Consumer Curmudgeon

Xplornet.com

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:18:00 +0000

I get a card in the mail (see below) from Xplornet Internet Services advertising wireless high-speed Internet connectivity for rural Canadians. The fact that they sent this to an urban address seems to be lost on them. Maybe they think I own a cottage on a lake, or something.

In block letters they have, "BETTER INTERNET FOR UNDER $50/MONTH²"

Oh shit, did you see that ² at the end? You know they're going to fuck you over somehow. And here's how:

"²Refers to the Zoom Enhanced Package, which is up to 37.5 x faster than dial-up."

But, but, the very next line they say, "Up to 125X faster than dial-up".

Oh, ya really gotta watch the "up to" shit. Even though these two lines appear one after the other, they have no bearing on each other.

The purpose of this wording is to mislead the consumer, nothing less. You know it, and they know it — although they will deny it vigorously.

There's also early termination fees, but they don't think it's worth telling you how much.

Hey jerks, if you've got a decent product to offer, then be honest about it. Deceptive tactics like this means your offer is not as good as you're trying to mislead people into believing.

So here's the card for you to marvel at:

Please be our banker

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:08:00 +0000

When you go to the home page of these good folks you're immediately presented with a Job Opportunities page. I guess they're desperate.

I love this line,

"The company offers exciting, ground-floor opportunities to qualified individuals who are willing to take a risk in exchange for significant returns in the near future."

Let me clarify what they're really saying, "We don't have adequate financial backing so we want to pay you spit and offer you shares in the company that are currently worthless. Oh don't worry, we promise you'll get rich when the dough starts rolling in and we go public. Of course we'll beat the odds and be that one in a hundred new companies that survive more than a couple of years. But, we'll beat even higher odds and get filthy rich and generate significant returns (mainly to the founders, but we'll throw you a bone too). And if we go bankrupt then just think of all that valuable experience you'll have paid yourself to gain."

I really do wish them well, and they are telling you you're taking a risk, but to promise "… significant returns in the near future." is just wishful thinking for any tech startup. Tell them you want the money you're investing put in trust each month. Then kiss your chances of getting the job goodbye.

GE, imaginative scam artists

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:25:00 +0000

GE Canada has to be the biggest bunch of scam artists there are. Their slogan, "Imagination at work" is very fitting. They use their imagination to come up with devious new ways to screw their customers.

I bought a new GE Profile PFSF2MIYWW refrigerator. Right off the bat, the water coming out of the chilled water dispenser tastes like plastic — burned plastic, to be precise. GE sends a repair guy out who is no doubt paid to say, "It tastes fine to me." Well, he's the only one who has ever entered our house who can't taste it. As a result, GE will do nothing about the problem.

If water tastes like plastic, then there are chemicals leaching into the water. There's no way in hell I'm going to let GE poison me or my family.

Then I send in their rebate form on 2010-03-24. It says, "Allow 6-8 weeks from time of receipt." Assuming they get it in a few days, I should have seen the rebate May 24th at the latest. I called May 26th, and the agent said it was approved April 21 and would be 6-8 weeks from that date! When I reminded the agent that it was supposed to be from time of receipt, she said, and I quote, "The rebate form is misleading." Misleading! In GE's own words, they say that they are deliberately misleading their customers.

So, 8 weeks from April 21st would be June 16th. I called Jun 18th and this time the agent said it was 2 months or June 21st, not 8 weeks before it would be sent, then I have to wait for the mail. The cheque arrives June 24th.

So in reality, GE's promised rebate turnaround time of 8 weeks maximum, turned out to be over 13 weeks.

Great, so I got the cheque, right? Yeah, but they cheated me out of $100. The rebate form clearly states, "When you spend $2000-$2999 you save $250. The fridge cost $2,189.99. They only sent $150.

Rebates in general are a scam. Companies take your money, make you pay tax on the full amount, hang on to your money for months, and make you fight to get it back. You're being "bribed" with your own money.

In GE's case, they cheat you out of your money as well and don't deliver the amount they promised within the time they promised it, which makes them the worst rebate scammers I've ever had the misfortune to deal with.

Siooma(*), GE.

(*) Just Google the word.

Nimnels

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:40:00 +0000

Here's a new blog documenting people who act like nimnels (loosely translated to mean, idiots).

Ignore our contact information

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:15:00 +0000

The gentle people who run Jasper Apple Farm near Smiths Falls, Ontario can't seem to understand that when they publish contact information and invite people to contact them by saying, "If you have any questions or would just like to get a hold of us, please fill out the form below," then common folk like myself actually believe they'll respond to contact attempts. What fools we are.

You see, even though I called and left a voice message, then sent an email to their published email address, then filled out the form on their Contact Us web page, they have chosen not to respond even though it would take about 30 seconds of their time.

So why, I ask, do these people bother publishing contact information? Are they too busy to respond? Did all their electronics get fried so they never got the messages? Or perhaps they're just Inconsiderate <bleeps>. I honestly don't know.

What I do know is that they won't be getting any of my business. Any company that ignores customers just doesn't deserve to stay in business.

Winds of Change Day Spa doesn't get it

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:50:00 +0000

I was interested in buying some Christmas gift certificates for my wife and daughter for a spa package in west Ottawa. I searched several sites in the west end, including all the way out to Stittsville. I came across only one place that didn't list their prices on their web site. How backwards, I thought.

Here's the email exchange, Well actually, my last response was never sent because I realized they just don't get it and probably never will, so why waste more of my time trying to tell them that. I'll just post it here so you understand that, while this may be a good spa, they don't know how to market themselves in the Internet age.

