Sunday, February 8
Four Oh Eight in the Effen AM!
Ok, I've been at the office since NOON YESTERDAY. We're trying to replicate our Exchange Server with a product called Double Take. We've had nothing but problems, solved one at a time through extensive troubleshooting.
Finally, just when it looks like things are working... I look up at the just started process and ask, "Why is Double Take deleting the Windows directory on the Target Server?" Over the tech support line, "Stop the process!"
Arrg...
Now they are waking up the Level 3 Support guy. I have this sneaking suspicion I am going to be loading Windows 2003 and Exchange 2003 from scratch again.
Update:
After a comment from a reader, I thought I should elaborate on what happend early Sunday morning...
In a nutshell, we were having some performance issues with our Target machine, and ainchient Compaq ML350 G3. We updated the Firmware on two RAID controllers and a NIC. We were not using Double Take Application Manager any longer to do the replication, we were using the Application Console. When we rebooted the machine after the updates, Double Take lost sight of the partitions on the seconed RAID controller. We did not catch this error, and the Application Console has fewer safetys than DTAM. As a result, it tried to wipe the C: drive to make it look like our first Storage Partition.
The techs at Double Take stayed on the phone with us for over 12 hours to work on the issues. They also called back the following day to tell us they had determined what happened. The logs were completely zapped, but they had a BOMGAR sessions recorded. Several of their Level 3 techs watched the BOMGAR session to figure out what happened.
They are also building in a safety to the Application Console to stop this from happening again. No data was lost, and everyone was very helpful. I also had a very solid tape backup of the Source and Data before we started on the project. It was mostly an inconvienence to reload an Exchange Server from bare metal at 4:30 AM.
Finally, just when it looks like things are working... I look up at the just started process and ask, "Why is Double Take deleting the Windows directory on the Target Server?" Over the tech support line, "Stop the process!"
Arrg...
Now they are waking up the Level 3 Support guy. I have this sneaking suspicion I am going to be loading Windows 2003 and Exchange 2003 from scratch again.
Update:
After a comment from a reader, I thought I should elaborate on what happend early Sunday morning...
In a nutshell, we were having some performance issues with our Target machine, and ainchient Compaq ML350 G3. We updated the Firmware on two RAID controllers and a NIC. We were not using Double Take Application Manager any longer to do the replication, we were using the Application Console. When we rebooted the machine after the updates, Double Take lost sight of the partitions on the seconed RAID controller. We did not catch this error, and the Application Console has fewer safetys than DTAM. As a result, it tried to wipe the C: drive to make it look like our first Storage Partition.
The techs at Double Take stayed on the phone with us for over 12 hours to work on the issues. They also called back the following day to tell us they had determined what happened. The logs were completely zapped, but they had a BOMGAR sessions recorded. Several of their Level 3 techs watched the BOMGAR session to figure out what happened.
They are also building in a safety to the Application Console to stop this from happening again. No data was lost, and everyone was very helpful. I also had a very solid tape backup of the Source and Data before we started on the project. It was mostly an inconvienence to reload an Exchange Server from bare metal at 4:30 AM.
Labels: 4 AM, bad support, double take, insomniac, microsoft
Saturday, January 17
Need Help With A Laptop Issue
Ok, last month I got hit by the Microsoft Internet Explorer Zero Day bug. It might just be a coincidence, it might be the root cause of many of my problems.
Last week my Alienware 51M laptop started having the Wireless NIC fail when it would come out of Hibernate or Sleep mode. The NIC connects, shows the network. If I go to the Command Prompt and run IPCONFIG, everything looks good. But if I try to ping the gateway, I get HARDWARE FAILURE. This happens if I try to ping anything but 127.0.0.1.
Very odd indeed.
The only way to get the NIC back is to reboot. When I reboot, I get the following error in the System Log:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: PSched
Event Category: None
Event ID: 14103
Date: 1/17/2009
Time: 9:22:37 AM
User: N/A
Computer: ALIEN2008
Description:
QoS [Adapter {F4518C6A-2EAD-44DE-9289-0B3C62A42D6F}]:
The netcard driver failed the query for OID_GEN_LINK_SPEED.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 04 00 02 00 56 00 ......V.
0008: 00 00 00 00 17 37 00 c0 .....7.À
0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0028: 0d 00 01 c0 ...À
If I follow the link to Microsoft support for this error I get this:
Details
Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 14103
Source: PSched
Version: 5.0
Component: System Event Log
Symbolic Name: EVENT_PS_QUERY_OID_GEN_LINK_SPEED
Message: QoS [Adapter %2]:
The netcard driver failed the query for OID_GEN_LINK_SPEED.
Explanation
This event record indicates a serious problem.
User Action
Contact your technical support group or the Microsoft Product Support Services.
Yeah, go Microsoft, this is a serious problem, but we don't have a solutoin.
So I called Microsoft support and got a far as I could with free support. They told me that they were aware of the problem, and that I should just continue to reboot my machine as a work around.
WTF? It is a laptop, rebooting it over and over kind of defeats the purpose of having a laptop.
I've disabled all power management on the NIC, still no change. I've tried manually turning off the NIC before shutting down, no change. I looked in System Restore, but I don't have a restore point before 1/2009. This is all very infurating.
Anyone else out there have a similar problem, know a solution?
Last week my Alienware 51M laptop started having the Wireless NIC fail when it would come out of Hibernate or Sleep mode. The NIC connects, shows the network. If I go to the Command Prompt and run IPCONFIG, everything looks good. But if I try to ping the gateway, I get HARDWARE FAILURE. This happens if I try to ping anything but 127.0.0.1.
Very odd indeed.
The only way to get the NIC back is to reboot. When I reboot, I get the following error in the System Log:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: PSched
Event Category: None
Event ID: 14103
Date: 1/17/2009
Time: 9:22:37 AM
User: N/A
Computer: ALIEN2008
Description:
QoS [Adapter {F4518C6A-2EAD-44DE-9289-0B3C62A42D6F}]:
The netcard driver failed the query for OID_GEN_LINK_SPEED.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 00 00 04 00 02 00 56 00 ......V.
0008: 00 00 00 00 17 37 00 c0 .....7.À
0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
0028: 0d 00 01 c0 ...À
If I follow the link to Microsoft support for this error I get this:
Details
Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 14103
Source: PSched
Version: 5.0
Component: System Event Log
Symbolic Name: EVENT_PS_QUERY_OID_GEN_LINK_SPEED
Message: QoS [Adapter %2]:
The netcard driver failed the query for OID_GEN_LINK_SPEED.
Explanation
This event record indicates a serious problem.
User Action
Contact your technical support group or the Microsoft Product Support Services.
Yeah, go Microsoft, this is a serious problem, but we don't have a solutoin.
So I called Microsoft support and got a far as I could with free support. They told me that they were aware of the problem, and that I should just continue to reboot my machine as a work around.
