Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Deep, philosophical question
Why do I have to pay for unlimited TV watching if I only watch a few hours per month? Why isn't all TV programming "pay per view"? It's like driving your car 100 miles per month but paying for as much gas as if you drove it 24/7. WTF? Why aren't there the multitude of packages and options that we see for phone (land or mobile) service? I mean besides the fact it would be more fair and provide less profit for our overlords. It's like having to buy a public transit monthly pass when you only need to travel once per week. WTF? It's like wanting a coffee and doughnut but every restaurant forces you to pay $20 for all-you can-eat. WTF? Feel free to post your own analogy in the "Comments" section. And don't forget to tack on "WTF?" on the end.
Monday, 19 October 2009
The future is here
DETROIT (AP) — Police in California say General Motors’ OnStar communications system stopped a dangerous high-speed chase and helped them capture a carjacking suspect by disabling a stolen sport utility vehicle.
Police say it all began about 3 a.m. when a 21-year-old man used a sawed-off shotgun to take a Chevrolet Tahoe from two men in a parking lot.Police contacted OnStar, which found the Tahoe by using a global positioning system. Two officers spotted the SUV but the driver sped off. That’s when OnStar operators sent a signal that slowed the Tahoe to a halt.
The surprised thief ran off but was quickly captured when he fell into a backyard swimming pool.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How long before every car is equipped with such a system?
Will car thieves be permanently put out of business?
What will they resort to, instead?
Friday, 16 October 2009
Q ands A's from around the web
Is sex is important in a relationship....For pre-marital sex????affirmative side...?
It's not as important as being able to communicate your thoughts clearly. WTF are you blabbering about?
It's not as important as being able to communicate your thoughts clearly. WTF are you blabbering about?
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Rogers--the saga ends
In the interest of not boring you to death, I'll write the Readers Digest version of this personal story. I wrote the previous sentence before having written the story. Let me apologize ahead of time for the length of this sordid tale.
Last year, bugs in the log-in process for my cable TV provider's website prevented me from getting in to view my account. I used to log in monthly to make sure I knew the right amount to pay since I had signed up for paperless billing. At the time, I felt I did the right thing for the environment, myself and Rogers Cable.
Anyway, I called them up to report the problem and they assured me they would fix it and that I should try it again in 30 minutes...which I did...and which they didn't. Various permutations of this scenario repeated itself from every few days to every few weeks between myself and a different customer service rep for the next three months or so.
On my next call I angrily told the agent that I was tired of repeating my story without results and demanded to speak to a manager. Rather than apologizing to me, the agent instead raised his voice to me saying that if I wanted him to help me, I need to tell him what the issue was. I told him again that I wanted to speak to his manager. He gave me an ultimatum:"Do you want my help or not?" I was equally adamant in my demand: "I want to speak to your manager". The next thing I know, the phone went dead. The S-O-B actually had the gall to hang up on me.
I sat there incredulous for a few minutes collecting my thoughts. I vowed then that I would terminate my service with this company--a company I had given my business to for some 25 years. Unfortunately, since then, I have been unable to find a suitable replacement. However...
Recently, I was talking to someone I know who works at Rogers who told me that it is well known within the company that their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. He gave me the name and e-mail address of someone newly appointed to deal with dissatisfied customers. I immediately sent out an e-mail and basically relayed my disgust about how I was treated and that I intend to terminate my TV service because of it.
That was last Thursday. Late this afternoon (Tuesday), there was still no response. I phoned Rogers to follow through on my promise. Of course, I was asked why I decided to cancel. I said "Frankly, your customer service sucks". At his urging, I repeated one last time the sordid story. He genuinely seemed appalled.
He proceeded to profusely alternate between apologizing and making offerings of discounts and free hardware. I refused his "trinkets" and told him that if others in his company that I had dealt with were as cordial and understanding of the value of a good and loyal customer, neither his company nor I would find ourselves in the current situation.
The kicker, and the word is very appropriate since it really is Rogers last kick at me, is that their policy is that the service is not terminated for 30 days from the date of cancellation. As mind-boggling as it seems to me that they can get away with such a ludicrous thing, I didn't even bother to argue the point.
Sooo, I will be sans TV service one month from now. I'm sure I will miss it--after all, I've been an addict since I was a small child. But, like going cold turkey on any addiction, the pain will ease over time, and I expect a full recovery. And I wish nothing but the...worst for the longtime supplier of my "fix".
Goodbye and good riddance to bad rubbish.
Last year, bugs in the log-in process for my cable TV provider's website prevented me from getting in to view my account. I used to log in monthly to make sure I knew the right amount to pay since I had signed up for paperless billing. At the time, I felt I did the right thing for the environment, myself and Rogers Cable.
Anyway, I called them up to report the problem and they assured me they would fix it and that I should try it again in 30 minutes...which I did...and which they didn't. Various permutations of this scenario repeated itself from every few days to every few weeks between myself and a different customer service rep for the next three months or so.
On my next call I angrily told the agent that I was tired of repeating my story without results and demanded to speak to a manager. Rather than apologizing to me, the agent instead raised his voice to me saying that if I wanted him to help me, I need to tell him what the issue was. I told him again that I wanted to speak to his manager. He gave me an ultimatum:"Do you want my help or not?" I was equally adamant in my demand: "I want to speak to your manager". The next thing I know, the phone went dead. The S-O-B actually had the gall to hang up on me.
I sat there incredulous for a few minutes collecting my thoughts. I vowed then that I would terminate my service with this company--a company I had given my business to for some 25 years. Unfortunately, since then, I have been unable to find a suitable replacement. However...
Recently, I was talking to someone I know who works at Rogers who told me that it is well known within the company that their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. He gave me the name and e-mail address of someone newly appointed to deal with dissatisfied customers. I immediately sent out an e-mail and basically relayed my disgust about how I was treated and that I intend to terminate my TV service because of it.
That was last Thursday. Late this afternoon (Tuesday), there was still no response. I phoned Rogers to follow through on my promise. Of course, I was asked why I decided to cancel. I said "Frankly, your customer service sucks". At his urging, I repeated one last time the sordid story. He genuinely seemed appalled.
He proceeded to profusely alternate between apologizing and making offerings of discounts and free hardware. I refused his "trinkets" and told him that if others in his company that I had dealt with were as cordial and understanding of the value of a good and loyal customer, neither his company nor I would find ourselves in the current situation.
The kicker, and the word is very appropriate since it really is Rogers last kick at me, is that their policy is that the service is not terminated for 30 days from the date of cancellation. As mind-boggling as it seems to me that they can get away with such a ludicrous thing, I didn't even bother to argue the point.
Sooo, I will be sans TV service one month from now. I'm sure I will miss it--after all, I've been an addict since I was a small child. But, like going cold turkey on any addiction, the pain will ease over time, and I expect a full recovery. And I wish nothing but the...worst for the longtime supplier of my "fix".
Goodbye and good riddance to bad rubbish.
Friday, 9 October 2009
Here kitty, kitty...
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – A man suffered injuries to his arms after he and a friend hopped the fence at a Canadian zoo early on Monday and stuck his hands into the tiger exhibit, zoo officials said.
Calgary Zoo said the two men sneaked into the facility after midnight and headed to the Siberian tiger enclosure, where one of the men climbed over an outer fence."He did not enter the exhibit, but did come into contact with one of the tigers and sustained significant injuries to his arms," the zoo said in a statement.
Alerted to the situation, security guards took the alleged intruders to their office, where the injured man was treated before being rushed to hospital.
Police are investigating.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)