Sunday, October 30, 2016

What Is Wrong With Microsoft?

Microsoft is so representative of how the dumbing-down of this country worked. We accept and support, with trillions of dollars, a company that provides us with consistently faulty product that interferes with our lives on a regular basis. Just as we accept a government that is corrupt and taking everything they can from people to make a small percentage of people rich because those people pay them to do it. So Microsoft took over my laptop once again to force an update as I was watching the World Series. It took more than half an hour and a few reboots to get my laptop back and by then, the game was over.

It is so easy to hate Microsoft.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Geico Emergency Road Service Sucks

First, it takes at least five minutes to get through to a representative. Picture yourself out on the road and your car breaks down or you get a flat in the dark in an unpleasant or unsafe situation. Does jumping through hoops in a recorded prompt system make sense to you for an emergency call? The technology to identify you and determine your location by phone is commonplace yet Geico doesn't use that. Instead, the call is routed through a prompt system that requires policy number phone number date of birth what is wrong with your vehicle and more followed by a wait time and then a representative who asks for the same information again. Just what you want when you are stuck on the road somewhere.

Then it gets worse. They took five minutes to find a provider and found Pop-A-Lock. I reminded the dispatcher, for the third or fourth time, that I had a flat tire. I didn't need a locksmith, I needed a tow truck. She said Pop-A-Lock will change the tire if I have a spare and a jack. I said fine, but it's not a good jack which is why I am calling road service. The dispatcher said estimated wait time 45 minutes.

They sent 3 texts confirming with telephone numbers, one text saying please call this number. I called and it was Pop-A-Lock and they asked all the same questions... again... and confirmed my location ...again... and said ETA 35 minutes.

An hour later I called Pop-A-Lock again and the dispatcher said she would text the driver so he could call me and give me an ETA. Ten more minutes and I call Geico back and ask their definition of "emergency road service" and they said they would file a complaint about the provider (Pop-A-Lock) and I asked how does that help me fix my flat? and the dispatcher, while sympathetic, put me on hold.

When she got back I said just cancel the service call.

I changed the flat myself.

Tomorrow I will see if I can get the flat repaired and I'll probably switch to AAA.

I will probably shop for car insurance while I am at it.

Bad form, Geico.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Suck-it Microsoft

Please someone give me an alternative to the broken crap Microsoft puts out. Ever since the forced update in Windows 10, I've been getting more and more blue screens of death for a variety of reasons. I have lost work, lost time, and lost patience way too many times and I am totally ready to dump Microsoft. I wish I could say that I will not buy another PC or laptop unless it is a Mac, but currently poverty limits my choices.

Crash!

Microsoft asks... "What can we do to improve your experience?" and I answered...

Fix Windows 10. Ever since the cumulative upgrade last month I have lost data, work, time, and patience. Windows is costing me time, money, opportunities, and respect. Windows Update says I have the latest update installed. Kaspersky and Defender say there is nothing bad on the computer. I have no new hardware. I use no new software. The only change is your product was updated and now it hurts me. I've never used a Mac in 30 years of computer use but I will not be staying with Windows the next time I need a new computer and if these Blue Screens keep appearing daily (sometimes more often), I will be replacing Microsoft very soon. Nothing but grief.

That was weak.

Blah.