It’s that time when everyone writes articles about the “Best of”, the “Worst of”, the “Top Ten of”, etc.. I will remember 2006 as the year of NO customer service and adapting to new technology.

I don’t have to worry about upsetting advertisers.  I don’t have any. So unlike commercial sites, I can name names.  So read on and contribute your own thoughts and experiences with tech in 2006.

I’ll start with the worst and save the best (yes, there were one or two good experiences) for last.

The Worst

- DirecTV

DirecTV tops the list by far and away.  I was a perfectly satisfied customer, until I tried to upgrade to high-definition.  Then the hands-down worst customer experience I have ever had with ANYTHING started.  The story spreads out over three months and is too long to detail here. I’ll touch on the highlights:

I decided to get a DVR when I still had standard-definition. Was told I needed a new dish and it would cost $70. Told DirecTV that as long as I needed a new dish, I wanted one that was hi-def capable so I wouldn’t have to do it again when I got a hi-def TV. Took one-hour and three different people before someone knew if I could install a hi-def dish and still use it with my standard-def equipment.  The answer turned out to be yes, so I spent the $70 and did it. 

When the “tech” came out to install it, he also put in a new switch in the basement. It needed to be powered so he wired it to the closet thing, a light.  He left.  I turned on the TV.  Worked fine. Until I turned out the basement lights.  He also forgot to hook back up one of the other TV’s in the house. He came back after I called and complained and he was not happy.

Then I finally bought a hi-def TV after DirecTV finally sent me an email inviting me to sign-up for hi-def as they were now offering my local channels in hi-def as well as other hi-def “cable” channels. Note that DirecTV has still not rolled-out “more hi-def channels than anyone else”.  DirecTV launched new satellites so they could use the latest compression scheme (MPEG4) to do this. WHEN is the question. 

So I called up and ordered the hi-def package ($10 more a month) and a hi-def DVR. I was told I needed a new dish. I told them I already had it, that they should look up my records in their computer.  DirecTV told me that my new dish was not hi-def capable and I needed a new one, for another charge.  Needless to say, I argued with three or four people before getting DirecTV to admit their mistake and waiving the charge.

DirecTV contracts in my area with a company called DirecTech to do their installs.  They are morons. I am being polite. The first appointment forced me to take a day off from work.  They never showed.  They never called.  After more phone calls, they said they would come out the next morning.  Another day off from work.  The guy came and installed everything, only to find out he could not get the hi-def signal from where the dish was installed.  Turns out he was pointing it at the WRONG satellite.  The one I needed turned out to be behind a tree and could not be accessed from the current dish location.  Now one would think that an intelligent human being would have checked to see if the signal was there FIRST before installing the equipment.

So this guy had to take everything OUT and re-install all the old stuff.  He saw a location on the other side of the house that might work but he could not reach it.  His ladder wasn’t high enough. He said he would have a supervisor come by and check the location to make sure it would work and if it did, they would re-install the new stuff again.  They never did.

After many more phone calls it got silly.  DirecTech would not return phone calls.  No supervisor ever showed, even after I was told THREE times by three different people that he would.  I called DirecTV customer service (a call center in Colorado) and yelled in desperation. They too never called back or helped.

Finally, I called DirecTV’s main office in CA.  I demanded to speak to someone with enough authority to actually get something done. I got a “Customer Service” troubleshooter.  This person admitted that DirecTV was having issues with some of its contractors and was looking to replace them (that helps me a lot). They said they would get back to me the next morning and as they were telling me this two guys who could not speak a word of English showed up at my house with an unmarked truck to install my hi-def!  I told the person in CA this and was told to let them go they might be able to get it done.  Was told they would still call back to see what happened.  The two guys started up to the roof in a location that was already tried by the last guy.  I started trying to tell them this but they could not understand me and kept going.  After an hour, and more holes in my roof, they came back down and all they could say was “no signal”.  No kidding.  I tried to point them to the spot where the first guy thought it might work but they kept shaking their heads.  They left. 

