http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070630/sc_livescience/brainscansrevealwhymeditationworks
Meditation and other “mindfulness” techniques are designed to help people pay more attention to their present emotions, thoughts and sensations without reacting strongly to them. Meditators often acknowledge and name their negative emotions in order to “let them go.”
Oh The Eternal
Surrender to the Ether
Let Yourself go now...
Meditation Works?
Mindfullness is meaningful?
Keep breathing through it.
We are chemistry
Breathing affects blood P.H.
Calming us down now.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Why Blogging Is Important!
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/55269/
"... Right-wing talk doesn't dominate AM radio because of the magical hand of a functional free market, it dominates thanks to multiple market failures. Even worse, those failures represent a strong case for better regulation of what goes out on the public's airwaves."
Capitalism
Barely works regulated
Cannot unfettered
"... Right-wing talk doesn't dominate AM radio because of the magical hand of a functional free market, it dominates thanks to multiple market failures. Even worse, those failures represent a strong case for better regulation of what goes out on the public's airwaves."
Capitalism
Barely works regulated
Cannot unfettered
Thursday, June 28, 2007
From an article about Congress serving Supoenas on the White House
"The White House contends that its search for would-be terrorists is legal, necessary and effective — pointing out frequently that there have been no further attacks on American soil. Administration officials say they have given classified information — such as details about the eavesdropping program, which is now under court supervision — to the intelligence committees of both houses of Congress.
Echoing its response to previous congressional subpoenas to former administration officials Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor, the White House gave no indication that it would comply with the new ones.
"We're aware of the committee's action and will respond appropriately," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. "It's unfortunate that congressional Democrats continue to choose the route of confrontation."
In fact, the Judiciary Committee's three most senior Republicans — Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, former chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — sided with Democrats on the 13-3 vote last week to give Leahy the power to issue the subpoenas.
The showdown between the White House and Congress could land in federal court.
Also named in subpoenas signed by Leahy were the Justice Department and the National Security Council. The four parties — the White House, Cheney's office, the Justice Department and the National Security Council — have until July 18 to comply, Leahy said. He added that, like House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., he would consider pursuing contempt citations against those who refuse.
Gonzales, in Spokane, Wash., on Wednesday to discuss gang issues with local officials, said he had not seen the subpoena documents and could not comment on them directly.
"There are competing institutional interests," Gonzales said."
Yes, but the prisons aren't so overcrowded that their "institutional interests" can't be served.
For the full article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070628/ap_on_go_co/eavesdropping_subpoenas
Echoing its response to previous congressional subpoenas to former administration officials Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor, the White House gave no indication that it would comply with the new ones.
"We're aware of the committee's action and will respond appropriately," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. "It's unfortunate that congressional Democrats continue to choose the route of confrontation."
In fact, the Judiciary Committee's three most senior Republicans — Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, former chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — sided with Democrats on the 13-3 vote last week to give Leahy the power to issue the subpoenas.
The showdown between the White House and Congress could land in federal court.
Also named in subpoenas signed by Leahy were the Justice Department and the National Security Council. The four parties — the White House, Cheney's office, the Justice Department and the National Security Council — have until July 18 to comply, Leahy said. He added that, like House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., he would consider pursuing contempt citations against those who refuse.
Gonzales, in Spokane, Wash., on Wednesday to discuss gang issues with local officials, said he had not seen the subpoena documents and could not comment on them directly.
"There are competing institutional interests," Gonzales said."
Yes, but the prisons aren't so overcrowded that their "institutional interests" can't be served.
For the full article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070628/ap_on_go_co/eavesdropping_subpoenas
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Amazon's can't purchase internationally list.
Please note: Buyers outside the U.S. cannot purchase the following types of items via Amazon Marketplace: video games, toy and baby items, electronics, cameras and photo items, tools and hardware, kitchenware and housewares, sporting goods and outdoor equipment, software, and computers.
So says Amazon's disclaimer...middle of the page:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/102-9441889-5548150?ie=UTF8&nodeId=537734
I mean, who is going to buy a hammer and ship it somewhere?
Or, if a customer wants to ship a hammer, who doesn't want them to ship it?
Are there tarrifs involved in these prohibitions, or national security concerns?
Are handguns considered sporting goods?
Sporting goods - Tools?
Electronics/Cameras?
and baby items.
No spatulas please!
Nor table lamps neither thanks.
Sleeping Bags? No Way!
So says Amazon's disclaimer...middle of the page:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/102-9441889-5548150?ie=UTF8&nodeId=537734
I mean, who is going to buy a hammer and ship it somewhere?
Or, if a customer wants to ship a hammer, who doesn't want them to ship it?
Are there tarrifs involved in these prohibitions, or national security concerns?
Are handguns considered sporting goods?
Sporting goods - Tools?
Electronics/Cameras?
and baby items.
No spatulas please!
Nor table lamps neither thanks.
Sleeping Bags? No Way!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Human Culture
The existence and dispersion of an aspect of modern human culture has now been conclusively shown to be 100,000 years old.
This ain't Adam and Eve; they must have happened several 10's of thousands of years before that!
Even 30 years ago, when I was obtaining my Anthro BA, our speculation was that we could successfully mate (that is, have fertile offspring) with humans from 150,000 years ago.
Guess we were right!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070618/sc_livescience/80000yearoldbeadsshedlightonearlyculture
This ain't Adam and Eve; they must have happened several 10's of thousands of years before that!
Even 30 years ago, when I was obtaining my Anthro BA, our speculation was that we could successfully mate (that is, have fertile offspring) with humans from 150,000 years ago.
Guess we were right!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070618/sc_livescience/80000yearoldbeadsshedlightonearlyculture
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Benjamin Franklin's Advice to a Young Man on the Merits of Older Women
June 25, 1745
My dear Friend,
I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural Inclinations you mention; and if I did, I think I should not communicate it to you. Marriage is the proper Remedy. It is the most natural State of Man, and therefore the State in which you are most likely to find solid Happiness. Your Reasons against entering into it at present, appear to me not well-founded. The circumstantial Advantages you have in View by postponing it, are not only uncertain, but they are small in comparison with that of the Thing itself, the being married and settled. It is the Man and Woman united that make the compleat human Being. Separate, she wants his Force of Body and Strength of Reason; he, her Softness, Sensibility and acute Discernment. Together they are more likely to succeed in the World. A single Man has not nearly the Value he would have in that State of Union. He is an incomplete Animal. He resembles the odd Half of a Pair of Scissars. If you get a prudent healthy Wife, your Industry in your Profession, with her good Economy, will be a Fortune sufficient.
But if you will not take this Counsel, and persist in thinking a Commerce with the Sex inevitable, then I repeat my former Advice, that in all your Amours you should prefer old Women to young ones. You call this a Paradox, and demand my Reasons. They are these:
1. Because as they have more Knowledge of the World and their Minds are better stor'd with Observations, their Conversation is more improving and more lastingly agreable.
2. Because when Women cease to be handsome, they study to be good. To maintain their Influence over Men, they supply the Diminution of Beauty by an Augmentation of Utility. They learn to do a 1000 Services small and great, and are the most tender and useful of all Friends when you are sick. Thus they continue amiable. And hence there is hardly such a thing to be found as an old Woman who is not a good Woman.
3. Because there is no hazard of Children, which irregularly produc'd may be attended with much Inconvenience.
4. Because thro' more Experience, they are more prudent and discreet in conducting an Intrigue to prevent Suspicion. The Commerce with them is therefore safer with regard to your Reputation. And with regard to theirs, if the Affair should happen to be known, considerate People might be rather inclin'd to excuse an old Woman who would kindly take care of a young Man, form his Manners by her good Counsels, and prevent his ruining his Health and Fortune among mercenary Prostitutes.
5. Because in every Animal that walks upright, the Deficiency of the Fluids that fill the Muscles appears first in the highest Part: The Face first grows lank and wrinkled; then the Neck; then the Breast and Arms; the lower Parts continuing to the last as plump as ever: So that covering all above with a Basket, and regarding only what is below the Girdle, it is impossible of two Women to know an old from a young one. And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of Improvement.
6. Because the Sin is less. The debauching a Virgin may be her Ruin, and make her for Life unhappy.
7. Because the Compunction is less. The having made a young Girl miserable may give you frequent bitter Reflections; none of which can attend the making an old Woman happy.
8thly and Lastly They are so grateful!!
Thus much for my Paradox. But still I advise you to marry directly; being sincerely Your affectionate Friend.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
stream of consciousness, truth, lies, no videotape
A friend of mine just mentioned how hard the job his friend, a NYC police officer, has, and how improbable he'll live to see his pension....got me thinkin...
My mother-in-law was the teacher's union president for either her city or for the state where she lived in Mexico. She knew EVERY politician. At my wedding in Mexico, a Minister of the Mexican Secretary of Interior was a guest, "Senor Juarez". Mstr Juarez wanted to hire me to infiltrate the drug gangs (this was in 1979!). (I thought about it, for about a nano-second, and declined the honor!)
A CHP moved into an apartment below ours in San Diego once. Wow, that was a close call as far as the possible bust was concerned. Jesus! (as in HEY ZEUS). Met him years later at lunch at San Diego State. He was still a trooper and I was a grad student...we talked about how tense it was with him living in the building. No one wanted him there, not the pot-heads nor the drunks.
I'm dating a woman with a 7 year old daughter who HATES MY GUTS only more so.
There was a guy who shared my first and middle names. We were born on the exact same date! He was found, drawn and quartered, in plastic bags, in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle somewhere in NYC. I'm still around.
Was with a group of boys once who abandoned a very large cadillac at the top of a hill without it's brakes...
Someone approached me once with a syringe and asked if I would shoot up to see if it was good or not.
My first scuba dive (without lessons) was to 110 feet, down the La Jolla Canyon, to see squids mating. They had already mated, but their egg sacks were anchored like flowers on the bottom, waving in a tidal breeze.
My second scuba dive, at Moonlight Beach, was almost my last. We went out in a rip-tide (hungover and stoned), 3-6 foot surf breaking on the reef, quite overcast and 65 degrees outside, dressed in a full wetsuit and 2 bottles of air for 45 minutes before marching into the surf, illegal abalone diving with my "buddy" Jeff, I couldn't dive under the surf fast enough to catch my breath, so I put the regulator in my mouth, and the mask on, and literally crawled my way back up to the beach, taking advantage of every inflow of a wave, and holding onto rocks and seaweed to keep the rip tide from dragging me back out, crawling up a river of wet and moving sand, getting knocked down every time I got up, even when the flow of water was ankle height, the steep beach kept me from getting vertical, until finally I was hauled out by the lifeguards.
The snorkel had been ripped from my mask, as had the dittybag from my weight belt. Jeff, my "buddy", dove without me, the lifeguards freaked all over him when he came back on shore, since I could easily have died. Of course Jeff his own self yelled at me later for not keeping up with him (as he had a ditty bag full of abs that he had had to abandon when he saw the lifeguards and me on the beach).
Pizza was the nickname of one of the smallest campers that summer. He was 10 but was as small as the 7 year olds. I was a "jr. counselor", and helped out on the rifle range. Pizza's gun misfired. I told him to put it down, which he did, and I laid down next to him, and he pulled the trigger and the gun went off about 6 inches from my right ear, with the bullet entering the mattress just below my right cheek. I promptly said something crude, picked Pizza up and hung him on a nail, high up a post, so he was dangling there too surprised (and shocked at how close he had come to killing me) to speak for quite a while...
