Alli Flowers

Stop me if I’m wrong, but it seemed to make sense to me. I have a perfectly good domain, and it offers much more control and customisability than a wordpress blog. So I’m going to stick to short blog posts here, and use the domain for “the big stuff.”

Right now I’m having fits getting my documents full of links copied so they may wind up here if they’ll copy more easily here than there. But either way you look at it, make sure you bookmark the main site: http://allibama.net.

Playing catch up

alliflowers — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:45:31 +0000

Over the next week, I’ll be going back and capturing all my articles and reviews from both mytreo.net and mobilitytoday.com and re-posting them here.

I’ve started with my best and most recent, The Definitive Guide to Switching from Palm to Windows Mobile.

I’m also going to be looking at my new MSI Wind, and my new relationship with Vista.

Video Reviews and Unboxings – A Rant

alliflowers — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:43:04 +0000

These thoughts are solely my opinion. Take them with as many grains of salt as necessary – you may not agree.

In a nutshell, I believe video reviews are a copout. You cannot get into the detail in a video review that you can when writing. You also limit your audience with video reviews, and that slights your audience. I realized that when the Treo 800w was released and I couldn’t watch the unboxing videos from work…where all videos are blocked. I could have read bits and pieces of a written review at my leisure though. Let’s not even get into the number of computers in public places (whether it’s work, the family room, or the public library) without sound or where sound will disturb those around you.

But mostly, video reviews just don’t give you the same things you get with a written review. The video reviewer will all too often say “here, you can see for yourself,” but I can’t. I can’t see how clear the picture is when I’m watching on a small screen, or a slow connection, or an old monitor. I can’t see how large the aperture is because I don’t know how big/small the reviewer’s hand is. Give me words and tell me what you’re seeing.

Unboxings are overdone. We don’t need to see the UPS box. Most of us don’t even care what is in the box other than the product and the accessories that come with it. If it’s something that has to be set up – how quickly and easily can you do it? Don’t spend 10 minutes describing each piece of paper and wire that you carefully remove from the box and then cut to where you’ve already installed whatever it is. That would have been the important part.

My favorite are the ones that tell you “this is just an unboxing, not a review. The review will follow,” but it never does. Copout with a capital C.

I need Accessories, dangit!

alliflowers — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:47:40 +0000

Evidently without Sprint to bash, I have nothing to talk about. I’ve been getting out one or two software reviews on Mobility Today, but after a while, applications get old. Besides, there are only just so many apps you can put on one device. I can’t even think of much else I’d want to put on my lovely Treo 800w.

I need accessories. I still don’t have a case for my 800w, and it’s just not fair. This is also the longest I’ve ever gone with a naked case! I am anxiously awaiting some pretty red cases from Sena – they are overdue. They were supposed to have been ready for shipping early in the month, but they had some production problems, and they were delayed. I had hoped to have them by the end of this week. Damn.

I wrapped up my 800w in a total body Invisible Shield. The first one was a disaster, and I wound up peeling it off. When the replacement arrived, I put it on the old fashioned way – the way they recommended before they started shipping with the little bottle of spray. What does that mean? It means I prepared a bowl of soapy water and dipped each piece and then squeegied with my fingers. Application went smoothly that way. I only had a few little problems, and I really blame that more on operator error than product.

Just a few little blotches

Sorry the pic is so large – habit.

I’m hoping that I can get my hands on lots more accessories soon or I’m going to have to go buy a new phone just to have the accessories!

And as quickly as it started…

alliflowers — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:43:05 +0000

At 10:30 a.m. (or there abouts) last Tuesday, I received what I thought would be my one weekly sms from Twitter. But seconds later I received a second one. I replied that it was strange to get two, and seconds later received a response. That seemed to unlock the flood gate. Everything has been working as expected since.

No comment from Sprint. No apology for the month of missing service. No follow through on the offer to make it up to me. It’s a shame their customer service is still pathetic, and that there seems to be no communication between engineering and customer service.

Then again, you get what you pay for, and for $30/month, I should be happy I have a working phone.