No one called back (no surprise by now).  I called DirecTV the next day and told them that if a crew with half a brain was not here in 48 hours, I was canceling DirecTV.  Needless to say no one ever called, no one ever came.

Sadly, I cancelled DirecTV and went back to Comcrap (they call themselves Comacast). DirecTV sent me a collections letter ONE MONTH later for $58.20.  I called and informed them I was not paying the bill because these idiots never sent me a bill in the first place. They said they would and the bill would be for $60 and change. I informed them the letter they sent was for $58.20.  After arguing with them, it turns out they were charging me a $2 LATE FEE.  I told them where they could put that and when I got the bill I would pay the $58.20 ONLY.  I got another bill with the late fee waived. Then I got ANOTHER bill, this time for $70!  When I called and asked why, I was informed that I was being charged a $12 cancellation fee! Now do you think I am going to pay that?

- Comcrap (otherwise known as Comcast)

Because of the above, I was forced to go back to Comcrap with their outrageous fees and horrible technical support.  The first guy who installed it could not answer any technical questions.  He did not even know that the DVR had an optical output for the sound (if you want surround sound on this box, you have to use it).  He also did not have a DVI cable to hook it up to my TV (”We don’t supply those because they are too expensive”). 

After doing my homework, I found out that my DVR was an older model with a small hard drive.  So I called and was told I could drive to the nearest Comcrap office and exchange it.  I did.  The new box (both made by Motorola) had a larger hard drive and had an HDMI output instead of DVI.

Hooked it up and found that the new box would not let me hook up the HDMI output to my stereo receiver (which has three HDMI inputs and one output).  When I did, the box generated an error message saying “Set top box does not support HDMI repeater.  Please use component outputs.”.  Are you still with me?  I called Comcrap.  That had no idea what I was talking about.  They suggested I hook it up directly to my TV, which I had already done and it worked. I tried to explain to them that this made me have to use multiple remotes to switch inputs on the TV.  They claimed there was nothing they could do.

I called Motorola.  They informed me that there was a firmware update for my box and that they had issued it to the cable companies, but it was up to them to “push it out” to their customers.

I called back Comcrap.  Demanded to speak to someone who understood how this stuff works.  Got a nice lady in Toms River, NJ who seemed to understand and said she looked up technical notes in her system and saw nothing about that.  She said she would email some engineers and have them look into it.  I never heard any more about this.

Since then, I have had two service calls and had the box replaced AGAIN because of picture and sound problems.

- Nextel

Nextel is now part of Sprint. I never liked Sprint since they charged me $99 for calls I never made (years ago).  We use Nextel at work, so I’m stuck with it.  I live and work in the New York City area.  You’ve heard of that place haven’t you?  Nextel hasn’t. During my daily commute, I know of FIVE spots where the calls will get dropped every time.  Complaints to Nextel have produced NO results.  What a surprise.

- Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack and other consumer electronic stores

If you have little or no technical knowledge and want to buy a digital camera, a camcorder, a hi-def TV, a good stereo receiver, etc., you better stay out of these stores. Theses stores hire employees who know less than you do. They sell what makes them the most commission, not what you need.  Then when you hit the cashier, they try to push that over-priced extended warranty on you that does little more than make them lots of money. If you do your homework, you’ll do better online (see below).

- The Music Industry (The labels and the RIAA)

This has been the year of law suits instituted by the RIAA (supported by the labels) against alleged illegal downloading of songs.  While I don’t download any songs (even for my iPod) off the Internet, I find the whole idea of the industry trying to stop illegal downloading (via lawsuits and copy-protection schemes) repulsive.  Suing parents of 12 year old kids for illegally downloading music is just wrong. It is a clear indication of just how desperate the money-hungry labels are. To me, it is simple. The labels make excessive profits.  The artists are certainly due their share, I fully support that.  However, if the labels charged $10 for a CD instead of $15 or $18 AND IF they produced better music, the sales would rise dramatically.  I don’t blame young people for sharing their music.  They can’t afford to buy lots of CD’s so they are forced to share.  They also don’t want to waste that kind of money on music that is mediocre or worse. 