WTF? It is a laptop, rebooting it over and over kind of defeats the purpose of having a laptop.
I've disabled all power management on the NIC, still no change. I've tried manually turning off the NIC before shutting down, no change. I looked in System Restore, but I don't have a restore point before 1/2009. This is all very infurating.
Anyone else out there have a similar problem, know a solution?
Labels: bad support, microsoft, wireless, zero day
Tuesday, December 9
HAH! I got you in trouble!
Ok, I take a lot of drugs. I have 3 prescriptions for blood pressure, 2 for insulin, one for diabetes testing, 2 for insulin needles, 1 for allergies, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else that I take occasionally.
So, the coupons in the paper that give you gift cards at different pharmacies are like gold for me. I'm going to spend the money anyway, so I might as well get some back. Friends and family save them for me.
So today I called my local Walgreens, when I got to the pharmacist, he seemed perterbed that I had just transferred a prescription away from his pharmacy, and now I was trying to transer another into his pharmacy. When I told him it was to use the coupon, he seemed annoyed, but took my information.
Ten minutes later he called me back, said I wouldn't be able to use my coupon, they had a new policy that prohibited any customer from using more than one of these coupons, ever.
I asked, since it doesn't say that on the coupon, are you telling me that you won't honor your own coupons? He said yes and hung up on me.
Here is the coupon.
If you read the fine print, the only limitation says, "Limit one gift card offer per customer, per transaction."
So, I called the store back, and asked to speak to the manager. I explained to her what I was told, and what the coupon said. She said the pharmacist was wrong to tell me this, and it was indeed not their store policy. She then called the pharmacist while I was on hold. After about 5 mintues she transferred me back to him to have my prescription filled. Guess he got a good, deserved, ass chewing.
Sometimes wonder why people are so stupid, or think I'm so stupid to believe such lies.
So, the coupons in the paper that give you gift cards at different pharmacies are like gold for me. I'm going to spend the money anyway, so I might as well get some back. Friends and family save them for me.
So today I called my local Walgreens, when I got to the pharmacist, he seemed perterbed that I had just transferred a prescription away from his pharmacy, and now I was trying to transer another into his pharmacy. When I told him it was to use the coupon, he seemed annoyed, but took my information.
Ten minutes later he called me back, said I wouldn't be able to use my coupon, they had a new policy that prohibited any customer from using more than one of these coupons, ever.
I asked, since it doesn't say that on the coupon, are you telling me that you won't honor your own coupons? He said yes and hung up on me.
Here is the coupon.
If you read the fine print, the only limitation says, "Limit one gift card offer per customer, per transaction."
So, I called the store back, and asked to speak to the manager. I explained to her what I was told, and what the coupon said. She said the pharmacist was wrong to tell me this, and it was indeed not their store policy. She then called the pharmacist while I was on hold. After about 5 mintues she transferred me back to him to have my prescription filled. Guess he got a good, deserved, ass chewing.
Sometimes wonder why people are so stupid, or think I'm so stupid to believe such lies.
Labels: bad support, coupon, drugs, liar, prescription, walgreens
Monday, November 17
Really? Dell makes the wrong demand...
This was in my work e-mail late today:
Hello,
I wanted to follow up with you again and see if you got my last few emails I sent you. Your account is set in our corporate division so your company gets the best pricing and service available at Dell. I must establish contact with you or someone in your company. Please let me know if there is any purchases you have coming up or any projects so I can start working with you to provide you the best solution. thanks
Alphonso Quesada
Senior Account ExecutiveRSR AcquisitionDell, Inc.
toll free number- 1800-901-3355 ext- 946-1562
Direct Line-# 512-946-1562
Fax: Fax: 512.283.9992 ATTN: Alphonso Quesada
Account Team;
Joseph Gibbonsmailto:GibbonsJoseph_Gibbons@Dell.com
Senior Server, Network, and Storage Specialist
800-901-3355 ext. 9460611. Direct dial 512-946-0611
Ok, they "must establish contact" with someone in my company? Or what? They will be out of a job? And examine the grammar of the first sentance. What is that, writing on about the third grade level?
Update! 11-18-2008:
Ok, I sent back a response telling this moron that we were an HP shop. So he sent me this message this morning:
From: Alphonso_Quesada@Dell.com [mailto:Alphonso_Quesada@Dell.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 8:24 AM
Subject: RE:
Great to hear that. My job in the acq team is to help you achieve your goals. Dell have changed around and have made all his focus to customer focus. What can I do to help you guys?
So, I had to reply again...
I’m having a difficult time believing you actually work for Dell. Your grammar is atrocious.
Unless you go to work for HP, I don’t see much you can do to help us out.
However, purchasing a book on English Grammar and Sentence Structure could be a major step in helping yourself. Although there are several sentences in the correspondence you have sent to me that are poorly constructed, this one stands out the most:
Dell have changed around and have made all his focus to customer focus.
Did you really read this before you sent it out?
Please, don’t waste my time and yours with poorly thought out sales pitches saying you MUST get in touch with someone at my company.
Hello,
I wanted to follow up with you again and see if you got my last few emails I sent you. Your account is set in our corporate division so your company gets the best pricing and service available at Dell. I must establish contact with you or someone in your company. Please let me know if there is any purchases you have coming up or any projects so I can start working with you to provide you the best solution. thanks
Alphonso Quesada
Senior Account ExecutiveRSR AcquisitionDell, Inc.
toll free number- 1800-901-3355 ext- 946-1562
Direct Line-# 512-946-1562
Fax: Fax: 512.283.9992 ATTN: Alphonso Quesada
Account Team;
Joseph Gibbonsmailto:GibbonsJoseph_Gibbons@Dell.com
Senior Server, Network, and Storage Specialist
800-901-3355 ext. 9460611. Direct dial 512-946-0611
Ok, they "must establish contact" with someone in my company? Or what? They will be out of a job? And examine the grammar of the first sentance. What is that, writing on about the third grade level?
Update! 11-18-2008:
Ok, I sent back a response telling this moron that we were an HP shop. So he sent me this message this morning:
From: Alphonso_Quesada@Dell.com [mailto:Alphonso_Quesada@Dell.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 8:24 AM
Subject: RE:
Great to hear that. My job in the acq team is to help you achieve your goals. Dell have changed around and have made all his focus to customer focus. What can I do to help you guys?
So, I had to reply again...
I’m having a difficult time believing you actually work for Dell. Your grammar is atrocious.
Unless you go to work for HP, I don’t see much you can do to help us out.
However, purchasing a book on English Grammar and Sentence Structure could be a major step in helping yourself. Although there are several sentences in the correspondence you have sent to me that are poorly constructed, this one stands out the most:
Dell have changed around and have made all his focus to customer focus.
Did you really read this before you sent it out?
Please, don’t waste my time and yours with poorly thought out sales pitches saying you MUST get in touch with someone at my company.
