November 20th, 2008 Rusty
For those friends of mine who work like wandering nomads with laptops, here’s a tip… (if you don’t know me you should move on to other things. Everyone knows I am full of B.S.)
Apre Diem
- The patio is always pleasant and a decent in-town view (lots of trees)
- WiFi isn’t the fastest but always available
- Music is never annoying (and sometimes awesome)
- They have excellent gourmet coffees
- They have excellent food
- They have beer
- They have high Gravity beer
- SO close to everything
- Prices are reasonable
- Did I mention High Gravity Beer?
Now, Power outlets are limited. And if I find you in my seat, You’ll have to roshambo me for it. I go first.
The only drawback would be the occasional smoker. Every now and again you get some bone head who still thinks smoking makes him/her look cool even though it really makes them look like a complete dumb-ass lacking intelligence, self control or self esteem. Usually it encourages me to listen to their phone calls where I wonder why the person on the other line doesn’t tell them what a waste of energy, not to mention oxygen, they really are. Its not that smoking makes you bad (ok, it does, but not cool bad), its that smoking is a coffee shop patio is similar to pleasuring yourself in your high school bathroom. Yeah… I’ll bet that brought back some harsh memories! Stop smoking on my patio, you dufuss.
Posted in Atlanta | No Comments »
July 3rd, 2008 Rusty
I remember, and I am not that old, when companies were built upon value and customer service meant providing service to customers. I remember when speaking to a customer service representative meant you had the attention of, and representation from, the company. I even remember when you could speak to a manager and a fair outcome was almost certain. My mother used to call and complain about everything. She’d get free comps sent her way all the time and she’d still huff if things weren’t perfect. Its seems the pendulum has swung the other way. Now you can’t get decent service from major providers unless you have a relative with authority in the company. Did over-complainers kill quality service? Did the global economy destroy local concern? Did my mother create an unrealistic expectation in me for satisfaction in retail?
AT&T
Now that I know what happened, this is a shorter story. I’ve been with BellSouth for a long, long time. ATT&T bought them. So, now I am with AT&T.
On June 10th, my Internet service went down, unexpectedly. I tried everything I knew to reconnect. I reset my modem, removed my wireless and plugged it directly into the computer, etc. I called Tech support. They indicated that I was disconnected for non-payment. I retrieved my bill only to verify that it showed my last payment as received on time and paid in full. WTF?! Billing would be open the next day between 8 and 5. Frustrated (understatement), I called Comcast, instead.
Comcast
When I announced, at work, that I was switching to Comcast because AT&T was unreliable and their staff incompetent, Christian laughed and said, "Oh, you’ll be real happy with them." I couldn’t imagine anyone being less helpful than AT&T (formerly BellSouth) employees. Before I go on, I’ll note that the AT&T acquisition has resulted in more polite, incompetent staff. They are nice, just not real smart.
So I ordered my Comcast Internet and Phone and was told that I would have to wait more than a week for the installation. Fast forward to July 2nd, and my wife stayed home to accept installation. No show, no call. I clearly indicated that our home phone was NOT a good contact number. I found a message on my home answering machine from 3:30 pm, one call, that a technician was there. Unfortunately, he did not knock or ring the bell (as evident by the fact that the dog didn’t go apes$#&, so we did not get our Internets installed. I, of course, called the next day.
Who fights with potential customers?
When I had ordered the service, they needed the last four from the social of the person who was home. Of course, I gave them my wife’s. Unfortunately, she had worked from 8pm that night until 8 the next morning and was sound asleep in bed. Since she had been up saving lives and bringing new babies into the world, I felt her sleep was more important that Comcast’s security question. I explained that she was sleeping and would like to provide alternate information to verify my identity. The CSR then became argumentative, antagonistic and hostile with me. She said, "I cn’t do anything until you give me that number!" I replied that ‘d, "already given here 6 pieces of personally identifying information that should suffice." Her response was that, "anyone could pick that up off a pice of your mail."
Excuse me but its Comcast! All I want is a new friggin’ appointment for installation. I’m not even a customer yet. Am I at risk for someone maliciously scheduling an install of HBO at my address? I really couldn’t believe what was happening.
A year or more ago, we ordered cable television. A very similar thing happened to my wife and she canceled the order. When I returned home that day, she was pissed off. It ain’t easy to do that and we didn’t consider Comcast again until we were without Internet for two weeks.
