Friday, February 25, 2011

Empty Promises from CAA

Location: Ontario, Mississauga
Industry: Transportation
Annoyed By: CAA aka Canadian Automobile Association

This is what happened today:

Our family has been royal customers of CAA for the last ten years. My parents were stuck on north of Bramalea road, in the town of Caledon at around 3:50pm today. Our Mazda van's front wheels sank into a ditch of snow and couldn't get out. It was -10 degrees outside. We called CAA for assistance. They replied that we will be assisted in 65 minutes. Nobody showed up, so we called again. CAA told us to wait for another 30 minutes. We waited patiently, but still no one came and we called yet another time. CAA promised that its emergency service truck will be at the site in 20 minutes. Our cellphone battery was low and we called yet one last time after this 2 hours wait. This time, it was promised 8 minutes. 28 minutes passed and nobody came to the rescue. 

We knocked on the closeby neighborhood door and asked if they could use their truck to pull us out of the snow. It worked. We left at 7pm. On the way back, we still see no site of CAA, but we received a phone call from one of the CAA agent, telling us: "we could not assist you this time, but we hope to assist you in the future."
Thanks very much for the verbal service. Really, thanks, CAA. So careful people of Canada, when you pay CAA for service, think about all those "help" you're about to get when you get stuck in the middle of nowhere at the worst weather possible.

Deep End of the Hot Tub

Location: Other, Chaarlestown, WV
Industry: Other
Annoyed By: Spa Man Inc - Chris Billek

Long, long story that I will try to shorten.

1. Bought Hot Tub 4/09. Very happy.
2. Dealer that sold hot tub sells business to 4 Outdoors. Not concerned.
3. Speakers go on hot tub 1/10. 4 Outdoors can't handle service call. Not happy! Speakers get fixed by someone else.
4. 10/10 a valve breaks and the pump cover needs replacing.
This is where the fun really begins. Dynasty Spa refers me to 4 Outdoor for repair despite the fact that I mentioned previous problem with service.
4 Outdoor sends Spa Man, Chris Billek to fix the problem. He cancels four separate appointment times because he sick. Okay, fine. Everyone gets sick BUT when he finally arrives he takes the part and I pay him a trip charge of $65. He does not reply to me about replacement for two weeks. I phoned 4 Outdoor and they get back to me with ridiculous nonsense. They say I need to pay him - I already did in form of a personal check!!
Finally fed up with 4 Outdoor (specializing in sheds). We contact Chris Billek, Spa Man Inc. He says he can't order part because 4 Outdoor won't pay him. Again, I have paid him. I remind him of this detail and he agrees to order part as long as I send him a check to pay for the part. He is concerned that he'll order part and I won't pay for it. I send $50 check to him on 11/30/10.
On 12/04/10 He calls and says part has been ordered.
On 12/14/10 I start making phone calls to him to ask about the part. Every couple of days I ask.
12/20/10 the part is in but he is not working the week of Christmas. He will put me in the schedule the first week of January 2011. I wait until 1/4/11 and call to find out when he is arriving. He is "still getting up to speed" he says. Chris Billek says he'll be out the following week. That goes on for the next three weeks until I have an appointment on the books for Thursday 1/27/11 @ 10:00 am. We agreed on the appointment on Friday 1/21.
I have given an ultimatum at this point of come install the part or give it to me. Chris Billek, Spa Man Inc., says he will come and install it. I state that if the appointment is cancelled I will deduct 10% each time.
Of course on 1/26/11 he cancels the appointment saying that he is sick and will come on Friday, 1/27. He cancels again and reschedules for Monday 1/28.
Guess what happened this morning? He calls and leaves a message that he won't be able to come today!! NOT an option. When I return the call there is no answer from Spa Man Inc, Chris Billek. A message is left that he either comes to fix the hot tub or I will meet him to get the part that I have payed for. There are no other options.
Chris Billek finally calls me back at the time he is supposed to be at my house. He says he come. Two minutes later he calls again to ask if I have the money to pay him - CASH.
Yes, I have it.
Ten minutes later he calls again to say that he doesn't have the part!! What? What? I go off the deep end. Unacceptable I tell him. He has to meet me to refund my money. He says he'll have to send me a check. UNACCEPTABLE. I will not wait for him to send a check for I have waited to get the ever loving part in the first place. I don't trust that a check will be mailed. No. You are either here with my part or I am coming to you to get it. I tell him address, 432 Windsong Road, Harper's Ferry, WV. I promise that if I don't have a part or cash today, 1/31, I will file legal action against him.
Chris Billek, Spa Man Inc, says"Oh, let me see if this one will work he says. Nope that is too big." He struggles again and tries to get out of it. Finally concedes to call me back. He has a part and will come to fix the tub. Shows up an hour later and installs the part.
I pay him the cash he has requested less the 20% for the cancelled appointments.
I will NEVER use Chris Billek, Spa Man Inc again. I can't even tell if the hot tub works and his work is acceptable because I can't fill the hot tub in the cold.

PCSX2 is for suckers.

Location: Other, The Internet
Industry: Telecom
Annoyed By: PCSX2

PCSX2 is a PS2 simulator for people to download if they wish to play their PS2 games on their computer. I let my younger sister borrow my PS2 over her Winter Break and during that time I really had the urge to play a game on it. 

So, I found this site and let me tell you, if you need help with ANYTHING, don't hold your breath. The moderators are snobby jerks who think they're gods on earth and instead of help you, they will insult you and accuse you of misdeeds! The nerve!! I own both the PS2 and the game I wanted to play and they accuse me of theft? They're the ones that put the tool out there for people who do not have the equipment legally to use, not me.

So anyways, they are terrible people, PCSX2 doesn't work that well anyways (seriously, it's much more worth it to just buy myself another PS2 than fight with these idiots). 

And to top it off, yes they offer their tool for free, but they want donations? Certainly not! Not for customer service like that.

I will never deal with them again, and I suggest you do not either.

HipLink Software Lies To it's Customers

Location: Alberta, Los Gatos
Industry: Technology
Annoyed By: Pamela Lapine

We are a major retail corp. and HipLink provided us a messangin software to integrate with a back end system called code alert provided by RF Technologies that was a nightmare in itself from what their "President" bat and switched us and tried to blame it on the representative after he left, typical corporate move. 

They also claim/ed they have 24 hour support,which we paid extra for but when I called in no one was there and turns out their man support engineer left,along with the representative that managed our account and a few other people within a month. In the end, our problems have not been resolved and we are lookimng for another solution that can handle a more Enterprise Level Service.

Signed: Be Aware of HipLink Software