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Twigest for 2009-05-31

May 31, 2009 By rjamestaylor

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Twigest for 2009-05-30

May 30, 2009 By rjamestaylor

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Unempowered workers breed detractors – My Best Buy experience, part 1

May 29, 2009 By rjamestaylor

Recently I needed to buy a portable HD video camera. Based on the recommendation of some trusted friends and the realities of a recession-limited personal budget I opted to try a Kodak Zi6. I used it to record video from a special San Antonio Mayoral debate held at my company. The recording seemed straight forward but I could not get the content transferred to my MacBook.

Before I go on, let me say this post could very well be about my experience with Kodak, its subpar online chat support and my decision to switch to the more expensive Flip MinoHD. Except for one problem this blog post could be a story of my frustration with a product and that product’s manufacturer. Except for one obstacle this post would not include any information about Best Buy, the retailer, other than a passing comment on their willingness to accept the return graciously.

When the Kodak Zi6 failed to transfer the video to my MacBook I contact Kodak chat support. Eventually (and I mean e_v_e_n_t_u_a_l_l_y) we mutually agreed the USB on the Kodak was not working; I was to return the unit. I drove to the Best Buy from which I bought the unit 3 days prior and Best Buy verified the unit was not working and let me choose another. Since the Kodak Zi6 uses memory cards I thought to try another and move on. This transaction was quickly approved and I left the store, driving back the few miles to my waiting family. An inconvenience? Sure, but these things happen.

However, the second unit also would not connect to my MacBook. Same symptom – it was not recognized by the Mac at all. Bum USB again! I made the first post on Twitter about this experience at this time:

rjamestaylor: I bought a Kodak Zi6 to record the #sa4mayor forum @Rackspace. USB failed – can’t upload. Returned it; 2nd one also has bad USB. Not happy.
2:42 PM May 2nd from Tweetie

A few minutes later I posted some exchanges about my experience with the Kodak Zi6 amongst friends I was chatting with on-line and off:

rjamestaylor: @kr8tr asked me (off-line) “why you are buying a camera from a film company?” Won’t make that mistake, again
2:46 PM May 2nd from Tweetie

johndstrunk: @rjamestaylor You should just get a Flip MinoHD or Flip UlraHD, best evah!
2:46 PM May 2nd from Twitterrific in reply to rjamestaylor

rjamestaylor: @johndstrunk I really liked the Flip MinoHD that I borrowed from @kr8tr. Got the Kodak due to friend’s rec. Love the friend, not the Kodak
2:50 PM May 2nd from Tweetie in reply to johndstrunk

Karoli: @rjamestaylor I’m loving the flip mino too. lots of fun.
3:00 PM May 2nd from TwitKit

rjamestaylor: @Karoli the Crapdak was recommended by a friend I trust. Love the friend, not the Kodak.
3:07 PM May 2nd from Tweetie in reply to Karol

This spontaneous hate-fest (on my part) and love-fest for Flip MinoHD continued on for a while as I got out my frustrations on-line. I left to return the second failed Kodak Zi6 and made it to the Best Buy 30 minutes later (traffic in my part of San Antonio, known as Stone Oak, is abysmal all the time). Had I been able to simply return the Kodak Zi6 and move on with my life this blog post would have been done.

But we’re just getting started. Once at Best Buy I explained the predicament and stated I didn’t want yet another Kodak Zi6 nor did I want to upgrade to a Flip MinoHD; I wanted to get my money back and just forget the ordeal. The counter agent passed the Kodak Zi6 to another person who came back and said, “It worked in one of our machines.” The counter agent meant that I would not be able to return the unit without paying a 15% restocking fee.