My mother-in-law was the teacher's union president for either her city or for the state where she lived in Mexico. She knew EVERY politician. At my wedding in Mexico, a Minister of the Mexican Secretary of Interior was a guest, "Senor Juarez". Mstr Juarez wanted to hire me to infiltrate the drug gangs (this was in 1979!). (I thought about it, for about a nano-second, and declined the honor!)
A CHP moved into an apartment below ours in San Diego once. Wow, that was a close call as far as the possible bust was concerned. Jesus! (as in HEY ZEUS). Met him years later at lunch at San Diego State. He was still a trooper and I was a grad student...we talked about how tense it was with him living in the building. No one wanted him there, not the pot-heads nor the drunks.
I'm dating a woman with a 7 year old daughter who HATES MY GUTS only more so.
There was a guy who shared my first and middle names. We were born on the exact same date! He was found, drawn and quartered, in plastic bags, in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle somewhere in NYC. I'm still around.
Was with a group of boys once who abandoned a very large cadillac at the top of a hill without it's brakes...
Someone approached me once with a syringe and asked if I would shoot up to see if it was good or not.
My first scuba dive (without lessons) was to 110 feet, down the La Jolla Canyon, to see squids mating. They had already mated, but their egg sacks were anchored like flowers on the bottom, waving in a tidal breeze.
My second scuba dive, at Moonlight Beach, was almost my last. We went out in a rip-tide (hungover and stoned), 3-6 foot surf breaking on the reef, quite overcast and 65 degrees outside, dressed in a full wetsuit and 2 bottles of air for 45 minutes before marching into the surf, illegal abalone diving with my "buddy" Jeff, I couldn't dive under the surf fast enough to catch my breath, so I put the regulator in my mouth, and the mask on, and literally crawled my way back up to the beach, taking advantage of every inflow of a wave, and holding onto rocks and seaweed to keep the rip tide from dragging me back out, crawling up a river of wet and moving sand, getting knocked down every time I got up, even when the flow of water was ankle height, the steep beach kept me from getting vertical, until finally I was hauled out by the lifeguards.
The snorkel had been ripped from my mask, as had the dittybag from my weight belt. Jeff, my "buddy", dove without me, the lifeguards freaked all over him when he came back on shore, since I could easily have died. Of course Jeff his own self yelled at me later for not keeping up with him (as he had a ditty bag full of abs that he had had to abandon when he saw the lifeguards and me on the beach).
Pizza was the nickname of one of the smallest campers that summer. He was 10 but was as small as the 7 year olds. I was a "jr. counselor", and helped out on the rifle range. Pizza's gun misfired. I told him to put it down, which he did, and I laid down next to him, and he pulled the trigger and the gun went off about 6 inches from my right ear, with the bullet entering the mattress just below my right cheek. I promptly said something crude, picked Pizza up and hung him on a nail, high up a post, so he was dangling there too surprised (and shocked at how close he had come to killing me) to speak for quite a while...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Guinea Pig Love
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/pet/354470002.html
Not sure how long this link will be up, so I've also copied the text of the original below:
6 mo old (guinea) piggie needs some one willing to soak his genitals in oil and water daily to work back his forskin. It got stuck, and now has gunk built up on it. We r moving and I can't stomach doing this. He comes w his cage, and all acc. Please help him.
Not sure how long this link will be up, so I've also copied the text of the original below:
6 mo old (guinea) piggie needs some one willing to soak his genitals in oil and water daily to work back his forskin. It got stuck, and now has gunk built up on it. We r moving and I can't stomach doing this. He comes w his cage, and all acc. Please help him.
Secular Prayers
Atheists - Deists
We all have faith - Tomorrow
Much Like Yesterday
Our expectations
are Quality Controling
world's perceptions
We don't see the good.
Picking at scabs, making fun
Humor - someone's Fault.
We all have faith - Tomorrow
Much Like Yesterday
Our expectations
are Quality Controling
world's perceptions
We don't see the good.
Picking at scabs, making fun
Humor - someone's Fault.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Faith - Dangerous Curves!
Faith is not a virtue.
Faith is what you go with until you get the facts.
The faithful cannot function without the myth maker.
Faith is no virtue
Faith is literally BLIND
Facts will set you free!
Curvas Peligrosas
todo estas possible
Con despacio
Faith is what you go with until you get the facts.
The faithful cannot function without the myth maker.
Faith is no virtue
Faith is literally BLIND
Facts will set you free!
Curvas Peligrosas
todo estas possible
Con despacio
Sunday, June 17, 2007
That's Life
Life is a result of geology and chemical processes. The conditions necessary to form life, from a resource and energy standpoint, were extant when the solar system formed. While no one can yet say how molecules began to self replicate, somehow the chemicals bonded that made this happen...that’s life.
Life is simply chemistry, put together with the same care as crystals, and it's "purpose" is to exploit as much of the energy available to self replicate. Therefore, it "evolves" into niches of energy availability. Each species specializes in obtaining and utilizing energy and thereby replicating new forms that can take advantage of the niche.
We think of life as having a beginning and an end, since individuals have a beginning and an end. In reality, life is a continuation of a process that is now billions of years old. Each individual life form comes about and consumes stuff and converts it into more soil and dies. However, the chemistry behind the individual is simply a continuation of the chemistry that preceded it. There is an unbroken line of chemistry of our DNA back to the first self replicating molecule.
So, while life itself had a beginning, any individual is the representation of the self replication molecules at a given point in time. Until that individual passes on its genes to offspring, it is the latest in the long line of self-replicating molecules that manifest themselves in the myriad of forms we observe.
An individual life form lasts but a short time. We are the most fragile of minerals, and wear out very quickly (from a geologic standpoint). But, like industrious ants, our accumulation of knowledge and ability to pass on that knowledge is chipping away at what we don't know...
Life is simply chemistry, put together with the same care as crystals, and it's "purpose" is to exploit as much of the energy available to self replicate. Therefore, it "evolves" into niches of energy availability. Each species specializes in obtaining and utilizing energy and thereby replicating new forms that can take advantage of the niche.
We think of life as having a beginning and an end, since individuals have a beginning and an end. In reality, life is a continuation of a process that is now billions of years old. Each individual life form comes about and consumes stuff and converts it into more soil and dies. However, the chemistry behind the individual is simply a continuation of the chemistry that preceded it. There is an unbroken line of chemistry of our DNA back to the first self replicating molecule.
So, while life itself had a beginning, any individual is the representation of the self replication molecules at a given point in time. Until that individual passes on its genes to offspring, it is the latest in the long line of self-replicating molecules that manifest themselves in the myriad of forms we observe.
An individual life form lasts but a short time. We are the most fragile of minerals, and wear out very quickly (from a geologic standpoint). But, like industrious ants, our accumulation of knowledge and ability to pass on that knowledge is chipping away at what we don't know...
Friday, June 15, 2007
Management 101 - The Cliffside Story
The problem is how do you get decision makers to make a decision based on the management plan.
If you cannot get them to do this, you cannot modify the plan to make any needed course corrections.
So, Cliffside Software, Inc. was formed and it created PlanAHEAD(tm) All Hazard Exercise Administration and Development, a software tool used to develop simulation scripts to test management plans.
http://www.cliffsidesoftware.com
PlanAHEAD has been sold to:
VA Hospitals
USAF
USN
USCG
IBM
Chevron
Marriott
Gov't of Tonga
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
43 state offices of emergency management
amongst many other agencies and industry organizations, worldwide.
Using this tool the following exercises have been performed:
Bomb Threat - Shelter in Place or Proceed to Collection points?
Power Grid outage due to weather
County wide disaster
Airport Disaster
Network Outage due to bug in recent update (tough to back out!)
Furthermore, PlanAHEAD can assist in:
Formulation of plans - (Table top exercise)
training people in their tasks (functional exercise)
improving plans (table top, functional, full scale, actual incident reporting)
Any management plan can be improved using the methodology supported by PlanAHEAD, essentially a report generator to script the players activities, evaulate their actual response versus what the plan calls for, determine where the failure occured, or, if no failure occurred, what needs to be tested next!
If you cannot get them to do this, you cannot modify the plan to make any needed course corrections.
So, Cliffside Software, Inc. was formed and it created PlanAHEAD(tm) All Hazard Exercise Administration and Development, a software tool used to develop simulation scripts to test management plans.
http://www.cliffsidesoftware.com
PlanAHEAD has been sold to:
VA Hospitals
USAF
USN
USCG
IBM
Chevron
Marriott
Gov't of Tonga
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
43 state offices of emergency management
amongst many other agencies and industry organizations, worldwide.
Using this tool the following exercises have been performed:
Bomb Threat - Shelter in Place or Proceed to Collection points?
Power Grid outage due to weather
County wide disaster
Airport Disaster
Network Outage due to bug in recent update (tough to back out!)
Furthermore, PlanAHEAD can assist in:
Formulation of plans - (Table top exercise)
training people in their tasks (functional exercise)
improving plans (table top, functional, full scale, actual incident reporting)
Any management plan can be improved using the methodology supported by PlanAHEAD, essentially a report generator to script the players activities, evaulate their actual response versus what the plan calls for, determine where the failure occured, or, if no failure occurred, what needs to be tested next!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Re: [Frish's Non-Shopping Channel] New comment on Free Speech Issue!. (even if it is "off topic")
Well Bill, let me say this about that. Yes, I know Dave Frishberg, more than one actually. One of them is a surgeon, but that isn't the one you mean. Also, saying "East Coast" instead of NYC in Oregon is DEFINITELY PC.
I'm far more intrigued by the notion that anyone, for any reason, would find my blog and would write to me. Love it.
I've copied the Maestro himself, I'm sure you'll be satisfied in your quest.
On 6/14/07, Bill <mailto:noreply-comment@blogger.com> wrote:
--
Cheers,
Frish
I'm far more intrigued by the notion that anyone, for any reason, would find my blog and would write to me. Love it.
I've copied the Maestro himself, I'm sure you'll be satisfied in your quest.
On 6/14/07, Bill <mailto:noreply-comment@blogger.com> wrote:
Bill has left a new comment on your post "Free Speech Issue! ":
Off Topic...sorry. Found your site while looking for Dave Frishberg info. I'm from the East Coast and will be in Oregon at the end of the month into early July and would like to know if, by chance, Mr. Frishberg will be performing anyplace. Any help or info. would be appreciate. Thanks!
-Bill
Posted by Bill to Frish's Non-Shopping Channel at June 14, 2007 10:01 PM
--
Cheers,
Frish
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Free Speech Issue!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070613/ap_on_re_us/military_protest_hearing
Very interesting story.
Frish Prediction: Supreme Court case pending.
Very interesting story.
Frish Prediction: Supreme Court case pending.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Microsoft Service Rant 3
Just for fun, here's a note I wrote back in November. Got service on 12/18 after much more hassle.
----- Original Message -----
From: MICHAEL FRISHBERG
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2001 8:56 PM
To: billg@Microsoft.com
Subject: CST49202215ID A complaint and a SUGGESTION!!!
