Filed in archive
Fraud
, Product/Service Complain
on May 25, 2010
©
L_K_M
USE YOUR CAMERA. Always take pictures of anything unpleasant you find in the service given to you. Use your phone camera. Then when you talk to the manager or customer service representative, show them the pictures.
REQUEST A PRIVATE CHAT. A private talk with the manager gives an air of importance and mystery. And managers will usually be grateful that you didn't just start screaming for other customers to hear. Usually brings good results about 95% of the time.
BE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE, PART 1. This is generally one kind of behavior we don't like but it might be appropriate in dealing with customer service representatives. If you're in a hotel or restaurant one thing you can do is to just start recounting the flaws of an experience and their unhappy effects on you and your company. Do not lie or exaggerate. Just state the facts, calmly. When the manager asks you, "Well, what can we do to make this right," just say "I don't know," and then restate the facts and their effects on you and your company.
Let it go round and round until the manager gets tired of hearing it and makes a settlement offer, which will very often exceed your most reasonable request.
TRY TO REVERSE THE CHARGE. Call your credit or charge card company and give compelling evidence that you've been had. The issuer of the card will first suspend the charge and investigate the matter, and then reverse it if your version of events wins the day.
BE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE, PART 2. When you're on the phone with a customer representative, remember that time is on your side. Phone reps are often evaluated based on the number of calls per hour they can field. And more importantly nearly all reps are prohibited from hanging up on you. So the if you stay longer on the phone and repeat that you are not satisfied, and do not want to end the call, you improve the your chances of getting what you want.
CALL THE C.E.O. Find the name and phone number of headquarters then call that number and ask for 'Mr./Ms. X's office. "Don't say, 'I'd like to speak to Mr./Ms. X' - the operator will think you are a crank. You will usually get through the executive assistant of the chief executive and then you can start explaining the purpose of your call. Remember to ask for suggestions about what you can do. Saty on the line and you'll most likely be passed on to the VP of product management.
WRITE THE C.E.O. Send lots and lots of letters. Try to give reasonable but compelling evidence. Spice up your later by using the word FRAUD a few times. You'll be amazed how quickly you get results.
Filed in archive
Google
on May 18, 2010
©
Yodel Anecdotal
Google is being intensely scrutinized authorities in Europe and the US after admitting it had intercepted communications sent over unsecured wireless networks in people's homes. This has caused a public outcry in both sides of the Atlantic and has dealt a blow to the internet company's credibility. Penalties of up to €392,000 ($482,000) may be imposed according to German news sources.
Google said it touched base with data protection agencies in the 30 countries where it has Street View and it has already deleted the data from Ireland, Denmark and Austria, although some states, such as Germany, want it kept for an investigation.
Unauthorized data collection is a crime in Germany punishable with a prison sentence of up to two years or a fine.
Filed in archive
Microsoft
, Patent Infringement
on May 18, 2010
©
Robert Scoble
This may have significant implications for other high tech firms. VirnetX is an Internet security software company whose patent portfolio is highly utilized by the Central Intelligence Agency. Not a few large US high tech firms including Cisco, Google, HP, AT&T, and Verizon among others employ VPN technology.
In a statement issued by VirnetX, it said that the settlement emphasizes how important VirnetX's "Secure Domain Name Initiative" is. VirnetX officials believe that they will now be able to train their attention on an upcoming pilot system that will showcase VirnetX's automatic Virtual Private Network technology.
Both Microsoft and VirnetX announced on Monday "all other aspects of the settlement and license were not disclosed."
VirnetX was started by employees from Science Applications International Corp with the objective of marketing SAIC patents.
Filed in archive
Blogs
on May 16, 2010
©
William Hook
Well, here's what happened next:
- On April 20, Apple claimed that Gizmodo's April 19 story exposing the next-gen iPhone was "immensely damaging" to the company. It said the article would hurt sales of current Apple products because potential customers would shun the current iPhone and wait for the new model. Apple attorney George Riley estimated the loss would be "huge," according to an affidavit by San Mateo County Sheriff's detective Matthew Broad.
- Apple CEO Steve Jobs contacted Gizmodo editor Brian Lam and asked for the phone back. Lam responded via -email that he would, provided Apple sent him a letter stating the handset did in fact belong to the company.
- Now, what's interesting here is Lam's e-mail to Jobs, which attempted to draw parallels between Gizmodo and Apple. Lam asked Apple's co-founder to recall what it was like to be a scrappy startup. Lam pitched for better communication between his blog and the privacy-obsessed Apple.
- Apple got its phone back but the device was dead. There was a broken ribbon cable, a screw inserted into the wrong location caused an electrical short, broken back plate snaps, and stripped screws.
- Gizmodo editor Jason Chen originally offered Hogan $10,000 for the iPhone prototype. No one knows for sure how much cash exactly exchanged hands.
- A cash bonus from Gizmodo awaits Hogan in July if Apple announces a new iPhone at that time.
Read the full story here.
Filed in archive
Music Downloads
on May 13, 2010
©
gaudiramone
U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood issued the ruling on May 12, in favor of 13 record companies. She said the defendants were fully aware their technology was being used to download copyrighted tunes and that LimeWire did not take "meaningful steps" to stop the infringement. Wood said Lime Wire sold its software to people it knew was "predisposed to committing infringement" and even helped those people.
Lime Wire Chief Executive George Searle said the company is "strongly opposed the court's recent decision," but did not say whether an appeal would be filed. "Lime Wire remains committed to developing innovative products and services for the end-user and to working with the entire music industry, including the major labels, to achieve this mission," Searle said.
The Recording Industry Association of America said the decision was "an important milestone" in the battle against online copyright infringement, because Gorton was found personally liable, as well as the company. They said this is "a clear signal to those who think they can devise and profit from a piracy scheme that will escape accountability."
LimeWire was started in 2000 and currently has about 50 million monthly users. Companies that sued LimeWire included Arista, Atlantic, BMG Music, Capital, Elektra, Interscope, LaFace, Motown, Priority, Sony BMG, UMG, Virgin and Warner Brothers.
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