Note that in their reply, they still didn't tell me how to get pricing or even send a price list. Amazing.

They lost a customer.

Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 6:05 PM
To: appts@Winds-Of-Change.ca
Subject: Pricing?

I was interested in a couple of spa packages as Christmas gifts for my wife
and daughter. But, since you decided not to put prices on your web site I
will be purchasing from your competitors. It's the old, "if you gotta ask,
you can't afford it." I'll just assume you're way out of my price range.

From: "Appointments"
Date: December 8, 2009 9:09:51 EST
Subject: RE: Pricing?

Good morning,

Actually, you're wrong. There are several spas that don't list their prices.
The reason for that is because it's a very competitive business and it's in
the best interest of the spa not to have the competition learning everything
about your spa. Our prices are not any higher than anybody else's, therefore
the reason we don't advertise them on our website is just a good practice
and has nothing to do with "if you've gotta ask, you can't afford it".
I hope the experience that your wife and daughter have at your chosen spa is
as pleasant as it would have been at The Winds of Change Spa.

Regards,

Darlene
Winds Of Change Day Spa

Date: December 8, 2009 9:49:16 EST
To: appts@Winds-Of-Change.ca
Re: Pricing?

Main Street Spa lists prices:

http://www.mainstreetspa.ca/packages.html

Mahogany Spa and Salon lists prices:

http://www.mahoganysalonandspa.com/services_packages.cfm

You Need a Wrap lists prices:

http://www.youneedawrap.com/packages.htm

The Spa lists prices:

http://www.thespaottawa.ca/html/cm3.cfm?id=2&lang=1

Even The Brookstreet Hotel lists prices:

http://www.brookstreet.ca/spa/spa_treatments_packages.htm

I'm sure if I searched long enough I would find a place, other than yours, that did not list prices.

The vast majority of retailers with an online presence in very competitive markets list prices. But that's fine. You've chosen not to and I'm sure you think it's best for your business. I'm just one person who has been silly enough to expend the effort to tell you that I won't buy from a business who has something to hide. If your prices are truly competitive, then why not state that on your web site by posting them?

I would also drive by any gas station that didn't post prices because it's not worth my time to drive in, stop at the pump, and read the price.

I can't be bothered to call you and ask about a list of prices on all your services and write them down over the phone — or visit to pick up a brochure (do they list prices?) — when it's trivial to view the services offered at your competition.

Now look at all the time I've wasted responding to you. Enter the Internet age and realize that people visit a web site to be informed.

Accident waiting to happen

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:41:00 +0000

2009-12-05 13:52: Here's an asshole who cut me off as I tried to merge. Guess what? This is an invalid licence plate. That's why the guy can afford to be an asshole because you can't report him. I guess if I would have hit him and the police were called, then he would have been in trouble.

Although, I do feel sorry for him. People like him have all this pent up aggression because they have such tiny penises.

When 1080p is really 1080i

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:30:00 +0000

I bought a JVC TV in early 2006 that I paid a hefty premium for to get the best possible quality of 1080p thinking I would eventually get a source that would drive this TV. Well, it took longer than I thought, but I just replaced a failing JVC DVD player (that only lasted a measly 4.5 years) with a new LG Blu-ray player. That's when I found out that the LG player couldn't drive my TV at 1080p. So I tried to contact tech support.

Greetings,

After 40 minutes on hold waiting for tech support to answer I thought I'd try this route.

I just bought a new LG BD370C Blu-ray player and connected it to my JVC LT-40FH96 TV. The LG allows several resolutions but when I try to set it to 1080p, the TV goes black and a few seconds later the LG reverts back to 1080i.

This is the first device capable of 1080p that I've used on the TV. The TV works fine with my 1080i PVR. I've tried both HDMI ports on the TV and two different HDMI cables without success.

The TV was bought on 2006-02-20. Is there a firmware update I could download to see if this will help? Any other suggestions.

I got a response the next day so even though they don't answer the phone, at least they reply to email. Here's what they had to say,

Hello xxx,

Thank you for your email.

This model accepts 1080i max, it will then display as 1080p. The LT-40FH96 will not accept 1080p resolution.

Sincerely,

JVC Service

After sitting in stunned silence for a few seconds, watching my blood start to boil, I composed this reply,

Greetings,

Thank you for the quick, but very disappointing response. I'm faxing this response to the head office since they don't want to hear from customers via email.

So what you're telling me is that I've been lied to by the authorized JVC dealer who sold this to me as a 1080p set, with no mention that it was really a 1080i set in disguise. To say that I'm disgusted at this deception is an understatement.

And I see that JVC is complicit in this deception as evidenced by the fact there is no mention that this set only accepts 1080i on your web site. See the page at:
http://www.jvc.ca/en/consumer/archived-product-detail.asp?model=LT-40FH96

It clearly states, "High Resolution Widescreen (1920 x 1080) Full HD LCD Display".

"Full HD" to me doesn't mean only 1080i in. As far as I'm concerned, I paid a hefty premium for a 1080p set but really only have a 1080i set.

I then searched the online copy of the User Guide at:
http://resources.jvc.com/Resources/00/00/93/YA363ien.pdf

There is no mention that this set is not a true 1080p set, although it does fail to mention 1080p and only talks about 1080i.

Then I searched the Internet and found numerous stories how JVC has not advertised this limitation on the boxes of other sets you made too.

