October 31, 2007  Happy Halloween and More PayPal Updates...
 
BOOOOO!
 
I have two signs on my back porch this evening. One says NO TRESPASSING! The other says VIOLATORS OF SIGN 1 WILL BE SHOT!
 
I used to enjoy Halloween until mysteriously inherited a family of morons as neighbors. They turned out to be Hell on earth, so Halloween has lost some of it's fright.
 
Besides, I'm in a foul mood since I prematurely announced good things regarding PayPal's resolution of my eBay claim. It appears that a seller who has no money left in his/her PayPal account prevents PayPal from honoring their judgement for the buyer. So, I am stuck with junk, I'm out 20 bucks, but I have a nice email telling me that I was right!
 
The eBay/PayPal corporation makes millions (billions?) each year. Even our local auctioneers carry insurance for fraud. But eBay/PayPal's deep pockets are without remorse when their clients get shafted. The other problem is that, unless you are a speed typist, you'll never get a "Contact Us" form filled out. You have to compose your missive to them in your clipboard before you enter the complaint/contact area and then do a paste.
 
But it is All Hallows' Eve, so have a spooky good evening. If you really want a good scare, bid on something on eBay tonight!!!!
 
Until later.....DKHT

October 26, 2007  Updates - PayPal, eBay and a Special Castle
 
The first update is in regard to the first answering machine I received from an eBay auction. This is the one that I ultimately took to PayPal for a claim resolution. I just received notice that the resolution was found in my favor for the full amount; product plus shipping! I applaud PayPal for the fast response on this claim. However, I can imagine that some disputes would take longer. In my case, the seller seemingly disappeared after the sale. No response to either of his registered emails, and no response to voicemails left. And, perhaps most importantly, the investigation by PayPal seemed to turn up no response.
 
This situation makes me feel a little uncomfortable....It's one thing to have a verbal brawl between buyer and seller, but this guy simply disappeared. It makes me wonder what his situation is. I've decided to withold giving him a negative rating. The transaction deserves a negative, but the PayPal claim decision means that I've just gone through a bit of anxiety and effort to provide me with a full refund. Did something happen to this fella to keep him from following up?
 
On another topic, I recently came across more information regarding two Fox River Grove, Illinois landmarks that I've known well. One is the Vianden Castle, built by immigrant Theodore Bettendorf single handedly back in the 30's. The other was the Fox River Picnic Grove, owned by Louis Cernocky, Jr. These were two important places back in my youth. Fox River Grove was the nearest town to my hometown of Cary. It not only hosted these two landmarks, but the famous Norge Ski Hill was also located there.
 
As teenagers, we'd either take a boat or canoe to cross the Fox, then hike up to the castle on warm summer evenings. Mr. Bettendorf would usually be found on a stone bench in the shadows. The only way we'd sense his presence was the occasional glow of his pipe as he puffed away. The castle was a scaled down version of a castle he roamed back in Europe. Actually, he roamed the ruins of the original castle in his natve country. Mr. Bettendorf built the entire thing with his own two hands, wheelbarrow load after wheelbarrow load of rock found on his property. My great uncle, Ed Newbold was always infatuated by film movie cameras, and captured segments of the castle construction on his 8mm camera. I last saw that movie some 35 years ago, and even then the film was faded and becoming monochromatic. I've inherited many old movies from my great uncle, but I don't have an easy way to view the 8mm format.
 
Mr. Bettendorf passed away years ago, and the castle has since spent time as a wedding retreat and a number of other things. It's in private ownership now and no longer open to the public.

 
I'll save the juicy details of the Fox River Picnic Grove and teenage antics on the Norge Ski Jump for a future edition....
 
Until later.....DKHT

October 21, 2007  The Trouble With eBay
 
I'm becoming increasingly concerned with what's going on at eBay. You used to be able to trust feedback ratings, but, now, except for those ratings in the thousands that have at least a 99.7% score, it's becoming increasingly difficult to know which sellers to trust, and even then transactions can be questionable. And there seems to be an increasing number of sellers who can't be trusted, regardless of feedback ratings.
 
I've contacted eBay support several times regarding the fallacies in the eBay feedback system, and all I get are platitudes from the eBay bible. It appears that "The Powers That Be (TPTB)" would rather believe that nothing is wrong with the basic formula. But the poisons are beginning to surface.
 
I don't make that many transactions on eBay, but many of those I do make are substantial in cost and value. However, I've had recent transactions that are troubling... there was the situation with the seller who had a 100% positive feedback before he unloaded a piece of defective and obviously used electronic apparatus on me under the eBay listing as being "new". I wrote about this in a previous blog. But what amazed me was the fact that this individual had made both purchases and sales of transactions that earned a 100% positive track record.
 
What confounded me was how suddenly I became a victim of being dumped on with a non-functioning piece of crap, and the seller would not respond to emails in a month's time. This seller had 28 positive transactions, all with great communication and fast service annotations. Why, then, did this eBayer decide to send me junk and not respond to my emails to either of his email addresses? I used ZABA and got his phone number which I called tonight, but only received a voice mail account. I left a message urging him to respond for both our sakes.
 
Awhile back I had an experience getting a notebook/laptop cooling fan base with additional USB ports. I won the auction, received confirmation from PayPal, and waited for shipping confirmation. And waited. And waited. After two weeks with no product and no communication I began sending emails to the seller (a company) in San Francisco. I received a request to submit a filled out form regarding the nature of my inquiry, who I was and details of my order. However, the form and the request used horrible spelling and grammar. I explained that information was in my prior emails and enclosed a copy of my last email. Obviously this was not the native tongue of the sender. Again I waited and soon received another request to fill out the same form. Obviously the sender also didn't understand English....OR, they were playing this game as a stalling tactic!
 
I began a little investigative work, checking other eBay sales by this company. It became apparent that these notebook cooling bases were hot items with this company...they'd sold dozens in the weeks prior and following my purchase. No feedback existed from these sales, however. I was able to get the phone number of the company and called long distance. My call was answered by someone speaking Chinese or Taiwanese or Korean. "No Speaky Anglish"? They didn't understand me and I didn't understand them. A dead end to be sure!
 
Just prior to six weeks after my order had been confirmed I finally received the unit. I had been victim of a company that sold items they did not have, then waited until they got enough orders to get a quantity discount on the items from a wholesaler.
 
Here's just a partial list of things a eBay that have gone awry....

• Companies and individuals that great a multitude of accounts, and sell a few trinkets on each account. Then they sell a big ticket item that is either defective or never shipped. Once they get their money, they close that account and move on to another. Once an account is closed, eBay and PayPal are powerless to deal with the perpetrator.
• I've used PayPal for my purchases from the beginning. Two reasons for using Paypal are fast payment which theoretically will speed delivery, and a system that supposedly guarantees protection from fraud. However, when submitting a claim (as I did) you discover that they will try to investigate and resolve your claim within 30 days, although another part of the agreement says it could take up to 60 days. Meanwhile, you're stuck with junk and without your money. And, you have to hang on to that junk until your claim is closed. Even then, you may have to return the junk to the seller at your own expense. Now you've paid twice for shipping.
• It's become increasingly popular amongst eBay sellers to list an item for a low price and then use exorbitant shipping and handling charges. I recently encountered a situation where the listed item was guaranteed as being shipped USPS flat rate. The S&H charges would be $12.47, and packaging and handling was reasonable, since I calculated actual shipping would be about $9.00. But my receipt indicated this electronic device would be shipped Media Mail. That would make shipping both slow and only a few bucks, giving the seller more money in S&H than the unit cost.
• The feedback system is terrible. There is a form of feedback extortion that frequently occurs. If you actually receive just what you want, you leave positive feedback, hoping that the seller will do likewise. But, all too often the seller never bothers with giving the buyer feedback; they have their numbers and could care less about you. I have given 20 positive feedbacks, but I have only a 14 rating.
• Then there's the situation where you've paid promptly and totally upheld your end of the bargain, but discover that the item either is defective or never arrives. You go through all recommended resolution procedures and the seller does not want to stand behind his end of the bargain. You give him negative email. You can be certain you'll get negative feedback from the seller, in spite of the fact that there was nothing you did that was wrong.
• There is an reprehensible rule that says you cannot alter your rating by dealing with a seller you've dealt with before. That penalizes both buyer and seller, and has no positive reason for existing, in spite of the official platitudes.
• I have proposed to TPTB that every transaction should be counted, positive, neutral or negative. If there is a disagreement it should go to arbitration, if requested by either party. It seems to be a simple and effective plan. TPTB says it wouldn't be fair. I counter with what they have now isn't fair.
• And, going back to my example of sellers having thousands of sales while maintaining a minimum of a 99.7% positive rating, while it's always in the interest of a seller to get a positive transaction, one negative, earned or not, tends to make sellers believe the old adage of not being able to please all of the people all of the time. They are very aware that one more negative probably won't change their rating even a tenth of a percent. But their buyer with tens or even hundreds of positive transactions will suffer major percentage reductions, whether earned or not. Again, more extortion.

 
Caveat Emptor
 
On other fronts....
 
My beloved GeoTruk was in for repairs, but it's back home now. In the interim I negotiated to get a loaner, since the few folks I know who would give me a lift are at work during the day, and that's when I'd have to do my major town stops.
 
My loaner was a Chevy Malibu. No power steering (as I discovered trying to pull into a stall at the grocery store). The previous users were a heavy smokers, and I gave up smoking over 17 years ago, so I have to make frequent gag stops. The brakes don't work except at really slow speeds and the seat belts only fit midgets. I have to double up like a limp baloney sandwich to get in and out of this car, and then, only with extreme effort. And they made me sign a piece of paper saying that I'd pay for any damages on this car whilst in my care. I'm wondering how they'd know if anything new was bad. There are dents, dings and massive rust spots, the door seal on the driver side is wrapped in red tape. The trunk looks like a dead body may have occupied it for several weeks (I was going to put my groceries in the trunk but decided to place them in the back seat instead).
 
In my truck I command the road, able to intimidate other drivers. In this car I am the intimidatee... a passing Moped will cause me to pull over to bring my elevated heart rate back out of astronomical levels. Long ago I vowed that I would not own a sub-compact, a compact, a mid-sized or any other kind of car. Trucks and off-road vehicles are what I am. Those and diesel-pusher motorhomes.
 

 
Until later.....DKHT

October 7, 2007  If It Weren't For Bad Luck....
 
Years ago I was quite the scholar. I had an IQ of 152 and a bowling average of 148. Maybe it was the other way around. I have no excuse for what has happened since,...
 
Two weeks ago we had a severe frost, following some high humidity. My truck was parked by the house instead of in the garage where it belonged. On that Saturday morning I had to drive into town early for an appointment. I ran the truck enough to clear the windshield and a little part of the side windows, but, in backing up thru the drive, all mirrors were frosted as well as most of the side and rear windows.
 
I've had this property for 35 years, and I cut down the dead tree on one side of the driveway. But I left a 2 foot tall stump from that sorry pine. I've run into that bugger on more than one occasion while plowing snow with the big tractor when it's been buried in the white stuff. This time it lurked in the frost to attack my beloved truck. It put an 18 inch-long dent about 2.5 inches deep behind the driver-side rear wheel and in front of the rear bumper.
 
I've been watching TV programs where guys pound on automotive sheet metal in nothing flat to put it back in perfect shape, followed by some sanding and blended painting. I was hopeful that it would cost me under $700.00 so I could pay out-of-pocket and keep it from increasing my insurance rates. Geez, was I off base! I took the truck into the local collision/repair center... It'll cost $3019+ for repairs! They want to replace half of my truck with "refurbished" parts. My insurance payments will skyrocket. The only good thing is that I won't be getting mailings and emails regarding reduced auto insurance for the next 6 years.
 
Then, there is the telephone answering machine that I wished I hadn't won on eBay. The seller had a 100% positive feedback rating, but the unit that I received, although listed as "NEW", was completely defective and obviously used and unsuccessfully refurbished, just repackaged with shrink wrap..... I've tried several email attempts using non-argumentative and friendly-but-firm wording.
 
After 10 days of no response I went into the eBay/PayPal dispute process. Still no response. I'm still waiting on that resolution. I hesitate in giving this guy the first negative feedback he'd receive after 28 positive sales. After all, maybe he died. I'd hate to have his eulogy read that some eBayer in WI gave the only negative response to this dear poor individual who supported his mother by selling their belongings to buy her life-saving prescription medications. However, I am out $19.98 USD so I'm not above that kind of action.
 
And, there's the wasps that built a huge nest in the duct that fan-ventilates my basement bathroom. I have an annual battle with paper wasps, who build nests near entrances or egresses from my home or garage. These are costly beasts, since the sprays, insect foggers and other such eviction products do not come cheap and can be marginally effective. And these winged squatters pay no rent or contribute to taxes, maintaining their position based totally on threat. Unfortunately, I am allergic to wasp and bee stings. I am a cautious but determined landlord.
 
Next, is the episode just a week ago. I'd come in from a grocery store shopping trip. I had a voicemail message on my cell phone, but with reception being "iffy" near my house, I waited to get home to get the message on my land line. I rushed into my office and accessed my voice mail. I'd made the mistake of sitting on the edge of my office chair. Make that my cheap Korean office chair. The quasi-weld on the chair broke, and I destroyed the pull-out platform for the keypad and mouse with my chin in the process of mangling my head on an open file drawer on my way to the floor.
 
I'm still trying to figure out how to fix my desk, and I've put the paramedic hotline number on my phones' speed dial since the phone typically would fall just inches from what was left of my skull.
 
Then on the night of the fifth we had a HUGE lightning and thunder storm. About 2:30 am I woke to a sonic boom just outside my bedroom window. I was just about to nod off when a blinding flash of light followed immediately by thunder that rattled the house. I looked out the window expecting to see something ablaze. However, I noticed that power was out on our side of the bay, but not on the other side (some wacko outlanders bought a place over there a few years back and installed yard and pier lights that burn year 'round).
 
I'm really familiar with the electrical power distribution system around here, and I know from experience that Wisconsin Public Service would not be aware of an outage until somebody calls it in. So I felt around in total darkness until I found a candle and some matches (where is the lightning when you need it?). The candle was small and didn't give off much light, But I have navigated through the house in the dark before.
 
My bedroom is on the second floor. The bedside phone was working, but I didn't have the number for WPS there. However, the number is on speed dial on my first floor office phone. I crossed the bedroom to the door and went out to the great room balcony that also serves as my library. On to the stairs. This being a log cabin, the railing to the library and stairway is made of massive 6x6 timbers with 4x4 rails and 3 inch vertical natural wood poles. It's extremely sturdy. I know because I built it. I clutched the railing dearly with my left hand while holding the meager candle in my right. The candle wasn't casting any light downward, but I had counted these steps so many times that I was confident. Eleven steps to the landing, then a left turn and three more steps to the first floor. At step eleven I put my right foot out to make the turn on the landing. But the landing wasn't there! My momentum carried me forward, but I was holding onto the corner post so I wound up swinging around the turn before I could regain control. Actually, I totally missed the landing and those final steps. And the candle went out. I'd mis-counted the steps from the wrong direction.
 
I landed on the floor on my right knee after a five foot drop. My back glanced off the rough-sawn 6x4 post that is part of the frame trim for the front door. Nothing seemed to be broken, and I could still walk...kinda. Again I groped for matches... I have matches all over the house because I have candles and lanterns and oil lamps everywhere. It's my alternate energy plan because of the fact that WPS service sucks. Unless you're a big business, or a paper mill, which is better.
 
Anyway, I've had a gimpy leg for a couple of days. My knee will bend, but if it's left in one position for over 15 minutes it gives me a strong argument not to change position. I'm finally able to shuffle-walk, drag-leg style to get around. Yesterday, I went out to the mailbox dragging my leg and yelling "Marshall Dillon, Marshall Dillon" like Chester in Gunsmoke. I hoped this would make my moron neighbors uncomfortable as to my sanity! After all, It's all about making a bad circumstance into a positive experience. That and good marksmanship.
 
The last bit involves another eBay purchase. I wasn't aware that you could get tactical strength pepper spray on the internet. But I got a couple of canisters at a great price. I'm a gun guy, but I have to keep my weapons in locked containers when I travel, and ammo has to be kept in separate containers. The bad guys don't live by those restrictions.. My travel occasionally requires me to be in questionable areas.
 
I received the pepper spray canisters.. They were as advertised, but came without directions. But, I'm an engineer, and always up to a challenge. I managed to spray myself, but it was a low shot and only caused a minimum of discomfort.
 
Until later.....DKHT