Problem 1: closing tickets before they are resolved
As a customer service representative, if I closed any ticket before resolution, I’d expect a strong scolding from my employers. No, really. Then, I’d expect my own job to be handed to me. I mean, this is how the world works, right? Or at least how it’s supposed to work. Ticket gets submitted, properly addressed by an agent, and then once everyone agrees it’s resolved, it’s resolved.. Not so here. In fact, so much not so that I’ve had tickets unresolved since just after launch, closed within 48 hours, and then nothing… STILL waiting on issues to be resolved, but God knows, they never will be.

Problem 2: CSR’s NOT reading tickets. They’re just not…
Time and time again, it’s proven that they DON’T read these, that they DON’T bother to show any respect to their customers whatsoever. They put in a C&P response, and that’s it. 1/2 the time those ‘responses’ don’t even come close to what’s going on, or what the ticket is about. No, instead, the customer is given a garbage response that is totally unrelated. Yeah, talk about a LOSE/LOSE situation there

Problem 3: Hours, upon hours on hold
I’ll give you the game is new, but , really, do we need to spend hours on hold, just to get ahold of customer service who can’t understand a word of what we’re saying, and we can’t understand? Really? Talk about a waste of your customer’s money, and time.

Problem 4: Heavy Handed moderaton
Want to see how heavy handed? Check this out:
In 10 years of being on forums, I have never had as many ‘warnings’ or ‘infractions’ given as I have in just 30 days on SWTOR. Things like

1. Bumping threads (once every 12 hours, if that)
2. Using the word ‘retarded’  (to accurately describe their customer service)
3. Saying someone is ‘lazy’ , when they’re demanding a LFG tool, instead of using the one that’s there (it’s true, they just want someone to do everything for them)
4. Cheering for Oceanic servers, by requesting they be moved off of the NA servers (my exact words: Good, get them off of ours). I’m HAPPY that Oceanics can play, but when they take over 2 servers just because they want to, far, far too much
5. Quoting lyrics from a song (South Park, blame Canada) in response to another’s post… BTW, that “other’s post”, still active to this day

On and on and on I can go. Yeah, maybe it is a slight bit “insensitive”, but you know what? Too bad. The world is FAR too full of this PC bullshit as it is. That’s only < 1/2 the ‘infractions’ or ‘warnings’ I’ve received in 30 days. Like I said, in ten years (and I’m on god knows HOW many professional forums), I have never received this many infractions, or warnings, IN TOTAL… Here’s the text from a couple of those posts that were removed… No, really, neither of these were even remotely wrong, but , leave it to EA/BW to kill them off I guess:

Dual spec? Not exactly a priority. Most of us are fine with just one.

UI Customization? As has been said before, they’re working on this. Read blogs, watch videos before you post stuff like this, it’ll make you look less foolish.

Appearance/Macros? Who cares. Really, who cares.

As far as mounts, you’re right. This has to be the most pathetic (and expensive) implementation of mounts I’ve seen ever… Losing your companion while mounted? Yeah, that hurts. What hurts WORSE is when you get dismounted in battle, and that companion fails to summon (happens all the time). Not being able to mount stealthed? Again, ridiculous.
The game does not NEED an LFG tool, it has one.
Just because it’s not automated doesn’t mean it doesn’t have one.
Stop saying the game has no LFG tool, when it does. The problem is that you’re too lazy to use it, you want everything done FOR you.

Post #2: 

Originally Posted by ninoss

1. European maintenance hours. Don’t wanna go into details but I think problem is well known.
There is no problem with the EU maintenance hours, exept for entitled individuals throwing a fit, demanding their own maintenance period because they feel special. Yes, it’s during ‘peak time’ for you guys, but you know what? Deal with it. it’s once a week, find something else to do for 8 hours (if it even takes that long). You’re no better than the rest of us, and you don’t deserve your own special attention maintenance period. ENOUGH with the entitlement attitude already, it’s beyond annoying.

Now, let’s get on to the CS garbage in here, shall we?
It is inappropriate to respond to a ticket without reading it.
It is inappropriate to respond to a ticket, claiming “this has been escalated” and then close it, with NO RESOLUTION
It is inappropriate to delete a ticket without even a response. Don’t say it’s “escalated”, because it’s not, it’s flat out deleted. If it WERE escalated, the user would see it (I can STILL see all tickets that CSR’s are claiming as “escalated”).
It is inappropriate to treat a paying customer as poorly as the CSR’s in this game have.

The game itself? Despite a few bugs, I find it playable, and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the community, the moderators, the CSR’s, well, they take it down quite a bit. The trolling that is allowed to continue at that community is astounding, just astounding. The moderation team is hell-bent on making sure that it’s an environment that’s not at all worthwhile. The CSR’s do their part to ensure that your customer satisfaction is pretty low. Unfortunately, it is what it is, and I’m done.

