Stuffleufagus

Joshua, the guy that sold me three iPhone 3G’s was great - from the start to the finish.  I had his personal cell phone number and woke him bright and early this morning - I couldn’t have asked for or expected more from him.  Great Sales experience.

ATT Activation?  They could do better.  First off, they had me validate my contract on each phone - individually, even though I bought them all (three of them) at the same time. Even though I added them to the ATT “Family Plan”.

I never signed a contract.  I “agreed” to some poorly defined “contract” over the phone (assuming it was actually me pushing the buttons - NOT admitting that it actually was - it could have been anyone) - there were few details, and NONE of those details included anything about pricing.

I wonder how legally binding his entire thing is - I think a decent lawyer could argue that I don’t have a contract at all, since it was NEVER disclosed to me what my monthly costs would be, when the bill is due - basically, there were no Terms of Service discussed at all

Can I be legally bound to a contract that wasn’t fully disclosed?.

So do I have a contract with ATT at all?  I think I *might* - but I don’t know what the terms of the contract are - which probably invalidates it. 

I do have three iPhones - which honestly, I like.  Not knowing what they are really going to cost me?  NOT liking that so much.

So listen up, ATT - fully disclose the costs and have me agree to THOSE costs - not some “you also agree to Apple’s Terms of Service” BS on a telephone (details of which were also not disclosed to me).

I figure I just got three iPhones contract free since the terms were not defined, and I signed nothing.  I am sure Apple and ATT will think differently.  But they cannot produce a contract with my name on it - a least not one I have signed.

I don’t get this model at all. Do they really think that I will bound by a set of terms that didn’t include any cost info? If so, I think they are making a mistake.  This was a very “fuzzy” transaction at best.

written by rob

Sending me a new converter box that has a remote that is not even remotely like my old one doesn’t do me any favors.

Why would you provide me two completely different remotes?  Do you actually use your products?  Don’t you just get to the point that you can operate a remote by touch?  Doesn’t it become that familiar to you? Pause is where pause is - it should NOT be moved to where Play is.  It inconveniences me.  You don’t really want to inconvenience me, do you?

Oh - do you use your products? (Sorry - asked that already!)

No?  Well that is probably because you have multiple remotes that randomly rearrange the buttons (for no apparent damned reason!).

And if you *must* send me a new remote, offer to replace my other remotes with the same “new” remote.  They are Universal Remotes, so they will all work with all of my boxes.

Multiple 60-plus button remotes that move the buttons like pieces on a checkerboard just isn’t a good customer experience.

I would think a company as large as my cable provider could mandate the button layout on their remotes.  Standardize it even!

Or at least make sure that the remotes they give me match!

written by rob

It has been about four years since I first decided to step into the consulting lifestyle.  In that time one of my “children” has completed High School, and then his first year of college.  Next year my daughter will finish High School as well.

It has been an amazing four years for me – I have been able to spend time with my kids as required – but mostly I have been able to spend an inordinate amount of time learning.  Ten years ago I learned by reading books – today I learn more by surfing the Internet – it is still reading, but it is so much faster, and so much more available (and “find-able!”.

One of the things my time in consulting has taught me is that I miss people.  I miss the challenge of building teams – not just hiring people, but building functional groups that work well together to build more than any single persons could have done.

So, taking stock of my life, as I am often wanton to do, I asked myself, “What is next”?  In a year I will have two kids in college, and perhaps neither of them left at home.

It was time for me to answer the question, “What does Rob want?”.

So I looked back in my life experiences and tried to zero in on what made me the most happy – what did I love to do so much that I could do it for the rest of my life?  Raising children certainly tops my list – but I can’t raise them forever – in fact, I am already being outsourced in that position – by my children themselves.

Raising children is like building good teams - the end goal is that eventually they won’t need depend on you anymore.

I decided I needed to go back to work with people – preferably young, energetic people, and certainly people smarter than I am.  I have always been lucky in surrounding myself with people smarter than I am (and please – PAUL! – no comments that this should be easy – it isn’t).

This realization came over a several month period – I didn’t wake up one day having come to this “epiphany”.

I missed building teams.  I need to work with smart people.  I MUST work for a company that understands that I am a unique person – I am opinionated, passionate, determined, outspoken, opinionated, and outspoken.  And I am sorry if I repeated myself.  And I am sorry if I repeated myself.

