The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

...I'm going to need to take a day off of work just to respond to the last comments in my marriage entry...

COMMENTS

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captainglobehead
18:57 Oct 27 2010

It must be rough being popular AND in the center of controversy.

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birra
18:57 Oct 27 2010

I wouldn't know... heh.

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eMetiB226
20:26 Oct 27 2010

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA



ok, i'm done.

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RedQueen
00:05 Oct 28 2010

You should have known better...



Handsome, talented, can talk hockey with girls...



Not to bright when it comes to posting topics...lol

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POST COMMENT

Received a call yesterday afternoon from a man in Holiday, FL. He was attempting to track down an IT company in the Buffalo area from which he bought a Tom-Tom GPS online. Unfortunately, the unit was used, no warranty and did not work properly.



The company he bought it from provided no web address so as he searched for IT companies in the Buffalo area, we came up on the list. He called about 4 or 5 others before us - we were the first to answer the phone.



As he explained his situation to me, I had the immediate instinct that he was the victim of a scam. He gave me the physcial address that the company claimed to be at which I researched for him - it came up as a valid address but the company that occupies that office is a marketing and consulting company, not a hardware or product company.



Hopefully he is wise enough to keep an eye on his credit card and/or ask for a new account number.



So the lesson to be learned here is, a great deal isn't always a great deal. Working with small businesses is a great idea but check them out first. Find their website and do a little research. Call them and speak to their sales team or customer service. Ask a couple of questions like, "Are your credit card processing services PCI compliant? How do you ensure my account information is kept secure? Who do I call if I have a problem with the product I order?"



And if you are a small business, you should HAVE a website that will give new customers reassurance that you are a legitimate company that works in the best interest of your customers. And if your customers are calling... answer the darn phone!

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ThothLestat
21:34 Oct 26 2010

Sometimes, getting the lowest price on something isn't the most important thing!

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birra
22:34 Oct 26 2010

True - sometimes a fair price from a responsible company is a lot more valuable than saving a few more dollars.



Of course, as I like to point out, it balances if you pick a responsible company that is going to give you a fair price across the board.



You save time not having to shop around, you save headaches if there is ever a problem and in the long run, you will probably end up paying about the same amount as you would have trying to find the lowest price here and there...



And it's always great, especially with technical products, to go somewhere that you can pick up the phone and speak to an expert for support... not someone who barely speaks English that can only read from a script.

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Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows?



Isn't that kind of the equivalent to putting drug dealers in charge of security at the rehab facility?

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MasterMel2
19:16 Oct 25 2010

Ha ha ha ha! Absolutely true!

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...addition by subtraction. I feel like we've lightened the load and can now move in the right direction...

...it will be nice to have an extra laptop and phone downstairs when I go work in the main office...

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faeriemoon
02:09 Oct 12 2010

Ummm, who left?

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birra
03:09 Oct 12 2010

Oh, I'm sure you can guess.

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Blackstaff
14:20 Oct 12 2010

Hope it was not someone you needed...o.0

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birra
16:09 Oct 12 2010

Apparently he was not needed... ever.

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...don't ask me to me be at a customer site 75 miles away on a Sunday morning at 8AM and then tell me, "Well, they can't offer much for pay or cover travel time and miles..."



That is borderline unprofessional. You're trying to find people to take advantage of - not professional technicians.

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RedQueen
23:56 Oct 09 2010

That's just cheesy, honey- and if you did do the work I would expect you to bump the price considerably...

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Morrigon
01:07 Oct 10 2010

For the last time... Let ME talk to them when they request that shit.

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RedQueen
23:01 Oct 11 2010

And I'll tell you like my bosses tell me....



"You can't be politically correct about things..."



*snark*

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I just spent an hour with a customer getting him set up with a new multifunctional machine. He is 75 years old, still active with owning a business but not tech savvy.



So I set it up, walked him through each feature. Helped get his girlfriend's laptop on their wireless network (which I set up ages ago), set him up with Skype so he can talk to his grandchildren via webcam...



...he bought the multifunction from us below list price - same as he could have from any other store, but would one of the big box places personally set it up and taught him how to use it without charging him an arm and a leg for it? I don't think so.



For my extra effort, I got a handful of fresh figs and two bottles of home made wine. WOOT!

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PandorasBx
19:55 Oct 06 2010

Personal attention like that is what always makes me go back to a business and I spread the word, well done :)

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PAGAN
21:42 Oct 06 2010

The personal touch made that sweet old soul happy to have been your customer and not someone elses, nice one! Shame that does not happen more often :)

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RedQueen
22:42 Oct 06 2010

How do you feel about a set up in BC?

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birra
22:51 Oct 06 2010

If you pay the travel expenses, I'm all for it!

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Joli
05:11 Oct 19 2010

You're my hero.

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birra
05:22 Oct 19 2010

Not everyone can be a hero... I'm just trying to do my part.

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...amazing rash of Rogue Anti-Virus Malware going around lately. Interestingly enough, on our corporate network we haven't seen any of it. The combination of our firewall and desktop antivirus actually keeps us pretty safe and sound.



The firewall is pretty simple - none of that $1500 Sonicwall or Cisco stuff. The firewall can be had for less than $500 - our antivirus, $29 a year for every 3 PC's.



Sure has saved a lot of annoyance and frustration.



Just as an example - a lot of the ads that have counters or count-downs here on VR, our firewall blocks completely. All we see is a tiny little 1-pixel dot. If you point really carefully at that dot you can still click it. Hovering still says "Click here to see more" but the ad and script is completely kept from the browser.



It's cool. Way cool.