My Blind Friend

I've got this buddy from high school--nice guy, former Army Ranger, All-American--who I've traded arguments with recently about the use of the word "Redskin" as a mascot. One very specific team's use of it; the Washington professional football team.

He's for it. I'm against.

In his arguments, he cites the 2004 Annenberg survey of 768 people who identify as Native Americans claiming they think the use of the word is okay as a big reason why the word isn't offensive. I say it's racist. On just the basis of those arguments, you would think that he's the logical one and I'm the emotional one. But in reality it's just the opposite.

You see, my friend lives in the heart of Washington football territory. We both grew up in the area, both were rabid team fans as kids and while I stayed close to home for college, he traveled the world via the US Army. But life settled us elsewhere; he moved back while I leap-frogged the country and settled into the Pacific Northwest outside of Seattle.

There's no way that this posting addresses all the arguments and counter-arguments of the issue--you need more time and space than I have have to give--it would require serious scholarship and personal commitment to remove all of the false information on both sides.

Fortunately, my friend and I can disagree on the mater and still find common ground in other topics. This is a notable achievement these days as people seem to move toward extremes on all issues. Which is why when I write that my friend is blind, it's with the intent to explain that people like him who fail to see the offensiveness of the word are not bad or stupid or bigoted--they just don't see it because they live in the middle of it--like a fish in water. Hell, it took me moving 3,000 miles away and a lot of life lessons to finally agree that the word is offensive.

But inevitably, the word will cease to be a mascot for teams at all levels of competition. We're living in an age of cultural enlightenment, like it or not, and those heritage-type terms are no longer acceptable. It will probably take some sort of tragedy to finally bring this one to a close, but it's days are numbered. Just like the Confederate flag.

Comcast Customer Service Hell

Recently, Comcast rolled out a new security feature that requires account holders to enter an assigned PIN before the website will display detailed account information--you can see your balance due, just not the detailed charges that add up to the amount. However, Comcast is not mailing out the PINs as promised, so I used the website to request a PIN be mailed to my house. After more than a week, nothing arrived, and the website is a mess--a mishmash of irrelevant content designed to enhance my Comcast experience and completely confuses the account management experience.

So I tried chat, hoping for a quick fix. Disclaimer: I entered into the chat already frustrated by the website. The chat rep gets high marks for managing through my frustration but low marks for efficacy:

Actual Chat Transcript:

analyst Marygold has entered room Marygold: Hello Rob, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Marygold. Please give me one moment to review your information. Rob: My Issue: Comcast never sent an account PIN to me. I have already requested this once before using the website. You need to provide me with a PIN now. Marygold: Were you able to successfully log in? Marygold: Sorry for the typo. Please disregard that last message. Marygold: Our goal is to provide you with a consistently superior customer experience – that’s our guarantee. Learn more about the Comcast Customer Guarantee at http://www.comcast.com/corporate/Customers/CustomerGuarantee.html?fss=customer%20guarantee Rob: Well it ain't happening. Marygold: I understand the importance of having your security PIN, Rob. Marygold: By the end of this chat I am sure we will have resolved this issue together to your satisfaction. Rob: Comcast is currently denying me access to my account information online Marygold: What username are you using to access your account? Rob: (xxxxx) Marygold: Thank you. Marygold: Let us stay on top in resolving this issue by pulling up your account first. Thank you for providing your account information in the chat initiation form. Marygold: To protect your account I will need to verify some additional information. Would you please provide me with the last 4 digits of your social security number? Marygold: Did you receive my last message? Rob: (xxxxx) Marygold: Thank you. Marygold: I have sent your security PIN to your Comcast email which is (xxxxx) Marygold: You can check it by clicking this link: Marygold: https://login.comcast.net/login?ts=e5919f1b&s=wnamp Marygold: Log in using your Comcast email and password. Rob: Why would you do that? I never use that account Rob: Send it to my gmail account Marygold: If you have Internet service with Comcast, you automatically have a Comcast username. Marygold: All your Comcast notifications are sent to your Comcast email. Rob: Which. I. Never. Use. Marygold: If you want, you can set Email Forwarding, so that all your emails and notifications from Comcast will go to (xxxxx) Rob: Such a nightmare. Rob: So I reset my password on comcast.net and got an error Rob: Sorry! Something went wrong... We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again in a moment. If this issue persists, please contact us and a customer support agent will help you. Marygold: Can you access your Comcast online account? Rob: Well after I log in I get a landing page with links to email , vmail, text messages and other content Rob: But when I click the email button I get a page that reads: Rob: Access requires Comcast High-Speed Internet Need it? Subscribe now » Have it? Use your Comcast ID & password to Sign in now » Forgot your Comcast.net sign-in info? Get it now » Learn more about mySIGN-IN by Comcast If you landed here when attempting to configure "Advanced Call Forwarding" on Xfinity Connect, it is because the Xfinity Voice 2go "Advanced Call Forwarding" feature is not currently available for your level of service (Xfinity Voice only or Xfinity Voice & Xfinity TV). At this time you cannot have calls forwarded from your Xfinity Voice home number to your mobile devices or to your Personal Phone Numbers. This feature should be available in the near future. Please look for an e-mail in the beginning of July letting you know when the Advanced Call Forwarding feature will be enabled. Marygold: May I ask to what account did you log in? Rob: comcast Rob: http://xfinity.comcast.net/ Marygold: Okay. Rob: This is a horrible customer experience. Rob: Either give me a PIN now or send it to my gmail account Marygold: I am sorry but we can only send the security PIN to your Comcast email account. Marygold: Please refresh the page of your email account. Marygold: You may press F5 key on your keyboard. Rob: Not working. Marygold: Is it okay with you if you will give me your password for your Comcast online account so I can replicate the issue here on my end? Rob: I want this escalated--this is a serious customer experience breakdown. I have done everything right and Comcast is keeping my detailed account information from me. Rob: This is a breach of my customer agreement Marygold: If you can take our call on your Comcast home phone, we can call you and give you the security PIN over the phone. Rob: I don't use the phone. And I am at work. This simple task is becoming a burden Rob: Comcast owes me a PIN now. I submitted a request over a week ago and have not received it Rob: Your own channel is failing Marygold: Rob, I have sent the security PIN to your Comcast email account. Marygold: The reason that I am asking for your password, is to check if your email account is functioning properly. Rob: again?? Rob: (xxxxx) Marygold: Thank you. Marygold: I was not able to log in using the password you gave me. Rob: Exactly. because I used your instructions to try and reset it Marygold: I did not give you instruction to reset your password, Rob. Marygold: Is this the password you are using to access your Comcast online account? Marygold: I am referring to your Comcast online account where you can pay your bill online. Rob: Yes Rob: You sent me a link to a page that gave me instructions to reset my password. Rob: I would advise that you not get caught up in semantics right now Marygold: The link I gave you earlier is a login page where you can log in using your Comcast username and password. Rob: All I get is a page with the $$ of my bill. No other information Because I Don't Have a PIN Rob: So you need to answer this question: are you going to send me to a manager or do I have to escalate this issue? Marygold: What username do you use to access your Comcast online account? Is it (xxxxx) or (xxxxx)? Marygold: Rob, I assure you that this issue does not require a manager. Marygold: All you need is access to your Comcast email account. Rob: Apparently it does. Marygold: You mentioned earlier that you reset your password. Is (xxxxx) the new password? Rob: I have logged into my comcast account using my @gmail user name and usual password. The Comcast website will not display my account information because I don't have a PIN. I don't have a PIN because Comcast never sent it. I requested a PIN using the website over a week ago and it never arrived. You sent the PIN to my Comcast email--which I never use and have never used--but when I follow all instructions to access it the website displays an error message, which I have copied and pasted for you Marygold: I believe I advised you to log in using your Comcast username and password. Marygold: Since you are using your gmail account to access your Comcast email account, you need to have a password for your Comcast username. Marygold: Since you are using your gmail account to access your Comcast email account, you need to have a password for your Comcast username. Marygold: Since you are using your gmail account to access your Comcast email account, you need to have a password for your Comcast username. Marygold: I am sorry for the repeated posts. Marygold: Since you are not home to take our call, you need to call 18009346489 to have your password for your Comcast username. Marygold: Once you have that, just go to www.comcast.net , click the EMAIL icon and log in using your Comcast username and password. Marygold: You will then see the security PIN emailed to you. Rob: It Does Not Work. Marygold: If you want, I will stay online while you call the number I posted above. Marygold: What does not work? Rob: No. I am done. You've wasted my time.

