Email from Colleen McNiece for the lunchbox

[Anakin]

I'd just received an email informing me some news about the lunchbox. The email shown it was sent by someone called "Colleen McNiece" and her email address is <freakbiscuit@yahoo.com> Why is that her email is not an Another Universe email but a yahoo email instead? Is she really sending email on behalf of Another Universe?
Anyway, the following is the content of the email:


---------------------------------------------------------

At long last the My So-Called Life lunchboxes are arriving at Another Universe. After failing inspection twice (once in December, once in February) and one long delay with the factory and export company not letting the freight forwarder know that the lunchboxes were ready for pick up; the lunchboxes are done, looking good and headed into the Another Universe warehouse. We expect them to arrive in California within 3 weeks and then a couple of days through customs and shipping to Sacramento.

As soon as they are received, Another Universe will be shipping them along with the 1-hour interview with Marshall, Winnie and Ed. We apologize for all the delays in shipping the MSCL bonus material, but are glad to finally get it to you.

If you have had an address change since you received the MSCL boxed set, and have not yet informed us, please e-mail us at update@anotheruniverse.com with your old information and the new. Include your order number (if you have it) to expedite the change.

If you are owed a refund from Another Universe for your order or cancellation, please e-mail us at refunds@anotheruniverse.com for a refund application and provide us:

Name
Address
City, State, Zip Country
Order Number

We will process your request in the order received.

Again, we apologize for the delays in the bonus material. We are pleased to finally be able to get it to you.

Another Universe

[KrokRos]

Haha!

I didn't notice her e-mail. That DOES sound like a joke. But I really hope it's not.

[emsef]

I just got that too, and it goes to back up the conversation with Ross mentioned in another thread.

Fingers crossed!

EDIT: I have sent this email to admin@anotheruniverse.com which was the reply-to address in the email.

Hi,

I am a UK customer and am glad this is finally happening. I would be
interested in knowing if shipping for these items will be covered in what
I originally paid for the goods?

If this is not the case could you please inform everybody as I am sure I
am not the only person who would rather have a partial refund rather than
having to stump up a second lot of shipping and import charges for
something I should have got a long time ago.

If it helps you can mark the goods as "replacement" to bypass any customs
charges in this case. I am not sure how you can prevent UPS charges but I
am sure you will find a way to keep us all happy.

[pinkchimney]

Did anyone notice that she said the "1-hour interview with Marshall, Winnie and Ed." would be shipped too. What happened to the TV museum interview footage???

[Spartacus]

Did anyone notice that she said the "1-hour interview with Marshall, Winnie and Ed." would be shipped too. What happened to the TV museum interview footage???

No dice.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Kinda hard to send out something that isn't paid for. Oops, I mean something that still "requires signatures" (according to Ross).

[Megs]

Kinda hard to send out something that isn't paid for. Oops, I mean something that still "requires signatures" (according to Ross).

I wonder if that would work for my bills. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mortgage-Bank-Man, I would like to send you my check, but it's still out for signatures."

Nope, didn't think so.

[Jason R]

Kinda hard to send out something that isn't paid for. Oops, I mean something that still "requires signatures" (according to Ross).

I wonder if that would work for my bills. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mortgage-Bank-Man, I would like to send you my check, but it's still out for signatures."

Nope, didn't think so.

It seems that it works, in Ross's universe at least.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Interestingly, yesterday I received an email regarding the California state budget and my salary:

The lack of a State budget is a serious concern to us, and the longer the State goes this summer without a budget, the more of a problem it becomes for the University. We certainly share the hope that a budget resolution can be reached as quickly as possible. Let me summarize the impact of the budget impasse on the University, as best we can now tell, in two principal areas:

**Salaries: State Controller Steve Westly has issued a letter indicating that State employees, including UC employees, will continue to be paid their regular salaries for the first part of the summer. As a result, we currently expect our July 1 and August 1 payrolls to be processed normally. However, the controller indicated that in August or September, if the State still does not have a budget, his office will begin implementing a recent court decision that said State employees may only be paid the minimum wage while there is no budget. This change is not being implemented immediately because it requires a large number of State computer programming changes, the controller said. While it is unclear at the moment whether or how the University would be impacted by this court ruling, UC employees should be aware that they may potentially be subject to it. This means that, later this summer, salary payments for UC employees could be temporarily reduced until there is a state budget (at which time full salaries would be paid retroactively). Please be assured that the University will do everything it can to prevent this outcome and that we will share more information as it becomes available.

**Payments to vendors: Controller Westly also indicated that he is not providing UC and other State agencies with funding for non-payroll expenses in the new fiscal year. During the first part of the new fiscal year, the University typically is paying bills incurred during the last part of the previous fiscal year. As a result, vendors should not worry about an immediate cut-off of payments. However, if the budget impasse lasts until the end of the summer, the lack of State funding for non-payroll expenses could become a serious issue. The Office of the President will monitor this issue closely and will be in touch with campuses as decisions in this area need to be made.

The University's State-funded budget for 2003-04 remains in a precarious position. In addition to the deep cuts that already have been approved, members of the Legislature are discussing even deeper cuts across State government, including at the University of California. Already, both houses of the Legislature have agreed on $80 million in additional cuts to UC, and there are Republican proposals to cut several hundred million dollars more from the University. We are continuing to make an aggressive case in Sacramento for the University's needs, but it is increasingly apparent that the next few years could be very difficult ones and that much more significant budget cutting may lie ahead. We will provide more updates about this year's likely budget outcome as information becomes available.

Apparently Ross learned this trick from Gray Davis.

[dTheater]

Did anyone notice that she said the "1-hour interview with Marshall, Winnie and Ed." would be shipped too. What happened to the TV museum interview footage???

Yes, very sly of him to make it seem like that's all that's supposed to be on the bonus disc.

That was the only piece of footage they had basically handed to them. Did anyone really think they would make an effort to obtain more? That's too much work and money. Now that I think about, so would putting the interview on DVD be, so I don't think they even did that. Maybe they'll send us all a link to where it can be viewed as streaming real video.

You'd think a company that takes more than a year and a half to complete an order would act a little more apologetic if they're trying to save face. Otherwise, why even bother?

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Maybe because their mindset is to do the bare minimum required to avoid a lawsuit. The MTR footage costs a lot, and the BF interviews are already done (and provided free of charge aside from production costs). Why pay for more stuff if they don't have to?