My 30 Day Odyssey With Comcast

I had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding some customer service issues he was having with Best Buy and he asked me what my issues with Comcast had been and how come I never wrote about it.

What started with a simple email request on my part to have my then cable connection moved about 500 feet down the hall to a new space became a 30 day ordeal. The Friday before Memorial Day weekend I finally had a friendly tech show up at my door and he was done in less than 90 minutes.

I have had a couple of weeks to decompress and I also need to say that the sales manager and I had a nice chat and he gave me a rundown from his perspective on what went wrong. That defused me quite a bit and he did take some responsibility for the situation.

Funny thing was when he called I had just started proofreading a mighty long and descriptive blog post and email about the frustrations of this small business owner. Because we talked it out and he listened to me there was not much more to say.

For the most part I had forgotten about it until today when I was catching up on some reading and came across Why you should NOT buy Target's TruTech brand from Connecting the Dots. Near the end Steve writes “but it's the principle of the thing that gets me”.

While the local Comcast business sales manager and I came to a resolution on my situation I told him I was stuck on “the principle of the thing”:

-I spent at least 7 hours on the phone, writing and responding to email

-Relocated 5 meetings away from the office.

-Lost 10 days of using the office space.

(A reminder that I use VoIP. No cable, no connection, no phone)

-As an original Time Warner/RoadRunner customer I was grandfathered into the old rates. Moving 500 feet and reconnecting raised my monthly cost from $95 to $160.

-Technically Comcast does not offer cable to business folks in my area although they were supporting previous customers. Huh, you ask?

-I do not currently get cable TV. Oh, I get basic local channels. Actually I get channel 2 to 23. ESPN is fuzzy and no sound. Then I get channel 69 and higher. So I could get it but they “capped” the wire or whatever they call it.

-“Soon” there will be a business plan for cable TV.

I did get 2 months credit on my bill for the less than positive experience.

While I truly appreciate their acknowledgment of the hassle, 2 months credit is no where near “even” for me.

I have decided that at some point before the end of this calendar year I am going to recruit a happily employed and very skilled Comcast technology professional and place him/her with a client.

Then we can call it “even” and my “principles” will feel better.

Technorati Tags: Comcast, Customer Service

Carolyn Kepcher Gets Pink Slip

When I first heard about Carolyn from The Apprentice being fired I thought it was a joke, TRUMP DUMPS HIS FIRING-SQUAD AIDE CAROLYN.

   

Apparently Mr. Trump wants his people to be tuned into his business versus their own self-promotion. That seems ironic. Then again, he is promoting his own brand so that gets a pass.

   

I wonder what kind of gig can compare to working for him and having the spotlight of The Apprentice. Or how much the value of her speaking fees, endorsements, and book deals has declined.

More Northwest Airlines 101 Ways To Save Money

This is a follow-up post to last weeks Northwest Airlines List Of 101 Ways To Save Money. I apologize for not updating this story sooner. I have had to remind myself that I am a tech recruiter first, and blogger second.

   

Unfortunately I did not get on the National Public Radio (NPR) segment of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell me. They were able to get quotes from a union rep and for as much as I wanted to get in the story they made the right choice.

   

To hear the segment go to This Week’s Show. Then look for:

“Bluff the Listener” "Thanks for nothing, corporate overlords!" Three stories about good intentions gone awry in the business world.

While not getting on the show was a bummer NPR does have on their front page “Links Heard On Air” with a link to this story Northwest's Advice to the Laid Off: Dumpster Dive. There is also a 2+ minute audio of the piece they did which includes comments from those that received the material. At the bottom of the story is a link to my blog posting. Very, very cool.

   

There has been a lot of attention to this story. Last Friday I had 1,100+ visitors to the 101 tips. As I type this at 6:00 pm central time I have had 6,100+ visitors just today.

   

Frankly I find this all a little overwhelming. What I thought was an interesting local story has brought 55+ links from other sites, quite a few comments, and 85 email messages. I am slowly responding to the email.

   

The most frequented question I have been asked is, “What do you think of this?” As I said in the original post I found that many of these “tips” are reasonable actions people could take to save some cash.

   

The problem is that the material was given to those losing their jobs. If I had been a recipient of the material I would have wanted someone’s butt on the chopping block. And not some mid manager person, a ranking official.

   

For those who have said the workers were being overly sensitive I ask them this question, “If it had been you how would you have reacted?” I doubt they would have laughed.

   

The problem I have from where I sit is that this was a complete failure on NWA’s part. So they really did not check the material before it was presented? Geez, that’s an awful lot of trust to put in an outside vendor.

