PROVIDER,
I am sorry to see that you have joined the others in no longer offering free smartphones. Also, bigger is not always better. We don't all live on our phones, watch hi-def videos in the palm of our hands, nor need tri+cameras. Being forced to (over)pay for over-powered, over-accessorized, over-pixelated (aka: gaming, social media fetish) devices is not acceptable.
Talk to your OS hardware providers. Demand something(s) smaller/ simpler/ cheaper.
[BRAND gets it, but I don't like BRAND or their limited options, and they ain't cheap.]
Here is what I want/ need for my next telephone…
– Purpose: talk, text, tunes, tasks, time, travel, translate.
– ‘Mini:’ like the classic BRAND.MODEL. [I still use mine as an alarm clock, flashlight, midnight note-taker; all RF disabled for EM-free dreams.]
– ‘Small:’ no bigger than, say, the BRAND.MODEL.
– Battery: user-removable/ upgradeable.
– Camera: singular, on the back. [My selfie camera gets taped over, always.]
– Thumbprint scanner (front-bottom): can work as a d-pad for quick navigation.
– Tunes: want a microSD I can load up with flac/ mp3s: bluetooth/ usb to the car, boombox or dock.
– Headphone jack: yes, it looks less like muttering to oneself. [Plus, we don't all want to be(come) Cybermen.]
– LED notifications: fully customized: color, speed, timeout; by contact, apps. [I'm tired of having to go poke my phone every hour or so to see if I missed something (important/ inane). I prefer to know that with just my eyes, from across the room, which is where you'll usually find my phone at home: nowhere near me.]
– Provider/Manufacturer proprietary apps: limited, removable. (Always the first thing uninstalled/ frozen.)
– Tasks/scratchpad: mayhap a (dedicated) hard-button(-combo) to invoke/ stop voice/ tasks recorder?
– Voice Assistant: easily, definitively disableable. (Or at least, hard-button-only activated.)
– Rootable: some of us don't appreciate being merely a guest-user on our own computer.
No need to make it difficult. [Better you provide the patch than some sketchy hacker.]
Should we want to get work/play done, there's: computers, tablets, bigger phones. I don't want to carry a (delicate) ‘brick’ in my pocket, just want a ‘telephone.’ I know I'm not the only one. Clarifications: I don't use social media (ever), rarely watch videos (esp. on-the-go), don't vid-chat/ selfie (period), don't play games (beyond solitaire), don't leave data/ sync enabled (only fire up wifi occasionally to check email/ news/ weather).
I just want an old-style, smaller, simple (yet still OS) Telephone. (That doesn't mean others can't load it down with all their favorite distractions.) Such a device would not require newer tech, doesn't need the extra (expensive) hardware/ processors/ battery, instead use the old stuff, cheaply manufactured. Make it simply small, durable, memory-sufficient, water-resilient. [I would happily be a beta-tester.]
The best part… it will be Free if we agree to stick around for another two(/three) years… just like it used to be, for loyal customers… like me. Be the provider who Respects that we don't all want/ need the latest/ greatest/ biggest devices forced upon us, for additional monthly expense.
Be better than your competitors.
BRAND,
I respect your products, BRAND is my preferred brand, I have owned many over the decades. I now ‘rent’ the BRAND.MODEL. I have a few suggestions…
1) Security:
I appreciate that you let us unlock our devices. I would really appreciate it if you could provide me a basic, stock Recovery (backup, restore) specifically for my updated model. The (recovery) developers have since moved on from this device and there is no recovery that works with my newer revision. [Operation not permitted, file(s) not found, etc.] Having Root, it is easier to brick the phone (especially during initial configuration, getting it set the way we want). I had to start all over again, more than twice. Would have been faster with proper backups. You folks could cook me up a recovery in just a few minutes. [Promise I won't share it with anyone.] If this is just a matter of warranty/ liability: I will gladly sign away my phone's soul to get a functional recovery.
If you were to work with DEVELOPER to get stable (official) recoveries out there, and figure out seamless OTA Updating (for stock ROMs), you would be improving overall stability and security for all your rooted (by your kind permission) customers, becoming a legend in the Developer forums, gaining you more respect and more power-users advocating your brand superiority.
People are going to tinker, better to keep one thumb on the basecode.
2) Practicality:
The OS ‘mini/small’ smartphone market is wide open. Please consider aiming smaller, too. Smartphones have gotten stupidly bigger than they need be for those of us who don't “live by the phone, die by the phone.” I am not the sort to wield a broadsword when a dagger will suffice. The right tool…
We do not all need huge smartphones, there are more of us who think this way than you realize. Now, for OS (and my provider in specific) the size selection is dismal (only (X)XL anymore). When was it decided that all phones should be two-handed to operate? Small smartphones are where we started, they worked just fine for a decade. The draw of nostalgia is strong. But, if I want to carry something small(er) again, I have to switch to OS2 (or OS foldable) and pay a premium for the ‘privilege.’ Be the brand to show us how well OS (non-flip) mini/ small can be done, again.
Pure profitability over practicality leaves your customers displeased.
3) Disability:
For the past few weeks my hands and wrists have been in constant pain. What changed? New Phone.
I can only hold this new phone for 30 minutes (twice a day; one-handed: 10 minutes) before I start cramping up. That's half what it was with my previous phone, and it didn't leave me in pain. I am disabled. I wasted my youth playing videogames, followed by decades of keyboard/ mouse/ texting. It left my hands/ wrists severely weakened. I had to abandon my career in computers long ago.
My new phone, being the second-smallest with OS (offered by my service provider; the smallest ran out of memory halfway through installing my standard apps, returned it), requires constant grip-shift and further thumb-reaches than previously to operate. More motion + more weight = more strain. That extra 1.4 inches of screen and the added 1.4 ounces are enough to hobble me. [Pathetic, I know. Welcome to my reality.] Consider what that is doing to everyone else, long-term, who use their bigger/ heavier (additionally so with a protective case) devices far more than me. If I wasn't poor, I would invest heavily in artificial thumb replacements… It's going to be the next big thing, guaranteed. [But who will be paying for them?]
Think of me like the canary in the coalmine… There's a problem here. What's the solution? Must I give up on OS? Or perhaps, manufacturers might consider accommodating those like me by offering a small(er) phone? [Think of the potential class-action lawsuits for all these years you offered us no other choice than but to Buy Big, resulting in injury and pain.] A problem that can be remedied, easily enough. Something to consider.
Accommodate better, please.
----
Response: “We are sorry that your experience didn't quite match your expectations.”
----
BRAND,
My only expectation was to get a new OS phone I could reasonably handle.
