Category: product complaints

wordpress.com domain registration problems

On By Rick McIn blogs, gymnastics, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

I love WordPress, the software that runs this blog.

Just set up a new blog for a friend. Only US$15 / year including the domain name.

Sweet!

ANYONE can afford that for their own website.

One complaint. When I went to purchase the $15 domain name, the process was a nightmare.

This is the evil page:

wordpress-domain.jpg

Perhaps it works on a Windoze machine and IE, but it was near impossible for me to get the confusing process to work on a Mac using Safari, Opera and Firefox browsers.

I will complain to Matt, the front man for WordPress.

Shaw Cable SECRETLY limits internet bandwidth

On By Rick McIn internet, product complaintsLeave a comment

It must be true. I read it on Digg.

Shaw Cable, a Western-Canadian ISP has begun to roll out technology that will limit the bandwidth given to BitTorrent users and P2P alike. Considered I was guaranteed up & down speed as well as “unlimited” Data transfer, I find this a tad ridiculous.

Shaw Cable secretly limits BitTorrent Bandwidth

Something is wrong with my bittorrent downloads of entirely legal and wholesome videos

Sounds like this is inevitable. UNTIL a competitor offers true Net Neutrality high speed. When that happens people will cancel Shaw overnight.

Until then, here are are 270+user reviews. Some people no problems getting full speed bittorent.

Others say it is not secret. Shaw admits they throttle.

I hate internet forums

On By Rick McIn blogs, product complaintsLeave a comment

There is a circle of Hell where geeks are forced to sift through internet forums forever trying to find the answer to a simple question.

I’m amazed so many idiots have so much time.

When your software advises you to “check the forum” for support, start pulling your hair out.

I’ve been in just such a Hell of late on the WordPress.com forums. This is commercial software though I am using the FREE version to put together a new website for a friend.

WordPress.com is fantastic. But they’ve bungled something simple on their site this time. A feature has not been working for over a day and it is making users CRAZY.

No doubt they have people working to correct the glitch, but there has been no official notice from the company so far.

That’s lame. I’ll write the founder Matt Mullenweg to ask: Why not notify users instantly via the “Dashboard” when a feature fails on WordPress?

review – Grand Prarie inn hotel

On By Rick McIn product complaints, travel4 Comments

Overall, The Grande Prairie Inn …

Was a disappointment

+ weak, actually unusable, FREE wireless internet
+ only one of two elevators worked
+ hotel very smoky

The parking was terrible because the concrete parkade was a disaster and a hazard.

Unaware of this fact, I got the rent-a-van stuck in a foot of water. Barefoot I had to move “icebergs” out from under the wheels before I could reverse.

The bottom was flooded. The upper levels seem to have been taken over by skateboarders. It is entirely covered with graffiti.

When I asked at the front desk, I was told it was unsafe to park in the parkade after 10PM.

The room (543) was good. But I will never return. Management tells me the hotel has been much improved. I’ll check that next visit to town.

Grand Prairie Inn
11633 Clairmont Road, Grande Prairie, Alberta

how newspapers could be SAVED

On By Rick McIn internet, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Oliver Reichenstein is on the right track. He feels newspapers need reinvent themselves as Wikis.

Right now I love Wikipedia. I hate my local paper’s website.

The San Francisco Chronicle is in financial trouble, InfoWorld stops printing, Time Magazine redesigns its print edition and fires 50 people. Old media is in trouble. …

The big question is: Do newspapers have a future at all? – Change or die is the media’s new watchword. Here are the 10 major misconceptions than hinder newspapers to join the new media party …

Information Architects Japan » iA Notebook » 10 Newspaper Myths Deconstructed

Reichenstein posted a model of how the Washington Post could be redesigned as a Wiki.

wsp_orn1-5-wideb33_fin2_sm.gif

newspapers deserve to die

On By Rick McIn bad news, product complaintsLeave a comment

The one reason I might go to the Calgary Herald newspaper website would be to look up the answer to yesterday’s crossword puzzle.

Forget it.

The website is crap. STILL no RSS feed. Cluttered. Confusing.

This is a clever strategy to make you buy the actual paper. Or say screw it. I’ll read Google news Canada instead.

herald.gif

complaints.com – actually pretty lame

On By Rick McIn blogs, internet, product complaintsLeave a comment

If you are looking for a great internet niche business, start-up a consumer complaints aggregater.

Pick up RSS feeds from the 50 million plus blogs out there. And summarize the lack of love for businesses in a funny, easy-to-read form.

You need a good domain name. Something like: Complaints.com

complaints.jpg

Actually that one is already taken. I recommended it on Boxing Day 2006.

Taking a sober second look at it today, it’s actually a terrible website. The submission process is email. And the browsing / search interface looks like a porn site from 1997.

complaints-screen.jpg

I am still waiting for my first free email newsletter.

Almost ANYTHING would be better than this. Leave a comment below if you have another consumer complaints site you like.

Robert Scoble slaps Microsoft

On By Rick McIn Google, internet, product complaintsLeave a comment

The Scobleizer got famous as the “Microsoft tech evangelist”.

He was the human face of the inhuman company.

Scoble has defended Microsoft as much as anyone on the internet. A lot of his friends work there.

But this time, he is calling a spade a spade:

suckers2.jpg

Microsoft executives are bragging to MVPs that “we’re in it to win.”

I don’t think Microsoft is. The words are empty. Microsoft’s Internet execution sucks (on whole). Its search sucks. Its advertising sucks …

Microsoft isn’t going away. Don’t get me wrong. They have record profits, record sales, all that. But on the Internet? Come on. This isn’t winning. Microsoft: stop the talk.

Ship a better search, a better advertising system than Google, a better hosting service than Amazon, a better cross-platform Web development ecosystem than Adobe, and get some services out there that are innovative (where’s the video RSS reader? Blog search? Something like Yahoo’s Pipes? A real blog service? A way to look up people?) That’s how you win.

This isn’t Netscape you’re talking trash to, Steve. Have you really studied Google? It doesn’t sound like you have.

Again, Microsofties, you’d be better served not to talk trash until you have something YOU CAN SHIP!

Microsoft tells MVPs “we’re in it to win” — Really? « Scobleizer – Tech Geek Blogger

Fact is Microsoft does very few things well. Especially on the internet.

twits on Twittervision

On By Rick McIn humour, internet, product complaintsLeave a comment

You’ve got to see this:

Twittervision

Networked communication has dwindled to the point of near unintelligible grunts and random phrases from people you do not know.

This is a real time world map of the supernova web application twitter in action.

third party credit card payment when booking on-line SUCKS

On By Rick McIn Cirque du Soleil, product complaints, travelLeave a comment

Altadore Gymnastics booked a Cirque du Soleil Vegas trip for coach Ed Vincent. For his 35-years-or-so contribution to the club.

But when I went to PAY on-line, I was in for a shock.

angry guyNeither the Excaliber hotel nor Cirque du Soleil would accept payment by my credit card for “Ed Vincent”.

I first had to FAX a copy of my credit card and driver’s license to Vegas.

Where’s the convenience of on-line commerce now?

Here’s the small print from one website:

Tickets are normally sent to your credit card billing address. The Billing Address will be verified with your credit card company so you must use the exact address that your statements are sent to.

Should you require that the order be shipped to an address other than the credit card billing address we will require a faxed authorization from you. This includes a signed copy of the invoice along with legible copies of your driver’s license and the credit card that was used. This is done to protect both of us against fraudulent use.

OK. Now why did the airline (WestJet) accept my payment for Ed’s tickets, no questions asked?

Leave a comment if you know any more about this consumer hassle.