Dear Mr. Gates (and bcc'ed folk some of whom have been cheerleading my efforts for service resolution these past weeks):
As you can see by the note below, I was promised a response within 24 hours. It has now been TWO WEEKS, and I have nothing from this approach, or from any of the other MSN.COM folks I have called (about 8 different 800 numbers). I have been promised things for over three weeks now, and nothing, NOTHING promised has been delivered!
Please see the attachment, a complaint letter. I initially sent this (snail mail) on Nov 14 to an address in Bellevue which was given to me by MSN.COM as a corporate location for complaints. I couldn't get a name of a person, or even the division president's name to personalize the letter. It was returned to me, address unknown. I now have re-sent the returned letter, complete in its original envelope, to MSNIA Consumer Advocate, with no expectation of satisfaction, my expectations a result of the absolutely dismal track record of MSN.COM so far.
I have not heard from MSN.COM, ever, although I have called and spent over 16 hours trying to resolve the problem. I have been promised call backs on at least 10 occasions. Not once has anyone called me or initiated contact, not even an email. But I am beyond angry, disappointed, surprised, upset, mad, frustrated, dismayed, or other adjective you might choose. I have already been through every stage of grief. The situation I find myself in is nothing short of INCREDIBLE.
At this point, I just want to have a simple answer, when will my DSL connection to MSN.COM be available with proper provisioning, a usable router shipped to me so I can stop being on dial-up? Seems simple, yet no one at MSN.COM can answer it!
That includes the call I made to MSN.COM yesterday morning, with the assurance that I would have that answer within 24 hours (seems like a long time), but no one called me today either.
Now, I have a suggestion.
1. You should hire me. I have attached my resume.
2. I am qualified, capable, and interested in helping you and bring a unique product and process to address quality improvement. (See www.cliffsidesoftware.com for a description of Plan AHEAD, I remain the President of Cliffside which is currently not actively marketing our products and services, but I am more than happy to discuss our unique solution for quality improvement with you, call me).
3. Make me VP of Customer Quality and Satisfaction (the incumbent should be summarily fired, based on my experiences).
4. I'll need a salary of $350,000, a budget of $2M and a staff of 10. We'll need significant upside bonus' when we fix MS particular quality problems we can jointly identify when I come on board. Don't forget a signing bonus, relocation and equity, but I don't mean to quibble.
5. I'll also need total responsibility and authority for fixing customer satisfaction across all MS systems and customer support organizations. Blanket authority to fix things thanks.
So, I give you two choices, find out when my line will be provisioned, and when my modem will arrive, or hire me under the terms above so I can move and get service in a new location, since it appears MSN.COM doesn't know I exist where I am today (and where, until I was forced to move to MSN.COM due to the QWEST.NET situation, I had been a happy user of DSL for over 2 years with no technical glitches at all).
I need the DSL service to obtain a job. Obviously, if you get me that job I won't need the service and we'll both be happy!
I am serious about helping you.
Yet, I have not seen anything about MSN.COM that shows they are serious about doing business, satisfying customers, or fulfilling promises. Most of the MSN.COM staff appear extremely sincere in their desire to help, a sincerity only exceeded by their ineffectiveness. As I state in my attachment, I remain eager to be astounded by your response.
At this point, over three weeks into my problem, I will be astounded if anyone responds at all!
Pretty low bar to jump, good luck.
Sincerely,
Michael W. Frishberg
503-788-6424 (home office)
503-816-9159 (Mobile Phone)
----- Original Message -----
From: microsoftcom_contactus@css.one.microsoft.com
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 11:52 AM
To: michael_frishberg@msn.com
Subject: RE: CST49202215ID - Microsoft.Com ContactUS
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Microsoft.com. This auto response is sent to inform you that your e-mail message has been received by Microsoft, and has been assigned a Customer Service Transaction reference number which you will find in the Subject line. This reference number starts with (and includes) "CSTID."
Your e-mail message has also been assigned to a Microsoft support representative. Microsoft responds to most e-mail within 24 hours, seven days a week (excluding holidays).
To keep all correspondence on this subject in one e-mail message, it is important that you include the relevant CSTID in the Subject line of your reply messages. Sending a reply without the CSTID in the Subject line results in a new case being opened. This may result in possible crossed-wire communications and delays in providing you with an answer to your question. Thank you for your cooperation.Sincerely,Microsoft Customer Servicehttp://www.microsoft.com
----- Original Message -----
From: MICHAEL FRISHBERG
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2001 8:56 PM
To: billg@Microsoft.com
Subject: CST49202215ID A complaint and a SUGGESTION!!!
Dear Mr. Gates (and bcc'ed folk some of whom have been cheerleading my efforts for service resolution these past weeks):
As you can see by the note below, I was promised a response within 24 hours. It has now been TWO WEEKS, and I have nothing from this approach, or from any of the other MSN.COM folks I have called (about 8 different 800 numbers). I have been promised things for over three weeks now, and nothing, NOTHING promised has been delivered!
Please see the attachment, a complaint letter. I initially sent this (snail mail) on Nov 14 to an address in Bellevue which was given to me by MSN.COM as a corporate location for complaints. I couldn't get a name of a person, or even the division president's name to personalize the letter. It was returned to me, address unknown. I now have re-sent the returned letter, complete in its original envelope, to MSNIA Consumer Advocate, with no expectation of satisfaction, my expectations a result of the absolutely dismal track record of MSN.COM so far.
I have not heard from MSN.COM, ever, although I have called and spent over 16 hours trying to resolve the problem. I have been promised call backs on at least 10 occasions. Not once has anyone called me or initiated contact, not even an email. But I am beyond angry, disappointed, surprised, upset, mad, frustrated, dismayed, or other adjective you might choose. I have already been through every stage of grief. The situation I find myself in is nothing short of INCREDIBLE.
At this point, I just want to have a simple answer, when will my DSL connection to MSN.COM be available with proper provisioning, a usable router shipped to me so I can stop being on dial-up? Seems simple, yet no one at MSN.COM can answer it!
That includes the call I made to MSN.COM yesterday morning, with the assurance that I would have that answer within 24 hours (seems like a long time), but no one called me today either.
Now, I have a suggestion.
1. You should hire me. I have attached my resume.
2. I am qualified, capable, and interested in helping you and bring a unique product and process to address quality improvement. (See www.cliffsidesoftware.com for a description of Plan AHEAD, I remain the President of Cliffside which is currently not actively marketing our products and services, but I am more than happy to discuss our unique solution for quality improvement with you, call me).
3. Make me VP of Customer Quality and Satisfaction (the incumbent should be summarily fired, based on my experiences).
4. I'll need a salary of $350,000, a budget of $2M and a staff of 10. We'll need significant upside bonus' when we fix MS particular quality problems we can jointly identify when I come on board. Don't forget a signing bonus, relocation and equity, but I don't mean to quibble.
5. I'll also need total responsibility and authority for fixing customer satisfaction across all MS systems and customer support organizations. Blanket authority to fix things thanks.
So, I give you two choices, find out when my line will be provisioned, and when my modem will arrive, or hire me under the terms above so I can move and get service in a new location, since it appears MSN.COM doesn't know I exist where I am today (and where, until I was forced to move to MSN.COM due to the QWEST.NET situation, I had been a happy user of DSL for over 2 years with no technical glitches at all).
I need the DSL service to obtain a job. Obviously, if you get me that job I won't need the service and we'll both be happy!
I am serious about helping you.
Yet, I have not seen anything about MSN.COM that shows they are serious about doing business, satisfying customers, or fulfilling promises. Most of the MSN.COM staff appear extremely sincere in their desire to help, a sincerity only exceeded by their ineffectiveness. As I state in my attachment, I remain eager to be astounded by your response.
At this point, over three weeks into my problem, I will be astounded if anyone responds at all!
Pretty low bar to jump, good luck.
Sincerely,
Michael W. Frishberg
503-788-6424 (home office)
503-816-9159 (Mobile Phone)
----- Original Message -----
From: microsoftcom_contactus@css.one.microsoft.com
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 11:52 AM
To: michael_frishberg@msn.com
Subject: RE: CST49202215ID - Microsoft.Com ContactUS
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Microsoft.com. This auto response is sent to inform you that your e-mail message has been received by Microsoft, and has been assigned a Customer Service Transaction reference number which you will find in the Subject line. This reference number starts with (and includes) "CST
Your e-mail message has also been assigned to a Microsoft support representative. Microsoft responds to most e-mail within 24 hours, seven days a week (excluding holidays).
To keep all correspondence on this subject in one e-mail message, it is important that you include the relevant CST
Microsoft Service Rant 2
Fruther Microsoft (non-)Service
Monica Wallace, from Bill Gates’ Office tried to help. She got me in touch with Mark Jefferies?.
Mark Jefferies? gave me his phone number, he would not give me his email id. His test of my phone line indicated that I had no DSL service at all. I reminded him that if I was to received DSL service it had to be DMT not CAP. He claimed, on 12/5, that he would request shipment of a router to arrive Airborne, two days. And that he would reprovision my line by then to be DMT not CAP. When I opened my front door on Saturday (upon returning from a business trip), I found an Airborne package containing a book and CD, but NO ROUTER.
I had heard from another technician from the Beaverton DSL office for MSN on Friday 12/7 (Paul, who could make outbound phone calls but couldn’t take inbound phone calls (exactly the opposite of all the other technicians that I had dealt with at MSN so far!!!)) that my DSL line was provisioned, but for CAP not DMT, which means it won’t work with the Aristicom modem anyway.
I had warned Mark of this problem on Wednesday, but he seemed to feel he could reprovision the line correctly (his test of my line showed there was no DSL at all to my house, which would have been new news, but Paul’s test on Friday seemed to indicate there was DSL, only the wrong flavor.)
I called into Tech support on Saturday to report my second BUG of the week in the MSN Explorer EMAIL system. Clancy attempted to be helpful in resolving the bug, although at one point she suggested I use either Explorer (native) or Netscape! to get onto Hotmail.com. I said I didn’t even know Netscape was available, and she said it wasn’t supported by her group, so they couldn’t do problem resolution on it. I kindly pointed out that I had had no trouble with Netscape in over two years, but I did have two problems this week with MSN.com email, so I wouldn’t even have to call her if I was using Netscape (joke!).
I resolved the email issue which was kind of simple yet very difficult to debug. The answer was to simply sign off and back on again, to clear some register or other that indicated that I had yet to open an email in my inbox, even though I had already opened. When I went to Hotmail.com directly it showed not one unopened email (as suggested by my MSN Explorer icon and inbox unopened email indicator), but TWO unopened emails. Both of these I had already opened. So, after signing off of explorer and MSN Explorer, and signing on again, I found that the email situation had stabilized.
Clancy also checked by DSL line. She also found that the line was incorrectly provisioned for CAP, not DMT.
I am leaving phone messages for Mark again to see if he can resolve the problems on Monday.
Monica Wallace, from Bill Gates’ Office tried to help. She got me in touch with Mark Jefferies?.
Mark Jefferies? gave me his phone number, he would not give me his email id. His test of my phone line indicated that I had no DSL service at all. I reminded him that if I was to received DSL service it had to be DMT not CAP. He claimed, on 12/5, that he would request shipment of a router to arrive Airborne, two days. And that he would reprovision my line by then to be DMT not CAP. When I opened my front door on Saturday (upon returning from a business trip), I found an Airborne package containing a book and CD, but NO ROUTER.
