Target Customer Service?

I bought an Embark Suit bag from Target about 6 months ago.

The clothes do not stay on the hanger holder, the tag that is suppossed to hold the hangers in place wore a hole through the material. The tags said it had a 5 year warranty.

I took it into my local Target store, they said sorry no returns for items purchased over 90 days ago, look up the manufacturer on the Internet and contact them.

I tried looking up the company with no luck. It looks like lots of companies sell Embark, including Target. I got the Target customer service number from the website and called it.

The first phone call, After hearing options for Sony Playstation and Nintendo Wii, I was asked to enter the manufacturer's name, which was not in their database. I then waited on hold until, Nelson answered, he wanted my first name and last name, and then asked to put me on hold as the system was not working, and he needed to get it working. When he came back he apologized and asked me to call back in ten minutes, I asked him to call me back he said he could't I then asked for his name and employee number, he refused to give me his employee number.

The second phone call went similar to the first, this time afer Mark answered, I refused to give my name, Mark then asked for a tag or UPC code, which I did not have, he said he could not help me. I requested to speak to his supervisor, who was on "holiday", when I asked which holiday he said they work business hours only.

I was shocked and appalled at the level of customer service from Target, I expected much more of Target.

I work at Ford I drive a Ford bumper stickers.

A lot has been said on the subject.

I think it should read I work at ford and my family and neighbors drive Fords. Spread the word save your company and your jobs!

Survey or Sales Call? 571-522-6400

I just got a phone call from a Virginia number 571-522-6400. It was an automated "survey" about Health Insurance, and started asking questions to qualify potential customers, e.g. Would you be interested in buying reasonably priced Health Insurance? Are you older than 25? Are you younger than 65? Etc...

I'm on the Do not Call list, I'll do some more research into it and post it. A simple goggle search does not recognize the number, I will try some other sources.

Bingo and smoking?

Why are bingo halls and Casinos full of smoke?

About once a month my wife or I have an obligation to our kids school to work at a Bingo Hall. The school has the Bingo Hall two nights a week and each night sends a team of parents or their representatives to work at the Hall. Some parents pay representatives to take their place, others not so well off go themselves. Tonight was one of our nights.

The short answer is they are both addictive behaviours. Besides Bingo, the school sells Instant Win lottery tickets. Most prizes are the dollar value of the original ticket or a small multiple of that, when someone wins they cash it in for more tickets, unless they win a big amount.

One night someone came in and let us know they just lost their job, but they played as if nothing changed.

In regards to smoking and gambling, just recently Canada was going to outlaw smoking in Casinos, I think it is now in place. I haven't been following it, as I no longer live in Canada, but when I visit I get a slice of the current news.

www.casinocity.com/ca/provinces.html
www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentid=159377

According to the report above Windsor, Ontario Bingo Parlours are not doing well as their Michigan clientele are staying away. It is my understanding that Michiganders liked going to Windsor gambling places, because their dollar went further, but if they can no longer smoke they juast won't go. I wonder how non-border Casinos/bingo halls are doing? Casino Rama www.casinorama.com/ would be a good example.

For some strange reason, the smoke does clear up congested noses.

Reality Shows Israeli style

I came across this blog entry:

http://ontheface.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2006/6/24/2051237.html

I talks about the Israeli versions of the wife swap, American Idol and others. I found the Wife Swap show most shocking. Is there any redeeming value to these shows? Are they designed for shock value only? I'm hoping it gives the sides opportunities to see each other's day to day life, realizing that people are more similar than different.

As a non-Jewish friend mentioned, in his eyes, we all have the same problems and experiences, why can't we all get along?

Fraud Alerts - Country differences

In Canada, Fraud Alerts with the credit agencies last for six years, in the US the Fraud Alerts last for 90 days.

The Canadian firms are subsidiaries of the American firms.

Is Hell in Michigan?

My 8 year old was wondering why a city would be named "Hell" which is a bad word? I did not have an answer for him, but I did mention there is a Snowball http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowball,_Ontario in Ontario, Canada.

My Life Insurance Agent is going on a charity bike ride to Hell Michigan
http://jnonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=2234
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Michigan.

According to Yahoo Maps it will take 5 hours and 24 minutes to travel by car from Snowball to Hell.

Pictures from the Annual Balloon festival in Howell Michigan

T- Ball

It's great to play an easy going team, that lets the players thrown out stay on base.

Paper on the Porch

It took eight years to get the local newspaper (Detroit News detnews.com/Free Press freep.com) delivered to our front porch. This calls for a celebration!

Having a few papers go missing, lots of soggy papers and complaints over the years, we finally were listened to, lets see how long it lasts.

The standard in Toronto was to have papers delivered in between the storm door and the front door, or directly in front of the front door.

Catch 22 with Identity Theft guard products

I signed up for an Identity Theft Guard/Credit Monitoring services through Costco, and subsequently put Fraud Alerts on my Credit Reports for all three Credit Reporting agencies.

