My Favs

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Phone Customer Service – Not So Bad (See Update)

wasnot — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:42:23 +0000

UPDATE (9/22/11): I have to say this for what it’s worth. I just checked my financial statement, and I was charged about $13 less than the original rental price. I’m not sure if Enterprise read this or they just felt bad. Either way, $13 discount is better than none

How do I start this? How about I begin by saying, “Don’t expect Enterprise employees to be consistent over the phone!” One employee says one thing, and within a matter of minutes, another employee (or sometimes, the same employee) says something else, completely contrary to what you were told.

August 30, 2011: I called Enterprise (1-866-304-7681) to see if I could use a $40 e-certificate from Discover for a weekend rental. I was skeptical because the coupon said that it cannot be used with other promotions, and that’s why I called Enterprise. I gave the representative the dates (9/3/11-9/6/11). The representative quoted me a price ($19.99/day), and said that I could use the e-certificate. I asked if I could make a reservation online and still use the e-certificate. The representative told me that I could use it online also for the $19.99/day price. So, I bought the $40 Discover e-certificate for $20. I like you Enterprise. You always have the best prices.

September 3, 2011: I am at the local Enterprise office with the e-certificate. The employee at the desk said that their system wouldn’t accept the coupon because I was getting a weekend special price ($19.99/day). So, I called the number on the e-certificate (1-866-304-7681) because I was told that I could use it. The representative that answered the phone this time told me that it didn’t make any sense and that the local office should let me use the e-certificate. So, I asked the phone representative to talk to the employee at the desk. So, they talked, and the call was transferred (to a manager, I guess), and they said that I cannot use it! So, I called again, and the representative who answered this time said that I cannot use it. I asked if I could talk to a manager. “No.” I asked where do I voice my complaint. “We don’t have that option.” I was so frustrated. I bought this coupon because I was told that I could use it. That’s $20 wasted, since I may not rent again before the coupon’s expiration date. “We’re sorry, but you cannot use the e-certificate today. Have a good day.” I hate you Enterprise.

Will Discover refund my $20 for the coupon? I called Discover, and they were kind enough to refund me. I like you Discover. I don’t mind paying regular price for rental, and that’s what I did, because I needed the rental. I just didn’t like how Enterprise promised me something, but didn’t honor their word.

I usually don’t write a post about customer service, but this was so bad that I wanted to vent about it somewhere since the representative said that they don’t take complaints. Why? Maybe, it will get their attention. Maybe, it will compel them to take responsibility. Maybe, it will change (for the better) how they treat their customers in the future. Maybe, if nothing else, I will get an ‘approval nod’ from fellow customers who have had a bitter experience with Enterprise’s customer service on the phone.

Install Windows 7 With USB Flash Drive (When There Is No CD/DVD Drive)

wasnot — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:48:31 +0000

Here is the scenario: You have a computer with no CD/DVD drive, and you have a legal Windows 7 installation disk or Windows 7 Product Key.

Here is the problem: How do you install Windows 7 on the computer without having to buy a download or a CD/DVD drive?

Here is a simple solution: Install Windows 7 using a USB flash drive.

Here is what you will need: An empty USB flash drive with at least 4 GB space. (If you have files in your 4 GB flash drive, empty the contents first; you can put them back on the flash drive when the installation is done.)

Here are the steps (summarized):

Choose & download your Windows 7 ISO: For example, if you have the product key for a Windows 7 Home Premium Edition, choose & download the Windows 7 Home Premium ISO to an easily found location on your hard drive (e.g.: ‘Save to Desktop’). [SEE STEP 1 FOR MORE INFO]
Download & run Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool from Microsoft, with the blank 4 GB USB flash drive plugged into your computer. [SEE STEP 2 FOR MORE INFO]
Install Windows 7 from the 4 GB flash drive. [SEE STEP 3 FOR MORE INFO]

Here are the steps (with links and more info):

[STEP 1] Choose & Download Your Windows 7 ISO (Courtesy: MyDigitalLife.info):

Windows 7 Ultimate ISO (from Amazon.com): (Sorry, the Ultimate edition links are broken. If you know any, please submit. Thanks.)

32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate x86 ISO

64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate x64 ISO

Windows 7 Home Premium ISO (from Digital River):

Windows 7 Professional ISO (from Digital River):

[STEP 2] Download & Run Microsoft’s Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (Courtesy: IntoWindows.com) :

Download Microsoft’s Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (from CNET.com)
Insert the blank 4 GB USB flash drive into your computer
Run the Download Tool and follow the on-screen instructions

[STEP 3] Install Windows 7 Using Your USB Flash Drive

Once the Download Tool is done creating a bootable USB device, you can install Windows 7 on your computer from the USB device in one of two ways: EITHER double-click the ‘setup.exe’ file in the USB flash drive OR restart your computer with the flash drive plugged in and set the ‘Setup/Boot Menu’ on the initial black screen to boot from a USB device
Follow the on-screen instructions on the ‘Install Windows’ platform
Once Windows 7 is installed, consider Ninite.com for useful softwares/apps

iRecommend: The Quarrel (Movie)

wasnot — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:55:13 +0000

The Quarrel presents a debate between two friends (a rabbi and an agnostic writer) regarding faith and reason. The above is a clip from the movie.

Man can do good without God, but who determines what is good? “If there is nothing in the universe that is higher than human beings, then what is morality? Morality is a matter of opinion. I like milk. You like meat. Hitler likes to kill people. I like to save them. Who is to say which is better?”

Bing Thanks Apple?

wasnot — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:03:32 +0000

With rumors going around regarding the possibility of Bing becoming iPhone’s default search engine, is this Bing’s way of thanking Apple? (click picture to enlarge)

Still Paying for 411? Use Free GOOG411 & BING411

wasnot — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:25:00 +0000

UPDATE: GOOG411 is shutting down on November 12, 2010.

I know the title says GOOG411 and BING411; I opted for ‘and’ instead of ‘or’ for a reason. While GOOG411 is excellent (and faster) in connecting you to a local business/organization, BING411 goes further in providing local weather, traffic, directions, travel, etc. Try for yourself: GOOG411 (1-800-466-4411) & BING411 (1-800-246-4411).

If you don’t mind ads being played while you wait, you can also try FREE411 (1-800-373-3411), which has an added feature of free residential directory.

If you would rather pay for 411 services, ignore these above mentioned FREE options.

Mac vs PC Campaign in BBC’s BallyK :)

wasnot — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:40:49 +0000

Been watching BBC’s BallyK recently (check out BallyK music here), and I think there could be a possible (unintentional) Mac vs PC campaign in BBC’s Ballykissangel. The show is about life in Ballykissangel, a fictional village in Ireland. You can read more about it here.

In the show, there are two priests: Father MacAnally and Father Peter Clifford. You can probably see where I am going with this. Anyway, what the show portrays about Father Mac and Father PC is surprisingly true about a Mac and a PC, respectively. In the show, Father Mac is the not-so-popular-with-the-townspeople priest, and his only supporter seems to be a wealthy business man. On the other hand, Father PC is very popular among the townspeople, people-friendly, and has the support of the common people. I don’t think this is what BBC was trying to say, but at least it is in line with my view of Mac vs PC

I’m only in Series 2 now. I don’t know how either of them would turn out, but PC is still (and probably will remain) my favorite! BTW, if you are a Mac supporter, please don’t be upset; Father Mac is not that bad

Browsing Problems – AVG 9 Problems

wasnot — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:25:20 +0000

I had recently updated to AVG 9 (free edition) on WinXP. Since then, I have been having problems accessing internet (esp. on Chrome and Firefox). Chrome kept on displaying “Error 2 (net::ERR_FAILED): Unknown error.” After a lot of fooling around and annoyance, I uninstalled AVG, and browsing got back to normal. But, I did not want to continue without AVG protection, and so I did some research. The problem happens to be with the new LinkScanner. So, here are the steps to smooth browsing using AVG 9 (with LinkScanner disabled):

(1) Open AVG User Interface and double-click LinkScanner:

(2) Disable LinkScanner options (1st 2 or all 3 options) and click Save changes:

(3) Right-click on LinkScanner and select Ignore the state of this component so that there is no warning triangle on AVG tray icon:

This is the only solution that seemed to work for me, ~~and I am going to continue with LinkScanner disabled till AVG fixes the problem~~. Seems like it’s fixed; I’m back to browsing with LinkScanner enabled.

“You attacked me wrong”

wasnot — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:58:39 +0000

Jim Carey’s self defense class

Take exact change on flights :)

wasnot — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:18:29 +0000

MADtv skit on air safety

Anything is Possible!

wasnot — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:22:12 +0000

ICL Chennai Superstars Ad – Based on a true superstar (in reel life)