I’ve said all along that this would be the end of the game, unless EA/Bioware picked up the pace on support. Now? I’m putting my money where my mouth is. First call tomorrow will be to the bank, unless this is resolved quickly and efficiently, but I have no doubt, it WON’T be. Sadly, as I said, the only way to get their attention is to hit them where it hurts, in the pocket

TL;DR
I’m leaving, poor customer service would be the reason, and no, you can’t have my shit.

Many will remember Steve for his accomplish­ments just with Apple, but let us also not forget his other business achievemen­ts and innovation­s. Without Steve, we never would have seen the likes of Toy Story, Wall-E, or any other Pixar animation, because he was very much behind Pixar. Without Steve , we would have never seen the NeXT computer, as he was behind this as well.

When you look at true innovation­, true genius, Steve Jobs was the embodiment of this. No, he didn’t do everything himself, but he did so very much. We have lost a true pioneer, a true inventor, and a true genius today, perhaps one of the last of a very dying breed.

Wherever you are, Mr. Jobs, I do hope that you find the peace you have spent your lifetime looking for, and that your body is finally at rest. Thank you for a life very well spent, you were a true legend. May you never, ever be forgotten

Because of NDA’s, I can’t go into too much detail, but take a look at the video here. This is pretty horrible quality compared to the game, but you can tell the storyline is just going to kick major ass. Seriously, get on board with this program, WoW players, you WILL see what a REAL MMO looks like with this game.

In case you hadn’t guessed, yeah, I’m being a bit sarcastic right now. If I want to enjoy a concert (concert, mind you, not a movie, or something else), by standing up, that IS, in fact my right to do so. Does this make me an asshole? No. Does this make me wrong? Errm, hell no. Last I checked (oh, about, say 3 hours ago or so), standing up at a rock concert was NOT illegal, did NOT break any laws, yet I’M made to feel like the bad guy because I’m standing up. Well, you know what? Too bad! Seriously, just too bad… And here’s what happened:

Tonight was supposed to be a good night. Trav and I were headed off to see a couple bands that really, neither of us were in dire need to see, but it was more about getting out, relaxing, enjoying the evening at the fair, seeing some decent artists (who grossly overcharged, BTW), etc. We get to the fair, meander around a bit, and discover that hey, it’s pretty much the same. So, we sit in line for a few minutes, get in and the show begins.

As usual, I’m standing during the second act (Heart), as they’re a band that I really wanted to see. For some of it, I’m taping, again, as per usual, until the guy behind me says

sit down and do that.

Of course, my response is no. Why? Because , well, if I was sitting down, I would have people’s heads constantly in the video, people’s arms constantly in the video, and on and on, and on. So, what’s this guy do? Well, rather than stand up and enjoy the show (like everyone else at the time), he finds the nearest security guard, who comes up to me a few minutes later and says

I can’t have you taping the show

At this point, I look around me at the 10 others doing the same thing, and tell him

If you want me to stop, then you have to equally enforce that to everyone around me.

Security guy takes off, I stop taping, because I am a nice guy, but, continue to stand. Why? Partly because I’m pissed off, partly because it’s the only way I can get a clear view of the screen (screw the stage, the venue screwed us again with tickets). Rather than fight everyone in front of me waving their hands, getting up and leaving, coming back, etc, etc, etc, I continued to stand so I could see what was going on around me, and so that I could enjoy the show.

Towards the end of the show, asshole at the end of the row (name unknown, or uncared) comes up to me, pushes me. At this point, I told him not to touch me. It was deliberate, he was, of course, looking to start a fight. When the push didn’t work, he started yelling at me. I remained standing, ignoring him, he threatened to bring security, and I told him to go for it, there wasn’t a thing they could do.

less than 5 minutes later, a couple of State Troopers walked up the ramp, pointed to me, and I went down to talk to them. They were real friendly individuals, pointed out to me that I’d done nothing wrong, nothing illegal, and I could, of course, go right back up there and enjoy the show the same way I was doing, if I chose to. They also pointed out that even the individuals were drunk, and harassing me, there wasn’t a damn thing they could do about them, either, despite the assault on me, verbally and physically. Of course, I didn’t expect them to do anything, mind you, but it was what it was.

In the end, Trav and I left between Heart and Def Leppard. I feel bad for dragging him to a show that he didn’t completely want to go to anyways, and then leaving early, but I dunno, there’s just no way I was going to sit around there and let the inevitable fight happen. Yes, it does take a bigger man to walk away from these things and ignore the drunken asshole fools around you. Sometimes, being that bigger man means you have to throw away money (which, I am definitely pissed about), but sometimes it’s all for the better.

