bert's musings

My Categories

Entries for February, 2007

February 2nd, 2007

YAY for customer service

Posted by bert at 04:02 PM on February 2, 2007 in ME.

stolen from links in slashdot.

http://consumerist.com/consumer/complaints/lycos-deletes-all-of-customers-email-tells-em-to-suck-it-233394.php

Lycos SUCKS: they held my emails for ransom for $19.95, then deleted them

I’ve had a Lycos mail account since 2000. In the last year or two, it became horrifically spammy and was often down, so I phased over to other email providers with better spam filters and more reliability. I also noticed that most of my earlier email was gone - the email only went back to 2004, though I’d had the account much longer, and was nowhere near my storage limit. I kept the account and checked it from time to time, in case some old friend or account came calling over to that address. Apparently I waited too long between logins this last time, because the other day I found that all of my emails were missing. Folders and my address book were still there, but empty. I emailed their tech support, and got one Mike Jandreau. Here’s his response:

…Should you want to restore the previous contents of your account, you will need to upgrade to the Lycos Mail Plus service…Restoration is not available to members who do not upgrade, and our policy will be strictly enforced. To have your account restored, you must upgrade, and pay the $19.95 upgrade fee. This is non-negotiable.

I wrote back:

So let me get this straight: you’re holding my emails hostage until you get $19.95 from me? I checked your policies, and didn’t see that listed. This hardly seems like a customer-friendly policy, especially toward someone like me, who has been with Lycos for several years. There were many times when Lycos was not in compliance with its own terms of service, and I didn’t try to extort $19.95 from you.

He wrote:

You can clearly see, right on the homepage: Note: The content of a Lycos Mail
Basic account will be deleted if the owner does not login and check the
account at least once every 30 days.

I pointed out that there’s nothing about this on their home page, and nothing in the policies REQUIRES them to delete the email of inactive accounts:

8. Account Inactivity. Lycos reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to delete any materials (including emails) stored in connection with an unpaid Lycos Mail account if the user’s account has been inactive for thirty (30) days.

I got nowhere, so I asked to talk to the manager. Here’s Mike’s reply:

I am the manager at Lycos.
Your e-mail will not be restored, as it’s been more than 48 hours since you were notified as to what you had to do.
Our policy is clear, and clearly stated on the homepage, whether or not you choose to look at it.
Nothing will be done for you.

I replied:

Your policy is NOT clear. What is clear is that nothing in Lycos policy, or in long-established practices of basic human decency, REQUIRES you to hold my emails hostage. Also, I find it difficult to believe that you are the manager over all of Lycos. Please direct me to YOUR manager.

Mike’s reply:

I’m sorry, no one here has any intentions of helping you with anything. I am the manager of all of Customer Service. There is no one higher than me that you will speak with. You violated our policy, which is, despite what you say, completely clear. No one is holding anything hostage. Your e-mails have been completely deleted,
and no amount of money can now restore them. This matter is closed.

7 spoke it

February 3rd, 2007

Wii Tennis =)

Posted by bert at 09:49 AM on February 3, 2007 in ME.

i love my wii.. absolutely love it.

so does conan =P

(happy now roy? i'm LINKING)

3 spoke it

February 7th, 2007

the more life changes...

Posted by bert at 11:03 AM on February 7, 2007 in ME.

the more life stays the same. ok not really...

in the aftermath... it has been a tough couple of weeks. I find my thoughts straying a lot more than they used to... and find my level of concentration wavering in times when it doesn't. I don't find myself dwelling anymore.. just thoughts seem so... unfocused.

I guess this is only natural. But it bothers me that i can't be as efficient as I normally am.

guess i had to get that out there.

2 spoke it

February 8th, 2007

I love dumb people

Posted by bert at 03:51 PM on February 8, 2007 in ME.

they make me smile

like that one guy who would change his name to "Peyton Manning" if the Bears lost the Superbowl.

i'm still smiling.

speak it

February 11th, 2007

Venture Capital

Posted by bert at 11:35 AM on February 11, 2007 in ME.

doing a lot of VC valuations now.

man.. this stuff is FUN!...

not really.. it's very complicated and now i know why more people don't actually do it. it's uh... difficult.

speak it

ok.. so no watersports in oregon for me...

Posted by bert at 09:10 PM on February 11, 2007 in ME.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/10/snorkeler.shot.ap/index.html

sheesh.

speak it

February 14th, 2007

we're getting to the pole position mark...

Posted by bert at 08:57 PM on February 14, 2007 in politics.

its 1.5 years out, and i'm starting to get excited about it.. no idea what i'm talking about? it's time to make a change =) that's right.. it's election season coming.. and i'm ready to write personal theories that have no backing due to a complete lack of time and resources. But i'll tell you people how i feel about certain candidates and obviously ignore the main stream media because i feel they harp on the unimportant and idiotic issues.

hey i think Iraq may be mentioned a few times.