Labels: bad support, dell, stupid marketing
Thursday, October 30
Grabbing my ankles...
Hurricane Ike continues to have it's way with me....
We got a call Saturday night from the insurance adjuster. They have to e-mail us some paperwork to fill out, ok we tell them, we'll be watching for the paperwork.
So, here we are 5 days later, no paperwork. So I call the adjuster firm, Quality Assurance Adjusting, LLC. They can't help me, I have to call the adjuster directly. So, I call the adjuster directly, she hangs up on me the first time the phone rings, then lets it go to voice mail the second time I call. Great, left a message.
In the meantime, I take a closer look at my papwerwork from the Texas Wind Storm Insurance Association, and I realize that even though my e-mail address is supposed to match my name, the genius that took my information managed to misspell my name. So I call them. They can't help me, they don't keep records of the claims after they are filed. WTF? How the hell do you not keep records of insurance claims at a state agency when you are paying out hundreds of millions of dollars?
So, back to calling Quality Assurance Adjusting, LLC. The woman on the phone said she wouldn't change it on her "Screen" as it is a PDF, and my adjuster Jenny Finch wouldn't see it on her "Screen". No shit.
I've given up on contacting Nationwide Insurance on this issue, they've been less than worthless throughout the entire process of making a claim.
We got a call Saturday night from the insurance adjuster. They have to e-mail us some paperwork to fill out, ok we tell them, we'll be watching for the paperwork.
So, here we are 5 days later, no paperwork. So I call the adjuster firm, Quality Assurance Adjusting, LLC. They can't help me, I have to call the adjuster directly. So, I call the adjuster directly, she hangs up on me the first time the phone rings, then lets it go to voice mail the second time I call. Great, left a message.
In the meantime, I take a closer look at my papwerwork from the Texas Wind Storm Insurance Association, and I realize that even though my e-mail address is supposed to match my name, the genius that took my information managed to misspell my name. So I call them. They can't help me, they don't keep records of the claims after they are filed. WTF? How the hell do you not keep records of insurance claims at a state agency when you are paying out hundreds of millions of dollars?
So, back to calling Quality Assurance Adjusting, LLC. The woman on the phone said she wouldn't change it on her "Screen" as it is a PDF, and my adjuster Jenny Finch wouldn't see it on her "Screen". No shit.
I've given up on contacting Nationwide Insurance on this issue, they've been less than worthless throughout the entire process of making a claim.
Labels: bad support, hurricane, ike, nationwode, Quality Assurance LLC, TWIA
Tuesday, October 21
Direct TV - You continue to dissapoint me...
Ok, got home today, and the Direct TV receiver wouldn't work. I had to open up the front cover and reset the system, then wait the 15 minutes till it came back up ready to run. Then, just after 7 PM, it comes up with a message asking my approval to "download data". So I said OK. The stupid thing reboots again, and I'm faced with this screen.
What the fuck? Come on, really, did you need to upgrade my software right at the start of prime time? How long till I can watch my friggin' TV again? Direct TV - YOU SUCK.
What a bunch of idiots. Why couldn't this wait till the middle of the night? Two weeks ago you zapped everyone with a bogus software upgrade, now this crap.
(update)
Called Direct TV, got their usual BS message about if you are having these problems, we know, reboot your receiver. We are having unusually high call volumes, please call back at another time. Continued horrible service!
What the fuck? Come on, really, did you need to upgrade my software right at the start of prime time? How long till I can watch my friggin' TV again? Direct TV - YOU SUCK.
What a bunch of idiots. Why couldn't this wait till the middle of the night? Two weeks ago you zapped everyone with a bogus software upgrade, now this crap.
(update)
Called Direct TV, got their usual BS message about if you are having these problems, we know, reboot your receiver. We are having unusually high call volumes, please call back at another time. Continued horrible service!
Labels: bad product, bad support, direct tv
Wednesday, October 8
Direct TV - The Saga Continues
Woke up yesterday morning, my flaky Direct TV DVR wouldn't work. I had to reset it and remove power for about 15 seconds for it to work. Did the same thing for my wife later in the day.
I called the 800 number and got a message about 5 PM, indicating that they were swamped with calls and aware of this problem.
Today I got the following e-mail from Direct TV:
Yep, that's right, they updated the software in ALL THEIR DVRS AND MADE THEM NON-FUNCTIONAL FOR THE DAY. Stupid. Just plain amazing that a company this large can be so incompetent as to shut down a huge portion of it's customer base with a bad software patch. Irresponsible. Unacceptable. I'm going to give serious consideration now to calling Dish Network about their all HD packages that start at just $24.99. Direct TV doesn't even have a competiting offer like this for me to get what I really want from them either.
I called the 800 number and got a message about 5 PM, indicating that they were swamped with calls and aware of this problem.
Today I got the following e-mail from Direct TV:
Yep, that's right, they updated the software in ALL THEIR DVRS AND MADE THEM NON-FUNCTIONAL FOR THE DAY. Stupid. Just plain amazing that a company this large can be so incompetent as to shut down a huge portion of it's customer base with a bad software patch. Irresponsible. Unacceptable. I'm going to give serious consideration now to calling Dish Network about their all HD packages that start at just $24.99. Direct TV doesn't even have a competiting offer like this for me to get what I really want from them either.
Labels: bad product, bad support, direct tv
Thursday, August 14
DirectTV - Horrible, horrible, awful service
Recently one of my Direct TV TiVo gave up the ghost. I called Customer Servicer about this, and they said I could get a new HD DVR Plus at no cost, an upgrade of my dish at no cost, and keep my HD Tivo as a secondary receiver.
Great, scheduled this for August 9, 2008, technician to arrive between 8 AM and Noon.
At Noon, no tech had arrived, so I called Direct TV, I got the message I get EVERY SINGLE TIME I CALL DIRECT TV "We are sorry, due to high call volumes...". They aren't sorry, they're too cheap to hire enough employees in their support system. They got in touch with their local company that does the work, no tech till 2 PM. At 2 I got a call, he will be there in about 10 minutes. An hour later he was here. 3 PM for an 8 - Noon appointment. I'm impressed.
So, the tech starts installing my new dish, while he is doing this I unboxed the new HR21-100 HD DVR Plus and got it up in the rack with the rest of my gear. After about an hour or so, the tech comes in and informs me that the guy that loaded his truck this morning forgot to load masts for the dishes, so they are sending someone out with one. So we had to wait half an hour while the guy comes out from the warehouse. The tech wasn't particularly fast, but he was doing really nice work, my cabling and the whole install looks great. Eventually, around 6:30 he comes in and says things should be working, we turned on the box, and he went through the activation with Direct TV. Only problem, the box gives an error for some channels.
So, around 7 PM he gets back on the phone, we need B-Band blockers. He doesn't have any, but a tech in a nearby neighborhood has some. He explains that he has had it explained to him that they aren't required any longer. He'll go get them. The trip took about an hour, and he came back at 8 with the blocker and installed it. Everything is working great, so at 8:30 PM, 12 hours after my appointment was supposed to start, it is over.
