He's a big ball of messed up and I hope somebody helps him.
-or-
I, too, was duped and he's a genius.
-or-
I, too, was duped and he's a genius.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thoughts on DirectTV...
They are absolutely terrible. When I chose them as my service provider, it was because I was all upset with Mediacom. So now I don't think I have anywhere else to turn. Maybe I can get Comcast here? Maybe Dish Network?
A few months ago, something went wrong with our box and we were told to reset it. Which we did. And then the guy on the phone says that everything we had recorded and scheduled to record along with our preferences were now lost.
Speaking of Lost, guess what we had recorded then and again now.
Anyway - the box started going sideways again. And we couldn't watch the movie we ordered. It didn't record, so I didn't think about it again. Then we had more problems and we reset the box over the internet (incidentally that must be magic). Then it was better for a few days until we noticed our scheduled programs weren't recording. And then we couldn't even pause or back up while we were watching TV. Throughout all of this, the picture would cut out or come in pixelated and every few minutes, a message would flash saying "Insert Access Card."
So then Rachel calls for support, and the guy on the phone asked Rachel to push the reset button. When she did, the box gave her an electric shock. She screamed, the guy asked what happened and she told him. And he said he would FedEx us a new box.
Well, that sounds fine, right? But then today, I look at my bill and see that we were charged $24.00 for shipping fees. And on top of that, we were charged $4.99 for the movie we couldn't watch because it never recorded.
So I call them up all angry, but I work in this industry, and I politely told the nice, courteous gentleman who answered my tale of woe. And I calmly explained that I wanted credit for the movie we couldn't watch, credit for the shipping fees that nobody told us about to replace the defective box that shocked my wife that I have paid a fee to lease every month for the past two years. I also explained that I felt that I should be credited a percentage of the service fees for the last month because we have not been able to use the services that we pay for.
And he asked me to hold while he checked with 2nd level customer service or something. And I held. And he came back and said everything is fine, that he had sent all of my information to a 2nd level representative, that he was going to transfer me to that representative, and that that representative would grant the credits.
I thanked him profusely.
Still good, right?
Well the first thing the 2nd level representative does is ask me for the phone number on my account. And I am ticked now again, because this is one of the big no-nos in customer service call centers. At least in the ones I work on. Anyway, the guy questions me on everything. "What did you mean you didn't watch the movie, you had a 24 hour pass?" Well, like I explained to the other guy, it didn't record and we didn't want to watch from the middle, and I wasn't going to stay up untill midnight to catch the start of the next showing. "Well why didn't you call us then?" Well, because it didn't record, and I didn't watch it, I assumed I wouldn't be charged. You can reset my box over the internet, can't you tell that I didn't watch the movie that didn't record? He finally conceded a one time credit of $3.99. I had to remind him that the charge was $4.99. And he had this attitude like he was doing me a favor.
On to the shipping charges. He says I agreed to the charges. I corrected him and said, that's not correct, the technical service representative said he would FedEx us a replacement box. Then he tells me that I accepted those shipping charges when I accepted the terms and conditions. I asked when he thinks I might have agreed to pay FedEx shipping charges to replace defective hardware that I have been leasing and that shocked my wife. He said when you pay your bill, you automatically- and I cut him off. Not that I think this is going to court, but we both know that that argument won't hold up in court. Well then, he went on, when the technician originally installed your dish and system, you signed off on the installation and that you accepted the terms and conditions.
And now I am really pissed off. And he offers me a $5.99 credit for the next six months so that I would not have to pay the leasing fee for the next six months. I explained that if things don't turn around, I can pretty much guarantee that I won't be a customer that long. He said he was sorry but that this was a business decision and the business is being run for a profit just like any other business. So I said, OK, here's a business decision for you - you can collect over $1,200 from this household over the next year or not collect another nickel. I am offering you the opportunity to keep me as a customer. He basically told me that if I didn't like their policies I should find another provider. And I was just about to when he offered me an immediate credit instead.
OK, so now I've got my movie credit, and I am $10 ahead of the shipping charges. But I'm not done. When I explained that I would also like a partial credit for the poor service we received for the last month he dug in. "Well you have other TV's in the house." Yeah, one im my office and one in my bedroom, but we generally only watch television in the family room, you know, together as a family. And I wasn't asking for full credit, but 1/3 seemed reasonable, even by the standards he was dictating.
