Category: Consumer

The Annoying Upsell

It wasn’t that long ago when the only reliable yet annoying upsell was, “Would you like an apple or cherry turnover with that?” Some bean counter discovered if every cashier was forced to annoy 100 people, maybe 5 would agree to the turnover. I won’t get into why it’s a bad idea to piss off your other 95 customers, but suffice it to say many business owners have jumped on the upsell bandwagon. And the wares they are hawking are far more annoying than a bite of hot cherry ooziness that burns the roof of your mouth. image

When I bought four tires at Goodyear I spent two minutes selecting (I had researched models from Consumer Reports and Car & Driver) the tires and the next 20 minutes deflecting the never ending list of products the lady shoved in my face. No, I don’t want to put it on a Goodyear credit card nor do I want to buy road hazard insurance (I like how they toss in words like “hazard” with the intent of making it sound like you’re declining something that will save your life) When I explained that I only insure items that would be a financial burden to replace (Like my house. If I blow a tire, I’m out maybe 150 bucks?) she looked at me like I was was a bigger tightwad than Al Bundy.

Two days ago we took two of our kids to get haircuts and the selling didn’t stop till we walked out the door 45 minutes later. They tried to talk us into getting our oldest daughter’s hair cut and even went so far to ask my my kids, “Should we make mom look pretty too?” in an attempt get Kim in the chair. I doubt Kim would have enjoyed sitting in the fire truck, or on the tractor or purple dinosaur while while watching Dora the Explorer during the ordeal. What made this experience especially annoying was the fact she wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept at us till we left. We won’t be going back.

And today I went to Kit’s Cameras to purchase a Nikon flash. I called the store to ask about the specific model (Nikon SB400) to confirm it was in stock. I showed up to the store 30 minutes later and spoke with the same guy I talked to on the phone. Yet, he’s decided he knows what’s best for me and tries to upsell two more expensive models. I told him I’d done my homework on the internet, which clearly went in one ear and out the other. I wanted to yell, “SHUT UP! I know what I NEED!!” After turning down the opportunity of a lifetime to purchase a customer card, extended warranty, extra batteries and several lenses, I made it out of the store in one piece.

No wonder I look to purchase more products on the internet from companies like Amazon and New Egg than ever before. Even if I don’t save much money I end up not having to deal with idiots who feel they know what’s best for me. I generally research most everything I buy and I don’t show up to the store in a clueless daze relying on the salesperson to guide me to the products he/she thinks are right for me.

Why do some companies continue to pester the majority of their customers in search of the small percentage who can’t say no to the cherry turnover? I want to support local businesses, but anytime a website provides better customer service than your employees, you’re not going to be around long.

How’s My Driving?

On my way into work this morning I pulled up behind a GE Service Van that had one of those How’s My Driving stickers slapped to the back. I’ve never understood why companies use these stickers. Do they magically make one a better driver when the threat of being reported is just a phone call away?

I followed the van a few blocks before pulling up to a left turn arrow near my credit union. I had my cell phone in hand and wondered if anyone would answer. I dialed the 1-888 number and was immediately forced to listen to a commercial for a fabric softener! I had no idea GE even made fabric softener. I eventually made it through. Here’s how my call when down:

GE Rep1: Can I get your name and phone number in case we get disconnected?

Me: Sure. (I give her my name and bogus number)

GE Rep1: What can I help you with today?

Me: I’d like to comment on the driving of someone in one of your service vans.

GE Rep1: Excuse me?

Me: I may not have the right extension. A sticker on the back of a GE service van invited me to call and comment on how it’s driving.

GE Rep1: Ohhh! Hold just a minute, sir.

(I wait about a minute before another lady comes on the line. It’s clear from the start that she’s not in the best mood)

GE Rep2: So you want to comment on a driver? I’ll need the van number and your location.

(The van starts to pull through the intersection and I’m having a difficult time driving, talking on the phone and trying to locate the van number. I notice the number 9290 in very small font running vertically up the left side of the back door)

Me: The only number I see is 9290. I’m in Redmond, Washington.

GE Rep2: OK. So what’s the problem?

Me: No problem at all. I figured I’d call and let someone know this driver is doing a very good job out here. He just took a left turn in front of me and it couldn’t have gone any smoother.

GE Rep2: So you haven’t noticed any problems?

Me: No, none. Do only people with problems call to comment?

GE Rep2: Mostly. But you have no problems to report?

Me: None. From what I’ve witnessed, his driving the last several blocks has been top notch.