A few points to make to concert goers (and apparently common sense rules in life):
#1: You’re at a CONCERT, stop sitting on your ass and ENJOY the show!!!
#2: If you’re not going to follow #1 STOP whining about those that ARE following #1! Just because YOU want to sit down doesn’t mean everyone else HAS to!
#3: If you’re not responsible enough to handle your liquor, DO NOT DRINK at a concert!! Simple, right?
#4: Only a complete douche starts fights at a concert!!!
#5: It’s all about fun, ESPECIALLY when everyone pays the same price. The only difference is that you don’t have the right to verbally, or physically assault others.
#6: Sometimes, everyone just needs to sit back and take a smoke break.
#7: It’s a CONCERT. It’s a public venue where people are cramped and squished together. Make the best of it without going off on someone!
#8: It’s NEVER ok to insult someone, anywhere. Calling them offensive names is not ok, trying to deliberately get someone kicked out because you don’t like them (for their weight, or any other reason), never, ever ok.
#9: Drinking is ok, but know your limit. When you become that drunk asshole, it’s time to go.
#10: If you want someone to do something, it’s BEST not to get them pissed off, because then they’ll just do the opposite to spite you!

THANKFULLY, I’ve never been to an RCPM show where people have been so rude to me (I HAVE had people ask me to adjust my filming so I don’t bump them, apologized and done so, but nothing this drastic) . I’ll keep up the video work for the RCPM community, but I think, because of this, everything else is just going to be taken down.

Anyways, this has been my rant for the month of August. Enjoy! Again, Travis, I wholeheartedly apologize that you got drug into the situation, and out of the show early. I appreciate you hauling my ass up there and back.

Up until now, Netflix has kept DVD shipping and unlimited online viewing together. If you had online viewing, you could add DVD shipping (1 dvd at a time) for $2. Not bad, that ran around $10/month. Of course, any business owner would wonder just what exactly they were doing, because there’s no way they could be making a profit off of this. Well, their answer FINALLY came out yesterday.

As of September 1st (or whenever you’re billed after that for September), Netflix will automatically be charging you SEPARATELY for DVD and streaming access, and those charges are going to hurt if you’re on a 1 DVD plan. Your price will go up from around $10/month to $17. Yup, you, the 1 dvd at a time person just got nailed by netflix. Thankfully, there’s a solution:
drop streaming

Seriously, that’s all it takes to get back to your normal plan prices. Of course, you want to wait until AFTER September 1st (or closer to your bill date) to do this, so you can enjoy the full benefits at the low cost you’ve already got them.   Alternatively, you can simply just drop Netflix altogether .

Why is this going to ‘kill a good thing quick’? Honestly, one word: Hulu
Netflix has been claiming for months that they’re the premiere source for online videos, but they’re not. They’re not even CLOSE. In fact, if you want relevant online videos, look ANYWHERE but Netflix. Their agreements with studios make it so that nothing is seen online for months after it’s released on DVD, IF it even is. Sorry, Netflix, but you lose this round.

What’s WORSE is that if you just had a ‘one dvd at a time’ plan, you know, BEFORE netflix started streaming, you’re STILL going to get jacked up. They automatically assume that everyone wants their streaming, instead of cutting it off and allowing individuals to activate it manually. Nope, this is what you call a scam, people, dead, honest scam. Of course, considering they charge for blu-ray access, I GUESS this shouldn’t really surprise me. I mean, really, this is one of those companies that nickel and dimes someone to death, and has no problem doing so.

I’ve spent the majority of this focusing on those that have 1 DVD at a time, because they’re the worst affected here. The rest of us? Yeah, we’re going to see some pretty decent increases as well. Of course, nothing like the close to doubling of cost that they’re making the 1 disc plan, but, you’ll still see additional charges.

This is a great move for competition of Netflix. I mean, you’ve got disgruntled customers, ready to leave, because your price got bumped up by (a minimum) 20%, so, what do you do? Well, you can take your business to Hulu (strongly recommended if you want television content) or even BlockBuster . Despite shutting down most of their physical stores, they have a thriving (supposedly) online business going, competition to Netflix.

Whatever you do , if you decide to cancel your Netflix subscription, make sure you wait until the day before you’re supposed to renew to do so. Otherwise, Netflix will just refuse to deliver anything to you. Yup, another scam, where service is paid for a month, not delivered, brought to you by the kings of scams and nickel and diming, Netflix themselves.

