Showing posts with label Consumer Alerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Consumer Alerts. Show all posts

Friday, November 14, 2008

The Best $250 I Ever Spent!

I know you have all been eagerly awaiting an update on my TV-viewing situation. For those of you who don't know, my beloved HDTV became terminally ill a couple months ago with "mysterious green column disease" (see below) and had to be put down - a truly sad day in the Strzinek household!


First, thank you all for your kind words, letters of encouragement and candlelight service - which was very thoughtful but perhaps a bit over the top!

I'm sure you will all be relieved to hear that, thanks to the extended warranty I purchased along with my TV, I was able to get a replacement at no cost! And not just any replacement - since Sony no longer makes my model any more, the warranty company called and said they would have to replace my TV with an upgraded model!

"Well, if that is my only option then I guess that's OK."

While I was still on the phone I began to silently dance around my living room like a complete fool!



Ever since the new TV was delivered, I've never been so happy to watch Dirk go 5 for 15!

The crazy thing is I actually remember debating on whether or not I should spend the extra $250 for the extended warranty. The TV repair guy who took my old TV said that it was money well spent as there are few repairs he could do on a TV for less than $250.

He also said that although these LCD and plasma TV's have a great picture they don't last nearly as long as the old conventional TV's. Most of his LCD/plasma TV repairs are on sets only 18-24 months old. Whereas most of his conventional TV repairs are on sets 7-8 years old. They just don't build them like they use to!

So if you plan on upgrading your family's TV-viewing experience this Christmas and the guy at [insert name of electronics store not filing for bankruptcy here] asks if you want an extended warranty for your new fancy-schmancy TV be sure to respond emphatically, "YES!!" - it'll be the best $250 you'll ever spend!

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Now This Is How You Do It!

So that I can prove to all of blogosphere that I'm not a total scrooge when it comes to pre-emptive Christmas celebrations, let me take a moment to actually endorse a local dining establishment for how they are marketing their yule time products.


Now this is how you do it!  Notice how Krispy Kremes is marketing the sale of their Christmas doughnuts starting on November 28th.  

(I'll pause so that everyone can check their calendars to see that November 28th is indeed the Friday after Thanksgiving!)

No pre-emptive Christmas celebrations here!  It would be so easy for Krispy Kremes to start selling their Christmas doughnuts before Thanksgiving but they know that would be un-American!

In fact, there's no better way to bring in this year's holiday season (as well as continue the fight against terrorism!) than by ordering a dozen holiday bites of heaven from Krispy Kremes on November 28th - the first day after Thanksgiving!

So let me sum up:  Boycot any establishments involved in pre-emptive Christmas celebrations (which we all know only worsens the effects of global warming) and eat lots of Krispy Kreme doughnuts!

See, I'm not a total scrooge!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Smack Home Depot On The Forehead!

It’s usually not until after Halloween when my yuletide radar goes up. Having to listen to Bing Crosby’s Have Yourself A Merry Little Migraine for the entire month of December is bad enough alone.

But when stores beat me into musical submission by pretending it’s Christmas starting the first week of November, I actually pray that I do get run over by reindeer! Maybe then I'll be mercifully put out of my misery!

Thank goodness nobody would have the gall to pull this stuff out in September! That would be utterly inconceiv . . . .


ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? AW, FOR THE LOVE OF RUDOLPH!!!!

AND OF ALL PEOPLE - HOME DEPOT!!!!!!


I can’t boycott Home Depot this early in the year! Where else am I supposed to get my [insert inane, over-priced gardening tool that I really don’t need]?

And don’t suggest Lowe’s either – I don’t like Lowes. It’s too . . . . blue!

Yeah, home improvement projects are supposed be done in orange! Why do you think they always use orange signs for highway construction zones?

But now that the temperature has dropped all the way down into the 80’s everyone’s thinking, “Burr! Christmas must be around the corner! Better rush off to Home Depot before they run out of red and green blinking icicle lights and plastic Santa roof ornaments!”

Go ahead, run! We all know those things don't get any cheaper the closer Christmas gets so you better be the first in line!

Doesn’t anyone ever read Ecclesiastes anymore? There a time and place for everything, people! How can we possibly celebrate Christmas in September? It’s only the third week of football, for crying out loud!

Home Depot, you've just been put on notice!

(And don't call me a scrooge or a grinch! I'm right about this! Besides, I prefer "grumpy old man"!)

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

It Wasn't Broken, But I Fixed It Anyway!

As far as I was concerned, we were happy Dish Network customers.

I got my games in oh-so-beautiful High Definition. Kelly got her Oprah in Standard Definition (hee, hee!). We rarely lost our satellite reception - even during the torrid North Texas thunderstorms. And, for the most part, we were fine with the amount we were being charged.

So, there really wasn’t any reason to change providers.

At least there wasn’t until I received a brochure from AT&T U-Verse.



AT&T's fancy-schmancy brochure claimed they could offer me the same channels, HD, the ability to record 4 shows at the same time (that's when I started salivating!), pause and record live TV, Internet speeds 4 times faster than my current service, no contracts, and no activation fees . . . all for $25 less per month than what I was currently paying.

It doesn't sound like much when you think of it as saving just $25 a month but my fuzzy math brings that up to $300 in savings per year.

But it adds up to a lot if you can save a little here and there, right?

So I pulled the trigger and ordered AT&T's U-Verse!

The only problem is I can't help but keep thinking of the phrase, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!”

Man, I hope I don't regret this!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Hello, McFly!



Nationwide Insurance was nice enough to call me from their automated call center to tell me about their great new rates for safe drivers who are accident-free.

Unfortunately, I was unable to listen to their pre-recorded message because I was driving down the highway when they called!

Somebody at Nationwide is getting paid way too much money not to think that genius idea all the way through!

Anyone home, McFly?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

IKEA: The Den of Satan!

"Wade, can you do me a favor and run by IKEA and pick up some shelves for me this weekend?"

When Kelly uttered those words to me last week, I should have come up with an excuse. I should have complained. I should have faked an illness. Thrown a temper tantrum. Anything!

Because nothing could have prepared me for the most painfully horrific shopping experience in the history of ever!


Less than 2 minutes after I had walked through the door for the very first time, I suddenly learned something new about myself . . . I hate IKEA!

For starters, what's with the rat maze that takes half a weekend to work your way through?

Seriously, before you can actually purchase anything they make you endure a physical challenge that is a maddening never-ending maze with pathways narrower than a Swedish message table and lined with furniture with names that not even the employees can pronounce because they're written in freggin' Swedish!

I've never been one to pull out the "this is America so speak English" card, but this is freggin' America so speak some English, will ya'?

What's wrong with the Home Depot or Lowe's system? Everything is sectioned off by aisles. You want a hammer? Go to Aisle 13. Light bulb? Aisle 7. And the cool thing about Home Depot or Lowe's is that the tag actually says 'hammer' so if there is any doubt in your mind you can look down and say, "Yep, this is a hammer."

Simplicity is wonderful thing . . . especially for the simple-minded such as myself.

I'm not kiddin', folks. Who ever came up with IKEA's store concept must have Swedish meatballs for brains because I just don't get it!

And in case any of you would beg to differ, just know that Google returned 1.57 millions results for the words "I hate IKEA". So obviously I'm not the only one who feels this way!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Here's the 411 on 411 . . .


I learned something new today . . .

. . . instead of paying $2 to call Information for a phone number, you can text your request to Googl (or 46645 - the e in Google is intentionally left off to accomodate a 5-digit text number) and you'll get a return text in just a few moments with an address and phone number.

For instance, I was looking for Chili's in Weatherford, TX today so I texted "chili's weatherford texas" and a moment later I received via text:

Chili's Grill & Bar
128 E. Interstate 20
Weatherford, 76087
817-594-1661

It will work even if you don't have a call plan that includes texting. 10 cents a text beats a $2 Information charge any day!

All hail the all-knowing Google!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

So Let the Boycotts Begin!

It's wrong! It's disrespectful! It's shameful! It's manipulative! It's . . . downright un-American!

On October 29th, I walked into the first retailer of the year who was playing Christmas music before the official start of Christmas season! That's skipping not only Thanksgiving but Halloween, too!

Bad, Swoozies! Bad!


Preemptive Christmas celebrations should not be tolerated because:

1. It shows blatant disrespect for Thanksgiving, a equally important holiday that already has self-esteem issues because kids find it unbearably boring.

2. Celebrating Christmas too early will result in prolonged exposure to Christmas carols; which studies have shown can lead to health risks such as bleeding ears, temporary insanity and/or flu-like symptoms.

3. Some people are easily disoriented when they see Christmas decorations while it's still 80-freakin'-degrees outside.

4. Celebrating Christmas for more than just one month out of the year helps some people justify leaving their Christmas lights up all year long. (Don't kid yourselves, people - the homeowner's association knows who you are!)

5. Don't ask me how, but I'm almost certain it only encourages the terrorists! And how would you like that on your conscience?!?

So do the right thing, blog world - boycott all retailers guilty of preemptive Christmas celebrations!

Boycott! Boycott! Boycott!

(Disclaimer: Before you all bag on me for going into Swoozies, just know that I went with Kelly so that she could pick out Tate's birthday invitations without being distracted by our soon-to-be 1-year old!)

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Gaylord Texan not "Tate-Friendly" *

I spent most of last week at our national sales meeting which was held right here at The Gaylord Texan Resort.

During the meeting, I had the great idea of showing off Tate to the rest of my team during dinner - what else would you expect from a proud daddy?

So as soon as the meetings for the day were finished I rushed home, grabbed Tate and caught up with everyone at the Glass Cactus - a restaurant/club on hotel property.

I wasn't there 2 minutes when security tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Sorry, sir, but you have to be 21 years or older to be in here."

I started to laugh! I turned 31 last year, buddy! Suddenly, I realized he was referring to Tate!

I tried to explain that since this was a private party (my company rented out the entire place) nobody would mind.

"Sorry, sir, hotel policy. You gotta be 21 or over."

Had I not been there on company time I probably would have fired back with some immature and sarcastic remark that would included the phrase 'give me break, man!' But since my Vice President of Sales was standing less than 10 feet away, I figured I'd just smile and leave without remark.

As I was being escorted out the door by security, a teammate asked if I was coming back.

"I don't think I have any business being in an establishment that won't allow my 2-month old son to stay for dinner."

So much for leaving without remark. The security guard gave me a look like, "Man, I don't make the rules around here."

I don't bring this up just so I can complain that The Gaylord Texan is some terrible place. (Behold! The den of Satan!)*

They have a right to do business how they see fit. (I hope they go bankrupt in a week!)*

I'm sure many families have stayed at The Gaylord Texan and had a great time. (Booking a room at the Gaylord Texan is un-American and will only encourage the terrorists!)*

I mention this because I was surprised how personal I took it. If the hotel didn't want Tate to be there then I didn't want to be at the hotel! Eventhough Tate is barely 2 months old and slept through the entire incident I couldn't help but feel sorry for him - as if he had gotten his feelings hurt!

Weird, huh?

The night ended on a good note, however. Tate and I grabbed some Chick-Fil-A and we went home to watch the Mavericks in HD - the highlight of the evening was Tate falling asleep on my shoulder.
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*If you happen to be reading this after searching for Gaylord Texan reviews then note that an * always follows extreme sarcasm! I'm being a little tongue-in-cheek here. The Gaylord Texan is a great place for families to stay.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Diaper Dude Update



I emailed DiaperDude.com to say that I helped them get some free radio advertising in a Top 5 market.

It was kinda funny when I got a response back asking if I would let them come on the air and talk about other 'dude-friendly' products of theirs. I had to explain that I didn't work at the station; I was just some guy who got the radio show hosts to talk about DiaperDude.com on the radio.

Ohhh!

Apparently they were very appreciative because they are sending me a complimentary Diaper Dude diaper bag!

Now that's how you show customer appreciation! Pay attention American Airlines!! I wasn't expecting anything but I think it's pretty cool that they would give something back in return.

Diaper Dude has single-handedly restored my faith in Corporate America!!

Since I obviously already have a Diaper Dude, I'm going to give my complimentary bag to Jody & Janell - they're expecting twins!! You may remember that Jody is the friend who I originally showed my bag to - thus putting this whole crazy story into motion.

In appreciation of their thoughtful gesture, I told Diaper Dude I'd put a permanent link to their website on my blog and tell everyone to check it out.

Seriously, folks - check out DiaperDude.com

It won the highly coveted and very prestigious 2006 Wade's Greatest Internet Purchase of The Year Award!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

KTCK The Ticket Discusses My Manliness on The Air

The local sports radio station here is KTCK The Ticket, thier Noon-3 show is called BaD Radio with hosts Bob and Dan - hence the name.

A weekly bit of BaD Radio is called 'Gay or Not Gay'. This is where Bob and Dad read emails from listeners and judge whether some of the things that guys do lack the required amount of manliness in order to remain 'not gay', as they put it.

Not too long ago I found myself in a questionable situation involving a diaper bag and wondered if my manliness was being called into question. So I emailed BaD Radio . . . and my email was read on the air today.

Click here to hear what they had to say.

But before you do, let me make just a few points of my own:

1. The first guy you hear talking is Bob. Bob calling me long-winded is like the pot calling the kettle black. That being said, I have noticed that I've been using a liberal word count lately so I'll try to shorten things down a bit in the future.

2. In paraphrasing my email, Bob gets the story wrong. You'll know exactly when because you'll hear me yell, "No!" in the background - I made the recording using my voice recorder while sitting in my car. What Bob left out was that I was showing off my diaper bag to my friend who is expecting twins; thus in the market for a diaper bag himself.

3. My question was, "Is it gay to suggest a particular manly diaper bag to another expecting father if the bag keeps him from appearing gay by having to carry the frilly, pink diaper bag that his wife would pick out?" Since I don't get a clear answer, feel free to chime in yourself with your thoughts.

4. Click DiaperDude.com to see the diaper bag in question.

By the way, I feel perfectly manly in saying that I love my diaper bag! It's greatness!
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For those of you who are interested, here's my 5 paragraph email to BaD Radio. Yeah, Bob's right - this is long!

"Dear Good-Good’s of BaD Radio,

Your ruling is needed on whether I am in violation of causing gayness on not only myself but on an unsuspecting friend as well.

When my son was born earlier this month I knew that we would soon be venturing out in public with child and diaper bag in tow. Although it’s not gay to be seen with your newborn son, it is gay, however, to be seen carrying the frilly baby diaper bag – particularly if it’s the over-the-shoulder-with-a-pretty-monogram-on-the-side-and-pretty-much-looks-like-an-oversized-purse variety that my wife picked out for herself.

Knowing that I needed to avoid the socially unacceptable situation of being seen carrying said-bag, I googled ‘diaper bags for guys’ and quickly found www.diaperdude.com – it’s a diaper bag made in a messenger bag design (across-the-chest) and marketed to dudes like us, hence the name. It’s a great bag and when I go out I feel like I’m getting away with something since most people don’t even realize it’s packed it with onesies and burp rags.

But here’s where my manliness may have gone astray: Last week my wife and I had a couple over for dinner. Since they are expecting twins, I couldn’t wait until they arrived so I could show my buddy my new diaper bag! Keep in mind, my enthusiasm was just as much with knowing that I would be preventing him from potential future gaiety as it was with bragging about my latest great internet purchase. Although I used phrases such as, “Here’s where you put the diapers and here’s where you put the baby wipes!”, I also said things like, “Here’s where your cell phone or your iPod goes and here’s where your sport drink goes!”

It was at about this time that my buddy and I (both P1’s) looked at each other said, “Gay or not gay!” (but not simultaneously, because that would have been gay!). We obviously realize the tremendous gay-factor associated with being excited about diaper bags, but our question to you is: Is it gay to suggest a particular diaper bag to another guy if that particular diaper bag keeps him from appearing gay? Surely there’s some kind of ‘gayness-prevention exemption’ in play here."

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

I Hate Allergies . . . and Walgreen's Customer Service!!

Kelly, Tate and I stopped at the Walgreen's Drive-Thru last night to pick up my allergy medication.

After we had sat 2nd in line for over 10 minutes and seeing no hope of pulling forward to the window, Tate decided he was done waiting. It's amazing how much louder that boy seems to cry when you're sitting inside a car. On top of that, his cry turns so pitiful when he gets really hungry! I'll try to get it on tape for you sometime.

Since I couldn't bear hearing Tate's wails of misery any longer, I decided I'd just come back for my allergy medication tomorrow - big mistake!

It's now 4:00 AM tomorrow morning and my allergies are flaring up big time! I can't breathe! I can't sleep! I'm sneezing! I'm hacking! And I've completely slathered my entire upper body with Vick's Vaporub - so now when ever I do get a breath of air it's 90% Vaporub fumes and only 10% oxygen . . . which means I'm starting to see some freaky-weird hallucinations!

And to top it off, Tate has been wide awake since 3 AM! He's fine so long as somebody holds him. Have you ever tried blowing your nose with one hand while trying to hold a baby with the other? Yeah, I don't think Tate would recommend it either!

Whew! I just got rescued by Kelly - it's feeding time again which usually means Tate will be out like a light once he's done (cross your fingers!). Poor Kelly, tonight she has 2 babies keeping her awake!

Too bad Roanoke doesn't have a 24-Hour pharmacy, they'd be getting my business as well as this sad tale of woe right about now! But don't worry, my pharmacist will get a chance to hear all about my early morning once he opens in another 3 hours! I think I'll get there so that I'm standing at the door when he unlocks it!

Sorry to vent - I guess I'm hoping somebody will feel my pain!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Thanks a lot . . . 1 Year and $1500 later!


For those of you who don't know, I wear a hearing aid because of a birth defect.

I started wearing a hearing aid while at ACU because that was when digital technology in hearing aids came out - until then the analog stuff wasn't much help.

I found an audiologist in Abilene who got me fitted with my hearing aid and I kept using him even after Kelly and I moved back to Fort Worth after graduation.

In October of last year my hearing aid needed a few repairs so I UPS'ed it back to my audiologist in Abilene. The only problem was that UPS ended up losing my hearing aid mid-transit! Save that tracking number, folks!

I called them for 2 weeks and they kept telling me that they lost it somewhere at their Distribution Hub in Mesquite, "Sorry, Mr. Stryinuck - it seems it went in but never came out!".

Luckily I purchased a $1500 insurance policy from UPS when I paid for the shipping - it only cost me an extra $12. So after a few more weeks I got a check from UPS and had my hearing aid replaced by a local audiologist.

The reason I'm telling you about all this is because I got a voice mail today from my old audiologist in Abilene, "Mr. Stresiyuck, just wanted you to know that we received your hearing aid and we'll call you when it's fixed."

1 year and $1500 later, UPS finally made the delivery!

What can Brown do for me? Don't ask!

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Pet lovers! Stay away from Haltom City, Texas!

If you have a pet then don’t let Haltom City know it! Monday night, WFAA News 8 ran a story about a family whose 14-month old puppy was impounded because it was playing unleashed in their front yard (the family was also playing outside with the puppy)!!

The family couldn’t immediately get their puppy back once it was impounded because they couldn’t afford the $400 fine. The reason they couldn’t afford the fine was because they had medical bills for their 6-year old daughter’s hospital stay that resulted from her diabetes!! And since they couldn't pick up the puppy within 72 hours, Haltom City Animal Control had it euthanized!!!!

What great public service this is!! I'm sure the citizens of Haltom City are sleeping much better tonight because their neighborhoods are now rid of one more intolerable puppy!

Too bad, little girl, I know you’re having a tough time with your diabetes but you should have known better than to let your dog run wild in your front yard! But don’t worry, Fluffy didn’t feel a thing!

I’m incensed!!!! I can’t imagine what I would do if anything remotely like this happened to Macy, our golden retriever! The family has supposedly been promised a closed-door meeting with the City Manager and the Director of Animal Control. But c'mon! The dog should not have even been impounded . . . way to show the world a little compassion, Haltom City Animal Control!