Break downs, update

The car repair people say there's nothing wrong with the car. The check engine code said the #3 cylinder had misfired, but it isn't misfiring now. They pressure tested the head gasket and it's fine. They think maybe damp got into the spark plug wire, but they couldn't reproduce the issue. They turned the check engine light off and drove it hard, and couldn't reproduce the problem. It might have gotten damp from sitting - it was parked all last week and last week was wet here. I have a Scanguage and I think it is able to turn off check engine lights. I should figure out how to do it, so if this happens again I can just handle it myself. And perhaps I will replace the spark plug wires just on general principles.

I ordered a new personal desktop PC this morning. I'm not going to shut this one down again until the replacement arrives.

My work is sending me a loaner laptop. It will arrive tomorrow. I can then send mine back for them to reimage.

Maybe I am destined to get a new headset

I have an excellent phone headset that my work provided to me some years ago. It is a GN Netcom. It is wireless and lightweight, with one speaker and a tiny microphone. The headband is super comfortable and the sound quality is great. Back when I started working from home, I had several terrible headsets. Some were work-provided and some were self-provided but they were all awful. When I got this headset I was thrilled because it worked so well after all that trouble. When I broke it, a couple years ago, I carefully glued it back together and continued using it without any more trouble.

But over the last month or so, my wonderful headset has started to have a very short battery life. I would have to switch to my handset in the middle of long calls. Batteries get tired, I know, so I decided to replace the battery. I called up the admin assistant at the office, to see if they had batteries for it, and she said no, they have retired all the headsets like this and aren't supporting them anymore. The new headsets have two speakers. I prefer one speaker. The one speaker headsets they now have at the office, are the kind that hook over your ear, instead of having a headband that goes over your head. I hate those ear hook things!

I don't wanna give up my wonderful headset!

So I went out on Amazon, and found the battery I needed, for $10. It arrived last week. But I discovered that I can't install it without breaking the part that I glued, which is the headband where it joins the earpiece. Replacement headbands are available on Amazon for $14, so I ordered one and set the battery aside for later. I will break the repair open and replace the battery when the new headband arrives, and my wonderful headset will then be like new, right?

The package arrived last Friday. It was strangely heavy. This turned out to be because it didn't contain a headband. It contained a WHOLE NEW HEADSET. Not the same model. A newer model of the same brand. Which is also available on Amazon, for $300.

So I got a $300 headset instead of a $14 replacement part. At least it is only one speaker, so I considered just hooking it up and trying it. But that would be dishonest, and besides, I am perfectly happy with my old headset - I just want to fix the darn thing.

I contacted Amazon through their live support chat. We agreed that I would send them back the headset and they will send me the correct part

The new package just arrived. Once again it's strangely heavy. I opened it and it is a another complete new headset.

How much trouble should I take, to try to get Amazon to send the headband I need? Should I just give up and try the new headset? I can't cannibalize the new headset for a headband, because the headband isn't the same.

There were four or five sellers on Amazon with these headbands. Maybe I'll order one from one of the other sellers. The new headset can sit here while I try to get a new headband, and if I just can't get a headband I can eventually try it.