The Daily Show - Hypocrisy in the Labor Ranks

Well I'm back after another surgery and while I still feel like I'm peeing razor blades all is well. My son passed this clip along from last nights Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Seems the unions protesting Wal-Mart and their wages are actually hiring protesters and paying them minimum wage. You gotta love those leaders in the Union.

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Robin Williams Talks about the French - Our Allies

Something a little lighter this Saturday evening.

Where is Charlie Urgen when I Need Him? DISH Service Sucks

Probably like many of you, you sit back in the evening watching a little of the boob tube. And just like a bad penny CEO and Co-Founder of DISH Network is on there sounding homey, down to earth (he does seem like a nice fellow) and our buddy is on there extolling the virtues of his great service. Well ... I beg to differ.

Since I travel a bit I have a need to turn my actual programming off at one place and on at another. The actual process I've found doesn't take that long and two months ago the switch went like clockwork. The only thing consistent however in talking with DISH 'Customer Service' (I use the term loosely) is that they are completely inconsistent in their advice.

Let me give you my last four days, the short version:

1. I arrive in UT and call in to have my zip code changed and a new address given. All goes well, the young lady spoke English and I could understand and I thought I'd won the DISH lottery.

2. My DISH dish won't lock in on either of the two satellites my service uses. I call Tech Support. We go through the drill with an English speaking gentlemen, he is quite nice, I am led through steps I could now teach I have done this so much and ... nothing works. I am told that after the tests the two 'pointers' on my satellite dish are bad and need replaced. I say I doubt it since it works all the time. I hang up.

3. Day 3 arrives I finally call that evening, go through the exact same trouble shooting since of course it is on their computer screens they are reading from. We end at the exact same spot, I am not locked on a satellite and don't have service. However this time, after all the tests my crack representative that Charlie talks about in his nightly commercial says ... the problem is with your receiver - we will send you a new one. I said look this receiver is one year old, never gave me trouble - that is not it. I hang up.

4. Day Four, for reasons God may only know, my dish locked in on one of my satellites so we say what the hey - we'll go with it. We of course have to go through the entire debunking process once again which takes about 30 minutes. We download the programming and have everything but local channels. No problemo - I call DISH back and get a kind of English speaker who says it is not a problem and he works his magic on the computer and says, success! But I didn't have local channels or much patience with Charlie's crack support staff either. I called it a night.

5. Day Five has to be better, right? Not so my friends. I get an English speaker at least and of course he tells me, you're right, no problemo - not so. We go through the entire computer screen of prompts, and God forbid that you ask them to skip one because you have learned how to do it yourself the previous half dozen times ... no, no, each step and one half of an hour. The result ... no local programming. The problem - must be on your end he says, maybe a connection? Umm? I am viewing thirty of their package channels but my connection is preventing me from getting the locals. I hang up.

6. I am determined this time because I know in the end it is an easy problem if only I could get the right person I talked with last time a couple months back. I call right back and this time I get a barely English speaker who I can barely understand. It took my 15 minutes to just get him to understand I 'wanted' the local channels. He keep saying, "I unnerstan. You wan me to take off your other channels an just leave locals" NO. After we solved that we went through, yes, the full Monty of computer screens tests, 30 minutes and, well, same result. He says he is sure it is my receiver. I hang up.

7. Still Day 5 I call right back. I get an even worse English speaker than the last time. He insists I go through the tests. I do with my wife getting just a tad out of control in the background. We get the same result and he tells me it is my receiver and he will send me one. So I take the bait and I say well then send it, 'it won't cost anything will it?' He says, which was after every single question 'please let me check my resources' which I know to mean is another computer screen of prompts.

The bottom line is it will cost me $15 shipping which of course is a good deal on a $150 receiver, that is of course IF I NEEDED ONE. I knew it wasn't the receiver and told him so. Reading I am sure from a prompt - he tells me what I need is a service contract and then I wouldn't pay for the shipping ever again. I say, "Well, how much does that cost?" A mere $6 a month, You do the math. I tell him I want to talk to his Supervisor.

8. After a ten minute hold waiting for his Supervisor a nervous young lady got on the line and asked how she could help. I told her she was my 8th person to talk with on this simple problem. She spoke with an island accent but was understandable and polite, but not all that helpful. Yes you guessed it, for the 7th time I unplugged my receiver, rebooted, ran through all the test screens in spite of my pleas for my sanity. And in this process she happened to say, " Well I am looking at your account and the previous reps said you needed a receiver? I ended that and asked he 'what else might we try?'.

She wasn't sure but said, 'I am looking at your account now and it allows all local channels in Salt Lake where you are so I don't know why you aren't getting them, it must be your equipment. I explained that I've been watching their programming for three days with no locals - yada yada yada. Now keep in mind here on the ending, that part of all those tests I did is keyed on getting a satellite signal from a particular satellite in my case 119. Every rep knew that.

