Sing a Song for Safety - Latest Comments

Re: Why I’ve Canceled Clearwire

GIA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:34:13 -0000

02/24/2010. 04:29 AM PST.

I seriously HATE THEM.

I signed up February 2009. Since then, I have had NOTHING but problems. When I say problems, this is what I mean: No signal, poor signal, horrible signal, signal outage, no internet, slow internet, REALLY slow internet, lagging, HORRIBLY slow upload/download speeds, connection problems.

I have two accounts. The one that I signed up in February 2009 was for me && my husband. Then I signed up for another account for my in-laws I believe in March 2009. Now, over here in Seattle, they have been busy switching Clearwire over to Clear. For free. Promising faster upload && download speeds, better connectivity, etc. So, I got an e-mail for MY account, saying that in order to receive my upgrade, I needed to fill out a form on their website, because if I didn't, my internet wouldn't work. So I filled out the form, then they said they would be sending me a new modem. I got the new modem a couple days later, (This was back in October or November 2009 btw) && plugged it in. NOTHING. I didn't even bother calling, because I've called before, && they happen to have some of the SHITTIEST customer service that ever was, so I just didn't see a point, plus my Clearwire modem still worked, so I figured they hadn't switched over yet. Then, a few weeks ago, my internet totally just stopped working. I couldn't figure it out for hours, until I remembered about the new Clear modem. So I plugged that in, voila, internet again. I find it interesting that I didn't get any sort of e-mail or phone call or even just a mailer saying they were going to switch over, or what date, etc. Then my father in-law tells me that he hasn't had internet for like three weeks. WTF?? So I call Clearwire to figure it out. Then some jackass proceeds to tell me it's MY fault that they don;t have any internet, because I didn't do the process right. He said that I filled out a form, && got the back legwork of switching over completed, but I didn't finish filling out the form to get the new modem. He says that it looked like someone on my end didn't complete everything, or else a new modem would have been sent out. So, he tells me to call Clearwire, that they're open from 6 AM PST - 8 PM PST. So I call. Tells me they are closed. He tells me to call back, try different extensions. I again tell him it's not working. He tells me that I guess I'll just have to wait until 9 AM to call. I am now late to work, as it is 8:45 AM. I spend 30 minutes waiting for a damn rep, then spent 30 mins talking to a rep who didn't know his ass from his face. So when I get to work, I call Clearwire. The new rep I am now talking with, tells me THAT IT IS NOT MY FAULT, that it is CLEARWIRE'S fault I never received a new modem. HA! I ask for a credit. He says he will see what he can do. I end up getting a $20 credit.

So, about an hour && a half ago, my internet goes out again. For like the 4938573947523947549574th times since I've had the piece of shit. So I hop onto someone else's UNsecured wireless network in our apartment building, so that I can speak with another idiot who thinks he is a CUSTOMER SERVICE rep. - eye roll.

Here's the conversation:

Hello Gia. Please wait while we find a CLEAR specialist to help you.
Your question was: My internet is NOT working. This happens to me about 3 or 4 times a month, always between the times of 1 am - 5 am PST. My internet will usually be gone from anywhere to 2 - 4 hours. This is when I work, && it really pisses me off. I am not paying you to NOT have internet service for any period of time.
You have been connected to Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan: Hi Jinna! I'll be happy to help you today!
Gia: Michael Jordan?
Michael Jordan: The reason this is, is because the towers are having mandatory updates applied to them which disconnects the service.
Gia: Ok, well I think I should get a credit on my account every time this happens.
Gia: && I was NEVER told this when I signed up.
Michael Jordan: We only give credits if it lasts for more than 24 hours at a time.
Gia: That's bullshit.
Gia: I'm supposed to be working right now.
Gia: But guess what?
Gia: I CAN'T.
Gia: I'm using someone ELSE'S unsecured wireless network to talk to you right now.
Michael Jordan: I apologize for the inconvenience.
Gia: && I can't cancel, because I have a stupid 2 year contract with you.
Gia: You can say that you're sorry all you want, but how does that fix MY problem Michael Jordan?
Gia: Do you have ANY idea, how much this interferes with my work schedule?
Michael Jordan: I would advise that you speak with tech support from 9am to 10pm for further assistance at 888-888-3113.
Gia: You bet I'm going to. AGAIN. This isn't the first problem I've had with Clearwire, && I'm willing to bet my life, it won't be the last.
Your session has ended. You may now close this window.

