Weather or Not

We were going to go into the garden and tidy things up a bit this morning no matter how hot and humid it was. So we woke to a thunderstorm, waved a white flag and didn’t bother. Better luck tomorrow we hope. A neighbor cuts our grass for us, at least he managed to get that done yesterday.

Customer Service in the New South - Part 4

Beth has been trying to get some response from either the retailer of, or the manufacturer of, our sofa. It is just over six months old and we have a squeak in the arm. An examination of the sales documentation showed that the retailer free repair warranty was for 6 months. We declined to extend it to five years. So we though we would call them anyway and see what they said. The manufacturer has a ten year warranty so we thought we would try them too.

W sent an e-mail to the retailer and we got a response from Columbia SC saying they could find no record of the sale. We bought the sofa in Charlotte NC. So we called the local store. They gave Beth another number to call. Beth called that number - FIVE TIMES - and each time was put on hold or transferred to an automated system.

argggggh

So Beth called the store back and asked that she speak to a human being. The store took our number and said someone would call back. We are still waiting. They probably have a web cam in the sofa and are waiting for the house to be empty so they can call and leave a message - asking us to ring on the same unanswered number as before.

This is another aspect of America that is rapidly catching on in the UK - call center automation systems that mean you never speak to a human never get your problem resolved and hate the retailer/supplier/manufacturer or whoever for ever afterwards. Do these people realize just how much they piss off their customers by doing things on the cheap. Why can't you pick up the phone, call a number and speak to someone who can solve your problem?

So much for the retailer.

the manufacturer has an e-mail address on their web site. So we sent them a message. It was returned as an invalid address. Why can't they have a working e-mail address on their web site? There was no 800 number so we faxed a request rather then making a long distance call to an automated service that would no doubt ask us to leave a message after pressing 4 menu selections and punching in our social security number.

What caused the blackouts?

BBC NEWS | Business | What caused the blackouts?

A Swiss national I met at a customers in Texas was asked about differences between life in the USA and Europe. One thing he noted was that they get more power cuts! This is something I too had noticed over in the Carolinas. It appears that one of reasons is under investment. Other reasons I would add are:

1) Extreme weather
2) Cables on poles rather than in the ground increasing the risks of damage from the extreme weather.

Surely it is better in the long term to out cables underground than pay the additional repair costs caused by wind, ice and snow damage. In my home town in the USA they have been cutting back trees to keep them clear of cables. An entirely avoidable expense if the cables are under ground.

Which brings me to another point. Doing things on the cheap. So much of America's reputation as being a low cost place to be is caused by things being done on the cheap. Mind you electricity prices are higher here than in the UK - so may be the whole industry needs a kick up the back side. Perhaps yesterdays fiasco will the catalyst they need.

Texas arrests oldest bank robber

Texas arrests oldest bank robber:

"DALLAS (Reuters) - Texas police say they have arrested a 91-year-old man suspected of robbing an Abilene bank, possibly making him the oldest bank robber in U.S. history."

How come this is on the Yahoo UK site but not the US one or CNN.com?

Thousands denounce U.S. in Baghdad protest:

"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims have poured into the streets of a Baghdad neighbourhood to denounce U.S. troops who they say have defiled a religious school by flying low in a helicopter, which struck its flag.
'No, no to America!' shouted protesters who flooded the streets of a sprawling suburb populated mainly by poor Shi'ites, who form a long-oppressed majority of Iraq's population.
Arab television aired film showing a U.S. helicopter flying low over a tower where a black flag was flying. Its wheel appeared to touch the religious banner."

Employer Demands Amazing Rights and Indemnity

My wife applied for a job working at home for a medical transcription company. They checked her references and offered her the job. Along with all the papers to sign was one requesting her permission for the employer to check: driving records (for a working at home job?), credit records, criminal records and also the right to perform a full consumer enquiry that may entail them asking questions of neighbors about her lifestyle. Should any of the "information" they find be wrong Beth was also asked to waive her rights to sue them for any actions taken as result of them discovering anything true or false as part of these researches. Beth refused to sign and so does not have a job with them - despite their offer. The personnel dept did admit that "a lot of people have trouble with the document" and a lot of people don't sign it. I'm not surprised. The company did say they hardly ever investigate but it gives them a "comfort" factor. It makes me feel very uncomfortable that they can actually do such a thing. Freedom is as much about your protection from unwarranted intrusion as it is about your right to do things. Its about time the rights of people were given as much prominence as the rights of business.

Wierd News

I have placed some text here in case the links expire before you get to read these.

Link A Polish ostrich farmer is demanding damages from balloonists he says scared one of his birds to death. The farmer says his ostriches panicked at the sight of the approaching hot air balloon. One ran into a building, fatally wounding itself, while another escaped never to be seen again. He is demanding 12,400 zlotys (2,120 pounds) damages from the balloon pilots who landed near the farm during a competition two years ago near the central city of Lodz.

Link AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A burglar who took a nap after breaking into an elderly woman's house in Amsterdam has been arrested after she found him asleep on her couch. The burglar slipped in through a window and combed the house for valuables before settling down for a snooze, police said. He was rumbled at about 6 a.m. when the pensioner found him in her living room and called the police. "The police came and he was still asleep. They woke him up," ....."He was very tired. He lay on the couch and fell asleep," Van der Veen said.

Link SANAA (Reuters) - A man begging at a mosque in Yemen has been exposed as not being as destitute as he pretended when his mobile started ringing inopportunely.

Beth's a bit better

Beth seems to be improving day by day. Well enough today to venture into the garden (or as I am in America maybe I should say "yard") and take a trip to "Linens n Things" to buy a much needed pepper mill.

Photos

I have added a link on the right to my photos

Surround Sound and DVD Player

We have now got everything installed and hooked up. A neighbor helped fix the surround speakers to the wall and hide the wires behind the picture rail. I say, "helped", in fact he did most of the work. We shall take him and his wife out to dinner as recompense. So now we are able to listen to music CDs with some comfort and quality as well as enjoying the delights of HBO (a cable channel - UK readers will probably know of their shows "Sex in the City" and "Six Feet Under") in surround sound and Dolby digital and all that hi tech stuff.

Marriage

Those who know me and have also decided to read my Blog will have noticed how I refer to "my wife" on occasion. Well we did get married in June. A quiet ceremony with no guests. Lots of reasons why we did so, and lots of reasons why we chose to do it on the QT.

Weather

As I sit here the thunder is rumbling all around once more and I also see storms are now rumbling around the UK as the magic 100F is passed. Once more we have been unable to get into the garden to tidy it up a bit. Normally it gets drier here in the summer and so the grass and weeds do not grow as quickly as they do in the spring. This year has been wet, the grass just loves it when it rains every day and the temperature is 80-90F. Beth has been not too well again today so perhaps it is just as well we decided to have a quiet morning indoors.

BBC NEWS | UK | Hottest day ever in UK

BBC NEWS | UK | Hottest day ever in UK:

"The record for the hottest day ever in Britain was broken on Sunday as temperatures soared to 37.4C (99.3F). "