GE Appliance Customer Experience = $8.25

I am in the midst of a customer experience fog. In essence, my GE Profile refrigerator of 3 years has just had it's 6th maintenance visit for unit malfunctions and the response from the manufacturer is mystifying.

As a digital professional, and having worked for companies that live and die by customer service, I am approaching this with the objective of getting the refrigerator fixed and coming to resolution quickly without hardship to my bank account. So naturally, I employ digital channels. In this case, Twitter, phone, and email. Here is the original tweet:

I also call to make sure I have the traditional route covered. I use my cellphone to open a ticket with customer service, so yes, I'm still in the digital realm.

About that fan, by the way, here's a link to a :20 recording of the refrigerator fan I made using my iPhone Voice Memo app. Distance is 6-inches from the unit. The dishwasher (Kenmore) can be slightly heard in the background.

The next day, I receive an email from "Alison" on the ~AppLight Social Media Team. She is on the case and promises to follow-up with me after the repairman visits!

Time passes--well, a few hours anyway--and the repairman comes and goes. Andy, by the way, has visited our house before. He's awesome. Alison follows up again via email promising to get back in contact soon.

This morning, I receive the following email from Alison:

On Feb 27, 2013, at 4:23 AM, "~AppLight Social Media Team" <ConsIndsocialmedia@ge.com> wrote:

Dear Mr. Leavitt,

Thanks for your patience.

I have reviewed the information you provided along with your service history and I would like to offer you further assistance by waiving 50% of the parts cost to have your unit repaired.  You will be responsible for 50% of parts and the full labor cost.  You will not be charged another  home call charge as long as we schedule service within 30 days of your last appointment.

Please contact me to confirm acceptance of this offer.

Is there a day this week that you would be available for service to be scheduled? If this week is not good for you, we can schedule at a future time. Just let me know.

I will look for your reply.

Sincerely,

Alison

So let's see... the total estimate provided to fix my refrigerator--this time--is $258.34. The cost of labor is $235.93. The tax is $22.41. Which leaves the parts cost as $16.50. GE is willing to forego $8.25 to provide me compensation.

As you can imagine, my reaction is at first... incredulous...

Alison's response follows. By my count, she references herself  as "I" or "me" 5 times, and GE Appliances "we" or"us" 4 times. She references me ("you") ...3 times.

At this point, I am awaiting GE Appliance's response. I don't think Alison really understands the math of what she offered. $8.25 hasn't even covered the cost of her time to the company to manage the issue so far. Plus, an inadequate response by GE Appliance to this issue is not going to be productive for the company in the long run.

However, I'm generally a positive guy. I believe that people and companies can do the right thing.

Stay tuned. I'll let you know what happens here.

My Daily Flirt with Danger

I'm sitting next to somebody at work who has conjunctivitis.

Oh, the pain... the pain

Dr. Smith would have been in pain during Sunday's match-up between the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. Seattle lost two players to injury... defensive end Chris Clemons tore his ACL and kicker Steven Hauschka hobbled through the game in pain due to a calf injury.

