Really? No, Sirius-ly??

So, back in March 2011, I was supposed to get a 6-month "FREE*" trial of Sirius Satellite Radio with my VW Golf. Unfortunately, some Bozo activated the receiver while it sat on the car lot...by the time I bought the car, the subscription was expired.

After contacting Sirius XM about this, they finally offered to give me a 3-month "FREE*" trial. After getting that concession from Sirius, I contacted the car dealer and asked they shell out some dough to cover another 3 months...which they did in the form of a $55 Sirius Gift Card.

Shortly after the Gift Card arrived, I attempted to redeem the card via the Sirius website; seemed simple enough but Sirius couldn't handle simple apparently. So I call the "Customer Care" number and speak with someone with a very thick accent. After explaining the whole situation, I finally get through to him and he applies the card. At that time, the monthly fee was $14.95 which gave me 3 months with some extra leftover. By my math, that gave me signal until October. I purposely asked for the monthly plan so the gift card would cover just over 3-months.

Anyway, once that was sorted out I parsed through the bazillion radio channels and programmed 12 into the car-radio presets (and it took a long time to fill 12 presets). Basically, I added NPR, BBC News, a few rock channels, a sports channel and I can't remember the others.

On the first few long drives to the coast, I listened to several of the channels and frankly wasn't impressed with either the audio quality or the reception. I was losing signal frequently throughout the coast range near Alsea and Waldport. Eventually, I stopped using the service.

In late September, while stuck in traffic on the I-205, I pressed the satellite radio button only to find out my presets were gone and I was only receiving the "Preview Channel" (just like when I bought the car)...naturally I thought "Oh, my Gift Card ran out". Yes and No. Apparently, Sirius automatically renews their plans, however, since I did not give them a credit card number (GO ME!) they just shut my receiver off...BUT, they still renewed my plan AND sent me a past due notice.

I wonder what the overseas "Customer Service" representative didn't understand about my request when I redeemed the card, and shouldn't he have informed me that plan may auto-renew? From what I've read, this isn't the first time this has happened, in fact Sirius XM got in trouble for this in Florida. If you've stumbled upon this blog while searching for feedback on Sirius XM, please consider the M.O. of Sirius before subscribing.

Zippadeedoodaa...

Zippadeeyay My oh my what a wonderful day.

This was the sight I saw after riding the MAX home from work on Monday. A spectacular day in many ways.

Perhaps now I can get a good night of sleep

Today was my last day at WGD, after over 4 years in the "stored value" industry, I have moved back into commercial print. Leaving my co-workers was incredibly tough to do, as I felt a family-like bond with them. True, they'll be just across town and I do plan to stay in contact with many of them...but, the daily interactions are gone. Throughout my working life, I've been blessed with opportunities to work at top-notch companies; I can honestly say my years at WGD have been the best.

Now, a new chapter begins and I'm excited for the journey and challenges ahead. I visited my new workplace briefly today, and I'm feeling it'll be a very good fit. The people, the ideals and vibes are all good.

Is it Monday yet?

ch-ch-changes

coming soon...new job
closer to home
less hours
less stress
more free-time
more happiness
creativity
yippee!

Hiding in plain sight

A few times this week, my brain has proved that I only see what I (or my brain) wants to see. So funny to experience but also scary. Being receptive to all we see and hear seems to be key to recognizing or accepting all of our possibilities. Simple to say , but apparently not so simple to do...at least not without some shift in thinking. I am working to "see" more...how about you?

5 day weekend - Day One

Not starting out so well. Boarded the plane at 6:30 and thought it might get off the ground a few minutes early...nooooo. Instead, the plane's mechanics apparently forgot to fix something. 90 minutes later, still at the gate. On the bright side, I do have a comfy 1st class seat...now if they'd just serve some drinks.

The guy in front of me is getting angry and won't shut up. Dude, letting the flight crew know about your anger wont get you anywhere, so shut the fuck up.

Toot - TOOOOOT!

My new stress-relief mechanism: The Bullshit Barge. Now leaving Portland...pile on your crap!

Balmy weather

Just a couple of days ago, we had a sNOwpacolypse in PDX. A hyped up storm which never materialized. Sure, it was c-c-cold; high 20's and blustery, however not the 5" of snow and ice originally forecast.

And today was Springlike; 57 degrees and showery. Climate change - get used to it.

eMusic? Well not quite....

...the Better Business Bureau of New York thinks they're fmusic. In fact, there's a lot of complaints against these jokers. Click on this post's title to see the BBB's report.

Folks, stay away from eMusic. They're all about "bait n switch", just to get more money. You'd think they'd be concerned about integrity, not bucks. But they're not.

I signed up for a one-year membership with eMusic in May. They were offering 35 tracks per month for $151.99, which I thought was a good deal. Well, a few weeks ago, eMusic decided they weren't making enough money, so their plans changed. The "per track credit" system was becoming currency based instead. That means the track price is going up, but your credit (in my a case $12.67 per month) would stay the same. Okay, to be fair, they gave me a $5 per month "BONUS".

new geeky toys

So I finally cut Sprint loose in August. They served me well in SD but nearly every call at my PDX home was dropped or had drop-outs. When the new iPhone came out, I knew it would satisfy my geekyness and provide more reliable phone service.