I had heard from another technician from the Beaverton DSL office for MSN on Friday 12/7 (Paul, who could make outbound phone calls but couldn’t take inbound phone calls (exactly the opposite of all the other technicians that I had dealt with at MSN so far!!!)) that my DSL line was provisioned, but for CAP not DMT, which means it won’t work with the Aristicom modem anyway.
I had warned Mark of this problem on Wednesday, but he seemed to feel he could reprovision the line correctly (his test of my line showed there was no DSL at all to my house, which would have been new news, but Paul’s test on Friday seemed to indicate there was DSL, only the wrong flavor.)
I called into Tech support on Saturday to report my second BUG of the week in the MSN Explorer EMAIL system. Clancy attempted to be helpful in resolving the bug, although at one point she suggested I use either Explorer (native) or Netscape! to get onto Hotmail.com. I said I didn’t even know Netscape was available, and she said it wasn’t supported by her group, so they couldn’t do problem resolution on it. I kindly pointed out that I had had no trouble with Netscape in over two years, but I did have two problems this week with MSN.com email, so I wouldn’t even have to call her if I was using Netscape (joke!).
I resolved the email issue which was kind of simple yet very difficult to debug. The answer was to simply sign off and back on again, to clear some register or other that indicated that I had yet to open an email in my inbox, even though I had already opened. When I went to Hotmail.com directly it showed not one unopened email (as suggested by my MSN Explorer icon and inbox unopened email indicator), but TWO unopened emails. Both of these I had already opened. So, after signing off of explorer and MSN Explorer, and signing on again, I found that the email situation had stabilized.
Clancy also checked by DSL line. She also found that the line was incorrectly provisioned for CAP, not DMT.
I am leaving phone messages for Mark again to see if he can resolve the problems on Monday.
Microsoft Service Rant 1
Written over a period of time, from 11/08/01 to 11/13/01
MSN.COM
Civica Office Bldg
205 108th Ave N.E.
Suite 400
Bellvue, WA 98004
Attn: MSN Complaint Department
Subject: Incredible lack of service from MSN
Dear MSN.COM:
This note cannot possibly express my extreme frustration, disappointment and incredibly low esteem in which I now hold your organization. Just getting the name of the division president, so that I might send this letter to a named person has proved impossible, a further indication of the lack of respect you show for customers. The body of this note is documentation regarding my experience with MSN.COM so far, as an account that is attempting to transfer from QWEST.NET where I was a very satisfied customer for over two years.
I have now been on hold, or speaking to your representatives, trying to obtain service, for close to 16 hours since Sunday November 4, 2001. While this note attempts to explain my situation, I am certain your various databases have more information than I do. I didn’t know I’d have to document everything quite so carefully when I started on 11/04.
My email ID is michael_frishberg@msn.com, my billing telephone number is 503-788-6424 293. My MSN.COM trouble tickets include 47815971, 48318325, 48570270. My QWEST trouble tickets include 7930820 and others as documented below.
Here is a partial list of events so far:
1. Several weeks ago, Qwest.Net informed me that my account would be transferred to MSN.com and I could either do nothing or proactively switchover myself. Either way, in time, my qwest.net id would no longer be valid. I was very unhappy with this prospect, as my association with QWEST.NET had been entirely satisfactory so far.
2. I went online and switched. I could make several comments about this process, but that would be another entire letter, and off the current topic. (I wrote this note over a several day period, see comments at end of this note concerning my switchover, and why it caused me trouble as I tried to solve the problems I faced (item 31i for example).
3. I received a CD in the mail. No one ever explained to me why I need a CD to simply use an ISP on the web. (This too is finally explained below, yet although I have asked more than 10 service personnel why I needed this software, no one could answer the question).
4. I decided to change over to MSN during Sunday afternoon 11/04/01. I installed the CD and read the instructions. It appeared straightforward, so I proceeded to attempt to perform the installation operation. A short time into the installation, I was facing a problem. It appeared that my then current QWEST.NET Cisco 675 Router would not operate with the MSN service since the CBOS was at the wrong level. I had CBOS V2.1 and I required CBOS V2.4.3.
5. I called MSN with a simple question. Since my router and my computer are not in close proximity (my computer is upstairs, the router is in the basement), I simply was trying to find out if I had to have them in close proximity to perform the upgrade operation. MSN Tech support was unable to answer the question, but since I was upgrading from QWEST.NET they gave me a support number at QWEST. QWEST was also unable or unwilling to assist since I was a MSN customer so they sent me back to MSN. The new folks at MSN told me they could not help either, so they sent me to another group at QWEST, those who help folks who are using ISPs other than QWEST. This set of ping-pong calls lasted almost an hour.
6. I finally reached a techie who tried to help. He told me up front that he was not supposed to do so, as he generally helped people at ISPs other than QWEST. I suggested that MSN.COM is an ISP that is not QWEST.NET and he agreed. He asked what was wrong, he followed along with his own disk, we read the Read Me file on the MSN CD together, and he had me download the correct CBOS V2.4.3 firmware. Then I moved my modem out of the basement, and connected the management cable to the router from my machine. We attempted to upgrade, at which time he informed me I would need to download CBOS V2.2 instead, since I could not upgrade V2.4.3 until V2.2 was installed. I took my router back to the basement, reconnected the phone line and Ethernet, downloaded the V2.2 firmware, unplugged the router, went back upstairs and we tried to install it. Understand that each of these iterations took about 10 minutes. We finished trying to load the firmware when an operation fault message appeared on the Hyperlink terminal. Although we tried to recover the router, the technician indicated that it would no longer be operational, ever. (Tried FLASH too, without recovering the router.)
7. At this point, I had spent over three hours on the phone with the result that I no longer had an operational router, nor any means to sign onto the net. I originally purchased this particular computer specifically to use QWEST DSL services, so I never purchased an internal or external modem. The technician reassured me that QWEST would send out a new router by Wednesday 11/07, and although he could not order it directly for me, he gave me a number to call on Monday morning to obtain the modem. Seemed fair to me, and not unreasonable.
8. I called Qwest on Monday morning to discover that they would not send me another router. Since mine was out of warrantee on the existing Cisco 675, and even though it was through no fault of my own that it “got fried” (a technical term I suppose, and not that unusual according to another tech I spoke with later in the week), during the upgrade with their technician, they would not send me a modem to replace it. However, since I was now a MSN customer, I was informed that MSN should help me. I was on the phone or on hold for over an hour with QWEST that morning. I also protested this arrangement, since I was still a QWEST customer when the problem occurred, and I felt I should be getting a new router ASAP from QWEST, as their instructions and “help” determined the demise of my router.
9. Thereupon, I called MSN tech support on Monday, and reached a very sympathetic person. She first asked me “Didn’t they send you a modem with your CD?” The answer was no, of course, the assumption being that all I was doing was changing my existing DSL service, and therefore already had a modem (now fried). So she said she would put a modem on order, and escalate it to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday this week. (This is not the only call I made to MSN that morning, there were several other uncooperative (actually bordering on nasty) people that I spoke with as well). These interactions with MSN lasted about 2 hours. We also had a discussion at that time about CAP DSL vs. DMT DSL, and she went off to a supervisor, and came back on the phone to let me know that this would all be part of the order, not to worry, all would be well by Wednesday or Thursday when the modem arrived at my house. She really was sweet and sympathetic, and I am certain she was sincere, but read on to discover that, in the end, her reassurances were actually extremely empty promises.
10. Wednesday came and no modem arrived. Thursday morning I had a question, so I called MSN tech support to see if they could answer it. I spent about 10 minutes on hold, and then got a human operator on the other end of the line. She asked me at least 10 questions, and assumed I was looking for my modem, before I was even able to tell her why I had called. She could not understand my question, so I asked it a different way. She still did not understand so I took another stab at it. The answer appears that, yes, I will need to have the modem in close proximity to my PC to install something on it via the management cable before I can install it on the Internet. Then she checked into my order. She could find NO MODEM ON ORDER even after all my activity on Monday, and reassurance that things were coming my way. This was after she had already asked me if I was inquiring about my modem. She obviously had seen something that had indicated that I should be expecting a modem, but now was not finding it in the database of on-order modems! She let me know that a modem would arrive in 5 to 10 business days. I believe she put it on order; I still am unclear about this. I asked for her supervisor. After a FURTHER TWENTY MINUTES ON HOLD, Tracy got on the phone to let me know, first that it took her that long to get into some database or other that she didn’t use everyday, and that she had placed me in Escalation Mode, and that I would definitely get a call from the Urgent Customer Care folks within eight hours. I was on hold or speaking to the tech and/or Tracy for 1 hour.
11. So, around 6:45 that evening I wondered why I had yet to receive a phone call. I had waited at home all day, specifically for resolving my lack of Internet access, yet received no call from MSN. I was not even sure why I needed to hear from anyone at Urgent Customer Care, the escalation folks, or anyone else from MSN. They certainly had enough information about what the problem was. I just wanted my router so I can connect to the net. I spoke with a tech, after 10 minutes on hold. He appreciated my situation, and put me on hold while he investigated. He got back on line with me to assure me that, yes, my record indicated I was in escalation mode, and actually had been since Monday, and that since 72 hours had elapsed it was okay that I was in escalation mode. He also pointed out it had not been eight hours yet, since I had spoken to Tracy that morning, only seven. He also suggested that I might not get a call today. Finally, he conceded I might still get a call that night.
12. Right this minute it has been eight and a half hours since I was assured I would be called. It has been four days since I was assured I would have a modem by now. It has been about two weeks since I tried to get a new Internet ID from MSN. I do not have any service yet.
All of the above I offer as evidence for my conclusions so far. Your organization does not understand what service means. It has not a shred of credibility. It cannot make commitments or keep promises. It has inadequate numbers of lines open, and supervisors available. It keeps customers on hold instead of calling them back when you are ready to do something or waiting until you actually know something. You cannot even give me the name of anyone in your organization that will read this letter, or be responsible for resolution.
I feel abused, confused and refused. Where is my modem?
I have already informed my hundreds of correspondents that MSN is my new provider, but I cannot get to my email. I am waiting to hear from several potential employers, but cannot see my email to determine if they have responded to last week’s applications. You are costing me money on a daily basis, and have done NOTHING to help me as far as I can tell. In addition, no one in your organization, in spite of his or her protestations, seems to care a shred about my dilemma, or take responsibility and follow through for me.
I finished the above at 8PM on 11/08/01, and will continue this note when more information arrives.
8am 11/09
13. Called MSN to determine what’s what. Got Chad on the line who asked me questions and then YELLED AT ME when I couldn’t answer some of his queries. When I did attempt to answer his questions, he cut me off in mid-sentence by placing me on hold to allow me to listen to muzak. He got back on line to let me know there were no supervisors available. He did not know if I had a modem on order or not, he indicated the trouble ticket said it had be “re-escalated” whatever that meant. He let me know a supervisor would definitely call me later today, but did not know when that might happen.
