Customer Support Line: The Eteneral Headache

--- THIS BLOG HAS BEEN ABANDONED. OUR NEW HOME IS: THE WEASEL SOAP BOX ---

There is nothing worse than having something you expect to work because you pay dearly for the service, for it to break down. This applies to anything, whether you bought it under a warrant, or you're paying a monthly fee for a service like internet or cable TV.

That alone is irritating, the worse part is having to make that dreaded call to the customer inquiry hotline, and plod through the clumsily developed system that requires you to speak to a machine that often doesn't understand what you say because it is poorly configured and the programming behind it is inherently flawed.

The days of simply pushing the corresponding number to get to where you want to go are gone; it's been replaced by voice recognition, which isn't nearly as useful as the button system.

One such example of this "technology", which is to make our lives "easier" is the system that Rogers uses. You call one number and you're greeted by a generic male voice which sounds distinctly mid-western American; that flat toneless accent. Listening to it is an insult to one's intelligence.

This says nothing of the range of support you get. It can go from scripted mediocrity to something that could be considered passable tech/helpdesk tech support, though it has failed to impress me.

The kind of support given to the average computer user seems lacking most days. The people they hire are lacking something as well - knowledge of the subject matter that comes from something other than a brief 15-minute orientation and a script that they can read off, in an attempt to pass it off as their own knowledge.

If you want to get anywhere, you've got to know how to by the first line; you've got to breech the line of ignorance. But, be prepared to face more waiting. Long queues are the company's way of getting people to be complacent due to impatience and willingly accept the first spoon full of bullshit that is shoved in our faces.

Often, they can give you the feeling that they just aren't listening to you, and try and force you to do it their way, even though it's clearly wrong.

I'm glad the only time I've ever needed to call in is when my external connection actually fails... Of course, if it happens, I can be prepared to deflect their condescending, patronisation that they use to give themselves a sense of self-inflated satisfaction from being able to "help" someone instead of just answering a question and letting the person be on their way.

By the Bloated Numbers

--- THIS BLOG HAS BEEN ABANDONED. OUR NEW HOME IS: THE WEASEL SOAP BOX ---

In the year of 1915, two years before the United States of America knew thw reality of the Great War (World War One), the population of that nation hit the milestone of one hundred million people (100,000,000).

In 1967, at the height of an era that saw the rise of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and Detriot was plagued by the infamous race riots that killed many, the population of the USA hit a second milestone, it passed two hundred million (200,000,000).

Now, a short 39 years later, in 2006, this year, the population of the USA has hit three hundred million (300,000,000).

Yes, it doesn't sound like much when one considered the vast populations of India and China, which stand respectively at 1,110,000,000 and 1,313,333,000. China has 20% of the world's population, India has 16% of the world's population, while the US now has 4.5% of the world's total population.

Or, I could put it another way... for every 9 people in the USA, there is 1 person on Canada (pop. 32,654,500).

While it is a large population, it isn't as densely populated as many European nations, which while having tinier populations, have far less living space.

In this year's Congressional and Senator elections, which segment of the 300,000,000 US citizens will be represented fairly? The same number as always, because of the disfunctional electoral college, built on partisan politics, with no room for a third party option.

Source

TTC: A Broken, Flawed System

--- THIS BLOG HAS BEEN ABANDONED. OUR NEW HOME IS: THE WEASEL SOAP BOX ---

The TTC, and other forms of public transportation, at least in North America are part of a greater system that broke many years ago due to the "Common Sense Revolution" in which the funding for such systems were massively clawed back, despite that the energy crisis of the 70s had served as a stern walk-up call for car owners, who switched from their large land yachts to smaller, more economy-efficiant vehicles for a short time. They threw aweay that idea in the 90s with the introduction of the "SUV" - the bane of the road!

The roads are crawling with over-sized inefficiant SUVs and mini-vans,which in rush hour are driven by only one person. These vehicles aren't alone on the road, there are also standard size cars and pick-up trucks. In the midst of the traffic jungle exists another type of vehicle that embraces a more "communist" way of getting around, public transit!

Buses, subways and street cars make up the types of vehicles in this particular class. They carry massive numbers of people, often crammed into a tiny space with no breathing room, giving the commuter the unmistakeable experience of being a "sardine" in a very tightly packed can.

One can get such an experience in Toronto rush hour, especially if they ride one of many "frequently" running buses that speed through the streets, ignoring stops because they're packed to the teeth with disgruntled workers and the like. But, don't fret, there will be another bus just behind it that has nobody on it. They prefer to pack one bus before using a more spacious one to accomdate the many bodies.

There is nothing quite like sitting on a bench seat in the bus and having some very LARGE person sit next to you, and be pushed to one side because their ass is unable to fit in the standard size bus seat. Matters are made worse if you're unluck enough to be seated between two people of this size. They seats are unable to contain the oozing masses of fat that seem to roll over the seat and into yours, making you not only extremely uncomfortable at the close quarters, but, it leaves you feeling like a breast in a mammogram.

The drivers, while some are friendly, I find that some are often surely and unhelpful. Or, they don't stop the bus when you clearly want to get on and they haven't even left the station.

No matteyr how much you run, it is often futile because these drivers refuse to stop once that foot feels the very tip of the pedal. What the hell is this, Speed? The bus can't go under 50km/h lest it blows up simply because there is room for one more person to get on?

Or, the subways. I find that often they don't give you any time at all to get on or off during rush hour. There is only time for the massive number of bodies to depart before the bells ding signalling that the doors will close, despite that people haven't got on yet.

The trains either run too close together or too infrequently...

Or... the drivers, whether of a bus or train wait at a station for a long period of time, making us people impatient, while they go do something other than their job.

I thought this was supposed to be the better way?



I doubt it is... it's just one more headache.

Cyber Nations - Another Way to Avoid Work!

--- THIS BLOG HAS BEEN ABANDONED. OUR NEW HOME IS: THE WEASEL SOAP BOX ---

If NationStates isn't enough of a distraction for you, then, like me, you'll want something more! Something that lets you have more control over your nation other than picking an option in an issue that you find utterly asinine.



So, why not step on over to Cyber Nations and make your own nation! You get more control, and best of all, you can be really nice and have your people be happy or be a real asshole and make your people extremely miserable!



I have my own, and unlike NS it actually looks like a real nation, none of that 6+ billion population shit... Kousei.



Best of all, you actually get to declare war on your least favourite nation! Think of all the n00bs that get pwn'd!