Baron Dave Romm
Slammed!
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater podcasts
Part I: Why do I have Caller ID?
I was slammed last month. This is less painful than it sounds. I know you all worry about me, so to forestall any hand-wringing I'll mention up front that it all worked out, at least so far. But thanks for your concern.
I have the minimum phone service from Qwest: Local calls only, no extras. I've had the same telephone number for 23 years and wish to keep it, but don't use the phone all that much and any long distance calling can be handled by Skype. I don't trust any internet phone service more than I trust Qwest, and having two low-end services works splendidly for me. When one is out, I can use the other to call them.
A few weeks ago, in the middle of January, I noticed that my Caller ID light was blinking. This was odd, since I don't have Caller ID. I called Qwest to pay my bill and ask them if they'd upgraded service and they said no.
Qwest lied to me on two levels at that call. First of all, I didn't have Qwest. My service had been transfered to another company (more on that later). Second, even though they hadn't upgraded my service, they had raised the rates. An honest and on the ball operator would have been able to tell me both those changes, and I was told neither.
But Qwest said everything was fine, I wasn't being charged for any additional services, and my phone worked. I shrugged it off as another Qwest oddity and went obliviously into the future, pausing long enough to write about it on LiveJournal.
Part II: Why do I have a phone bill from ACN?
After a few weeks of Caller ID telling me which telemarketers hadn't left a messae, I got a bill from ACN. I almost didn't open it, since I'd never heard of the company and too much spam comes as "bills" or other "open immediately" kind of sphincter-clenching catastrophe. But I peeked inside to find... an actual bill, with my actual phone number.
A company I'd never heard of was my phone service provider, charging me twice as much as Qwest and giving me services (including long distance) I didn't ask for and didn't want.
So I called them. I'd been slammed! At least, that's our best guess. I had a nice long talk with Jeremy who kept apologizing. He said he was going to call the "Slam Unit" or somesuch phrasing, but eventually wound up simply writing the incident up to the Fraud Division. I acquired a Case ID.
I'm glad this company has a Slam Unit. You'd think that if the problem was so great that they had to hire a bunch of people to fix a problem caused by their laziness, they might not be so lazy. How hard is it to confirm a new account? They have your phone number. "We thank you for joining the ACN Family of Solution Providers. To provide better solutions, we need to confirm your information...."
But no. It's better for them, it seems, to ride out any slams and only deal with complaints, not the potential felony. Makes you wonder how many of their customers wanted them in the first place.
And, of course, I posted about it on my LiveJournal. (Facebook is the rage at the moment but, for actual communication and problem solving via networking, I turn to LJ.)
Part III: Clueless Qwest
So I called Qwest. They had no idea what was going on. They confirmed that I no longer had Qwest as my telephone service, but they had a different transfer date than ACN had. Fine, sometimes it takes a few days to flip the bureaucratic switch. As long as it didn't cost me anything. But that's not what I wanted, and Qwest had just rolled over.
I wanted my service back. I didn't want a new account, I wanted them to restore my old account. I wanted to keep whatever good will and customer loyalty accrued from 23 years with the same phone number.
No dice.
Well, to be fair: Partial dice. I have a new account, with a new customer code (so my phone number is different for their internal records) and they generated a new account for their online site. But my records are intact and they show my service stretching back to 1986.
After much hemming and hawing, I finally got my service restored and/or renewed with Qwest. The day I finalized this, I got a Final Bill from Qwest demanding $5.86. (Or what, I wondered. Was Qwest going to cut off my non-existent phone service for non-payment?)
Part IV: Resolution... so far
ACN was apologetic and didn't charge me for the service, and promised to pay for any charges Qwest might demand, such as a transfer. Qwest said there would be no charge, so it looks like I'm okay.
I spent hours on the phone with two different companies, neither of whom handled the situation at all until I pushed them. While both companies were polite and oversaw the correction with a minimum of fuss when the problem was waved in their face, I don't feel that either acquitted themselves well.
Clearly, phone companies need to be more regulated.
I didn't get recompensed for my time and effort, but I didn't have to pay for the three weeks of the illegally transfered service. Yippee. I saved $18 or so on one month. Of course, I'm going to be paying more every month from now on, since Qwest raised my rate by more than a dollar. That's a 7% rise in price for their minimum service. Which they lied about in the Order Confirmation packet they sent me (which had the old rate) and would have been hard to find on the bill (more than a third of what I pay is taxes, despite not having long distance).
