Does ATT Suck?

Not as far as I'm concerned.

After a long month + of problems with my first generation iPhone including dropped calls, hit or miss service like 5 hour spans of No Service in place of bars, a couple of days of internet searching and iPhone trouble shooting and then a trip to the Genius Bar we finally narrowed the problem down to a hardware issue. Most likely the antenna of my first generation iPhone .

Long story short, AT&T credited my account with 79.00 for the month of sucky service and I got a refurbished G3 iPhone for 49.00.

The only downer aspect is that the data plan is 15.00 more than the original plan I had with my first gen iPhone (blame that on the substidation of the G3 and G3s) and I had to commit to another 2 year contract.

Considering today's outcome, the really nice and helpful AT&T folks I dealt with both on the phone and in the store where I scored the new phone, I'm pretty happy with AT&T and really don't mind another 2 year commitment.

Thanks AT&T!

That Right,

HMK

I Ordered a Pie and Got A Cupcake!

Welcome to Ciao Lavanderia in Olmos Park, home of the 3 Bite Slice!

Wow. Thrilling. A bit of cheese and tomato on the first bite and then just crust.

Seriously, since when is a 7" pizza considered a large pizza?

What happened Ciao Lavanderia? You guys used to be friendly, generous and fun - now, unfortunately, you're just another eatery resting on your laurels wondering why your dining room is empty at 7:30 on a Thurday night...

Last night I called Ciao Lavanderia ahead of time and inquired about whether or not a large Margarita Pie would be enough for two adults - "Oh yes, it's 8 pieces and should be plenty" was the reply. Cool. We stopped at Don's & Ben's on Mc Cullough and got a bottle of red to take home with our dinner. (Don's & Ben's, by the way, not only has an awesome friendly staff - they've also got wine tasting on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays!)

We've eaten at Ciao a several times in the past and it's been really great so we decided try their pizza.

When I arrived to pick up my pie I felt like I was being Punk'd! I opened the tiny box and looked at the dinky and sparcely built Easy Bake Oven pizza inside and said -"You're kidding, right - you guys told me on the phone that this would easily feed two adults." "Sorry sir, that is our large pizza" he said taking my credit card.
I looked around the empty restaurant (suprise!) paid and left.

The condescending attitude from both the waiter and the manager after I called back only made things worse.

We live in Monte Vista, about a quarter of a mile from Ciao in Olmos Park, and decided to support the neighborhood only to be deceived by the staff and irritated by a manager who couldn't care less.

Had I not called ahead this would not have been such a big deal. The problem is that I did call ahead and was basically lied to. I ordered a pie and got a cupcake. Great place to eat if you're not hungry, like to waste money all while being treated like crap!

Ciao, as in goodbye indeed - another one bites the crust!

From now on, well stick with our old reliables like Pizza Volare, Florio's, Sorrento and Pizza Classic!

That's Right,

HMK

Enough Already!

"Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline may be a cause for outrage. But it pales next to the righteous fury provoked by five-dollar-a-pint beer.

Beer prices at bars and restaurants have risen over the past few months, as prices of hops and barley have skyrocketed and retail business has slowed alongside the economy.

Some restaurants have replaced 16-ounce pint glasses with 14 ouncers -- a type of glassware one bartender called a "falsie."

And customers are complaining that bartenders are increasingly putting less than 16 ounces of beer in a pint glass, filling up the extra space with foam."

Outrageous!

Read the rest of Nancy Keates' piece over at The Wall Street Journal.

That's Right

HMK

I forget who shot these beers, sorry!

Automatic Draft Scam: Tom Parson's BESTFARES.COM!

BEWARE OF THIS LOGO!

Well, It's no wonder BESTFARES is not a member of the Better Business Bureau.

I canceled my BESTFARES account, by phone in August of 2004 due to my employment situation.

I recently checked my bank statements and found that they've continued to hit my account for 59.09 for the last 3 years!

And it seems that I'm not the only one.

I spoke with Rose, a condescending woman whose obviously well versed in her responses, and I was told that according to BESTFARES I only called to change my email.

LIES.

That's almost 180.00 taken directly out of my bank account!

Do yourself a favor - Stay Away from BESTFARES and if you've canceled by phone, do it in writing and double check your bank statements because this is obviously a BESTFARES strategy to rip you off.

I know I won't get my money back but I just had to give everyone a heads up.

That's Wrong!

HMK