Drive fast, live hard, no regrets... Sorry Penske

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by Diane_Keaton
Or brand you "Jew Couple"

In context, I think it's not quite as mean-spirited (or redundant) as this:

When LaChania Govan's Comcast service wasn't working, she called for help. And called. And called. It was a frustrating process, and then she got the bill.

By Scott Goldstein
Tribune staff reporter

August 17, 2005

Until recently, LaChania Govan's complaints about Comcast's service seemed relatively tame. The 25-year-old Elgin mother of two said she was put on hold, disconnected, even transferred to the Spanish language line.

But after persistent problems with her digital recording system forced her to make dozens of calls to the cable company in July, her August bill came with a change really worth complaining about: In place of her name were the words "Bitch Dog."

"I could not believe it," said Govan, who works in customer service for a credit card company. She said she immediately called Comcast to cancel her service and was sent to an operator.

"She asked me for my name. I said, `You really don't want me to go there,'" Govan said. (Hi, TM!)

Recounting her problems on Tuesday, she said she was transferred to a supervisor who assured her he would find out what happened and get back to her soon.

In the meantime, she said, he offered her two months of free cable, which she declined.

A Comcast official said Tuesday the company was aware of the incident and that the bogus name change was authentic but said she couldn't discuss the specifics until the company discovered how it occurred.

"If this is not that customer's name, it shouldn't be on that bill," said Patricia Andrews-Keenan, vice president of communications for the company. "But we don't know why that happened. It's obvious that that's inappropriate to have a name like that on that account."

The name on Govan's account has been changed back, said Andrews-Keenan, who is based in Chicago.

The company should be able to track who made the change, she said. "Generally, it's much like any other billing services. You should be able to look and see who made different notations on that account," she said. "And that's where we are now; we're looking to see if we can find that out."

Martin Cohen is executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of
Illinois, which handles complaints about utility and other service
providers. Although Govan's troubles aren't all that common, the
organization learned this week about a similar case involving a Peoples Energy customer, he said.

In that case, Jefferoy Barnes, 44, of Maywood received four pieces of mail from the company that included the words "scrotum bag" in the line with his name.

Unlike Govan, Barnes said he couldn't recall any interaction with company employees that could have prompted the slur. One of the company mailings, a July 23 letter, concerned an overdue payment on a gas bill.

"I was shocked," he said. "I showed my friends and a couple of relatives. I can't believe they did that, and I couldn't even understand why."

After a reporter inquired about the problem Tuesday, a company spokeswoman said the employee responsible was being fired. "We have identified the representative who is responsible for this change, and this person is being fired immediately," Elizabeth Castro said.

"Additionally, we are now checking all records that this person had contact with to ensure that no other similar changes have been made. And finally, we have called the customer and have spoken with him directly to apologize for this. This is not how we treat our customers."

Barnes said he received an apologetic call Tuesday evening from a company executive. But more than a week after receiving her bill, Govan has not heard back from Comcast, she said.

Her August bill for $77.50 came after a month in which she estimates she called Comcast 40 times because of repeated problems with a new digital recording box.

Govan, who does not speak Spanish, said she didn't appreciate being transferred to the company's Spanish-language line.

But receiving the bill with the obscene name topped it all, she said. "That hurts my feelings, and I feel that is just beyond the bottomless pit," Govan said. "You don't do a customer like that in any business that you're in."

Govan said she was never abusive to Comcast employees. "I did express my dissatisfaction with their customer service," she said.

She said the company did eventually replace her digital recording
system--twice, because the first replacement didn't work either.
Now, with her cancellation request pending, she is simply waiting for the company to show up and disconnect her.


sgoldstein@tribune.com
Copyright (c) 2005, Chicago Tribune

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
You have not offended me. I just wanted to know what it was like to jump to the defense of my unofficial (unacknowledged? unrequited?) internet boyfriend.

Oh, its requited. I don’t know how I’d get through these boards without you... You should name your child Sebastian.
Actually, I like the name Sebastian, and my wife even seemed to think that it would be a good name for a son. But I’ve ruined it. I can never use it. I’d have a child who reminded me of myself...

BTW, what’s a “stiffer?” I tip 15% for bad service, 20% for good.

[Mister_Ruysbroeck]

Originally posted by baltassoc
There are two levels here. You can get some really good quality sound from some of the computer speakers.

This set, for example (buy it on eBay, this is a great seller, and they have new stuff coming up all the time). My brother has a pair of these, and they're loud enough to be heard clearly at a medium sized party, but not loud enough to cover the sounds of monkey love.

If you want earthshattering bass for you funk, you are going to have to go with a real amp and real speakers. Hooking up the computer is no problem; you just need a sufficiently long cord with a stereo jack on one end (the computer end) and RCA plugs on the other.

Just get a set of Klipsch 5.1s. They have the amp built in and are THX certified. Click here for 500 watts of computer speaker power. If that's too much, you could always go with the 200 watt, 2.1 system.

I have a set of the older 4.1s that are 400 watts. They make my ears bleed.

Note: There are some reports of high failure rates, but I've had my 4.1s for 4 years now and haven't had a problem. If you hook yours up and think you may have a bum set (you hear crackling or a lot of noise) just return them and get a new set.

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Today is a day in which I should not interact with others. Every single email has been a DISASTER, and now I have offended you and Not Bob.

Please. You have to work a lot harder than that to offend me.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
Today is a day in which I should not interact with others. Every single email has been a DISASTER, and now I have offended you and Not Bob.