Makes Comcast's offer more attractive. They have a good deal on a package of digital tv, internet cable and telephone service. As I said earlier, I don't trust the internet that much, but I'm beginning to trust Qwest even less than the low esteem in which wallowed before this incident.
I hope it's over. I offer this story as a cautionary tale. We shall see.
Prognostication vindication
My predictions form last weeks column: Steelers, PETA non-aired ad gets the most mentions, yes.
Actuality: Steelers triumphed in one of the better Superbowl games, PETA non-aired ad got the most mentions before the game and none of the ads did much during or after so I'm declaring this one as well, Springsteen was great.
Three for three!
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Stimulate me... Please!' Edition
Are there any aspects of the pending 'Stimulus Bill' that you find to be inadequate or inappropriate?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
Results tomorrow
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from Bruce
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FROMA HARROP: Raining Scams in the Sunbelt (creators.com)
PALM BEACH, Fla. - Oh, it's another sun-blessed, balmy day in Palm Beach County. Were it not for the foreclosures, collapse in tourism and Madoff scandal, all would seem perfect. Did I mention retailing? Dior on Worth Avenue vanished the day after Christmas. The Macy's at the Palm Beach Mall closed several weeks later.
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Richard Lewis and John DeBellis: "An Interview with Richard Lewis: Bo Derek, Narcissism, Therapy And Sandwiches"(huffingtonpost.com)
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I was watching Tony Scott on the Charlie Rose program, and he said, in connection with "The Reader," that he was getting tired of so many movies about the Holocaust. I didn't agree or disagree. What I thought was, "The Reader" isn't about the Holocaust. It's about not speaking when you know you should.
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Free download.
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Reader Suggestion
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Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
More rain.
51st Grammy Awards
Winners
Album of the Year: "Raising Sand," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer; Gavin Lurssen, mastering engineer (Rounder)
Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Say," John Mayer; track from "Continuum" (Columbia)
Record of the Year: "Please Read The Letter," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer; track from "Raising Sand" (Rounder)
New Artist: Adele
Rock Album: "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends," Coldplay (Capitol)
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Rich Woman," Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, track from "Raising Sand" (Rounder)
Song of the Year: "Viva La Vida," Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay), track from "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends" (Capitol Records; Publishers: Universal Music-MGB Songs)
Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals: "Stay," Sugarland, track from "Enjoy the Ride" (Mercury)
R&B Album: "Jennifer Hudson," Jennifer Hudson (Arista)
Grammy Award
Complete List of Grammy Award Winners - 2009
Academy Awards
Sci-Tech Oscars
Host Jessica Biel wore Oscar de la Renta, but it was bearded, buttoned-down Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull who got whoops and whistles at the first Academy Awards presentation of the year.
Attendees yelled and stood for Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, as he accepted an Oscar statuette Saturday night for a lifetime of work in computer animation. He said he was inspired by early Disney films "Peter Pan" and "Pinnochio," then name-dropped collaborators George Lucas, Steve Jobs and Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter.
Nine other men were honored at the annual scientific and technical awards ceremony, which put a spotlight on the geekier side of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Sci-Tech Oscars
Bartcop Entertainment - Academy Awards - 2009
Writers Guild of America Awards
WGA Awards
The Oscar contenders "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire" won top honors Saturday at the Writers Guild of America Awards.
Dustin Lance Black won the original screenplay prize for "Milk," a biography of murdered slain gay-rights leader Harvey Milk.
The adapted screenplay award for "Slumdog Millionaire" went to Simon Beaufoy, who based it on a novel by Vikas Swarup about an Indian street orphan's journey of survival and love.
Ari Folman won the documentary screenplay award for "Waltz with Bashir." The film, which is nominated in the foreign-language category at the Academy Awards, is an animated study of an Israeli soldier struggling to recall suppressed memories of his involvement in the war with Lebanon.
In television categories, writers for NBC's "30 Rock" and AMC's "Mad Men" won in the comedy and drama categories, respectively. Both also won WGA awards last year: "30 Rock" for TV comedy and "Mad Men" for new series.
WGA Awards
2009 Orange British Academy Film Award Winners
BAFTAs
Winners of the 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards, presented Sunday:
Film - "Slumdog Millionaire"
British Film - "Man on Wire"
Actor - Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Actress - Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Christina Barcelona"
Director - Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
For the rest: BAFTAs
Woods Hole, Mass
University Players
Fire has destroyed a house in a Massachusetts coastal town where Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart sharpened their acting skills in the 1920s and '30s.