14. I called QWEST.NET to ask about DMT vs. CAP DSL service. Jolene answered to tell me that MSN.NET now has complete control of my account, and QWEST cannot even see what service I am getting at the house. (This was not explained in any of the documentation I had received from MSN.COM or from QWEST.NET. I was under the assumption that my physical connection was still owned by QWEST.NET and my ISP connection was owned by MSN.COM.) Therefore, she called MSN.COM with me on the phone. Jim answered, and Jolene started QWEST.NET ticket number 6860107. Jolene had briefed Jim about my DMT vs. CAP question. He put me on hold then came back and asked me my name and phone number again, along with my zip code. I gave him the trouble ticket number. He put me on hold again. Eventually Jim reassured me that Tracy (the supervisor from the prior day) had been involved, the Urgent Care folk knew of my situation, they were re-provisioning the lines since the order had been all messed up, a new modem would be on the way, and they would definitely positively in no uncertain terms call me with delivery information later on Friday. I suggested that even if they put it overnight Airborne it would not get here on Saturday, since Airborne does not deliver on Saturdays. Since Monday is going to be Veterans Day, it probably wouldn’t be arriving then either. Jim suggested that when they called they would leave the air bill number even on my answering machine and I could go to the Airborne office directly and pick it up. I suggested that I had heard all of this before, that no one had ever called me back regardless of the promises made, and that I would wager real money that no one would call me back this time either
15. No one called me. Not the promised call back from a supervisor, nor the escalation folk who supposedly were sending me a router. It is now 3am 11/10.
16. At 942AM on 11/10 I tried calling technical support again. After 10 minutes on hold, Nancy answered the phone and asked me for my email ID. She immediately asked me if anyone had called me. I answered, No they hadn’t. She felt that was surprising. I suggested that she call me back once she knew something, but she asked me to please please please stay on hold. So, I did. After 1 minute on hold she asked me for my ticket number, something I had suggested I give her earlier, and something I assumed she already had in front of her, since she seemed to know I hadn’t had a call back yet.. I gave her the ticket number. She placed me on hold, for 10 more minutes and returned to say I had been escalated again, and should expect a call back within 8 hours. I let her know that I had heard that at least twice before this week. She agreed that it was “a little weird” that I had not had a call back before this. I asked her what I should do now. She said wait the 8 hours and call them back. I asked what good that would do? I then let her know I was writing this letter and would be copying my lawyer and the Better Business Bureau. I figured that would at least get me to a supervisor. However, instead, Nancy said that if I was talking about lawsuits she could not talk to me anymore. I said I was not talking about a lawsuit, and she hung up on me.
17. So, I called back, and after 10 minutes on hold, I reached Harry. Harry did not have a problem with the magic word, “lawsuit”, which had never escaped my lips, but was actually first suggested to me by Nancy. He also sympathized with my problem. However, he also gave me the interesting news that the escalation, urgent customer care department WAS NOT OPEN ON WEEKENDS, so the claim Nancy made that I would hear from someone within eight hours, was moot. I asked whom else I could call, and he suggested I call customer service, at 1-877-327-6744 and select option 1.
18. I called the number Harry suggested and reached someone named Logan (I believe). Logan informed me that their tools were currently down and he could not do a thing. I asked him if there was another number I could try and he gave me 1-800-386-5550 option 7, MSN Customer Support. I asked him what that meant and he said that he worked in Customer Service but Customer Support was another organization.
19. So I called the suggested number, and a person named Logan answered. It could not have been 2 minutes since I had spoken to a fellow named Logan. Logan stated that their tools were down and that he probably could not help me at that moment (sounded eerily familiar and more than a little surreal). I asked him if I had not just spoken to him two minutes earlier. He did not actually deny having spoken to me, “I’ve taken many calls in that time period” but did offer to send an email to his Tier 2 support, so they might give me a call back. However, he also could not guarantee that they would call me, or when they would call me. He also suggested I call back in 20 minutes when the tools were back up. I asked if he would call me back when the tools were back up but he claimed they could not call out of the call center where he sat, that’s was why he had escalated me to Tier 2 via email.
20. One of these people did suggest I would probably be better off canceling my subscription and calling back as a new customer instead, since that would get me up faster. I am not going to do that. If I cancel my service, it will stay cancelled.
21. 11/12/01 5:30AM Called tech support and spoke to Drew who “re-escalated” my situation and suggested that someone would call within 8 hours.
22. 11/12/01 10:30AM Called 1-800-386-5550 option 7 and spoke with Alan who was able to see that I was escalated on Friday 11/09, but found NO BROADBAND ORDER for a modem. He asked if I had spoken to QWEST, as they handle the shipping of modems. I submitted that I had not talked with QWEST about this, since every time I speak with QWEST they tell me I should speak with MSN since MSN now deals with my situation. Alan put me on hold for 5 minutes. He returned to suggest I call the DSL support line within MSN.COM.
23. 11/12/01 10:45AM Called 1-800-826-3110 (MSN Interactive Support? Ostensibly DSL folk). I was on hold waiting for a human operator for 10 minutes. Jenny answered, listened to my situation to report that I had reached anther dept similar to Alan’s with no further knowledge of anything. Jenny suggested that the escalation department got a request on Friday. She further admitted that there was no guarantee that they actually would ever call back within 8 (eight) hours, although in my case they should have. Along with a significant hold time, Jenny and I were on the phone for half an hour. She suggested I call tech support (again), and speak to a supervisor and take it from there.
24. 11/12/01 11:15AM Called 1-877-327-6744 option 2. Darlene answered, asked for my identifying information, sympathized with me, suggested I hold while she got her supervisor, Don on the phone, I waited five minutes on hold, Darlene returned to say that Don was on the phone now with us both, and they promptly hung up on me.
25. 11/12/01 11:25AM I called back, since Don obviously wasn’t going to call me. Scott answered and, after he asked the perfunctory questions, put me on hold while he “got a hold of them”. The obligatory 5 minute wait proceeded. Don got on the phone to try to explain why my call dropped. I wasn’t that interested in why it dropped actually. Then we discussed the broadband order WHICH WAS NOT SHOWING AS HAVING BEEN PLACED. Don was going to give me another phone number to call. I asked to speak to his supervisor, he said there was no one above him to speak to about this. I suggested that I had been assured at least THREE times last week (Monday, Thursday and Friday) that the order had been placed to upgrade me to DMT from CAP, and that a modem was on the way. He did suggest that it being Veteran’s Day and all, perhaps they weren’t taking orders. He also stated his ticket showed that “You had been contacted (about 1:30pm) on Friday 11/09” concerning this order. I HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY ANYONE AT ANYTIME FROM MSN.COM. Not even a phone message on the recorder. I told Don, unequivocally that I should not have to make another phone call, that he should “handle” this, and that someone ought to be calling me back concerning my situation.
26. 11/12/01 11:45PM Called QWEST TECH SUPPORT. Nicki at QWEST answered and was as sympathetic as anyone could be. She dug into the situation and created a new QWEST ticket 6874977. Nicki suggested that it should not matter if I were CAP or DMT, the router should be capable of doing either. (That seems like truth to me, DMT is a CO function, not a CPE function, if you catch my drift.) So she put me on hold to try to reach someone “who knows something” in the MSN Broadband support org.
27. 11/12/01 12:15PM Nicki reached MSN Broadband support and hung on the line while I discussed the situation with Vicki. Between Nicki and Vicki (MSN Case number 48623009), they decided that QWEST really ought to ship me a CISCO 675 or 678 so that I could get onto MSN.COM right away, but that I also should shut down the MSN order if that was the resolution so that there would be no further delays, later, if the line gets re-provisioned. MSN.COM will work with CAP, it appears. Vicki also cleared up why I needed the CD from MSN in the first place (logon information is burned into it, that is used to program the modem, and an optional MSN browser is included too.) Nicki got Maria from QWEST DSL support on the phone. Ncki, Vicki, Maria and I had a spirited discussion; Maria put us all on hold. I don’t know where Nicki went. Vicki also put me on hold at one point and I was listening to two sets of muzak at once! Vicki came back on, asked me the ticket number of the non-QWEST ISP ticket, which included the blowing up of my original Cisco 675 Router (see paragraph numbers 5,6,7 above), which was 7930820. Then the other muzak stopped. Vicki and I asked if anyone was there, and she then confirmed that my line was dropped from Maria and Nicki, at about 1pm.
28. 11/12/01 1:20pm After mulling over my options I decided to try to get back to Maria. So I called her (probable) number only to find Jim. Jim said that Maria worked somewhere else, but that I should try another set of numbers 1-800218-4443 options 1,2,4. So I did.
29. 11/12/01 1:25PM I tried the suggested number, Kyla answered and said she didn’t know a Maria. I told her the story. She didn’t know any way to fix the current situation, but did let me know that if I completely cancel MSN.COM, then I could do business with a new option from QWEST.NET that they were now offering. It seems that many people were dissatisfied with MSN.COM and now QWEST is offering ISP support for consumers again. However, upon investigation, including another call to MSN.COM, I learned that simply quitting MSN.COM could take 8-10 business days, with another possible 10 days to reactivate my DSL service from QWEST. OF COURSE THIS IS WHAT I WANTED BEFORE ANY OF THIS STARTED, SIMPLY TO STAY WITH QWEST.NET. BUT NOW I’M BEING PENALIZED FOR FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY QWEST AND MSN. I WILL SUFFER SEVERAL MORE WEEKS OF DISRUPTION IF I SIMPLY WISH TO RETURN TO THE STATE I WAS IN PRIOR TO 11/03/01.
30. I GIVE UP! I went out and purchased a dial-up modem and twenty five feet of cabling, so I could at least get to my MSN.COM account and see my email for the last 10 days. This of course completely defeats the purpose of having DSL in the first place, since with dial-up I cannot be on the computer and phone at the same time.
31. For completeness, and to add to the unbelievable set of circumstances surrounding my odyssey so far, here’s what it took to get on the net via dial-up.
a. I installed my modem and cabling.
b. I called tech support to set up my autodial
c. MSN Tech support gave me a set of instructions, and I was ready to dial in
d. When I moved my CPU, I inadvertently hit the off switch on the computer
e. I called MSN back and reached another operator
f. During our discussion, I had to take another call. I asked the technician to wait a moment and clicked over to the other call. I spent no more than 20 seconds and came back to the MSN Techie, who had hung up on me. This seemed a little egregious since I had been on hold most of 15 hours with MSN, and she couldn’t stand a few seconds, but I am not vengeful or bitter, just numb.
g. I called MSN back and reached a third technician. He gave me instructions that differed from the initial discussion I had (item c above), which I found interesting.
h. I tried to logon, but it failed.
i. I called customer service (as opposed to technical support) to get a new password. I would have remembered my initial password, except the screen (when I initially began to convert from QWEST.NET to MSN.COM, several weeks earlier) that confirmed I had converted from QWEST.NET to MSN.COM didn’t print when I needed it to, and by the time I had found out that it hadn’t printed it had gone away. It had all kinds of pertinent information on it, and appeared to print, but it doesn’t. This was a known bug, I discovered during one of my technical discussions with one of the techies this week.
j. I actually was able to connect, and downloaded MSN Explorer. Still haven’t discovered how to change my password, I’ll have to call someone to discover where I do this, since the assigned password is impossible to remember.