Putting Fraud Alerts on my credit reports was the most painless transaction I have completed with the Credit Report Agencies. I submitted the fraud alert with Equifax, and Equifax informed the other agencies.

Once the fraud alerts are in place the "Identity Theft" services can not pull a Credit Report without your (the customer's) explicit permission. The fraud alert also alerts you when new credit is being added to your credit report, which is effectively the service the "Identity Theft Guard" companies are offering.

Cancelled Sam's Club membership and shopped at Costco

I cancelled our Sam's Club membership yesterday. I did not know that we were upgraded to the Advantage level, until I got the refund.

I got some digital pictures printed at Costco for 15 cents each for 1 hour service (Sam's club was 14 cents for 2-3 day delivery over the Internet), Costco offers Glossy and Lustre, we prefer Lustre, Sam's Club only offers Glossy. The Costco Kiosk did not offer editing, I would have liked the opportunity to reduce Red Eye and Crop the some of the pictures. Costco does offer Internet to store printing, which will allow me to edit the pictures prior to uploading them to Costco.

Costco or Sams Club?

Sams Club

• Prices are different in different "clubs"/stores
• Online Photo's printed in store 2-3 day service are .14 each
• Online Photo's have been "lost" in the past
• Employee's have a bad attitude in the closest club to my house
• tire store closes early
• closest to home
• Flowers are fresh
• Hard to reach 2% rebate (Discover sleight of hand)
• Yesterday had a Nascar Show Car at a local club (my boys enjoyed it)

Costco

• Online Photo's printed in store 2-3 day service are .17 each
• closest Costco has better customer service
• strange/bad tire center experiences
• Flowers always have a smell to them (they might not change the water)
• Fruits and Veggies tend to be close to date of expiry, have found moldy fruit
  and veggies
• 2% rebate for executive members + 1% Amex rebate on card
  
  
  I think I am going to cancel the Sams Club membership

Costco, LendingTree and customer service

I signed up for the LendingTree Realty services through Costco, to sell a house in one city and buy a house in another city.

The Agent in the new city has been hounding me, the agent in the current city has still not contacted me. When my wife asked the agent in the new city specific questions about her qualifications she got very curt on the verge of being abusive. The agent in the new city decided to cancel the whole request. I called Costco customer service and haven't heard back from them yet.

When I tried calling the agent in the current city, her Voice mail said she was on vacation, I left a voice mail for the Agent's associate who did not return my call.

I find this very frustrating.

Gerald Ford's Presidential Library

A few weeks ago I drove to Grand Rapids and saw Gerald Ford's Presidential Library. What I found striking was a poster of a soldier at war, with the saying "Don't go to war for oil" I realized the poster was from the 73-74 timeframe and not from today's political cartoons, the message still applies today.

There was a lot of material at the museum, some hands-on, some re-enactment (Nixon's pardon), some life size models (cabinet room, oval office), and some period popular stuff (Disco). I missed the Chevy Chase Saturday Night Live skits.

On way back it felt like I was on my way to OZ, with a huge thunderstorm great winds and hail, eventually I drove out of the storm and it did not follow me home.

Atlanta Trip - MLK Jr.

I just got back from a trip to Atlanta, business and pleasure, I saw Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birth home, exhibit http://www.nps.gov/malu/BirthHomeTour/ and http://www.nps.gov/malu/.

I saw MLK Jr's tomb in the reflecting pond and his wife's tomb in a garden across from the pond. They are planning on moving Coretta Scott King's tomb to be adjacent to MLK Jr's tomb.

Kangaroos at the Zoo

The Docent mentioned that the Kangaroos were born and bred "here" was she referring to the Detroit Zoo or North America? Prior to the Kangaroo exhibit opening did the Zoo have another Kangaroo exhibit?

The Docent also mentioned that Australia no longer sends Kangaroos to North American zoos, as they are needed for their meat and fur.

Detroit Zoo Trip

We went to the Detroit Zoo http://www.detroitzoo.org/ yesterday afternoon, one hour prior to closing, (it's good to have a year long membership). Every visit we try to see some part of the zoo that we haven't seen in a while, this time we took the train ($2.00 one way) to the end of the zoo and saw the new Kangaroo exhibit.

Their was one couple with a young child who came to see the elephants, we told them they were moved last year due to lack of sufficient space.

I was impressed with the exhibit, considering the current financial difficulties the Zoo and city are in.

The docent/volunteer that introduced us to the Kangaroo exhibit, told us there was a new baby in a pouch that we might get to see. She also mentioned we might see some randy Kangaroo's with more babies to come, even though they were supposed to be "fixed". Surprisingly and luckily our kids did not ask about it, and when they saw the action they assumed the Kangaroos were playing/fighting.

I think I will go the highly edit route. I had a story that I was going to tell, but did not want to start off with a negative attitude.

Introduction

Hi There,

I'm not sure what I will and will not write in this Blog. Do I get personal and try to remain anonymous or don't remain anonymous and highly edit stories and posts?