The house in Woods Hole was used as a practice spot by an up-and-coming theater group known as the University Players because their founders were students at Harvard, Princeton and Radcliffe.
In 1928, the group - including Fonda - raised enough money to raise the curtain for their first play. By the end of their first summer they had grossed $20,000.
Stewart joined the group in 1932.
University Players
Sets TV Viewing Record
Suresh Joachim
Suresh Joachim has broken his own Guinness world record for nonstop broadcast-television watching, clocking 72 hours in the Swedish capital.
"I feel fine, I drank between 25 and 30 cups of coffee," Joachim said Sunday.
His previous record was 69 hours, 48 minutes, set in 2005.
Joachim, a Sri Lanka native who lives in Toronto, watched three seasons of the drama series "24" featuring Kiefer Sutherland, said Swedish TV4 spokeswoman Janina Witkowski.
Suresh Joachim
Busted In Boston
Shepard Fairey
The artist who created the iconic pop-art portrait which became the unofficial logo for Barack Obama's insurgent White House bid, has been arrested in Boston for defacing property with graffiti, US media reported.
Artist Shepard Fairey was arrested in Boston late Friday on warrants for defacing property with graffiti, the Boston Herald and other media outlets reported.
Fairey, 38, was taken into custody on his way to Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art where he was being honored with a solo exhibition of his work, called "Supply and Demand."
The Herald reported that two warrants were issued for Fairey last month after police said he tagged property in two locations with graffiti.
Shepard Fairey
New Grammy Museum
Pierre Cossette
The story of the Grammy Awards is forever intertwined with the story of Canadian Pierre Cossette.
Decades ago, he was just an audacious entrepreneur who snagged the production rights to a fledgling award show. He had the ambitious idea to turn what was a struggling, stuffy product into a grand, dynamic showcase of music's best performers. He persisted through the rejections of all the major networks before converting a show that had been an abject failure into an industry institution.
So when it came time to build the new Grammy museum, which opened in December, the name was an easy choice: The Pierre Cossette Center.
For Cossette, now 85, the acknowledgment served as validation of his life's work.
Pierre Cossette
Masterpiece Back In Spain
Antoon Van Dyck
Flemish master Antoon Van Dyck's celebrated painting "Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" has been returned to Spain's Escorial monastery after a two-century absence, El Pais newspaper said Saturday.
The work by the artist, a student of Rubens who was also a leading court painter in Britain, was located at the monastery northwest of Madrid from 1656 to 1809 before disappearing.
According to El Pais, Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, a contemporary of Van Dyck's, had chosen "Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" to decorate the walls of the Escorial monastery. Velazquez painted for the Spanish royal court at the time.
The painting was returned on Friday to the same place chosen by Velazquez, in an area of the monastery now open to the public, El Pais reported.
Antoon Van Dyck
Unites Ancient Georgian Dynasty
'Royal' Wedding
A prince and a princess from Georgia's ancient Bagrationi dynasty were wed in a lavish ceremony here Sunday, bringing together two feuding strands of the royal house that once ruled this Caucasus nation.
Spanish-born Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli, 32, and Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, 31, were married before hundreds of guests in Tbilisi's Trinity Cathedral as crowds of well-wishers gathered outside.
The marriage is expected to bring an end to feuding over who is the rightful heir to Georgia's centuries-old throne and to boost a campaign to transform this ex-Soviet republic into a constitutional monarchy.
Claiming descent from the biblical King David, the Bagrationi dynasty ruled a large chunk of present-day Georgia from at least the 9th century until the country was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the early 19th century.
'Royal' Wedding
Weekend Box Office
`He's Just Not That Into You'
Movie fans were into "He's Just Not That Into You" as the ensemble romance got a jump on Valentine's Day to lead the weekend box office with a $27.5 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The movie whose cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Connelly knocked off the previous weekend's top flick, the abduction thriller "Taken," which dropped to second place with $20.3 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "He's Just Not That Into You," $27.5 million.
2. "Taken," $20.3 million.
3. "Coraline," $16.3 million.
4. "The Pink Panther 2," $12 million.
5. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $11 million.
6. "Push," $10.2 million.
7. "Slumdog Millionaire," $7.4 million.
8. "Gran Torino," $7.2 million.
9. "The Uninvited," $6.4 million.
10. "Hotel for Dogs," $5.8 million.
`He's Just Not That Into You'
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