GooseTales

Hecht's Clearance

You might want to scurry out to the burbs to the Wheaton Shoppingtowne.  The Hecht's out there is closing and as a result everything in the store is 40-60% off.  I went a little crazy, piling up bargains and spent more than I should have.  All told, it's a nice take and I recommend you get some loot while you can.  They should be open for 4 more weeks.

Comcast Update

So, I got up this morning at 7:30, in case Comcast was to arrive at 8 am (they said between 8 and 11).  I received a call from the Comcast rep saying he was in route at 8:40 and would arrive in 20-25 minutes.  He showed up just after 9 and he turned into them, because there were two guys.  The had me show them where the cable came in and checked the lines.  I explained the problem and the guy said it sounded like a bad box.  They said the signal was low.  They went downstairs and replaced an old connector in the box, which corrected the signal problem.

The guy was honest and told me he really expects it is a bad box and that he doesn't expect the stronger signal to correct the problem as I wasn't having a problem with a digital channel.  I asked if they'd had a lot of problems with the dual-tuner box and they acknowledged that they were.  I told him about the many complaints I've read online about the boxes freezing.  The rep explained that they are out of boxes, because they've been replacing so many.  He gave me his cell number and told me to check in with him on Wednesday.  He said if they got some in, he would set a new box aside for me until next Saturday when he would install it.

All in all, the service was excellent.  Sadly, my problem is not fixed, which makes me wonder if I'm going to have more problems with 24 this Monday.  I hope not.

The Comcast DVR Ripoff

I have a Comcast DVR cable box.  My parents have Time-Warner and have never had a problem with their box, so I thought I'd get mine from the cable company and see how it works out.  I've had it for about 4 months and I have to say, it's a complete rip off.  It wouldn't be if it worked, but it doesn't.  Since I got it, I've have the following problems:

(1) Change the channels and the sound cuts out.
(2) Turn on the TV and the sound won't work.
(3) DVR Playback locks up and freezes the box.
(4) DVR will not allow you to change channels when it is recording something (it should be able to as it's dual-tuner).

Most frustrating about this and what ultimately led to a stream of explicatives tonight was not being able to playback 24.  I've spent over an hour and ten minutes trying to watch 40 minutes of TV.  I have to start the program over and fast forward through the point where it froze and then start playback.  Then, repeat.  As it is, I'm sure I missed important points, because I had to fast forward over them and I can't see the last five minutes or so of the episode.

I called Comcast tonight and complained.  I finally got through and talked to someone and was able to convince them to send someone out here to look at it.  There are a lot of sites complaining about the Comcast box online (Google "Comcast DVR Freezes").  It seems Comcast has to be aware that this is a massive problem and continues to sell the box and push it onto consumers who have no idea that the product is flawed to the point of being unusable.  This just looks like a class-action lawsuit waiting to happen.  I'm not a big fan of class actions, but in a case like this where Comcast has a monopoly (I can't get satellite in my apartment and no other cable provider services my area) it seems like this might be the perfect opportunity to send them a message about treating your customers right.

The service tech is supposed to be out here between 8 AM and 11 AM on Saturday.  We'll see if they show up and I'll update with a post about the resolution or lack there of based on my Internet research then.

Target Responds!

So, I got my emailed response from Kevin in Target Guest Relations.  It took approximately 46 hours for them to respond, not too bad, I suppose.  Let's look at the email...

I'm sorry for the trouble you've had with the chair you bought at Target.

Returns of defective products at Target are easy when you have a receipt dated within 90 days. Just bring in your defective item with your receipt and we'll be happy to refund or exchange your purchase. You may also contact the store by calling at 301) 946-8006. Can't find your receipt? Don't worry if you paid by credit card, debit card, GiftCard or check, we can probably find it for you! Just bring in the item along with your card or checkbook; we'll check our records to see if we can help.

Without a receipt If the chair was bought more than 90 days ago, the manufacturer may be able to offer warranty or repair service. If you need help getting in touch with them, give us a call at (800) 303-0308 and we'll get their number for you.

This very nice response was clearly auto-penned with a global replace for [product] with chair.  This email does nothing to address my real concern.  In my email to Target, I told them that my local Target and the ones that are near me didn't have any more of the chair.  So, how exactly am I going to exchange it for another one? In my email, I specifically said I didn't want a refund, I wanted the chair... I like the chair.  Don't you want my money, Target?  Apparently, not, because I'm offered the option to refund it.  My email told them I had returned home from purchasing the chair only minutes earlier.  If the chair was purchased more than 90 days ago?  Huh?   You're kidding right, you did read the email, right Kevin? 

