Bad News and Good News

We finally are on our way to owning a triple stroller. I have been researching my little heart out for almost a year, and finally came to a conclusion. I decided on the Valco Twin Runabout with the added toddler seat a long time ago, but have been waiting until we actually felt like we needed it and would use it (they cost A LOT of money, so I wanted to be sure). It’s great because it’s neither too wide, nor too long, and has great reviews. So all we had to do was purchase. Ha.

So you’ve probably noticed in a few blog posts that we have been using a double stroller, besides the connected umbrella strollers we also use a lot. Well, we found a used Valco for a great deal (about half price) on craigslist, and felt it was worth getting a babysitter and going all the way up to Baltimore to retrieve it. We aren’t big craigslist people. I just don’t usually have the energy or willingness to chase after things when we could just buy them ourselves. But this seemed like enough savings to make an effort. After giving them the wad of cash, we were on our way and joked about how we forgot to call the company and ask if this slightly older model would fit the toddler seat on the market right now (it was on my list that day but I forgot). I had looked extensively online and the pictures of both models looked the same so I guess I just figured it would fit. So the next day, just to be sure, I gave them a call only to find out the upsetting news that the toddler seat that the retailers have in stock right now, that we absolutely need, does not fit the non-refundable stroller we just paid for. By this point, I was telling myself I would’ve just rather paid full price for a new one than to deal with the mess I was in. And all of this, mind you, was when I was feeling the wasp bite allergic reaction coming on. I was in a frenzy for sure.

I was feeling foolish and annoyed with myself. But I was trying to tell myself it was only money, and it wasn’t worth fretting over. But the bottom line was, we needed a triple stroller so I had to figure something out. So I turned into a pushy mom with a job to do. When I called Valco (known for their great customer service), I demanded, in the nicest possible way, they tell me how I can find what I need. I tried looking for a used one, to no avail, so I was desperate for any information. She finally told me that the only thing left to try was emailing the corporate office in Australia where they have everything manufactured and stored. Why didn’t she tell me that in the first place, instead of leaving it until after I begged for a solution? So I emailed immediately. They are in a very different time zone, so I waited patiently for a couple days, all the while calling Valco a couple more times to see if I could get someone else who knew more and could help me out. I also put our stroller up on Craigslist and our neighborhood listserve and only had one interested person who didn’t end up buying it.

Finally, I got an email from Valco in Australia stating that they do in fact have the product I was looking for, and gave me the email address to contact the only retailer that ships to the US. Of course, the wild goose chase continues. But still, reading that was music to my eyes. So after a several emails to a friendly man, Shane, and a couple weeks of waiting for his company to get one in from another state, with updates here and there, they finally had one ready for me. I got this news yesterday, and was so relieved. Annoyed with all the loops we had to jump through, but relieved we had made it to this point. Otherwise I’d have a huge pointless stroller, would’ve been out a few hundred bucks, and still had to figure out our triple stroller situation.

So then went the purchasing process. It was going to cost a lot to ship by freight, but I seriously didn’t care. We called a bunch of our credit cards to see which one had the lowest foreign exchange fee (thank you AmEx for your 1% fee charge), and then researched how to call overseas with our cell phone provider. We called Shane at the hefty price of 1.49/minute, and gave the credit card information. He was awesome, and we were off the phone within a minute or so. I thanked him profusely. He treated me like a very important customer, even all the way over here in Maryland. And his Australian accent was quite charming as well.

So that’s that. Our toddler seat to complete our stroller will be here in approximately 8 weeks. It seems like a long time away, but I think we’ll be using this stroller for the next couple years, so I think it will be worth it. I understand this story isn’t the most exciting or interesting material for you to read, but it represents a lot of work on my end, and I didn’t want to forget it. I was only trying to be smart with our money. What we moms will do for our children. Well, I guess the stroller is more for me. But still, a happy mom= a happy family, right? Lots of lessons learned here. But really, we did still save a lot of money, and have a stroller we love. In fact, we have already been enjoying it as a double, just carrying the third in Ergo baby carrier. We’ve been taking morning walks in an effort to be a more active family. And in the morning it’s only like 75 degrees instead of 100, so the babies can enjoy being outdoors too. I can’t take walks alone during the day in that kind of heat.

We have put a lot of thought into the gear we have/have not purchased, strollers included. All of the 6 strollers we have bought up until this point have had a very important place, and we haven’t had to spend a lot of money on them. The stroller frames were excellent for when they were newborns and all the doctors appointment they required. We also loved having the double and single for ease of maneuverability and it cut the cost way down. (We knew we’d only use those for a short time-the triple frames are 400 bucks! We paid less than half that for the two.) And the umbrella strollers are awesome, and will still be used a lot, even with the triple stroller. If I have to take only one somewhere, or for traveling, they are perfect for such occasions. But I know this triple stroller will be invaluable. I can’t wait to get it up and running. At least it’s so hot right now, I don’t even care go to the park or on walks, so I’m not too annoyed it will take a while to arrive. By the time it gets here, it will be cooling off and I will be dying to try it out in the nicer weather. It would definitely make trips to the mall easier than it was when I went yesterday. (I know I am crazy. But it was nice to get out of the house, and the babies behaved so well. I never expect to be productive on these types of ventures. Just some variety to the day, that’s all. But I should probably save these types of outings for a day that isn’t 100 degrees.) Here we are in Old Navy.

I hope all of your stroller shopping experiences aren’t as obnoxious as ours.