Expectations In Practicality
I have recently been shopping for a new car; there are lots of models in the segment that I am interested in all the big players have offerings in the four-door sedan class Acura, Lexus, BMW, MB, and Audi. What I have seen in the last 36 months of new cars is that many of these companies have sterilized their entry vehicles to such an extent that a passenger can hardly tell what car they are in without looking at the badge on the steering-wheel.
The idea behind a sporty four-door sedan is that you can still have fun but not forget about the practical things in life like Costco runs and Ikea adventures. I expect to be able to fit a reasonable amount of food/water/boxes in the trunk of my practical car, but on the other had I don’t expect to fit much beyond a baseball cap and jacket in a convertible – typically thought of as impractical.
The car that struck my fancy was the new Lexus IS 350, it has the most character out of all the competition, you all get a very comfortable place to be, a ton of power, all the fun toys, and best of all - two extra seats (middle back seat is an afterthought). The thing that I didn’t pay much attention to was the fact that the rear seats do not fold down. A friend was quick to point out that in a car with a small trunk opening the only work-around is that you can put things in through the passenger doors and slide them to the trunk, but without seats that fold down this is not possible.
So, the question I asked myself was “Would I be pissed off with my new car if I had some boxes to load in the trunk but couldn’t get them to fit through the opening by just an inch or two?” I would be furious! Having chosen the practical four-door sedan I expect to be able to use my trunk space, not just have it there. I quickly rang up the Audi dealer and placed myself on the list for a convertible to be delivered in July/August the only feature I didn’t order it with is expectations.
The idea behind a sporty four-door sedan is that you can still have fun but not forget about the practical things in life like Costco runs and Ikea adventures. I expect to be able to fit a reasonable amount of food/water/boxes in the trunk of my practical car, but on the other had I don’t expect to fit much beyond a baseball cap and jacket in a convertible – typically thought of as impractical.
The car that struck my fancy was the new Lexus IS 350, it has the most character out of all the competition, you all get a very comfortable place to be, a ton of power, all the fun toys, and best of all - two extra seats (middle back seat is an afterthought). The thing that I didn’t pay much attention to was the fact that the rear seats do not fold down. A friend was quick to point out that in a car with a small trunk opening the only work-around is that you can put things in through the passenger doors and slide them to the trunk, but without seats that fold down this is not possible.
So, the question I asked myself was “Would I be pissed off with my new car if I had some boxes to load in the trunk but couldn’t get them to fit through the opening by just an inch or two?” I would be furious! Having chosen the practical four-door sedan I expect to be able to use my trunk space, not just have it there. I quickly rang up the Audi dealer and placed myself on the list for a convertible to be delivered in July/August the only feature I didn’t order it with is expectations.
Cox Using Wardriving To Police Customers?
I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine in the mobile IT business. He had a client today who had their account suspended without notification, after a call to Cox support he was told that the customer's account was disabled because of an 'open wireless access point.' After some further questions he found out that now have vans driving around in various customer areas throughout Orange County and San Diego.
Anyone else heard of this going on? What are the implications of this? Is Cox connecting to customer networks without their permission or just scanning to see for a AP without WEP? What are the chances of Cox turning off a customer that has an AP (without WEP) powered on but not connected to the net? What is the deal with not telling customers they have been turned off and still billing them?
Anyone else heard of this going on? What are the implications of this? Is Cox connecting to customer networks without their permission or just scanning to see for a AP without WEP? What are the chances of Cox turning off a customer that has an AP (without WEP) powered on but not connected to the net? What is the deal with not telling customers they have been turned off and still billing them?
Stick To What You Know - Costco 1
I have heard so interesting stats about Costco recently regarding their lightning fast inventory turnover rate, but the most important thing about Costco is that they know how customers want to be treated.
Example: I ordered a camera yesterday, Canon SD550, to replace my not-so-Ritz-y camera purchase. Today I noticed that they had dropped the price by $50. Costco Customer Service didn't even ask for an explanation, credit card number, or account number - they just credited me for the difference after I told them my order number.
So stick to what you know - I know that Costco offers a much better experience than that of retailers that try to lure you in with deals that are too good to be true.
Example: I ordered a camera yesterday, Canon SD550, to replace my not-so-Ritz-y camera purchase. Today I noticed that they had dropped the price by $50. Costco Customer Service didn't even ask for an explanation, credit card number, or account number - they just credited me for the difference after I told them my order number.
So stick to what you know - I know that Costco offers a much better experience than that of retailers that try to lure you in with deals that are too good to be true.