   

My understanding, and I may be wrong, is that the 150+ page packet was going to be the standard packet moving forward. Can you imagine if this happened to more than 50 employees and not in three small towns?

   

Finally, even NEAS (the firm who put the material together) is saying that the material was prepared by someone else. Were they aware of what was prepared? Have they passed this same brochure on to other clients? Better yet, who did prepare it?

   

I lied, one last thing. I have been asked which “tip” I thought most about. #53 Bicycle To Work. Dude, they don’t have jobs!!!

   

I have gone through my referral pages and I always hesitate to point out one site over another. Some sites have referred quite a few people but only have the original story. Other sites have been either more original with what they wrote or have had great comments on their site.

   

Here are a few of the many worth taking a look at:

   

From the local crowd here in Minnesota:

-Metroblogging Minneapolis: Northwest Airlines to employees: go dumpster diving!

   

-City Pages Blog: Frugal Flyer

   

-MNspeak.com NWA Says 'Screw Your Dignity'

   

From the national crowd:

-Funny Business: Distributor of NWA's "101 Ways To Save Money" apologizes--sort of With a copy of the NEAS “apology”.

   

-SmartMoney.com: northwest to laid-off employees: dig through your trash! A special award for this one, many stories have had a picture of a person digging or sitting in a dumpster. This one comes with Oscar the Grouch From Sesame Street in a NWA trashcan.

    

-STL Recruiting: 5 More Ways to Save Money If You're A Northwest Employee I know Jim well and he is not serious about his tips. He is just taking the original 101 steps another step to show the absurdity.

   

-Lifehacker: Ask the Readers: Cut your expenses when things are tight?

   

-FatWallet: Money Saving Tips from Northwest Airlines

   

-Don’t Mess With Taxes: In case of an emergency firing, dumpster dive

   

-Super Happy Funtime Blog: And People Thought This Was INSENSITIVE????

Northwest Airlines List Of 101 Ways To Save Money

***August 23, 7 pm update***

Click More Northwest Airlines 101 Ways To Save Money to find a commentary, update on NPR, and links to this post.

   

***5 pm update***

I was interviewed by NPR for their segment Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me segment. When I get the link I will post it.

    

***3 pm update***

Here is a link to MNspeak.com and what a few of the Minneapolis folks are saying

    

***Noon update***

This morning a federal judge ruled he cannot block a strike by NWA flight attendants. “CHAOS” could start August 25^th.

    

This is a follow up to my previous post Outsourced Northwest Airlines Employees Down In The Dumps(ters)

    

In fairness it looks as if the company, (NEAS Company, www.neas.com) who put this list together has the same list for all of their clients, not Northwest Airlines specifically. Still, you would think the airline would look at the material they are giving to their soon to be former employees.

    

In my opinion some of these are decent ideas but in this context, jobs being outsourced, this is insulting at best.

    

So here are the 101 Ways To Save Money from the 4-page “Preparing for a Financial Setback” including the now famous #46 “Don’t be shy about pulling something you like out of the trash.”

    

