Nibbled News

Four Cent Phone Bill Hilarious But True

Gerry Charbonneau — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:27:30 PST

"Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it." ----- PETER DRUCKER I used to think that those humorous television commercials which jokingly insinuate that many telephone providers are actually money-hungry charlatans whose sole purpose in life is to extract as much money as is humanly possible from their long term, contract obligated customers were merely stretching the truth in an orchestrated manner. Now, however, I tend to whole heartedly agree with their overall accusations. I recently received a long distance telephone charge of four...

TV Ads Overly Concerned About Body Hair

Gerry Charbonneau — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:24:31 PST

“There's a reason why forty, fifty, and sixty don't look the way they used to, and it's not because of feminism, or better living through exercise. It's because of hair dye. In the 1950's only 7 percent of American women dyed their hair; today there are parts of Manhattan and Los Angeles where there are no gray-haired women at all.” ― Nora Ephron If you watch any amount of late night television you will eventually begin to notice that many advertisers are beginning to zero in on a major problem that is currently plaguing many, many people these days and...

Ever Try Reasoning With Your Dentist?

Gerry Charbonneau — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:09:44 PST

"You don't go mud wrestling with a pig because in the end you only wind up looking foolish and the pig tends to love the attention." -- Anon. Have you ever tried to engage in a somewhat intelligent and serious conversation with your dentist while you were sitting quietly in his comfortably padded , genuine Corinthian leather oversized chair visibly trembling and waiting for the pain session to begin? If you have ever tried this almost universal approach to personal anxiety reduction you would have immediately noticed that both the dentist and his well trained assistant have only one game...

Sipping A Brewsky Helps It All Make Sense

Gerry Charbonneau — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:56:20 PST

Several months ago, a friend told me that when he was cleaning his garage he threw his back out. I told him it was probably over enthusiasm. Sometimes when you're cleaning you get carried away and throw out something you intended to keep." --- George Carlin. How many folks do you personally know who rush headlong through their daily routines without ever taking the time to reflect on their lives or the way in which the many absurdities of life actively impinge on their actions and overall happiness? Few people ever schedule some personal quiet time in which they just...

Many Automobile Problems Just Happen

Gerry Charbonneau — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:09:56 PST

"WHILE I waited at a service station for my car to be tuned, a woman drove up in a clunker that rattled, wheezed and coughed to a stop in a cloud of smoke. She rolled down her window and asked the attendant if she could wait while it was being fixed. "Sure," replied the attendant. "It'll take awhile, but get your things. You can sleep over there under the oil racks." --- Anon ==================== Sometimes a person's best friend is his automobile dealership's repair crew. These specially trained service technicians can make or break a customer's overall satisfaction with the...

Seven Percent Solution For Our World?

Gerry Charbonneau — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:29:10 PST

Prayer is co-operation with God. It is the purest exercise of the faculties God has given us - an exercise that links these faculties with the Maker to work out the intentions He had in mind in their creation. ( E. Stanley Jones) This is the time of the year when the winter blahs and blues seems to take its toll on many, many people. Feelings of depression slowly creep into a person's psyche. Many folks want to give up on the positive side of life and in its stead embrace a negative, hangdog pessimism. The shorter days and the...

Safeway Lagging Behind On Product Quality

Gerry Charbonneau — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:55:43 PST

The traditional mom and pop grocery store has these days almost been entirely replaced by the mega markets promoting their bulk buying offers and huge discounts meant to entice and secure customer support and loyalty. We trust that the modern day players in the burgeoning food industry will also adhere to the same standards of quality, freshness and safety that the local entrepreneurs subscribed to. Sometimes this trust is naively placed into outlets that care more about profits then customer safety and satisfaction. Many times there are too many fingers in the operational pie to guarantee anything substantial for the...

Shoddy Tech Support Plagues Giantmatrix

Gerry Charbonneau — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:08:09 PST

Online software companies promise potential customers that their product is second to none and that their product 's technical support team will go out of its way to assist you should you experience problems with their products. One company whose after sale technical support is sorely lacking is Giantmatrix (www.giantmatrix.com) whose product "Anti Tracks" offers consumers hours of software frustration, little or no product support and of course questionable marketing strategies. In November of 2011 I purchased an online version of Anti Tracks from Avangate the seller of the software. I received an email notification that once my order was...

Turning Viewers Into Entrenched Voyeurs

Gerry Charbonneau — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:01:58 PST

"I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table." ~ Rodney Dangerfield It seems these days that even the most dramatic, respected and creative television shows eventually flaunt and promote unbridled, carefree and unprotected sex as the answer to their series flagging viewer rating. This usually happens after the third or fourth episode when the viewer numbers have been compiled and the networks and advertisers are eager to boost exposure and sales. Network managers are willing to take a chance on new...

Invent A Patch To Save Some Marriages

Gerry Charbonneau — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:38:05 PST

If you made a list of the reasons why any couple got married, and another list of the reasons for their divorce, you'd have a hell of a lot of overlapping. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960 This is an impassioned plea trying to keep lawyers and divorce court costs out of the bedrooms and bank accounts of America. Many marital conflicts are at times the result of conflicting emotional feelings and sentiments of confused and disgruntled couples and as such do not come under the direct purview of the judicial system. The time has finally arrived for an enlightened...