GE Rep2: I’m happy to hear that. Do you have anything else to report.

Me: That’s all for today. Thank you.

The 15 Step Printing Process

My father recently purchased a new HP computer with Windows Vista. After a few week of wrangling with a bad sound chip, he’s back in business enjoying his new computer. This past weekend he asked me to help get his HP Deskjet 6127 printer working.

Here’s where things get interesting. Unlike Vista upgrades that are pretty good at telling you which of your installed programs or devices are not supported, plugging an unsupported printer into Vista is like flinging it into a black hole. Maybe it was too simplistic on my part, but I figured his Canon i960 would give him problems before his HP printer would, given his new computer came from HP. But the Canon showed up fine while his HP was missing in action.

I did a quick Google search for the Vista drivers and found the HP support page for his model. I learned that I’ll need to download, install and configure an “alternate” driver for his model which takes no less than 15 steps, including this step, “Change the port from LPT1 to USB or DOT4“. Easy us geeks who do this stuff for a living but not something many people should be expected to understand. Do your parents know what port their current printer is using?

Now my dad is pretty good with computers. He’s worked on them for well over 10 years and is quite comfortable doing basic installs and maintenance. But this driver install is confusing and would be intimidating to those who have never done this before. Someone at HP decided it was easier to create a 15 step work around than it would be to create a Vista driver.

If my brother or I were not around, I’m sure my dad would have bought a new printer that Vista supported. And that’s the rub here. I’m sure HP knows that and has little incentive to create drivers for printers that are a few years old when they can sell new printers to people who don’t know or care about what ports their printer is using. I’ll bet many new computer owners, faced with a similar situation, would blame Microsoft when their printer doesn’t work.

Vista might be a great operating system but it’s only as good as the hardware it supports. If you have one printer and HP hasn’t written a Vista supported driver, you’re hosed. When that happens, the true cost of Vista just increased substantially.

So who should shoulder the blame when this happens? It doesn’t seem fair to bust Microsoft’s chops when a device, made by another company, isn’t supported. Yet isn’t it in Microsoft’s best interest to encourage companies like HP to support printers that are only a couple years old? Maybe they did in this case and HP didn’t listen. Either way, the new computer owner is the loser in such situations.

Technorati Tags: ,

Rental Car frustrations

Renting a car wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to talk to anyone at the rental company. But there’s no way around this unless I have a Hertz Gold Card or the like. Or so I thought!

Now reserving a car was a piece of cake from the Hertz website. I liked that they didn’t require I give them my credit card number in order to make a reservation, and they even gave me the Hastings Direct contact number, their insurance provider – something they’d deal with but gave me the courtesy of being informed about.

So I reserved a car last week and then arrived in Salt Lake assuming I’d quickly be on my way to Ogden. No such luck. I waited about 30 minutes at the Hertz counter before making my way to the front of the line. Just as I was about to be helped a string of Gold Club members approached the desk and just waltz up ahead of me. One guy approached the counter and then proceeded to argue with the Hertz employee over whether or not his wife should be added to the rental agreement. I figured Gold Card members could head right out to a waiting car.

Once the rush of Gold Card members subsided, the counter person had nobody else to help but us low lifers in the loser line. I approached the counter, gave the lady my name and American Express Card. And then you know the drill from here. She tried to sell me:

  1. Three different types of insurance
  2. A larger car upgrade
  3. GPS upgrade
  4. Two tank filling options

When I told her “No to all” she said, “Well, I have to go through them all. It’s my job“. I guess her “job” is to ignore me or act like she didn’t hear what I said. This is the part I hate about renting a car.

Tip to Car Rental Companies: Stop gouging for filling the tank full of gas. Hertz charged an absurd $7.40/gallon  last week. Is it too much to ask to figure out the average amount of gas you need to fill each car and then BUILD THAT INTO THE RENTAL COST? I shouldn’t have to worry about finding a gas station close to the Salt Lake airport and you shouldn’t use this opportunity pad pad your pockets.

One other thing: Is it possible to actually drive away in the car you confirmed I reserved? It seems like every time I rent a “compact” model of car (a Toyota Corolla this time around) you never have that model or class in stock. You then try to rent me a larger car because of YOUR mistake. Last week I drove away in a Ford Mustang which was sort of cool except the seats are about 2 inches off the ground. But the teen working the Hogi Yogi drive-thru thought it was “rad”.

I’ve got good and bad news for my friend who loves Mustangs. This 2008 model was fast off the line and had a cool retro interior. But it’s not in the same league as my BMW when it comes to how it handles corners and overall balance. The Mustang was a fun weekend fling. But the BMW is the one you want in your garage.