Anyway.. here's some preliminary reading if you're interested in a "look back of bush's presidency."

or you can just ignore all these posts and let me revel in posterity.

btw.. i don't think guliuani can help either.

speak it

and to completely destroy my masculinity....

Posted by bert at 09:17 PM on February 14, 2007 in ME.

i was chatting with julie tonight.. about chick flicks since i sent out roy's stupid card to some girls and i apparently missed one... and.. anyway... i can make up by doing a chickflick night at my house.

so i started talking about perfectly acceptable chick flicks..

and here's the list (in no particular order)

love actually
garden state
princess bride
pretty woman
youve got mail
the notebook
my big fat greek wedding
four weddings and a funeral
hitch
my best friend's wedding.

jeez... i think i'll need to make my guy movies list now too.....

Braveheart
Boondock Saints
Rocky 1-3
Godfather 1-2
Starwars (all)
Tombstone
Full Metal Jacket
the Matrix (just the first)
any adam sandler/ chris farley flick
top gun
usual suspects
ocean's 11
independence day
Terminator 2
goodfellas
scarface
the girl next door
swingers
monty pythons..
name a bond movie
resevoir dogs
revenge of the nerds
minority report
bad boys
clerks
chasing amy
shawshank redemption
lord of the rings
fight club
se7en

alright i guess i don't need to go on...

3 spoke it

February 16th, 2007

great...

Posted by bert at 03:46 PM on February 16, 2007 in ME.

finally the weekend comes.. and i have food poisoning.

DAMN YOU TACO BELL

2 spoke it

February 18th, 2007

I want a new wallet

Posted by bert at 02:00 PM on February 18, 2007 in ME.

and i want it with a OLED frame on the front (or in the middle) with static image retention. Or to have one end(side) of it be a battery pack for my cellphone/pda/whatever.

why not? it could happen.. Who couldnt' use more power?

speak it

Tim Hardaway hates gays...

Posted by bert at 06:07 PM on February 18, 2007 in ME.

yup.. big news.

see... it's all over ESPN.

anyway.. it's sad, but i saw this and you know what i was thinking?

well.. if i was pretty good at wrestling in high school

and I wanted to do really well... well.. I'd tell people I was gay.

well we know atheletes are homophobic... and they'd be off their game if you came on to them before/after a match, and talked with a really flirty tone. Come on it's genius. And then right after you finish state... you announce that you are straight, and wanted to do a sociological experiment on a sample of whatever weight class wrestlers you are wrestling against.

Come on... it's Genius!

speak it

Random Question

Posted by bert at 06:30 PM on February 18, 2007 in ME.

I was watching a little wrestling yesterday and heard the Undertaker's entry music. I couldn't help but watch since i was a big fan of his like.. last decade. Anyway, it got me thinking today while eating after our IM bball game. so here's the question.

If you could have any ring entry music. What would yours be?

I think i'd take the opening 40 second riff from Angels and Airwave's - The Adventure. but i hold the right to change opinions if i can think of something better.

speak it

February 19th, 2007

dvr, lets never fight again

Posted by bert at 09:35 PM on February 19, 2007 in ME.

yay for recording 2 shows at once.

those bastards at NBC purposely pitted Heroes (my 4th or 5th favorite show) against 24 (my favorite show). same time slot.. what's a boy to do?

watch one live, and record the other right?

HAHAHA.. wrong.. i just DVR both. i love it. and still just go about my normal everyday life.. (well if that includes sleeping about 2 hours later on average so i can watch what i was missing...)

how did we live without DVR?

dunno, but poor TIVO seems to have been removed from the game. Lets see if they come back strong with and IPTV packaging (and MSFT alliance?)

2 spoke it

February 20th, 2007

to you Carolina people out there

Posted by bert at 09:19 PM on February 20, 2007 in ME.

All my help, all my sacrificing, all my charity has all paid off.

Tomorrow night, I'll be in the Risers wearing bright WOLFPAK RED.

see you at the game. Hopefully we can shoot >70% this time.

speak it

February 21st, 2007

interesting gallup poll

Posted by bert at 12:21 PM on February 21, 2007 in ME.

speak it

February 25th, 2007

oh cali...

Posted by bert at 08:59 AM on February 25, 2007 in ME.

there's a few things i miss about California.

the weather

the beach

the mountains,

las vegas

but man.. i REALLY miss the food.

the chinese here is atrocious, we don't have Dimsum...., i can't find decent sushi. Korean BBQ? forget it. Pho when hung over? good luck. A good chicken tika masala? nope. viet egg rolls with crazy strong coffee?

So i'm pleased to finally announce, after 2 months of driving 40 minutes each way, just so i could get good food from trader joe's, we are finally getting one of our own!. yay. 10 minutes to a TJ's now. i'm so happy, 2 buck chuck.

oh forget it... i'm making myself cry.

8 spoke it