I need a company that doesn’t exist outside of startups – I needed security, because I will have two kids in college.  It must be nimble.  It must be willing to listen, and learn – even as it teaches.  But I also needed the excitement that keeps me engaged.  I need to constantly invent.  I need to work with smart people that will make me smarter.  I needed to be someplace that allows me to make a difference every day.  I needed to build something that affects a lot of people, because after helping build WiFi – it takes a big project to be a “big deal”.

And most of all – I need to be able to help.  My work must have value – to me, and to the people I work with.  And to the customers – who I never shy away from or refuse a conversation with.

In the next day or two I hope to share with you the company that is all of that, and more.  How much more is something I expect to find out soon – and something I hope to grow over time.

But don’t worry – I won’t change my blogging style/habits.  I wouldn’t work for a company that thought they could control my freedom of expression outside the office.

The list of companies I wouldn’t work for is rather large.  So I’ll save you that and instead share with you in the next couple days who I would work for – and I will tell you exactly why I made that choice.

written by rob

It is just too much trouble – not the dog, mind you – Yoshi is awesome on a leash. I taught him early and he is very controllable.

But as we walked through an alley we walk through often there was a lady in the garage with the garage door open, and a little bitty “yippy” dog. She was smoking a cigarette – the dog was doing dog stuff.

But just as we passed the home the outdoor floodlight lamp exploded – it was a loud boom, with a lot of flying glass.

I called out, asking if she was ok (since the circuit blew and the garage lights had also gone out).

“What did you do?!?!” she hollered.

“Nothing – I am just walking my dog”, I replied.

“Do you have a BB-gun?” she asked.

“No – just walking my dog”, I answer. And I keep walking.

I expect the police to show up at any time because – well, they sometime gravitate towards me. But they did not, and Yoshi and I made it home safely.

But that is two night is a row that walking my dog causes unusual questions.

So I think Yoshi will self-exercise in the back yard. It is 3/4 acre, so it should be sufficient. He will miss the neighborhood cats though. Except for the random stupid ones that come into the back yard.

written by rob

I was walking my dog, as I am prone to do.  Often very late – sometimes at 1 or 2 am.  Today is was at 11pm.

I passed a parked police car on a quiet residential street.  He had his engine running and headlights on, and appeared to be busy.  I waved as I passed, but I didn’t really pay much attention.

A half block later I saw a Marlboro cigarette pack laying in the road.  I picked it up and put it in my pocket.  I often pick up trash on my walks and dispose of it when I get home.

But suddenly the police officer pulls next to me and asks what I put in my pocket. 

“A cigarette pack”, I answer.

“What is in it”, he asks.

“It is just trash – I was picking up trash”, I respond.

“Can I see it?”, asks he.

Now here I could have been smarter, or more capitulating, I suppose.  But I am neither.

“I don’t know – why do you want to see it?”, I ask.

“I could get a warrant”, he says.

“For what?”, I ask.

“It looked suspicious”, says he.

“Picking up trash looks suspicious?”, I ask.

“Cigarette packs are often used to transfer illegal substances”, he says.

“And they are often thrown out of car windows into streets”, I reply.

“Can’t you just let me see it?”, he inquires.

“You can follow me home, and watch me throw it in my trash can – then you are free to do what you want”, I say.

“I can’t look in your trash without your permission either”, he states.

“You have my permission to look at my trash, just tonight, ok?” I state/ask.

“Why are you being stubborn"?”, asks him.

“Why are you abusing my rights?”, ask I.

“Look, don’t be stupid – this could be easy – if you have nothing to hide, why aren’t you cooperating?”, he questions.

“Cooperating?  I am walking my dog – and picking up random trash.  Why aren’t you being as productive as I am"?”, I argue. (I admit, this might not be a good move on my part.  But anyone that reads my blog over time realizes that I have had an odd set of experiences with members of law enforcement – to include them running over my mailbox.  It is not that I do not respect them – I just do not fear them).

And then I notice it – this is not even a cop from my town!  This is a cop from an adjacent city that has absolutely ZERO business asking me ANY questions here.  I pull out my cell and start dialing.

“What are doing?”, he asks.

“Calling MY cops”, I answer.

“Fuck-head”, he says as he races off – looking for easier prey, I think.

My youngest brother just recently became a Police Officer.  I hope he is a better one than the one I met tonight.  I figure he has to be.  And since I know him, I know he will be.

written by rob