So, as I now sit in front of my computer, there is no way to connect to the net via DSL, I cannot use my computer and phone simultaneously, I haven’t heard a word from MSN.COM in spite of at least 5 (FIVE) promised call backs during the last week. I have spent close to 16 hours on the phone, mostly on hold, and only got inaccurate answers, promises broken, and ultimately extreme dissatisfaction.
I call in to find that the operators can’t find my records; can’t tell me about my account; can’t locate even if they have ordered a modem for me or not; can’t tell me when it will arrive; are confused about the procedures I’ll have to go through when it does arrive; give me promises that aren’t fulfilled; give me promises that can’t possibly be fulfilled (the Urgent Escalation department isn’t even open on weekends, but I get promised a call back within 8 hours!); give me tech support that is incorrect; and generally leave me with more questions than when I started. I was without Internet service from Sunday November 4, 2001 through November 13, 2001 through absolutely no fault of my own. I was simply following directions.
I have been told that my Internet connection will be back up and running sometime in the next 10 to 20 business days. When the DSL is re-provisioned for DMT level of DSL they will ship second-day-Airborne a new router (Aristicom?) to me.
I now ask you what you think should happen. The performance of both QWEST and MSN so far have contributed to my current low expectation. I hope to be astonished at your response, and am ready and eager to be pleasantly surprised
Sincerely,
Michael W. Frishberg
1-503-788-6424
cc: Rob Lasko, Attorney at Law
Better Business Bureau of Portland, OR
joe@qwest.com President of Qwest
Microsoft HQ
MSN.COM
Civica Office Bldg
205 108th Ave N.E.
Suite 400
Bellvue, WA 98004
Attn: MSN Complaint Department
Subject: Incredible lack of service from MSN
Dear MSN.COM:
This note cannot possibly express my extreme frustration, disappointment and incredibly low esteem in which I now hold your organization. Just getting the name of the division president, so that I might send this letter to a named person has proved impossible, a further indication of the lack of respect you show for customers. The body of this note is documentation regarding my experience with MSN.COM so far, as an account that is attempting to transfer from QWEST.NET where I was a very satisfied customer for over two years.
I have now been on hold, or speaking to your representatives, trying to obtain service, for close to 16 hours since Sunday November 4, 2001. While this note attempts to explain my situation, I am certain your various databases have more information than I do. I didn’t know I’d have to document everything quite so carefully when I started on 11/04.
My email ID is michael_frishberg@msn.com, my billing telephone number is 503-788-6424 293. My MSN.COM trouble tickets include 47815971, 48318325, 48570270. My QWEST trouble tickets include 7930820 and others as documented below.
Here is a partial list of events so far:
1. Several weeks ago, Qwest.Net informed me that my account would be transferred to MSN.com and I could either do nothing or proactively switchover myself. Either way, in time, my qwest.net id would no longer be valid. I was very unhappy with this prospect, as my association with QWEST.NET had been entirely satisfactory so far.
2. I went online and switched. I could make several comments about this process, but that would be another entire letter, and off the current topic. (I wrote this note over a several day period, see comments at end of this note concerning my switchover, and why it caused me trouble as I tried to solve the problems I faced (item 31i for example).
3. I received a CD in the mail. No one ever explained to me why I need a CD to simply use an ISP on the web. (This too is finally explained below, yet although I have asked more than 10 service personnel why I needed this software, no one could answer the question).
4. I decided to change over to MSN during Sunday afternoon 11/04/01. I installed the CD and read the instructions. It appeared straightforward, so I proceeded to attempt to perform the installation operation. A short time into the installation, I was facing a problem. It appeared that my then current QWEST.NET Cisco 675 Router would not operate with the MSN service since the CBOS was at the wrong level. I had CBOS V2.1 and I required CBOS V2.4.3.
5. I called MSN with a simple question. Since my router and my computer are not in close proximity (my computer is upstairs, the router is in the basement), I simply was trying to find out if I had to have them in close proximity to perform the upgrade operation. MSN Tech support was unable to answer the question, but since I was upgrading from QWEST.NET they gave me a support number at QWEST. QWEST was also unable or unwilling to assist since I was a MSN customer so they sent me back to MSN. The new folks at MSN told me they could not help either, so they sent me to another group at QWEST, those who help folks who are using ISPs other than QWEST. This set of ping-pong calls lasted almost an hour.
6. I finally reached a techie who tried to help. He told me up front that he was not supposed to do so, as he generally helped people at ISPs other than QWEST. I suggested that MSN.COM is an ISP that is not QWEST.NET and he agreed. He asked what was wrong, he followed along with his own disk, we read the Read Me file on the MSN CD together, and he had me download the correct CBOS V2.4.3 firmware. Then I moved my modem out of the basement, and connected the management cable to the router from my machine. We attempted to upgrade, at which time he informed me I would need to download CBOS V2.2 instead, since I could not upgrade V2.4.3 until V2.2 was installed. I took my router back to the basement, reconnected the phone line and Ethernet, downloaded the V2.2 firmware, unplugged the router, went back upstairs and we tried to install it. Understand that each of these iterations took about 10 minutes. We finished trying to load the firmware when an operation fault message appeared on the Hyperlink terminal. Although we tried to recover the router, the technician indicated that it would no longer be operational, ever. (Tried FLASH too, without recovering the router.)
7. At this point, I had spent over three hours on the phone with the result that I no longer had an operational router, nor any means to sign onto the net. I originally purchased this particular computer specifically to use QWEST DSL services, so I never purchased an internal or external modem. The technician reassured me that QWEST would send out a new router by Wednesday 11/07, and although he could not order it directly for me, he gave me a number to call on Monday morning to obtain the modem. Seemed fair to me, and not unreasonable.
8. I called Qwest on Monday morning to discover that they would not send me another router. Since mine was out of warrantee on the existing Cisco 675, and even though it was through no fault of my own that it “got fried” (a technical term I suppose, and not that unusual according to another tech I spoke with later in the week), during the upgrade with their technician, they would not send me a modem to replace it. However, since I was now a MSN customer, I was informed that MSN should help me. I was on the phone or on hold for over an hour with QWEST that morning. I also protested this arrangement, since I was still a QWEST customer when the problem occurred, and I felt I should be getting a new router ASAP from QWEST, as their instructions and “help” determined the demise of my router.
9. Thereupon, I called MSN tech support on Monday, and reached a very sympathetic person. She first asked me “Didn’t they send you a modem with your CD?” The answer was no, of course, the assumption being that all I was doing was changing my existing DSL service, and therefore already had a modem (now fried). So she said she would put a modem on order, and escalate it to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday this week. (This is not the only call I made to MSN that morning, there were several other uncooperative (actually bordering on nasty) people that I spoke with as well). These interactions with MSN lasted about 2 hours. We also had a discussion at that time about CAP DSL vs. DMT DSL, and she went off to a supervisor, and came back on the phone to let me know that this would all be part of the order, not to worry, all would be well by Wednesday or Thursday when the modem arrived at my house. She really was sweet and sympathetic, and I am certain she was sincere, but read on to discover that, in the end, her reassurances were actually extremely empty promises.
10. Wednesday came and no modem arrived. Thursday morning I had a question, so I called MSN tech support to see if they could answer it. I spent about 10 minutes on hold, and then got a human operator on the other end of the line. She asked me at least 10 questions, and assumed I was looking for my modem, before I was even able to tell her why I had called. She could not understand my question, so I asked it a different way. She still did not understand so I took another stab at it. The answer appears that, yes, I will need to have the modem in close proximity to my PC to install something on it via the management cable before I can install it on the Internet. Then she checked into my order. She could find NO MODEM ON ORDER even after all my activity on Monday, and reassurance that things were coming my way. This was after she had already asked me if I was inquiring about my modem. She obviously had seen something that had indicated that I should be expecting a modem, but now was not finding it in the database of on-order modems! She let me know that a modem would arrive in 5 to 10 business days. I believe she put it on order; I still am unclear about this. I asked for her supervisor. After a FURTHER TWENTY MINUTES ON HOLD, Tracy got on the phone to let me know, first that it took her that long to get into some database or other that she didn’t use everyday, and that she had placed me in Escalation Mode, and that I would definitely get a call from the Urgent Customer Care folks within eight hours. I was on hold or speaking to the tech and/or Tracy for 1 hour.
11. So, around 6:45 that evening I wondered why I had yet to receive a phone call. I had waited at home all day, specifically for resolving my lack of Internet access, yet received no call from MSN. I was not even sure why I needed to hear from anyone at Urgent Customer Care, the escalation folks, or anyone else from MSN. They certainly had enough information about what the problem was. I just wanted my router so I can connect to the net. I spoke with a tech, after 10 minutes on hold. He appreciated my situation, and put me on hold while he investigated. He got back on line with me to assure me that, yes, my record indicated I was in escalation mode, and actually had been since Monday, and that since 72 hours had elapsed it was okay that I was in escalation mode. He also pointed out it had not been eight hours yet, since I had spoken to Tracy that morning, only seven. He also suggested that I might not get a call today. Finally, he conceded I might still get a call that night.
12. Right this minute it has been eight and a half hours since I was assured I would be called. It has been four days since I was assured I would have a modem by now. It has been about two weeks since I tried to get a new Internet ID from MSN. I do not have any service yet.
All of the above I offer as evidence for my conclusions so far. Your organization does not understand what service means. It has not a shred of credibility. It cannot make commitments or keep promises. It has inadequate numbers of lines open, and supervisors available. It keeps customers on hold instead of calling them back when you are ready to do something or waiting until you actually know something. You cannot even give me the name of anyone in your organization that will read this letter, or be responsible for resolution.
I feel abused, confused and refused. Where is my modem?
I have already informed my hundreds of correspondents that MSN is my new provider, but I cannot get to my email. I am waiting to hear from several potential employers, but cannot see my email to determine if they have responded to last week’s applications. You are costing me money on a daily basis, and have done NOTHING to help me as far as I can tell. In addition, no one in your organization, in spite of his or her protestations, seems to care a shred about my dilemma, or take responsibility and follow through for me.
I finished the above at 8PM on 11/08/01, and will continue this note when more information arrives.
8am 11/09
13. Called MSN to determine what’s what. Got Chad on the line who asked me questions and then YELLED AT ME when I couldn’t answer some of his queries. When I did attempt to answer his questions, he cut me off in mid-sentence by placing me on hold to allow me to listen to muzak. He got back on line to let me know there were no supervisors available. He did not know if I had a modem on order or not, he indicated the trouble ticket said it had be “re-escalated” whatever that meant. He let me know a supervisor would definitely call me later today, but did not know when that might happen.
