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Thursday, September 11, 2003

Regrets...
I've had a few.
But then again,
Too few to mention!
--"My Way",
written by Paul Anka
When I hear that song, I think of Frank Sinatra, and sometimes Elvis or Sid Vicious -- all of whom have been known to perform, in their own unique manner, that wonderful song. Wonderful because -- though I don't always enjoy hearing it, I've heard it so much -- the song is a wonderful personal anthem. That's something we all need: a personal anthem. A song that praises our individuality; a mark of devotion to oneself. After all, they say you're going to have a helluva time loving anyone else unless you've first learned to love yourself, right?

This is not to replace your love for your God, or your spouse, or your family. I'm simply saying that we all need to give ourselves a bit more self-love at this time of year. (No, not that type of self-love !) Too many of us beat up on ourselves throughout the year, and then nearly destroy ourselves at year's end. No wonder there are so many suicides during the Holidays; the messages bombarding us are to Buy Buy Buy and to Give Give Give -- but what if you have nothing to give but love? If you have a dearth of that good stuff, then you'll have a bitch of a time spreading it around to your neighbors.

So be good to yourself, whether you're Christian, Pagan, Wiccan, Athiest, Hindu, Islamic, Mormon, Podcastin, or otherwise. Don't take the pills, they won't do you or anyone else any good; you'll simply miss out on the Next Big Thing (which may turn out to be Your Next Big Thing). Just do things your own way, singing that little hymn as you do so:
For what is a man,
What has he got?
If not himself,
Then he has naught.
To say the things,
He truly feels,
And not the words,
Of one who kneels.
The record shows,
I took the blows
And did it my way!

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

What Chris doesn't realize is that there's another player involved in this: me. I can now publicly announce that I, Harold "H.J." Johnson, am currently making a bid for that once-thriving Internet service provider, America Online. Once I've made the purchase, I plan to bring down Earthlink, once and for all. That's it. That's my entire plan, to bring down Earthlink, because Earthlink is currently screwing me, and I'll tell you how: they're charging me monthly for dialup Internet service that I'm not using, that I've never used - and they refuse to allow me to cancel my account without charging me for 12 months of service.



"Please hold while we connect you to the next available representative..."



I have now been on a phonecall with Earthlink for over two hours, and I have yet to speak with a representative about my issue. I have been transferred from one department to another, at least ten times, maybe more, in the following order:
    From

  1. the Wireless Support line listed on Earthlink's Wireless homepage at (888) 304-2773

    2. to

  2. Wifi Sales at (888) 303-3843

    3. to

  3. Handheld Devices and Laptop Cards at (888) 304-2773

    4. back to

  4. Wifi Sales at (888) 303-3843

    5. to

  5. Earthlink's Main line (apparently) at (888) 327-8454

    6. to

  6. ??? at ??? (Perhaps I'm in the Twilight Zone at this point; the representative told me I could reach the Zone again by dialing [800] 890-5128)

    7. to

  7. Wireless Tech Support/Home Networking Dept. at (800) 895-0620

    8. to

  8. Wi-Fi Sales (again) at (888) 304-2773

    9. to

  9. W--Okay, you get the picture. I'm being jerked around. From here, I'll be transferred a few more times, until I finally reach the limits of my exasperation, ending the call with a less-than-courteous representative...



It began a few months ago, when I made an impulse purchase for a laptop I couldn't afford. I was enticed by an offer made possible by a partnership between Earthlink and a smaller computer maker, Microtel. The offer? A $400 laptop, subsidized by a one-year agreement to purchase Earthlink dialup Internet. At the time I noticed the offer, I was at a weak point in my life; I'd been "financially challenged" for some time, and desirous of a laptop I could take out of the house to do my work. I envisioned productive days at the local coffee shop, typing away at my laptop's keyboard, working on my resume and inspired by the caffeinated atmosphere. Perhaps I'd make some valuable contacts Outside, since I certainly wasn't making much progress At Home. Too many distractions...So I jumped on the offer, ponying up $400 and agreeing to a one-year contract with Earthlink.



Next day, I awoke, soberly realizing I couldn't possible afford this purchase. I called Microtel: "Buyer's Remorse?" the customer service agent inquired, to which - somewhat abashedly - I agreed. The agent swiftly cancelled my order and reversed the $400 charge made to my bank card.



I then immediately called Earthlink and requested a cancellation: "Certainly," the agent responded, "But it'll cost you..." Apparently I would be charged a hefty penalty for this particular Change of Heart, even though it took place within 24 hours. After a bit of protest, I retired the call and decided to save the argument for another day.



That day came, The Day of Protest, and after being given The Runaround for well over two hours, I finally threw in the towel and decided - once again - to continue the conversation on another day. It's been months since then, and I'm once again ready to pick up the argument. You see, I've been paying Earthlink every month since early Summer for an account I've never used, and I believe Earthlink should have allowed me to cancel my account without penalty - especially since I had requested to do so within 24 hours of my purchase. Contract or not, it seems to me that Earthlink's business practices are a bit shady, and I aim to correct them.



Help me if you can. Send me your ideas, Skype me (haroldjohnson) your encouragement or criticism, Google Talk (harold.johnson@gmail.com) me your advice - and I'll post it here (if you'd like). What can I do to reverse my (mis)fortune? How can I fix this situation? I'll appreciate any assistance you can offer, provided it's within legal boundaries. (Even if it's not, I'm sure it'll be entertaining to hear your feedback on this!)

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posted by Harold  11/08/2005 11:04:00 AM | 0 Comments | Links to this post

Friday, July 29, 2005

"Please hold while we connect you to the next available representative..."

I have now been on a phonecall with Earthlink for over two hours, and I have yet to speak with a representative about my issue. I have been transferred from one department to another, at least ten times, maybe more, in the following order:
    From

  1. the Wireless Support line listed on Earthlink's Wireless homepage at (888) 304-2773

    2. to

  2. Wifi Sales at (888) 303-3843

    3. to

  3. Handheld Devices and Laptop Cards at (888) 304-2773

    4. back to

  4. Wifi Sales at (888) 303-3843

    5. to

  5. Earthlink's Main line (apparently) at (888) 327-8454

    6. to

  6. ??? at ??? (Perhaps I'm in the Twilight Zone at this point; the representative told me I could reach the Zone again by dialing [800] 890-5128)

    7. to

  7. Wireless Tech Support/Home Networking Dept. at (800) 895-0620

    8. to

  8. Wi-Fi Sales (again) at (888) 304-2773

    9. to

  9. W

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posted by Harold  7/29/2005 03:38:00 PM | 0 Comments | Links to this post

Businesses in Huntsville, Alabama

*

I once posted, in this space (this right column), the following:

If I had friends they would be listed here

That particular bit o' text, that silly and idiotic phrase, was repeated a dozen or two dozen or so times and was intended to be temporary. I had been working on a project -- a new layout for this blog -- and had intended for that text to be placeholder content. That is, the text was supposed to temporarily replace the content that had previously occupied this column (which was a list of links to friends -- that is, other blogs and web sites I linked to). I didn't know what content I was going to place into that (this) space, so I placed a bunch of duplicate phrases here as a placeholder so that I would remember to fill in this space again later.

At the same time, I thought I was being cute with the heading:

NEW & IMPROVED FRIENDS!

The fact remains: I still don't know what content to put here, in this column. Links again? Pictures? Video? Audio? Ads? Oh, hell no! It hasn't come to me yet, but I'm sure it will eventually, and when it does it'll come quick and (as usual) with consequences.