March 2006

I recently needed to deal with customer support for my cell phone as my package was expiring and I wanted to see what my options were for renewal. My company Bell Mobility has some corporate packages including a BCAA package which is quite attractive. The only problem well I guess one of two problems was the timing of the package, it was ending at the end of Feburary and the second problem was the small print stated it was for “New Customers Only.”. So as I wanted to get on this package I visited my local Bell store and they contacted Customer Service.

The conversation between the store and the Bell CSR (Customer Service Rep) was taking a long time and seemed to be going in circles. Finally after about 15 minutes of discussing and being put on hold the Store rep indicated that we had success and the CSR needed to speak with me to confirm some things. As soon as I got onto the phone the CSR asked me some questions and then proceeded to tell me in very poor English that I was not entitled to the BCAA package and I would have to pick one of the packages available to returning customers. I asked her to explain which package had the features in the BCAA package and she admitted that none of the packages had the features of the BCAA package with the closest features would cost $61 while the BCAA package would cost $30, a sizable difference. The CSR went on to explain that these promotional packages were to entice new customers to join Bell. I asked her about current customers and asked her why Bell did not care about their current customers. She just continued to tell me the same thing over and over again. Like a broken record…. So I said that she was willing to lose a current customer and she again gave me the same story concerning the promo packages. As I had said her English was not good as her native language was French so this made the interaction even more aggravating. Finally after 20 agonizing minutes and me asking to speak to a supervisor multiple times she told me she would put me on hold.

I waited for about ten (10) minutes and a new CSR, a male took the call. I explained the situation and was again told that the promo package were not meant for current customers. Having been told this for the 8th or 9th time I told this CSR that my only option was to cancel and restart my account and if I was to do that I might as well goto another provider. He asked me to hold and within a minute returned and said he would give me the BCAA package as long as I signed up for the 3 year package. So we went over the package to ensure we both were on the same page and he went ahead and set me up. After a call which took over an hour and a quarter and a frustrating conversation with a CSR unwilling to listen or offer options I got the package to which I felt I was entitled.

The most frustrating part of this process is the fact that the original CSR lied to the store rep to get me on the phone and I beleive she thought she could bully me into accepting what she was offering. I had no intention of paying that kind of money for a cell phone and would have cancelled and gone with another company. Also Bell needs to understand that while it looks good for the bottom line to add new customers, all that you are doing is replacing customers that leave due to the terrible treatment they receive from some of your CSRs. You are a service company and you need to provide a positive customer service experience for your current customers. Do not take your current customers for granted.

I have spent a good portion of my working life in customer service and the call center industry so I know what CSR’s should and should not do on a call. During my interaction with the female CSR she was rude, she cut me off and refused to listen to me. She offered no solutions and never asked to put me on hold she just did it which caused me to be even more frustrated. I realize it can be difficult to be a CSR but you understand that not all calls are going to be pleasant and it is your job to defuse and help the customer. Help the customer what a novel concept.

I was reading the other night before going to sleep and my dog Tara was sleeping beside me. As I was reading I heard these noises and looked at Tara she was sleeping and making grunting sounds. I watched her for a while and I also noticed her paws would move periodically as well. I found this fascinating and figured she must be dreaming so I Googled it…Google is my Friend Some very interesting facts, different breeds will dream at different rates a small dog like a toy poodle can dream every 10 minutes while large breeds once every hour or so. The twitching, tail wagging and lip licking are all part of the dream process as well as REM rapid eye movement which is beleived to the dog watching the dream. It is interesting that smaller dogs dream more than larger breeds so does that mean they have better imaginations.
I wonder what my dog dreams about and do dogs have nightmares.

I am currently testing my Family Guy Plugin and putting the finishing touches to it. Once I am satisfied I will release it. You can see it on my page. It is based on Phunky’s Simpsons Plugin, Thanks Phunky for allowing me to use your code as the basis of mine.

So stay tuned!