My wife and I played with the system a little, then switched it off to watch a DVD.
Got up on Sunday morning, nothing, no signal, no Direct TV, so I called Direct TV and heard "Sorry, we are experiencing unusually high call volumes..." on a Sunday at 9 AM. You aren't sorry. I know this for a fact. After near 45 minutes on hold, I got told that the installer didn't install the dish properly. After 5.5 hours? They told me it had to have a second satellite line attached for it to work. Here is the number to our service company, you should call them yourself. And we will throw in 3 months of free Showtime for your troubles.
So, $27 for over 12 hours of my time. I understand how Direct TV regards me now, as an easy mark, not a valuable customer.
I hooked up the second line myself from the old HD Direct TiVo that I still had installed. Now I have a working DVR.
Tuesday night, I realized that about 1/2 of my channels were no longer working. So, another call to Direct TV "Sorry, we are experiencing unusually high call volumes..." Ok, if every time I call, I get this message, either I have the worst timing in the world, or you need to hire more people. I'm voting for the later. So, I spend about half an hour on hold, followed by another half our of "testing" with Direct TV, now I appear to have all my channels.
So, I start scheduling recordings both on my unit and from the Direct TV website on the internet. Things are great, except that bout half of my recordings are just a black screen and the question about deleting this show now.
Finally, this morning, I set my DVR to record the European Grand Prix Formula 1 race on Speed HD. When I got up and tried to start the recording, it was a blank screen. I tried to directly tune Speed HD, I got a "Searching for Satellite 1 771" error message. So I tried to put on Noggin for my kids, same error message. Reset the machine, things started working.
So I called Direct TV again. No sorry message, maybe they hired some more people. I get a nice lady on the phone, she tells me this is a known issue that has been happening for about a month. WTF? You sold me a defective product. Assholes. So, I asked if I needed a B-Band blocker on both inputs, as the tech had made several other errors. She told me that the B-band blocker might be the problem, that they were not supposed to be used on these units.
I'm going to be filing a complaint with the Texas Attorney General's office today for deceptive trade practices for selling me something that does not work.
Let's sum this up:
1. Inital call to Direct TV to setup upgrade - 0.5 hours.
2. Upgrade install visit - 12.5 hours.
3. Call next day to support - 1.0 hours.
3.5 Reroute cables to have second input hooked up on DVR - 0.5 hours.
4. Call to support for missing channels - 1.0 hours.
5. Call to support for defective recording feature - .5 hours.
So far I've invested 15.5 hours with Direct TV on a system that doesn't work. They have offered me products totaling $27 in value in compensation. Yep, I'm Direct TVs mark.
The unfortunate part is that I don't have much other choice around here. I could switch to Dish network, but I don't want the multiple dishes they require for HD. My father in law got Comcast HD recently, and it looks just horrible. AT&T does offer U-verse here, but it is still in it's infancy, and I have an MPLS network at the office they can't make work, so I'm wary of buying anything from them.
The one good thing is that we are watching much less TV now. More time for XBOX 360!
UPDATE! 9-2-2008
The DVR is still not working properly, so as I got ready to call Direct TV today, I logged into my account. I now have things added to my bill that I have never authorized.
Leased Receiver - Charge $4.99
DIRECTV Protection Plan - Charge $3.19
HD Access - Charge $9.99
That is $18.17 per month in new charges on my bill. Now they are telling me that the Protection Plan is only a partial month charge, and that it will be more in the future.
WTF Direct TV? $4.99 a month for a "FREE" receiver is not free, it is $60 per year. And, it does not work.
Adding a monthly "Protection Plan" to a device that hasn't worked right since delivery is a realy rip off.
And $9.99 for HD when it has been $0.00 for the past several years on my bill is just plain deceptive.
After arguing for about 15 minutes, they are giving me credit towards the DVR service. As of August 24th. No, wait, they can't do that, now it is $5.00 off my base package for the next three months. They did credit me for the "Protection Plan" and removed it. I'm looking at AT&T's Uverse site now.
Great, scheduled this for August 9, 2008, technician to arrive between 8 AM and Noon.
At Noon, no tech had arrived, so I called Direct TV, I got the message I get EVERY SINGLE TIME I CALL DIRECT TV "We are sorry, due to high call volumes...". They aren't sorry, they're too cheap to hire enough employees in their support system. They got in touch with their local company that does the work, no tech till 2 PM. At 2 I got a call, he will be there in about 10 minutes. An hour later he was here. 3 PM for an 8 - Noon appointment. I'm impressed.
So, the tech starts installing my new dish, while he is doing this I unboxed the new HR21-100 HD DVR Plus and got it up in the rack with the rest of my gear. After about an hour or so, the tech comes in and informs me that the guy that loaded his truck this morning forgot to load masts for the dishes, so they are sending someone out with one. So we had to wait half an hour while the guy comes out from the warehouse. The tech wasn't particularly fast, but he was doing really nice work, my cabling and the whole install looks great. Eventually, around 6:30 he comes in and says things should be working, we turned on the box, and he went through the activation with Direct TV. Only problem, the box gives an error for some channels.
So, around 7 PM he gets back on the phone, we need B-Band blockers. He doesn't have any, but a tech in a nearby neighborhood has some. He explains that he has had it explained to him that they aren't required any longer. He'll go get them. The trip took about an hour, and he came back at 8 with the blocker and installed it. Everything is working great, so at 8:30 PM, 12 hours after my appointment was supposed to start, it is over.
My wife and I played with the system a little, then switched it off to watch a DVD.
Got up on Sunday morning, nothing, no signal, no Direct TV, so I called Direct TV and heard "Sorry, we are experiencing unusually high call volumes..." on a Sunday at 9 AM. You aren't sorry. I know this for a fact. After near 45 minutes on hold, I got told that the installer didn't install the dish properly. After 5.5 hours? They told me it had to have a second satellite line attached for it to work. Here is the number to our service company, you should call them yourself. And we will throw in 3 months of free Showtime for your troubles.
So, $27 for over 12 hours of my time. I understand how Direct TV regards me now, as an easy mark, not a valuable customer.
I hooked up the second line myself from the old HD Direct TiVo that I still had installed. Now I have a working DVR.
Tuesday night, I realized that about 1/2 of my channels were no longer working. So, another call to Direct TV "Sorry, we are experiencing unusually high call volumes..." Ok, if every time I call, I get this message, either I have the worst timing in the world, or you need to hire more people. I'm voting for the later. So, I spend about half an hour on hold, followed by another half our of "testing" with Direct TV, now I appear to have all my channels.
So, I start scheduling recordings both on my unit and from the Direct TV website on the internet. Things are great, except that bout half of my recordings are just a black screen and the question about deleting this show now.
