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Aaaannnd We’re Back!
After a 60 hours + downtime, Literal Barrage is back on line. I’ve received no explanation from VizaWeb, nor do I think that I am likely to. In light of recent events, please leave your recommendations for reliable hosting with ssh access and php4/5+mysql access. Thanks.
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The Joys Of Big Box Retail Outlets
Jeff over at the Shape of Days has discovered the “joys” of shopping provided by big name electronics stores (in this case, CompUSA). As regular readers will recall, I’ve had my own experiences with big box retailers, although not CompUSA specifically. Jeff lays out his experience with painstakingly amusing detail. A snippet: But those pathfinding…
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I Keep Trying To Tell People, But Do They Listen?
Shame on Lileks. He went to Best Buy (cbtn) to replace a fritzy DVD player, managed to get upsold on a shady “HDTV” player and then discovered that Best Buy (cbtn) is no longer content with simply taking his money. Now they want his demographic information too: At the checkout counter the clerk asked for…
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What Timing!
No sooner do I post about Best Buy (cbtn) then I notice a thread on Fark pointing to this Gizmodo entry (pointing to this AnandTech forum thread which, in turn, reprints a Baltimore Sun article that the Sun website puts behind a registration lock and key, so just use the AT thread to read the…
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Now I Just Need An Eyepatch, A Parrot And A Diploma From “Pirate U.”
As of this morning, a long, drawn–out chapter in my dental history has finally drawn to a close. I had a gold crown (well, really almost an entire tooth) put in place to finally close out the Saga of the Root Canals. Now I’ll just have to come up with a decent story to tell…
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Brrrr.
I woke up to a cold house this morning – apparently, my heating oil company’s “auto” “replenishment” program wasn’t working right and my tank just plum ran dry. A repairman just stopped by and got us up and running and an oil tanker should be by later to refill our tank, so short-term I think…
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A Glutton For Retail Punishment
– or – Fool Me Once, Shame On You, Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me, Fool Me Thrice, You Must Work For Best Buy! As long-time readers will no doubt recall, I’ve had my troubles with Best Buy (and customer service in general) in the past, but the events of the past couple of weeks…
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Even More Atrocious Customer Service
Yes, it’s that time again. Time for another installment in our ongoing series, “Doug Gets Poor Customer Service.” My wife and I went to Genuardi’s the other day in order to obtain certain products that we’ve been unable or unwilling to find at our local Whole Foods. <minor rabbit trail> Yes, my wife and I…
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Atrocious Customer Service
Let’s establish something: I attract bad customer service. I have bad customer service mojo. I am the customer service equivalent of two broken mirrors, an upside-down horseshoe, a sack full of black cats and roughly fourteen ladders standing in front of your front door. The Irish have lucky leprechauns, the Scottish have, well, unlucky me.…