Although I've spent many thousands of dollars buying TVs, VCRs, Tuner/Amps, and DVD players from JVC, essentially you're telling me never to buy another JVC product because I can't believe what the specifications say on the box or manual, or what I'm told by a salesperson (who probably knew better because I bought it from a specialty store, not a big-box retailer).

In my opinion, I've been defrauded. Fortunately, with the power of the Internet, I can publicize this egregious deception.

I'll close by thanking you for the education on how not to get screwed on my next TV purchase, which most definitely will not be a JVC.

Update 2006-06-24:

JVC responds,

Hello xxx,

There's no deception here 1080p sources in 2005 were practically non-existent -- Blu-ray players started to be introduced in the fall of 2006. The LT40FH96 is a 2005 1080p LCD display. Please look at the timeline of HD1080p availability.

I am providing you with links to some useful information:

http://hometheater.about.com/od/televisionbasics/qt/1080ivs1080p.htm
http://blog.hometheatermag.com/geoffreymorrison/0807061080iv1080p/
http://www.hometheatermag.com/gearworks/1106gear/

Let's look at just the text in the first link where it states, "In 1080p, each frame of video is sent or displayed progressively. This means that both the odd and even fields (all 1,080 pixel rows or pixel lines) that make up the full frame are displayed together. This results in a smoother looking image [than 1080i], with less motion artifacts and jagged edges."

So JVC is pointing me to a source of information that clearly states 1080p is better than 1080i, but they hid the fact that my set could not handle a 1080p source. To this day, they're still trying to justify their actions by referring me to content that validates my stance. The arrogance of that is simply stunning.

I buy equipment with an eye to the future. I'm not going to replace a multi-thousand dollar TV every few years, so yes, I expect that 1080p sources would come along and I'd be able to get the best quality then.

But JVC thinks that just because a 1080p source is rare, they can hide the fact that their set is not true 1080p. Why not be up front about it? Because they know that people would just buy the cheaper set.

You know, it's one thing for a company to be caught deceiving their customers, but it's a new low when they try to defend their actions.

We own your life

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Original posting 2008-10-23 (see update below): I came across a job advertisement that rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, it may be good for the business and the major shareholders, but it tells you how much they value their employees.

This is from a company called International Datacasting. They were looking for a software developer. It said very little about the job but seemed to be more of a sales pitch. In these tough economic times, they shouldn't have to beg for people unless they don't understand the message their job postings send out.
Like this line,

"And let’s face it, you are going to spend the majority of your day at work, so why not work where you will enjoy what you do and where you really can shape the future of technology."

Wow! The majority of my day at work? Are they nuts? What kind of slave drivers are they?

Let's analyze the situation. Just what do they mean by "day"? Here's a few dictionary definitions,

a period of twenty-four hours as a unit of time, reckoned from one midnight to the next …
the time between sunrise and sunset.
the time between waking and sleeping.

Surely they aren't referring to 24 hours … or are they? That means your average day at IDC is over 12 hours long. Geez, I sure hope that doesn't include weekends.

If they mean the time between sunrise and sunset, that's a long day in the summer and a shorter day in the winter. Where IDC is located, in Kanata, Ontario, the longest summer day is from 5 AM to 9 PM or about 16 hours. So a summer day could be just 8 hours and that would fit the "majority" o

f time. But, the shortest amount of time between sunrise and sunset is from about 7:30 AM to about 4:30 PM, or about 9 hours. Surely they don't mean just 4.5 hours as a "majority" of your day.

No, I suspect they aren't referring to definition 2, even with the time before dawn and after dusk.

Well then, are they referring to the time between waking and sleeping? This is

quite variable for each individual, so I doubt that's what they mean. But for amusement, this could mean from say 7 AM to 11 PM. That would be 16 hours. Sounds about right. Equal 8-hour slots for sleeping, working, and everything else.

Naw, not likely. I've worked at several high-tech companies and I know they can pull long hours, and expect you to unless you apply back pressure.

It seems the problem is that, well, we don't know what they mean by "majority of your day." And that's what makes me nervous about these folks.

I wish them luck in finding qualified slaves, er, I mean, employees.

P.S. Uh, they do pay overtime, don't they? Ask that question in your job interview and see their reaction. That will tell you everything you need to know.

Update 2009-04-02: This job ad over at Ciena looks suspiciously familiar. Maybe it's written by the same HR person.

"Let’s be honest, you’re going to spend the majority of your life at work, so you might as well enjoy it. A career at Ciena is unique."

Holy crap! Those were the very first two sentences in their job ad. The majority of my life?!?! What kind of frickin' slave drivers are these guys?

Let's keep it really simple and then do a more detailed calculation. Just on a week to week basis, ignoring statutory holidays and vacation, there are 7 x 24 = 168 hours in a week. Ciena says you will work the majority of that time at work. Uh guys, that's over 84 hours per week — forever.

But that calculation is inaccurate. It's much, much worse.

A male will live to be about 78. I'm sure they only hire people out of university, so let's say you start working at age 22 and retire at age 65. That's 43 working years and 35 non-working years, ignoring summer jobs while attending university.

We want to figure out the number of hours a day they expect you to work so let's start by converting the numbers to days. Someone check my math here.

43 x 365.25 = 15,706 days during your work life and 12,784 days of non-work.

Now move the statutory holidays into the non-working total at about 12 days a year.

43 * 12 = 516 so now we have 15,190 days working life and 13,300 days of non-work.