And I got nowhere. So I am still pissed off. Not pissed off enought to cancel the service right now. But when we get our tax refund, and spend some of it on a new Hi Def TV to do our small part to help Obama help us by being a good little consumer, you can bet I'll be hooking that bad boy up to someone other than DirectTV.
A few months ago, something went wrong with our box and we were told to reset it. Which we did. And then the guy on the phone says that everything we had recorded and scheduled to record along with our preferences were now lost.
Speaking of Lost, guess what we had recorded then and again now.
Anyway - the box started going sideways again. And we couldn't watch the movie we ordered. It didn't record, so I didn't think about it again. Then we had more problems and we reset the box over the internet (incidentally that must be magic). Then it was better for a few days until we noticed our scheduled programs weren't recording. And then we couldn't even pause or back up while we were watching TV. Throughout all of this, the picture would cut out or come in pixelated and every few minutes, a message would flash saying "Insert Access Card."
So then Rachel calls for support, and the guy on the phone asked Rachel to push the reset button. When she did, the box gave her an electric shock. She screamed, the guy asked what happened and she told him. And he said he would FedEx us a new box.
Well, that sounds fine, right? But then today, I look at my bill and see that we were charged $24.00 for shipping fees. And on top of that, we were charged $4.99 for the movie we couldn't watch because it never recorded.
So I call them up all angry, but I work in this industry, and I politely told the nice, courteous gentleman who answered my tale of woe. And I calmly explained that I wanted credit for the movie we couldn't watch, credit for the shipping fees that nobody told us about to replace the defective box that shocked my wife that I have paid a fee to lease every month for the past two years. I also explained that I felt that I should be credited a percentage of the service fees for the last month because we have not been able to use the services that we pay for.
And he asked me to hold while he checked with 2nd level customer service or something. And I held. And he came back and said everything is fine, that he had sent all of my information to a 2nd level representative, that he was going to transfer me to that representative, and that that representative would grant the credits.
I thanked him profusely.
Still good, right?
Well the first thing the 2nd level representative does is ask me for the phone number on my account. And I am ticked now again, because this is one of the big no-nos in customer service call centers. At least in the ones I work on. Anyway, the guy questions me on everything. "What did you mean you didn't watch the movie, you had a 24 hour pass?" Well, like I explained to the other guy, it didn't record and we didn't want to watch from the middle, and I wasn't going to stay up untill midnight to catch the start of the next showing. "Well why didn't you call us then?" Well, because it didn't record, and I didn't watch it, I assumed I wouldn't be charged. You can reset my box over the internet, can't you tell that I didn't watch the movie that didn't record? He finally conceded a one time credit of $3.99. I had to remind him that the charge was $4.99. And he had this attitude like he was doing me a favor.
On to the shipping charges. He says I agreed to the charges. I corrected him and said, that's not correct, the technical service representative said he would FedEx us a replacement box. Then he tells me that I accepted those shipping charges when I accepted the terms and conditions. I asked when he thinks I might have agreed to pay FedEx shipping charges to replace defective hardware that I have been leasing and that shocked my wife. He said when you pay your bill, you automatically- and I cut him off. Not that I think this is going to court, but we both know that that argument won't hold up in court. Well then, he went on, when the technician originally installed your dish and system, you signed off on the installation and that you accepted the terms and conditions.
And now I am really pissed off. And he offers me a $5.99 credit for the next six months so that I would not have to pay the leasing fee for the next six months. I explained that if things don't turn around, I can pretty much guarantee that I won't be a customer that long. He said he was sorry but that this was a business decision and the business is being run for a profit just like any other business. So I said, OK, here's a business decision for you - you can collect over $1,200 from this household over the next year or not collect another nickel. I am offering you the opportunity to keep me as a customer. He basically told me that if I didn't like their policies I should find another provider. And I was just about to when he offered me an immediate credit instead.