I explained that I really didn’t care if the unit worked in one of their machines at this time. It didn’t work in mine just as the other one hadn’t. Counter agent said that the first one also did not work in any of their test machines which is why she could accept the return. To have the restocking fee, she told me, I would have to provide the MacBook and prove it didn’t work. Thus my first Best Buy tweet ever:

rjamestaylor: BestBuy requiring me to get my MacBook to prove the replacement Kodak doesn’t work. Really? #fail
3:42 PM May 2nd from UberTwitter

At this point I was tired. I had made three trips to the Best Buy regarding the Kodak Zi6 and my family was home waiting for me to spend the day with them. I smiled and said, “Please get me your manager.” I understood that she was not empowered to help customers outside of narrowly defined policies — don’t agree with that business decision, but I understand it. Surely the manager will be able to make this right. Thus my second Best Buy tweet:

rjamestaylor: Now getting a BestBuy manager. He’ll help me understand why after three trips to BestBuy I need to prove that my MacBook can’t see Kodak Zi6
3:45 PM May 2nd from UberTwitter

He wasn’t. Instead of realizing that I had understandably lost confidence in the Kodak Zi6 and that I had made two too many trips to get a working video camera and then waiving the restocking fee (meant to discourage “free rent” use of such equipment), he said I needed to provide my MacBook and prove it didn’t work. Yes. He repeated the same by-the-book policy requirement. Thus my third and fourth Best Buy tweets, ever:

rjamestaylor: BestBuy requiring the %15 restocking fee to get money back.
3:48 PM May 2nd from UberTwitter

rjamestaylor: BestBuy stood by policy and required re-stocking fee on a product that did not work for me. “Maybe MacBook driver need updating” #fail
4:00 PM May 2nd from UberTwitter

I told the manager that I understood policies and why they are helpful guides but that also there are times that circumstances warrant favoring the customer over the policy. He did not agree and demanded I pay or provide the MacBook. I was not going to make yet a fourth trip to accommodate this insult, so I paid the fee to rid myself of not only the Kodak Zi6 but Best Buy.

Needless to say my friends on Twitter responded. Even people I didn’t know who were watching the public Twitter feed picked up on this and began a lengthy, impassioned trashing of the Best Buy brand based on my customer service (hah!) experience and their own. Here are two other posts I made on Twitter summing this experience up from my perspective:

rjamestaylor: I may buy a Flip minoHD to replace two defective Kodak Zi6′s, but it won’t be via Best Buy.
4:18 PM May 2nd from UberTwitter

rjamestaylor: If the Manager would have considered my 3 trips and waived the fee I’d be a promoter of Best Buy – unempowered workers breed detractors
4:28 PM May 2nd from UberTwitter

(To be continued…)