Finally, this morning, I set my DVR to record the European Grand Prix Formula 1 race on Speed HD. When I got up and tried to start the recording, it was a blank screen. I tried to directly tune Speed HD, I got a "Searching for Satellite 1 771" error message. So I tried to put on Noggin for my kids, same error message. Reset the machine, things started working.
So I called Direct TV again. No sorry message, maybe they hired some more people. I get a nice lady on the phone, she tells me this is a known issue that has been happening for about a month. WTF? You sold me a defective product. Assholes. So, I asked if I needed a B-Band blocker on both inputs, as the tech had made several other errors. She told me that the B-band blocker might be the problem, that they were not supposed to be used on these units.
I'm going to be filing a complaint with the Texas Attorney General's office today for deceptive trade practices for selling me something that does not work.
Let's sum this up:
1. Inital call to Direct TV to setup upgrade - 0.5 hours.
2. Upgrade install visit - 12.5 hours.
3. Call next day to support - 1.0 hours.
3.5 Reroute cables to have second input hooked up on DVR - 0.5 hours.
4. Call to support for missing channels - 1.0 hours.
5. Call to support for defective recording feature - .5 hours.
So far I've invested 15.5 hours with Direct TV on a system that doesn't work. They have offered me products totaling $27 in value in compensation. Yep, I'm Direct TVs mark.
The unfortunate part is that I don't have much other choice around here. I could switch to Dish network, but I don't want the multiple dishes they require for HD. My father in law got Comcast HD recently, and it looks just horrible. AT&T does offer U-verse here, but it is still in it's infancy, and I have an MPLS network at the office they can't make work, so I'm wary of buying anything from them.
The one good thing is that we are watching much less TV now. More time for XBOX 360!
UPDATE! 9-2-2008
The DVR is still not working properly, so as I got ready to call Direct TV today, I logged into my account. I now have things added to my bill that I have never authorized.
Leased Receiver - Charge $4.99
DIRECTV Protection Plan - Charge $3.19
HD Access - Charge $9.99
That is $18.17 per month in new charges on my bill. Now they are telling me that the Protection Plan is only a partial month charge, and that it will be more in the future.
WTF Direct TV? $4.99 a month for a "FREE" receiver is not free, it is $60 per year. And, it does not work.
Adding a monthly "Protection Plan" to a device that hasn't worked right since delivery is a realy rip off.
And $9.99 for HD when it has been $0.00 for the past several years on my bill is just plain deceptive.
After arguing for about 15 minutes, they are giving me credit towards the DVR service. As of August 24th. No, wait, they can't do that, now it is $5.00 off my base package for the next three months. They did credit me for the "Protection Plan" and removed it. I'm looking at AT&T's Uverse site now.
Labels: bad product, bad support, direct tv
Monday, March 24
Heading Back To Dalls...
Ok,
Went to Dallas a couple of weeks ago to check out a bank we bought up there.
Got to Houston Hobby at 7 AM for my 8 AM flight, but thanks to Southwest Airlines messed up maintenance and heavy fog, didn't leave till 11:30 AM. Screwed up the whole day.
So, I'm going back this Thursday, hopefully it will go better. Here are some hilights from the last trip:
Went to Dallas a couple of weeks ago to check out a bank we bought up there.
Got to Houston Hobby at 7 AM for my 8 AM flight, but thanks to Southwest Airlines messed up maintenance and heavy fog, didn't leave till 11:30 AM. Screwed up the whole day.
So, I'm going back this Thursday, hopefully it will go better. Here are some hilights from the last trip:
For the last trip, when I went to make our reservation with Dollar Rent A Car, the "Luxury" was the least expensive model, so I chose that. This is our "Luxury" car, yep, a fucking "Luxury" station wagon. Piece of shit.
Labels: bad support, chicks, Dallas, paris, Rental Car, slut, SWA, women, wtf
Sunday, October 28
What I've Been Up To....
It's been a while since I posted. I've had a lot of things going on at home and work. At work, I got un-promoted. Mind you, not demoted, but un-promoted. Called into the office and told that my promotion never happened, that it was an administrative error. No, really, that is what happened to me about 3 weeks ago. So, I've been pretty demotivated at work. I don't trust my employer any longer, and I'm not happy there. Don't know what will happen, but I'm exploring many options for this situation.
In early October we took a trip to New York City with my parents and my oldest kiddo. We had a great time. We went to the Empire State Building, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, the 21 Club, took a River Cruise, and more stuff than I can remember. Everyone had a great time.
While in New York, we drove down to New Jersey and meet up with a bunch of the gang from Clan Easy Frag at Six Flags Great America. While there I rode the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster, Kinda Ka. Four times. I also rode their new El Toro coaster a couple of times. If you hit a Six Flags on vacation any time soon, the "Flash Pass" is absolutely worth the money.
In late October I got suspended from XBOX Live! for a day, due to my online motto of "My Rectom Hertz". No kidding, it had been that for over 18 months. More horrible Microsoft Customer Service. No way to appeal, no warning that I had crossed a boundry 18 months earlier.
Two weeks ago tomorrow I had to put my odest dog down. It was really sad. She was nearly 14 years old and her health started deteoriating very rapidly one weekend. I took her to the vet one last time, she had a kidney infection, a bacterial infection and horrible arthritas. While it was the right thing to do, putting her down was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I held her head as she passed, I wouldn't dream of letting her go through that alone, or with strangers only. They made a paw print at the vet, and I had her creamated. Got her ashes about three days later. I'm going to spread them under one of the tress in the yard in the spring. She was the first pet I picked out as an adult, and I'll miss her, but she is not suffering any longer.
So, that's the quick version of what I've been up to for the past two months, or at least the hilights. Here come the holidays, can't wait to see what pandemonium they bring to my world.
In early October we took a trip to New York City with my parents and my oldest kiddo. We had a great time. We went to the Empire State Building, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, the 21 Club, took a River Cruise, and more stuff than I can remember. Everyone had a great time.
While in New York, we drove down to New Jersey and meet up with a bunch of the gang from Clan Easy Frag at Six Flags Great America. While there I rode the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster, Kinda Ka. Four times. I also rode their new El Toro coaster a couple of times. If you hit a Six Flags on vacation any time soon, the "Flash Pass" is absolutely worth the money.
In late October I got suspended from XBOX Live! for a day, due to my online motto of "My Rectom Hertz". No kidding, it had been that for over 18 months. More horrible Microsoft Customer Service. No way to appeal, no warning that I had crossed a boundry 18 months earlier.
Two weeks ago tomorrow I had to put my odest dog down. It was really sad. She was nearly 14 years old and her health started deteoriating very rapidly one weekend. I took her to the vet one last time, she had a kidney infection, a bacterial infection and horrible arthritas. While it was the right thing to do, putting her down was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I held her head as she passed, I wouldn't dream of letting her go through that alone, or with strangers only. They made a paw print at the vet, and I had her creamated. Got her ashes about three days later. I'm going to spread them under one of the tress in the yard in the spring. She was the first pet I picked out as an adult, and I'll miss her, but she is not suffering any longer.
