Archive for the ‘Rants’ Category

Newer Entries »

Hurricane Dolly

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Hurricane Dolly made landfall about 1PM CDT near Corpus Cristi South Padre Island, Texas. Mom lives about 90 miles south.

When I last spoke to Mom at 6pm CDT, she was worried about flooding and winds, but seemed fine. My bro talked to her about 630 I think, and the waters were about 10 feet from the house. Knowing the lay of the land, I assume that there was about 10 vertical inches before the waters hit the house at that time.

Harlingen, which is about 15 miles or so away, has been inundated with 15 to 201 inches of rain.

The house phone rings and rings, so I assume the power is out (old school answering machine). Her cell goes right to voice mail.

But hey, on a brighter note, I might finally finish up this week’s posts.

Pray for her and DH and LO, and Sascha and Nutmeg too. I’m up til I talk to her and know she’s safe, or pass out from sheer exhaustion. If anyone from Lyford is reading, or has been in contact with anyone down there, please let me know what’s going on. The PD has been useless. Red Cross has been busy.

UPDATE: Heard from mom. Things are fine. Minor damage from the winds and flooding, but that’s about it. :)

  1. TWC reports stated 20″ per doppler radar, but they’re now saying that might have been a mistake [↩]

Posted in Life, Rants | 1 Comment »

Plumbing and a Thursday night

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

As many of you know, we have an older home. It is a lovely, well built home. But, nevertheless, older. So things tend to break down from time to time.

“Welcome to the joys of home ownership”, as dad would say. For the past few months, the floor drain near the washer would back up, and spill out onto the floor. Normally, this was minor. But lately, the problem has been getting worse.

2 weekends ago, it was to the point where I had to ask C to stop doing laundry, as the area was flooding (I have drywall to replace now). I talked to the local contractor fella (the Mack) and he suggested I go rent a “Jetter“. Now a jetter is a neat device. It’s a pressure washer with a long hose and a little tip, instead of the wand. The concept is to open up your cleanout, feed the hose to it, and it’ll break up the blockage with 2000 psi of water.

Finding one was the first problem. The store in town that had it before closed a few months back. Since that store had it, and it’s a very specific and expensive device that (I assume) isn’t regularly needed, it appeared that most other stores in the area chose not to get one. Surprisingly, the big box stores didn’t have it either. Ended up finding one at A to Z Rental in Bville (Thanks guys!).

So contraption in hand, I was ready to rock n roll about 830 pm last night. First up was to remove the cleanout on the stack. I was told by the Mack to get a “big ole wrench” and use that on the “nubbin” (my nickname for it). Sounds simple enough, so I begin.

ouchies

“Pop” is normally a sound best reserved for champagne and popcorn. “Pop” should not be a sound that’s available in plumbing. Especially 60 year old sewer pipe plumbing. But lo and behold, I found a new place for that sound (right alongside knees and shoulders).

After a panicked call to the Mack, it was decided that I just need to now chip away at it until its open enough to feed the line through (Nubbinectomy). When I’m done, I can replace it (after removing all the bits of the old one).

So the hole is made, and I feed the line. I read the owners manual (thank you Internets!) and get things going. Knowing the line will dance, I feed it in before I start it up.

Things seemed to be going okay. Feed til I feel some resistance (so an inch?). Let it sit, pushing lightly until it feels like it pushes through. Repeat until … well they didn’t say. So I repeated until I felt I didn’t need to anymore.

After an hour of doing this, I back it out (still running) and clean it along the way. Things are feeling okay, but in the same, “off”. I didn’t feel the big “breakthrough”, and the line never really fought me like I thought 2000 psi should. So when I get it all the way backed out, I notice the problem. There’s no pressure. The pressure changes from a trickle to the power of the sink. Now we have nice sinks here, and decent water pressure. But not 2000 psi worth. So begins my advanced troubleshooting skills (i.e. RTFM).

After a bit of diagnosis, I determine that the extension they placed on the hose inlet was the problem. I remove it and take a look inside. the valve thingy that was in there has shifted, and wasn’t letting water pass.  By 1130 pm, the contraption stops giving pressure altogether. The check valve stays checked. I give the washer a try about midnight, and the blockage is still there. Ugh.

So its now 5am. I slept in a little bit. I have this thing until 8am today. But to get it to its home by then, I have to leave the house by 630. Do I do that, and figure out some other way of fixing this damned thing?  Or do I take the morning off, keep working on it, and go into work this afternoon?

I have a few minutes to decide…. Oh, the joys of home ownership…..

(EDIT)

My ever sensible wife and I talked (er well, she talked, I attempted to process) this morning. She had that last minute idea of getting dressed for work (as I’d committed to driving her up and then going back home), just in case. I truly did appreciate her thinking for me this morning, as I really couldn’t bear to.

So I brought the Jetter into A to Z Rental, and told them my saga. I asked if they could fix it today and I pick it up tonight to tackle it again. They’re going to fix it, then give it to me at no charge since it was mostly useless last night.

Now to try to make it through not only the day, but also another evening of plumbing. Oh, and I have to prime that guest bedroom still tonight since Zeke and The Mack come over at 7am tomorrow to cover our walls for us with stuff (popcorn, texture, paint).

At this point, I think I’m rambling…

Posted in Life, Rants | No Comments »

Seriously

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

I looked around real quick to see if I could find out what to do to make a new header image for the Kubrick theme here (the corners are a bit of a bitch).

A quick google search  brought up a link on the wordpress site itself.  I thought “well, that’s convenient”.  So I followed the link.  That page didn’t directly list the link, but yielded another link in the “related posts” area.  That link brought me to another site.  That site finally listed the link I was looking for.

So, I had to see 3 mostly unrelated pages to get the final page with the content I originally searched for.  Why do bloggers and websites in general do this?  Link to a link of a link?  I see it in little blogs, all the way up to Lifehacker, Wired, and Digg.  Link to a link of a link.

Why don’t we just link the final content?  I can understand if you have to see Joe Somebody’s scathing commentary of the subject.  But linking to only increase page hits?  Come on internets!

(btw, here’s the final link to the header image generator:  http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/blogheader.php )

Posted in Rants | No Comments »

ExistHost Sucks

Monday, April 28th, 2008

A few years ago, I used to be hosted by a company named NTIDesign They were great, and I struck up a friendship with one of the guys there. When he left, I decided to leave as well, for other reasons.

Looking for a host, I consulted my other web friends. One pointed me to ExistHost. Looking everything over, it seemed like a good deal. Price was great, benefits were great. So I comitted.

The first time they automatically renewed my account, it caught me by suprise, but I lived with it. A few days early, but that’s okay. I should’ve watched it a little more closely.

The next year, though, really hit me early. ExistHost charged me a full 30 days before they should have. In looking around, I see I wasn’t alone in that debacle. I’ve since resolved the matter, and receive a refund. I’m hosted with DreamHost, which is just phenominal.

Here’s a transcription of my conversations to get my money back with ExistHost. I hope some of this can help you when they screw you over too.

From: +dM
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 2:09 PM
To: support@existhosting.com
Subject: Hosting Bill

Hello!

Please revert the charges for my autorenewal for my hosting account.

None of the mailings I rec’d said this would charge now, rather than towards the end of april.

Thank You,
Dustin Meadows

http://acidhack.com

–
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

On 3/28/07, EXIST Hosting – Support < support@existhosting.com> wrote:

Hello,

When can we charge the renewal fee to your account then?

Thanks

Support Department
InterWeb Media Inc / EXIST Hosting
support@existhosting.com

http://www.existhosting.com

Tel: 1.888.447.1821 ext 82
Fax: 1.888.206.9020

From: +dM
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 5:42 AM
To: EXIST Hosting – Support
Subject: Re: Hosting Bill

Please bill me through PayPal. I have updated my billing preferences through the control panel.

On 3/29/07, EXIST Hosting – Support < support@existhosting.com > wrote:

Hello,

We have to have a valid card on file, the paypal option is soon something we will not be offering anymore.

We need a valid card on file, when do you want that charged?

Thanks

Support Department
InterWeb Media Inc / EXIST Hosting
support@existhosting.com

http://www.existhosting.com

Tel: 1.888.447.1821 ext 82
Fax: 1.888.206.9020

From: +dM
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 9:45 AM

To: EXIST Hosting – Support
Subject: Re: Hosting Bill

When is my account paid through right now?

On 3/29/07, EXIST Hosting – Support < support@existhosting.com> wrote:

Hello,

it is paid through until May 2008.

Your 1 year renewal was processed

Thanks

Support Department
InterWeb Media Inc / EXIST Hosting
support@existhosting.com

http://www.existhosting.com

Tel: 1.888.447.1821 ext 82
Fax: 1.888.206.9020

From: +dM
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 11:25 AM

To: EXIST Hosting – Support
Subject: Re: Hosting Bill

no no no! I did not authorize that. I tried calling, but was told I need to email, so let me properly explain this:

1) I do NOT authorize charging of my renewal fees at this time. revert the charges as i have asked several times now.

2) I will NOT authorize any charges until I know when my current hosting expires

Please let me know what you need from me to make this happen.

On 3/29/07, EXIST Hosting – Support <support@existhosting.com> wrote:

Hello,

Your account expired end of April 2007 and as we said we charge renewals one month before.

So it comes to the same thing if we charge next month or now.

Please let us know

Support Department
InterWeb Media Inc / EXIST Hosting
support@existhosting.com

http://www.existhosting.com

Tel: 1.888.447.1821 ext 82
Fax: 1.888.206.9020

From: +dM
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 12:56 PM

To: EXIST Hosting – Support
Subject: Re: Hosting Bill

Please show me where the “Terms of Service” are that I’ve agreed to, referenced in my logged IM conversation yesterday. Additionally, please highlight where in the TOS is shows that you will bill me 30 days prior to my account expiration.

I do not see any “Terms of Service” on your website (Referred to by your rep as TOS). I do, however, see a Service Agreement (that was not referred to). Within the Service Agreement, I do not see a section stating that I will be charged for renewal, prior to the end date of my service’s respective term. What I have found under section 1.2 of the CUSTOMER SERVICE AGREEMENT For Shared Hosting Services, is the following:

“Unless otherwise specified in a Service Attachment, following the expiration of a service’s respective term, the term will automatically renew for the length of the initial term (“Renewal Term”) unless cancelled in writing by either party. ”

Since my account does not expire until the end of April, 2007, and today is March 29th, 2007, I do not authorize any charges made to my credit card on file prior to the expiration date of my service with existhost. Any pending charges should be removed, as they are not authorized by myself nor your service agreement. Again, any charges made to my credit card are done so without my approval.

I will decide by April 30 2007 if I wish to stay with Existhost.

Thank You,
Dustin Meadows

http://acidhack.com

On 3/29/07, EXIST Hosting – Support < support@existhosting.com> wrote:

Hello,

We are sorry about this inconvenience, this is just how the billing has worked for the past 5 years here.

Normally all customers are aware. We wish for you to stay a customer of ours.

Please let us know

Support Department
InterWeb Media Inc / EXIST Hosting
support@existhosting.com

http://www.existhosting.com

Tel: 1.888.447.1821 ext 82
Fax: 1.888.206.9020

On 3/31/07, +dM <xxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

I have repeatedly stated in this email string that I DO NOT approve ANY charges made to my card.

You have charged my card.

I expect a full refund of the charges that I DID NOT approve within 72 hours.

Thank You,
Dustin Meadows

On 4/2/07, +dM <xxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

Good Morning!

Just a reminder that I expect a full refund of the charges made to my account that I did not approve.

Thank You,
Dustin Meadows
Acidhack.com

From: +dM
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 7:24 AM

To: EXIST Hosting – Support
Subject: Re: Hosting Bill

Good morning.

On 03/28/2007, your company charged my credit card on file for renewal to my shared hosting account more than 30 days prior to the expiration of said account, and more than 30 days prior to my previous year’s bill, without any warning.

You stated on 03/29/2007 that “this is the way it has always been”, but that is not the case, as it is not stated in your Service Agreement that billing will occur up to 30 days prior to the expiration of my shared hosting account, nor were the charges made this way last year.

I have requested that you remove the charge from my Credit Card on file on 3/28/2007 and 03/29/2007 in writing. Additionally, on those dates, I clearly expressed that I do not approve any charges made to my account.

I requested on 03/28/2007 that I be given until the end of April 2007 to decide if I wish to stay with ExistHost. Through your own admission in writing, and per your service agreement, my account was already paid through the end of April 2007.

You have ignored all requests I have made. You collected money on a charge that was clearly unauthorized by me, in writing, on 03/28/2007, 03/29/2007, 03/31/2007 and 04/02/2007.

Please show me, in writing, that I have authorized the autorenewal for 12 months service prior to the expiration of my previous 12 agreement.

This will be my final request for refund of the 78.00 that was charged to my Credit Card without my authorization before I may take other action afforded to me by your service agreement and my banking institution.

To summarize, My account started with you at the end of April, 2005. Per your service agreement, charges for my renewal were processed for 12 months on 05/02/2006. In violation of your service agreement, after only 11 months of service, I have been charged for another autorenewal. I have requested this refund several times, in writing, and all requests have been ignored.

I expect a refund by 5PM EDT, April 03, 2007.

Respectfully,
Dustin Meadows

http://acidhack.com

On 4/3/07, EXIST Hosting – Support <support@existhosting.com> wrote:

Hello,

We just want to confirm something, your account is due for renewal in any case by the end of April 2007.

As we said all accounts renew one month ahead of time, this is how billing is done as per our TOS.

Please read our TOS regarding chargebacks as well as it can create further issues between EXIST and you.

Please let us know WHEN do you want this charged as it was already processed and this is usually how it is done

Thanks

Support Department
InterWeb Media Inc / EXIST Hosting
support@existhosting.com

http://www.existhosting.com

Tel: 1.888.447.1821 ext 82
Fax: 1.888.206.9020

From: +dM
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 5:31 PM

To: EXIST Hosting – Support
Subject: Re: Hosting Bill

Hello,

I stated the following in an email dated 03/29/2007 at 11:56 AM CDT:

1) I requested that you show me where in your Service Agreement that you charge 30 days prior to the expiration of my service with you. Under section 1.2 of your service agreement for shared hosting, the following was listed:

“Unless otherwise specified in a Service Attachment, following the expiration of a service’s respective term, the term will automatically renew for the length of the initial term (“Renewal Term”) unless cancelled in writing by either party. ”

As my account does not expire until the end of April 2007, we have not passed the expiration of my service’s respective term.

2) At this point, I have yet to commit to another term with ExistHost.

Please show me what section of your published Service Agreement covers your points. I have requested this twice now, in writing, and have not received an answer.

During the signup process, prior to being charged, I am not asked to agree to any terms of service. The last point prior to being charged is on the following page: https://www.existhosting.com/order/signup2.php. There is no mention of a Terms Of Service.

Here is the link to your Service Agreement that I have found on your site, that I believe I am bound to: http://www.existhosting.com/agreement/#Shared

I don’t mean to be a pest, but you have left me no other choice. I have been charged for a future service that, per our agreement, I have yet to commit to.

I am simply asking that you either refund the fees that were prematurely charged; or show me, in a verifiable published format, where I am bound to this agreement at this date. I will authorize the processing of my renewal fees on 04/27/2007 only if I commit to another term with ExistHost. At this time, I have not committed.

Respectfully,
Dustin Meadows

http://acidhack.com

On 4/4/07, EXIST Hosting – Support < support@existhosting.com> wrote:

Hello,

Your card was refunded, please let us know at the end of April 2007 if you want to renew

Thanks

Support Department
InterWeb Media Inc / EXIST Hosting
support@existhosting.com

http://www.existhosting.com

Tel: 1.888.447.1821 ext 82
Fax: 1.888.206.9020

Posted in Rants | No Comments »

Newer Entries »