Worth the extra cost

Although I enjoy computers and gadgets I seldom buy the latest cutting edge computer parts, cell phones, MP3 players and most other gadgets. One pays a hefty premium to have the latest and greatest gadgets. Ask anyone who stood in line to buy an Apple iPhone the first day it was available if they felt a little ripped off when the price was dropped $200 a short time later. Such items command such a premium when first released that it’s usually wise to hold off till the 2nd generation arrives and the kinks are worked out.

For electronic gadgets, my rule is thumb is to purchase one generation removed from the very latest models. I’ve made a few exceptions, but that rule has served me quite well over the years. There are a few exceptions such as soundcards and the monitor I mention below, but it’s certainly true for the top of line computer chips, video cards and phones.

But there are a few items I’m willing to pay top dollar for even when they cost two or three times as much as other brands I could buy. Here are a few of them items:

Dress Shoes – I hate poorly made shoes. I’d rather have two pairs of great quality shoes than a closet full of shoes from Payless. I started buying casual and dress shoes made by Ecco about ten years ago and they are simply amazing. I was hooked the first time I tried on a pair. They are so comfortable and so well-made that I consider them a bargain at $150-$250/pair. I’ve also had good luck with Timberland, Doc Martin and Cole Haan. But none are as comfortable as my Ecco. I always keep a black and burgundy pair in my closet and they last for years if treated properly. 

ecco

Ecco Berlin Plain Toe Tie

Wallets – I’ve purchased a number of less expense wallets and they fell apart after just a few months. The last thing I want are credit cards or my driver’s license falling out of an old grungy, beat up wallet. My current wallet is one that I bought for Kim about eight years ago at Nordstrom but that I inherited when I bought her a matching Coach wallet to go with her purse.  The wallet is made by Ghurka and cost $150 which still seems like a lot of money to spend on a very simple man’s wallet. But I use it everyday and it gets better with age. Not a single stitch has come loose and I’ll buy another one exactly like it if it ever wears out.

ghurka 

Ghurka Men’s International Wallet

Laptop/Diaper Bag– Another item I use everyday and don’t mind spending extra for is a good laptop bag. This is where I keep my work files, my iPod, wallet, umbrella and laptop. About ten years ago I purchased a travel bag from Andiamo for $350 that traveled with me around the world. I beat the crap out of that bag, and took advantage of its lifetime warranty a few times until the zipper gave out and the store told me it couldn’t be fixed. Luckily they gave me a sizeable store credit which I used to purchase a smaller Tumi laptop bag last summer that I blogged about here. I hope it holds up as well as my Andiamo did. Cost: $250.

 image

Tumi FXT Ballistic Business Brief

Kim carries around a diaper bag we bought from Timbuk2 and a purse from Coach. We’ve loved the Timbuk2 bag so far and we pack that sucker to the brim everyday. It’s a bag that looks better the more you bang it around.

image

Timbuk2 Original Cargo Tote

Strollers – We bought a cheapo Graco stroller from Target when our first baby arrived and it fell apart after about a year. The wheels tore apart and the folding mechanism would constantly jam. We probably got our money’s worth but we decided to spend a bit more on our last two strollers. We recently bought a single Peg Perego stroller from Albee Baby that we like although we haven’t used it much yet. But it’s lightweight and very well made so I’m sure we’ll use it a lot. Peg Perego strollers start in the low $200s.

image

Peg Perego Pliko P3 Classico

Nearly four years ago we purchased a Maclaren twin stroller from Albee Baby that’s become one of our favorite kids items. Our three oldest children have been pushed around in that stroller for miles and miles. I never thought we’d get so much use out of a twin stroller but this Maclaren is so awesome we look for opportunities to use it. If you check the Albee Baby website you can find the twin for under $400. That’s a lot of money for a stroller but I believe it’s been well worth it.

 image

Maclaren Twin Techno Stroller

Computer Monitors – I sit at a computer for over 12 hours most days and my eyes strain unless I’m looking at a very clear, good quality LCD monitor. In fact, I’m much more productive with two monitors that I can’t imagine going back to even a larger single monitor. I’ve used monitors from Samsung, Dell, and Viewsonic and they aren’t bad. But none are in the same ballpark as my two NEC Multisync 90GX monitors. The NECs cost more than the others but are so much better I consider them a bargain given their quality. The prices and models change often but expect to pay a 50-60% premium over a similar sized Dell monitor.