Figure you start at 3 weeks vacation, 4 weeks after 10 years, 5 weeks after 20 years, 6 weeks after 30 years, 7 weeks after 40 years. This is a joke because nobody stays at the same company for 40+ years and each time you move, you're likely to have your years of service reset. Let's cap it at 5 weeks and figure you change jobs before the 10 years are up. To make it easy, let's assume 14 years in each bracket.

(14 * 3 * 7 ) + (14 * 4 * 7) + (15 * 5 * 7) = 1,211 days of vacation.

Now we're at 13,979 days during your working life and 14,511 non-working days.

Oh, oh. The total available working days is already below the non-working days and I haven't adjusted for weekends yet!

What the hell, let's figure out the weekends too. You deserve it.

43 * 52 * 2 = 4,472 days resulting in 9,507 working days and 18,983 non-working days.

Let's do a sanity check, 9,507 / 43 = 221 working days per year. Yup, that's about right on average.

But the good folks at Ciena expect you to work the majority of your life so of the 28,490 days of your life, they expect you to work at least 14,246 days in your 43 working years. Yes, that's right, working for Ciena means you will be working 331 days a year. But those are 24-hour days!

331 days x 24 hours per day = 7,944 hours per year.

Can you do it and still keep your vacation, and weekends. Sure, if you don't mind working 7,944 / 221 = 36 hours per working day, every friggin' work day of your life. This takes, "work smarter, not harder" to a whole new plane of existence.

How about 7,944 / 365.25 = 21.75 hours per day for every day of your working life?

Clearly, they don't mean what they said about spending the majority of your life at work. I don't even agree with the second sentence, "A career at Ciena is unique." It's not unique, there are sweatshops all over the world.

AMC MovieWatcher Scam

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Here is a nasty feedback comment I sent to AMC Theater regarding their otherwise excellent loyalty program called MovieWatcher. You can get a free card, they don't spam you, and you get discounts on movies and food purchases. There was no down side. Or was there?

One problem at the theatre I go to in Ontario is that they are constantly forgetting to credit points to my account. I get a printed receipt with the points on them and the next time I go to a movie and get a card, it shows the same total. They've forgotten again.

Here's what I said, and it's much milder than what I should have said:

Is this the fifth or sixth time I've had to complain about points failing to be posted to my card? Once is an error, twice is amusing, three times is incompetence, six times is fraud.

No organization of your size can "fail" this many times without it being a company policy to cheat customers out of the rewards. If this has happened to me this many times, it must be happening countless times to other customers daily. This kind of insidious, petty theft by your company just shows how much disregard you have for your customers.

Unlike previous times where I politely asked you to investigate the problems with this theatre, I no longer believe this is an accident. I believe this is deliberate theft. Frankly, I don't care if you find this harshly worded. I don't have any respect for thieves.

Don't waste your time replying to this message. I'll go back to the theatre and straighten it out there. And I won't even ask you for compensation for wasting my time since I'm sure you just factor that in as a loss to your overall program of deceit.

Update: And AMC's personalized response:

Dear MovieWatcher Member,

Thank you for contacting AMC MovieWatcher.

At AMC, our guests deserve the best possible movie going experience-which is why we believe you choose AMC to see your favorite films. We want to thank you for coming to our theatres!

Let us know in person. If your experience was enjoyable, then we've done our jobs well and our theatre managers would love to hear from you. Likewise, if you believe AMC has let you down in some way, our managers would appreciate the opportunity to speak personally with you to address any concern immediately. When you are visiting a theatre, don't hesitate to ask for a manager.

Send us a letter. If you'd like to write to us, please send your letter to:

AMC Theatres
P.O. Box 725489
Atlanta, GA 31139-9923

Call our 24/7 guest services toll-free number -
1-877-AMC-4450 (877-262-4450).

AMC chooses these forms of communication with our guests because they have proven to be the most meaningful and effective.

Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

See you at the movies!

Did you get that last part, assuming your weren't laughing so hard the tears in your eyes didn't blur the text too much, "AMC chooses these forms of communication with our guests because they have proven to be the most meaningful and effective."

Wow! These folks are pathetic.

Comics.com — The web site IS the entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:36:00 +0000

Here's an email I sent off to the customer service reps for United Media who runs comics.com.

No Reply Required

Greetings,

The new comics.com web site is a total disaster. The design team should be fired.

I tried to use the Contact Us link on the comics.com web site, but it gives me a Page Not Found error. Good grief, even the Advertising link goes nowhere. How can this be released to the public in this state?

I don't know if you're the right people to help out, but perhaps you know who is in charge of the comics.com site, assuming they're not hiding in a bunker now given the horrible way this revamp has turned out.

Please pass along the following comments to your CEO and the people (ir)responsible for comics.com:

I went to view the normal list of comics and noticed the new redesign that we were warned about in a previous email. The first thing that came to mind was how abysmally slow this thing was to load and I'm on 8 Mbps cable broadband. What are you using as a server, an old 386 PC you picked up at a garage sale?

Each cartoon's page has a week's worth of cartoons ensuring that the page load time is very long. But wait ... where's today's cartoon? It's not posted yet. Duh. And then there's the four ads per page, not including all the self-promotion junk.

Oooh, nice big cartoons! That's great! Really. Well, maybe they don't need to be that big unless I'm visually handicapped, especially not when they're about 160 KB in size. The whole Herman page for today is, wait for it, 2.563 MB in size!!! Are your web developers freakin' insane?!?