Wasn't he helpful? NOT. I am SO pissed off right now. My husband works graveyard, so I do all my work then as well, so we can keep the same sleeping schedule. Right now, I can't work. I CANNOT use UNsecured internet for my work...

So, don't get Clearwire. It's not worth it. The hassle, the fight. Ridiculous. Yes, they are cheap... FOR A REASON. I will be heading back to Comcast when my contract is up, && I will also, be blogging, e-mailing, anyone, && everyone I possibly can, that will listen, all the reasons to NEVER get Clearwire, && why they suck ass.

- GIA. Seattle, WA.

Re: Musicians Friend Fails Again

shipbu1lder — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:16:41 -0000

On Nov 30, 2009 I purchased a guitar with case and a few other items from Musicians Friend using cash in my PayPal account to pay them. Less than 2 weeks later I called and obtained a return number and returned the guitar and case because I didn't like the feel of the guitar. On Dec 17, 2009 they received the items. On Dec 22 I still had not received my refund to my PayPal account so I contacted them. They claimed they had refunded the money and I insisted they didn't. Then they had the audacity to tell me I was mistaken and as far as they were concerned the matter was closed. So I filed complaints with the BBB, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission and sent them copies.

Suddenly they changed their tune and apologize saying there was some sort of glitch in getting the refund to go through. Days later, still no refund on my PayPal account so I filed a dispute with PayPal which froze their account. Then they claimed they couldn't issue the refund because of my dispute against them. I lifted the dispute so they could credit my account, but still on credit.

It's now been nearly 3 weeks, no credit on my PayPal account and now they're claiming that they refunded my money a long time ago. I've even written letters to Robert Eastman and the CEO of Guitar Center which should arrive any day now.

This company has many complaints against it if you do a google search and they all seem to have something in common, lie after lie after lie from Musicians Friend customer service.

Re: Why I’ve Canceled Clearwire

Chris — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:48:43 -0000

I have been a Clearwire customer since 2007 and like it very much. My needs are not as high tech as yours. What I like about Clearwire is I was able to "fire" my Time Warner cable AND my rarely used AT&T landline. I was becoming annoyed at paying Bell South or Time Warner, - just to be able to get Internet Service.
I love that Clear is wireless. Also like that it is transportable. This is a BIG benefit. Just unplug the Modem from the wall electrical socket and move it to any other room. Or, stick it in my travel bag and use a laptop in a motel. No rewiring needed. No additional Internet package for the laptop. Clearwire works anywhere (in their service areas) where there is electricity and an outlet.
Clearwire allows me to be unshackled to pre-installed cables and phone lines.
I first had it set up where I got 4 green lights out of 5. My new move to another room gives me 5 out of 5 lights all the time. During last weeks snow storm it went down to 4, with no noticeable change in access. I haven't checked the download speed, but it's a whole lot faster than the old Bell South high speed I had. And, a whole lot cheaper considering I'm not paying for a phone service just to get Internet. My friends who use the local cable company for Internet say their service slows considerably when the usage is high. For the ordinary user, Clearwire (now Clear) is excellent.

Re: Redone Vocals

danieljohnsonjr — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:55:50 -0000

Thanks for giving us permission to play your song. It definitely had that "Future Retrospect" feel and was a fantastic way to start off the program.

Re: A Week Isn’t Enough (Repost)

danieljohnsonjr — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:38:08 -0000

I've often felt the same way when Veteran's Day or Memorial Day comes around. You don't say "Happy Memorial Day" or "Happy Veteran's Day". Those times, as well as during Fire Safety Week, are not necessarily celebration times. More times to reflect on why we're marking those times, and, in the case of your very practical blog post, to put things into action.

Re: Song for Jamie

D.J. Dawes — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:36:47 -0000

Jamie will always be missed but we must remember that he is home now. Jamie loved worship music, but can you imagune what is like in Heaven for him. Jamie is having a hayfay. But what we all must remember is that Jamie's suffering is over.

Re: We’ll Miss You, Jamie

bbluesman — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:04:25 -0000

Sorry for your loss man! RIP-Jamie!

Re: St. Louis Fire Department Crash

Fire Extinguishers — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:44:30 -0000

Let's hope that all the firefighters are back to full health with no trauma because, when they're needed in a fire fighting emergency, they'll always be there for us

Re: St. Louis Fire Department Crash

Fire Safety Equipment — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:23:54 -0000

This is such a sad turn of events. You never really think about who will help the rescue workers when they need rescuing.