Frankly though, I could do without another Redskins quarterback suffering a leg injury. The painful knee twist that phenom Robert Griffin III suffered was a flashback-inducing reminder of Joe Theisman's famous leg break.

Despite the injuries and the abysmal field conditions, this was a great game featuring 3 of the NFL's marquee rookie players; RG3, Russell Wilson, and Alfred Morris all played with talent that explains why fans on both coasts have been ecstatic all season long. For me, it was a game of loyalties. Since before I can remember, the Redskins have been my team. My Christmas tree still has a Billy Kilmer ornament. At the same time, I've been a Seahawks fan since my 7th grade football team by the same name won the championship.

Sure would have been nice to see these teams in the conference championship instead of the first round.

Old Friends

Today I learned that a friend from childhood died over the weekend from a heart attack. He was 52.

52 is not a ripe old age. To complicate his life toward the end, he was also battling cancer.

Looking back, the signs were there. Though always tall, he seemed from my young eyes to carry a little more than was normal around the waist. I attributed this in my youth and ignorance to lack of an active lifestyle. Toward his end, that little extra vanished in Facebook photos. Again, in my ignorance, I attributed the weight loss to aging and as the result of good health habits; exercise, improved diet.

As it turns out, ignorance is not wasted on the young.

The sudden (to me) loss of my friend is hitting me hard, and harder than I ever would have predicted. We were on-again, off-again friends as kids, and Facebook helped us to reconnect. He often posted about his latest car acquisition or ski trip. Funny enough, one of the strongest memories I have of him is the ski trip we took back in the 70s to Bryce Mountain. I can still see him in my mind's eye.

And now, with him gone, what remains are memories. Tinged with the regret that I could have, should have, been more appreciative of the gentleness he brought to this world, is the observation that others are coming forward, via Facebook, to express their fond memories of him.

I've always said that one of the greatest pleasures of Facebook is that it allows me to bring the best people in the different phases of my life together in one place.

It looks like the best phases of my life just got a little more empty.

Another Craigslist Attempt

See the posting here.

FREE CHUNKS O' CONCRETE PIECES SMASHED BY HULK!

BAH! Former owner of house build big concrete pad in back yard, and Hulk no like concrete pad. So Hulk get rid of pad by SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! Now concrete pad many, many pieces because no rebar. NO REBAR! NO REBAR! 

Now Hulk no like many, many pieces either. So Hulk say,"Who want concrete pieces?" But nobody answer Hulk. This make Hulk sad, so Hulk post this listing on Craigslist and think somebody want concrete. That somebody you? Well come get it before Hulk start throwing pieces at Ironman. He make Hulk confused with all that talking and funny beard.

You tell Hulk if you want concrete. Take as much or as little as you like. Hulk no care. Pieces were 18'x28' pad, 4-6" deep. Hulk think about 9 cubic yards.

Love for Sale

So I'm on a Craigslist kick these days. I first sold a trailer hitch and just today I sold a poker table and two matching chairs. Here's the write-up for the table and chairs:

The Walking Dead Poker Table 

That's right, the very same model as seen in this season's The Walking Dead on AMC. You've watched the Governor plot and plan, manipulating Andrea for his own nefarious needs. All that planning and plotting is happening around a table just as you see pictured here. The only difference is that this table doesn't have zombie guts stained on the surface.

In all seriousness, this is a beautiful reversible game table. We bought it in Texas when we had a poker room. Now we are in Washington and barely have room for a deck of cards. 

When displaying the gaming side, you are treated to cushioned bumpers and a rich black felt playing surface. Flip it over and you have a beautiful wood tabletop.

The table is $250, and we're throwing in two chairs for free. That's right, I said free.

Don't delay, or we'll be using the table to block the windows and doors from the hordes of undead.

I had 3 potential buyers in 12 hours. I need to do this more.