Same boat. I just slammed my fist onto the telephone and believe it may be cracked or borken (suddenly, there's no voicemail LED button blinking... eh....).

Breathe. Its Friday. You’ll be shitfaced and forget life in less than 10 hours. Serenity Now.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Mister_Ruysbroeck
Just get a set of Klipsch 5.1s. They have the amp built in and are THX certified. Click here for 500 watts of computer speaker power. If that's too much, you could always go with the 200 watt, 2.1 system.

I have a set of the older 4.1s that are 400 watts. They make my ears bleed.

Note: There are some reports of high failure rates, but I've had my 4.1s for 4 years now and haven't had a problem. If you hook yours up and think you may have a bum set (you hear crackling or a lot of noise) just return them and get a new set.

Klipsch. I'd expect nothing less from a man who has his casual slacks tailored.

I prefer Bose and Polk, because I'm almost deaf already and don't need to hear any of the high notes.

[dtb]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Same boat. I just slammed my fist onto the telephone and believe it may be cracked or borken (suddenly, there's no voicemail LED button blinking... eh....).

Upon first reading, I was under the impression that you had broken your fist and started to panic -- how would you type with a broken fist? -- I wondered. I am relieved to know it's just the phone. (Unless your fist has an LED button?)

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
BTW, what’s a “stiffer?” I tip 15% for bad service, 20% for good.

Less than 15% is stiffing. I usually tip about 25% for good service, the percentage slides upward for less expensive meals and downward for fancy joints. Also, the standard is higher the fancier the place.

The problem with only tipping 15% for bad service is that the server will sooner conclude that you are cheap than that she or he sucks. But I don't want to have a "you know, I'd have tipped you better if you hadn't done x, y, and z, which constituted bad service" after half my meals, so I think 15% is necessary given that (i) the person is being paid less than the minimum wage, (ii) the restaurant may pool tips rather than let each server keep his or her own, (iii) regardless of the system, the servers have to tip out the busboys, kitchen, and bar staff, and (iv) I make a lot of money and they don't.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by Diane_Keaton
Thanks for all the comedy suggestions. Ultimately, "date night" ended up with me rolling around the top of my bedspread with my S/O in every sexual position known to mankind so we didn't get the chance to hit the video store. (I thought we had needed a comedy to lighten things up but, ahem, it seemed something else was needed.)

Anyhoo, quick question on computer music. I do a decent amount of downloading songs and I'd like better sound quality than the wimpy (but not too bad) speakers that came with my Dell flat screen computer purchased about 2 years ago. I have an old crappy stereo and speakers in the front room but rather than upgrade that one, any thoughts on whether good speakers could be added to the computer in the bedroom? Basically, what do I need to make the computer the source of some good quality funk?

(Yes, this question is sex-related because the whole point is to shag on the new shag rug -- they're back in you know-- in the little alcove to the bedrom, preferably to the sounds of some recent downloaded tunes which of course include my bad, bad girl, Fionna.)

Yeah, yeah I know. "Take it to the Politics Board, Keaton".

Which poster was it?

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally posted by str8outavannuys
One thing you learn listening to the commentary is that that guy usually just shows up on set once in awhile and demands to be put in sketches as an extra, and then winds up with a line or two of dialogue because he's so funny. In playa-haters ball, he yells out to Ice-T -- "You look like a bootleg version of Ice-T", or something to that effect; it's hysterical.

He was on the Hot 97 Morning Show here in New York for awhile. He really isn't that funny.

Did you see his cameo in Spider Man 2? Peter Parker is trying to deliver a pizza and he ducks into an alley, changes to Spider Man in order to get there quicker and he yells, "Hey! Spider Man stole that guy's pizza!" Or something.

TM

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
Less than 15% is stiffing. I tip about 25% for good service, the percentage slides upward for less expensive meals and downward for fancy joints. Also, the standard is higher the fancier the place.

The problem with only tipping 15% for bad service is that the server will sooner conclude that you are cheap than that she or he sucks. But I don't want to have a "you know, I'd have tipped you better if you hadn't done x, y, and z, which constituted bad service" after half my meals, so I think 15% is necessary given that (i) the person is being paid less than the minimum wage, (ii) the restaurant may pool tips rather than let each server keep his or her own, (iii) regardless of the system, the servers have to tip out the busboys, kitchen, and bar staff, and (iv) I make a lot of money and they don't.

Did you read the piece in the Times about how studies show people personable waiters better, and that service usually isn't the prime deciding factor in tip size? It was in last week's oped section.

I do 25% if the person is exceptionally nice and super and I've loved the meal and am pretty drunk. I'll also tip way extra if I don't feel on dealing with getting change for the bills I have.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by Diane_Keaton
Or brand you "Jew Couple"

Karina? Is that a Serbian name?

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by dtb
Upon first reading, I was under the impression that you had broken your fist and started to panic -- how would you type with a broken fist? -- I wondered. I am relieved to know it's just the phone. (Unless your fist has an LED button?)

It would be nice to have a fist that started blinking when you got angry. It'd be soooo easy to let people know where you stand, and when they oughta shut the fuck up.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Not Bob
Please. You have to work a lot harder than that to offend me.

Springsteen is an overrated hack... a cheapass trailer park wanna be Dylan.

There, that should offend Bob.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Springsteen is an overrated hack... a cheapass trailer park wanna be Dylan.

There, that should offend Bob.

HE'S NOT BOB!!!!