So, that's the quick version of what I've been up to for the past two months, or at least the hilights. Here come the holidays, can't wait to see what pandemonium they bring to my world.
Labels: bad support, boss, family, funeral, kids, NYC, roller coaster, travel, vacation, wife
Tuesday, September 4
More Overall Bad Support
I'm on the phone to my credit union. They are not the only offender in this category by far, I have experienced this with HP, Symantec, Comcast and Kroger Pharmacy.
The phone is answered and I get the message:
"Sorry, we are experiencing an unusually larger call volume at this time, we appreciate your patience... blah blah blah... we value your business... blah blah blah... someone will be with you shortly."
I get this EVERY TIME I call one of these vendors.
Here is a hint for companies providing support via phone:
If every call gets the above message, you are not "Experiencing an unusually high call volume."
Instead, you should change your message to this "Thank you for calling, we are too cheap and short sighted to hire enogh people in India to answer your call quickly."
The phone is answered and I get the message:
"Sorry, we are experiencing an unusually larger call volume at this time, we appreciate your patience... blah blah blah... we value your business... blah blah blah... someone will be with you shortly."
I get this EVERY TIME I call one of these vendors.
Here is a hint for companies providing support via phone:
If every call gets the above message, you are not "Experiencing an unusually high call volume."
Instead, you should change your message to this "Thank you for calling, we are too cheap and short sighted to hire enogh people in India to answer your call quickly."
Labels: bad support, comcast, symantec
Monday, August 13
Great Protection
I have a brand new Windows 2003 SP2 server, with the latest build of Symantec Backup Exec 11d Build 7170 where the Backup Exec Services will not start. So, I've been on the phone with Symantec Support for over an hour, reloaded the software, rebooted the server, and still it does not work. We dug a little deeper into the logs and found this:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Symantec AntiVirus
Event Category: None
Event ID: 45
Date: 8/13/2007
Time: 9:58:31 AM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: NewServer
Description:
SYMANTEC TAMPER PROTECTION ALERT
Target: C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\pvlsvr.exe
Event Info: Suspend Thread
Action Taken: Blocked
Actor Process: C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe (PID 1732)
Time: Monday, August 13, 2007 9:58:31 AM
Yes, that's right, Symantec Antivirus is protecting me from running Symantec Backup Exec. The tech's suggestion? Diable tamper protection for my server. Told her that would not work, they need to come up with a better solution, now I am on hold.
Back from hold - BUE support cannot help, I have to hang up and call the Anti Virus support line instead.
Ok, got to some Virus Support - I have Server 2003 R2 SP2 - SAV 2006 - BUE 11d
They say I need to load SAV 2007 to have BUE 11d work, but SAV 2007 is not compatible with Server 2003 R2 SP2.
HUH? Why can't you guys make products that work? I've got to make a third call, to a different tech support division now. Yay!
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Symantec AntiVirus
Event Category: None
Event ID: 45
Date: 8/13/2007
Time: 9:58:31 AM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: NewServer
Description:
SYMANTEC TAMPER PROTECTION ALERT
Target: C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\pvlsvr.exe
Event Info: Suspend Thread
Action Taken: Blocked
Actor Process: C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe (PID 1732)
Time: Monday, August 13, 2007 9:58:31 AM
Yes, that's right, Symantec Antivirus is protecting me from running Symantec Backup Exec. The tech's suggestion? Diable tamper protection for my server. Told her that would not work, they need to come up with a better solution, now I am on hold.
Back from hold - BUE support cannot help, I have to hang up and call the Anti Virus support line instead.
Ok, got to some Virus Support - I have Server 2003 R2 SP2 - SAV 2006 - BUE 11d
They say I need to load SAV 2007 to have BUE 11d work, but SAV 2007 is not compatible with Server 2003 R2 SP2.
HUH? Why can't you guys make products that work? I've got to make a third call, to a different tech support division now. Yay!
Labels: bad support, BUE, SAV, symantec
Tuesday, July 10
Comcast is horrible!
Ok, I think I've posted more problems with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) than anything else on this blog. So recently here in the Houston area Time Warner was taken over by Comcast.
I tried the 1-800-COMCAST # and got disconnected by them, with a message that they are too busy to talk to me right now.
Then I tried to start a Chat Session online, I started out 20 minutes ago #60 in the queue. Now I'm #45.
So I e-mailed a buddy to see if he had a local Comcast phone #, and he sent me a local # 713-341-1000.
It took a couple of tries to connect. When I did get through, I got a very rude young woman, speaking ebonics, who needed to "axe you how yo network be setup". After a little fun banter, and being told that I was "Rudely interruptin me", I figured out that I needed the Comcast DNS server IP addresses to setup DNS at my house properly on my server. Bitch woldn't tell me, and when I asked to be transferred to a higher level tech, she said "OK", then disconnected me.
So I've been disconnected at least 5 times now.
Holy shit! Time Warner could be a pain in the ass, I even fired them once when they put me without internet for 21 days. But SBC (now AT&T) DSL was much worse. However, they have been coming to my house, trying to sell me Fiber uVerse service, maybe it's time to jump ship again.
I've called again, this time to sales, told them about this problem, and that I would like to order some service that works, and some support that is not rude and hangs up on me when I ask for something reasonable.
Sales transferred me to billing. Billing transferred me to tech support. Tech support transferred me to National tech support. They can't tell me, but said it was e-mailed to my Road Runner e-mail account. Great, I've never had a Road Runner e-mail account, never bothered to set it up as I use GMail. He got me logged in, but the info is not there yet, it should show up in a couple of days.
Meanwhile, I got through to the Chat, they were no help either:
McKinley(Tue Jul 10 17:27:11 CDT 2007)>The DNS addresses are supposed to be automatically detected as we do not have the addresses to give out.
I'm also going to check when I get home and be sure I have set my server to use OPEN DNS instead of their crappy, secret COMCAST DNS Servers.
I tried the 1-800-COMCAST # and got disconnected by them, with a message that they are too busy to talk to me right now.
Then I tried to start a Chat Session online, I started out 20 minutes ago #60 in the queue. Now I'm #45.
So I e-mailed a buddy to see if he had a local Comcast phone #, and he sent me a local # 713-341-1000.
It took a couple of tries to connect. When I did get through, I got a very rude young woman, speaking ebonics, who needed to "axe you how yo network be setup". After a little fun banter, and being told that I was "Rudely interruptin me", I figured out that I needed the Comcast DNS server IP addresses to setup DNS at my house properly on my server. Bitch woldn't tell me, and when I asked to be transferred to a higher level tech, she said "OK", then disconnected me.
So I've been disconnected at least 5 times now.