Give Thanks

So, I'm seeing a lot of conversations around Walmart being open on Thanksgiving. There's only one motivation driving this decision: to drive revenue. But before folks completely condemn the decision, first consider the fact that in some small towns where Walmart has set up shop and killed off small business and downtowns that the Big Box of Greed is the only choice in town for any kind of retail, including grocery stores. What are residents of those communities supposed to do for a gallon of milk--go without?

I also notice that when I was working in TV news, that I worked plenty of Thanksgivings and was paid a salary not too far off from the poverty line. My Thanksgiving dinners were sometimes at the same food shelters where I was shooting a story--the organizers would load me up with a plate as thanks for drawing attention to their charities--and as I looked around there were a lot of other non-millionaires working on Thanksgiving; police officers, firemen, clergy, etc.

All I'm saying is that if you don't like Walmart, don't shop there. But they have every right to operate their business the way they see fit.

And instead of condemning a business for a business decision, why not focus on giving thanks for what you have? Isn't that the whole purpose for the holiday?

Disney's Latest Triumph

The $4-billion purchase of Lucasfilm is being greeted with some trepidation by hard-core Star Wars fans, with the major question being: What will the Mouse do to the beloved Star Wars franchise?

My prediction: nothing worse than what George Lucas has done over the past few years. In fact, Disney is one of the very few companies out there today I would trust with the Lucasfilm assets. Disney has a rich history of entertainment and customer experience successes. You never hear a lot of stories from unhappy visitors to Disney parks. Can George Lucas say the same thing about Episodes I, II, and II?

I applaud the acquisition and wish Disney all the best of success!

No Place in Cycling, No Place in History

Today the International Cycling Union announced that Lance Armstrong, winner of 7 Tour de France races will no longer hold that honor. And though the chances of Lance ever recovering from this shameful setback are somewhere between slim, fat, and none-- the ICU has additionally banned him for life from any cycling competition.

This is a major downer.

Not just for Lance, but for all of us. Anybody who ever gave a damn about sports, cycling, the Tour, Lance, or even Sheryl Crow. Armstrong was a beacon of "Yes, I can!" for anybody faced with an obstacle greater than they ever thought they could achieve. Those teammates of his who protected him in the peloton? It turns out they were more than protecting Armstrong against the other competitors; they were just as dirty as the man once hailed as the greatest cyclist of all time.

In 2005, my family was traveling through France on a marathon vacation. At the last minute, we decided to make a beeline over to Montpelier to catch a glimpse of the Tour de France. We waited in the summer heat for hours. We waited without shade as the caravan of sponsors drove by; throwing trinkets and toys (we never managed to get a bottle of water). When the peloton approached, you could feel the energy crackle in the air. I found a spot along the road that enabled me to snap photos of the cyclists as they sped in our direction and toward the leg's finishline. Down the road, about 100 yards, I saw them rushing toward me. Without thinking, I kept my finger on the camera trigger so it could shoot as fast as its mechanics would allow. The results was a small collection of psychedelic and blurred images. I did not see Armstrong. I did not see Hincapie, or any of the other riders. But I was there and they came within inches of me. That close to greatness.

Now the glory of Armstrong's wins, including the one I was present at, are gone. As fleeting as the images on my camera.

Seattle's Gray is Back

So the last vestiges of summer have finally depart Puget Sound and the gray skies of fall/winter are here. This is the time of year when it is so easy to stay inside and avoid the elements.

The view from my desk downtown; facing north.

At the same time, what makes Seattle so great is that in spite of the weather and gray skies and rain, people still embrace getting outside. Yesterday I took the family on a trip to the far west side of Seattle proper to Discovery Park. In spite of the rain and cool wind blowing in off of Puget Sound, there were still plenty of folks at the park. We didn't last long--the thought of 5 people and 2 soaked dogs being in a minivan for the drive home was not something I looked forward to--but everybody seemed invigorated from our time outside. The kids retreated to the car happy and laughing, and the dogs had just enough exercise to settle them down for the afternoon.