Well, all of this matters little because of the effort of one local employee who took the effort to look for the chair not once, but twice, find one and then tell me where it was so that I could come exchange it.  She even called me back after telling me the first time they didn't have any to tell me she'd found some in the wrong place.  That, Target, is customer service.  Someone needs to tell Kevin.

Target Revisited

Stop the presses!  Someplace in the DC area actually understands customer service.  One of the Target stores I had called had taken my number and called me back after checking the sales floor to make sure they didn't have one.  They had called within about 10 minutes and told me that unfortunately, they didn't have any left and confirmed what the chair I wanted looked like.  About 15 minutes after I'd posted, they called again and the woman told me she had found 3 somewhere other than where they were supposed to be.  She couldn't hold one for me, because it's a clearance item, but told me where they were in the store so I could locate them easily.

I headed out the door, chair in hand, and arrived at the Rockville/Montrose Crossing Target in about 25 minutes.  I stopped by the customer service desk, explained I'd bought the chair earlier from the Wheaton Target and that it was broken and I'd been told when I called that they had some on the floor.  They let me leave the chair there, I ran upstairs and grabbed the chair (where a woman came over and offered to help me put inon my shopping cart).  I brought it back down to customer service, showed her my receipt, she scanned some things and I was out with a new (unbroken, we checked) chair in about 20 minutes. 

Great job Target!  Now, we'll see how long it is before I hear from their customer service department about that email.

Updated Here.

Target Furniture

So, I used part of my day off to venture farther out into the DC burbs to Target.  As usual, I left with much more than what I'd intended to come out with.  I ended up wandering around and stumbled upon the Global Bazaar section of the store where everything was being clearanced for 50% off.  I looked through various accessories and such looking for bargains, when I came across this chair.  I'm in the process of replacing the truly hideous and dog-ruined furniture in my apartment and I liked the look of this chair.  They had two on the sales floor and one boxed up.  I took the one that was boxed up and brought it home.

At $99.99, it seemed as though I'd scored a huge deal.  It is with great trepidation that I consider Target furniture having had it fall apart in the past.  This piece is well built from solid mahogany and is bolted together with double bolts.  The floor models seemed quite sturdy and I was very impressed.  Sadly, when I got it home and unpacked (it comes assembled), I discovered the back leg of the chair has a large crack running up it.  I've called every Target store in the area seeking a replacement and none have on  in stock.

Noticing that it is available on the Target web site, albeit at full price, I fired off an email to customer service explaining the problem and hoping for some solution.  I really do like the chair and hate to just return it, but I'll have little choice if they don't come through.  Even at less that $100, it just isn't worth it for a broken chair.  (I also noticed in the online comments everyone seems to love the chair, but several people had a problem with them being broken... they should really reconsider their packaging.)

Updated: Here and Here.

Razor Blades Cut Deep

Well, I skipped over the whole powered manual razor craze by sticking to my Mach 3 Turbo and ignoring the introduction of the Mach 3 Power.  Well, I decided to go for it and purchase the new Fusion Power, make the jump from 3 to 5 blades (6, if you count the "precision" blade), and add power all at once.  It provides a good shave, but I don't know if it's significantly better than the Mach 3 Turbo was.  The little vibrations do seem to life the hairs on my face a little bit and allow for a cleaner cut.  The precision blade isn't that useful.  You have the get the angle just right or it won't cut anything.  It does help a little bit right under the nose though which you can't get to at all with the massive head that is required to hold the five blades, lubricating strip, etc that Gillette has shoved onto the end of the razor.

Now, here's the kicker.  I had to buy some new blades while I was out today.  They come in at roughly $15 per 4 pack of blades or $27 for an 8 pack.  I figure I change my blade about once per week (which is what Gillette recommended in an advertising campaign a couple of years back "start your week of right").  It's clear to see why they like this strategy.  The razor only set me back $10, but the blades will run me between $175 and $195 per year.  That's quite a chunk of change for some small little blades, some plastic, and some rubber.  Now, I know that the blades "precision cut" and what have you, but really, it seems like an enormous ripoff.

This will interest no one...

Check out this video... it's unbelievable.  I mean, no one else will likely care, but I think the way this works is really cool.  What a great invention...

http://www.sawstop.com/media/Table%20Saw%20-%20WMV%20high.wmv