This Email Confirms You Don't Want Email...

Yesterday JC Penny was having a sale on some decent Santoku Knives, so I decided to check it out and pick a set up for my girlfriend and I. During the sign up, I was asked if I wanted to receive promotional email from JC Penny, and of course, I said NO!

Not 60 seconds later, I get this in my mailbox

 

The first part of the email says:

"While registering as a shopper with jcpenney.com, you chose not to receive our promotional Email. This is being sent to confirm that **********@gmail.com will not receive Email from jcpenney.com."

They sent me an email, to confirm that I told them that I didn't want to receive emails from them. Of course, the email also includes a link that allows me to opt into getting emails, you know, in case I change my mind.

Now, I understand sending an email confirmation if I have previously been receiving things from a business, and then I unsubscribe, but this is not the case. I was a brand new customer, who said right from the start that I do not want email from you, I had to change the selection to "do not want" as the default is opting you into getting these messages.

And to top it off...the knives I wanted we sold out by the time I added them to my cart. What a waste. This is why I set up junk email accounts, so when I register for something that I deem unimportant, its not big deal when they send me crap after I tell them not to.

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Yahoo! Answers Suspends ThinkSmarter

I have never been a big fan of Yahoo! Answers. I really like the idea of people sharing their knowledge (why else would I write a blog?) but a lot of the information there is misguided, or just plain wrong. Unlike Wikipedia or other free, user submission based information sources, the info at Yahoo! Answers is unedited and unfiltered, and too often, what people say is taken as fact, and that is the end of it.

So a few nights ago I decided that rather than complaining, I thought I would do something about it. I created a yahoo account, and I browsed the technology section looking for questions that had gone unanswered but were asked numerous times. The most commonly asked question was about Antivirus 2009 removal. I decided to write a blog about how to remove the software. I then went to each thread, and posted a link to the instructions explaining that the link was a blog about how to remove it. I also went through and answered several other questions that people had about things I happen to know. In total, I answered 15-20 questions. By morning, 1 had been voted best answer in the thread, and I was happy, because that meant I had helped someone.

Last night, I went back and decided I wanted to answer more questions. I log in and I get a message saying my account has been banned! I email support thinking that maybe the number of posts in such a short time span was the cause, and hear back from them a few hours later. This was their response:

"We appreciate your inquiry about your suspension from Yahoo! Answers and/or the deactivation of your Yahoo! ID. We reviewed your case, and decided that your account is not eligible for reinstatement.

Once an account is disabled for a violation of the Terms of Service, the subscriber to the account will lose the ability to log in and access the account and its contents (including email and content stored with any other Yahoo! service). The account also will not be reactivated.

Should you choose to create a new Yahoo! account, we invite you to read the Yahoo! Terms of Service and Yahoo! Community Guidelines to help ensure your new account is not deactivated."

I've inquired again as to why my account had been suspended, but have yet to hear back. I think it is ridiculous that Yahoo! has suspended my account for what I can only assume is helping too much. I guess its back to complaining about the service, since when I did try to help, they essentially told me to stop. Thanks Yahoo!

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For faster service...please know why you are calling.

Why is it that so many people make telephone calls to service numbers without having an idea of the question they want to ask?

Not a day goes by where I don't get a call along the lines of

"Person X called and said that I can come pick up my computer."

Thats it, there is no question. Just a statement. What response do people expect when they say things like that. My usual answer is "OK." followed by an awkward pause. Eventually I will say "did you have a question?". On a good call I will get a reply of "Oh I just wanted to make sure it was ready" or "I just wanted to know what time you folks closed" those are questions that can be answered, and while I wish they would have started the conversation, its still OK because we are getting somewhere. However on a bad call, and by bad I mean most, the person simply repeats their statement. It's confusing.

It boggles my mind, that people pick up a phone and call people with no intended purpose. So here is my request. Before you call somone, or some place. Think to your self "what is it I want to ask" If you have nothing to ask, then you have no reason to call. Now, your question does not need to be specific (although it helps). Just a vague idea of your purpose for calling me and I can go from there and ask you questions to get the information I need to help you. I can understand maybe if you had a question, but after a 45 minute hold time you have forgotten it...but no customer who gets to my phone line is ever on hold for more than 5 minutes, and even that is rare so there really is no excuse.


