General Musings thread

[cravnravn]

You cant play Golf in the heat? thats lame, the only thing that bothers me is trying to keep the pool water clear, the water temp is in the 80's and it just clouds the heck out of the pool.

[cravnravn]

Pretty cool, WBAL ran a story that happened in our neck of the woods, we were all down the beach last Wednesday when it took place..

 

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/beachgoers-help-beached-manatee-back-to-water/26674484?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=wbal-tv%2B11

[RavenMad]

florida is the top ranked state on lightning fatalities

 

heat index of 105 in st Augustine yesterday you can have it cravn , I gotta get back north can't play golf in this crapp down here

headed to coastal Carolinas for some real ocean and golf

 

We normally tee off between 7 and 8 so we are finishing as the heat is really cranking up. Playing Sawgrass when we are staying at Amelia Island. That will be a first. My pops played it a couple years back and he is looking forward to playing it again. Not sure I will tackle it off the tips though.

[dc.]

Florida also has 11 of the 100 most violent/dangerous cities in the US according to the FBI. No other state tops 9 cities in the top 100.

 

I wouldn't go down there. Things are getting scarier by the day.

[cravnravn]

Florida also has 11 of the 100 most violent/dangerous cities in the US according to the FBI. No other state tops 9 cities in the top 100.

 

I wouldn't go down there. Things are getting scarier by the day.

Wow so shocking to see Ft Meyers on that list,

 

And the only reason Florida has so many is population. The fbi list is based upon 25,000 residents, if ocean city had 25,000 residents they would be on the list

[cravnravn]

Here comes Arthur with some much needed rain

[dc.]

You mean at least 25,000? Of course lots of little towns would be there... But the list is still per population. So I'm staying out of Florida:)

[ForceEight]

You mean at least 25,000? Of course lots of little towns would be there... But the list is still per population. So I'm staying out of Florida:)

Bear in mind that we live in and around Baltimore, which is very literally as bad as it gets. Moreover, Florida's crime rates have been falling for over 20 years now, even after the Stand Your Ground law.

[dc.]

National violent crime rates are down dramatically - including in Baltimore, especially in the last decade.

 

Baltimore though doesn't rank as poorly as some Florida cities on that list. And I'm just giving Crav a hard time about his Florida-fever.

[cravnravn]

National violent crime rates are down dramatically - including in Baltimore, especially in the last decade.

 

Baltimore though doesn't rank as poorly as some Florida cities on that list. And I'm just giving Crav a hard time about his Florida-fever.

 

 

Fla Fever when its February

[deeshopper]

So, is it Florida Heat Stroke now?

[cravnravn]

Naaaaaah, Just po'ed I cant drop the lbs for the amt of sweating i do daily..

 

Just think of it as August weather at training camp Dee, remember those days..Well its August here June, July, August and a bit of September..

Edited July 3, 2014 by cravnravn

[papasmurfbell]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDb-hiOpBFo&feature=youtu.be

[cravnravn]

Scored a good one yesterday, for the 11th time in 18 months I have lost the HD DVR satellite box in the family room due to afternoon t-storms..So I go through the steps of resetting the box, and I get nothing, so I call Direct TV and say "Hi its me again, and I have no signal" So we go through the process again, and nothing so we set up to have a new box shipped.

 

Im getting mad by now because I have 3 other rooms in the house with Direct TV boxes and those come back after a power flicker, those do not have HD and DVR on them, just the family room one does.

 

So the new box comes today, and before I hang up the tech asks me if she can help me with any other issues..Without missing a beat I say, yes there is, with all the issues I have had with the family room box i think I deserve this years NFL Ticket at a very reduced rate..She says "Done, how does free sound"

 

SWEEEEEEEETTTTT

[ForceEight]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDb-hiOpBFo&feature=youtu.be

 

Hilarious! Watched this about five times.

 

Scored a good one yesterday, for the 11th time in 18 months I have lost the HD DVR satellite box in the family room due to afternoon t-storms..So I go through the steps of resetting the box, and I get nothing, so I call Direct TV and say "Hi its me again, and I have no signal" So we go through the process again, and nothing so we set up to have a new box shipped.

 

Im getting mad by now because I have 3 other rooms in the house with Direct TV boxes and those come back after a power flicker, those do not have HD and DVR on them, just the family room one does.

 

So the new box comes today, and before I hang up the tech asks me if she can help me with any other issues..Without missing a beat I say, yes there is, with all the issues I have had with the family room box i think I deserve this years NFL Ticket at a very reduced rate..She says "Done, how does free sound"

 

SWEEEEEEEETTTTT

 

I'd be willing to think DirecTV will give you just about anything you ask for, considering the acquisition. Give it a few weeks and find something else to complain about and get free/reduced.

[cravnravn]

You're right KS, they offered me the Genie upgrade for free, I declined until we solve this problem of the family room box always getting fried, and it is on a surge strip too.

[ForceEight]

Yeah I'd definitely give them a call back in a few weeks just to say hi.

[dc.]

Here's a fun DirectTV story... my brother's neighbor got DirectTV recently. DirectTV came out and accidentally placed the dish on my brother's house & roof (they are in a row home).

