August 13, 2010 by admin.

OK, so I never post on this blog anymore but I got an email today that I just had to post somewhere and couldn’t find any other place to do it. First, an explanation: I bought a new Nokia N900 phone last November, and had nothing but problems with it the first few months (it seems to be OK now, but I would not recommend the N900 to anyone!) With all of the problems, I emailed Nokia USA’s customer service a couple of times in January and February 2010 and NEVER received a response other than the usual “we have received your email and will respond as soon as possible” so I do know that they at least they received my complaints.

My last attempt at getting any customer service at all from Nokia was on February 20, 2010. Today is August 13, 2010, and I finally received a response from Nokia! But it was so ridiculously stupid that I just had to post it somewhere. Their reply did not address my problem at all, it contained only some highly ironic marketing platitudes that they obviously cannot follow through on. I will post the entire email from them, which also contains my original problem/complaint email:

Dear Jeff,

Good day!

We greatly appreciate your business and the opportunity to assist you.
We appreciate your trust and we’ll do our best to continue to give you the kind of service you deserve.
We totally believe in customer satisfaction and we look forward to serving you for many years to come.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again. To ensure proper handling of your case, kindly continue using the current subject line.

Check out all the phones and accessories you can purchase, direct from Nokia at www.nokiausa.com. If you have any questions, please call us at 1-866-596-6542 and we can help you find the right product for you.

Thank you for your e-mail.
Cheers!

Besr regards,

Jeriel M.
E-mail Specialist
Nokia Inc.

[THREAD ID:1-4YYHF49]

—–Original Message—–

From:  jeffcheap@xxxxxxx.com
Sent:  20/02/2010 12:46:56 PM
To:  nokiausa.customercare@nokia.com
Subject:  Technical Support

[Country: USA]
[Language: English]
[Email: jeffcheap@xxxxxxxxx.com]
[First: Jeff ]
[Last: Cheap]
[Zip: 73801]
[Model: other]
[Order#: ]
[ESN: ]
[Mobile#: 5804265119]
[Provider: 0]
[Subject: Technical Support]
[OS: ]
[WebBrowser: ]
[ConnectType: ]
[NewsletterOptIn: ]
[Message: This is my 2nd attempt to get some help from you. I am receiving text messages but they never show up on my Nokia N900 phone. “Conversations” always says “no conversations” no matter how many text messages I get. It worked fine until a few days ago - now all text messages just disappear when I try to check them.
I need help with this ASAP! I tried to get help from the forum but so far no one has given me any answers that help. I am really not impressed with this phone or Nokia’s lack of customer service at this point.]
[Server:daenusaweb12—

1414708187]

It is both funny and sad at the same time - this is what customer service from supposedly one of the world’s best companies has come to.  We are all also subjected to  unbelievably poor service from the big banks (Chase, Bank of America, etc. - my small hometown bank is great!), and probably the worst offenders of all, the U.S. airlines. I have had so many bad experiences with Delta/Northwest and United Airlines in the past that I quit trying to even post about them, it was just too exhausting. Living in China has given me the opportunity to fly with many foreign airlines, including most of the airlines here in China, and it is always a much better experience here than flying with the U.S. airlines (although I did fly with Southwest Airlines from OKC to Seattle in July - they were pretty good!). Another sad commentary that airlines in China can do a much better job of providing good service than the airlines in the U.S.A. As much as I love my home country, the United States needs to take a good long hard look in the mirror and get it together because the rest of the world has not only caught up with us, but they are surpassing us in many areas. Americans must demand better customer service from companies or spend their dollars elsewhere, it all starts with us!

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August 26, 2008 by admin.

I have never had so much fun in my life as I have had over the past three weeks in Beijing - great events, great parties, the entire atmosphere of the city was something like I have never experienced before. We don’t often get celebrity sightings in Beijing, but stars of both the athletic and entertainment industry were everywhere. My coolest “brush with greatness” was meeting Vince Vaughn at this little bar last Saturday night - it was late, but he was gracious enough to take the picture with me rather than telling me to get lost, so I have a lot of respect for him for that! I hated to bother him but it was one of those moments where you just have to do it or regret it forever.

It also seems that the coverage of the Olympics has been very positive for Beijing, and my company Beijing Discovery Tours is getting a lot of inquiries for Beijing - Xi’an tours and Beijing tours in general.  So although initially the Olympics seems to have hurt our business, it also seems that tourism due to the extra positive exposure from the Olympics will have a positive effect on tourism to Beijing and China in general.

What a great time it was to be in Beijing this summer, definitely worth all of the hassles, increased security checks, etc. I didn’t approve of some of the things that were done (many of the blue-shirted volunteers were actually either police or army members, they were pretty rude when clearing venues after the events) and transportation between venues was horrifically hot, crowded and inefficient, but overall, it was an incredible experience and I am so glad that I was here to be a part of such a huge celebration in my adopted hometown.

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August 18, 2008 by admin.