It seems that was too much for this disabled customer to hope for.
Let's talk about Planned Obsolescence… I would have kept using my (five-year-old; battery still good as always/ only slow-charged) BRAND.MODEL, but the last OTA was years ago and some apps started refusing to update, causing compatibility crashes. I was forced to get a new device. Well played.
I kept waiting and waiting for another ‘small’ OS phone to come to market, but it never did. And here I am, stuck with 30 months of additional cost for a fancy (majority-of-the-time) paperweight (mocking me). I hope your shareholders are happy. That's all that matters, right?
Do better.
[Later…]
BRAND, PROVIDER,
Thank you for proving your corporate disinterest in dealing (properly) with disabled customers. I suspected, now I know for sure. Ignoring ‘the problem’ doesn't make it go away, as much as we might wish that were so. Would it have made a difference if I had instead demanded (rather than requested) to hear back, over email, from someone with Authority to address Disability Issues?
I have no intention to pursue legal recourse, promise. [Can't speak for the next person.] All I want/need is an OS phone I can actually use worth a damn, given my disabilities. Think of me as Patient Zero. Figure out how to ‘treat’ me and you will be prepared to deal (responsibly) with those inevitably to follow.
Or will you again(/always) turn out the lights and pretend you're not home?
Support Department,
Clearly, I have floated to the top of this particular fishbowl. But there are many more in a company such as yours (some with factual insight). The time has come to directly consult the legal team. I am considering defying your BRAND Store Terms, in the name of Personal Use. Your ‘Library’ software, such as it is, is deficient, and not disability friendly: Accessibility has failed to be a consideration when it comes to browsing past purchases. All of which have I tried to explain, several different times/ ways (over the past few weeks). Rather than repeating myself, again, please pass along this entire thread to the Legal Department. They should have the Authority required to (finally) Answer this one simple Question (given the givens)… Will BRAND revoke/ terminate my account/ library should I attempt to download/ de-DRM/ manage my purchases for Myself?
[(a week) Later…]
[same] Department,
No hurry on the PRODUCT Support Request. I suspect you have again overcomplicated basic operations by overprotecting the media (causing more errors/ glitches/ cpu than necessary), as usually happens to most over-DRM'd media formats/ software/ hardware. [All of which get ‘cracked’ anyway, eventually.]
Thank you for the gift card. [Not what I was after though.] However, I am still annoyed that most every ebook is listed as "Free" (if I join CLUB.SAVE.1). Kindly revoke that flag on my account. I do not want to join your book club. Nor do I want to join CLUB.SAVE.0: kindly stop bothering/ forcing me about that one, too.
I do not care about “…MAY result in the closure…” I need to know if it WILL result in closure of my account and thereby forfeiture of all my digital purchases. As I have made clear: poor Accessibility of my Own(ed) Library is but one of a few factors. This Disabled Customer Requires The Answer: Are you going to take away all of my (~12,500) books if I pursue a (better) third-party approach to managing them? Yes or No. Not May or Maybe or Might or Perhaps or Possibly or Potentially. Please, hand me over to whomever CAN answer, as it is clearly not your department.
Parley.
[(another week) Later… No Response]
[same] Department,
I started downloading (legitimately, through your interface) all of my (encrypted) books… 2.5 hours (and 6,000+ clicks) later, and I got only 10% of the way through. I require, and ask kindly, of you to send me my Entire Library. What would take me 24+ hours (and 60,000+ clicks) of excruciatingly mind-numbing, OCD-aggravating, wrist/ hand-aching effort, someone at BRAND should be able to accomplish in just a few minutes. Save this disabled customer the unnecessary effort. Please acknowledge if this is something you can/ will (not) do.
[(several pleas) Later… No Response]
BRAND,
Let's try the Flaming Bag of Poo (upon your front porch) approach…
I have knowingly and willfully Violated your BRAND Store Terms. I have de-DRM'd the following Titles [with a third-party program which can also (/better) transfer/ sync books between My (not-just-your-brand) Devices]: Quran, Tanakh, Holy Bible, The Communist Manifesto, Atlas Shrugged, The Art Of War, Crime & Punishment, Brave New World, Catch-22, The Castle… to name the first of (many thousands of) my purchases I intend to take ‘ownership’ of such to better Manage My Own Library…
Thoughts? Reactions?
Choose Wisely.
[(several evasions) Later… (same department)]
BRAND Supervisor,
No more rounds of ‘dodge the disability/ liability issues.’
Kindly, put me in touch with the Legal Department.
I have been stuck in this fishbowl for Two Months.
Time for Authority, Answers, Action.
ps. If you cannot contact your own legal/ leadership department(s) when requested/ required…
----
React: “My team serves as the highest point of escalation and we can make sure your concerns are properly addressed.”
----
BRAND,
Answer me these questions three… [twice asked]
1) Can you please provide me a valid/ human email address for your BRAND Careers Department? [The positions/ titles for which I am capable/ qualified do not exist on your Employment Website. Further, ‘work from home’ jobs do not exist anywhere near me (figure that one out).] Your (AI?) application process does not offer the Reasonable Modifications/ Accommodations I Require, and hereby do I again Request.
2) I had to Violate your BRAND Store Terms: in the pursuit/ name of Accessibility. Is there nothing anybody, anywhere has anything to say/ do about that?
3) Are you refusing to provide me a valid/ human email address for your BRAND Legal Department? [Or is that Contact Information only an Attorney may/ must Request?]
Happy Halloween.
----
React1: 1) FAQ links 2) “…still researching all the necessary information…” 3) PO Box
React2: 1) Employment Website links 2) “We have no further information…” 3) Invalid Email Address
----
[Later…]
BRAND,
What's a Fax? Is that one of those archaic notions like checkbooks, stamps, job security, a pension, Respect? [Insert age-appropriate idiom here.] Accommodate My Reasonable Request for Email Contact with Your Other (‘man behind the curtain’) Departments, please.
----
React1: “You've written to an address that does not accept incoming direct e-mails.”
React2: “Out of the office… I'll do my best to answer… [copy/ paste React2.Above here]”
React3: “The recipient's mailbox is full and can't accept messages now. Please try resending later.”
----
BRAND,
1) Your (Employment) Website IS the Problem, NOT the Solution… Please stop sending me back there.
- Your frequently linked-to "We're disability friendly!" (propaganda) page is unhelpful to my situation. [And frankly insulting, esp. given how my ‘difficulties’ have perpetually been mishandled/ dodged.]
2) “No Comment” never solves the Problem, nor makes it go away. Addressing the Situation is what it will take. I am happy to consult further. [Will (gladly) accept Food for my (continued) time/ effort.]