So to maintain their huge profits, the labels turn to lawsuits as a last resort. The public needs to voice their displeasure of the music industry and its outrageous policies and do it loudly.

- DVD Format Wars

It’s VHS vs. Betamax all over again.  Of course, I’m referring to the two new competing DVD hi-def formats: the Toshiba backed HD-DVD and the Sony backed Blu-Ray. As with Beta, Sony seems to have developed the superior format (it has 20 gigs more available space for starters). 

However, we all know how Sony bungled Betamax so it is anybody’s guess how this one will come out.  There are rumors that new DVD players, that can play both formats, may be available as soon as later in 2007.  We can only hope. When will the electronics industry learn that all this new technology is confusing enough for the average consumer without them making it worse?  Do yourself a big favor.  As enticing as a hi-def DVD player may be, WAIT.  Watch and see where this is headed before you plunk down your hard earned cash and possibly wind up with a white elephant.

- Streaming your digital music to your main stereo system

My dream.  Trust me, I’ve be looking hard at every product out there and it just isn’t there yet. I want it and I would think millions of others would too.  To put all of your music (MP3’s, CD’s, etc.) onto a hard drive and then send it (hopefully wirelessly) to your main stereo system can be done, but not one product currently available really makes it easy and has the right features to bring it into the main stream (pardon the pun). The closest I’ve come is my Yamaha RX-V2700 AV receiver.  It’s a great sounding piece and can switch all of my components via HDMI connections (DVD/CD player, cable/sat receiver and game system). It can also be hooked into my home network (for Internet radio and Windows Media Player playlists) via a standard Ethernet CAT5 cable.  It even has an iPod port.  Best of all, these features can be controlled from an on-screen menu from the units remote.  So what’s not to like?  The user interface is sloppy and clumsy at best.  The random playback feature is buried far away from where it should be to be of any use and it plays the same songs over again unless you really horse around with it (so much for “random”). The menus do not always update over the network and the menu listing for “Albums” shows only the title of the album, not the artist.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  It’s a great product that came so close to being the first really useful product of its type.  If only they would have talked to consumers who would actually USE the product!  Maybe next year……

- Paint Shop Pro

Jasc Software created this product and made it an easy to use (and much cheaper) Photoshop.  Then Corel bought it and “updated” it.  And ruined it. By needlessly changing the interface, Corel ruined a very easy-to-use piece of software. If you have version 9 or earlier, hold on to it.

Upgrading doesn’t always mean better.

- Anything that uses the so called “Pre-N” wireless protocol

Once again, manufacturers want to offer the “fastest” and “greatest” by offering routers and wireless devices that use the 802.11n protocol.  While the new protocol is faster, it hasn’t been approved by the people who set these standards, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).  That may happen by the summer of 2007.  So in the mean time, manufacturers are releasing products with their own version, which may or may not be compatible with the new standard when it is approved. My advice?  Unless you are a geek, just wait for the new standard.

The Best

- Crutchfield Electronics

Up until this year, I have only purchased one small item from this company.  I have heard they have great customer support, so when I decided to replace my stereo receiver and DVD player, I decided to give Crutchfield a try.  Am I glad I did.  In a world full of corporate customer service departments that have been devastated by cost-cutting, this was a standout experience.

Not only did they have knowledgeable sales people, but they delivered what they promised. The big brick and mortar consumer operations couldn’t hold a candle to these people. Since purchasing the equipment, I have called them twice for answers to technical issues. Both times they were helpful and had the answers and I didn’t feel like I was being rushed of the phone.

You can be sure I will be buying from them again in the future.

- Verizon

Yeah, you read that right.  I have been very critical of Verizon’s terrible technical support for my DSL service, so when they got it right, I owe them their due.  I was one of Verizon’s first DSL customers (remember Bell Atlantic?).  I got my Westell DSL bridge for free when I signed up. 

It is now many years old and my connection has been dropping out at least twice a week.  After a few phone calls to tech support they concluded that the bridge was just too old and needed to be replaced, for a $90 charge. I called the sales office the next day to convey what had happened. 

