Castle Cops has an article that is almost exactly the same as what I fell for.  My advice is to never respond to any email after 10:30 p.m. or after a large helping of Margarita. I was guilty of both.  An email came to my completely spaminated account that appeared to be from Ebay.  A member was claiming they paid for goos and that they were reporting me as to ebay and to the police.  I clicked the link, was asked to log into ebay, then shown a failed login page.  I realized too late that the links did not go to  Ebay, but to some IP address.  The page and the email were perfect spoofs.  I swear I moused over the links and they pointed to Ebay.  They even went far enough to redirect me to Ebay after they phished my information. 

So now I have to retire that username and password combination.  Drag!  I've been using them for so long I can't imagine giving them up.  I, of course, updated Ebay immediately.  I can't even recall all the places I have used them. 

I just realized I had to change the password on my email address that the fraud was delivered to.  I am SUCH AN IDIOT!

Here, check out how gullible I really am:

(I called out the nice anti-spoof message for your enjoyment)

a rant about how my recent misfortune, materialistic though it is, is the result of a lack of morality in regular people

A rant about the state of things

Michael posted a blog about Netflix being a sham.  He has observed movies taking longer and longer and the service degrading as time went on.  He also made a comment about “tenure” having something to do with your place in line.  I thought I'd pass everyone on to a very scientific study that someone did on Netflix and revealed exactly what Michael observed but contradicts the concept of tenure having anything to do with your Netflix profile.

http://dvd-rent-test.dreamhost.com/

First, this is an exhaustive analysis of a distributed Netflix experience.  The author did an excellent job of validating his theories and hypothesis. 

My Netflix perspective is this:  Blockbuster sucks on big hairy donkey knob.  Their business model is based on ripping off their clients and taking advantage of human psychology.  If people did not forget to return movies and end up paying more than the movies are worth in late fees, they would not survive.  It is by virtue of peoples shortcomings that they are profitable.  It is more likely that someone will forget about a movies after two days then it is that they will remember to bring it back, hence, the four day rental.  Additionally, Blockbuster has a negative affect on the quality and selection of movies being produced because they only carry block busters and not less marketed, independent films.  Bottom line, I save alot of money by using Netflix, even if I onl rent three movies per month, because we can keep them as long as it take us to get around to returning them.  In fact, that's what they are hoping for.  Netflix makes less money each time you rent a movie in a month. 

Check out that above link.  Consider the alternatives and make an informed, a rediculously informed, decision.  This person, the author of the Netflox analysis, clearly has too much time on his hands.  However, I sure am glad he does because it makes an entertaining and interesting read. 

 

 

My wife went to CVS on N. Highland in Atlanta to fill our sick son's prescription.  He has an ear infection.  The plan was to get the medicine and pick up our takeout across the street in one trip.   (Harry and Sons, awesome restaurant).  Tonight it was a bit cold to walk and because of a sick child, she didn't want to mess around.

She went in to CVS and, as usual, the prescription wasn't ready.  They are very slow.  This we expect.  We did not expect that the parking lot attendant would threaten to boot her car if she left while waiting for the prescription to be filled.  It would be about fifteen minutes, perfect time to go directly across the street and pick up the food we called in and ordered before she left.

She went back into the store to ask them to tell the parking lot attendant to back off but they concurred with the parking lot bully.  She would not be permitted to leave the store without her car, even for five minutes, while they were filling her presription, or CVS would allow her to be booted.  So she had to wait for twenty miinutes, sick child at home with me, hungry as hell, and return home, sans food, and send me back out to get the food from the restaurant across the street from the CVS on N. Highland in Atlanta.  What a pain in the butt@!

Parking lot attendant? at CVS?  Booting?!  Yes.  See, they have decided that generating extra revenue from their prime location parking lot is more important than respecting and appreciating their regular local customers.  We spend hundreds of dollars every month there, or, we used to, up until today, thursday, January 22, 2004.  It seems that it is more important to them to collect $5 on a thursday night from people desiring to park their cars than it is to have loyal shoppers.  Alright, I heard you.

This inconvenience completely destroys all value that store had for us.  It was close to home.  As I said, they are slow and inefficient and, obviously, rude.  Now, they are also inconvenient. 

Clearly, I'm pissed off.  I went there before getting our dinner from across the street from CVS on N. Highland in Atlanta.  I spoke with the night manager.  She told me, “I am hearing your complaint and will pass it up the chain (after I informed her that I would be writing a letter) but you are wrong,” she continued, “whether the customer is right or wrong we will listen to them.”  Great.  That is reassuring, isn't it?

My advice is to boycott them.  Don't ever go there again.  Why?  The Highlands is a very prestigious location.  Here we enjoy a very European existence where we can walk to restaurants and shops and enjoy a life where our vehicle gets us to work and back but everything else is right around the corner.  Its the coolest geographic area I've seen in the entire country.  The CVS in the Highlands doesn't really fit!  Imagine if they were to close down...  What would take that large piece of realestate?  I would hope it would be another excellent restaurant, a club and an art gallery.  Or perhaps some beautiful, prime apartments.  Anything but a franchise drug store!  Take convenience out of a convenience store and you have...  store.  Take 't' away and that's how I feel about this whole experience...  sore.

 But it's so close and I live in the Highlands, what am I to do?...

Eckerd Store # 2708 (1.26 mi.)
891 PONCE DE LEON AVENUE NE
ATLANTA GA 30306
(404) 874-0640

They are close to the Whole Foods where you should buy your food because Whole Foods Rocks!  CVS, if you want to know how to treat a customer, go shop, jjust once, at Whole Foods on Ponce.  Everyone there makes me want to go there every day...