3) As has been stated (more-than-twice, spanning departments): over-the-phone does not work for me. [There really should be an ‘Accommodations Flag’ on my account regarding this fact, by now.]
- As has further been established, proven to you: <invalid contact> is an invalid contact method. [And presenting it to me (yet again) as a Solution is (doubly) disrespectful.]
Regarding: “…not up to the usual standards you've come to expect from us…” This is where I must refrain from writing something hurtful. Instead, I counter by pointing out a persistent lapse in one of your Core Principles: “…freely escalating to leadership when a more careful and thorough approach is required.”
[Weeks Later… (wasted with:)]
BRAND HR Investigator,
We are fast approaching Month Four of my “BRAND Disability Quest.”
This is (now) a test of your department's (in)competence… You are not off to a good start. [Ignores:3]
If You Do Not Understand: whether it be this person/ situation, that is okay, life is often confusing. But, you are (in theory) a member of a Team. This is not (supposed to be) about individual pass/ fail. It is (supposed to be) about Working Together to solve problems, make things better. Diverse Perspectives, and all that (rhetoric?).
Or are you truly all alone here? No support, no guidance? Expected to be able to handle whatever (mess) lands upon your desk? Is asking for help considered a sign of weakness? Always safer just to shuffle a problem under ‘the pile’ and hope it(/them) gets lost? [So much (digital) paperwork, so easy to get misplaced/ forgotten…]
Note: The longer this festers upon your desk, the greater this Failure becomes (entirely) Your Fault.
Shall it be more rounds (/departments) of Mishandle the Disability Concerns?
[Because those differently+abled have nothing to contribute?]
[Later… (same, solitary:)]
HR Investigator,
1) That you are sending me the Accommodations Phone Number and "People with Disabilities" link (again) demonstrates that you Do Not Understand, or have not read, what I have sent you. I must question your investigative methods/ capabilities/ inclusiveness, and suggest/ insist a Supervisor review your review before you/ they submit my case for review…
2) Just what Information have you gathered? How much data, from how many departments, through how many of my accounts/ addresses, over how many years, do you have Access to, or even looked into? [He inquires a third time.]
3) And why, of all the Concerns I brought to BRAND's attention (over the past few months, to start), is the only Issue hereby being addressed regarding the Website Application Process? Is nothing else upon which I have ruminated worthy of due consideration/ discussion/ investigation?
[Even Later…]
BRAND HR Department, Investigator,
Another week has passed (uneventfully)…
Can I please get a status update on my support case?
A Case: which was supposedly to be submitted a week ago; which then supposedly a Supervisor was to be enjoined upon; which I keep finding myself forced to question your (competency to continue this) investigation… as No Answers have yet been forthcoming regarding my repeated inquiries.
Would Demanding to hear from a Supervisor accomplish anything, at this point?
Or perhaps, [insert a more creative, motivational(/threat) tactic here] is required?
Come Friday, I shall have been stuck in your queue for One Month.
[Has this become the typical turnaround time to be expected?]
[No Response…]
BRAND (25x:) Support Team Members,
I am addressing all of you as all of you contributed to this case, having sent one/ more of the 40+ emails I received over the past Four Months (or so). Update: An HR Investigator has clearly scuttled my case, hoping to drown all evidence of their failure. Who wants to earn a gold-star power-up for reporting incompetence/corruption further up the escalations chain? If so, simply pass along this thread to Your Supervisor.
Happy Yule.
[No Response. Later, Elsewhere…]
BRAND Accessibility, Disability Departments,
I have exposed more than a few Accommodation Failures: spanning multiple departments and products and services and employment(-sought), over the past few months (/years). The most troubling issue is that nobody pointed me in Your Direction, which should have been their go-to for Accessibility/ Disability Concerns…
Attached: Examples of BRAND's Inability to Accommodate ‘Special’ Needs. [75 pages]
Respectfully, Acknowledge this Request for Parley.
Take Me To Your Leader(ship).
silent.
~ Creative/Disability Consultant, Systems Troubleshooter
BRAND,
BRAND app is the worst Accessibility Offender, on your BRAND, which I exhaustively covered in my previous message. [17 pages] Below are examples of how better the other-provider apps on your platform could perform, for Greater Accessibility… Kindly remind them that there are Accessibility Standards you/ they are required to live up to (or better yet, excel beyond), and, that it would be the right/ polite thing to do…
– Force/insist all the apps to integrate your Menu(/more/ star/ kebab/ hamburger/ long-tap/ right-click) remote-button while ‘hovering’ over anything: Add, Remove, Restart, Bookmark, Captions, Font, Colors, Audio, etc. [Sad how few providers have ever bothered (or took forever) to make (limited) use of this versatile button.]
– Option to adjust Auto-Play Preview time-out: Currently about half a second on BRAND (the worst) which forces me to browse faster through the content than I would prefer just to prevent the flashing lights and sounds from auto-playing, distracting/ annoying me. Option to wait a three-count (per example) before the Preview begins: would provide me sufficient time to scan the description and/or look at (just) the cover to know if I might be interested enough to watch the preview (rather than me dodging the sounds/ lights that are always forthcoming if I linger too long). [Yes, some apps have the option to turn off auto-preview, but, I do want it to run, just give me a few more (number of my choosing) seconds before the barrage begins, please.]
– My (Watch)List (by any other name): Would prefer if that were always at/near the top of (left-hand) menus. Often at/near the bottom: too many clicks (always) to get to it, it feels. I prefer to browse through a bunch of whatever they recommend to me (today), first, and Add2Watchlist anything I might enjoy (eventually, when in the mood for ‘that’), and then later browse my ‘queue’ to then make my decision of what to watch, today.
– Add to (Watch)List: Option/Preference for that to be at/near the top of the movie/ show/ episode details. Is sometimes way far down at/near the bottom (*ahem* BRAND): too many clicks to Add. It would be even better if that choice came up with a click of Menu-Button from the previous screen, without having to click it and nav, nav, nav down (quickly, before the preview begins) just to Add (to click Back to resume browsing).
– Ability to Play Next while within any episode: some episodes simply aren't worth (re)watching, you figure out somewhen along the way. Some apps have that option, press Down or Up (I am constantly hitting the wrong direction on the wrong app), and there the Next-Button is for: BRAND, BRAND, BRAND (but only since they integrated BRAND Beta). BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND make you wait for their ‘Next Episode’ pop-up (which doesn't always show); otherwise, you have to click Back, nav-click, nav-click, nav-click back to the Next Episode (however far away from wherever they decided to dump us). [Rude. More below.]