The nice woman informed me that a new bridge would cost $90 but since I had been a good customer for so long, she would waive the fee.  I didn’t even have to say a word.  Customer service done right.

- Amazon

I have to resort to buying CD’s from Amazon online as all the good brick and mortar music stores are gone (Tower Records went just this year). Stores like FYE are a joke for anything except Top 40 stuff.  Amazon has access to a huge variety of music.  So while I do not like paying the shipping charges, I can at least get what I want. When I never got one of my purchases, I called to complain.  I had to search hard for a phone number to call, but when I found it, Amazon did not blink.  They re-sent my purchase to me at no charge.  I got it within days.  Customer service done right.  I did finally get the original order, albeit weeks later (thank you USPS) and sent it back with my thanks.

- CDW

Over the years, I have researched many pieces of software and computer hardware for my company to buy.  Some experiences were not so great (Lenovo comes to mind). Most of the time, vendors were anxious to sell, but of little help in making these decisions.  Out of all of them, CDW stands out.  They figured out that no one sales person knows it all.  There is too much in this day and age to know it all.  So you get a main contact who is backed up by others on his “team” who have specialties.  When I call my sales rep, if he doesn’t know the answer, he gets back to me when he does. CDW is good, but as we all know, any company is only as good as its people and we are lucky to have a really good sales rep at CDW.

Conclusion

I have experienced the same hair-pulling experiences with bad customer support as we all have. 

Try calling Earthlink’s overseas, broken English speaking tech support who barely knows what a computer is.  That’ll drive you up the wall for sure.  And they are far from being alone. In this new age of hi-tech, it is more important than ever that the consumer have good information (i.e., knowledgeable sales people), great customer service and great tech support.  Sadly, the industry has gone in the opposite direction. Maybe things will improve in 2007.  We can always hope. 

Meanwhile, I’ll keep trying to inform you of what I think is important and you keep giving me feedback. 

Happy New Year!

Here are 15 tips and ideas to try that come to mind for digital camera owners wanting to capture the big day:

- Prepare - Making a List, checking it twice….
- A White Balance Christmas
- Set up a DIY ‘Photo Booth’
- Capture the preparation stages
- Before and After Shots
- Time-lapse Christmas series
- Christmas Lights
- Find a Point of Interest - but just per shot
- Fresh Group Photos
- Opening Gifts - Shoot in Continuous Mode
- Fill your Frame
- Diffuse/Reflect Your Flash
- Go Macro
- Watch Your Aperture
- Explore Your Neighborhood

Get all of the details for these tips at the Digital Photography School web site

If you want to track the big guy, there are a few ways to do it.  Here are my favorites (click the sub-titles to go there):

- Google Earth

Here you’ll find a file you can download that will fly you to a “present icon” that will give you a clue where to find one of Santa’s Toys. On Christmas Eve it will track Santa’s flight across the world.  Of course, it requires Google Earth to be installed.

- NORAD

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa. The tradition began after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special “hotline” included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number. Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first “Santa” call on Christmas Eve 1955. Realizing what had happened, Colonel Shoup had his staff check radar data to see if there was any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called were given an update on Santa’s position. Thus, the tradition was born.

There are other fun things to do here as well.

- Windows Live Messenger

Bring your child to the computer, fire up Windows Live Messenger, and chat with Father Christmas at Northpole@live.com in an interactive session.

On Christmas Eve, the kids can ask Santa where he is through Live Messenger.

- Flight Explorer

Flight Explorer (FE), provider of real-time global flight tracking information, in partnership with Santa’s Workshop (SW), has a free Santa Claus tracking service. Site visitors can view what Flight Explorer air traffic expert Rally Caparas believes will be Santa’s flight route of choice around the globe and also watch Santa and his reindeer perform some practice runs around the North Pole.

On Christmas Eve, Flight Explorer and its Santa tracking helper SkylineGlobe.com will begin tracking Santa at 6:00 AM EST after he and his reindeer take off from the North Pole. Flight Explorer will provide 3D visual updates on Santa’s location throughout the day to all http://www.flightexplorer.com visitors. In addition, visitors will also be able to track and see the likely route that Santa will take to get from his location to their house.