Is Hollywood only capable of rehashing old stories or should I say previously made movies. Yes I believe some movies can be remade and maybe they will be better but at some point the Movie Big Wigs need to give their collective heads a shake and start hiring writers that can come up with original ideas. It is not that every movie is a remake but it is surprising how many movies are remakes. So I figured over the next couple of weeks or more I would look at the movies in my collection as well as some of the movies I have seen lately. seems that the choices that are made as to which movies

From my collection we have The Manchurian Candidate which was a originally made in 1962 with Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Harvey as Sgt Raymond Shaw. The premise is Raymond Shaw is a war hero from Korea whose Father has political aspirations and will use his son the hero to further those aspirations. Frank Sinatra plays his former commanding officer Ben Marco, from Korea who is experiencing nightmares about their time in Korea. As the story develops we see that Raymond Shaw is not what he seems and the nightmares that Ben Marco is experiencing maybe the key.

The remake made in 2004 started Denzel Washington on the role of Ben Marco and Liev Schreiber as Raymond Shaw. Sam premise except this time the army unit was in Kuwalt. The Raymond Shaw character is the one with political aspirations or should I say it is his Mother who is pulling the strings. As in the original there is an underlying conspiracy which follows a develops as Raymond Shaw gets closer to the White House.

If you haven’t seen the movie and do not want to spoil it do not highlight below.

The Name of the original movie is taken from the fact that the army unit in which the title characters served was captured by the Chinese and brainwashed with Raymond Shaw to be used as a weapon to kill so that the Chinese could control who got into the White House. In the remake it was a corporation Manchurian Global which had brainwashed the unit and Raymond Shaw was to be the next president of the United States, a dream come true for any corporation to control the White House.

Which is better? Well I enjoyed the story of both I especially liked the original story as well as the acting of both Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Harvey. The buildup was believable and the ending made sense. In the remake their were too many wild angles which just seemed too far fetched and took away from the central premise. The ending was predictable and was not well developed. While I like Denzel Washington I did not think he was at full capacity in this role.

In this case the original was better than the remake.

So where does the time go, I have found that not working has given me the “benefit” of a lot of free time. While I am able to keep busy around the house I have found that I have gotten into a few television series. Besides Hockey Night in Canada of course. I started watching 24 and even though I had to download the first 4 seasons it was worth the wait to see Jack Bauer go through complete hell to save the world or at least the Western US as CTU is based in LA and the world revolves around LA so much so that even the President seems to have a permanent residence on the West Coast. While you do need to take a step back from reality to really enjoy the show it is a well made with enough twists that you keep coming back each week for more. I do love the cell phones that Jack uses the batteries never seem to run out for as much time as Jack spends using them. The idea that on any given show a main character could be killed off makes gives the show a unique feel. One thing…is it ever going to happen that CTU is not infiltrated? I know it is asking alot but hey why not.
Another show I have been watching is Prison Break, at first I was not sure how this show could keep it interesting but the story has so many facets that now I am hooked. Their is a story within the story which you are not sure how it is going to be played out. The only bad thing was the show took a sabatical half way through the season ending the first part of the season with a cliffhanger in January and we have been forced to wait till the end of March to see what is going to happen. Not very nice! I love the fact that the show has used new faces instead of big name actors. The actors work and fit together to make an interesting cast of characters.
Also I have been watching is Battlestar Galactica and I am pleasantly surprised at how well made is this series. The show is very different from the original in that this version is more serious with deeper stories and an underlying storyline which we get glimpses of each week. As this was broadcast on the SciFi Channel in the US originally and was picked up by Space channel in Canada I was downloading and watching the versions off of SciFi as it was ahead of what Space was broadcasting. So even though Space is only half way through the second season I have actually seen all of the second season with the final episode on the weekend. I am very impressed with the stories and this series continues to amaze me with the depth of the characters and the different directions the stories take each week. This is the best show on television and I cannot wait for Season 3. Looking forward to many more adventures of the Battlestar Galactica and her rag tag fleet.

I have a very cute toy poodle named Tara who is turning 11 years old next month. As I have written before Tara suffers from seizures which I treat with daily medication(She has been seizure free for about a year) She also is losing her vision and somedays she can see pretty well and other days she cannot see at all. I know this because she can run around the house and not run into anything in her travels on the good days. On the days she cannot see too well she is hesitant when she moves and does not move around too much. I know this confuses her and she is not sure what to do when she cannot see. Sometimes I notice she will walk to the edge of the steps and step forward and realize there is a drop and pull back. She will also do this in the yard at the edge of the lawn where there is a drop-off.