I have to admit that I was completely cynical about the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008 before they began. All of the extra security measures, rumors, demolition of historic landmarks, etc. took a toll on my feelings towards the Olympics here, and in fact, I haven’t paid much attention to any of the Olympics at all since they were in Atlanta in 1996, and that was just because my parents went. But having now attended 4 events, and having seen the fantastic Olympic Park around the main venues, I have to admit that I am impressed. Attendance has been poor at every event that I have seen, even last night’s men’s diving, and I suspect that that is because scalpers have bought up too many tickets and are unwilling to sell them at reasonable prices, even if it means that they have to eat those tickets. Face values of tickets were relatively cheap, so it must be more profitable for them to refuse to sell at lower prices than to sell a few at outrageous prices, hence the number of empty seats at most of the events. It’s a shame though, because it not only looks bad for China on tv, but so many people are also missing out on the world’s premiere sporting events. I wouldn’t have thought it possible before, but these Olympics have actually been a lot of fun! Gotta run and see if I can pick up some fairly cheap tickets for any of tonight’s events - probably not possible but a person has got to try!

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August 12, 2008 by admin.

I have many horror stories to write about my bad experiences with the U.S. airlines, but with the Olympics on here in Beijing there are too many fun things to do rather than complain about poor quality U.S. businesses. I can pass along this link, with the story showing how even though fuel prices are decreasing these days, the U.S. airlines are still piling on the charges for even poorer service. One of the comments posted to the article tells a story about how the airline Nazis wouldn’t allow him/her to pack one bag inside of another bag, even though it fit perfectly and caused no problems. Way to go U.S. airlines, USA! USA! http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2008-08-11-rising-airline-fees_N.htm

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August 6, 2008 by admin.

Citysearch has once again charged my credit card for their fraudulent “clicks” on my ads that I could never even find on their Citysearch index - 200 or so clicks in 4 days with no clicks any other day…..looks like I will have to use my lawyer status when I go home in December to file a lawsuit against these jerks.

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August 6, 2008 by admin.

I was lucky enough to go watch the USA basketball team play Australia in Shanghai a couple of days ago, and I flew down there and back on China Eastern Airlines. Because it was just a 24-hour trip, I only took a few things and did not want to check any bags, but I still took a can of mousse (completely necessary because I desperately need a haircut.) Unfortunately it was a big can, and it was confiscated by airport security, and they just threw it in the trash can. The only reason that this is notable is that the Chinese airport security people were very friendly throughout my journey both going to Shanghai and coming back to Beijing, such a huge difference from what I see in the U.S. every time I go back. Even though both Beijing and Shanghai airports are under the highest levels of security due to the Olympics beginning tomorrow, airport security people here still manage to smile and be friendly. Also, the friend that I was traveling with managed to change his ticket even to another airline to get on the same return flight as me, and it was absolutely no problem. He didn’t even have to pay a change fee! The U.S.A. could stand to learn a thing or two from how the airlines and airports operate here in China (although our basketball team looks like it will do very well in these Olympics.)

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August 6, 2008 by admin.

Another article showing the decline of the U.S. as a foreign tourist destination and discussing the huge economic impact that it has had on the U.S. economy: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0729/p01s04-ussc.html

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July 21, 2008 by admin.

It seems that some in Congress understand that we are losing our rightful place as one of the world’s top tourist destinations: http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/07/21/story10.html?b=1216612800^1670116

It is good that they realize that there is a problem, but charging current international tourists who have already decided to come to the United States an extra $10 fee to pay for the U.S. to encourage other international tourists to come to America? It seems a bit perverse to tax the people who have already decided to visit the U.S.A. to make up for the poor image that we have created for ourselves around the world. This has the potential to backfire and serve as yet another reminder that the American government sees international tourists as a source of revenue rather than the guests that they are. Guests who are visiting our country should be treated as such, not as potential criminals and a source of income. Just another reason that we are fast becoming the world’s newest evil empire.

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July 13, 2008 by admin.

Security in Beijing all over the city is incredible - police and army everywhere…Beijing has got to be the safest city in the world right now, and it was incredibly safe before! When I came in to the Beijing airport this past Tuesday afternoon, it was obvious that there was security everywhere, but it was non-threatening, as opposed to the atmosphere in most U.S. airports these days. The Western media tends to demonize the Chinese government for everything, sometimes with good reason, but the contrast between the behavior of Chinese airport security and that in the United States is almost unbelievable. We as Americans are brainwashed to believe that we are the freest country in the world, so we are led to believe that everything that our government and police do is in line with keeping our country and our people free, when in fact it is the exact opposite. (That’s right, we are brainwashed too, just as we accuse the Chinese government of doing to its citizens. ) Drive your car without wearing your seatbelt in the U.S.? Illegal, and you can be arrested. Carry an open can of beer down the street? Illegal in most places, and you can easily wind up in jail. I am certainly no apologist for China and there is much that is wrong here, but the United States seems to be headed towards becoming a fascist country while China is rapidly heading in the other direction. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 have sadly become an excuse for the American government and law enforcement to take complete and utter control of every little aspect of our lives. Let’s just hope that we as Americans are smart enough to turn things around before it is too late.

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July 13, 2008 by admin.

Here’s an even better video of the ridiculous airport beatdown, showing everything that happened…what has happened to the United States of America? Land of the Free? Not so much anymore…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcCmmaCqZhg

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