Sprint blames nationwide texting issues

alliflowers — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:17:17 +0000

So why haven’t I heard of other people experiencing my problem if it is a nationwide issue?

Before showing you today’s online chat with Sprint, I’ll attempt to catch you up on what has transpired since my last blog post.

Last Monday I had a marathon online chat with Customer Service, where they finally agreed to give me a new phone number to test. With the new number everything worked brilliantly, so I reluctantly agreed to change my phone number and contact all my family, friends, creditors (ok, so I haven’t contacted my creditors yet). Everything worked great Monday…Tuesday…Wednesday…and then mid-morning on Wednesday, everything stopped again, just like the first time. Back to Customer Service Wednesday night. They are clueless. But they will submit a request for an investigation and get back to me. Since nobody ever did get back to me (why am I not surprised), and it is already Saturday…off to Sprint chat I went.

Here is my latest chat with Sprint customer service:

System

Connected to Sprint Web Chat Server

1:37:54 PM

System

Session ID: 2995870

1:37:59 PM

System

Please hold and the next available agent will be with you shortly.

1:38:00 PM

System

Chenise has joined this session!

1:38:00 PM

System

Connected with Chenise

1:38:00 PM

Chenise

Thank you for contacting Sprint. My name is Chenise, how may I assist you today?

1:38:27 PM

Alli Flowers

Yes please. Frank was going to help me, but I guess he got so engrossed in reading my account notes that the session expired before he got back to me.

1:38:56 PM

Alli Flowers

So please take no more than 5-10 minutes to look at my account notes so you’ll be up to date on what’s going on.

1:39:25 PM

Chenise

I will try my very best to help you with this issue, please give me a moment to look into it.

1:39:34 PM

Alli Flowers

Thanks.

1:41:50 PM

Chenise

Do you have any further questions regarding our plans

1:42:05 PM

Alli Flowers

Well, yes. I was hoping to know if you had any plans.

1:42:16 PM

Alli Flowers

Or if I’m just out of luck here.

1:42:35 PM

Alli Flowers

I also wanted to pass on a link to your network engineers, as I believe your network has been hacked.

1:42:37 PM

Alli Flowers

http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=168807&highlight=sprint+network+resco

1:42:37 PM

Chenise

I will locate the plans and send it one moment please

1:43:40 PM

Alli Flowers

You mean someone has written out a plan as to how they are going to solve my account issue?

1:47:26 PM

Alli Flowers

Hello?

1:47:56 PM

Chenise

I am viewing the plan to send you , I will be right with you shortly

1:48:41 PM

Alli Flowers

1:51:26 PM

Chenise

Alli, I have read the notes of the account as well

1:51:41 PM

Chenise

Please explain to me what your exact needs are so I can meet with today

1:52:02 PM

Alli Flowers

My exact needs are to receive sms from short codes. The same need it has been for 3 weeks.

1:52:40 PM

Alli Flowers

So what is this plan of which you speak?

1:53:17 PM

Chenise

I do apologize, I have read that and understand that the information regarding national texting limitation we are experiencing

1:53:32 PM

Chenise

We are doing everything to correct the problem concerning this matter

1:53:45 PM

Alli Flowers

So you have determined it is a network issue?

1:53:52 PM

Chenise

8020 has been removed, I do apologize

1:53:57 PM

Alli Flowers

8020?

1:54:01 PM

Alli Flowers

Huh?

1:54:07 PM

Chenise

Please disregard that last comment, I do apologize.

1:54:36 PM

Chenise

Yes, currently we are having limitations nationwide with texting

1:54:42 PM

Alli Flowers

So you have determined there is a network issue and it is being addressed?

1:54:47 PM

Chenise

I do apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you

1:55:07 PM

Chenise

We are doing everything to correct the problem concerning this matter

1:55:10 PM

Alli Flowers

It has caused far more than an inconvenience at this point.

1:55:26 PM

Alli Flowers

Have you passed the link on to your network engineers? I believe it is connected.