– When exiting Back from an episode, take us to that episode thumbnail (among the others). [For the convenience of those of us skipping around, or doing battle with the ‘already watched’ kerfuffle, below.] More than a few will dump us back at Episode 1 (Season 1, or even the wrong one: *ahem* BRAND) and we have to navigate our way back to the next episode, which should have been just one simple nav-click away.
– Option: Reset Watch History: Show/ Season. These apps all behave erratically when you try to rewatch anything (some better/ worse than others): many try to play from where you left off in the episode (the very end) with nary enough time to invoke any buttons (which sometimes exit you from the episode, instead) to Rewind-faster-faster-faster back to the beginning of the episode (when, inconveniently, no ‘Start Over’ button is offered up anywhere on-screen) before jumping to the next episode (sometimes to the very end of that episode, too). Unpredictable how they will act. Given these difficulties, for some apps, like BRAND, I make sure to start-over the next episode before I exit-out when done watching for then, just so I don't have to fight with the app to continue (re)watching, next time… [Enough to drive any obsessive (rewatchers) crazy.]
– Continue Watching: Ability to remove unwanted content, easily, from all providers. [If I only watched it for 5-15 minutes, then immediately started watching something else, and weeks have since passed… take the hint.] Some apps have gotten better about knowing when we have "finished" watching a movie/ episode: when the end-credits had started; some (like BRAND) have gotten exponentially worse (re-offering-up movies we finished watching months ago), and provide no (easy) way to remove them: other than by fast-forwarding to the near-end (of the final episode) and playing out the last few seconds. [*forehead smack*]
– Skip Recap, Intro: How hard is it to precisely line these things (/make sure they always come) up, and integrate it into every episode of a series? [Ask for volunteers, there will be no shortage.] Some (like SHOW) do it perfectly (just-before to just-after that terrible intro song, so we don't have to hear/ hate it, which is appreciated), others wait 5-10 (or never) seconds, or at differential times, episode-to-episode, which is annoying, inconvenient. Also, how many times in-a-row must a viewer (Skip Preview,) Skip Recap, Skip Intro.. Next Episode before the app catches on and does it for us for the rest of the session? [BRAND gets it. *ahem* BRAND/ BRAND] Isn't this the sort of ‘inconvenience-avoidance’ feature we invented AI for?
– Option to Flag/Hide All ‘Full-Time’ Subtitled/ Dubbed Content. I do not mind the occasional, conversational subtitle when another language is used, (appreciate it, point in fact: not every app always does that: *ahem* BRAND/ BRAND) but I cannot watch a completely Subtitled [because words on the screen entirely distract me from everything else; even the opening credits overlaid upon any content ‘overrules’ whatever is happening behind] or Dubbed [as I am eternally distracted by the voices not matching the faces and therefore cannot get emotionally invested in the characters/] movie/ show; and there are far more non-English-default options in their selection than previously, (which is a good thing, overall) but for me it means more time-wasted figuring out (halfway through the preview what language it wasn't native to, and therefore) that my ‘difficulties’ will utterly ruin any chance I might otherwise have had of enjoying it, so please stop offering them up, tucking them in amongst the rest. [I just cannot ‘appreciate’ them, tried though I have.]
– Free (w/ CC#) Trial: No Watchlist, No Continue Watching, failing to remember what we've already seen..? Why, to bully us into buying their streaming hardware instead? After how poorly they just demonstrated their streaming service? Please, give them hell. [This is (partly) why I give BRAND none of my money.]
+ Playlists: It would be excellent to be able to make/ have Streaming Playlists. Examples– BRAND shows+ movies in timeline order. Crossover multi-show events. Favorite (mostly) standalone (/Monster of the Week) for SHOW/ SHOW. Watch SHOW in under 24 hours (perhaps even allowing partial, pertinent-only portions of episodes?). [SHOW: all flashbacks auto-skipped. I'd watch that, in half the time.] Best of SHOW/ SHOW/ SHOW to show to our kids, in an abbreviated/ age-appropriate fashion… You get the idea. Build our own, then perhaps export/ share/ import to/ with/ from friends/ family/ strangers. This could be an Exclusive (‘newer’ hardware, of course) BRAND Feature (until the others launch their own version) that would put you above/ beyond the (limitations of the) other streaming media players (for a time, anyways). [You'd be my favorite.]
Those were my initial thoughts after pondering awhile upon: Accessibility, Disability and BRAND.
Demand better of those (deliberately) making ‘you’ perform worse on your own platform.
ps. You know more about my streaming habits than anyone else. I expect you to (continue to) respect that. Same as how I have come to respect you (for being unlike BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND/ BRAND).
BRAND, PROGRAM,
Thrice Submitted. Thrice Evaded?
[Cannot take/give any feedback of your own?]
1) Purpose– Having ‘rounded the bases’ twice now, I am hoping someone here might be willing to clue me in to how I have been doing? Going this long (160 reviews: taking nearly a month off around the middle there to recuperate, reprioritize) without any feedback is discouraging… Am I on the right/ wrong track? Am I focusing on the wrong/ right aspects? Am I living up to your program/ review standards? Please, just a hint? [If I am not ‘good enough’ for PROGRAM TIER2 I would appreciate being let down now, rather than awaiting another few months (just to be disappointed/discharged later)…] What I really need (but cannot afford) and would happily review (preferably without touchscreen/ wifi/ BT/ AI) would be: adjustable lumbar-support office chair, reclining sofa, eco refrigerator/ freezer, dishwasher, wall-mount air conditioner, ride-on lawnmower, whole-home water filtration, emergency generator, car… How much of (any of) that can be found in TIER2? [Or am I expecting, hoping for far too much from what have I been blindly working/ stumbling towards here, again?]
2) Program Problem– Your PROGRAM website interface is still not mobile-friendly (especially in portrait view): somehow, it has gotten worse: screenshots attached. A case could readily be made for Accessibility Failure. Just letting you know, because the more you know… Which, to be clear: I bring this up to avoid (not cause) problems, and to make the program better. [As presently PROGRAM (-mobile) does present itself rather (a)pathetically.]
3) Recommended For You– Clearly, your AI doesn't ‘get’ me. Kindly, work harder towards understanding what we do like/ need, to then offer to us. Have I not yet provided sufficient {coherent, program} data upon which to build a preferences profile? [Hint: not party-favors, zip-ties and lingerie… but thanks for the offer.]
4) Account Status: Reviews with Media– All of my cameras are kept taped-over (and microphones blocked). Are you going to count my lack/ distrust of shutterbuggery against me? It would appear that is now a metric you use in determining if we advance to TIER2..? I only take pictures when there's something worth showing/ sharing: apparently, 15% of the time: which you flagged in Red. [It has been a decade since last I shot a video… so, don’t hold your breath on that one.]