Holy shit! Time Warner could be a pain in the ass, I even fired them once when they put me without internet for 21 days. But SBC (now AT&T) DSL was much worse. However, they have been coming to my house, trying to sell me Fiber uVerse service, maybe it's time to jump ship again.
I've called again, this time to sales, told them about this problem, and that I would like to order some service that works, and some support that is not rude and hangs up on me when I ask for something reasonable.
Sales transferred me to billing. Billing transferred me to tech support. Tech support transferred me to National tech support. They can't tell me, but said it was e-mailed to my Road Runner e-mail account. Great, I've never had a Road Runner e-mail account, never bothered to set it up as I use GMail. He got me logged in, but the info is not there yet, it should show up in a couple of days.
Meanwhile, I got through to the Chat, they were no help either:
McKinley(Tue Jul 10 17:27:11 CDT 2007)>The DNS addresses are supposed to be automatically detected as we do not have the addresses to give out.
I'm also going to check when I get home and be sure I have set my server to use OPEN DNS instead of their crappy, secret COMCAST DNS Servers.
Labels: bad support, comcast
Friday, May 25
Alienware - An Update
Update 5-29-2007:
Got a message from Alienware late today:
Please be informed that we checked our website and we found that it in fact says that the M5550 comes with a remote control, but it does not specify that the remote control is only included when a Media Center operating system is selected. After finding out about this, we forwarded this information to the respective department so they can take the necessary measurements to solve this. We would like to let you know that Alienware does not have a compensation policy. As well, we have a disclaimer on our website, which you can check on the link below:
http://www.alienware.com/sub_pages/website_disclaimer.aspx
We really appreciate you as one of our customers and we sincerely regret your dissatisfaction. We are going to send you a $25 Coupon for you to spend on Amazon.com for the inconveniences you have experienced.
So, they were unclear on their features, and can't send me the remote, and even though they don't have to do a thing for me, they are sending me a $25 Coupon for Amazon. Ok, sounds good to me then, better than most folks customer service these days anyway.
Original Post:
As I mentioned recently, I ordered a new Alienwre PC a few weeks ago. It finally came Tuesday while I was out of town at a training, so I didn't get to play with it till last night.
While the system is great, it is lacking the Infrared Remote Control that they listed as a "Feature" of the product.
When I called their support, they told me that this is not included unless you specifically ordered the remote, and the only way to order the remote is by upgrading the system to Windows Vista Home Premium for $50, then you can get the remote for $30. You can also get the remote by upgrading to Vista Home Ultimate for even more money.
Something that costs $80 extra is not a feature. This is an option. Everything else listed on the features page came with the system. They insisted that the computer would not function without the rest of the items listed there, I however believe that an External DVI Connector, Battery Control, Wireless Networking, an On/Off button for the touchpad and External Volume contorls are all not essential for a PC to function.
I really just want them to provide me what they said was featured with the PC that I ordered, or some credit for not including the advertised item. I don't believe that this is an unreasonable request.
Their stand is that I did not pay for the item as it was not listed as a separate line item on the invoice. Neither were the other things listed on that page, but I got them for no extra charge.
So beware if you order an Alienware computer, some of the features they list might actually be an otpion that costs money, and you won't see it unless you consier an upgrade of another component. Here is a print of their web page:
Got a message from Alienware late today:
Please be informed that we checked our website and we found that it in fact says that the M5550 comes with a remote control, but it does not specify that the remote control is only included when a Media Center operating system is selected. After finding out about this, we forwarded this information to the respective department so they can take the necessary measurements to solve this. We would like to let you know that Alienware does not have a compensation policy. As well, we have a disclaimer on our website, which you can check on the link below:
http://www.alienware.com/sub_pages/website_disclaimer.aspx
We really appreciate you as one of our customers and we sincerely regret your dissatisfaction. We are going to send you a $25 Coupon for you to spend on Amazon.com for the inconveniences you have experienced.
So, they were unclear on their features, and can't send me the remote, and even though they don't have to do a thing for me, they are sending me a $25 Coupon for Amazon. Ok, sounds good to me then, better than most folks customer service these days anyway.
Original Post:
As I mentioned recently, I ordered a new Alienwre PC a few weeks ago. It finally came Tuesday while I was out of town at a training, so I didn't get to play with it till last night.
While the system is great, it is lacking the Infrared Remote Control that they listed as a "Feature" of the product.
When I called their support, they told me that this is not included unless you specifically ordered the remote, and the only way to order the remote is by upgrading the system to Windows Vista Home Premium for $50, then you can get the remote for $30. You can also get the remote by upgrading to Vista Home Ultimate for even more money.
Something that costs $80 extra is not a feature. This is an option. Everything else listed on the features page came with the system. They insisted that the computer would not function without the rest of the items listed there, I however believe that an External DVI Connector, Battery Control, Wireless Networking, an On/Off button for the touchpad and External Volume contorls are all not essential for a PC to function.
I really just want them to provide me what they said was featured with the PC that I ordered, or some credit for not including the advertised item. I don't believe that this is an unreasonable request.
Their stand is that I did not pay for the item as it was not listed as a separate line item on the invoice. Neither were the other things listed on that page, but I got them for no extra charge.
So beware if you order an Alienware computer, some of the features they list might actually be an otpion that costs money, and you won't see it unless you consier an upgrade of another component. Here is a print of their web page:
Labels: alienware, bad support, laptop
Tuesday, May 22
Goddam Southwest Airlines!
Yesterday, on my flight from Las Vegas to Houston, Southwest Airlines lost one of my suitcases. They were very nice, brought the bag to my house at about 2 AM this morning. So I repacked it, I had to head out to San Antonio for work tonight. Got of the plane, went to the baggage caurosel, watied, waited, waited some more, and came to discover...
Southwest lost my fucking bag again! So I'm at the hotel, contemplating a trip to Target for underwear and socks. Haven't called Southwest again yet, I'm too pissed off at this point.
UPDATE:
Wednesday, 7:30 AM
Called SWA about 10 PM last night, they say my bag arrived around 8 PM, and has up to four hours to arrive at my hotel. Midnight - went to front desk, no bag. Got my 7 AM wake up call, went to the front desk - no bag. Called the local number, but no one answers the phone. Called 800-IFLYSWA - they told me the local office didn't open till 7AM. I pointed out that it was about 7:30, so that was no excuse, so now I'm on perma-hold while they try to track down my wayward luggage.
UPDATE:
Wednesday, 10:30 AM
Luggage has finally arrived. The bag is crushed, and one of the stands is broken off the suitcase. So I called Southwest, they told me to man up and pull out the dent, and they weren't responsible for any other damage to my luggage. Good customer services. Here is what remains of my suitcase:
Southwest lost my fucking bag again! So I'm at the hotel, contemplating a trip to Target for underwear and socks. Haven't called Southwest again yet, I'm too pissed off at this point.