- DFW Airport Tracker

Check out Santa’s arrival in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

…..And if you want to just check out Christmas fun and info, try these sites:

http://www.worldofchristmas.net/

http://www.northpole.com

http://www.claus.com/index.php

……Merry Christmas from NotJust4Techs!

From Sci-Tech Today.com:

Google and NASA have formalized a collaboration that could make space data more accessible to the general public. Under the arrangement, Google will help to develop new search capabilities, imaging systems, and other technologies to help make space exploration more appealing to Internet users.

Some potential features could be 3D images of planets, a virtual walk on the moon, or a real-time ride on the Space Shuttle.

Google is not receiving any compensation for its work, but has noted that it wants to make the marvels of space more understandable to the general public and instill a sense of fun in galactic exploration.

The company also said it believes that by making the field more exciting, it could help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Google’s partnership with NASA was first announced over a year ago, when the search company said it would collaborate with the space agency on several technology-focused research activities.

The two entities signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2005, outlining plans for several areas, including data management, massively distributed computing, and “bio-info-nano convergence.”

The initial plan also proposed the construction of a million-square-foot complex for Google within NASA’s Silicon Valley research park. Still a viable part of the proposal, the shared-use campus could house laboratories, offices, classrooms, and even museums.

Details on the first efforts to come from the partnership have not been released, but NASA officials noted that the public would likely see the fruits of the collaboration within the next year.

Initial features will include static photographs taken from space, such as lunar meteor craters. NASA said it hopes later to incorporate video into the mix.

From Information Week:

Microsoft quietly posted a Windows XP SP2 patch to make surfing public wireless hotspots safer, but did not include it with the December security updates released Tuesday and has not posted it as a download from Microsoft Update.

The update fixes a long-standing security problem in Windows XP SP2, which starts an automatic scan for wireless networks when a laptop boots or powers up from hibernation. Windows’ Wi-Fi client goes through a list of previously-used wireless networks, and if it finds one, connects. The convenience, however, is offset by possible “man-in-the-middle” attacks, where criminals monitor hotspot traffic and then dupe others’ notebooks into connecting to their PC, which is posing as an access point. Once an attacker has tricked a user into connecting to the rogue hotspot, he can capture all wireless data, including passwords or other confidential information.

“This update helps prevent a Windows wireless client from advertising the wireless networks in its preferred networks list,” Microsoft said in a support document posted in late November.

Finnish security vendor F-Secure confirmed that the practice of broadcasting the names of wireless networks was dangerous. “Advertising the name of your preferred networks creates the potential for a man-in-the-middle attack,” wrote F-Secure in a blogged warning.

When asked to explain why the patch was not distributed through Automatic Updates or posted to the Microsoft Update Web site, a company spokesperson did not directly respond, but only pointed out an October security advisory that described an earlier edition of the fix. Microsoft typically follows up an advisory with an official patch deployed as a security update, but did not do so in this case. The advisory offers no additional explanation.

The patch, which must be manually downloaded and installed, is available on the Microsoft Web site. Only systems that have been validated as running a genuine copy of Windows can retrieve the patch.

From the LA Times:

Nintendo of America on Friday issued a “Wiicall.”

The video game maker will replace the wrist strap for its Wii console’s novel controller amid reports that some straps broke during game play, causing the device to fly out of users’ hands and shatter television screens.

The voluntary recall represents a setback for the popular console, which outsold Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 game system more than 2 to 1 last month and nearly matched sales of Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360, according to sales data collected by NPD Group. The Wii, pronounced “whee,” is the most sought-after of the game systems based on Internet searches, according to researcher Hitwise.

Nintendo said the wrist strap was designed as a precaution, in case players lost their grip on the wireless Wii remote, which senses motion. The website wiihaveaproblem.com has more than a dozen accounts of people who lost control of the remote while playing various Wii sports games and impaled their television sets.

“It’s a very, very small percentage of players whose wrist straps have broken,” Nintendo spokeswoman Beth llewelyn said. “It’s because of very exuberant game play. People are really getting into the game and letting go of the controller.”