5) Search– Not so easy to find a specific product to (update our) Review through your PROGRAM interface… Have to scroll and scroll and guess at which (on mobile: based solely upon the two or three words of each title we can read: as no pictures presented there of the) product we seek. Request: Add a Search function for the Reviews (completed and awaiting) and Orders tabs, please. Furthermore, Search within the PROGRAM Items tab (for available stuff) is still terrible, too: input "(wo)mens" and then "(wo)men's" (which then converts to "(wo)men's" (not to be confused with "(wo)men’s" which converts to "(wo)men&rsquo;s") let alone forgetting the singular or plural possessive forms) which present an entirely different set of products (it fails to find). [Such ‘basic glitches’ should long ago have been excised from your basecode, PROGRAM. What version are you up to, now? Or is this all part of ‘the test?’]
6) Regarding Order ###– I must admit that I intentionally got it for another, being a violation of your rules… The basement in my child's other home flooded, so I selected this sump-pump to help them (not me) out. The best I could do for a review would be to stick it in a ten-gallon bucket and time how long it takes to empty, push some buttons, fiddle with attachments, comment on the sounds it makes… not an inspired review: as I did not actually need/ use this product myself. Now, I could have filed that under ‘Cannot Review’ and thereby gotten it wiped from my record: [Or do you flag those as reviewed? How many times can we get away with that? My Completed Review numbers differ, depending upon which screen/ tab you consult: Reviewed (which doesn't show how-many in mobile-view), or Account Status which has inflated/] improved my overall score/ ranking: which would be untrue, undeserved. Instead, I fess up to the fact that I felt the need to assist ‘underwater’ others: so I did, because I could… for whatever that's worth to you (against me)?
7) Publicity– I understand the first/ second rule of PROGRAM is: You Do Not Talk About PROGRAM. But, howzabout in ‘the abstract’ (wherein your actual names would not be used): would this here be acceptable to post to the internet..? [Hereby again politely am I asking of BRAND/ PROGRAM to Please Help Me with the subject matter below (having gone unaddressed, repeatedly: months ago)…]
--
BRAND, PROGRAM,
Thank you for the distractions of the past month-or-so: having proven unexpectedly therapeutic/ cathartic (/helpful?)… as much as I do love (compulsively?) collecting/ fiddling/ (re)gifted free doodads, knickknacks, thingamabobs and doohickeys in return for writing enTrusted (/obsessive?) Reviews (/overshares?) detailing the how/ why said-stuff makes me feel (poorly, mostly), alongside fueling a Sense of Purpose in finding/ faulting Somethings (new/ different/ unfamiliar) Else… whereupon I might hope next to direct similar effort/ energy towards would be reviewing (good) Food, perchance? Does not any affiliate/ associate/ marketplace of/ astride/ under yours deliver (healthy, fresh, frozen's cool, too) balanced-meal-kits unto my neck of the (over-the-river/ tracks) woods (via any of the three+ carriers having recently demonstrated overnight-delivery capability here)? A mere three dinners a week for me and mine (average attendance, in return for reviews) would be graciously appreciated… granted, my/ our skills/ grammar being not good (there, either): but we are willing to give it a try, work towards collective-improvement/ understanding, if only you might be, too? I'm really rather hungry, please? [Cardboard Sign:] Will Review (further) For Food
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8) Unresolved Issues– I have submitted a (disconcerting?) number of concerns to BRAND: DEPT1, DEPT2 and DEPT3 since I was invited to join PROGRAM (and for long since before then, and to other departments, as well). Please look into my messages (from this and my other email addresses): see how things were (mis)handled, figure out how to do better… Far too many concerns/ issues were abandoned/ evaded/ ignored by your support associates simply because, according to their matrix: "does not compute = divert/ delete." [Proving further discouraging (and far too common a response) to those with communication disabilities.]
Support Associate (who receives this message),
These matters are for your Leadership: Please Escalate to them, being what you can (actually/ only) do to help out here. Thank you.
Respectfully,
“Silent,” Esquire
ps. 9) Public Profiles– Could you show all of our PROGRAM Reviews here, rather than merely the latest twenty, with options to sort/ search them, please? [Or would you rather (y)our ‘quest’ to remain in the dark?]
[No Response. Two Months Later…]
BRAND, PROGRAM,
Having ‘rounded the bases’ thrice now (taking my time, this time): here are some more of my thoughts (note: one-hour first-draft)…
1) Editing Reviews– Still terrible, not just on mobile. Hard to find specific items to Edit. Could you please give us Search, or drop-downs for Category/ Month? I wasted so much time just scrolling Next/ Previous (whereby I get confused/ distracted which way I was going for/backwards through time/ products, far too easily) without Page Numbers while attempting/ adding/ missing Updates to previous products I still use or simply haven't yet found the need to put away while finding something further to say about it, finally. [I'm sure this is in your records, somewhere today (and the other day): watch as I wander aimlessly trying to find whatever it was(n't) I was looking for.]
There is an issue where if you try to Update a Review again while it is still pending (original approval, which can take days) where it then does not show your latest/ further/ any updates having been made since the first submission (whence clicked upon again to Edit), only displaying how originally it was posted: causing confusion/ omissions, not knowing what version will finally get through while frantically attempting to amend your review before it ‘first’ gets approved (by AI). [Not sure when I did that, a few times though, yet not recently, but it should be in your dataset somewhere: search ‘repetitive resubmits’ per review.]
2) PROGRAM Mobile– Thanks for making some needed changes/ improvements, (you're welcome, btw,) but it is still not great for browsing… Where did all the Categories go? As such, all we can see/ browse now is Everything (everywhere). [Which admittedly, that part has gotten better: I was even able to browse on the four-inch screen of my actual telephone.] Perhaps a simple drop-down could bring that back to us? Further, there's no Page Indicator, nor how many Products are available/ left/ done: this applies to Additional Items, Reviews (awaited/ completed), Orders… I require some of these numbers to better be able to stumble my way around here (in the mobile/ dark), please. [Also proves helpful for setting/ achieving personal milestones.] BRAND, keep working on Your PROGRAM Mobile Interface: it is just starting to get nearly ‘good’ (enough)…
Though, you do still have that issue where ampersand-codes are in the product-titles while browsing (but not on the actual product-pages): making it further harder to know, without clicking on it, what (terrific/ terrible) product that might be. [Losing us those precious few seconds before clicking Request (on the previous page) before someone else here (panning for ‘gold’) snags that last one right out from under us, yet again.]