14. I called QWEST.NET to ask about DMT vs. CAP DSL service. Jolene answered to tell me that MSN.NET now has complete control of my account, and QWEST cannot even see what service I am getting at the house. (This was not explained in any of the documentation I had received from MSN.COM or from QWEST.NET. I was under the assumption that my physical connection was still owned by QWEST.NET and my ISP connection was owned by MSN.COM.) Therefore, she called MSN.COM with me on the phone. Jim answered, and Jolene started QWEST.NET ticket number 6860107. Jolene had briefed Jim about my DMT vs. CAP question. He put me on hold then came back and asked me my name and phone number again, along with my zip code. I gave him the trouble ticket number. He put me on hold again. Eventually Jim reassured me that Tracy (the supervisor from the prior day) had been involved, the Urgent Care folk knew of my situation, they were re-provisioning the lines since the order had been all messed up, a new modem would be on the way, and they would definitely positively in no uncertain terms call me with delivery information later on Friday. I suggested that even if they put it overnight Airborne it would not get here on Saturday, since Airborne does not deliver on Saturdays. Since Monday is going to be Veterans Day, it probably wouldn’t be arriving then either. Jim suggested that when they called they would leave the air bill number even on my answering machine and I could go to the Airborne office directly and pick it up. I suggested that I had heard all of this before, that no one had ever called me back regardless of the promises made, and that I would wager real money that no one would call me back this time either
15. No one called me. Not the promised call back from a supervisor, nor the escalation folk who supposedly were sending me a router. It is now 3am 11/10.
16. At 942AM on 11/10 I tried calling technical support again. After 10 minutes on hold, Nancy answered the phone and asked me for my email ID. She immediately asked me if anyone had called me. I answered, No they hadn’t. She felt that was surprising. I suggested that she call me back once she knew something, but she asked me to please please please stay on hold. So, I did. After 1 minute on hold she asked me for my ticket number, something I had suggested I give her earlier, and something I assumed she already had in front of her, since she seemed to know I hadn’t had a call back yet.. I gave her the ticket number. She placed me on hold, for 10 more minutes and returned to say I had been escalated again, and should expect a call back within 8 hours. I let her know that I had heard that at least twice before this week. She agreed that it was “a little weird” that I had not had a call back before this. I asked her what I should do now. She said wait the 8 hours and call them back. I asked what good that would do? I then let her know I was writing this letter and would be copying my lawyer and the Better Business Bureau. I figured that would at least get me to a supervisor. However, instead, Nancy said that if I was talking about lawsuits she could not talk to me anymore. I said I was not talking about a lawsuit, and she hung up on me.
17. So, I called back, and after 10 minutes on hold, I reached Harry. Harry did not have a problem with the magic word, “lawsuit”, which had never escaped my lips, but was actually first suggested to me by Nancy. He also sympathized with my problem. However, he also gave me the interesting news that the escalation, urgent customer care department WAS NOT OPEN ON WEEKENDS, so the claim Nancy made that I would hear from someone within eight hours, was moot. I asked whom else I could call, and he suggested I call customer service, at 1-877-327-6744 and select option 1.
18. I called the number Harry suggested and reached someone named Logan (I believe). Logan informed me that their tools were currently down and he could not do a thing. I asked him if there was another number I could try and he gave me 1-800-386-5550 option 7, MSN Customer Support. I asked him what that meant and he said that he worked in Customer Service but Customer Support was another organization.
19. So I called the suggested number, and a person named Logan answered. It could not have been 2 minutes since I had spoken to a fellow named Logan. Logan stated that their tools were down and that he probably could not help me at that moment (sounded eerily familiar and more than a little surreal). I asked him if I had not just spoken to him two minutes earlier. He did not actually deny having spoken to me, “I’ve taken many calls in that time period” but did offer to send an email to his Tier 2 support, so they might give me a call back. However, he also could not guarantee that they would call me, or when they would call me. He also suggested I call back in 20 minutes when the tools were back up. I asked if he would call me back when the tools were back up but he claimed they could not call out of the call center where he sat, that’s was why he had escalated me to Tier 2 via email.
20. One of these people did suggest I would probably be better off canceling my subscription and calling back as a new customer instead, since that would get me up faster. I am not going to do that. If I cancel my service, it will stay cancelled.
21. 11/12/01 5:30AM Called tech support and spoke to Drew who “re-escalated” my situation and suggested that someone would call within 8 hours.
22. 11/12/01 10:30AM Called 1-800-386-5550 option 7 and spoke with Alan who was able to see that I was escalated on Friday 11/09, but found NO BROADBAND ORDER for a modem. He asked if I had spoken to QWEST, as they handle the shipping of modems. I submitted that I had not talked with QWEST about this, since every time I speak with QWEST they tell me I should speak with MSN since MSN now deals with my situation. Alan put me on hold for 5 minutes. He returned to suggest I call the DSL support line within MSN.COM.
23. 11/12/01 10:45AM Called 1-800-826-3110 (MSN Interactive Support? Ostensibly DSL folk). I was on hold waiting for a human operator for 10 minutes. Jenny answered, listened to my situation to report that I had reached anther dept similar to Alan’s with no further knowledge of anything. Jenny suggested that the escalation department got a request on Friday. She further admitted that there was no guarantee that they actually would ever call back within 8 (eight) hours, although in my case they should have. Along with a significant hold time, Jenny and I were on the phone for half an hour. She suggested I call tech support (again), and speak to a supervisor and take it from there.
24. 11/12/01 11:15AM Called 1-877-327-6744 option 2. Darlene answered, asked for my identifying information, sympathized with me, suggested I hold while she got her supervisor, Don on the phone, I waited five minutes on hold, Darlene returned to say that Don was on the phone now with us both, and they promptly hung up on me.
25. 11/12/01 11:25AM I called back, since Don obviously wasn’t going to call me. Scott answered and, after he asked the perfunctory questions, put me on hold while he “got a hold of them”. The obligatory 5 minute wait proceeded. Don got on the phone to try to explain why my call dropped. I wasn’t that interested in why it dropped actually. Then we discussed the broadband order WHICH WAS NOT SHOWING AS HAVING BEEN PLACED. Don was going to give me another phone number to call. I asked to speak to his supervisor, he said there was no one above him to speak to about this. I suggested that I had been assured at least THREE times last week (Monday, Thursday and Friday) that the order had been placed to upgrade me to DMT from CAP, and that a modem was on the way. He did suggest that it being Veteran’s Day and all, perhaps they weren’t taking orders. He also stated his ticket showed that “You had been contacted (about 1:30pm) on Friday 11/09” concerning this order. I HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY ANYONE AT ANYTIME FROM MSN.COM. Not even a phone message on the recorder. I told Don, unequivocally that I should not have to make another phone call, that he should “handle” this, and that someone ought to be calling me back concerning my situation.
26. 11/12/01 11:45PM Called QWEST TECH SUPPORT. Nicki at QWEST answered and was as sympathetic as anyone could be. She dug into the situation and created a new QWEST ticket 6874977. Nicki suggested that it should not matter if I were CAP or DMT, the router should be capable of doing either. (That seems like truth to me, DMT is a CO function, not a CPE function, if you catch my drift.) So she put me on hold to try to reach someone “who knows something” in the MSN Broadband support org.
27. 11/12/01 12:15PM Nicki reached MSN Broadband support and hung on the line while I discussed the situation with Vicki. Between Nicki and Vicki (MSN Case number 48623009), they decided that QWEST really ought to ship me a CISCO 675 or 678 so that I could get onto MSN.COM right away, but that I also should shut down the MSN order if that was the resolution so that there would be no further delays, later, if the line gets re-provisioned. MSN.COM will work with CAP, it appears. Vicki also cleared up why I needed the CD from MSN in the first place (logon information is burned into it, that is used to program the modem, and an optional MSN browser is included too.) Nicki got Maria from QWEST DSL support on the phone. Ncki, Vicki, Maria and I had a spirited discussion; Maria put us all on hold. I don’t know where Nicki went. Vicki also put me on hold at one point and I was listening to two sets of muzak at once! Vicki came back on, asked me the ticket number of the non-QWEST ISP ticket, which included the blowing up of my original Cisco 675 Router (see paragraph numbers 5,6,7 above), which was 7930820. Then the other muzak stopped. Vicki and I asked if anyone was there, and she then confirmed that my line was dropped from Maria and Nicki, at about 1pm.
28. 11/12/01 1:20pm After mulling over my options I decided to try to get back to Maria. So I called her (probable) number only to find Jim. Jim said that Maria worked somewhere else, but that I should try another set of numbers 1-800218-4443 options 1,2,4. So I did.
29. 11/12/01 1:25PM I tried the suggested number, Kyla answered and said she didn’t know a Maria. I told her the story. She didn’t know any way to fix the current situation, but did let me know that if I completely cancel MSN.COM, then I could do business with a new option from QWEST.NET that they were now offering. It seems that many people were dissatisfied with MSN.COM and now QWEST is offering ISP support for consumers again. However, upon investigation, including another call to MSN.COM, I learned that simply quitting MSN.COM could take 8-10 business days, with another possible 10 days to reactivate my DSL service from QWEST. OF COURSE THIS IS WHAT I WANTED BEFORE ANY OF THIS STARTED, SIMPLY TO STAY WITH QWEST.NET. BUT NOW I’M BEING PENALIZED FOR FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY QWEST AND MSN. I WILL SUFFER SEVERAL MORE WEEKS OF DISRUPTION IF I SIMPLY WISH TO RETURN TO THE STATE I WAS IN PRIOR TO 11/03/01.
30. I GIVE UP! I went out and purchased a dial-up modem and twenty five feet of cabling, so I could at least get to my MSN.COM account and see my email for the last 10 days. This of course completely defeats the purpose of having DSL in the first place, since with dial-up I cannot be on the computer and phone at the same time.
31. For completeness, and to add to the unbelievable set of circumstances surrounding my odyssey so far, here’s what it took to get on the net via dial-up.
a. I installed my modem and cabling.
b. I called tech support to set up my autodial
c. MSN Tech support gave me a set of instructions, and I was ready to dial in
d. When I moved my CPU, I inadvertently hit the off switch on the computer
e. I called MSN back and reached another operator
f. During our discussion, I had to take another call. I asked the technician to wait a moment and clicked over to the other call. I spent no more than 20 seconds and came back to the MSN Techie, who had hung up on me. This seemed a little egregious since I had been on hold most of 15 hours with MSN, and she couldn’t stand a few seconds, but I am not vengeful or bitter, just numb.
g. I called MSN back and reached a third technician. He gave me instructions that differed from the initial discussion I had (item c above), which I found interesting.
h. I tried to logon, but it failed.
i. I called customer service (as opposed to technical support) to get a new password. I would have remembered my initial password, except the screen (when I initially began to convert from QWEST.NET to MSN.COM, several weeks earlier) that confirmed I had converted from QWEST.NET to MSN.COM didn’t print when I needed it to, and by the time I had found out that it hadn’t printed it had gone away. It had all kinds of pertinent information on it, and appeared to print, but it doesn’t. This was a known bug, I discovered during one of my technical discussions with one of the techies this week.
j. I actually was able to connect, and downloaded MSN Explorer. Still haven’t discovered how to change my password, I’ll have to call someone to discover where I do this, since the assigned password is impossible to remember.
So, as I now sit in front of my computer, there is no way to connect to the net via DSL, I cannot use my computer and phone simultaneously, I haven’t heard a word from MSN.COM in spite of at least 5 (FIVE) promised call backs during the last week. I have spent close to 16 hours on the phone, mostly on hold, and only got inaccurate answers, promises broken, and ultimately extreme dissatisfaction.
I call in to find that the operators can’t find my records; can’t tell me about my account; can’t locate even if they have ordered a modem for me or not; can’t tell me when it will arrive; are confused about the procedures I’ll have to go through when it does arrive; give me promises that aren’t fulfilled; give me promises that can’t possibly be fulfilled (the Urgent Escalation department isn’t even open on weekends, but I get promised a call back within 8 hours!); give me tech support that is incorrect; and generally leave me with more questions than when I started. I was without Internet service from Sunday November 4, 2001 through November 13, 2001 through absolutely no fault of my own. I was simply following directions.