I used a web developer's tool to show me the sizes and timeline of today's Herman page. 2.4 minutes to load the page consisting of 284 KB of HTML, 72 KB of stylesheets, 1.7 MB of images, 375 KB of scripts, and 124 KB of other crap. Now this may work great inside your corporate network but is unusable by people even on broadband. What about the poor people on DSL or, gawd forbid, dial-up supposed to do?

When I go to a comic's web page, I expect to see just today's cartoon. I can then click on a calendar day to catch up on any comics I missed. You know, like the way it used to be!

Well golly gee, I can customize My Comics to see whatever I want, but first I have to register because you can't carry over old subscribers. Well, it's not that you can't, it's that you chose not to, probably to get rid of the inactive accounts. So you're forcing thousands of regular customers to waste their time signing up. All you needed to do was ask people to click on a link or reply to the email warning of the new redesign to know that the account is still active. But no, my time means nothing to you and saves your web developers a few hours of coding and testing the renewal code. Well, given their skills so far, maybe that was a good decision.

So I decide to sign up anyway. Hmm, you require my date of birth. If I want to know why I can just click on a link you've so graciously provided. I know it's a link because it's underlined. But when I roll over the link, I can't read the text in my Safari web browser. No problem, I'll just view it in Firefox 3. Oh dear, it doesn't work there either. It doesn't work on one of the most popular browsers in the world. How about Opera? Nope. Same problem. It appears there's some white text on a transparent background that tries to overlay the page. Good job. Oh, clicking on the link does nothing. It's not a link at all. So why is it underlined?

IE 6 on Windows? Finally, one that works, sort of. If I'm willing to wait minutes (yes, that's right, minutes) for the box to pop up. Let's see what it says. Hmm, you need to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act to gather personal information in case I'm under 13. No problem, if I was under 13 I'd just lie and say I was 18. You don't check but no doubt you'll tell your advertisers you have accurate demographic information. Heck, I am over 18 but I'll just say I'm 18 anyway 'cause it really ain't your business how old I am. Besides, it makes me feel younger.

After all this time, let's check Safari, Opera, and Firefox again. All but Safari works. Well that's better than nothing. I've just got to be patient. Real patient. More patient than with any other web site I've ever used. No problem. I've been writing up this rant while I wait. You may have noticed how much I've written already. That's another reason you don't want slow page load times. Customers have too much time to document their complaints.

On with the registration. Fake birth date. Check. Fake first name. Check. Fake last name. Check. Fake country, Check, I'll pick a funny one like Bouvet Island. Click on the checkbox saying I agree to the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy. Check. Haven't read 'em, but then nobody ever does.

OK, I lied. I did click on the Terms Of Use. Not to read them, just to see how ridiculously long they were. Wow, a mere 6500 words. And the Privacy Policy? Another 3400 words. Let's see now, you seriously believe I'm gonna read 10,000 words? Really? Do you?

Skipped.

Finally, let's pull the handle on this slot machine, er, I mean, click the Register button. Success! It tells me it will send me an email with a link on how to sign up. But, it never arrives. I tried this once yesterday and there was no email by this morning. Yes, I did check my spam filter and it wasn't there either. So I can't click on a link to sign up.

No problemo, I'll try again today. Darn, the username is already in use. Probably by me since it's a pretty bizarre username and extremely unlikely that some other poor schlep has waded through your registration process with the same one. But, it does allow me to click on a link in case I forgot my password. I'll try that.

I get nothing in Opera. Back to Safari. That worked. But wait, I have to enter my email address to reset my password? Why? I just entered it in the darn form on the previous page. You mean your hopeless web developers can't figure out how to pass on some data to another page. Sad. Very sad.

Whatever, I'm getting used to this ridiculous web site. When I came to comics.com, I never thought the entertainment would be in laughing at the web site structure instead of the content. Maybe your web developers are closet comedians, they're certainly not professional web developers.

So I type in my email address and click the Send button. Oh this is too much. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, snort, snort, ha ha ha. I can't stop laughing. It takes me to a URL of http://comics.com/forgot_password.process/ that results in a Page Not Found error. Ha ha ha ha ha! I love it. I'm no longer angry at the idiocy of this registration process. I'm now truly in hysterics. Click the Back button. Page Not Found. Oh stop! Stop! This is too much! You're killing me! Ha ha ha ha ha!

Now I have to reenter all my information into the form again to try to sign up again so that it will tell me I'm already signed up so that I can click on the forgot password link so that it can ask me to reenter the password it already knows so that I can get a Page Not Found error. Uh, no, I don't think I'll do that.

As a last resort I go back to one of my favorite cartoon pages to see if I can at least read today's cartoon. Alright! Now we're talking! It's back to the old look! And so are the other cartoon pages, including The Other Coast, that wasn't coming up at all.

I guess the message got through to the blockheads who inflicted this crapola on us that they better roll back the web site to the old one ... that worked.

Cool. I'll just sign in with my old account. It doesn't work. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Click on the old link for contact information thinking that must work if they rolled back the whole site. I get a Page Not Found error, but on the new site. Ha ha ha ha ha!

I gotta end it here 'cause my stomach hurts from all the laughing and the screen's all blurry with the tears rolling down my face.

Signed,

Anonymous

P.S. Can I attend the public flogging of the people in charge of this fiasco?

Sorry for the long hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:18:00 +0000

My personal life has been in a turmoil due to two deaths in my immediate family within 6 weeks. Exhaustion sets in and then I look at all the consumer problems I had to deal with during this time, and should have documented, and it just seemed insurmountable.