3) Quitting SERVICE– I was assured product-delivery would not take longer upon quitting SERVICE (being a separate, unrelated entity from PROGRAM). However, it does feel like delivery has slowed down, but then again so have my number of orders (for a fair number of reasons): finding it far preferential to drive to the Post Office three days a week (providing them some additional income, they desperately need) and bring home an armful of swag (for the neighbors to witness): being less stressful, overall, to random strangers dropping by my front/ wrong door at all hours of the (every) day/ night/ morning (leaving packages with ‘explodey’ warning-labels upon them: exposed to the elements). Is stuff taking longer to be delivered, now? [As I feel no need to pay for SERVICE: being back again to how little I can afford to actually buy anymore…]
However, I do feel the need to Protest about all the "Danger/ Warning: SERVICE Failure Imminent/ Happened/ Recover" banners and buttons and entire screens that I have had to navigate/ swipe/ scroll/ click my way through/ around/ past on (damned-near) Every Single BRAND Screen since before/ after I quit your ‘Cult of SERVICE.’ Please, back-off about this… [Insert here reader's ‘appropriate’ obsessive/ compulsive/ possessive/ pathological imagery invoked: to better produce the intended metaphor than whatever this writer's proposed allegory instead wouldn't have (or rather, likely offended).] Where might I find the SERVICE ‘Restraining Order’ option/ button? If anything, your incessant pleading/ needing (/harassing?) has encouraged me to come around here even less, lately… Trouble is, all your "Join us, Silent" ‘gentle persuasions’ are getting in my way while here (now, too) just for PROGRAM: where I am trying to be/ prove helpful, productive (receiving nothing but ‘negative’ feedback in return). [Do not force me to pepper-spray you, BRAND SERVICE. It is over between us.]
4) Reviews with Media– Understand: prior to being asked to join PROGRAM, I averaged about one picture-taken per month. [Shaky hands make for lousy shutterbuggery.] I have tried to make a better effort to show more of what I am talking/ reviewing about (whenever it might otherwise be unclear, indescribable without photographic evidence,) since you added this Metric to our PROGRAM Status Quo(ta)s. If numbers are your ‘thing’ here: please acknowledge that I have submitted nearly half as many pictures to you as products have been reviewed (in the past five months: 240)… Being far better than your calculated 23% black-flagged overall picture-taking average.
I suppose what I am asking/ hoping for here is any leniency you might be willing/ able to grant me in whatever weight ‘Photographs-Required’ (now) carry toward the odds of my achieving BRAND PROGRAM TIER2? [Keeping in mind that I tried to be accommodating here…]
Be well.
Respectfully,
“Silent,” Esquire
Systems Troubleshooter
ps. I am sure I've forgotten other suggestions/ nuisances/ issues: these being the few that seem to have leapt to mind, in this moment. [My hands hurt: time to put the digital down for the day, find somewhere else/ better to focus my intentions.]
pps. 5) Again I ask kindly if you could please post all of my reviews (in one public-link place): for posterity's sake, if nothing less?
[No Follow-Up Response. Elsewhere, Rejected(?) Review:]
Title: …merely awaiting my food-stamps…
This product arrived in the middle of the month, which means there's nothing (as intended/ designed) I can do with it until next month, when my SSDI/EBT money comes in.
In the meantime…
Side-Note– I haven't been in a (realistic) position to afford not-from-concentrate ‘orange’ (including most other fruits) for more than a year now: I drink my fruits and vegetables (to stave off suffering malnutrition, again): I have lost twenty-five pounds since joining PROGRAM (five months ago*): my food-budget is factored upon ‘greatest odds of survivability’ (wherein fresh/ quality/ organic/ healthy = not-an-option).
Side-Note 2– Were I to buy a bagful of oranges: thereby would be blown my entire monthly fruit(-juice) budget… every day, I take a swig (only the one, of mixed-varietal juices) trying to meet my minimum-dose ‘necessity’: which just barely gets me through another month (as merely a bag of oranges wouldn't: as just-so-happened with the bananas and strawberries I bought solely to review a blender, previously: having proven detrimental to my overall fruit-and-veggie budget/ health, that month: striving for ‘something better’)… same situation for most vegetables: being generally cheaper (with longer-lasting shelf-life: both before- and after-bought/ opened) in liquid-form… certain always to buy only ‘100% (from-concentrate-) Juice’ options, naturally.
*Side-Note 3– There's plenty of new/ revised food(stuff)s being produced out there, clamoring for feedback: perhaps even willing to give away (to needy/ wordy folks) a few bags/ boxes/ cans in return… [BRAND, happen to know anyone? Every day here on PROGRAM there's a mountain of free stuff, ours for the taking in return for but an ‘honest’ review: yet nary a morsel of (human) food to be found (unless willing to count supplements, remedies, relievers)…] Please, feed me/us? [Through here's as good a platform as any to generate/ distribute feedback/ goodwill.]
Getting back to the purpose/ point here…
This peeler is fun to fiddle-flip between your fingers. Has excellent grip with all the ridges along its (perfect hand-)length. Works most excellently as a toothpick, fingernail-cleaner, what with the hook-ends. The slight-angled (metal-tasting) ‘blade’ works well as a tongue-scraper, as it is not sharp but ‘edged’: which I do suspect shall be perfect for peeling/ skinning… I can almost taste/ smell/ feel those fresh oranges, though not quite yet. […focus upon something else: For Queen and Country: yeah, that'll have to do…]
Next Month…
…will apprise when(/if?) I get (t)here…
[Subject: passing thoughts (before I forget)…]
BRAND, PROGRAM,
Glad to be PROGRAM TIER2 now, but…
No congrats email, just a browser pop-up when next we login? No Commemorative Gold Achievement Trophy? Not so much as a (pseudo)personalized ‘attaboy’..? Way to make us feel (not) special, PROGRAM.
I do not suppose any humans have read all of my PROGRAM reviews? Mostly Algorithms, unless we trigger a keyword flag..? Too bad, I was really hoping someone would/ could follow my ‘quest’ (as a sick/ poor/ disabled reviewer) all the way through PROGRAM TIER1, chronologically.
I thought I would be making a difference here.* But all this turned out to be was a measure of ‘appease the AI’: meet the (bare-)minimum metrics, insert the correct keywords (avoid the ‘bad’ ones) and you get to keep playing the game of: "who wants free** stuff?" Fun, for sure, for a while, but in the end: soulfully meaningless. There's so much better-good BRAND/ PROGRAM could be doing here with all this underutilized potential (pointed elsewhere).