So I canceled the order. Its remarkable that I attempted to purchase service twice and never so much as got the cable run to the house. Perhaps its fate.
AT&T back online
A it turns out, AT&T reps were very polite. They weren’t able to get my service activated until I called half a dozen times and spoke to twice as many people. The last person I spoke to in billing was very professional. He managed to get my service turned on, much to the tech support representatives surprise, while we spoke. He asked her to call me back but she said, "we’re not supposed to do that." He referred to her as "Tech Support" and she called him "Billing" even though they had both stated their names wen they came on the line. Michael eventually explained that my service had been issued a non-payment cancellation order in error. In other words, they completely f’ed up. Even so, I am not entitled to ay compensation or refund for my lost time or frustration. He insisted that on my bill after next I would see a credit for the time from when my service was disconnected to when the order was placed to reinstate it. I decided not to raise issue with the fact that it took them an additional 5 days to process their reinstatement order. I was too exhausted from all the long ass calls. I won’t tell you how long I stayed on hold each time, because I could tell you. I just made use of my speaker phone and pretty much stayed on the phone like a for sale sign on a suburban townhouse.
Disconnected Services
In software, we try very hard to operate services so that they are autonomous of each other. This aids in efficiency through change. However, I realize now that sometimes its important for systems that depend on each other to know some details about each other. In this example, it would have been helpful if tech support could understand how billing works, particularly since it appears billing is responsible for service activation.
A the Award for Crappiest Internet Service in the South?
If you consider customer care and personal treatment to be moderately important, Comcast is the worst provider you could choose. Sure, Bellsouth will probably go out with every thunderstorm and they might even turn you off, just for fun. However, when you call them, and you will have to cal them, they will treat you like a customer that they want to keep even if they don’t deserve you. I can’t tell you what the technical side of Comcast service is like, I never made it past, "hello"
Posted in Atlanta | 1 Comment »
August 27th, 2007 Rusty
My recent post about T-Mobile SMS Spam has another chapter. I followed the advice of the sweet, but not very smart, T-Mobile rep that I spoke to yesterday and text messaged the spammer. I asked them to “please stop, wrong number”. As expected, I started receiving messages with dramaticly increased frequency.
Working out the numbers, it was looking to cost me at least $20 / mo to be spammed, all that money going to T-Mobile. So I called again today. The customer service rep was much more helpful. He was very friendly, as always.
He explained that my spam from a 6 digit number was from an IM account. He instructed me to send a text message with the command:
?d[username]@[emailaddress]
the messages were from 406002. I was to send a text message to 406000.
So, let’s say the address was jackass@gmail.com from 406002
I sent a text message to 406000 with the text:
?djackass@gmail.com
So far, no more messages… but it’s only be a few minutes. I will comment as the week progresses.
Why on earth is this not incredibly available information?
Posted in Atlanta, Spam | No Comments »
August 26th, 2007 Rusty
T-Mobile has been a much better company to deal with than Verizon. To be short and to the point, I will NEVER deal with Verizon again for the rest of my life, so help me god. I recommend to you that you avoid them like an incurable disease. T-Mobile won my business by providing excellent customer service though their mobile coverage leaves something to be desired. When are they going to enhance their cell towers?
Since a few weeks after I activated my T-Mobile cell phone, I began receiving spam messages from an untraceable number indicating a gmail return address. They appear to be jibberish though they could be Turkish. I can’t tell. All I know is that I get between 5 and 20 per week. At $.15 per message, that adds up. My text messages are costing me about $8/mo and most of them are spam. So nearly $100/yr is landing in the pockets of T-Mobile due to something I have no control over. I called T-Mobile customer service to see if they could block the messages. They indicated that they do not have the technology to do that. As a technology professional, I understand that to mean, “we don’t really give a shit and it’s not in our interest to provide that feature.” After all, they get paid for each message I receive whether I want it or not.
They suggested texting back to this address, asking them to stop. Clearly, this would prove the number to be valid. I didn’t want to do that. The next suggestion was to change my mobile number. I don’t know why that sounds like such a simple and convenient thing to do to them. Clearly, they must know what a personal asset a phone number becomes.
I texted back to this spammer, begging them to stop. My next step is to switch carriers, once again. The only one left for me is Cingular, now AT&T.