1:55:56 PM

Chenise

Thank you so much for the information

1:56:00 PM

Alli Flowers

Your network is, at best, totally insecure, and at worst completely hacked.

1:56:33 PM

Chenise

I do understand, thank you for your patience with us

1:56:51 PM

Alli Flowers

But have you passed the link on to your network engineers?

1:57:28 PM

Chenise

I will pass the information on to our engineers

1:57:36 PM

Alli Flowers

Thank you.

1:57:58 PM

Chenise

No, thank you

1:58:39 PM

Alli Flowers

Nothing that can’t be solved by restoring the time I’ve invested in this.

1:58:55 PM

Alli Flowers

I’m sure Sprint will be happy to make it up to me.

2:00:29 PM

Chenise

I am sure Sprint will have some compensation for our customers

2:01:13 PM

Alli Flowers

I’m hopeful that not only will we be compensated, but that they will get their network fixed.

2:02:05 PM

Chenise

We looking forward to it, yes

2:02:10 PM

Chenise

Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

2:02:24 PM

Alli Flowers

I suppose not.

2:03:05 PM

Chenise

Thank You for contacting Sprint, our goal is to make your chat experience a great one. Please complete the short online survey presented at the end of your chat. Should you have any additional feedback or comments you would like to provide regarding your chat or chat agent, please send us an email at: sprint.customerappreciation@connextions.com. If you have any further questions about your account or about Sprint’s products or services please contact us by chatting in again

Type your comments in the box below and click send.

All I can say at this point is…oi.

Sprint Update

alliflowers — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:18:15 +0000

Needless to say, Sprint has managed to use up the last of my free time prior to school starting for the fall. However, I promise to update tonight and let you all know the final outcome and the rationale behind my decisions.

Sprint Customer Service

alliflowers — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:31:32 +0000

Yes, it is every bit as poor as they say.

I have been a happy Sprint customer for two years. Happy with my service, happy with my coverage, happy with my phones. I am blissfully, orgasmically happy with my Treo 800w. Unfortunately, Sprint has so mangled my account, that I am currently unable to take advantage of one of the main features of this $500 smartphone. I can no longer receive sms from short codes.

This started 5 days into my Treo 800w ownership, so I was relatively certain that it wasn’t the phone. But while on the phone with Sprint CS, I dutifully performed a hard reset to prove it. Still no sms short codes. Not from Twitter, not from Fring, not from Dashwire, not from Skyfire, not from Brightkite…well, you get the idea. Every time I called CS, they informed me that “many blocks” had been put on my sms account and they he/she had personally removed them all. I’m still trying to figure out how that many blocks got on in between each call to CS.

Sunday morning I get a call from tech support. The lady asks me for the name of The Service (like it’s only one and it’s their problem) from whom I can’t receive sms. So I list off 4 services for her. She thanks me and says they’ll have it resolved within 36 hours.

A week goes by. Still no resolution. So on Tuesday, I take the Treo 800w in to my local Sprint store, and exchange it, thinking it might simply be a device issue. No such luck. I call back and ask for Tech Support. I spend one hour and 19 minutes on the phone. The fella points out that he can see sms messages to me hitting Sprint’s server…but they are not getting from Sprint to my phone. He assures me that he has put in a ticket and they will have it fixed. He also points out that a) the first ticket was closed without resolution, and b) I’m paying for a service I’m not receiving.

Wednesday morning another Tech Support rep calls…with the same questions. This time I list all of the above websites and point out my friend Derek is receiving sms on his Treo 800w from all of them just fine. She assures me it will be fixed by Wednesday night. Great!

Wednesday night and I’m furious and on Twitter. I point out to @vkoser that his work on ceTwit is the only think preventing me from firebombing Sprint’s corporate headquarters. @jbtaylor, A PR guy for Sprint, sees this tweet and offers to help. That gets me nowhere, so on Thursday I email Steven Shoecraft, VIP Analyst with Executive & Regulatory Services for Sprint. He also assures me he’s on it and will get me straightened out.

Still waiting.

