Friday, March 10, 2006, 08:06 AM - Dumb Happenings
I already knew that HP had outsourced its Tech Support department to India. What I didn’t know until last night is that they also outsourced their spare parts order centre. The arrangement was so bad that I was unable to order the spare part I needed.
My TabletPC is three years old. It uses a special magnetic pen for input and navigation. Recently, the pen has started to have trouble capturing my handwriting. So, logically enough, I decided that I would order a new pen from the spare parts hotline.
The guy who answered on the other end had a very thick accent that was difficult to understand. When I told him what I needed, he said “That’s impossible! Digitizer pens don’t wear out!”
That’s funny, I thought , no one said that when I did a pen replacement 18 months ago! And it solved the handwriting problem until last month.
Before I could contradict him, he transferred me to Tech Support. This was pointless, since the warranty on my computer expired three months ago. (Which is why I was going to buy a new digitizer pen instead of just asking for one).
So the Tech rep proceeded to transfer me back to sales -- but to the wrong department in that division. The rep there only knew about PDAs, and insisted that there are no electronics in a PDA pen (that is true for a PDA but not for a TabletPC).
So I got transferred again. The next guy insisted that a TabletPC was “corporate” product, not a “retail” product. So I got transferred to corporate sales.
Over at corporate sales, the rep said he didn’t understand how I could own a TabletPC if I wasn’t a corporate customer (answer: I bought it off eBay from a doctor who was using it for business.)
When that rep said he was going to have to transfer me somewhere else, I gave up. This whole process took an hour and I still don’t have my new pen. Well, there’s always eBay.
Gotta love Corporate Outsourcing!
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( 3 / 1450 )Sunday, March 5, 2006, 08:13 PM - Dumb Happenings
Today totally sucked. It all started with my computer getting totally screwed up by Microsoft's latest greatest product: Internet Explorer 7. It didn't work, wouldn't uninstall, and made a lot of *other* things not work too (including System Restore). The long and short of it is that I had to do a complete reformat/reinstall.
Then mom called to complain about how my younger brother is lazy, greedy, and arrogant. He declared yesterday that he was too much of an "artist" to ever have a job. He said that he intends on *never* working.
So of *course* that means that mom is going to cut me out of her will so that Andy will get my inheritance (so he can be an "artist".)
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( 3 / 1137 )Friday, February 24, 2006, 03:30 PM - Dumb Happenings
I work in the 5th floor of a courthouse (as an investigator) and a really odd thing happened today. At 3:22 PM all the windows in the office started vibrating, and a low, stacatto beat played through the air. But wait! This is Maryland, not California! It wasn't an earthquake.
It was somebody's car stereo system running at full blast.
What I have to ask is this: how loudly did this dude have to play his stereo in order to make the windows in a 5th floor office start vibrating? Moreover, how did the sympathetic vibrations *not* tear this guy's car apart?! And if it was loud a block away, five flights up, and indoors, what would it be like to be a passenger in this guy's car?
So... My idea is this: people who go deaf by age 30 because they blast their stereos to 175 decibels should *not* get any subsidies from Medicare for hearing aids! Foooools!!!
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( 3 / 1172 )Monday, February 20, 2006, 05:01 PM - Dumb Happenings
My brother and I had different dads, so he didn't experience the same abuse I did. What we sometimes fight about is the fact that his dad (when still living) basically gave him everything he ever wanted. I know that's a cliche, but anything his father could afford to give him, he did. My brother's father was also a very kind, good, and honest man. He worked an honest trade and was skillful at it.
Well, my brother turned 23 yesterday, and he has yet to hold down a job. He just leeches off mom for housing, food, and cash. Apparently, he sees himself as an "artist" because he has some modest talent on keyboards. He told me that he's too good for a job because he's so "artistic".
Lemme tell ya: an artist produces actual art. In the case of the musical arts, that means recording music and performing. My brother has been involved with exactly two bands. He dropped out both groups when they started getting regular work. I guess "artists" must not be asked to work...
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( 3 / 1430 )Wednesday, February 15, 2006, 08:28 AM - Dumb Happenings
My partner and I headed to Boordy Vineyards last night for a Valentines Day soiree. We spent 60 bucks per person for an evening that promised romance and candlelight and even a red rose. And what the menu promised! Here is the rundown from Boordy’s own page:
"Cascading Winter Display of Cheeses, Crackers, Bread, Hummus & Olive Tapenade
Oysters on the Half Shell with Chesapeake Cocktail Sauce, Horseradish & Lemon
Carved Beef Tenderloin with Haricot Vert, Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Rosemary Sherry Demi Glace
Paella Station with Saffron Rice, Chicken Breast, Baby Shrimp & Andouille Sausage garnished with Little Neck Clams & Chive Oil
Chef prepared Bananas Foster over Mascarpone Crepes, Assorted Truffles & Miniature Cheesecakes
Afterwards, wander outside with hot Wassail & roast marshmallows over an open flame cauldron".
Well... Let me tell you about the REALITY:
-- The whole thing was set up as a really expensive, really bad, really crowded buffet with long lines to get even the smallest scrap of food.
-- The "waterfall of cheese" was a single tray that had only three kinds of cheeses, and was 90% depleted by the time we got to the front of the line. (No bread and hummis evident).
-- They only let us have *one* oyster each.
-- The beef tenderloin consisted of a sliver of meat the size and thickness of a silver dollar. We got *two* string beans, and *two* slivers of potato.
-- There was *no* shrimp. We got one tiny clam, and a rather sad little scoop of flavored rice.
-- We never did see the desserts, but I figured they were going to wait until 8:59pm to bring them out.
-- The wine was doled out in such miserly quantities that I'm surprised they didn't use an eye dropper.
-- When I complained to the manager, she just said "nothing in our ad is technically incorrect. Any difference between reality and your expectation simply reflects an error in your perception!"
Nice customer service!
For our $60/ea., I estimate that my partner and I got about $3 worth of food, $1 worth of wine, and $0 worth of customer service.
Well, as we Irish like to say: "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". We won't be fooled again by Boordy's Vineyards.
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( 2.9 / 1242 )Tuesday, February 14, 2006, 08:01 AM - Dumb Happenings
One doesn't usually think of alarm clocks as being a household item that generally breaks or wears out. But mine sure did! But it fooled me by still telling the correct *time*. It just doesn't make *noise* anymore. What a draaaaag! [ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
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