OK, so now I've got my movie credit, and I am $10 ahead of the shipping charges. But I'm not done. When I explained that I would also like a partial credit for the poor service we received for the last month he dug in. "Well you have other TV's in the house." Yeah, one im my office and one in my bedroom, but we generally only watch television in the family room, you know, together as a family. And I wasn't asking for full credit, but 1/3 seemed reasonable, even by the standards he was dictating.
And I got nowhere. So I am still pissed off. Not pissed off enought to cancel the service right now. But when we get our tax refund, and spend some of it on a new Hi Def TV to do our small part to help Obama help us by being a good little consumer, you can bet I'll be hooking that bad boy up to someone other than DirectTV.
Thoghts on Peet's Coffee...
Long before there was even one Starbuck's in California, I fell in love with Peet's Coffee. Back then, when I was home from college, we had to drive to San Anselmo to even find a latte. Now you can get them, or at least a gross imitation of them at McDonald's.
I had my first sip of my first cup at the College Avenue Peet's, which, if I remember correctly, was not the first, but the second Peet's location. I was doing construction work for a homeless man who read great books while dressed like a cowboy and lived out of his station wagon and paid me in cash from a stash in his belt.
It was magical. There is something about the equipment they use that simply can't be matched, even with the beans you bring home. The coffee brewed there always has these little bubbles on the top. And when I sip from their cups, a little drop of coffee love often splashes on to the tip my nose through the tiny hole in the lid for air intake- and it makes me giggle a little with joy every time. I have owned some fantastic coffee makers over the years, and unfortunately, none have ever been able to match the cup of liquid perfection they server in the stores themselves.
Now, can you see the difference between the two bags of coffee in this picture? I bet Laurie can.
I don't want to be known as a coffee snob or anything, but despite their similarities, I can tell the difference between a pot brewed from the bag on the left and a pot brewed from the bag on the right.
The bag on the left is Garuda blend, ground on four (for automatic drip ecstasy as well as an acceptable espresso) purchased at a Peet's location. It was ground and bagged with love by a cute young employee at the Peet's in downtown Santa Rosa. The bag on the right is filled with Garuda blend whole beans purchased at my local market.
Now, Garuda blend is my personal favorite of the beans the regularly have in stock. They occasionally come out with some small batches of specialty coffee that are "better" in that they are a different sort of wonderful - there's something to be said for variety among high quality products. But Garuda is my tried and true everyday favorite. I should rephrase that - I don't drink Garuda every day, I try to save it for those days when I need a little reward.
Anyway - In theory, the just ground beans should taste better than the pre-ground ones. But they don't. That's the general rule - the best coffee comes from freshly ground beans. Freeze your ground coffee, store your beans in a canister, right? Everyone knows that. Well, OK, not everyone. But Laurie does.
So how do you account for this? I would like to attribute it somehow to the cuteness of the server. But I have also had beans ground and bagged by much less well kempt, not particularly attractive people, and the results are the same. On that note - is there some law that says if you get paid to operate a commercial espresso machine, you must have tattoos?
Anyway - I can't explain why the one bag tastes better than the other. And the only way to explain the unexplainable is to attribute it to magic.
To sum up:
Peet's coffee (any variety) brewed at Peet's = Coffee Nirvana
Peet's coffee ground, bagged, and purchased at Peet's = Some kind of wonderful
Peet's coffee whole beans purchased at a market, freshly ground at home = Still wonderful, but I wish I could find the time to drive over the hill to get some from the store and drink a fresh cup on the way home.
Peet's coffee bought pre-ground from the market = A fine cup of Joe, but a far cry from Coffee Nirvana.
Anything else is a last resort for me. Except for Starbuck's which is never an option.
Oh, except for that one time.
Oh, also, you know how when you buy a new car, you tend to see that kind of car everywhere you go? We recently purchased that coffee maker, and I've been seeing it in weird places - an advertisement for Marriott Rewards, and last night at the end of Criminal Minds. I made Rachel rewind so I could show her.
And I might get around to a post about my thoughts on DirectTV, but just in case I don't, I want you to know that I think they suck.
I had my first sip of my first cup at the College Avenue Peet's, which, if I remember correctly, was not the first, but the second Peet's location. I was doing construction work for a homeless man who read great books while dressed like a cowboy and lived out of his station wagon and paid me in cash from a stash in his belt.