Today there were 2 very scary incidents, we had gone out for a drive to enjoy the beautiful weather. When we got home I let Tara out of the truck and she went into the front yard. As I got to the front door with my hands full of bags of groceries I called her and she ran up to the step and instead of going to the front of the step she went to the side and tried to jump up but she could not possibly make the jump and landed beside the step stuck between the step and the hose reel. I dropped the groceries and picked her up to see if she was hurt and she did not have any injuries. After putting away the groceries I gave Tara a treat and she seemed to be ok.

I was busy in my kitchen which in my house is upstairs with the entrance to the kitchen at the top of the stairs leading down to my front door and also to the basement and my TV room. Along the staircase is a wooden banister which is mostly blocked off by my couch upstairs. There is a 3 foot section which is not blocked beside the stairs. As I was preparing dinner I was watching Tara as she wandered around upstairs, she went into the hall so I followed her and she headed towards the stairs but instead of going downstairs she headed for the banister put her head through which made it look like she was going through so I dove and pulled her back. I am not sure if she was going to walk through the banister but I was not taking chances. She has never done that before.

This has me very concerned and I am scared that she is getting worse and will hurt herself. I know she is scared and confused. She has been a part of the family since she was 6 weeks old and has been my constant companion since my parents passed away 4 years ago. I am afraid that I am going to lose my friend. I hope this is only a blip and she will be ok. I do not want to make the decision. Life is not fair.

The Flames made 2 deals before the trading deadline getting Jamie Lundmark from Phoenix and sending Jason Wiemer to New Jersey. This is pretty much what Darryl Sutter said he would do which is stand pat and go forward with the players already in place. As all FLames fans know the team struggles at times to score goals which forces them to play a very defensive game. One reason this team continues to be successful is they play a total team game and have stellar goaltending from Miikka Kiprusoff on most nights. They have shown they can beat any team on any night and also have shown that due to lack of goal scoring they are vulnerable to a loss. While I know they are challenged to score they are exciting to watch and have a skilled and well rounded team from the goaltending out.

So the question is will we see another Stanley Cup run from Calgary and the answer is Yes they have the goaltending and defense and can keep teams from scoring too many goals against which as we know in the playoffs is key. All teams tighten up and the playoffs are a different game.
The teams with the solid goaltending and established defense have the best chance. Carolina, Ottawa (with Hasek healthy), Detroit, Calgary, Philadelphia, Nashville, and the NY Rangers. You may think other teams should be on this list but I think that the other potential teams lack chemistry or either goaltending or defense. Having sadi that once a team gets through the first round a team can get hot and push through to the finals. Just look at Calgary.

Director and ex-Monty Python Terry Gilliam is fine with people pirating his movies, as long as they don’t screw up the encoding!

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With the passing of Dana Reeve from Lung Cancer on Monday it got me to thinking. Yesterday was my Mom’s birthday she would have been 70 years old. She passed away 4 years ago from lung cancer. I occasionally think about my Mom but yesterday I was out driving around when I heard about Dana Reeve and I had to pull over to collect myself. I am not sure why it hit me so hard, maybe her age which is only 3 years older than me or possibly the connection to my mother’s death. Not sure which it is but I was very surprised at how I reacted.

I spent last evening thinking about life and where I am with my life. I do not normally get into deep thought but I guess with how fragile life can be it is not surprising that we sometimes need to put things into perspective. For me I am not sure what the next few weeks or months hold for me as I continue to search for a job. I will take each day as it comes and will not sweat the small stuff like I used to do all the time. It’s pretty simple life is to fragile and too short.

I am trying this new theme which is cleaner than the previous one I was using. I am a bit a of pack rat and tend to overdo it by adding too much. I will try and not clutter this one up and see what it looks like in a bit of time. Theme is called WP_Andreas06 and is available here

Looking for feedback please be constructive. Thanks!