The moral of the story? Avoid Netflix. If they do this once, there’s no reason they won’t do it again. Their ‘streaming’ selection is from years ago, their ‘new release’ section leaves SO much to be desired, and they’ve got the worst ethics of them all. Bad, bad, bad business policies

Hey, I’m going to stop spending

which is why MOST people would have no problem getting out of debt as soon as possible. Unfortunately, with government agencies, it’s just the opposite. They rant and rave about how they need ‘more credit’, yet refuse to actually cut spending. Why? Well, it’s ok, of course, to rant and rave, but when you actually have to DO something, that’s an entirely different thing. Let’s take a look at some numbers here:

Let’s start by looking at the actual PAY these individuals receive:
Congress and senate (in 2011) make a base salary of 170k/year.
Congressional members – 435
Senate members – 100
Yearly Congressional Salary – 75,690,000
Yearly Senate Salary – 17400000
Yearly Presidential Salary – 400,000 (raised by 50,000 in 2001)
Vice presidential Sallary – 230,700
Total paid out every year for ‘public servants‘? 93,720,700

The ‘median income’ in D.C. ? $59,000 . So, you could easily cut these salaries in half, send the rest to take care of the debt, and STILL come out ahead, while cutting the national debt down $46,860,350 EVERY YEAR!

More fun with numbers, from the Pig Book . These #’s are actual #’s paid to individuals to do something unnecessary (hence, ‘pork’) to our survival as a nation. In 2010 alone, $16.5 billion in pork funding was handed out, and that’s just what’s identified by this book. Seriously, there’s a problem

$6,056,565,000 for 35 anonymous projects (military), including  $495,000,000 for nine additional F/A-18E/F Hornets aircraft, $300,000,000 for the Medical Transportation Institute.
$2,500,000,000 for the procurement of ten C–17 aircraft.
$465,000,000 for continued development and initial procurement of the alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter.
$198,150,000 for 37 projects by Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
$181,200,000 for 50 projects by Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.)

On and on and on we could go here, but you get the idea. The U.S. government doesn’t need a bigger ‘credit card’, what they need to do is cut spending, eliminate pork, cut their own salaries, and start living in the real world. The rich don’t need to be taxed more, the poor don’t need to be taxed more. As a country we need to get out there and demand that our elected officials start SPENDING appropriately! If not, well, this is exactly what will happen.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. If I ran my business as poorly as these elected ‘officials’ ran this country, I would have been bankrupted and homeless dozens of times by now. This is UNEXCUSABLE, and it’s time to demand that officials take action.

#1: The First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Someone please tell me where it says in there we can all say what we want and suffer no repercussions from it? Nope, nowhere. It states that CONGRESS (ie: government) shall make no law prohibiting the freedom of speech. Good on them, that’s where it should be, and where it should stay. No law should ever be made that says one can say certain things, must say certain things, or restrict an individual from expressing their personal opinion. This is a wise decision.

#2: Freedom of Speech

According to Wikipedia, ‘Freedom of Speech’ is defined as:

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.

But wait, it goes on. You can’t just take what you want here and pretend the rest doesn’t exist:

“The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.”

So, what does this mean for you, me, John Cena, Alex Riley, and everyone else? Well, simply put, this:
You can say what you want, but you must also be prepared to face the consequences for your speech. NOTHING should be held without accountability whatsoever. In other words:

Let’s say I’m dealing with Client A  on certain issues, and that Client A is a major asshole, a pain in the ass, and just has zero clue what they’re doing. If I told them this, would I be right to expect to be fired? Absolutely. Would this be a violation of me ‘Freedom of Speech’? No, because, this is the consequence of me speaking my mind.

Note:
Client A is fictional, does not exist now, previously, in the future, or anywhere in my life. I love my clients, and while some of them may frustrate me from time to time, it is not my opinion that they are Client A.

Let’s take, for example, Punk’s ‘episode’ on Raw, at the end of the show. His comments were not covered by ‘Freedom of Speech’, for two reasons
A> He was in a corporate environment, the corporation was paying for his time (including airtime, billed at $1000s per minute), and had every right to shut him off.
B>  Much of what he said was easily considered ‘libel’.

Let’s consider another example. In this case, we’ll use an old job of mine, and an old supervisor, whom I have absolutely no respect for whatsoever:
Had I walked into the job one night and said

You’re a stuck up, whiny bitch and I hate your guts

Would I have been right in assuming that I was going to be fired? Absolutely
Would I have been correct? Naah, I didn’t “hate her guts”, I just hated her constant digs at the male sex, and insults to them.
Would I have been  covered under any sort of ‘Freedom of  Speech’? No, none at all.

In the end, there is no ‘Freedom of Speech’ in the U.S. unless it absolutely, physically relates to the government, and then their powers are limited. As far as your job, your surroundings, you have no ‘Freedom of Speech’ whatsoever. The laws of physics (causality) apply here, specifically cause and affect. The cause is the speech you’re making, the effect will typically be something you don’t want to happen.

In short: Think before you speak (or type something online). You never know what affect that will bring.

I’ll have things updated a bit more often (hopefully), probably not more than once or twice a month though. Look for first post shortly.