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Twigest for 2009-05-29

May 29, 2009 By rjamestaylor

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Twigest for 2009-05-28

May 28, 2009 By rjamestaylor

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Twigest for 2009-05-27

May 27, 2009 By rjamestaylor

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Twigest for 2009-05-26

May 26, 2009 By rjamestaylor
  • Had a great time @remcintyre’s place with friends last night…good to catch up with friends and meet new ones. #
  • @lazarus2000 it’s my usual time to get up :) in reply to lazarus2000 #
  • @lazarus2000 :) True. Also I forgot to turn off my phone’s alarm clock in reply to lazarus2000 #
  • Actually, @veganB12, I’m not considering going vegan. As the son of several generations of ranchers I have compassion for animals I eat in reply to veganB12 #
  • #twitterfilms For Whom the Bird Tweets #
  • Thinking aboiut the heroes who’ve paid the ultimate price serving their country. Humbled, obliged, thankful. #
  • Not sure about you, @jawar, but I use rjamestaylor as my ID everywhere, even have rjamestaylor.com. You? in reply to jawar #
  • RT @dsearls: Quote du jour from Umair Hague: Record labels are caught in a prisoner’s dilemma, and the jailer is the RIAA. http://ow.ly/8L9F #
  • @snipeyhead OMG – if my friends knew I followed you I would be so shunned :) in reply to snipeyhead #
  • I’m such a cry-baby. Watching Intervention and bawling my eyes out #
  • RT @pinojo: Thanks to all the Veterans who have contributed to this great country being free! #
  • RT @Karoli: The list of those who have died in Iraq. http://icasualties.org/Iraq/BY_DOD.aspx #heroes #
  • @sharonhayes but what about those who are pro-human rights abuses? Who stands up for them? #snark in reply to sharonhayes #
  • The current show, @Karoli, features a daughter that’s a heroin addict and the mother that also needs intervention. Crushes my soul. in reply to Karoli #
  • @Karoli This show makes me need a beer #TryingToLaugh in reply to Karoli #
  • That’s easy, @snipeyhead, pros use TweetDeck or Tweetie plus a search-specific client (self-made?). Cons use something else. ;) in reply to snipeyhead #
  • @lazarus2000 I can’t watch Intervention without a bottle of Shiraz nearby. Huh? Is that wrong? #TryingToLaugh in reply to lazarus2000 #
  • @areucrazy Dijon needs Intervention: “When pups become dogs that chase trains” in reply to areucrazy #
  • @codinghorror wanna visit the Alamo? Didn’t think so. We’d like to have you visit San Antonio to discuss serverfault.com/stackoverflow.com in reply to codinghorror #
  • I don’t use TweetDeck anymore, @snipeyhead. Tweetie plus a script started by @RackerHacker to keep up with search terms in reply to snipeyhead #
  • So @DishSatellite is following me – would still be a customer if the Customer Service actually “served” #
  • I gave up on groups, @snipeyhead, during switch from TweetDeck to Nambu and had to remake them. Until Twitter supports groups – I’m done. in reply to snipeyhead #
  • Ha! You don’t know who I follow, @snipeyhead :) My personal account is but one of several. Without @RackerHacker’s ruby scripts I’d be done in reply to snipeyhead #
  • Groups were part of my life, @snipeyhead, until I realized they were client-dependent. Thinking FriendFeed will solve this for me eventually in reply to snipeyhead #
  • @areucrazy we all make our own choices. Some choose life, others freight trains. I think I’ll have a drink, myself :) #
  • I’m enjoying seeing Denver take the lead against the rapist, er, Lakers. Not expecting it to last, though #
  • @zachflauaus ;) is that part of your finals week? If so, congratulations! in reply to zachflauaus #
  • RT @lazarus2000: In Memory of Lt. Nainoa Hoe. Kamehameha ’95. KIA Mosul, Iraq 2005 http://bit.ly/15EnDF #
  • @chrstphrbrwn when the local media in SoCal were more interested in his making games I was officially not interested in the Lakers or Kobe in reply to chrstphrbrwn #

