AT&T Customer Service

I called AT&T a couple weeks ago to find out how much it is going to cost to put a phone line in my new office. The girl quoted me something like $25.98 a month. I thought, that's not bad. So a few days ago I called to get it hooked up but first I wanted to verify the price so I asked and this girl told me $49.99 a month. I told her what I was originally quoted and she was unsure why but her price was the right one for a commercial line. Why is a commercial line twice the price? The phone does the same thing no matter what kind of building it is in! Do they just assume that because you have a business you have plenty of money so you can afford to pay double what it's worth? Because I don't. I am still starting out in my business and I don't have extra. Anyway, the girl told me that I get a free yellow page listing with that so I thought it was a little more worth the price. But I still had to think about it. She said the deadline for getting in the new phone book for my area was the end of January '08. Yesterday the new phone books were delivered to my house. :( So it seems that the service reps at AT&T don't really know much about the products and prices they have or any details, at least the 2 I talked to. After Christmas I'll call again to get my phone hooked up and see what kind of incorrect info I get this time.

Hospital Follow Up

I had filled out a survey about our ER visit from November when the hospital had made a mistake with my daughter's diagnosis and prescription dose. Every patient recieves this follow up survey and I filled it out with exactly what happened. The assistant ER administrator called me today to apologize and let me know what they are doing to improve their practices. He said he was concerned about what happened and woul d have a talk with the doctor. Hope this does some good and other families won't have to go through what we experienced.

Pet Select Pooper Scooper

Here is a follow up from my post on Oct. 25 about the Pet Select Pooper Scooper. I purchased yet another one today since it is the only product of its kind that Wal Mart carries and I refuse to buy a more expensive one at a pet store only to have it break also.

I wrote this letter to the company today:

December 18, 2007
Pet Select
PO Box 828
Yorktown, VA 23692
Re: Item Number 91821
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing you to express my disappointment with your Allen’s Spring Action Pooper Scooper. I have purchased three of these products in just one year and every one of them has broken in the same place. Unfortunately this is the only product of it’s kind at my local Wal Mart, and I refuse to buy another kind at a pet store because it would probably cost 2 to 3 times as much and it may break also.
I have included an illustration of your current product and the problem it presents, and also an illustration of what you can do to improve the quality of the product. I urge you to share my disappointment with others in your company and make this right.
Also, because of the lack of contact information for your company; no phone number or web site; only an address to write to, I was forced to voice my complaint in my own personal blog to get my point across.
You may read the post about your company and product at:
http://tracyscomplaintspot.blogspot.com
There is also a product review at:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635644#reviews
I thank you in advance for your prompt attention of this matter.

Hopefully this will get some attention. I also included an illustration of where the product is breaking every time and what they can do to improve it.

False Advertising, Product Misplacement, etc.

I had several problems with this today, it seems like this was the common problem everywhere I shopped today.

Last night I saw a Kohl's commercial advertising cashmere sweaters for $29.99 Friday and Saturday only during their "early bird" and "night owl" hours. I know the "early bird" hours start at 7am. I got to the store at 9am and after looking around for them for at least 10 minutes I finally found them (not a very big selection) and they were priced at $34.99. I asked a store clerk about it and told her the commercial I had seen. She said she was sorry but the "early bird hours were for Saturday only and the "night owl" hours were for today and that started at 3pm. I would have to come back then if I wanted the sale price. The commercial did not specify which hours were for which days, and after seeing it again tonight it is still unclear. I did end up making another trip to Kohl's this afternoon to get the sweaters at the advertised price but am still aggravated that I wasted a trip this morning.

My next issue was when I was shopping at Stop and Shop for tonight's dinner. I had planned to make crab meat fettucine and was in need of a white sauce for it. I settled on Knorr garlic and herb sauce and grabbed two packets. When I got home and started to prepare the meal I noticed that I had gotten one garlic and herb and one alfredo. The alfredo was in the wrong place behind the garlic and herb packets. Luckily the two sauces turned out to be good together but I could have mistakenly grabbed one that didn't go so well. This could have been a mistake made by a customer who picked it up and decided against it and put it back in the wrong spot. But after my next episode I decided to blame it on the store.

Last but not least, my final stop for the day before picking up my daughter from school, I went to Benny's. I needed to purchase a plastic table and a telephone for my new office. I had been told by a friend that 4 foot white banquet tables were on sale for $19.99. I went to that area of the store and found several different types and sizes of tables, none of which had a price marked on them or a sign indicating the cost. I tried my luck and grabbed the 4 foot one. Also I found a cordless phone with caller ID and digital answering machine. The sign taped to the shelf below it boasted a $19.99 sale price. When I got to the register the clerk tried to scan the table with no success. Apparently it had not been programmed in their system. I told her the price I thought it was supposed to be but she called a manager over. It ended up $29.99 and the manager told me it was the square card table that was that price. I went back to the display and did my best to guess which was the right table. Next the clerk scanned the phone. It came up $39.99. Again the manager had to assist. I showed her where I picked up the phone and pointed out the sign that was clearly indicating that phone's price. She said it was the wrong phone or wrong sign. I told her I wanted it at that price because that's what was advertised. With an attitude she said that there is a sign at all registers stating "all prices are subject to register verification". Because of this they are exempt from honoring a price if false advertising comes into play, which I think it totally unfair. At this point in the day I was so upset with stores that I gave the manager back the attitude I was given. I told her I was not buying anything at their screwed up store and wouldn't be back because they can't get their s*!@ straight and I stormed out.

I guess tomorrow I will go to Wal Mart to get the two items which will probably be less expensive, but I will have to wait in line forever because the "checkout experience percentage" that they have posted is never higher than 40%

:(

Tax Dollars for Road Work

I think some more of that money should also go to the towns to fix roads. Especially in New London. Since I bought a house in New London about 3 years ago, and then moved just over the town line to Waterford, I have been forced to drive through the town, no way around it. I used to avoid it. The roads are HORRIBLE, bumps, potholes, etc. everywhere. And I don't understand when the roads get torn up for water or sewer work why they don't require the company who did the digging and patching to come back a few months later when the asphalt settles and re patch it! Longview Street is especially bad, sections about 2 feet wide or more, stretching halfway across the street, need to be repaired. Every morning and afternoon I drive that road to bring my daughter to and from school. The last week or so I have noticed a creaking noise in the back end of my car in the suspension and I am sure it has to do with going over those spots several times a day. When the day comes that my car needs to be fixed I will send the bill to the City of New London!

Our Tax Dollars for Foxwoods

Today a story on the morning news upset me.. It is a story about how much money the State of CT gives to Foxwoods in grant money each year. Here is the link...

http://http://wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?s=7435518

While I do think maybe they are entitled to something because of the whole taking of the land thing, I'm not sure about $17 million per year. Especially for things like landscaping. I think they make plenty of money to pay for that themselves.

I've paid my taxes every year and I think tax dollars could be put to better use. For example, I am self employed, don't make a whole lot, and I can't afford health insurance for my daughter and I. Currently we have Husky coverage through the state but it is up for review. I know I am going to be told that I make too much and I will have to purchase my own (for a few hundred dollars a month). And winter is here, but I already know that I am not eligible for heating assistance. So there's another few hundred dollars a month for electricity to heat our home. These are things we really need but I can't afford.

Imagine what $17 million dollars a year could do... How many Connecticut residents would be able to have health coverage who would otherwise be uninsured? And how many median income families would be able to keep their homes a comfortable temperature without maxing out their credit cards or empyting their savings?