UPDATE:
Wednesday, 7:30 AM
Called SWA about 10 PM last night, they say my bag arrived around 8 PM, and has up to four hours to arrive at my hotel. Midnight - went to front desk, no bag. Got my 7 AM wake up call, went to the front desk - no bag. Called the local number, but no one answers the phone. Called 800-IFLYSWA - they told me the local office didn't open till 7AM. I pointed out that it was about 7:30, so that was no excuse, so now I'm on perma-hold while they try to track down my wayward luggage.
UPDATE:
Wednesday, 10:30 AM
Luggage has finally arrived. The bag is crushed, and one of the stands is broken off the suitcase. So I called Southwest, they told me to man up and pull out the dent, and they weren't responsible for any other damage to my luggage. Good customer services. Here is what remains of my suitcase:
Labels: bad support, SWA, travel, work
Thursday, April 12
Vonage - Bad service, will steal your money
Vonage - A better phone service for less
We converted to Vonage in 2005 to save money. Free long distance, free voice mail, etc.
The service has never worked as advertised, at times it has not worked well at all, and on at least two occasions we know of, the entire service was down for a day or longer and reporting our number disconnected or no longer in service.
Today was our billing date, so I decided to cancel the service. I called their support, sat on the phone for nearly half an hour, had to argue with the rep in India about how I really wanted to cancel the service and did not want to pay for another month.
She put me on hold, charged my card for the month, then came back and told me that I couldn't get a refund, but she could cancel the service, even though my account was paid till May 11, 2007.
Ok I said, then cancel my account on May 11th.
They cancelled my service today. They refuse to reactivate it or give me a refund. They apopogize for the miscommunication.
$30.77 charged to my card, no service, disconnected a month ahead of schedule.
Stinks of fraud to me. Called my charge card company, I have to wait a couple of days to protest the charge, it has to clear the bank, but I will be doing this.
In the meantime, just want to let my readers know that Vonage's service is awful, their customer reps are decietful, and they are not a good company to entrust with your business.
We converted to Vonage in 2005 to save money. Free long distance, free voice mail, etc.
The service has never worked as advertised, at times it has not worked well at all, and on at least two occasions we know of, the entire service was down for a day or longer and reporting our number disconnected or no longer in service.
Today was our billing date, so I decided to cancel the service. I called their support, sat on the phone for nearly half an hour, had to argue with the rep in India about how I really wanted to cancel the service and did not want to pay for another month.
She put me on hold, charged my card for the month, then came back and told me that I couldn't get a refund, but she could cancel the service, even though my account was paid till May 11, 2007.
Ok I said, then cancel my account on May 11th.
They cancelled my service today. They refuse to reactivate it or give me a refund. They apopogize for the miscommunication.
$30.77 charged to my card, no service, disconnected a month ahead of schedule.
Stinks of fraud to me. Called my charge card company, I have to wait a couple of days to protest the charge, it has to clear the bank, but I will be doing this.
In the meantime, just want to let my readers know that Vonage's service is awful, their customer reps are decietful, and they are not a good company to entrust with your business.
Labels: bad support, scam, tech, vonage
Saturday, February 3
Why Ticketmaster Sucks
Ok, they have been advertising the Monster Truck rally on TV ceaselesly all week on TV around here. So I thought, I'll get my brother, his two boys, my boy and we will all go. The ads say Kids Tickets just $5.00
So I go to the Ticket Master site, select the tickets and go to the find seats screen. Guess what, there is a "Convienence Fee" charge that is higher than the price of the kids tickets. How the hell is that "Convienent"? Advertising cheap ticktets that double in price when you order them should be considered fraud.
What a bunch of criminals.
Labels: bad support, entertainment
Monday, January 29
More Bad Support
Ok, I have a problem with a Compaq dc5700 desktop computer. HP/Compaq wants you to go to their website now and login for support. So I go there, and get the following error, saying that my model is not supported, but here is a list of computers that are supported. Guess what, my model is in the first friggin section.
It took over an hour to get phone support on the line. Compaq/HP you suck at support. I hate calling India!
It took over an hour to get phone support on the line. Compaq/HP you suck at support. I hate calling India!
Labels: bad support, compaq, work
Thursday, January 4
More School System Failure
Ok, I'm on the phone, I'm trying to order needles for my insulin pen from CVS Pharmacy.
I have the girl on the phone, I teller I need the BD Sharps quarter inch thirty one gauge needles.
She says, "We have five sixteenths in stock, is that the same size as quarter inch?"
I said, "No, that is thy the two numbers sound different when you say them, I want quarter inch."
She says, "We also have three sixteenths in stock, are those the same size?"
WTF? I asked, "Don't pharmacists go to college and take at least some basic math courses?"
She said, "Yes."
So I said, "This is really simple grade school math, I want quarter inch needles, not some other size."
I got put on hold, then she eventually came back and said they could not get the quarter inch any more. So I went with the five sixteenths.
Scares me these days what people do not know about basic things you need to survive.
I have the girl on the phone, I teller I need the BD Sharps quarter inch thirty one gauge needles.
She says, "We have five sixteenths in stock, is that the same size as quarter inch?"
I said, "No, that is thy the two numbers sound different when you say them, I want quarter inch."
She says, "We also have three sixteenths in stock, are those the same size?"
WTF? I asked, "Don't pharmacists go to college and take at least some basic math courses?"
She said, "Yes."
So I said, "This is really simple grade school math, I want quarter inch needles, not some other size."
I got put on hold, then she eventually came back and said they could not get the quarter inch any more. So I went with the five sixteenths.
Scares me these days what people do not know about basic things you need to survive.
Labels: bad support, health, stupid users
Tuesday, October 17
More Awful Support
Ok, doing great at the new job. Get a support call for a Canon Laser Class 710 Fax Machine. Seems it is no longer printing a confirmatin page after sending.
Can't figure out the interface on the machine directly, so I go to the Canon web site to download a manual. Can't find it, so I call the 800 number for service. There is not a .pdf manual available, they do not offer them, but I can buy a paper copy of the manual.
Ok, not going to spend any money on this, so I ask for tech support, having dailed the nuber that gets referenced on the "Contact Us" choice from the web page below. But at that number, they "do not suppport any of our comercial products."
Wow, that is great. Thanks for selling us a really expensive product with no support.
Canon Laser Class 710 Support
Can't figure out the interface on the machine directly, so I go to the Canon web site to download a manual. Can't find it, so I call the 800 number for service. There is not a .pdf manual available, they do not offer them, but I can buy a paper copy of the manual.
Ok, not going to spend any money on this, so I ask for tech support, having dailed the nuber that gets referenced on the "Contact Us" choice from the web page below. But at that number, they "do not suppport any of our comercial products."
Wow, that is great. Thanks for selling us a really expensive product with no support.
Canon Laser Class 710 Support
Labels: bad support, canon, work
Number of people who will never get their time back from reading this page:
