So its time for another call center post.

So one of my vehicles is financed with GMAC. The company that thwarted bankruptcy through the 2009 year of the GM and Chrysler massive fails.

I have planned on replacing this car, so I called to try to get some info on how long it takes to get the title after I paid the note off. Well, I hear a series of clicks, and immediately know, I'm getting routed to an overseas call center. Great.....

Hilarity ensues, and in the end, I write this letter to GMAC. Not that anyone there will ever read it.....

GMAC Automotive Financing
P. O. Box 380901
Bloomington, MN 55438

ATTN: Michael A. Carpenter

RE: Your overseas Call center

Dear Mr. Carpenter,

I seriously doubt you actually read this letter, probably a ‘problem solver’ will contact me on your behalf. However, I want to express to you the displeasure I have with dealing with your foreign call center. I have twice contacted GMACFS to get payoff and title information for the vehicle that I have financed with GMACFS. Both times, I have been transferred to the India call center. And both times, I was unable to understand the employee who was assisting me on the phone. The first man on the phone did not understand at all what I was trying to accomplish, and kept trying to talk over me. The second person put me on eternal hold and I got tired of waiting and just hung up.

Does GMAC have any US call centers that can help? I am selling my car and buying a new one. I will not seek GMAC for credit if the proceeds of my loan are used to fund an overseas call center. How does GMAC expect to serve their clients if the people that they hire cannot understand the customers needs and if the customers cannot understand the people on the other end of the line?

All I want to know is, how quickly, after paying my vehicle off, can I receive the title from GMACFS? I have a person who is interested in purchasing my vehicle. They are buying the car for more than payoff, so they are issuing me a major bank check. I plan on depositing the check, then once it clears, paying GMACFS the payoff amount. I would like to know the fastest way to make this happen so that the buyer can get the title in hand and register it in their name.

Every answer from the call center was to go to the DMV and transfer the title. How do I do that if GMACFS still has the title? Do you guys offer an expedited payoff/title option?

I sincerely hope that my words reach someone other than beancounters that would rather anger customers by sending them to a phone bank on the other side of the world, nobody on either end of the phone can understand what is happening.

Would GMAC consider serving their US customers with US employees, who can effectively communicate with, and understand our needs without frustrating everyone to no end?

I am sorry to say, that this is my first and last loan experience with GMACFS.

Sincerely,
redassaggie00

Netflix...whats going on?

This may be a well known occurrence in the world, but this is the first time I saw this.

Last night I put a netflix envelope next to my front door so I would remember to take it to work today to drop in the mailbox.

Thats when I noticed, the return address is to Austin....All of my movies have come from the Houston center, since thats close to where I live.

Check it out:


So I have heard of Netflix throttling the DVD rentals, and they also got in trouble for it a while back.

Is this another sneaky way of getting around that?

We'll see.

Test Drive a Ford, raise money for Breast Cancer Research

From April 21, 2009 to June 1, 2009, Ford is helping raise money for the Komen for the Cure.

Heres how it works:

FORD ADVANTAGE PLAN TEST-DRIVE PROGRAM, BENEFITING SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE ®

THE RACE CONTINUES AT YOUR FORD AND LINCOLN MERCURY DEALERS. In times like these, giving back to the community is more important than ever. So when you test-drive a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle between April 21, 2009 and June 1, 2009, Ford will donate $20 on your behalf to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® - up to a total of $1 million. Come in today and be a part of Ford’s ongoing commitment to the fight against breast cancer.

1. Log in here: http://www.fordspecialoffer.com/fordcares/
2. Fill out a certificate, and print it out.
3. Take it to a Ford Dealer.
4. Test Drive a car of your choice.
5. Ford Donates 20 dollars to Komen for the cure.

Lets all pitch in and help!

Garage Door Opener Issues

Well, as most things go with time, they tend to fail. One case is my Craftsman garage door opener.

Its been getting noisy over time but I didn't realize how much until it completely failed Monday morning. If I didn't look in the rearview mirror and saw darkness. Got out and I hear the motor running, but the door had only moved about 3".

Well, looks like I have problems, but I'm on the way to work, so lets open and close manually and have a look later.

Well, this is what I found when I got home.



The gear that is driven by the worm gear has eaten itself alive. Upon further research, this gear needs to be lubricated regularly, which it obviously has not been. I've lived here almost 4 years and I've only greased the rollers and lubed the chain.

So off to Sears service center I go. Well, guess what, Sears cannot help unless you have the model and serial number. This happened to me about 12 years ago at this same place. Why should it be different now? I get online on ebay, theres a seller there that has the gears. I call his #. He asks "Do you have the optical eye at the bottom of the door?" yes, I do. Then tells me "its the same gear from 1984 to today". Why can't sears figure that out?


I ordered the kit, it arrived in 3 days. My next post will illustrate replacement and chain adjustment.

GM and Ford Jump on the Payment Bandwagon

Most of you probably saw the Hyundai Commitment commercials around Superbowl time, lose your job, Hyundai makes your payment for a few months while you look for a job, and if you can't? you can return your car* (minus depreciation etc.).

Well, Ford and GM have now jumped on the bandwagon.

I have mixed feelings about this.

Ford and GM have both jumped on the Hyundai coat tails.

"Lose your job? We'll make your note for you!"

Ford said Tuesday it will cover payments of up to $700 each month for up to a year on any new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle if consumers lose their jobs. The program runs until June 1.

GM's payment protection program is much like Hyundai's Assurance Program in that the automaker will cover your payments in the event that you lose your job. GM's program covers you for 24 months and will make up to nine payments valued at up to $500/month. According to GM, if you qualify for state unemployment benefits, you'll qualify for the payment protection to kick in.

Part of me thinks this is great and will help out lots of people, but the other part of me feels that those people that were that financially irresponsible to buy a car they couldn't afford, or didn't have a emergency fund to cover 6 or 8 months of living expenses (which includes your car note and mortgage) should let this be a good reminder of living beyond one's means.

Sure, when I replaced my 290,000 mile car 2 weeks ago, I really wanted something nice, a pre-owned Infiniti M, A V8 Genesis, Town Car, etc.

What did I settle on? A Good deal on a used reliable 4 door sedan. A Ford Five Hundred (which has been renamed Taurus in 2008). Why? The uncertain economy, I didn't want to drop 35 Grand (or even 20 grand these days) on a NEW car, and really folks, what do you need a car for? Basic transportation. In this case, to and from work. I got it with around 50,000 miles, and paid less than 1/3 of the sticker new. I'm familiar with the powertrain, familiar with the chassis, and it has good reliability ratings according to Consumer Reports, and Excellent Crash test ratings. Leather, Sunroof, 6 CD Changer, power everything and all wheel drive to boot. Has new tires and new pads and rotors all the way around. Maybe when things improve, I'll get something 'nicer', but for now, this is a pretty darn nice daily driver.

An Update to Goodbye Comcast

Well, an update to my post in February about "Goodbye Comcast"
http://redassaggie00.blogspot.com/2009/02/goodbye-comcast.html

After getting a comment from "Comcast Cares", Mark Casem, whose job is to scour the net for Comcast comments, I sent a letter and got a call from his 'team members' reassuring me that they would be contacting their 'team members' in Houston.

Guess what Mark Casem?? The Cable was turned off March the 2nd, as requested, and NOBODY has contacted me regarding ANY promotions that comcast has/had whatsoever.

Comcast does not care, and comcast fails miserably in my eyes. Did I expect anything more or less from Comcast? I shouldn't have.

Goodbye Comcast

Some of you that follow my blog remember a while back my issues with Comcast.

Comcast did make it right, after a call to their billing center by crediting my account. However, when I got my bill this month, the rate had gone from a reasonable 56 dollars a month to 81 dollars!!!

I usually do whatever provider is giving for promotions for a year, and when it ends, I leave. Last year, when I called to leave Comcast and go somewhere else, after my promotion ended, the rep on the phone asked what it would take to get me to stay. We talked it out and I eventually agreed to a lower bill, 1 more year of free DVR (That I dont use), and a secondary HD box in my bedroom.

Imagine my surprise, has it been a year already? That my promotion is over. Easy enough. I'll call comcast.

A call to their call center leads me to "bubba" who is telling me "Ya see son, its like you go to Sams club, and you buy a case of soda water, you get a better deal than if'n you go to Randalls or Krogers and buy 2 six packs." Then goes on to explain that my "Problem" is that I'm not buying enough goods and services from Comcast, and if I did, they may be able to do something about my bill. I asked why they couldn't extend it to keep me as a customer, and he said,

"Let me tell you, I used to live in Galveston County, and i had to pay 125 a month for a phone line! Just a metro line to get in and get a 281 phone number!" I'm sitting here at this point thinking, "why is this guy giving me his life story??".

I politely mention that I would be signing up for another cable tv provider and I'd be calling back to cancel. He said "ok" and hung up. Go figure. They sure aren't working very hard to keep me as a customer.

So Mar 1, 2009, at Casa de Redassaggie, DirectTV is coming in and Comcast is going out. Honestly, I even considered doing what my friend, Network Geek did, and get rid of Cable all together, but I like having Food Network.

I have a 1 year promo with DirecTV, and after that year, I'll probably switch again. Yeah its annoying to learn all the channels again, but hey, if its going to save me 30 bucks a month vs staying with comcast, I'll do it.

I called comcast back to cancel, and talked to their 'retention' department, where they told me that my bill was 81 for march, but would be going to 95 in April, because my other promotions expired. If I wanted, I could lock it in for a year at 78. I said no. Then she said 'you can switch your service from Plus to starter'. I said no, I dont want to change the service, I just want to keep the rate, why can't you do that? She said that my rate is the lowest she's ever seen.

So, Thanks a Lot comcast. I'm sorry to see our relationship go, but your folks did nothing to keep me.

Comcast: Its our mistake, but you Pay.

So back after Thanksgiving, I get home, and turn the tube on while I make supper.

Nothing, just a blank screen. There's a channel guide, but no picture. So I use Comcast chat and they tell me someone will be out there on Friday afternoon. Friday rolls around, Comcast shows up, come to find out, when they installed my cable, they didnt 'tag' my line as a paid customer, 2 years ago. So earlier that week, Comcasts auditors were in the area checking the lines, and seeing my line wasn't tagged, they disconnected it. No problem. The tech reconnects it and leaves, not checking anything inside.

So, 30 minutes after he goes, I sit down to have a bite to eat in front of the TV. Guess what? The Channels work fine except for the HD channels. Everyone on HD has tourettes and stuttering. I check the bedroom TV, all channels fine. Guest room TV, all channels have snow and ghosting. Great. So Christmas comes and goes, and I get back on Comcast Chat to talk to a person, telling them that this was not like this before they ever messed with the cable. She told me there is a problem, so they'd come out Saturday.

The tech comes out Saturday, checks the drop and the signal, and says that a Booster needs to be put in, and usually "we need to do it because so many new houses are being put in around here". No problem. Guy puts it in, checks a few channels and says I'm ready to go. He leaves, and its 95% better, but still does it a little, but I can live with it.

Low and behold, the next cable bill comes, and its got a charge of $24.95 on it for a service call!!! I was never told anything about charges that I would have to pay for something that was working FINE until they turned it off because they didn't tag it correctly. Un-BELIEVABLE. The chat line rep said nothing, the Tech said nothing. The bill says $24.95.

Maybe its time to switch to U-Verse.

Believe it or not, I love to cook

It may come to a surprise to some of you readers, but I actually DO enjoy cooking!

Recently I picked up some Pork Chops on sale at HEB. I usually grill the pork chops, but now I have an easy and tasty way to make em!

Preheat oven to 350.

Thaw them out, I let them season with Fajita seasoning for about an hour in the fridge, covered.

Rub with olive oil, then coat with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Then put the chops on top of a 2 layered pan, one with the vents on top, to let the juices run into the lower tray.

Bake 15 minutes on each side at 350. Serve em with whatever you like! Sorry boys and girls, no pictures. I'll take some next time!

Why I dont shop at Wal Mart

Howdy All,
Been a while since I posted, been meaning to log in and make a post, just been busy, hurricane and all!

Well, most of you know that I dont like Wal Mart, for many reasons, Most of the stuff there is made in China, the employees just need a pulse to work there, and they squeeze out the local small businessman/woman.

Well, last night I needed some supplies, I was tired, and Super WalMart is closer than the HEB that I usually go to, so I made a quick run to get groceries and some cleaning supplies.

I go to the check out line, where the employee doesn't know ANY of the produce codes, and rings my lettuce up as cabbage, then my Celery as green onions.

When I make large purchases, I pay by check, so I can keep track of it easier than just swiping my Debit card. Back in 2005, when I became very aware of ID theft and cleaning my credit, I started printing my checks with my Initials and Last name, address, and nothing else. No License number, phone number etc, to make it harder for someone to steal my checks and go on a spree.

When she gives me my total, I hand her my check and license. At Wal Mart, when you write a check, they scan it, take your Routing number and account number and do an EFT as your payment and you get your check back. She looks at the check, looks at my license, then at me. "Your name does not match your license." I raise an eyebrow....huh?

"Your drivers license says XXX XXX, but the name on your check is Wells Fargo."

At this point, I'm looking around for Candid Camera's Peter Funt to come out and say "SURPRISE!" but nope. I point out to her my name is on the top of the check.

"Your name is XXX XXX, but your check only says "X. X. XXX".

By this time, the woman behind me is looking at me and looking at the cashier like shes crazy.

I calmly explain, "Those are my initials." She keeps studying the check.

"Your address is 17,600 Katy Freeway, Suite 100?"

Now, at This time I'm losing my cool.

"No, thats the Banks address." My address is below my name up here, and I show her my address, as well as the one on my drivers license. "See? They match."

At this point, she looks at me, like shes getting agitated.

Have you never seen a freakin check before lady? She finally scans my check, it goes through fine and she gives me my reciept.

Once again boys and girls, this is my annual trip to Wal-mart, until I get crazy and decide to go again.

Did you know....

That an AC adapter or battery charger continues to use electricity even when it is not plugged into the device? Recently, manufacturers have reported that most adapters or chargers continue to consume as much as 40% of the electricity that it normally does during usage or charging of the device... such as mobile phones, power tool chargers, laptop computers and the like.

In these times of increasing energy costs, higher prices of everything, we need to minimize use of things, right? Unplug that alarm clock in the guest room! Unplug the phone charger when its not in use, your laptop charger? unplug it if its not being used!

You may notice that when these chargers are plugged into a wall outlet, they're a little warm even though they are not plugged into the device they are designed to power up or charge. This heat can only be created by the consumption of electricity. The transformer in these adapters continue to draw electricity and produce the heat at anytime it is plugged into an electrical outlet.

So, unplug all of your unused chargers and adapter when not in use... you will save some electricity, and although it may not be noticeable on your electric bill, it may be saving you a couple of bucks per month.

A Good old fashioned Gas Price War...

Thats right boys and girls. Chevron and Shell at it.

Current price is 2.61 as of 4:45 PM!

UPDATE: 2.39 as of 5:30 PM



http://www.click2houston.com/news/17171733/detail.html

HOUSTON --

A gas price war that has fuel selling for less than $3 a gallon turned into long lines for two northwest Harris County gas stations, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.Two gas stations on Eldridge Parkway at FM 529 started the price war at about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday.Word quickly spread and long lines formed when gas prices kept dropping. At one point, the lines continued onto the street.At 3 p.m., gas was selling for $2.85 a gallon at the Shell station and $2.83 a gallon at the Chevron across the street.Even big rigs got in on the action when diesel dropped to $3.69 a gallon.There's no word on how long the gas price war will last, how low prices will go or how long the gas will last.The average gas price in Houston on Tuesday was $3.62 and diesel was $4.44.

Shaving down the excess....

So these days, I have been trying to shed the economic drag thats on me, and that includes things that I pay for that I dont necessarily require to exist.

One thing was selling my Ford Diesel truck. I miss it, but I couldn't justify the cost of diesel fuel and insuring such a vehicle that gets used for weekend projects. The extra cash was nice too.

So I've been paring down on excess, and using it to pay off more of my credit card debt, which is looking better every day. My score is up and I feel better knowing that financial freedom is near!

For example. I have a Napster account, so I can listen to what I want to while at work....its 15 bucks a month. Well, Youtube has 99% of the songs I want to listen to, and its free! Okay, so we're 86ing the napster account.

Lunch? I honestly spend 8-10 bucks a day on lunch, eating out. So, now, 2-3 times a week, I pack my lunch. A sandwich, leftovers from what I cooked the night before, a Can of Soup, etc. Saves a few bucks too.

Of course you all know I clip coupons.

Anyway, just a post to check in, I'm still alive and kickin!

Lifetime Warranties

Sometimes I miss the days when they used to "make em like they used to..."

Now I find that products that are bought are just total crap. Recently I've been noticing more products have a "Lifetime Replacement Warranty" or maybe a longer than typical warranty.

Example, last spring, I bought one of those fancy "Dial A Sprayer" garden hose attachments, you know the chrome ones with the rubber grip and 63 selectable settings, Shower, mist, angle, cone etc. I think I paid around 12 bucks for it.

After I got home, I noticed the tag. "Life time replacement warranty". Hmm. Interesting.

Let me take the tag off and staple the sales receipt to it, and put it in the 1 gallon ziploc I have for 'warranty' stuff.

Well here it is, the peak of watering season 2008 in Texas. I'm noticing that the chrome is starting to come off on the sprayer, not in little pieces, but in big chunks. So I keep using it, until all the chunks of chrome are gone, and now, the pot metal underneath starts to turn white and deteriorate. Hmmm didn't I remember something about a warranty?

So I found the receipt and warranty info. A quick filling out of the form on the Gilmour website and I had a response 3 days later, promising me a replacement. I asked how I should send the old one back, and the lady said just to chunk it.

Now, I have to say, one one hand, I'm delighted that their warranty service is that wonderful, no questions asked. On the other hand, it irks me that the company doesn't even care enough to find out the cause of the defect, that it would just be cheaper to throw the customer a new one rather find out what the root cause of the issue is.


Another company that is good on warranty is Delta Plumbing Fixtures. No questions asked. Call them with the model number, and its a lifetime replacement on anything newer than 1995. I've had my water diverter cartridge in my shower replaced twice with their warranty (labor not included of course), each time I've had a new cartridge show up on my doorstep via UPS. Its wonderful.
Anyone else have a 'good guys' product they use/like?

Time for another trip to the store!

Well once again, this single guy made his usual pilgrimage to the local grocery store to stock up on supplies. As usual, I challenge myself to save as much as I can, and this time, looks like I knock almost 20% off my bill with coupons.

Remember my trip last time?

Anyone else care to play? The lady behind me was getting impatient until she started looking at the screen. "Wow, almost 17 dollars off??? Thats really good!"

Clippin Coupons....its free money

So as lot of you guys know, I love saving money! I went to HEB to get groceries tonight, with my fat envelope full of coupons.

Here's the Results....almost 20 dollars off my bill!

Check it out......

Anyone else do better than this? I usually get at least 15 bucks off.....