Topic: Consumer Electronics

So, Let's consider: Just what are they all talking about??!! 0

Posted by on in Cell Phone Stuff, Consumer Electronics, Let's Consider..., Life, Safety





So, Let’s consider: Just what are they all talking about??!!

It wasn’t that long ago that we all used to keep a few nickels, dimes or quarters (depending on how old you are) in our car to be able to make calls from a pay phone when we needed to. Those were the days when you could go down the aisles of the grocery without running into or better yet being run INTO by some idiot that was more intent on talking on their phone than dealing with the issues at hand. You could stand in the queue at the poney express office and get through the line quickly as you didn’t have to wait for some asshole that was at the counter and more intent about talking on their damn phone than taking care of business and letting the rest of us behind them take care of business as well.
Then there’s the idiots that are more intent on talking on their cell phones than driving safely! That’s one of my biggest peeves! They’ll pull out in front of you, take their time with driving because the phone call is much more important than anyone else on the road or better yet, more important that traffic safety!
Used to be we’d look at people talking to themselves and realize we’re dealing with someone that’s just not totally mentally with it. I’m reminded about this every time I go to my local Walmart and see all these idiots walking around talking to an ear plug…if indeed they actually have an ear plug on.
I applaud all the municipalities that are creating hands free laws, I just wish they’d enforce them better.
I’m still at a total loss as to just what is so important that people risk not only their own safety but that of many others on the highway. Clearly, in most cases, they’re totally oblivious to their surroundings and totally intent on what’s going on in their ear.
Wise up, people! Hang up the phone AND DRIVE! Hang up the phone and GET YOUR SHOPPING DONE!
I’m waiting for cases of “shopping rage” to start showing up where people get pissed off to the point that they grab the phone from the idiots in front of them in line or at the counter that are more intent on talking than conducting business, and end the conversation or worse yet throw the offending person’s phone on the floor. Frankly, I’d kinda welcome it in a few places.
Folks, I’m not against cell phones or using them. But PLEASE be judicious and considerate of others and your own safety when you do. There are no conversations that are that important.

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.

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So, you need to sell something. 0

Posted by on in Consumer Electronics, Customer Service, Family, Hobbies, Point(s) To Ponder





So, you need to sell something.

OK, so, you’re finally getting around to all that fall/spring cleaning that you told yourself for the last several life times that you were going to do.
Now, you have a pile of stuff you need to get rid of, but you think there’s a few buck$ in it and you don’t want to throw it out.
What to do? Well, here’s a few ideas to consider:
eBay and Craigslist: Granted you will pay a fee and you may want to give serious consideration to meeting the prospective buyers in a neutral location like post office parking lot of police station, but eveyone knows they exist and looks there.
5Miles (www.5miles.com): In theory they attempt to weed out potential theives and you should be able to verify the potential buyers by phone, facebook, etc. By the way, ALWAYS use your cell phone – NEVER use your land line.
Varagesale (www.varagesale.com): Safety is a primary priority on this site and buyers and sellers contact each other via facebook prior to meeting.
Poshmark (www.poshmark.com): Touts itself as the venu to buy and sell fashion. Be careful for the fees they charge and like all sites, make sure you read the fine print before using them.
The Trove Market Place (www.usetrove.com): If you want to unload things like furniture, artwork, antiques, etc., then this may be a place to look at. They charge a fee for using credit cards and you, like Amazon, you have a way of reviewing the seller’s ratings before buying.
Amazon (www.amazon.com): If you can’t find it or sell it on amazon, it doesn’t exit. It’s an easy place to unload books or if you want to start an online junk store then you’ve possibly found your nirvana.
Kiiboo (www.kiiboo.com): you can find more tech centric items here. Also, cameras, laptops, and other things many of which you’d find on ebay, amazon, craigslist, etc. It’s always nice to have options.
As always, buyer and seller beware. There’s a crook born every minute and it’s up to you to protect yourself and your best interests.
Good luck and good shopping…

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand…



Verizon gets a lesson in remedial business management 101 0

Posted by on in Business 101, Cell Phones, Consumer Electronics, Customer Service

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Verizon gets a lesson in remedial business management 101

Any current or former Verizon user that read this past Friday’s Wall Street (4/21/17) had to get a good chuckle out of the article on how Verizon had posted its first quarterly loss due to customers leaving them for the competition.

Gee!  Was ANYONE REALLY SURPRISED???

For those of us that have been constant and loyal Verizon customers for many years, we’re finally seeing Verizon(VZ) waking up and realizing that the basic tenets of undergraduate business school concepts still hold true – it’s the CUSTOMER, stupid!

Back in 2011, VZ decided to punt unlimited data plans from the cell phone service plans it provided.  Further, and even more annoying, if you wanted to upgrade your cell phone hardware, it meant having to buy a new service plan as they wouldn’t let you grandfather your old plan with any unlimited options, to the new phone.  Well, there was a way around it and I still kept my unlimited plan when I upgraded, much to the chagrin and consternation of VZ.  You can’t imagine how many spam calls I’ve gotten over the years from VZ telling me how much greater the new plans were – but of course they were NOT unlimited data and would charge me a tonne of bucko$ after a certain data useage – not to mention slower speeds for actually using the unlimited data you were paying for.  Add to that when you had to leave your current units for iPhones or whatever, VZ had removed the automatic hotspot capabilities that allowed you to turn your cell phone into wifi hotspot.  But, you could buy more hardware at a high price and pay more money to get the same functionality you had before.  This attempt to ripoff customers didn’t last very long.

Enter AT&T, Sprint and everyone else with their unlimited plans, acceptable service hardware and all at a much cheaper price.  Basically, someone at these companies had a clue at what doing market analysis really is and actually figured what the customer really wanted and how to make money selling it to them!

It didn’t take much marketing from the competition for people to realize that the Verizon bimbo that was always wandering around asking if anyone could hear him, was costing them too much and they didn’t have what they used to and more importantly WANTED.  It also didn’t take too long for the Verizon bimbo to realize this as well and he switched from Verizon.  Gee, go figure.

According local sales reps in the stores, the very recent and sudden changes in plan offerings to include unlimited data and much better pricing structures was a huge surprise that they were only informed of, literally, until minutes before the public was.  Kind of sounds like VZ had a major “oh shit!” moment and a major reality check! Gee…wonder why….

My guess is that in the future business schools will be adding this to the litany of case studies that undergraduates will have to endure.  It would make another of the many good case studies of how you will lose market share by not offering what the customer wants and is willing to pay, as well as being too arrogant to be aware of your market competition and think that just because you’re currently the 800 pound gorilla on the playground that things can’t change against you…and quickly!

Interestingly enough, we’re seeing other former market share “gorillas” thinking the same thing and also seeing that they’re losing market share.  In my opinion, this list would start with none other than IBM…

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.