I have been told that my Internet connection will be back up and running sometime in the next 10 to 20 business days. When the DSL is re-provisioned for DMT level of DSL they will ship second-day-Airborne a new router (Aristicom?) to me.
I now ask you what you think should happen. The performance of both QWEST and MSN so far have contributed to my current low expectation. I hope to be astonished at your response, and am ready and eager to be pleasantly surprised
Sincerely,
Michael W. Frishberg
1-503-788-6424
cc: Rob Lasko, Attorney at Law
Better Business Bureau of Portland, OR
joe@qwest.com President of Qwest
Microsoft HQ
The "Out-of-Wedlock" problem
What should be done about all the children being born "out-of-wedlock"?
Make it illegal to have children out of wedlock.
Don't let homosexual couples have children, adopted, surrogate, or via sperm donors.
Make it illegal to live together without benefit of marriage.
The U.S. teen birth rate is still the highest among industrialized countries. So make sure that they don't learn about sex in school, since this is obviously where they learn about how to have babies.
Make condoms a prescription only item, so that teens and others will have to see a doctor if they want to have sex.
And, anyone under 18 must have their parents permission to have sex.
Well, if you really think children being born without benefit of marriage is a "problem", here are some other suggestions:
How about more and earlier sex ed.,
easy access to free birth control,
a constant barrage of ads and internet pop ups that speak to the hazards of unprotected sex or having children when one is not ready,
a video game and some pop songs that speak to having children, etc.
Of course, my most sincere suggestion is to promote the Voluntary Extinction of Humans, which, if properly marketed and given the appropriate tax considerations, could greatly reduce the out of wedlock child "problem" if you think it is a problem that is!
http://www.vhemt.org
Make it illegal to have children out of wedlock.
Don't let homosexual couples have children, adopted, surrogate, or via sperm donors.
Make it illegal to live together without benefit of marriage.
The U.S. teen birth rate is still the highest among industrialized countries. So make sure that they don't learn about sex in school, since this is obviously where they learn about how to have babies.
Make condoms a prescription only item, so that teens and others will have to see a doctor if they want to have sex.
And, anyone under 18 must have their parents permission to have sex.
Well, if you really think children being born without benefit of marriage is a "problem", here are some other suggestions:
How about more and earlier sex ed.,
easy access to free birth control,
a constant barrage of ads and internet pop ups that speak to the hazards of unprotected sex or having children when one is not ready,
a video game and some pop songs that speak to having children, etc.
Of course, my most sincere suggestion is to promote the Voluntary Extinction of Humans, which, if properly marketed and given the appropriate tax considerations, could greatly reduce the out of wedlock child "problem" if you think it is a problem that is!
http://www.vhemt.org
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Meaning of Friendship
Meaning of Friendship
Who can truly say: "What's Friendship"?
Like "art" - Known when seen!
I have lots of friends.
Need lover to keep me happy.
My woman comes first.
Who can truly say: "What's Friendship"?
Like "art" - Known when seen!
I have lots of friends.
Need lover to keep me happy.
My woman comes first.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Just had a blog flash (daymare?)
Guess blogging is getting into my blood. Sure, I know that it is Posting that is in my blood. However, moments ago I had a flash, looking at my blog, and I thought I hadn't posted on a given day (today actually).
But, luckily I caught myself in time and realized it was a blogworthy moment.
I don't know rules
What can I post, what's stealing?
Must find some info!
But, luckily I caught myself in time and realized it was a blogworthy moment.
I don't know rules
What can I post, what's stealing?
Must find some info!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Well, I knew somebody was short in spades.
Well, I knew somebody was short in spades.
You'd have to
1. Know bridge
2. Know bridge on line
3. Know bridge online chat
4. Know how funny it would be if a chat on a bridge table said:
Well I knew somebody was short in spades. (at the end of a very tough hand)
Followed immediately by the expression (by the same player)
Well I knew somebody was short in spades. (at the beginning of the next tough hand)
Anyway, either you do understand all that and are now ROFLYFAO or not.
You'd have to
1. Know bridge
2. Know bridge on line
3. Know bridge online chat
4. Know how funny it would be if a chat on a bridge table said:
Well I knew somebody was short in spades. (at the end of a very tough hand)
Followed immediately by the expression (by the same player)
Well I knew somebody was short in spades. (at the beginning of the next tough hand)
Anyway, either you do understand all that and are now ROFLYFAO or not.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Have nothing in mind...the creative process.
Don't have a clue what to write about today, so I decided to simply type and see what occurs. So far, so good. Creativity, it comes, all of a sudden (one can only hope). Wonder what I'll write tonight, happy to share whatever it may be with those of you who have read this far. Welcome to my blog.
I've always had lots of things to say, some might call me a chatterbox at various points and occasions in my life. However, I can also listen, even if the hearing and understanding are asynchonous.
Creativity
Whence it comes, nobody knows.
Sometimes, it just blows.
Unfurled sails
Salt spray, bow into the wave,
Slicing the water
Slicing the water
Body Surfing shore breakers
Shoulder to Shoulder
My shoulder on wave's
Horizontal water Funnel
move - laterally
Sand castle builders
Hurrying against the tide
Erosion strikes hard...
19:13 to 19:18 June 05, 2007
I've always had lots of things to say, some might call me a chatterbox at various points and occasions in my life. However, I can also listen, even if the hearing and understanding are asynchonous.
Creativity
Whence it comes, nobody knows.
Sometimes, it just blows.
Unfurled sails
Salt spray, bow into the wave,
Slicing the water
Slicing the water
Body Surfing shore breakers
Shoulder to Shoulder
My shoulder on wave's
Horizontal water Funnel
move - laterally
Sand castle builders
Hurrying against the tide
Erosion strikes hard...
19:13 to 19:18 June 05, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Los Angeles Rush-Hour Tour - A Non-Shopping Channel Exclusive
Rush hour tour of Los Angeles. Enter a luxurious van near LAX and travel to the valley, via downtown (405N to 10E to 110N to 5 to 134 to 101)...Sushi crawl through the valley included along with geo-eco-econ-political-religio-history interpretation of sights along the way.
Tours begin every 15 minutes from 4:00pm M-F
Airport Marriott
Plan on return at 11pm, depending on traffic.
Tours begin every 15 minutes from 4:00pm M-F
Airport Marriott
Plan on return at 11pm, depending on traffic.
The "golden rule" is the basis for human nature.
Studying or following a philosophy or religion won't "teach" you to act in a moral fashion.
We act in a moral fashion thanks to our genetics. We are programmed to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". And, most of us, most of the time, follow that behavior.
There is a very natural explanation for this. Humans are social primates. In order to act as a cohesive group, instead of "everyone for oneself", we have to be wired for social behavior, and the outward manifestation of this is "acting morally".
Those of the tribe that acted too far out of "morally" were "discontinued" hopefully before they passed on those genes. Here "morally" is in accordance with "tribal" laws and nature too, if your amorality caused you to be ostracized from the group, how long could you survive on your own?
The "golden rule" is the basis for human nature.
That is the reason that all world religions share that thought. It is a universal truth but it is a given, it isn't taught! Religions choose it to spread along with the rest of the their philosophy.
Also, folk do exist that aren't wired right. Our culture has created institutions to assist these folk. Some are mental wards, and some are prisons, etc.
Of course, how I like to be treated, compared to how I treat others...fascinating proposition we all face on a daily basis.
We act in a moral fashion thanks to our genetics. We are programmed to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". And, most of us, most of the time, follow that behavior.
There is a very natural explanation for this. Humans are social primates. In order to act as a cohesive group, instead of "everyone for oneself", we have to be wired for social behavior, and the outward manifestation of this is "acting morally".
Those of the tribe that acted too far out of "morally" were "discontinued" hopefully before they passed on those genes. Here "morally" is in accordance with "tribal" laws and nature too, if your amorality caused you to be ostracized from the group, how long could you survive on your own?
The "golden rule" is the basis for human nature.
That is the reason that all world religions share that thought. It is a universal truth but it is a given, it isn't taught! Religions choose it to spread along with the rest of the their philosophy.
Also, folk do exist that aren't wired right. Our culture has created institutions to assist these folk. Some are mental wards, and some are prisons, etc.
Of course, how I like to be treated, compared to how I treat others...fascinating proposition we all face on a daily basis.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
That Gitmo Suicide thingy just is buggin' me...
So I found the following...and am reposting it here. How sad that the only "justice" is suicide at Guantanemo. It is now THREE YEARS LATER AND I WAS REPORTING ABOUT PEOPLE ALREADY IN PRISON WITHOUT CHARGE FOR OVER A YEAR...THEN.
----- Original Message -----
From: frish
To: distribution
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 9:42 AM
Subject: LA Times Letter to the Editor, by Frish!
My letter to the LA Times editor printed today.
They didn’t change a word that I wrote, and only added a couple to explain the reference.
“Re “Justices Question Denial of Hearings for Detainees,” April 29: Deputy Solicitor Gen. Paul D. Clement’s stance that suspected terrorists need not be set free even if the government did not yet have evidence of a crime is profoundly disturbing, an obvious abuse of government power and flies in the face of the US Constitution. What happened to the rule of law? Innocent until proven guilty? Right to counsel? Are police agencies to arrest anyone who may ever commit a crime, but haven’t yet?
President Bush and his cronies have clearly abused the human rights of American citizens detained indefinitely for supposedly being “enemy combatants”. . This is actual evidence of Bush’s criminal activity, not just a suspicion of future crime.
Perhaps he should be detained and sent to Guantanamo as well. I feel terrorized by this administration; they are more dangerous than any terrorist organization.”
Frish
West Hollywood, CA 90069
I’m still working on my comedy routine.
Frish
((http://nonshoppingchannel.blogspot.com/2007/05/gitmo-wheels-of-justice-grind-blindly.html))
----- Original Message -----
From: frish
To: distribution
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 9:42 AM
Subject: LA Times Letter to the Editor, by Frish!
My letter to the LA Times editor printed today.
They didn’t change a word that I wrote, and only added a couple to explain the reference.
“Re “Justices Question Denial of Hearings for Detainees,” April 29: Deputy Solicitor Gen. Paul D. Clement’s stance that suspected terrorists need not be set free even if the government did not yet have evidence of a crime is profoundly disturbing, an obvious abuse of government power and flies in the face of the US Constitution. What happened to the rule of law? Innocent until proven guilty? Right to counsel? Are police agencies to arrest anyone who may ever commit a crime, but haven’t yet?
President Bush and his cronies have clearly abused the human rights of American citizens detained indefinitely for supposedly being “enemy combatants”. . This is actual evidence of Bush’s criminal activity, not just a suspicion of future crime.
Perhaps he should be detained and sent to Guantanamo as well. I feel terrorized by this administration; they are more dangerous than any terrorist organization.”
Frish
West Hollywood, CA 90069
I’m still working on my comedy routine.
Frish
((http://nonshoppingchannel.blogspot.com/2007/05/gitmo-wheels-of-justice-grind-blindly.html))
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