I don't know if I'll ever get around to documenting the missed problems, but the posting above is perhaps getting me out of my malaise because the subject is dear to my heart.

Michelin Tired

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:29:00 +0000

Read here about a previous run-in with Michelin Tire. Either I'm an optimist or a masochist, but I decided to try again to get a rebate out of these nimnels.

I'm sending it in tomorrow and the form says to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the $50 rebate. That brings it to no later than June 30th.

So, Mr. Curmudgeon, you ask, why are you whining about Michelin Tire rebates already. Well, because all rebates are a scam and I am 100% certain that Michelin Tire will not deliver the rebate on time. It's against their internal rules.

Make the customer wait and bitch and moan about not getting the rebate, although most customers will simply not track them like I do, and only when he makes enough of a fuss, then grudgingly send the rebate.

Am I being unfair to Michelin Tire? Anyone care to bet against me? I've set up a reminder to myself for June 30th so that I can update you when they're late.

P.S. When companies that use rebates quote 6-8 weeks, have they ever in their lifetime ever paid any customer at the 6 week mark? I think not.

Update 2008-05-28: The rebate cheque arrived today, a mere 3.5 weeks after I requested it. Miracles do happen, I guess. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my previous complaint to them.

KitchenAid or Kitchen AIDS?

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:14:00 +0000

My KitchenAid dishwasher, that I've had numerous problems with, acted up again. This time the motor stopped working after the tub had filled with water. Great! That's going to be a huge expense, or more likely, given the history of this turkey, I'd simply replace it. No way I was going to put any more money into repairing it.

But, I repaired it myself. You probably don't want to try this because it involves soldering a circuit board around a part that handles 120 volts.

Read the whole saga here. Oh, and do you really want to buy KitchenAid "for the way it's made"? I thought not.

My wonderful KitchenAid dishwasher seems to be afflicted with AIDS (Arbitrary Insidious Defect Syndrome).

Quiz? No!

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:37:00 +0000

My family has tried Quiznos, once. We were not impressed. So we stay with Subway. Why?

The first Quiznos we went in to required you to line up between two rows of tables. Now that doesn't bother me being in line, but how about the poor people at the tables trying to eat when there's this constant stream of people standing over them looking down and eavesdropping on their conversation.

Then, they didn't show you the types of bread or the toppings like they do at Subway. Their menu is much more like a restaurant where you take it or leave it. Subway gives me a choice.

Quiznos is more expensive than Subway. We never went back to that place.

A new Quiznos opened up near where I live and offered a small sandwich, chips, and a drink for $3.00. Not a bad deal in Canada where we get screwed for high prices by all the fast food companies. So I decided to check it out and see if Quiznos had improved in the intervening years. Nope.

Same take it or leave it menu. Since they still don't show you what bread they have I asked. First of all, I was interrupted by the standard fast food restaurant question, "Is that for here or to go?" I'll answer your question if you'll answer mine. Did you really have to interrupt me?

It was to go. The kid then stood there with a stupid look on her face. Uh, you still haven't answered my question. I asked again what type of bread they had. The answer was, "white, brown, and uh... uh... some cheese type." Wow! I don't need to comment on that.

My wife wanted chicken, but she had to choose between specially flavoured chicken, she couldn't get it plain. Then she asked for lettuce, green olives, green pepper, cucumber, mayo, and salt and pepper. The only thing they had was lettuce and instead of putting on mayo, they put on ranch, ignoring what she requested.

When we get to the cashier, they again asked if this was for here or to go. Note to Quiznos trainers: tell your trainees not to ask your customers the same question twice! Once again I said it was to go. I paid with a credit card that had a chip on it. Quiznos hadn't properly trained their staff how to handle that so we had to do the transaction about three times.

As I walked over to get my drink I noticed that they had hot peppers and other condiments near the fountain machine. Uh, you didn't think to mention that when you told us you didn't have most of the veggies my wife asked for? But by this time, the sandwiches were already wrapped, sealed with tape, and in a plastic bag. The work flow experts at Quiznos expected me to unwrap the sandwiches to add extra topping. Simply stunning in its stupidity.

I got my drink, put a plastic lid on and got the heck out of the store. As I was about to get in to the car, I noticed that even though the lid was fully seated on the cup, it was leaking all over the bag and my pants. Then I had to get this home without it making a mess in the car.

Fine, fine, so what was the food like? My wife wasn't happy with her chicken since it contained bacon, that they never mentioned, and almost none of the toppings she wanted! My roast beef sandwich was actually quite tasty. But not even close to being good enough to put up with an experience like that ever again.

Note to the Quiznos CEO, who undoubtedly never reads customer feedback since the experience has only gotten worse in years, I'm never coming back. Worse, I'm giving my business to your competitor, Subway. You'll have great success attracting the type of customer who doesn't give a damn about customer service. That helps keep your profits high and that's the only thing that's important.

The only way you'll get any of my money in the future is to siooma!

The firmware is shuffled too

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:28:00 +0000

Everyone raves about the quality of Apple products. Yes, I'm a consumer curmudgeon, but even as a regular consumer I find it bizarre that Apple has that reputation when they can't even get the simple things right.

For example, I own an iPod Shuffle, second generation no less. And this second generation unit is also on revision 1.0.4 of the firmware. That means they've had .0, .1, .2, .3, and .4 attempts to get it right — after all the practice they had with the first generation.