As a side note:

Please don't ask me how I am doing if your intention is to not even pause for a response. Whats the point? I'm sure you don't give a crap about how my day is (why would you, we aren't friends or even know each other) so why pretend.

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Off Topic... National Health Care

I know this has nothing to do with technology, and is about as far off from my normal blog postings as you can get, but it’s my blog so I get to write whatever I feel like.

One of the biggest topics (aside from the war in Iraq) that the Presidential Candidates have to deal with is the idea of nation health care. Movies like Sicko portray the US Health Care System as inadequate and sub-bar.

Maybe it is because I have lived a health and lucky life. I have had no serious illnesses, no major injuries, and no extended hospital stays, so I have never dealt with an "inadequate" health care system. I remember going to the emergency room a few times, once for a gash on my arm that I needed to get stitches for, another because I had a bad case of tonsillitis and my throat and swelled up and it was hard to breath. Both times I was treated very quickly. My doctors have always been nice when I have gone in for physicals, or just being ill in general. I tore tenants in my hand, and they took care of me, I have a bad knee and Gout and I have always been taken care of.

In addition to this, my Mom has had several extended hospital stays because of severe back injury she sustained, and because of this needed several surgeries. They took good care of her in the Hospital, and the medical bills were taken care of by the state (she was injured while working a state job).

In fact, I don't know anyone who has had a horrible experience at the doctors or at a hospital. So for me, I just don't see this inadequate health system.

So maybe I have been getting this good treatment because I have always had health insurance. My dad is in a union with great benefits, so I got those until I was 21. But I had double coverage for several years because every company I have ever worked for has given me health insurance. Is this a rare thing? I mean I was 16 working at Blockbuster and even they offered me health insurance (and a number of other good benefits like tuition reimbursement). My current Jobs (yes I have 2) both offer health insurance. Heck my primary job offers 3 different types of coverage you can choose from. 2 are free and one costs me 12 dollars a month. (I picked the $12/month one because it allows me to see any doctor when ever I want for a huge variety of things as opposed to selecting a single "primary care" doctor who I would have to see) If I want to add my girlfriend on to my plan I can. You heard me right; we don't have to be married, just living together. That will cost me an extra $150/month I believe. But its great coverage. The only people I know who don't have health insurance are just lazy and don't have jobs. (Or have crappy part time fast food jobs). And in reality, if you are an adult, working a crappy part time fast food job, you need to take a look at your life and do better.

So what benefit would National Health care have for me? None. I would pay more taxes, so other people could get "free" medical. Why should I have to pay more so others can milk a government system because they are too damned lazy to work (welfare proves this over and over again). People in places like Canada who do have a national health care system still need to get extra insurance because their system doesn't cover everything good private insurance does. So it’s not like my company will stop providing health insurance, and then give me a raise which would then balance out the higher taxes. So really, all national health care will do is take more money from me to help people I don't know and who may not even need the help and are just lazy.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against helping those who really need help. I donate a significant amount of money to charities that I choose to support (usually ones that help fund education and medical research). I also work for a non-profit (where I take a lower salary then I would require from a larger for profit company) because I believe in the work they do and I want to be a part of that. So this isn't about not wanting to help people, it’s about being forced to help people and having no control over it.

The only national health care system I am willing to support would be one focused on children. Where a child would be qualified to receive health care up until age 18. Once they are 18, they are on their own. The reason for this is because a child doesn't ask to be borne, and should have to suffer because they have shitty parents who can’t get a job. If you can't get a job, you shouldn't be having a kid. And no, there is no excuse for not having a job, work a burger king if you have to, but you better damn well have a job. (Obviously there are exemptions to this like those who are disabled but they can get Medicare/Welfare) When you are 18, you can get your own job and your own health care. And don't give me that crap about being in school and not being able to work. I work 2 full time jobs AND still go to school, so it can be done (and it isn't that hard.)

It seems the people I hear complaining the loudest are those who just don’t have health insurance, here is what you do. Go get a job that provides it, or get a private healthcare provider. If your job doesn’t provide health care, or you just can’t afford it, then its time to get another job (a second one even) that will give you the extra cash so you can afford it.

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