I'm not so smart

I like for my stuff to reflect who I am.  I love to personalize things. I love to monogram things.  Oh, how I love to monogram!  And I love to put stickers on my laptop.  It just makes me happy.

My laptop I use the most belongs to the school where I work.  I don't want to put stickers on someone else's computer.  To solve this problem, I've always purchased a hard snap-on case and sticker that up.  Last September I got a new laptop from the school.  So I headed over to Amazon to order a case.

The laptop I've been issued is a MacBook Pro.  When closed, the Pro is a rectangle.  At school we have MacBook Airs.  When those are closed, they are kinda triangular.  The back is wider than the front.

When the first case I ordered from Amazon arrived, it seemed to be triangular.  It seemed to come to a point at the end.  I tried it out and it didn't fit.  I messaged Amazon and they sent another.  Same as the first.  They sent another.  Same as the first.  I quit and got my money back.

My mom ordered a case from eBay.  Same story.  It seemed to come to a point.  I sent it back and resigned myself to having no case, no stickers.

I remember being frustrated. I kept thinking, "This is a factory error. Someone mismarked these.  I need an actual person who packed these, not just a middle man/store."

Fast forward to this summer.  I've been on Etsy quite a bit.  I thought I'd give the case another go.  I figured if I ordered from Etsy I'd have a person to talk to vs. a customer service rep.

The first one came.  Triangular again.  I put it on and it covered the CD ROM opening.  I took a picture and sent it to the seller. They sent another one.  Same thing.  They sent a third.  The tops fit.  The tops actually have the model number stamped on.  It's just the bottom that didn't fit.  The CD ROM opening was covered.

I took a picture of the bottom with the other 2 cases stacked underneath and sent it off the Etsy shop.  Then I got this message in return.

Good gravy!! I was so embarrassed!  I turned the case around and it worked perfectly!

I apologized profusely and offered to return the other 2 cases that obviously fit, if used correctly. The company was very generous and understanding.

It got me thinking about all the things I think I know.  I just knew that these cases were for MacBook Airs! It never occurred to me that I was doing something wrong.  I never once asked how to install the cover.  Sometimes I think I know what the outcome is going to be so I don't bother to listen. Sometimes I don't even bother to start the conversation.  Maybe it's time I stop worrying about what I know and start asking the right questions and listening to the answers...