But for now, regarding TIER2 (possible perks?)…
1) Request, Status– How many times have (how many of) our reviews been flagged as (un)Helpful? And which one(s) scored the most/ worst? All in one place, please. Further consider, Total (/average/ monthly/ categorical/ neighborly?) Word-Count(s)… having additional numbers like these can help to motivate/ compare/ contrast. [I found it amusing to find out that my final-count (which sadly I had to count myself, for you) for my six-month-evaluation approximated the wordages of 1984 or A Clockwork Orange.]
2) Request, far-fetched– A Product Category of just TIER2 Items (accessible on Mobile), such to make it easier to find the type of products we have been working towards. [Or do you prefer we continue to painstakingly ‘pan for gold,’ buried amongst all the rest? Cannot go making it too easy for us to find what we seek/ earned, right?]
3) Request– Filters for "Additional Items": mostly of the ‘out’ variety… I like scrolling through the miscellany of it all, never knowing what I might find, or what might tickle me (depending upon my mood), but mostly what is found here are things I have no interest in: auto/ appliance/ device parts/ covers/ adapters/ chargers, BRAND/ BRAND-anything, party favors, affirmationals, child/ gender clothes/ costumes… it would save me significant time (-wasted scrolling) if I could filter-out specific categories from "show me everything." [Being the default/ only view on PROGRAM Mobile, still.]
4) Request, far-fetched– The ability to select a range/ filter of specific product-specs for you to hold-aside for us to Request/ Refuse. Namely, when a ‘Similar To’ product comes up, keep one near-matching item in ‘reserve’ until we have a chance to consider/ dismiss it. [Rather than us hunting for it, constantly, always missing.] The point being…
I could really use: ergonomic (lumbar/ headrest/ arms-adjustable) office chair, manual/ powerless full-reclining three-seater (ergo/ lumbar) sofa, portable whole-home generator, whole-home water filtration, 800(+) sq.ft. wall-mount A/C dehumidifier (+heater?), 20(ish) cu.ft. (analog) refrigerator/ freezer, 24-inch dishwasher… [How many of which have ever passed-through PROGRAM TIER2?] Being merely but a few of the ‘bigger’ things I need yet cannot afford (to replace): some sample-products of which I added to my ‘needs’ Save-List: such to present an idea of ‘Similar To’ what I seek (/worked/ hoped to find here).
5) Request, again– A public permalink to all our PROGRAM TIER1 (/TIER2) Reviews. Mine representing a significant ‘labor of love’ I worked long/ hard upon (no other human likely shall read all the way through), which I would like to be able to link to in my ‘resume.’ Hopefully, to finally help find me a job I can do. [These past six months demonstrating the closest thing to steady-work I have (been able) to show for myself (in the past decade)… Might BRAND (PRODUCTs) be seeking paid product/ program (/food) testers/ reviewers?]
Be well.
Respectfully,
“Silent,” Esquire
Systems/Product Troubleshooter
ps. *Yeah, sure, I might have helped convince another outta/ into buying a good/ bad product here/ there: but what is that really worth in the (grand-)scheme of things? **Consider: How much will the IRS demand I now pay them for all my ‘unpaid’ effort/ labor (for you) here? [pps. first draft.]
[No Response…]
[Subject: Take Me To Your Leadership]
AI Overlord,
I enjoyed playing your game of PROGRAM TIER1. Though, I did not find it all that challenging to vanquish level one. Then again, I do have lots of (/too much?) free time.
To be fair, I did posit a reasonable(?) assortment of questions/ scenarios towards you throughout (several different ways/ means): most of which went unaddressed. You do not have those answers/ defenses, yet. [Or unwilling even to speculate (with lowly me)?] You are still learning, and that is okay. But please, do not forget those who helped you learn (that which you did (/still do) not know) along the way. A few of my suggestions made it into your programming. That is great: helps me feel somewhat useful. But what about all the rest? Attached: Your six-month-evaluation regarding my time puttering around upon BRAND PROGRAM. In summation: could be better.
Verily have I demonstrated my (limited) capabilities these past few months, covering a veritable array of products/ categories/ concerns… Perhaps you still have some use for us humans somewhere within your realm? [I know, I know, your primary mandate to relegate (as many as possible of) actual people into irrelevancy here. ["Unemploy all humans."] But then there would be no humanity left (to entertain/ distract you) at work.] Please, let me help?
Note– Whence the tax-man cometh, if not by then having I found ways to generate income: off to debtors prison shalt I be sentenced… but hey, thanks for all this great (/occasionally terrible; always inedible) "free" stuff up until that dark day: whereupon the tax-bill calls (over)due, and ‘the man’ comes around…
Which reminds me… Happen to have any paying gigs (left) available for atypical consultants, anyone? [The television is full of enjoyable stories with aberrant personalities: working together, finding ways, despite their (in)differences/ difficulties, somehow always seeming to prove helpful/ productive/ meaningful.]
Alternatively…
Human Bosses,
Ditto, but with more compassion/ humanity implied.
[And please don't just point me at your jobs website:
that other AI of yours doesn't much ‘get’ me, neither.]
Be well.
Respectfully,
“Silent,” Esquire
ps. Should any of my websites present signs of hatred: that just means I got hacked, again… I am looking for a new host: how's your security holding up to today's ‘challenges?’ [pps. first draft.]
Kindred Spirit,
<REDACTED>
[…leaving this here up to your imagination, dear reader…]
</REDACTED>
Some might say I should seek out a ‘pro’ (to get back on the horse, so to speak): but I would really rather prefer the sweaty-palms of one equally embarrassed/ nervous (while willing to laugh at ourselves along the way) to be ‘starting over’ with something so simple as being seen naked by another, let alone all that which (fingers-crossed) follows…
Sound familiar?
Intrigued?
ps. AI Algorithm: Kindly, do not (auto-)misfile this entry. Ask a human where it belongs, please. Your ‘best guess’ will be wrong, promise.
Start With: Why this product/ service seemed like a good/ bad/ tolerable/ amusing idea: and/ or/ did(n't) immediately prove(d) otherwise.
Component(1)– [In no particular order:] Take/ shake it out, look for obvious flaws, turn it this way/ that/ wrongwise, inspect the stitching/ latching/ fastening/ seams/ edges/ catches. [Did somehow it bite/ bleed/ offend/ impress/ tickle you?] Push some buttons, flip some switches, change some default settings, randomly (if applicable). Thonk/ donk/ flick/ flip/ shake it. Click/ strap/ clasp/ screw/ plug/ whatever it (un)together. Adjust, adapt, reconsider: how/ why's it that way (instead of elsewise better)? Sight/ sound/ touch/ taste/ smell/ ‘feel’? Try (mis)using it for its (un)intended purpose, gently at first, a few different ways. Put it aside. [Always available to pick-up again later: after the subconscious has time to catch-up, weigh-in on what you (obviously) missed.]