image 

NEC 90GX2 Pro LCD Monitor

 Headphones – I was hesitant to list this one because I’ve already written about them so much. But don’t spend $300 on an iPod and then expect your music to sound good on the freebie white headphones. Spend $60 and pickup a pair of Sennheiser PX100s and you’ll be blown away at how much better your music sounds. I bought a pair of the black models but they also have white for those who must maintain their hip iPod style. They also fold up and come with a sweet case. 

image

Sennheiser PX100 Portable Headphones

When I’m at my computer, I listen to my music on a Soundblaster X-Fi soundcard output to a pair of Grado SR80 headphones. The X-Fi will take most of the digital sound processing off your CPU giving you excellent sound quality without taxing your system. You can’t do better than a pair of Grado SR80 ($100) without spending two or three times as much. They are an amazing value and have become a cult favorite of the audio enthusiasts.

image

Grado SR80 Headphones

Socks and Ties – I’ve found that it doesn’t pay to buy cheap ties and socks. I’ll buy less expensive brands of pants and even shirts but not socks or ties. I’ll usually hit the Ralph Lauren Polo outlet for socks and wait for the Nordstrom Men’s sale right after Christmas to pickup a few Robert Talbott ties that run about $50 on sale.

image

Robert Talbott Regimental Stripe Tie

 

Verizon Store observations

I visited a Verizon Wireless store today. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.  Most of the floor space is dedicated to new phones and the employees outnumber the customers 3 to 1. 

Today I wanted to purchase an extended battery for Kim’s Motorola Q. I figured I’d be in and out of the store in under 5 minutes. I was wrong. Here are a few observations from today’s visit to the Verizon store:

  1. It’s All About the Phones – The store’s layout and positioning is geared to sell you a phone. The more expensive phones are up front, close to the register and all are positioned just below eye level making them easy to try out.
  2. Look-a-Like Accessories – The phone accessories are hung below the phones, making them all look alike and hard to reach. Best I could tell, 95% them were cheap phone cases. Also, don’t assume the accessories found under the phone are made for that model. You may have to wander around the store, bending down under each set of phones to find that holster to fit your Voyager.
  3. You’ll Need to Stand in Line – If you’re after a more expensive accessory such as a $49 extended battery, you’ll need to stand in line behind those people who haven’t figured out how to pay a bill online. They write checks, ask insane questions and are in a general state of confusion. 

While waiting in line for my extended battery, one lady had her laptop on the counter trying to connect to the internet. I wondered if she confused this store with Apple “Genius Bar”. Another guy couldn’t figure out how to pay his bill. A Verizon employee was patiently attempting to help him but to no avail. He might have had more luck if the customer wasn’t on a phone call the entire time.

Hey Verizon, how about opening up a line for those who know how to work their phones and pay bills online and just need a fricking accessory? Even better, how about putting the batteries NEAR THE COUNTER so I can grab one, pay and get back to my life?

Then again, maybe I’ll just avoid the frustrations next time by ordering online.

Calling the Starburst Candy Helpline

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved Starburst candies. When my mom was brave enough to take me along to the grocery store, she’d let me choose a treat if I behaved. At those rare times I’d select a pack of Starburst. As a kid, it felt like I was getting a lot of bang for the buck because each “fruit chew” was individually wrapped. I could eat a few now, stash the rest in my pocket where they’d stay warm until I needed my next sugar high.

Fast forward a few decades to a time where my mother no longer takes me shopping and I have to secure my own stash of Starburst. These days, the only time I see Starburst are at Halloween and occasionally in the candy bowl at work. So today, while I was opening a “twin pack” of individually wrapped chewy goodness, I noticed these words on the back of the wrapper:

Questions or Comments? Call 1-800-551-0683

Since I wasn’t busy at the time I figured I’d give them a call and see if someone could answer several Starburst related questions I’ve had for years. I dialed the number and made my way through the maze of options including one to learn more about “the Mars policy concerning animal research”. Do they really test new candy on animals? I don’t plan to dig too deep there.

I eventually found myself on hold, waiting for the next available Mars consumer candy representative.  After a few minutes, a polite guy named Cameron came on the line and was more than willing to field a few questions. Here’s how it went down:

Cameron: Thank you for calling the consumer division of Mars candy. How can I help you today?

Me: I’m looking for someone to answer a few Starburst related questions. Are you the guy?

Cameron: Yes, I can help you. What questions do you have?

