A long time ago, I came into contact with an older women fitness trainer at a local gym that I attended.  I never use trainers but we had just a few casual conversations at the gym. She specialized in helping the older clients.   I only had a very casual acquaintance with her.  I left the fitness club a long time ago.  About a year ago I met her at the same post office I use and she invited me to join her for coffee at a place across the street.  She then called me whenever she went to the post office to pick up her mail and we would go to the same place for coffee.  I found out that she was homeless but was fortunate enough to be taken in at a home for older women.  I found out that she paid about $6 to have a bus take her to the post office.  I then insisted that I pick her up at her house.   Then I discovered that she was facing problems.  She seemed to have some sort of mental problem, possibly dementia.  She had difficulty hearing.  I frequently had to take louder and repeat myself.  I took her to the store where she would get her hearing aid repaired but her hearing aid never seemed to work properly.  The home where she was allowed to stay evidently had requirements that each women attend periodic doctor appointments.  My friend failed to remember her doctor appointments so her shelter house told her that she was about to be kicked out of the house!  She would be homeless.  I could not believe that they would do this to her.  She has family in Texas and they had a house that her father gave to his children.  Two of her siblings lived in that house and now they invited her to join them.  So it was decided that she should travel back to Texas.  I had to buy her train ticket, accessible coach seat, for her which cost $222.30 .  I was told that she had no luggage for the trip to Austin, Texas.  No one at the house, where she was staying, could tell me what size and shape suitcase she needed.  I went to COSTCO and purchased a Delsey suitcase for $188.55.   I chose COSTCO because they have a very good return policy and it was way too dicey that this lady would end up using this suitcase so I wanted some way to get my money back.   I then went to STAPLES and purchased shipping boxes and a tape gun for $21.45.  When I arrived at the house where she was staying, I was told that no men are allowed in.  I had to park in their driveway where I unloaded the shipping boxes and suitcase.  I asked the women who came out to help me that I wanted the suitcase box to be returned to me along with the suitcase, in case it was not used.  I also requested that the STAPLES shipping materials that was not used to also be returned to me.  A few days later, I drove over to the house to take my friend to the train station.   She was not using the suitcase that I had purchased at COSTCO because that people at the house where she stayed could not figure out how to open the TSA locks from reading the instructions included with the suitcase.  So when I arrived to pick her up, she had a very small, close to the ground, wheeled bag.  The women, at the house, also provided one single cardboard box that needed to be mailed back to her new address.   I drove my friend to the train station where we I purchased an Amtrak ticket to Texas for $222.30.  My wife had given me a bag of green grapes for my friend to take with her which turned out to be a fantastic solution for her getting food and liquid for the whole day trip.  She reported back to me that she never left her seat, on the train, for the whole trip.  She did not go to the dining car.  She only had those green grapes.  Family members picked her up at the train station when she arrived in Texas.  I returned to the home where my friend stayed to pick up the COSTCO luggage and the STAPLES items that were not used.  The ladies at this house also failed to provide the box which the COSTCO luggage was package in.  I had total right knee replacement surgery the very next day after sending my friend on the train to Texas so I was unable to attempt to return the COSTCO luggage for about three weeks.  So weeks later, I finally drove to COSTCO to see if they would reimburse me for buying the luggage.  All I had was a receipt. I was missing the box which the luggage came in.  I was missing the paperwork which the luggage provided and described how to use that piece of luggage.  It took two COSTCO employees to figure out the situation for me.  One employee knew that there was a second piece of luggage inside the large one and they had to test that it was still inside.  They used their fingers to poke through a small zipper opening but could not reach that deep inside.  Then they used a long pencil or pen to poke inside the luggage to see if they hit the inside piece of luggage and finally did hit the hidden luggage inside. Then they shook the whole luggage and felt that there was a second piece of luggage inside to confirm their first finding.  I then was given the full refund for returning this luggage!   I was expecting them to refuse this return.  I was a bit shocked at their wonderful attempts to make me happy for shopping at COSTCO.  I am indebted to their pro customer attitude.  I love shopping at COSTCO and have more reason to do so in the future.

Update:  The homeless women’s family sent me a check for $300 which completely covered my expenses.

Posted: May 2, 2022
Update:  May 3, 2022