Drum roll please ... she says again, "Well I am looking at it right now and is it streaming down from 110 and ... " I interrupt with 'did you say 110" Well yessir. I said as calmly as I could ... "Don't you think that would be a problem since I am on 119?" She said that 'may be it'.

So I asked her if she might give me 15 minutes to site in 110 and call me back to make sure at this point that this 10 year plus customer had the service he contracted for. She kindly said she was not authorized to make outbound calls. I asked if I might call her directly since I had at least made it into management? She kindly replied that no, I could not call her directly but she would put a note in my account in case it didn't work. It was the same answer for email. No contact with the customers ...

Well, I hung up and pointed my DISH to satellite 110 and there they were all along, my elusive local channels. That led me to think ... maybe CEO Charlie Urgen should spend a tad more time in the office, ensuring that his Customer Service department is actually performing the way he is reporting on TV. Charlie, a little less camera time.

But now that I think about it ... our entire business world is on tilt.

Leaving but not on a Jet plane

Leaving in an hour or so for UT. Got my one year MRI for last years cancer next week; then my daughter is having her third baby, our fourth grandchild and then I have my prostate surgery coming up the week after. So I won't miss many days on here but maybe a few. Thanks for following!

Steve Bridges as George Bush

On the lighter side today ...

Update on Barclay Bank Post Below

My wife just called to cancel her account, got someone from India and they just issued her a credit, closed the account and gave her a confirmation number. Perhaps she's more persuasive than me or perhaps they are just screwed up!

Frontier Airlines and Barclay Bank - Do Not Sign Up for their Credit Card

I am online right now with Barclay Bank who has the credit card I applied for back in February while traveling back from Costa Rica. I actually had a great time on Frontier, positive experience and while waiting in Denver on the return they were having this 'special' to sign up for their credit card and get immediate points for your most recent trip.

So I signed up and asked for a card for my wife, filled out one application and was immediately told I got a free travel pillow and two free magazine subscriptions. I didn't want the magazines and started walking away but the lady said someone in our house must have use for some so I finally chose Sports Illustrated, thinking my son-in-law or son might want and Entertainment Weekly figuring my daughters would be interested.

Fast forward to my first bill the end of March, keep in mind I haven't ever used these cards and to our surprise my wife has her own card and her own account, thus we received two bills and on one is a $24.95 charge for Sports Illustrated and the other, my wifes, a $19.95 charge for Entertainment Weekly.

Now we were gone, I was having medical issues, our mail catches up with us in May and of course we have finance charges. I call Barclay Bank who really has the card and am told on both accounts that we must call the magazines and work it out. We discuss this for awhile and I give in and call Sports Illustrated and of course no argument and they reverse the charge as did Entertainment Weekly.

We've been going back and forth and just got off the phone with a nice lade from Barclay who informed me my bill was now $125.85 - imagine that for a $24.95 magazine! We went back and forth for awhile and I informed her she needed to cancel the account and all the charges. After checking with her Supervisor she was told I would have to pay $4 to have to charges remediated? I said no, it was the principle of the thing. She went back to her Supervisor who now told her the lowest they could go was $2 and I said nothing.

She was quite nice and explained to me that it wasn't their problem that I was told the magazine were free. At which I told her quite frankly if they were an up and up bank, with all the problems going on with banks today, they wouldn't be trying to stick me for two bucks!

She agreed to put it through as zero but doubted it would pass the higher ups.

So beware of this fraud ... and this bank ... $24.95 to $125.85 in a matter of 6 months. Not bad if you can get away with it. Now I have to take them on on my wifes card ... it's only up to $105 from 19.95 - I am sure happy about those new Obama credit card laws the Congress enacted, they have really made things better.

On the Lighter Side - An Obama Impressionist

Sometimes its fun to lighten up and watching Steve Bridges, a white guy, do an impression of His Highness is funny. He also does George Bush, Clinton and Swartzenegger. It's worth a look.

Cell Phones!

Now I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that cell phones do have a value. They enable us to be safe, to keep in touch as never before and if used right I'm sure they could improve productivity. But ... it just ain't workin' out that way. I go in the grocery store and have to work around people trying to do the self check out while talking on their cell phones, oblivious to those around them. Come on!

I'm out walking the public walkways and out in the nice quiet I meet people talking away on their cells.

I was presenting a seminar for a company a couple years back and of the twenty five folks in the room twenty of them were on their laptops and cell phones doing supposedly work during my first 30 minutes of presenting. Then I looked in the back of the room and my host, the guy who hired me to do this, was on his phone. I stopped the meeting and told them to take five and walked outside with my host. I told him the issue and he said, "Well they have to be in touch with our customers all the time. I'm teaching them that."