Well, my Shuffle has had problems since day one. It won't sync because it "can't find the disk." I have to quit iTunes, eject the Shuffle, remove it from the cradle and redock it. Does that help? Sometimes. Other times I have to restart the computer to get the Shuffle recognized.

Then if I drag a podcast over when it's nearly full it tells me it will not be able to place all the tracks on but will do its best. Uh, I'm only copying one track. It does the copy anyway but when I eject it and push the Play button, it flashes the "no content" code at me. I redock it and sometimes it shows me an empty device, other times it shows me the list of tracks that are surely on the device.

However, if I add or delete tracks, eject and press Play, it still tells me there's nothing there.

When I skip to the next podcast and return, it doesn't remember where I left off and jumps way, way back in the track. Similarly, if I turn it off and back on, it resumes from way back in the podcast.

Finally, I restored the firmware to this turkey. It didn't help a bit and Apple doesn't give you any way to roll back the firmware to a less buggy version. Idiots!

Please understand that this is the simplest device that Apple makes. And it's badly screwed up. I wish they'd stop letting the janitorial staff do programming.

You can only buy it from stores that don't stock it

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:51:00 +0000

Is Apple the most arrogant company on the planet? Sorry, rhetorical question.

The Apple TV is starting to interest me, but not for reasons that Apple would prefer. I have no intention of buying content from Apple, but it seems to be a nice way to get high-resolution photos on my Hi-Def TV and watch video podcasts.

I found the nearest Apple retailer and called to ensure they had one in stock so I could view it and buy it if I liked what I saw. The retailer told me that only stores that sell televisions are allowed to sell the Apple TV. Huh?!

We discussed the stupidity of Apple for awhile; him from the retailer's perspective, me from the consumer's perspective.

Being a persistent S.O.B., I checked Apple's web site to find other retailers and the only ones were Future Shop and Best Buy (two companies owned by the same parent company to give consumers the illusion of competition, but that's for another rant).

Their web sites allow you to check store stock. Neither store at any of their locations even carry the Apple TV. You have to order it from their web site. The problem with that is that you can't see it in person, ask questions about it, and maybe even see it in action. Plus there's the hassle of being home for delivery. The price was identical to Apple's web store because, as is typical of the world's biggest control freak, Apple, they tightly control retail pricing to give you the illusion that their products are in high demand and there's no need for price competition.

The end result? No sale of the Apple TV that day and the impulse to buy has faded away. Nice job Jobs. Your marketing policies result in a lost sale. At least I wasn't getting the shaft on the higher Canadian price than the U.S. price even though the Canadian dollar is stronger than the U.S. dollar (see this site for gouging details).

Now I hear that the third generation Apple TV (although the second generation was just a software upgrade) will also be a DVR. So I guess I'll wait and see what Apple will do. Now that lost sale on a particular day is translating into a lost sale for months(?).

How the fast-food industry is killing themselves

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:04:00 +0000

We don't need activists and nutritionists to whine at us about how bad fast-food is and why we shouldn't eat there. Their moaning and bitching is not what will hurt the fast food industry. Nope. It's the industry themselves.

I'm a self-confessed junk food junky. I eat in a lot of different chain restaurants so I've seen the good and bad.

Recently, I ate in a McDonalds at about 2:30 one Saturday afternoon. I stood in line for 10 minutes without moving because they only had two of the three cash registers staffed.

As I got closer to the front, one of the clerks said to another customer, “It's been like this all day.” Well, if that's true then why didn't someone call up the ever-absent manager of this dive and get them to bring more staff in. Or, if they did do that, then that tells you a lot about what this franchisee thinks of their customers. Let the bastards wait in line.

When I finally got my food, I found out there were no lids or napkins or ketchup cups so I had to go back to the counter, butt-in and ask for some. The staff were too busy serving customers to ensure there were adequate supplies.

But that wasn't the worst part of the experience. When I turned around to go find a table, every single one that was free had heaps of garbage piled on top or were dirty with old fries, or spilled ketchup and mayo. An absolute pig-sty.

Now, it's recognized that in a fast food restaurant, people are supposed to empty their garbage in the bins and stack their trays. So I guess we can blame part of this mess on the customers, right? Nope.

The garbage bins were full to over-flowing with garbage on the floors and more garbage piled on top of the bins because there was nowhere else to put it.

Maybe if the owner of this restaurant would actually visit once in a while they'd see what a dive they're operating.

So, thanks Mickey-D's. You've convinced me that you don't want my business and that's just better for me.

Oh yeah, I was going to pass these comments on to McD's, but you have to telephone them long distance during business hours because they don't have an 800 number, or use postal mail. No email address and no comment form on their web site. Do you think McDonald's really wants to hear from their customers? Didn't think so.

99% OFF!!!

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:51:00 +0000

For all those ~~suckers~~ people waiting for Nintendo to stop artificially constraining the supply chain to keep prices high, you would probably be ecstatic to see this ad from The Source by Circuit City (yes, the dumbest company name around).

In big type it clearly says, SAVE ^$389⁹⁹. Then, in tiny type it says, “Reg. $394.99” Geez Louise, who wouldn't want to save 99% off the regular price.

Of course, with anything that is too good to be true, this offer is too. What these idiots are really saying is that you can get this Wii bundle for $5 off. Five lousy bucks on a $400 item. That's 1.3% off. Well golly, let's just run right out and buy one. This price is just too good to pass up.

Makes me wonder what University program you take to create deceptive ads like these.

Another major outage for RIM

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:33:00 +0000

More stellar performance by the driven individuals working at Research in Motion. Yes, another major outage.