Anyway, I am so freakin' excited to find apps for FTP and HTML editing. The iPhone takes decent pics so now I can bore y'all even if I don't have my PC handy! Neat, huh?

I had a feeling...

...the weather forecast shouldn't be trusted today.

No rain until after the pm commute, eh? It is gusty and rainy; I am glad to have ridden MAX today, instead of cycling. And, glad to have an extra raincoat in my office.

Damn, that was perfect timing!

I didn't have time to pack lunch today, so I opted to skip my daily Americano to grab a Subway sandwich before the MAX arrived.  But starting this grey day without a jolt of java didn't sound to appealing.  The folks at Starbuck$ were quick and the train  showed up just as I walked outside...let's hope the balance of the day goes this well.

Ronnie, "thanks" is hardly enough...but it's a start

Today the world lost a truly amazing performer, Ronnie James Dio. I don't know how to describe his singing voice, but engaging, versatile, energetic, intense and powerful would be a good start.

Starting with "Man on the silver mountain", his voice powered my adolescence. In the early '80s, I was fortunate to see him perform with Black Sabbath and as Dio on a few occasions. One show I'll never forget was in San Diego in '82...the opening act was "The Outlaws", which seemed really odd at the time (still does). A Southern Rock band opening for a Sabbath? Actually, the Outlaws were another band I was into at the time, so I was "stoked". The show was awesome, of course.

I can't think of any songs featuring Ronnie's amazing voice which disappointed me...but a few continue to stand my hair on end. "The sign of the Southern Cross", "Voodoo", "Holy Diver", "Shame on the night", "Lonely is the word", "Heaven & Hell", "Lady Evil", "Walk Away"...

So, again Mr. Dio, THANKS for sharing your amazing talent, passion and energy with us...you will not be forgotten.

Finally, Visa is waking up

Hey ProFlowers, I think your gig is up. Visa is putting an end to your scam...well, for Visa card customers at least. See article below or visit the the source

In case you're not familiar with ProFlowers.com and their scam involving Easy Savers, it works like this...

You buy flowers from ProFlowers then, after the transaction is complete, your credit card info is given to Easy Saver, who then charges you $14.95 per month for absolutely nothing. You lose money, ProFlowers and Easy Saver get your money. If you manage to catch their thievery, you can call them and get your money pack...otherwise they get fatter. Isn't that a sweet ploy?

In the news recently:

Visa has announced it is prohibiting web merchants from providing cardholder information to other companies without the consumer's knowledge or active consent. To address the data pass practice, Visa is requiring that "merchants will now have to prompt consumers to re-enter their card information to accept a subsequent offer from a third-party merchant. This provides a clear signal to cardholders that a second purchase is being initiated and protects them from questionable marketing practices."

According to Visa, "the misleading practice, called "data pass," usually involves a consumer shopping at a familiar retailer. At checkout, the consumer receives an offer for a discount or reward and does not realize it is from a different merchant and comes with unexpected monthly membership fees or recurring charges. Such deceptive marketing can result in high levels of consumer disputes and degrades the efficiency, reliability and security of the payment system. According to a 2009 U.S. Senate Commerce Committee staff report, 35 million consumers have paid $1.4 billion for "data pass" marketing offers."

"Visa's priority is protecting our cardholders and the integrity of the electronic payments system. Consumers who shop online using their Visa cards should be confident that they will only be charged for the products and services they legitimately intend to purchase -- not those that are foisted on them through deceptive data pass schemes," said Martin Elliott, senior business leader, U.S. Payment System Risk, Visa Inc.

"I applaud Visa's decision to prohibit merchants from using 'data pass' marketing on its network," said Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. "The Senate Commerce Committee's investigation showed that this aggressive marketing practice enabled unscrupulous e-commerce companies to scam millions of American consumers out of more than a billion dollars. Our Committee's investigation revealed how appalling this practice is and makes clear it should not be allowed -- I'm glad to see Visa has reached the same conclusion."

The announcement follows Visa's program launched in December with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau to educate consumers on deceptive marketing practices. Visa continues to aggressively enforce risk programs to identify and address merchants who use bogus marketing tactics to dupe consumers.

"Protecting cardholders is among Visa's highest priorities, and we want to ensure every business in the payments system has the same commitment to ensuring consumer confidence," said Elliott.

Clatsop County Tourism

Clatsop County Tourism. Three words that belong together; mainly because tourism is Clatsop County's primary income. Too bad their government doesn't support tourism. Clatsop County won't see any of my money for a long time. Thankfully, there are plenty of other places to spend time and money along the Oregon coast. I had planned on taking my folks there for a long weekend this summer...we'll be going to Lincoln City, instead.

I guess if you arrive via cruise ship, you're probably safe. But beware if you travel along the ground. Even the Clatsop County website is messed up; you can't even view their county map online. C'mon Clatsop, get with it.