Ways to Fail

I recently ordered a huge shed to be installed on my property. After install, I pointed out some small issues I found. On the second walk around the shed, I saw that my fence behind the shed was down on the ground. The install guy asked whether it was like that before they came. Dumb question.

I told the install guy that of course my fence was not on the ground before they came. He then told me that they did not touch the fence. This was an additional fail. I told the guy that I saw one of his workers toss a sheet of plywood down next to the fence, and the fence was up supporting the plywood.

This drama just kept getting worse. Next the install guy said that there must have been some problem with the poles supporting the fence. I went down to the portion of the fence still standing that was away from the shed. The poles were all solid there, being held in the ground with concrete.

The company later called to discuss final payment on the shed. I let them know that they needed to fix the damage before we could discuss final payment. I wish the install guy had any sense of customer service skills. Own up to mistakes when you make them. Don't lie to customers. It will only alienate you from them.

Vacation Funding

I work for an employer that provides three weeks of vacation. That is pretty good. Standard benefits in general only provide two weeks of vacation. I take full advantage of this. I schedule a few weeks of vacation each year.

Today I saw an amazing post from Full Contact API. I actually never heard of them before. Now I know and admire them. Many others want to work with them. In addition to three weeks of paid vacation, they will pay employees up to $7500 for the actual costs of the vacation. Bamm.

I always like to see extraordinary benefits for developers. You can always give a higher salary. But you stand out if you provide the actual funds for vacations. That can make for some awesome vacations. The only other time I was as excited as reading this was when I heard a company provided $14k yearly for training purposes.

Good work Full Contact API. I bet you are going to get a lot of applications for employment very soon.

Infinite Monkeys

Infinite Monkeys has a unique proposition. They allow you to create mobile apps without doing low level programming. I tried them out. You do a lot of drag and drop, choosing from a list of things for your app. The base app can be produced for free. You just have to be subjected to advertising in your app.

This system felt a lot like an early version of Blogger. Some items such as the app previewer were not as easy to use. I just used some RSS feeds to create blog buttons on my app. You publish the free one as a mobile web site. Infinite Monkeys hosts the app on their site for free.

There are also options to have Android and iPhone apps produced as well. I have not tested this out yet. Seems like a good plan if you don't know mobile development.

Catch Them and Keep Them

I went to a sub shop chain near my house. They did not take my American Express card. I guess that's okay. I have other credit cards. I was in the mood for fried. So I ordered a large. Imagine my disappointment when the large fries looked like a small. I wrote this place off for lunch.

The same chain at another location had a coupon in a flyer. Despite the bad experience at another one of their stores, I checked them out. I was pleased that they accepted American Express. Then I got my small fry order. The fries spilled out of the container, making me feel like I got a good deal.

Now I find myself returning to this other location a lot. I don't use coupons any more. I pay full price happily. Because I keep feeling like I am getting a good deal without any hassles. They got me with the coupon. They keep me with the good service. It is a win win. I am sure they are making money off me, since their prices are premium. But I am glad to pay it.

Windows Phone Fail

Sahas Katta entered Microsoft's Windows Phone Challenge. His phone beat out the Windows Phone at the contest. However the employees at the Microsoft Store robbed him of his $1000 laptop prize. They started making up some rules to disqualify him. Come on Microsoft. Stop your failing.

I am a Microsoft man. I say that because I have built a profitable career delivering Microsoft base solutions. However this move by Microsoft marketing really irks me. I get what they are doing. They are trying to win over some Android users for Windows phone. That mission, though it may seem impossible, might be a noble one. However putting together some sham challenge, then cheating users out when they win, is just pathestic.

Ben Rudolph, the guy who is apparently behind the challenge, is trying desperately to do some damage control. He apologized to Katta via Twitter. Then he offered to do a rematch. This is where Microsoft commits the double fail. Come on. Give the guy the damn laptop already. How can a company continue to dig its own grave deeper and deeper like this?

I have no love for Android products. They might be nice to program on if you like Java. However I don't think they are for me. I am going to stick with an old iPhone. One thing is for sure. Apple won't be pulling any pranks like Microsoft did. Apple is too winning. I don't even like Apple, and they have stole my smart phone business due to excellence.

British Pretroleum Fail

I went to my bank to pick up some cash. I passed my normal gas station without going in. After visting the bank, I headed home. I saw a British Pretoleum gas station with cheaper gas than my normal station. So I pulled in.

I noted that the price was for cash only. There was nobody in the booth to collect my money. Another custmoer told me to go into the gas station for help. I should have known something was wrong. Inside I counted out my small bills, and told the clerk that I wanted $17 on pump number 6.

Outside I pumped the gas, but it stopped at $16. I went in and asked for my change. The clerk said I used up all my money. I told him I had a dollar left. He said I paid $16. I corrected him, telling him that I actually told him I was buying $17 worth when I handed him the cash.

Another employee next to me started arguing with me. He said the clerk counts the money twice, and would not cheat me out of a buck. He also said they have video of the transaction as well. I told this employee that I clearly stated that I was giving the clerk $17, and that we should listen to the tapes. The employee then said that there was no audio on the tapes.

In retrospect, it is possible that I had counted the money wrong. However when I had you some cash and state that there is more than you are given, that is the time to bring the discrepancy up. By the time I have pumped my gas and feel I got cheated, it is way too late.

The whole reason I always state how much money I am handing over is that I encountered the same problem at Exxon Mobile one time. The clerk gave me the extra buck, and asked me to clearly state the amount I am handing over so we can avoid any mistakes up front. There is one clear lesson from all of this for me. Avoid this BP gas station, and stick with the local Exxon Mobile station. They appear honest and customer friendly. That's always good business, even if the price is higher.

Sport of Recycled Bride

I saw an episode of This Week in Venture Capital on YouTube. It featured Tracy DiNunzio. She is founder of the Recycled Bride web site. The site features second hand wedding items. Tracy initially bootstrapped the site. She relied on renting out her bedrooms using AirBnb, sleeping on her couch.

Tracy first hired a freelancer to put together her web site. That resulted in failure. Then she turned to a firm to put together the web site for a cost of $20k. Tracy hand optimized the web site for SEO purposes. She learned enough to be able to do SEO training herself.
Not all of DiNunzio's efforts were successful. She launched a follow-up site called Recycled Tyke that bombed. Soon she plans to launch another follow-up site called Recycled Style. Also it appears that she has taken some investments. She plans to use the use the funds to hire employees such as technical people. Or perhaps she may take on a technical cofounder. I love it when a start up turns a profit.