Saturday, February 6, 2010

Me vs. Aeroplan, Part 1

so, it has come to this.
i gave them a chance to make amends. i reached out to them via 3 separate channels.
i have given them ample time to come back to me and explain themselves.
they have done nothing. not a call, not an email, not even a poke for fuck sake.
you would think that in these, the digital days, where social media is #sohotrightnow, a company wouldn't dare disappoint for fear of complete social persecution.
nothing....
unfortunately, Aeroplan hasn't packed their bags on the interweb express just yet.
they don't even have a god damn Facebook fan page!! i mean, who doesn't have one of these things....how can they expect to stay relevant..??
could it be that they already know they offer a substandard service and are limiting the avenues for the masses to shout them down...?

whatever it is, one thing is for sure - Aeroplan is now dead to me.
here's why...

Chapter 1 - Online Booking for Dummies

I booked 2 tickets from YVR-DAL (via Houston) using my Aeroplan reward miles that I had been collecting since the inception of my membership.
Translation - I've been saving these points since I was a little kid, you dicks.

What appeared to be a simple online booking resulted in an extremely poor user experience. The aeroplan.com interface allowed me to select flights, complete all required information fields & credit card data up to the point of confirmation, only to then serve me with a system error and the inability to complete my booking....
Verdict - Shitty programmers


After attempting to resolve this several times on my own, I finally decided to contact Aeroplan web support via phone. The issue, which appeared to stem from a tight connecting flight on the return leg of the trip, was resolved, albeit after 45 minutes of discussion and holding on the phone.
I was shocked to then learn that for my troubles, I was being asked to pay $30/ticket for the service resolution. This was entirely unacceptable to me and my dissatisfaction was voiced to my customer service rep. This resulted in the rep connecting with her manager, and I was told that the charges would be reversed.
Result - Score 1 for me, suck it customer service.

As it stood, my booking frustrations were somewhat lifted, as all travel plans appeared to be booked and I started looking forward to my the next day.
Sadly, this was not the end of my ordeal....

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

the power of Craigslist

people will apparently buy anything..., and i love it!

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Dynex IEEE 1394 Firewire Notebook Card - $5 (Vancouver)
Date: 2009-10-23, 9:50PM PDT
Reply to: sale-arvgm-1435304286@craigslist.org

so hot right now...

Technical Details
* Adds 2 external IEEE 1394 (FireWire) ports to a notebook computer
* 400 Mbps maximum data transfer rate
* Connects drives, digital cameras, printers and other peripherals
------

i swear, within 12 hours of this posting, i had someone dieing to get their hands on it...

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** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY ** Avoid: wiring mo...

Oct 25 (1 day ago)
cindy s to sale-arvgm-143.

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html


Hi,
is this still available?

thank you
Cindy
------

well..., fear not folks, Cindy got her Dynex Firewire ports...
and i got me my 5 bucks!

another magic connection, courtesy of Craigslist....
not just for pre-med psycho killer fuckwads.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Introducing SkateCase!

(shameless plug to follow)

Freedom 35 fans (all 3 of you)...
My brother & I are trying to get a new product passed through a community site called Quirky.
it's called SkateCase, and hoping to get it approved for actual production!

if you're at all interested in voting, that would be awesome!

steps to vote -
1) go to Quirky - http://www.quirky.com/?r=48b16b40803ab26df3f5d9cdd3c39b81

2) you'll need to register, takes 2 secs - http://www.quirky.com/signup
*you'll even get $20 credit for the site.

3) once registered, you just need to go to the Product Evaluation section - http://www.quirky.com/projects/116
and look for SkateCase! (the 5th product down the page).
the voting/ranking is just a little widget on the RH side...

that's it!
no sweat if you don't have time and/or don't like SkateCase...

SkateCase - Walk your dog, Skate your bag!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Quirky, the idea I always never had

why didn't I think of this...?
well, actually I sorta did...
i do recall suggesting to a close group of friends a year or 2 back that it would be 'cool' to have an online think tank set up, for people to discuss cool ideas and use each other's network/connections to see ideas turn into reality.

enter Quirky.
brilliant idea for dreamers, just like me, who have cool ideas in theory but never seem to do anything to take them to the next level....
i.e. tell another human being about them.

here's hoping i've got the next pet rock up my ass...sleeve..., wherever i can find it....

Sunday, September 20, 2009

trippin' on catnip

i don't know whether I should consider myself a liberal parent, or simply a euphoria enabler...
catnip, essentially pot for kitties, is seemingly a safe and widely accepted lil' treat for our furry friends. and yet like pot, it doesn't seem to affect every man/woman/child/kitty the same way.
as i type this, my cat is tripping out and trying to find the techno-colour ghost mouse under the fridge....; this after rolling around violently on the floor and scratching his pusher (me) and leaving a few deep scars (physically, and perhaps mentally).
i feel like i'm treating little romo like he's a science experiment, chronicling his every spacey move.
i do question whether or not i should keep supplying him with the good stuff...
it definitely does seem to keep him quiet (of course he needs to be quiet to catch the techno-colour ghost mouse), and the fact that a few sprinkles is all it takes and I have a baggy that will last him til he's geriatric leads me to think that it'll continue to be high-times in catville for a while yet.
fyi - here's what happened last time mr. romo licked the nip....

i'm guessing the mustard was for a 3some with a hot dog...
LOL fuckers.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009