 

My brother keeps calling DirectTV (and writing them) and they keep saying that they cannot move the dish without an account on file to request the move. The neighbors refuse to get involved (I guess they don't get along) so DirectTV wants my brother to set up an account so that he can then officially ask for the order, set up a time, etc etc. He keeps saying no - as much out of principle as anything else - and saying that it's his roof and was installed illegally and without permission and if he wants it gone, they have to comply. After several weeks, DirectTV is still trying to toe this line of "someone with an account has to file the complaint."

 

So just so you know... according to Direct TV - you can own your house, but if they put something there, you have no rights in their mind unless you have an account with them.

[dc.]

Oh, I can't stop on cable stories after hearing how nice they treat you, Crav...

 

Comcast also gave us the exact opposite treatment a year back. Our cable and internet kept cutting out for long periods. After weeks of "analyzing" and send several techs, they determine it was the modem that was faulty and send me to get a new one. (First, they sent me to an address that they don't own anymore - 30 minutes the wrong way, but that wasn't the fun part - neither was waiting in line for 2 hours to return equipment).

 

Anyway, so eventually I have my new modem and they set it up. I ask the tech if I will get a discount for the 2+ weeks I didn't have service. He says probably, but call billing cause that's not his job. Fair enough.

 

I call billing and they tell me (I love this)... that "when the new modem was installed, their server automatically deletes all the old data, so they have no data record that I was without service for two weeks."

Eventually, I had to deal with billing & tech together and get them to verify my problem via phone records and tech visits. I got $20.

[ForceEight]

Here's a fun DirectTV story... my brother's neighbor got DirectTV recently. DirectTV came out and accidentally placed the dish on my brother's house & roof (they are in a row home).

 

My brother keeps calling DirectTV (and writing them) and they keep saying that they cannot move the dish without an account on file to request the move. The neighbors refuse to get involved (I guess they don't get along) so DirectTV wants my brother to set up an account so that he can then officially ask for the order, set up a time, etc etc. He keeps saying no - as much out of principle as anything else - and saying that it's his roof and was installed illegally and without permission and if he wants it gone, they have to comply. After several weeks, DirectTV is still trying to toe this line of "someone with an account has to file the complaint."

 

So just so you know... according to Direct TV - you can own your house, but if they put something there, you have no rights in their mind unless you have an account with them.

Plenty of places do that, and it's all an effect of automated systems and the internet. I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile a few months ago, and had my number ported over before my final AT&T bill arrived. Because I had the number ported, I didn't technically have an "account" with AT&T any longer, and as such they refused to let me pay my bill online or over the phone, because there was no account present to attribute it to (you know, even though there was a bill to attribute it to). So they ended up redistributing the dues to my brother's account (he still had AT&T at the time as well) and I paid him for it.

 

DC, I'd say that might already be lawsuit territory.

[dc.]

Yeah, I understand why it gives their system trouble, but there has to be someway for them to deal with it - there has to be some magical code or work around from their end. If not, it's still their fault, not yours.

 

It is definitely lawsuit territory, but I doubt it will reach that point. My brother considered going up and ripping it off the roof himself, but if there was any damage to the roof, DirectTV would be off the hook for it, so he's avoiding that. But man would it be fun to toss their dish in the dump and shrug, "Well, we don't have an account - so I don't think there was ever a dish there..."

[deeshopper]

Why not just cut the cord so the neighbor can't get TV, forcing him to call in for a repair?

[dc.]

Because that still doesn't force them to move the dish... Though it would probably necessitate some action.

[ForceEight]

So my company closed its doors with about six hours notice earlier this week, and my first immediate reaction was to file for unemployment insurance to cover myself in case I didn't rebound quickly (getting a job is one thing, but getting a salaried full-time job while still a full-time student is like rocket surgery or brain science).

 

I'm actually surprised by how painless the process is, including the follow-up for application/interview documentation. I've already had a few interviews and made plenty of contacts (including a recruiter who I am thrilled to have met, but that's another story), so I was nervous about the process and thought it'd be another red tape/jump through hoops process. What I haven't decided is whether that makes me feel more or less nervous about the system as a whole, but experiences like this really back up the whole "if you're going to pay into it, use it" thing that most anti-aid folks don't consider until it happens to them.

[thundercleetz]

Yeah, I understand why it gives their system trouble, but there has to be someway for them to deal with it - there has to be some magical code or work around from their end. If not, it's still their fault, not yours.

 

It is definitely lawsuit territory, but I doubt it will reach that point. My brother considered going up and ripping it off the roof himself, but if there was any damage to the roof, DirectTV would be off the hook for it, so he's avoiding that. But man would it be fun to toss their dish in the dump and shrug, "Well, we don't have an account - so I don't think there was ever a dish there..."

Wow I can't believe that story! It would be funny if your brother destroyed the dish.

 

I worked in customer service and there are a few key words that automatically deserve attention: attorney, supervisor, and BBB. Your brother doesn't have to be serious, but if he mentions he is going to get his attorney, they have to escalate the situation. Same with saying he will file a BBB complaint. Have him write down the full name and extension of every associate and manager he speaks with and that usually gets things going as well.

 

Force, what are you doing posting at 3 AM? Lol