I bought it from a LBS but I won't have time to go back there till the weekend.

1) Well when I stood beside it just now and tried shifting, it was impossible to shift the gear with my left thumb. I just couldn't reach far enough. However earlier on when I was cycling I was able to shift it, albeit with much difficulty especially compared to the other 3 shifters.

2) Both rings are extremely hard to shift too. However shifting to the large ring is slightly harder than shifting to the middle ring. Shifting to a smaller ring is very easy though.