1. Set your thermostat to 64 and turn it down to 60 at night.

2. Use the phone book instead of directory assistance.

3. Use coupons at the grocery store.

4. Carpool.

5. Ask for generic prescriptions instead of brand name.

6. Do your own nails.

7. Rent out a room or garage.

8. Replace 100 watt bulbs with 60 watt.

9. Make long distance calls at night and on weekends, instead of mid-day, mid-week.

10. Throw pocket change in a jar and take it to the bank when it's full.

11. Always grocery shop with a list.

12. Buy spare parts for your car at a junkyard.

13. Go to museums on free days.

14. Quit smoking.

15. Get hand-me-down clothes and toys for your kids from family and friends.

16. Meet friends for coffee instead of dinner.

17. Request to get interest on a security deposit for your apartment.

18. Take a shorter shower.

19. Write letters instead of calling.

20. Brown bag your lunch.

21. Make your own babyfood.

22. Use public transportation.

23. Drop duplicate medical insurance.

24. Buy old furniture at yard sales and refinish it yourself.

25. Apply for scholarships and financial aid.

26. Exercise for free-walk, jog, bike, or get exercise videos from the library.

27. Form a baby-sitting cooperative with friends and neighbors.

28. Buy your clothes off season.

29. Go to a matinee instead of an evening show.

30. Share housing with a friend or family member.

31. Hang clothes out to dry.

32. Do not use your calling card.

33. Volunteer two hours a month for reduced cost food through the Share Program.

34. Change the oil in your car yourself regularly.

35. Get pre-approval from your medical insurance company before undergoing any procedures or tests.

36. But 'no frills' vitamins.

37. Take a date for a walk along the beach or in the woods.

38. Make cards and gifts for friends.

39. Shop in thrift stores.

40. Have your water company do an audit so you are not charged sewage fees for water used in your garden.

41. Refinance your mortgage.

42. Grocery shop on double coupon days.

43. Trade down your car for a less expensive, lower maintenance one.

44. Convert your cash value life insurance to term.

45. Shop around for eyeglasses.

46. Don’t be shy about pulling something you like out of the trash.

47. Recycle.

48. Move to a less expensive place to live.

49. Use low flush toilets or water saving devices in the tank.

50. Drop unneeded telephone services like call forwarding or caller ID.

51. Buy fruits and vegetables in season.

52. Avoid using your ATM card at machines that charge a fee.

53. Bicycle to work.

54. Shop around for auto insurance discounts for multiple drivers, seniors, good driving records, etc.

55. Ask your doctor for samples of prescriptions.

56. Borrow a dress for a big night out. or go to a consignment shop.

57. When you buy a home negotiate the sales price and closing costs.

58. Turn the hot water heater down and wrap it with insulation.

59. Never grocery shop hungry.

60. If you qualify, file for Earned Income Credit.

61. Shop around for prescriptions including mail order companies (Medi-Mail 800-331-1458, Action Mail Order Drugs 800-452-1976, and AARP 800-456-2277). 

62. If you pay for childcare, make use of the dependent care tax credit or your employer's dependent care flexible spending account.

63. Buy, sell, and trade clothes at consignment shops.

64. Shop around for the lowest banking fees.

65. Caulk windows and doors.

66. Iron your own shirts.

67. Plan your weekly food menu before shopping.

68. Buy a good used car instead of a new model car.

69. Purchase all of your insurance from the same company to get a discount.

70. Cut your cable television down to basic.

71. Go to an optometrist for routine vision tests or to change an eyeglass prescription.

72. Buy pre-owned toys and children's books at garage sales.

73. Have potluck dinners with friends and family instead of going out.

74. Use the library for books, video tapes, and music.

75. Inspect clothing carefully before purchasing it.

76. Don't use your dishwasher dry cycle; open the door and let them air dry all night.

77. At the grocery store, comparison shop by looking at the unit price.

78. Make your own coffee.

79. Use old newspapers for cat litter.

80. Shop at discount clothing stores.

81. Skip annual full mouth x-rays unless there is a problem; the ADA recommends x-rays every 3 years.

82. Water your garden at night or early in the morning.

83. Shop around for long distance rates.

84. Hand wash instead of dry cleaning.

85. Grow your own vegetables and herbs.

86. Shop around for auto financing.

87. Donate time instead of money to religious organizations and charities.

88. If you are leaving a room for more than five minutes, turn off the light.

89. Shop at auctions or pawn shops for jewelry and antiques.

90. Keep your car properly tuned.

91. Request lower interest rates from your creditors.

92. Trade in old books, records, and CDs at book and record exchanges.

93. Pay bills the day they arrive; many credit card companies charge interest based on your average daily balance.

94. Buy software at computer fares.

95. Search the internet for freebies.

96. Compost to make your own fertilizer.

97.If your car has very little value, you probably only need liability insurance.

98. Cut the kids hair yourself.

99. Increase your insurance deductible.

100. Buy in bulk food warehouses.

101. If your income is low, contact utility companies about reduced rates.

Congress, Comic Books, Technology And Passing New Laws

The L.A. Times had this article Weighing High-Tech Bills in Analog that really got my attention. We have all of the “smart attorney’s” (insert sarcastic comment here) that have been elected to the United States Congress but they cannot figure out how to create legislation.

   

Maybe creating it is not the problem, understanding the issues is. I get that members of Congress may not fully understand online social networks, Internet gambling, and net neutrality but they should have some basic knowledge or at least have staff that do.

   

Apparently not:

The task is all the more difficult because few in Congress understand what those engineers in Silicon Valley actually do.

One of the leading gatekeepers for technology legislation, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), has been lampooned on TV and tech blogs after recently describing the Internet as "a series of tubes." The lack of high-tech understanding is so pervasive on Capitol Hill that Vint Cerf, a Google Inc. executive known as a father of the Internet, is considering creating a comic book to show lawmakers how the global network operates.