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Twigest for 2009-05-25

May 25, 2009 By rjamestaylor

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Twigest for 2009-05-24

May 24, 2009 By rjamestaylor
  • @nanpalmero Just thinking out loud – we need a tweet-up @PamsPatio :) in reply to nanpalmero #
  • @nanpalmero June 6th is not optimal…we’ll need to plan this out … in reply to nanpalmero #
  • PRT @lettergirl “I use inappropriate humor as a coping mechanism.” #ProfileReTweet #
  • Heading to make up soccer game for Andrew – this one was postponed due to #swineflu http://myloc.me/1ua0 #
  • Game delayed due to liightning. Oh, Andrew’s team? The Lightning – not related ;) loc: http://myloc.me/1up3 #
  • Game called due to lightning – more storms popping up. Bleh http://myloc.me/1ura #
  • @erikdarm I credit being ionized by the flowing water of the shower for the creativity boost. Also, I have no idea what I’m talking about… in reply to erikdarm #
  • @r_mac playing the Apocalypse could be a real Revelation ;) in reply to r_mac #
  • Hey, @diskgrinder, thanks for the #followYesterday! in reply to diskgrinder #
  • RT @sharonhayes The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least ~ unknown #quote #
  • Latest TwitterBerry beta much improved. UberTwitter doesn’t freeze the whole phone, tho #
  • TimeWarner cable is knocked out at my house. Bleh. No Noggin or Internet. Oh, the humanity! #
  • TMC’s freakishly bad voice recognition system finally was able to get my info right. 90 min est. for service restoration. #
  • @lazarus2000 Too Much Crap :) Yep – TWC is out. I’m just so distraught without access to the Internet. :) in reply to lazarus2000 #
  • @roybragg now you’re to the part where @alanweinkrantz and @nanpalmero can help in reply to roybragg #
  • Loud thunder crack at my house – http://myloc.me/1v6b #
  • RT @chownage: Can anybody guess what happens when a 4 month-old sneezes with a mouthful of rice cereal? #RiceBowlBlow in reply to chownage #
  • CyberDuck (Mac) RT @sharonhayes: I use/love Filezilla RT @amirk52 Does any one know any good FTP software other than cuteftp and FF FireFTP? in reply to sharonhayes #
  • RT @mkapor: Enough with the whining by the ink-by-the-barrel crowd about Craigslist and Google killing newspapers. Mourn, resume, re-invent in reply to mkapor #
  • @areucrazy I’d vote yes. Wait… ;) in reply to areucrazy #
  • RT @areucrazy: A strange person grabbed me yesterday and shouted, “No ring! No ring! ” I thought I was Frodo for a moment! :) #
  • Some of the very best msgs I’ve ever received on Twitter have been DMs. You know who you are! #
  • @snipeyhead ugh – that’s still too close; will be hard to use lack of proximity as an excuse to skip sessions ;) in reply to snipeyhead #
  • @beanaritadotcom magazines are dying and your server knows it ;) in reply to beanaritadotcom #
  • Yesterday I made a new Rule in Mail.app. Forgot to change “any” to “all” for the conditions. Lost 3 yrs worth of mail. (TGFJungleDisk) #
  • Wow, @lazarus2000, I didn’t know Windows 7 was shipping already! in reply to lazarus2000 #
  • RT @brooksbayne: “why no one robs 7-11 stores in israel” http://grf.me/n3PX #icon ~ I call it #AK47-11 #
  • RT @RackerHacker: Why I love Aramendia Plumbing http://post.ly/deB #promoter in reply to RackerHacker #
  • What’s the best way to migrate Drupal content (blog posts, specifically) to WordPress? (No Internet access at home; can’t easily Google) #
  • When I was a kid, @formerfatguy, and saw my dad have a beer I imagined it was rich and buttery based on color. Then he let me taste it. Ugh! in reply to formerfatguy #
  • Worse than power, @News4WOAI, storms have knocked out TimeWarnerCable in large parts of Stone Oak. Help! No Noggin or Internet! in reply to News4WOAI #
  • RT @xkot: Kind of let down. Panda Express doesn’t actually serve panda. #FalseAdvertising hah! in reply to xkot #
  • I feel how you know, @RackerHacker. That’s why our next tweet-up needs to be @PamsPatio! in reply to RackerHacker #
  • I haven’t been this long without full Internet access since 1994 (I was then on a religious mission). I AM DYING HERE, TIME WARNER! #
  • Well, @RackerHacker, @xkot might be a sad grizzly, maybe, but he’s no panda! in reply to RackerHacker #
  • So, @epwait, how long is home “home”? Aren’t there rules in yuour state (I don’t know where you are) about tennat rights? in reply to epwait #
  • Tenant. Ugh #
  • On my Mac in Terminal.app to find out when the Internet is back: $ while true; do host google.com; done #
  • RT @1938media: Working on the first episode of the “Kirstie Alley Puppet Diet Twitter Show”. #Cheers in reply to 1938media #
  • No Internet. So playing World of Goo. Seriously? What use do I have for a computer that’s not connected to the Internet? #
  • You shouldn’t, @epwait, need to fight – there should be an agency to call – the “new owners” have the responsibility to treat tenants right in reply to epwait #
  • So, @EdLeafe, my first love (8th grade – Lynn Stafford) loved the B-52s in early 80s. Personally didn’t like them, vicariously now love them in reply to EdLeafe #
  • Thanks, @thebarkingdog, I can always count on someone @rackspace to help me do it better! in reply to thebarkingdog #
  • @RocmanUSA onbviously I’m missing out not being where you are, ;) in reply to RocmanUSA #
  • Perhaps, @the_jamie, @xkot needs to learn from @economysizegeek’s great-grandmother and order “Butter Scotch lifesavers” to get panda love in reply to the_jamie #
  • @kalemeow not on my Mac, apparently. Can’t update ping because Internet is down due to TWC issues in reply to kalemeow #
  • Time Warner Cable still out in 78258. Hour 8. #
  • RT @KevinSpacey: It was a good 1st day. We shot a bunch of scenes. Abramoff being arrested, etc & taped voice over as guide for editor…. in reply to KevinSpacey #
  • RT @Karoli: RT @shelnew19… I see why people would choose an iPhone over a BlackBerry. The BB isn’t even close. //fired up the browser? in reply to Karoli #
  • TWC up! Wow! Now it’s time to establish redundancy at my house. Meh. #
  • ping: cannot resolve google.com: Unknown host
    PING google.com (74.125.45.100): … #GeekJoy #
  • Well, @MaxLucado, you can blame my bouncing messages on me being on the short bus… in reply to MaxLucado #
  • That assumes I can get good Sprint signal, @kalemeow. Stone Oak is too elitist to allow cell towers. Coverage stinks. in reply to kalemeow #
  • @RocmanUSA that “full bar” part is definitely promising. BTW, I think we need to have Heatbox at a company event. Agree? in reply to RocmanUSA #
  • Honestly, @the_jamie, we’re happy to execute on your mark. Always and ever. in reply to the_jamie #
  • Like losing an arm, @NewerDeal? Yes. More like losing the reason for having arms! in reply to NewerDeal #
  • Thank you, @soulresin! Your emergency efforts are not needed. Time Warner flipped the switch, finally. in reply to soulresin #
  • nope, @soulresin, I’m going to find redundant coverage from another oligarchy Internet Service Provider in my neighborhood. #FreeMarket in reply to soulresin #
  • @pearanalytics Mine started working for me, finally. So, we’re neighbors? Cool! in reply to pearanalytics #
  • This is true, @TheDebster, you sent me _by_far_ the best reply I’ve _ever_ received on Twitter or elsewhere: http://tr.im/meuH in reply to TheDebster #
  • Seems like it was limited to Mesa Grande, @pearanalytics. I’m still suffering from the deprivation! :) in reply to pearanalytics #
  • Yeah, @kalemeow, I have TWC or ATT DSL – no Uverse. in reply to kalemeow #
  • @Mike127 this is true! in reply to Mike127 #
  • At CVS (a pharmacy/general store chain) tonight I saw a book by Andrew Murray for sale. Wow – real substance instead of typical fluff! #
  • @nanpalmero if you’re buying, sure :) in reply to nanpalmero #
  • @Mike127 yes, but they’re so much more substantive than the typical modern “feel good” inspirational book. That it was at CVS – #nonsequitir in reply to Mike127 #
  • @Mike127 no need to. Here’s an excerpt: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/murray/prayer.XXV.html in reply to Mike127 #
  • @snipeyhead Oh. I see we think differently ;) in reply to snipeyhead #
  • Final annoying phrase, which is a word that should be bannished: “webinar”. Please kill this dead, @Pogue in reply to Pogue #
  • @RackerHacker I’m not even touching that. Take that any way you’d like – I’m not touching that. Ever. in reply to RackerHacker #
  • You’re both wrong @lettergirl and @paul_berry. Tweetie is the One True Twitter Client. Heretics. Not judging, just saying. in reply to lettergirl #

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Twigest for 2009-05-23

May 23, 2009 By rjamestaylor

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