I have weighed my options, and until the 800w comes out on Verizon, or the 850 comes out on AT&T, I’m pretty much up the proverbial creek. I guess if this hasn’t resolved by the time either is ready, I’ll jump ship, and let Sprint try to collect an ETF from me!

Tech Support

alliflowers — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:51:41 +0000

Understand, that before clicking Chat, I’d already pulled the battery from my new Treo 800w so that I could give them the IMEI number. I’d tried doing the activation online, and it wouldn’t take the number…so it was either try an online chat or make a phone call. Chat seemed easier…at the time.

Also notice that there is no space between lines and if one comment comes on top of another and you’re not watching the screen, you don’t realize there’s been anything said. Oh…and remember the 800w was supposed to have been sent already activated.

Connected to sprint-ap1.cnxchat.com
4:21:23 PM
System
Session ID: xxxxxxx
4:21:28 PM
System
Please hold and the next available agent will be with you shortly.
4:21:38 PM
System
Claudia has joined this session!
4:21:38 PM
System
Connected with Claudia
4:21:44 PM
Alli
Hi Claudia.
4:22:03 PM Claudia How are you?Thank you for contacting Sprint. My name is Claudia. How may I assist you today?
4:22:04 PM Alli I’m trying to activate my new Treo 800w but none of the 3 numbers are working when entered.
4:22:23 PM Claudia Can you give me your wireless number?
4:22:28 PM Alli 251-xxx-xxxx
4:23:23 PM Claudia Thank you, may I have the pin number on your account?
4:23:30 PM Alli xxxxxx
4:24:38 PM Claudia Thank you allow me a mo moment to pull up your account.
4:24:53 PM Claudia I do apologize, allow me a moment to pull up your account.
4:24:57 PM Alli No prob.
4:26:28 PM Claudia Are you able to call out from the phone?
4:26:42 PM Alli The new one? No.
4:27:33 PM Claudia Ok, thanks one moment please.
4:31:24 PM Claudia Please turn the phone off.
4:31:31 PM Alli It is off.
4:31:35 PM Claudia Remove the battery. The MEID can be found in the phone underneath the battery. The barcode sticker on the end of the original box. Labeled MEID-DEC or MEID-HEX.
4:31:40 PM Alli The battery is out so I could read the numbers.
4:32:44 PM Claudia May I have the MEID number?
4:32:47 PM Alli The hex #:A100000xxxxxxx
4:34:04 PM Claudia May I have the DEC number?
4:34:31 PM Alli xxxxx
4:35:59 PM Claudia Thank you, now please put the battery back in the phone.
4:36:30 PM Alli Done. That was a lot easier than reading those little numbers.
4:37:59 PM Claudia Press and hold the Power/End button to turn the phone on. The power button is the Red key located on the right side of the device directly under the display screen. Press the Green Phone button one time. Select Dial Pad. Or: Click Menu. Select Dial Pad.
4:39:16 PM Alli ok
4:39:42 PM Alli
4:39:50 PM Claudia In the dial pad screen, Tap ## followed by 418818 followed by an additional # on the Dial Pad or the Key Pad. Example: ##123456#. The # key is located on the B button. This will take you to the Activating Your Phone menu.
4:41:11 PM Claudia With the Phone Number (MDN): field highlighted, using the QWERTY keyboard, type the 10-digit MDN from the programming instructions screen. There is no need to hold down the number lock key. The field is defaulted for numbers.
4:41:18 PM Alli Nope – not taking me into the anything.
4:41:35 PM Claudia What step are we stuck on?
4:41:36 PM Alli Please put some space in between each comment.
4:41:36 PM Alli ..
4:41:46 PM Alli We are stuck on getting into the Activation menu.
4:41:53 PM Claudia Sure not a problem
4:42:01 PM Alli I have now tried it from both the keypad and the screen.
4:42:02 PM Alli .
4:42:29 PM Alli ##41xxx8# does nada.
4:42:29 PM Alli .