A comic book? We have to take our elected officials back to grade school? Apparently so because analogies do not always work:

Supporters have resorted to analogies — trucks on highways are a favorite — to simplify the movement of information online and the risks posed by creating Internet "toll lanes." But sometimes those explanations have only caused more confusion.

"I'm tired of talking about 18-wheelers," an exasperated Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) said at a House hearing this spring. "I'd like to know what we're talking about here."

And I would like to know that when they are talking about it that a few of them actually get it.

   

I understand the philosophy that sometimes it is best to re-elect politicians because it takes a while to figure out how the system works and to gain influence but if you are a career politician and that’s all you know then maybe you not qualified after all. Having some experience in the modern world should be a must have.

Enron Verdict

***Updated*** Ken Lay was also found guilty on the 4 counts of bank fraud in the bench trial by Judge Sim Lake.

   

***Updated*** A jury of eight women and four men returned verdicts again Kenneth Lay, 64, and Jeffrey Skilling, 52, former executives of Enron.

   

Ken Lay was charged with a total of 6 counts and faced 45 years. He was found guilty on all 6:

   

1 Count of Conspiracy

2 Counts of Wire Fraud

3 Counts of Securities Fraud

   

Lay’s maximum sentence is 45 years.

   

Jeff Skilling was charged with 28 counts and faced 275 years. Skilling was found guilty on 19 of the 28:

   

1 Count of Conspiracy

12 Counts of Securities Fraud

5 Counts of False Statements to Auditors

1 Count of Insider Trading

   

Not Guilty on 9 Counts of Insider Trading.

   

175 years is the maximum for Skilling.

   

Sentencing will be September 11, 2006. 5 years and 10 days after the scandal broke.

   

On Wednesday, another U.S. judge in Houston approved a $6.6 billion civil settlement by three banks accused by Enron shareholders of helping the company hide financial misdeeds that led to its collapse.

   

The settlements to be paid to former Enron shareholders include $2.4 billion from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, $2.2 billion from JP Morgan Chase and $2 billion from Citigroup. This combined with a previous settlement with Lehman Brothers and Bank of America totals $7.2 billion of the $40 billion lost by shareholders.

   

***Original Post*** The jury in the fraud and conspiracy trial of former Enron chief executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling has reached a verdict. It will be read at noon eastern time, 11 am central time.

   

I will post an update after the verdicts are read.

Happy 1st Anniversary, MN Headhunter

MN Headhunter is celebrating its first year this week. The actual first posting(s) was May 21^st, 2005 so really I am 3 days behind but who’s counting.

   

A blog turning a year old seems anti-climactic. How do you celebrate? Punch and cake, fireworks, how do you invite friends over?

   

Hopefully before I get out of here tomorrow afternoon (checking out early for the holiday weekend) I can get my press release put together and announce a couple of new things.

   

As of the 21^st I had 240 entries, which could have been more if not for last fall when I did not post for almost two months and instead did many postings in one. I have learned that it is easier to add content every day versus trying to catch up with many in one day. I said I learned it that does not mean I will practice it.

   

I also have learned that I have more to say and talk about than I thought. Which my friends will find crazy that I could talk, think or analyze more than I already do.

   

There is still a lot of ground to cover, topics to bring up, and things to add. I think I am finally figuring out what I want to do with this.

   

Be Careful What You Say And Do Online

Saturday evening, May 13^th, the NBC Evening News had this story Employers digging up dirt online. I, and other bloggers, have been writing, better yet warning, people of all ages to be careful of what they are posting on Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites for a year or more. (Nice to see that the mainstream media is catching up to us.)

   

I also include a topic on this in my job search and networking seminars. These are great tools to stay in touch with classmates, friends, co-workers and family. These are great foundations to build upon a personal and business network with.

   

Steven Rothberg of CollegeRecruiter.com (who I seem to be quoting more and more lately) was in the story. He had a great analogy comparing profiles to tattoos. If you do not want someone to see your tattoo do not put it in a place where others can see it.

   

Same goes for these sites. If you do not want your parent, employer or friends (the ones who might not understand) to see what you are saying then make your profile “hidden”. Better yet, do not write it at all.

   

The story quotes a recent survey of recruiters:

-77% have used search engines to uncover information about candidates.

-35% have eliminated a candidate based on information found online.

   

Consider this another warning…

MNspeak Waters Getting Rough

Online communities can be interesting creatures and the anonymity the web provides can be a good thing, it also can be used by the dark side. Or in this case turn a community into a living, breathing soap opera.