It is disappointing to see that T-Mobile, a company whose service is pathetic but whose superior customer service wins the loyalty of people like me, disregarding the interests of its consumers. Dell is a shining example of what happens when a company abandons its customer service principles in favor of lower margins. Dell is no longer a company that reflects quality. Their product is now the bargain solution rather than the quality solution. Their customer service is non-existent and I am now building my own computers again (something I do not enjoy). I am searching for a viable business infrastructure alternative to Dell but they happen to have the best prices. If that slips, I will jump so fast their India based tech support will feel the wind from my exit. I am stuck, like most, in a contract with T-Mobile. My wife is forced to get alternate service, despite our contract, because T-Mobile does not get service in her building. She is going to move to AT&T. Perhaps I will suck it up and switch with her. After all, T-Mobile suggested I change my number. Perhaps I should take their advice?
Posted in Atlanta, Spam | 1 Comment »
August 23rd, 2007 Rusty
Grady Healthcare is in a death spiral that requires massive change to recover from. In a move that mirrors many dysfunctional organizations, consultants were brought in to assess ways to cut the fat. Despite the fact that there are large numbers of employees at Grady who belong to a culture of, “that ain’t in my job description so I refuse to get off my ass,” the consultants identified the largest cost center for the institution was its pool of experienced physicians and medical professionals.
As a result, they extended early retirement to about 580 employees who are at least 55 years old and have at least a 10-year tenure. For general society, this might sound like a reasonable plan but physicians train well into their 30’s before becoming an attending physician, assuming they enter the medical field directly out of college. Most physicians work well into their 70’s. They received at least 70 percent acceptance. What this did to Grady was prune the most experienced, dedicated and well-trained doctors, nurses and anesthetists from the staff, leaving a critically severe shortage of physicians.
Grady was already short-staffed. The doctors they asked to leave had dedicated their careers to a public teaching institution where they made significantly less than their peers in the same field. These are the most dedicated, selfless and talented medical professionals in the world and now they gone. Asking them to leave must have been a severe slap in the face. It is also a blow to future medicine as these amazing teachers have left the operating room classroom. It was a shortsighted, ridiculous and damaging move on the part of the board and the consultants who recommended the strategy.
Grady is a teaching facility for Emory and Morehouse medical students and residents. Residents are MD’s who are completing their specialization training in their field of choice. A Surgery resident rotates through the various aspects of surgery to learn the intraquacies of the field. They learn from attending physicians by taking part in the procedures and care of patients. Grady sees the patients that no one else can or will. Grady is the best level one trauma center in the country. If you are seriously injured in a car accident, no one will do a better job putting you together, and saving your life, than Grady. If you have a rare, dangerous strain of virus, you are going to Grady. They are better equipped for extreme response and treatment than anyone in the world, much less the Atlanta area. Learning at Grady is like learning trauma on the front lines of the battle field and learning disease and medical care in a 3rd world country except that you have the facilities of an American medical center. The residents earn approximately $40k while completing their training. At one time, they were forced to work as much as 120 hours in a week. If you average the hours a resident works today, even after regulations were enforced to prevent the abusive schedules that threatened residents safety, they make about $6/hr. McDonalds employees in Atlanta are paid $10/hr and extra for overtime hours. Apparently Mr. Purdue suggested that GA physicians take a huge hit in the form of a completely unfair physician-only income tax to pay for Grady. “They learn there, they should pay for it, ” he suggested. They already have. I’ll withhold name-calling and explicative.
Grady also sees Atlanta prisoners. Gunshots are all taken Grady. Stabbings, beatings, etc. all Grady. Severely crack-addicted, prostitute mothers are cared for at Grady. Homeless people, criminals and indigents are all a large part of Grady patient population. I hear uninformed people lobbying for public healthcare, not realizing what that would do to quality in this country, and I can’t help but think that we already have it as all of these people are covered by government institutions. Of course, they pay far less than it costs Grady to provide the services. We are an advanced society, we will continue to care for these people, and we should. It is our responsibility, as a society, to provide basic health to all. If for no other reason we have to protect ourselves from the spread of disease and desperation that would result from neglecting these people. However, I would hope that our human compassion drives us more persistently than that. The question that is most present on my mind is: Where will all these people be taken if Grady is no more? The answer is to your local private hospital. That’s right, gang bangers who shoot each other up would now be sharing a room with your daughter who fell off her bicycle or your son who has developed thyroid disease and is going to be treated for it. Of course, I’m sure you won’t be happy with that so some other institution will pop up to serve the privileged but the damage will be done. Once these people are discharged, they will be sent out the front door, into your backyard. Think about it… Grady patients: coming soon to a hospital near you!
