picked up my location and is only showing the Malaga Store…I’m getting a bit fed up by now!!!

The lady from Malaga gives me the number for Marbella and I call. The first 4 items we need, they don’t have and the lady says ” didn’t you check the stocks in Marbella before you called”!! GRRRR again!! Now I know why DIY shopping is always left to Andy! It’s all getting too confusing so in the end we decide to just order 3 bags of cement so at least we can complete stage 2. The cement is 2.50€ a bag but…..delivery charge is 30€ on top!! We can buy another 10 bags for that – so reluctantly we decide not to bother – and we still can’t get the online order to go through either.

So project bedroom is temporarily on hold ….but never mind, Andy has found another 2 projects to be getting on with…..Thank God I bought wine in Mercadona earlier – I need a drink!!!