4:44:00 PM Claudia Ok, give me one moment please.
4:44:10 PM Alli k
4:44:44 PM Alli .
4:45:25 PM Claudia Can you type in ##2xxxx2# instead?
4:46:19 PM Alli That didn’t do anything either. Let me recycle the power.
4:46:20 PM Alli .
4:46:58 PM Alli Nope – it’s not going anywhere.
4:46:59 PM Alli .
4:47:40 PM Claudia Can you do a soft reset and take the battery out, leave it out for a minute and let me know when you have replaced it.
4:48:02 PM Alli Sure.
4:48:10 PM Claudia Thank you.
4:50:11 PM Alli Ok, complete.
4:50:12 PM Alli .
4:50:30 PM Alli Shall I give one of those codes another shot?
4:50:31 PM Alli .
4:50:55 PM Claudia Yes, and let me know what occurs.
4:51:58 PM Alli Nada.
4:51:58 PM Alli .
4:52:26 PM Claudia Ok give me a moment.
4:52:47 PM Alli Ok.
4:52:48 PM Alli .
4:58:26 PM Claudia I do appreciate your patience, I am still activating your phone.
4:58:50 PM Alli Ok. Let me know if I need to turn it off or reset again.
4:58:50 PM Alli .
5:00:27 PM Claudia Sure, not a problem. I appreciate your patience.
5:01:27 PM Alli .
5:02:42 PM Claudia Ok, lets try it again.
5:02:47 PM Claudia Press and hold the Power/End button to turn the phone on. The power button is the Red key located on the right side of the device directly under the display screen. Press the Green Phone button one time. Select Dial Pad. Or: Click Menu. Select Dial Pad.
5:03:24 PM Alli Guess I should turn it OFF first, huh.
5:03:24 PM Alli .
5:03:42 PM Claudia Sure.
5:04:21 PM Alli Ok done.
5:04:36 PM Alli So now I have no phone…my old one has been deactivated but this one has no service.
5:04:36 PM Alli .
5:05:32 PM Claudia I do apologize for that. We are in the process of activating your new phone. Please follow the steps as they appear on the screen.
5:06:03 PM Alli As soon as you have steps to follow. I’m just sitting here watching tv.
5:06:05 PM Alli .
5:06:12 PM Claudia Press and hold the Power/End button to turn the phone on. The power button is the Red key located on the right side of the device directly under the display screen. Press the Green Phone button one time. Select Dial Pad. Or: Click Menu. Select Dial Pad.
5:06:32 PM Alli And then what….
5:06:33 PM Alli .
5:07:12 PM Claudia In the dial pad screen, Tap ##1xxxx7 , followed by an additional # on the Dial Pad or the Key Pad.
5:07:33 PM Alli Finally we’re in.
5:07:37 PM Claudia This will take you to the Activating Your Phone menu.
5:07:55 PM Alli .
5:08:00 PM Alli So the MSID is
5:08:00 PM Alli .
5:09:37 PM Claudia The MSID is 31xxxxxxx1
5:10:12 PM Claudia How is everything going?
5:10:19 PM Alli It’s resetting the radio.
5:10:25 PM Alli Let’s try…
5:10:45 PM Alli Bingo!
5:10:52 PM Alli We’re good.
5:11:07 PM Claudia Great, glad to hear that.
5:11:12 PM Alli Thank you for your help.
5:11:17 PM Claudia Do you have any further questions?
5:11:27 PM Alli Nope. I’m good to go now.
5:11:33 PM Claudia Thank you for contacting Sprint. Our goal is to make your chat experience a great one. There will be a survey after this chat that you may fill out to advise us of how we are doing. Please disable all popup blockers before this chat session ends to ensure you are afforded the opportunity to participate. Should you have any additional feedback or comments you would like to provide regarding your chat or chat agent, please send us an email at: sprint.customerappreciation@connextions.com. If you would like a copy of this transcript please press either the print button at the bottom of this session or the copy button to copy/paste into the word processing program of your choice.

****************

I can’t help but wondering what kind of tech support Claudia was getting in order to do this for me as often as she had me wait. 50 minutes just to complete the steps for an ESN swap that usually takes 3 minutes.

Yikes!