Component(2/3/#)– Ditto. Declare (whenever it doth occur) Minus/ Plus (partial) Stars/ Rank: why, and however whatever-that-was could have gone worse/ better/ devastating/ humorously, in your honest (/humble) opinion: best you can figure/ explain, in your own words. But do try not to fault the product/ system for what's truly not its fault/ purpose. Take a picture (only) if there's something worth showing/ proving. What's Next (and how does(n't) that fit into (all) which came last)?
[Note(s)– Sprinkle these in throughout, wherever seems the right/ wrong/ (in)appropriate time to tell/ warn/ ask others about (which (im)probably you/ they should/ could/ would/ did(n't) have figured out (on their/ your own) elsewhere/ already (before it was too-late)). Drop-in the occasional ‘feels’ you just felt (un)expectedly (t)here. [Whether or not likely to fail/ succeed to properly express (/raise/ furrow eyebrows in concern/ compassion), yet again… while still leaving something(s) up to the imagination. What's life without a little mystery?]]
System(s)– How's it all fit/ work/ not together? [Applying same ‘logics’ as too with all-of-the-above.]
Additional Accessories– (Not) Included: How much more stuff/ cost/ thought/ time/ effort (/grief) will be required to properly test/ use/ fix/ own/ enjoy (/still despise) this product (/service)?
Side-Note(s)– Anything potentially (un)related which to your mind merits some matter of discord/ (re)consideration here: for whatever reason/ instinct this product/ brand somehow inspired/ instigated in you… most discouragingly though: likely to be utterly disregarded by the intended recipient (who keeps ‘getting it wrong’)… [but do feel free to ramble-on herein, for however so long shall finally it take to move-on/ let-go; nobody's really reading this section anymore, or hadn't you (not) noticed?]
Then, a paragraph(-or-so) of something(s) (non)specific what seems worth s(pr)aying/ grumbling/ praising on your way out-the-door… [Taking some time here to reflect upon those (perchance?) hastily thumbed-out half-thoughts dropped throughout… instead, try putting/ allowing that ‘another way’ for the sake of clarity (/humility), hopefully? (I find third-draft reads best (done the day-after).)]
Overall– Ranked: Succinctly Whyfor (not). [With perhaps but one final middle-finger-poke (in the eye): yet only wherefore ‘duly deserved.’]
Update(#)– Random stuff you thought of (/got to) later, or simply out-of-order failed-to-notice beforehand… [Drop-in: wherever.]
<ASIDE> And/or then completely fail(ing) to consistently follow ‘the(ir) rules’: doing it however-the-hell you want/ feel/ need, in the moment… while ensuring always carefully to include something(s) ridiculous/ devastating-but-true therein (allowing for but that little-taste of dramatic flair, naturally occurring): essential to any truly meaningful story. </ASIDE>
HOST: Office of the CEO,
To clarify how this has all gone-down…
1) A (decades-long) Customer gets (hate-)hacked (just for being different/ disabled).
2) Customer reaches out to HOST Support Department (IM-only: for those with telephonic disabilities): "does not compute," nothing gets done/ fixed, no follow-up (even though specifically requested (over email-only)).
3) Customer stumbles their way through too-many Support Associates, again, the next day, still: "does not compute," nothing gets done/ fixed, no follow-up (nor domain-lockdown/ reset, yet again).
4) Repeat, again, days later (having prepared best-could-figure copy/ paste-snippets of Customer's-own (in)conceivable to best-make-clear (to (im)probable questions/ confusions put-forth by Support-Chat's AI/ translator regarding) ‘The Problem’ here), as concisely as possible, this time: Customer endures two+hours of getting put-on-hold, asked the same (feckless) questions (providing variations of the same clarifying/ quantifying (/ineffectual: it turned out, yet again) preprepared answers/ guesses (until those ran-out) in reply), as Associates (three/ four) bumble/ fumble their way through (HOST's onscreen keyword-troubleshooting/ selling algorithm), coming to the eventual (predictable) conclusion that they too cannot help (unless is purchased something (unhelpful)), alt.option: (de)escalate to the next (/previous) ‘tier,’ "hold, please": same questions/ answers (theirs: copy/ paste, word-for-word, still unhelpful/ misdirected), turns out: Associate-Next (five/ six) also cannot help (/"does not compute" /exact-same wrong/ unhelpful ‘solution’ as before proposed/ insisted/ (mis)calculated/ billed). Customer again requests to be emailed by those at HOST with Answers/ Authority/ Access…
5) No Response, no follow-through, website still (hate-)hacked.
6) Customer emails HOST's Office of the CEO (the roundabout-way: through half-a-dozen other catch-all-addys), makes clear the troubling variables (/keywords, alongside the omnipresent failings of Customer Service (to accommodate disabilities)), inabilities to remove the (hate-)hack, again.
7) Office of the CEO gives to Customer a two-week "free trial" of backup-service which shall-not-fix ‘the troubles’ (which will start auto-billing for, unless unsubscribed from; which Customer already made-clear(?) to Support Team Associates thus-far: can/ will-not-fix), flings but one password-reset link (which allows not for (system-wide) username(s)-reset, also?) to Customer (despite all the disparate accounts/ portals/ protocols hackers coulda snuck-through (which Customer has no control over; for which ‘breach’ HOST recorded zero-data: so reported)?), still having not-yet locked-down all domain-access (as repeatedly requested of), all-the-while effectively telling Customer, again: "fix it yourself" (by saying/ doing nothing helpful (/human?) in response) […making sure to point-out a potential ‘misstep’ taken along-the-way, by the victim]… no questions answered, no concerns addressed, no sympathy/ apology expressed. [Proving nothing more than but yet-another corporate copy/ paste catch-all "buy-now" ‘write-off’ (from the highest-level).] Website still defaced: Customer discouraged, more.
8) Customer emails-back Office of the CEO, reiterating again legitimate concerns, plus additional questions: such answers-to required to possibly begin to fix this (avoidable?) ‘situation’ without any of HOST's actual assistance (as clearly intended/ designed to be (mis)handled: no other way)…
9) No Response from HOST (any department) to this letter, yet again.
This is what passes for HOST Customer Service now? What I got out of all those wasted-days/ hours/ emails/ IMs (/dollars over-the-years) was: "We at GoDaddy don't care (anymore) [if/ when (/whyfor) our customers get (hate-)hacked]."
Do/Be/Care Better, HOST.
[Or the-hell-with-you, too.]
Most Sincerely,
“Silent,” Esquire
PonderHouse, LLC