There are a lot of people who feel that Grady really isn’t their problem. “I live in Dunwoody,” you might say. The next time you see a flight-for-life helicopter on the freeway, remember that someone is in the kind of crisis that an ambulance wouldn’t suffice and they are on their way to Grady. Keep in mind that they have the best chance for survival they would have anywhere in the world. Consider how you’d feel about Grady if that were your spouse being strapped into that helicopter. You’d be full of hope, full of desperation.
Grady is in that kind of trouble right now. They brainlessly removed the top 40% from the staff and now they are out of money and short on talent. However, even short on talent, they are more qualified and more capable than you’d find at any medical center in America or the world. If you think that has value to Atlanta, consider paying more attention to the Grady developments and getting involved where you can. Be informed, vote. This isn’t an inner city problem. This isn’t a medical problem.
Posted in Atlanta | No Comments »
August 17th, 2007 Rusty
Just thought I’d pass the compliment from one of our girls at Perfect Wedding Guide. We picked up cup cakes from Matty Cakes in Atlanta for the boss’s birthday today and everyone was absolutely floored with the cupcakes. The latest was an unprovoked, “that was the best cupcake I’ve ever had in my entire life!” Specifically, she was speaking of the Chocolate ganache.
Posted in Atlanta | No Comments »
May 6th, 2007 Rusty
I’m truly struggling to find an Agile Community in Atlanta. Quite some time ago (2005), I discovered the [tags]Agile Atlanta[/tags] User Group and attended a meeting. Stacia Broderick presented Scrum to the group. It really was a great meeting but I haven’t attended one since. I check the website frequently but it is rarely updated. They have had a few meetings and at one time gathered some folks to inject some leadership into the group but it hasn’t really seemed to gain any momentum. I certainly don’t fault anyone for this as I experienced the challenge of starting the C# User Group many years ago. There were meetings when only 3 of us showed up. Then there were times when the room was packed and we had no presenter (so we just winged it). …but I hope to see something spark soon.
I am participating in a few user groups at the moment. My schedule is pretty stretched so I can’t take on another responsibility at the moment. However, if nothing has happened by, say October, I may try to build an Agile Software Development Community in Atlanta. I’d love to hear some feedback and get some contact information for people who would be interested. Leave me a comment here or email me at rusty -at- pwg -dot- com or rustyzarse -at - gmail -dot- com.
I am personally a Scrum practitioner but I have read up on Crystal Clear and Feature Driven Development as well. I use Rally Agile Project Management Software in my daily development. We use Test Driven Development (TDD), Pair-Programming, the daily scrum, Continuous Integration, Reflective Review and Time-boxed, Story-centric iterative release planning. However, we are learning like everyone else and adjusting constantly. I would love to find like-minded agile enthusiasts to collaborate with so we can grow the Atlanta Agile Community!
Posted in Agile, Atlanta | 1 Comment »
April 27th, 2007 Rusty
If you haven’t heard of it, don’t fret, its a pretty well guarded secret. However, I am ready to spill the beans… Matty Cakes has been our yearly birthday cake artist since our son was one. We’ve expanded to use him for just about any excuse we can have for a party and, frankly, one of his cakes is reason enough to celebrate.
His first cake, the “Elephant Cake“, secured Matty’s place in our family for the long haul. Last Halloween we got a “witch cake” that was about the size of a small pony but one of the most delicious things to ever pass the lips of each of our guests.
We frequently stop by for chocolate devil’s food cupcakes with buttercream icing. Sometimes my car just drives itself right into the parking lot at the corner of Rock Springs and Piedmont Rd in Atlanta.
While no one can touch Matty’s kids cakes, his other specialty cakes, including wedding cakes, are amazing. They taste even better then they look.
Today I brought a small chocolate cream torte from the counter at Matty cakes. They always have something available for last minute needs. It was a chocolate cream cake with chocolate cookie crust topped off with whipped cream. Sounds simple and almost common but everyone oo’d and ah’d when they tasted it. The office ladies made redneck teeth with the crust and the whole environment turned to cheer and child-like celebration. Its amazing what these cakes can do to a person!
We’re picking up our son’s 4 year old birthday cake on Sunday. I’ll let you know how that turns out. The bar is set high but I’ll bet there won’t be anything but wows.
Posted in Atlanta | No Comments »