Nintendo has replaced the wrist strap with a beefier one on its upcoming console shipments. Consumers can obtain a replacement wrist strap by calling (800) 859-4519 or visiting the website support.nintendo.com.

The website also offers tips for proper Wii remote usage, including advice that players use smaller gestures while playing and dry their hands if they become moist.

Excerpt from USA Today:

New York’s next generation of cabs is coming — complete with TV. The new features — designed to help riders pass the time, pay the fare and even find their lost umbrellas — are expected to start hitting the streets within two weeks.
The city Taxi & Limousine Commission gave a preview Thursday, showing off a touch-screen device that lets passengers check news and weather reports, look up restaurant reviews and track their cab’s progress on an electronic map.

The tracking feature also promises to make it easier for riders to retrieve things they leave behind. Rather than racking their minds for a medallion number, riders will be able to call a city information line and say where they were dropped off and what was lost. The taxi commission will work from that to try to find the cab.

According to TechCrunch.com:

If you’re pounding the pavement looking for a Nintendo Wii or Sony PS3, then this should take a load off. We’ve heard from a credible source that Amazon is going to start selling both game consoles “in the coming days.”

Finding a Wii or a PS3 is like finding a four-leaf clover these days. Stores like Best Buy simply cannot keep them on the shelves fast enough and you have to pay through the nose to get one on eBay.

Amazon sold out of the Wii on the first day it was released in less than one minute and has not been able to keep PS3 in stock consistently at all. Our source tells us that the site will be ready to take orders for both again soon, although we don’t know exactly when. Both systems are available for resale on the site, but for two and three times their shelf value.

As far as we can tell, Amazon has yet to set a price for either console but we suspect that they will sell them for the retail price. It is possible that they will do a similar promotion as the one they did for Xbox in November, although not likely. Gamers can just be happy to have a sure-fire way to purchase these precious machines, rather than stand out in the cold in front of an electronics store, hoping to find gold. Good move Amazon!

From the NY Times: 

Skype, the Internet calling service owned by eBay, said Tuesday that as of Jan. 1 it would begin charging $30 a year for unlimited calls to landline and mobile phones within the United States and Canada. Those calls had been free since last spring.

The new annual fee for unlimited calling, while still nominal compared with other Internet calling plans, is part of a broader strategy by eBay to expand Skype’s product offerings and revenue.

EBay, the online auction giant, paid $2.5 billion for Skype in October 2005, prompting criticism from some analysts that it had overpaid for a start-up company focused on a different market and technology.

EBay executives assert that Skype can help it by allowing low-cost voice and video communication between its buyers and sellers. In addition, eBay wants to capitalize on Skype’s base of 136 million registered users.

As a promotion, Skype began allowing its users to place free domestic “SkypeOut” calls from their computers to traditional and mobile phones last May. At the time, the company said the promotion would extend only through year’s end. The company is offering a half-price subscription to those who sign up before Jan. 31. Calls from one computer to another have been and will continue to be free.

From CNN.com: 

About 450 workers at the Dulles headquarters of AOL were laid off Wednesday as the company continues restructuring away from its traditional roots as a subscription-based provider of dial-up Internet access.

AOL announced in August that it planned to cut about 5,000 jobs — or roughly a fourth of its global workforce — as it embarked on major changes designed to shift the company’s revenue stream from subscription fees to online advertising. Many of AOL’s key features, like e-mail accounts, are now available for free.

AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein said Wednesday’s layoffs essentially represent the final round of job cuts.

Worldwide layoffs roughly matched the 5,000 figure cited back in August, but fewer of the cuts came at the Dulles headquarters than had been anticipated. In all, about 500 were laid off in northern Virginia, compared to initial estimates of about 1,000.

Most of those laid off Wednesday had jobs related to support of the company’s dial-up access service.

Since the company announced its broad plans in August, it has closed all four of its domestic call centers in Ogden, Utah; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Tucson, Arizona, and Oklahoma City. All of its call centers are now located overseas, in Bangalore, India, and the Philippines, Weinstein said.