I said, "You do realize that none of your are that important don't you? You need to make this important or their calls are important but not both at the same time. They need to turn off the laptops and phones and participate or go back to work." He did the right thing and told them to turn them off for four hours and they weren't happy.

Notice if you go to the mall how many people are talking on their phones ignoring the real people next to them. In church our leaders have to take the kids cell phones when they come to youth activities. Its sad for sure.

From a leadership point of view cell phones are the most 'dis' empowering devices ever invented. Years ago before pagers and cell phones when the boss left he HAD to place someone in charge and see how they did because he was truly going to be out of touch for a little while. When you went on vacation you placed someone in charge while you were gone. Now? Call me if anything happens. Call me if you need to know what to do.

Somehow cell phones have made everyone so important they just have to stay connected. What's the worst that's going to happen someone will actually make a decision in your absence. We're not that important to have to stay in touch every single minute. I guess in the end it's like the Internet ... some things are wonderful and astounding and others are really bad.

But at least give it up in church, in the line at stores, and in the line waiting to get off the plane (we know you're not that important) and take your ear buds out when you're walking around in public - I mean ...

Kug Heading to Costa Rica

I'm heading out tonight to Costa Rica to visit my youngest daughter who has been there volunteering on a pineapple/cocoa plantation of sorts. My daughter and her husband and their two young ones are going. They're 3 and 6 and our Granddaughter who is 6 is going with us so it should be quite an adventure. Five days on the ground and two travel days. So I'll probably be off the grid for a few days and remember - Go Green and Recycle Congress in 2010!

Something a Little Lighter After that Last One

CANNON BALLS – BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS?

It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem. The storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.

Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.

The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.

Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled.

Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.

Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And all this time, folks thought that was just a vulgar expression?

And let me tell you - right now here in the valley, you could freeze those balls off that monkey.

A Trip to the Dermatologist

Well, it's been a long summer. Finished four operations at the VA and when I left after my last I've had this raging rash all over my body. So the VA in Salt Lake says, "no my problem" and I'm coming home to MT with the news that Salt Lake VA will set up an appointment with the Dermatologist for me. They do. And a week before the appointment when I get my confirmation card in the mail I find out its in Salt Lake and not MT.

MT VA is wonderful so they make me a quick appointment locally so I can get in quick and not drive the four hours to their Dermatologist in Great Falls. I go in late last week only to see a Physicians Assistant who quite frankly was pretty unimpressive. She talked in circles and after my wife said, "Are you going to take a biopsy?" She agreed.

Now I'll take you back to 1969 after my return from two years in the Nam and I had jungle rot all over, still do in some places by the way, and went to a civilian Dermatologist and he looked it over, puzzled, and took a biopsy. And I was called and told I had 'dermatitis' and I was impressed until I went to the dictionary and checked it out - skin disease. That would be like going to the Doctor with a crooked arm and having him take an X-ray and saying he'll call you with the results and voila, it's broken!

So I get the call yesterday from, not the Physicians Assistant, she must be far too busy, I got a call from someone in the office and damned if I dont have dermatitis. She says, "Just continue the treatment". I of course said, "And the treatment is ... ? Because all they gave me was a prescription for some cream that lasted three days. She had to check what the PA said the treatment was and came back with the news it was indeed the cream. I told her I was out and she said they had made it for one refill. I called the pharmacy and that refill isnt good until December 10th.

My daughter has a problem with a different kind of rash on her arm. She lives in UT and went to her provider there who referred her to the Dermatologist of course. She went and they did the biopsy and called her said it was back but it was wrong. What do you mean wrong? Never got a straight answer other than ... drum roll please ... its dermatitis. Apparently that's code for 'I dont have a friggin clue'.

One Thing We Can Do - Walk Our Talk

Here is a short poem sent to me by a friend that seems right on this morning ...


SERMONS WE SEE

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds
For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done.
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true;
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do,
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
--Edgar Guest

Let's have a great day in spite of whatever challenges come our way, and leave a good example along the way.

It's Friggin Cold in Laramie

Driving to Illinois and just stopped in Laramie, WY - spent two nights here in December and it was worse than tonight. It was -20 then and about 15 above right now with snow and ice. Thirty mile truck back up. So good day, not a lot of news from the Puzzle Palace out east.

I did hear though that the CEO at Goldman Sachs took a pay cut this year ... poor man is down to $42.9 million for 2008. And why not, Goldman only lost $2.29 billion (with a B) in the last quarter of last year.

Makes sense in these troubled times I guess. Not sure where our illustrious President was on this one, I mean kick Waggoner out of GM and rave about the bonuses at AIG but lacking some consistancy here.