Ask any professional engineer working in telecommunications (except at RIM, of course) and they'll tell you that there's no excuse for this kind of performance. I'm not faulting the engineers, who are probably doing their best given the mind-numbing hours they're expected to work. No, I've never worked there, I've just talked to people who have and that's what I've been told. Do your own investigation before you start working there.

Either way, the problem lies at the top. Any company executive who has more than one major outage occurring under their watch should be sent packing with his golden (or should that be concrete) galoshes.

It's your money and you can't have it!

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:57:00 +0000

Spearhead Management Canada Ltd. has quite a few contractors working in the Government of Canada. Recently, they were late in paying the contractor's invoices. Late enough that some people walked off the job and others warned Spearhead that they had defaulted on their contracts.

Apparently, this is not the first time, although I have no first-hand knowledge of their payment track record.

Spearhead requires that contractor's invoice payment terms be between 30 to 45 days. That means that if you work for them for one month, you don't get paid for at least two months. Or more, when they're late.

A good agency will pay invoices within a few days after they're submitted. After all, shouldn't the larger corporation take on the risk of collection? Well, there is zero risk of not being paid by the Government of Canada but Spearhead wants you to wait until they get paid. The GoC is a gold mine.

But here's something really interesting from the 2006 year-end financial statement posted on their web site.

“During 2004 the Company borrowed $1,485,000 and repaid $600,000 from companies controlled by shareholders and a senior executive officer of the Company. The Company agreed to repay the loans with interest at a fixed rate of ten (10%) until maturity and at an annual rate of 20% after maturity until paid in full, compounded monthly and not in advance. Interest on overdue interest shall accrue and be payable at the interest rate.”

Oh my goodness! Can you imagine getting 10% interest on loaning money to your own company? And if you never paid yourself back, then you get 20%. And interest on your interest. Whoopie!

Now, I'm not saying there's anything shady going on. As a contractor considering working for Spearhead, or any agency, you should talk to your accountant and see what s/he thinks of the company's financial statements. And make sure you get the contract looked over by your lawyer before you sign it. But most important, ask for the names of contractors already working at the same place you're thinking of working and see what they say about payment terms.

Agencies are often called many derogatory names. I've heard “pimps”, “body shops”, “collection agencies” (which is kind of ironic since you may have trouble collecting from them). Any others? Ask your agency's contractors how they refer to them. Then decide if they're worth the maintenance and worry of working for them.

Unlimited calling for all your lines! Snicker, snicker.

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:45:00 +0000

Sigh. I'm really getting tired of having Rogers Wireless appear here. They promised us in November when we added another line and changed our rate plan that we would have unlimited calling and text messaging on all three lines. They even dropped the MY5 plan on my daughter's line because she didn't need it if she had unlimited calling. Cool.

Then I get the bill. A whopping overage on two of our lines, particularly my daughter's, because she actually believed me when I said Rogers gave us unlimited service. The agent said it was only on the new line, in spite of the lies told to me by a previous agent.

Another 45 minutes of my life was wasted getting these charges reversed and I have to call on the next billing cycle because there will be several days of excess calls that they can't compensate for yet because it hasn't been billed.

But wait, the agent promised me that they were changing over to a totally new system, that required two days of training, that would be much more customer friendly than the old one. I was polite enough not to laugh.

Blow the dust off these DVDs

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:51:00 +0000

Even after complaining to Rogers Video Direct (Zip.ca) several times, including corresponding with the CEO, about their defective DVD distribution algorithm, the glorious Zip.ca decided to ship a couple of movies to me that had been on my list since December 11th. Not bad you say? Well it was December 11th, 2006!

One movie had been passed over 100 times and the other movie 105 times in favour of shipping other movies of lower priority on my selection list.

I've written a couple of messages to NetFlix in the U.S. begging them to come into Canada to give Zip.ca some competition. I'd be their first customer.

Not too swift

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:12:00 +0000

Here's what I wrote to Swiffer Customer Support today:

I'm disappointed to report that my second Swiffer Wet Jet mop has broken in the same place as the first one – where the two aluminum shafts of the handle are joined together.

This is an inherently weak design because of the flexing that occurs at this point due to pressure applied to the grip. The aluminum shaft is weakened by a hole in the tube. The metal fatigue that results from the pressure at this point causes the shaft to snap.

Otherwise, I like the product, but I cannot purchase another replacement because I'm convinced it too will break in time.

I know you're trying to keep costs low and having customers replace broken units is good for business – to a point – but you've lost me as a customer for the mop, fluid, and cloths.

I eagerly await their reply. My guess is that they will deny that there is a design defect and they will say that I'm the first customer who has ever had this problem and that I shouldn't press so hard on the mop.

Face it, this scrawny aluminum pole just isn't made for regularly cleaning. It's for very light duty cleaning done by weaklings.

“Our catalog lists everything you can't get”

noreply@blogger.com (RSMAC) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 13:33:00 +0000

Dear PC Cyber,

Please tell me why you have this huge catalog of items, but everything I try to order from you is not available and has to be back ordered.

While you're thinking up an implausible excuse, please tell me why you quote a delivery date and keep missing it.

And, not to overburden you or anything, but tell me why you never call me to tell me you're going to be late with delivery. Then, when I'm forced to nag you, you then sound like you've never even ordered the products. You promise to check with your suppliers and call me back, but, but, you never do.

Why do you behave this way? Don't you want my money? Is business so good you can afford to piss off your customers?

Regards,

Mr. Curmudgeon