Re: Kuk Sul Do Black Belt Promotion

Jo — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:17:33 -0000

Thank you ,, thank you, thank you... this is impressive!

Re: Musicians Friend Fails Again

They Suck !!! — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:32:56 -0000

BBB Rating

Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of D+.

Reasons for this rating include:
Number of complaints filed against business.
Number of complaints filed against business that were not resolved.

Business Contact and Profile

Name: Musicians Friend
Phone: (801) 501-8874
Fax: (801) 501-9552
Address: 180 W Election Rd Ste 100
Draper, UT 84020
Website: www.musiciansfriend.com
http://www.musiciansfriend....
Original Business Start Date: October 1983
Principal: Mr Paul Christensen, Complaint Contact
Customer Contact: Mr Paul Christensen, Complaint Contact - (801) 501-9551 or paul.christensen@musiciansfriend.com
Email Address: cpurkey@musiciansfriend.com
Industry Classification: Musical Instruments-Dealers, Internet Shopping Services, Mail Order & Catalog Shopping, Recording Service-Sound & Video
BBB Accreditation: This company is not a BBB Accredited business.
Additional DBA Names: Musician's Friend
Musician's Friend, Inc.

Re: Amazon Widget is Cool for My Kid CD

scott zeilenga — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:01:32 -0000

Heh. Rich you may be a genius. I definitely have to blog a review of your album for my site soon. Safety songs for kids is a very creative idea, and is the epitome of preparedness (raising the next generation to be ready). Great stuff.

Re: Prevent Dryer Fires

scott zeilenga — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:57:14 -0000

Very cool. Thanks. I will pass this on to my workplace and maybe include it in a future blog post on home safety.

Re: Is Obama a Citizen? This Lawyer Says No

Mike Cornett — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:31:04 -0000

A long and "qualified" resume from our current political office holders hasn't worked too well. I'm ready for a change! Although, I'm not affiliated with either of the two "gangs". I'm tired of the same old crap, same buzz-word propaganda speak.

Fine, I'll just say it...We need a revolution!
Onward...
Mike

Re: Is Obama a Citizen? This Lawyer Says No

richpalmer — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:26:25 -0000

Interesting. Thanks for the links, Hunter. It is always good to get as much of the perspective as possible. I'm not an Obama supporter at all, but not because of this potential citizenship issue. I just don't see how he is qualified to be our Chief of Staff. I've yet to see anything valuable enough to show he is ready for this role.

Re: Is Obama a Citizen? This Lawyer Says No

Hunter Johnson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:53:41 -0000

The judge said this lawyer doesn't have a leg to stand on, though.

http://www.philly.com/daily...

Berg's also the lawyer who represented a client who sued President Bush over 9/11.

Re: Ban Political Ads

richpalmer — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:38:34 -0000

Thanks, Caleb. This is a great reply and one that I certainly am glad to get. If you followed the thread of conversation over there you would also see that I replied to another comment from @attitude. It goes like this:

"@attitude
You know... you are absolutely right. I agree that we cannot and should not ban any speech. Excellent point. And, as a Libertarian, I absolutely believe that we all have rights and liberties that cannot and should not be oppressed. I appreciate that you brought to light.

So I'm a bit conflicted, eh? :D Of course, my typical response to any ad like this is to just turn it off or ignore it. That would certainly be the easiest approach to advise for most people. "You don't like it, don't pay attention to it."

My ire has been raised with the unfair approaches lately. The debate situation has not helped my attitude.

I wonder, though... is paid advertising "free" speech? That might be a topic for another thread.

Great counterpoint and certainly what I was hoping to see. Cheers!"

As far as the debates go... it is BROKEN. No, I don't agree that it is reasonable to say that the person with less than 15% in the polls shouldn't be given an opportunity to speak. One of the problems with the polls is that the BIG GOVERNMENT has led the public to only believe in bipartisan options. Most people are lemmings. They will jump off the cliff with the rest of the bunch because they don't know any better.

I don't follow a charismatic politician. I look at the views, the issues at hand, and the opportunity to change the status quo that we seem to be living. Electing a donkey or an elephant to the office will not change this system that everyone is crying about.

Look at the recent bailout issue. I don't think the people making the decisions EVER listened to what was being said by the populace. People were/ARE against his bailout, yet the effort from our big porker government is to still push it through.