It was magical. There is something about the equipment they use that simply can't be matched, even with the beans you bring home. The coffee brewed there always has these little bubbles on the top. And when I sip from their cups, a little drop of coffee love often splashes on to the tip my nose through the tiny hole in the lid for air intake- and it makes me giggle a little with joy every time. I have owned some fantastic coffee makers over the years, and unfortunately, none have ever been able to match the cup of liquid perfection they server in the stores themselves.
Now, can you see the difference between the two bags of coffee in this picture? I bet Laurie can.
I don't want to be known as a coffee snob or anything, but despite their similarities, I can tell the difference between a pot brewed from the bag on the left and a pot brewed from the bag on the right.
The bag on the left is Garuda blend, ground on four (for automatic drip ecstasy as well as an acceptable espresso) purchased at a Peet's location. It was ground and bagged with love by a cute young employee at the Peet's in downtown Santa Rosa. The bag on the right is filled with Garuda blend whole beans purchased at my local market.
Now, Garuda blend is my personal favorite of the beans the regularly have in stock. They occasionally come out with some small batches of specialty coffee that are "better" in that they are a different sort of wonderful - there's something to be said for variety among high quality products. But Garuda is my tried and true everyday favorite. I should rephrase that - I don't drink Garuda every day, I try to save it for those days when I need a little reward.
Anyway - In theory, the just ground beans should taste better than the pre-ground ones. But they don't. That's the general rule - the best coffee comes from freshly ground beans. Freeze your ground coffee, store your beans in a canister, right? Everyone knows that. Well, OK, not everyone. But Laurie does.
So how do you account for this? I would like to attribute it somehow to the cuteness of the server. But I have also had beans ground and bagged by much less well kempt, not particularly attractive people, and the results are the same. On that note - is there some law that says if you get paid to operate a commercial espresso machine, you must have tattoos?
Anyway - I can't explain why the one bag tastes better than the other. And the only way to explain the unexplainable is to attribute it to magic.
To sum up:
Peet's coffee (any variety) brewed at Peet's = Coffee Nirvana
Peet's coffee ground, bagged, and purchased at Peet's = Some kind of wonderful
Peet's coffee whole beans purchased at a market, freshly ground at home = Still wonderful, but I wish I could find the time to drive over the hill to get some from the store and drink a fresh cup on the way home.
Peet's coffee bought pre-ground from the market = A fine cup of Joe, but a far cry from Coffee Nirvana.
Anything else is a last resort for me. Except for Starbuck's which is never an option.
Oh, except for that one time.
Oh, also, you know how when you buy a new car, you tend to see that kind of car everywhere you go? We recently purchased that coffee maker, and I've been seeing it in weird places - an advertisement for Marriott Rewards, and last night at the end of Criminal Minds. I made Rachel rewind so I could show her.And I might get around to a post about my thoughts on DirectTV, but just in case I don't, I want you to know that I think they suck.
Thoughts on Food Safety...
I have to admit, when times are tough, I am more inclined to purchase a generic or off brand. I mean, peanut butter has become an important part of my regular diet, and I can easily justify paying a little more for, say, Adam's Natural. But then, the off brand costs almost $2.00 less. And I say, well, we are tightening our belts, so sure, why not buy the off brand. And then you see things like
Dead rodents, excrement in peanut butter plant lead to recall
andSalmonella leads to 2nd Ohio death; peanut butter sales down nearly 25 percent
and suddenly, that extra two bucks seem well worth it. My Dad used to say, when it came time to buy cleats or tennis shoes, "The most expensive pair of shoes you can buy is cheaper than a visit to the emergency room."Thoughts on blogging...
I was about to create two
consecutive posts with my thoughts on
a couple of things.
Then I thought
maybe I should create a new blog where
I only post thoughts on things.
This blog could be more nimble,
less photo intensive,
and perhaps I would be more inclined to
post more often.
Well, we'll see...
consecutive posts with my thoughts on
a couple of things.
Then I thought
maybe I should create a new blog where
I only post thoughts on things.
This blog could be more nimble,
less photo intensive,
and perhaps I would be more inclined to
post more often.
Well, we'll see...
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