Me: I love Starburst candies but my favorite flavor is strawberry. Is there a way to determine if a package is loaded with mostly strawberry chews? I’ve tried holding a pack up to the light, but that hasn’t worked well and I always feel a little cheated when a pack is mostly filled with yellow and oranges.

Cameron: There’s really no way to tell. Each pack or bag is filled based on a ratio of flavors. Would you like me to find out what that ratio to flavor is?

Me: Yes, if it’s not too much trouble. (I’m put on hold for about 45 seconds)

Cameron: The current flavor ratio is 25% per flavor. The original packs contain orange, lemon, strawberry and cherry flavors. But some packs or bags may contain more or less than 25% because they are placed in a large vat and mixed together before packaging.

Me: That’s really cool. Do you know if there are any plans to discontinue the yellow ones. They are my least favorite.

Cameron: At this time, I’m not aware of any plans to discontinue the lemon flavored chews.

Me: Is there a way I could buy a bag full of only the strawberry?

Cameron: No, not at this time, but you’re not the first to ask. I will pass that suggestion on to our marketing group who values the input from loyal customers like yourself.

Me: Thank you. How would I go about suggesting a new flavor?

Cameron: You can tell me and I’ll pass it on for you.

Me: Cool. I’d like to suggest a lime flavored Starburst.

Cameron: We do have a lemon-lime in the “Baja pack”, but not lime only. I’ll pass that on to our marketing department.

Me: Do you have a lot of people call up asking about Starburst?

Cameron: I wouldn’t say a lot but we have a few who call us with questions.

Me: You’ve been very kind. Thank you for your help. That’s it for now.

Cameron: Thank you for calling the consumer division of Mars Candy and I hope you continue to enjoy Starburst candies.

Technorati Tags: ,

Webkinz leaves bad first impression

We bought a Webkinz animal for each of our three oldest children. If you’re not familiar with Webkinz, the unique feature of this toy is the online integration. Basically, one buys an animal for about ten bucks and then goes online to register, adopt and name their pet. It reminds me a bit of Animal Crossing (Which our kids and their mom enjoy on the Nintendo DS) where there are places to see and activities to join in which earn Webkinz money which can be used to buy things in this virtual world.

On Christmas day one would assume the Webkinz website would be overloaded with kids trying to register their new pets. But we tried anyway and ran into this message:

screen_2007-12-28 11.51.10

We decided to come back the next day and ran into the same problem. We’ve been trying to login to the site for four days now and I finally got all three pets registered, adopted and named tonight but not without more hassle.

Near the end of the registration process, I was presented with the screen below which asks me to “Enter the letters” I see in this image. Do you see any letters in the the box? If you look closely, the letter are supposed to appear in the rectangular box, but they didn’t appear until I clicked on the back button, entered in the “Webkinz Secret Code” and returned to this screen. I had to do this several times for all three pets. I’ve run into confusing “captcha” screens but I’ve never been presented with a ghost “captcha”.

screen_2007-12-28 17.34.26

Luca has been checking out the Webkinz world for the past hour or so and seems to really like it so it appears the inconvenience was worth it. But it doesn’t leave a good impression.

Webkinz had to know there would be a rush on its website on Christmas day. Technology such as AmazonS3 is available to resolve scalability issues. Webkinz isn’t run by two teens in their basement trying to get the business off the ground. They are owned by Ganz which is good sized toy company. There is no excuse for a four day outage like this.

What could Webkinz do to soften the blow to our kids? How about extend the subscription (the first 12 months is free) by 6 months? Or give them an extra 100 bucks in Webkinz cash. Something that shows they care about the frustration they caused.

Technorati Tags: ,

The Fry’s Return adventure

I bought a VGA converted at Fry’s last night. When I got home I opened it up to find a few problems:

  1. Inner box was torn
  2. None of the items (cables, converter, manuals) were in bags
  3. The converter box itself had scratches on the top and bottom
  4. The remote control was missing
  5. Batteries were missing

It was clear that Fry’s had sold me a used product. So I drove back to Fry’s and parked about a half mile away. I entered the store and stood in the return line until a man dressed like a Mormon missionary asked me to follow him back to his station.

At this point the following conversation took place:

Fry’s Missionary: So you want to return this?

Me: Yes, I do.

Fry’s Missionary: Is something wrong with it?

Me: Yes, several things. I bought a used converter unit. The inner box is damaged, the converted is scratched, and the remote and batteries are missing.

Fry’s Missionary: OK. But other than what you mentioned, it’s working properly?

Me: *SIGH*

Technorati Tags: