The planes are back in the virtual air
Once in a while, my involvement with the anonymous world of eBay goes awry. Not too often, two or three times in a hundred. Just enough to remind me that this is still the “real world” and there are those who would take advantage of perfect strangers.
Back from summer vacation, I decided to acquire a copy of the only computer game I’ve ever really found interesting and educational. No, not Zork; there are very few grues in the real world. I’m a fan of Flight Simulator, going back to when it still fit on a single diskette and required an 8086 as the processor. Boy, we’ve sure come a long way between crashes. There were lots of opportunities to bid, but over a period of days, nay weeks, I bid and lost repeatedly (simulated crashes). Finally, I soared, having found a copy for less than $25 including shipping. Almost given away.
After the usual delays, my long awaited package arrived at the gate and after clearing security I went straight to the installer. Wait; this package is only half packed. One of the DVDs is missing. The message to the seller was promptly answered, with the promise to ship the second disk forthwith. And then things soured. There was no second disk on site, and another copy would have to be found. Delays, more delays, a refund (unsolicited) to my Paypal account followed by another offer to complete the auction.
It’s been two long months. Grounded. Unable to fly down to the lighthouse and back, or check out the bridge. No wings. Until today; the replacement box has arrived and installed without error. I even passed the Microsoft Activation hurdle. My thanks to the seller that kept this sale alive, in a virtual world. Think of eBay as Flight Sim for the merchant in all of us.