I received a call to participate in a telephone poll. The first part of the poll asked me about Lip Balms and lip care products. After asking me the questions about different lip products the interviewer asked me what I thought about Wayne Gretzky. She then proceeded to ask me if I had heard about the recent news of the gambling “scandel” which I of course have heard about it. She then asked me if my opinion had changed of Wayne and whether I felt it had affected his reputation. I said I still hold Wayne in high regard and will continue to hold him in high regard. Finally the interviewer asked me if the “Scandel” would impact Wayne as a spokeman and I of course said no. Then the final question concerned whether the “scandel” would impact Wayne as spokesman for Ford and of course I said it would not. Obviously someone at Ford likes to read the bullshit that the media puts out and has some sort of concern about public confidence. Well whoever at Ford or their advertising company decided to commission this poll needs to get their head out of their ass and realize this man is the most honest upstanding person you could hope to have endorse your product.

As for the media it is obvious that most of the media are pond scum (actually lower but I don’t what to call it) for putting someone, anyone through the bullshit that you put Wayne Gretzky through because you smelled a possible story with no detail or collaboration. Isn’t it strange that the lead up to the Olympics and the first day or so of the Olympics this was the lead story and then all of sudden it disappeared. Hmmm makes one wonder maybe the press was wrong, maybe the press are scum and do not care if they get their facts straight, maybe the press consider everyone guilty until the facts prove otherwise. There is no maybe about it, the press are bloodsuckers and do not care that they could ruin a person wih false accusations all to sell a newspaper, get some rating on TV or for a broadcaster to be the one to “Break the Big Story”. Too many times it happens where the press is wrong and all they do is shut up about it because the story is not worth reporting.

Ever notice when a retraction is printed it is normally buried in some corner and not front and center where the original story was broadcast.

A little update and for those that do not know, I have been out of work since May of 2005. I spent a little time traveling in June 2005 I went to Calfornia for two weeks. In August I took a road trip to decide if I wanted to move to Eastern Canada so I went job searching in Ottawa and Toronto (Center of the Universe), Ontario. I used to live in Ottawa and my brother and his wife live in Petawawa which is about 90 minutes north of Ottawa. On the trip across Canada I stopped in Winnipeg but it did not appeal to me and then Calgary and Edmonton.

I do not think I could handle Toronto (Center of the Universe), as the size, traffic and probably the winters do not appeal to me. Did I say it was the Center of the Universe. As for Ottawa it has the appeal of my brother being nearby and Quebec is right across the river but it has crappy winters and I did not really enjoy living there previously. Mind you I have changed and I know Ottawa has changed as well.

Winnipeg did not hold much promise as I do not like how isolated it felt to me. I did not feel comfortable and also did not really find any jobs which piqued my interest. Not knowing anyone in the city did not help either.

As for Calgary, the city of my birth, I think I could handle living here even though they have snow. Where I live in British Columbia my winters consist of lots of rain and very little snow. Going to to a place that has snow 6-8 months of the year is a difficult decison. Calgary is also home to my hockey team the Calgary Flames so that is another plus. The city has alot of benefits including a good vareity of jobs. I have dipped my foot in here and had some response but nothing solid yet.

In Edmonton I have the concern with weather, even moreso than Calgary. The biggest benefit to Edmonton is I have family that lives there and my good friend Sean and his family live there now. I have spent sometime job searching here with the intent of moving here if somthing comes up. No serious responses yet but i am still hoping.

It will be a major move for me as I have lived in Chilliwack for 20 years and currently live in a large 3000 sq ft house with lots of stuff (yes I am getting rid of stuff). So any move will be a very traumatic experience and very costly making any decision a very difficult one.

Why do I want to leave Chilliwack after 20 years, well I am single and to be completely honest there is nothing in Chilliwack for me. Don’t get me wrong my friends are great and I love them but they have there own lives and so I might get together with them once a month if that. So I have nothing holding me here and I think in a different place I might have a better opportunity to meet someone who could become my better half.

Wish me luck in my job search and my search for my soulmate.

Check out Mystical Incense & More The Blog

Quite an interesting blog with a very interesting layout and a great variety of content. I spent quite a bit of time reading and enjoyed the No Trolls post. Stephanie has a buisness making incense, and soaps at her website Mystical Incense & More. Definitely worth a look especially if you like to smell good or if you want your house to smell good. Quite an enterprising lady!