   

I have been “lurking” at MNspeak for almost a year. (In fact, my blog was around the 100^th in the aggregator at the time I started.) I liked the idea of the local folk getting together for a chat. While I have never met any of the personalities as a frequent visitor you feel like you know some of the users. I have some of their blogs linked on the left hand side of this page.

   

I have been really busy so my lurking has become more like an infrequent drive-by to the site. Maybe, 2-3 times a week.

   

Not so happy with what I found yesterday and in other recent posts. It seems that the general tone has turned more negative. Sure I get that online communities can get this way and people will do what they will do but as a visitor I can and may choose to go somewhere else.

   

Rex Sorgatz who started MNspeak recently sold the site to a local group as he took a job with Microsoft and relocated to Seattle. I was aware of that.

   

Before I go on, a disclaimer. I am not good with “famous” or “it” people. I rarely know names and for the most part could care less. That goes for Hollywood and the local scene.

   

Monday the Star Tribune ran an article, Bartel 2.0. Here is where I show my ignorance. I read the City Pages often. Until the article I had no idea who published it. Frankly, I did not and still do not care. So I would never have known that Tom Bartel used to own City Pages and now owns the Rake. That Tom’s brother Mark is now the publisher at the City Pages.

   

I did know that Matt Bartel, son of Tom Bartel, bought MNspeak from Rex. How it was financed, I could care less. I do find his particular story interesting being he is still in college and trying to find what to do with the site.

   

Now forward to this posting How Mo Po and the 200+ comments.

   

Take a read for yourself as I am not going to take the time to introduce the known characters, the assumed identities of the “anonymous” posters, or put in my two cents on the many comments that are filled with self-serving ego and talking about what clearly is a few years of confrontation between a writer and publisher.

   

My only suggestion is this, moderators of online communities should receive formal training on how to not let the inmates run and ruin the asylum. Rex did a great job with this and I hope he can help Matt out.

   

I am curious about the part with Girl Friday and how a comment of hers was edited regarding a link to a recipe on “meth”. Personally, the link in her comment should have stayed and then the community should have shunned her for including it.

   

Prepare for a tangent:

The recent City Pages Best of the Twin Cities 2006 listed as the Best Cheap Thrill, Crystal Meth. Yeah no joke. The City Pages did not handle that well at all. Take a look at the two updates and the comments that were posted.

   

Heck, in this season of a U.S. Senate race Minnesota Congressman Mark Kennedy took his displeasure regarding the Best Cheap Thrill to the floor of the House.

   

Back to MNspeak:

Around the first of the year I contacted Rex about my interest in placing a banner ad on MNspeak promoting this blog. I am in the middle of figuring out where to place the ads now.

   

Until I see what direction the new management is taking and what the tone of the site will take I think I will wait a while before writing the check.

Happy Equal Pay Day

This may not be a news flash but MN Headhunter, me, I am a dude. I know the picture in the upper left corner of me holding a fish last fall is probably a give away but just in case you are using an RSS feed or are receiving this in some other form.

   

I am not sure that I have ever once worried about my pay in relation to my gender. I am not sure that in my years of being an I.T. Recruiter I have ever seen evidence of a woman making less than a man.

   

Maybe I have been naïve…

   

I was sent this article Now It’s Time For Women To Get Even (Washington Post) from a friend of mines wife who works in a mid-size, family owned company in Minneapolis. Turns out the first line female managers and under have been talking about a potential unfair pay situation based on gender.

   

I have to admit, I know very little on this subject and now knowing feel compelled to look more into it.

   

The article starts with this:

Tuesday marks a very special day: It's Equal Pay Day. Why Tuesday, you ask? Because that's how far into the year the average woman must work to earn as much as a man earned by the end of the previous year.

   

And this just infuriates me, I heard it was less but this much?:

It is 2006, and as has been true for about a decade, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar men make.

   

A response to the reasoning behind it:

So let's just get this straight right now, says Murphy: That 23-cent differential is not because some women take time off to give birth or raise children. The pay-gap figure measures only women and men who work full time, for a full year. It does not include women who took time off during the year or worked part time.

   

The article uses the State of Minnesota as an example of unfair pay in the 1980’s and how it was resolved:

As a result, 8,500 employees received pay equity raises. In 2002, according to Murphy, women who worked for the state earned about 97 cents for every dollar men made.

   

So I hope in some small way I am doing my part. I could care less what race, gender, creed or whatever separates us as people. As long as they do what is expected pay and treat them well.

   

Check out the Wage Project web site for more information.