We need better opportunities to level the playing field for everyone.

I agree, we should not, cannot ban speech. But perhaps there are better ways to put systems in place so that independent candidates do not get pushed under the rug.

As far as your comments about the celebs on the ballot. In my opinion, that's what we have with Obama. He's a political celebrity with little to no experience actually doing what he says needs to be done.

There is an official list of candidates for presidential election. This legal, official list should have been included in the debates. ALL of those persons should be given the voice. But the debate committee is made up of the bipartisan faction. Gee, wonder why they wouldn't want the independents there. Truthfully, these bipartisan candidates should have REQUIRED them to be in the debate if they felt that their positions are solid and that their view on the issues are sound.

As far as your comments on "a really good third party candidate". What constitutes "good?" I don't consider either the Dem or GOP candidates to be "good." So what is the baseline for the value? I don't vote for candidates; I vote for the issues that need to be addressed. And I've yet to have anyone be able to tell my HOW and WHY Obama can solve our nation's problems. Or McCain for that matter. I just hear the same regurgitated campaign slogans and rhetoric.

McCain is on a power trip and Obama has no executive experience. These are our choices? No, they're not... we have others. More people need to educate themselves instead of jumping into the popularity contest vote. High school homecoming kings and queens get these kind of votes. It appears that the U.S. citizenry is just following this example.

People should visit http://votesmart.org.

I do absolutely appreciate your feedback. We need more of this dialogue.

Re: Ban Political Ads

Caleb — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:06:18 -0000

I can't seem to reply over on the original thread but banning political ads is almost the most un-American thing a person could do. We need more free speech not less.

Another approach might be to regulate the prices charged for ads, at least on broadcast radio and tv, to make it more equitable or even require stations to run X number of ads for free. There are a lot of options on both this and financing that could theoretically work without limiting free speech.

However, I think this year has shown us just how much you can acheive with grassroots funding. Obama's internet fund-raising and message spreading and his ability to mobilize volunteers has really been a political game changer. There's really no reason why any of the independents couldn't do nearly as well if they had the right message and the charisma.

As for the debates, my understanding is that they limit it to people with 15% support in the polls. Which doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Otherwise what criteria would you use to keep every debate from going the way of California's Gubenatorial recall election with Porn Star Mary Cary, and a hundred other C or D list celebrities getting on the ballot just for publicity's sake?

I think now, more than ever. A really good third party candidate could use the internet to get more than 15% in the polls, get in the debates and or win. We just haven't seen a really good third party candidate come along yet. There are still more obstacles to clear for a third party candidate but look at who the front runner is now. It's not like Obama hasn't had some extra hurdles to jump. It seems to have helped him in the long run.

Re: Bob Barr on the Bailout

bbluesman — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:23:11 -0000

A tiny island of reason and clarity in the sea of mud, greed and marketing/spinnng.

Re: http://richpalmer.com/blog/2008/08/25/just-about-lost-my-web-presence/

Bryce Moore (abiteofsanity) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:08:57 -0000

Having victimized myself with a few too many misplaced "rm -f" commands in my time, I know that punched-in-the-gut feeling of losing everything. Glad to see it was able to be rolled back simply enough.

Re: Earthquake Quiz

richpalmer — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:51:14 -0000

Interesting... Yes, this is a bit small in the embedded version here. I wonder if the same is true when viewing the widget on the creator's site? I obviously only shared this one for others to see; I suppose if this is an issue across the board then the originator of the widget might need to be notified.

I hadn't noticed the change when posting here.

Thanks for the comment!

Re: Earthquake Quiz

Charlotte — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:46:45 -0000

The font for the answers was so small and poorly formed as to be unreadable at times. I increased my screen res to 800 x 600 and it was still barely readable. I had to guess at some of the answers.

Re: Fire Training

richpalmer — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:46:45 -0000

Hehe, yes.

It gave me an odd feeling of living within the book Fahrenheit 451. But, these guys trained in this house for a week. They did evolutions throughout each day, eventually planning to burn it to the ground. We sometimes (though rare) get the opportunity to use an actual house for live fire training. The park district owns this property now; they wanted the building gone.

Re: Fire Training

BananaStein — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:08:10 -0000

hmmm - looks like Rich likes to play with matches

Re: Fire Training

Scott Sigler — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:05:13 -0000

I'm not much of a civil servant, but isn't the purpose of training to STOP things from burning down? I'm digging the guy in front, just hanging out.