It's going to be a long winter, it always is, and I am optimistic that if we continue these little jaunts that the cool and the rain and even the gray skies will not be conditions that we shy away from, but eventually part of the memories of our happiest times together.

Crozzled

The Urban Dictionary defines crozzled as: "lightly burnt, usually where just the edges have been burned to a crispy exterior."

I'm fascinated by my new favorite word as it appeared toward the end of 'The Road," the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a father and son's journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Cormac McCarthy weaves a bleak and fascinating tale of survival and, most of all, love between father and son.

This is not a happy story. Without giving away the end, I was left with an emotional pit in my stomach. At the same time, I was sated at having finished such a well-written novel. McCarthy paints vivid imagery and events that last after the final page is turned. At times I would re-read sections, not because I was confused, but because I enjoyed the journey I had just taken, similar to re-hiking a favorite trail. The author is clearly a fan of the English language and sprinkles SAT-worthy terminology throughout the text at will.

Now that I've read the book, I want to see the movie by the same name that was released a few years ago. I don't remember it receiving very good reviews, but it would be nice to see how the director translates McCarthy's word-smithing into visual storytelling.

Dispassionate Passion

By all rights, this weekend was a great sports weekend for me...

• JMU beat William & Mary in double-overtime
• Ohio State escaped from Indiana in a high-scoring grudge match
• The Seahawks up-ended the Patriots in the final minutes
• Even the Redskins managed to thrash Minnesota, ending a 8-game losing streak in Landover

Still, this favorite teams winning streak did not elicit the same level of excitement and adrenalin that it would have in seasons past. Not long ago, all this winning would have me wearing team colors, posting trash-talking commentary on Facebook, and generally being insufferable for the whole week.

But call it maturity or re-prioritized values, but I'm just not that jazzed. Frankly, I put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the 1998 Washington Capitals. It was that crew; Dale Hunter, Ollie Kolzig, and the rest of Ron Wilson's team, who captured my passions--heart and soul. I followed every game leading up to the Stanley Cup finals. Hockey for me was brutal ballet on ice. The Caps were finally the team that could deliver where other units did not.

Then the Cup series against the Detroit Red Wings occurred. The Wings swept the Caps in 4. Each game brought hope, reasons why my beloved Caps would win, and with each game, disappointment with the loss. I sincerely believe that that run at the Cup aged me more than any collective events in the past 15 years.

After the Caps were sent packing, I took a break from college and professional sports. For one reason, I was emotionally spent. The other reason was because my daughter was born a could months later. She changed my life forever.

So following sports has been somewhat lukewarm for me since then. I enjoy the games when they are on, but my passions are now given to living life, rather than sitting on the sidelines.

Design as... Creation for Consumption

There comes the time in every successful designer's career when that person is faced with the decision of "do  i stick with my design because it reflects my personal expression?" or "How should I make changes to my design so that they work for the people who will use it?"

That breakthrough moment is critical because it is the moment when personal preference takes a back seat to the priority of utilitarianism. Let's face it, we all come across designs that challenge our cognitive perception of the world. Whether a website, door handle, elevator button, or book cover--the things we use every day; the things we consume--are the creations of designers. Some better than others. And what do we do in these instances? We assume the blame for the bad user experience.

This is not an original idea. Donald Norman is the best-known voice for usability in everyday things. His book, The Design of Everyday Things was transformational for me, and every designer needs to read this book.

Because Seth Godin Says So

I want to start this blog by stating the number of times that I've started blogs in the past. I want to, but I can't, because I've lost count along the way. Always starting with good intentions, invariably I've lost track because of running out of things to write about, or because life just got too busy to write about it.

But never one to give up, I'm back at it again. And I'm back at it because earlier this week, Seth Godin told me to do it. It was at a digital conference that my company held in Chicago. Our first ever and we hired Seth Godin to deliver the keynote address. It was all the things that a keynote address should be; funny, inspiring, clever, and thought-provoking. And most of all, it was action-oriented. Right before walking off the stage, he told us all, all 200+ of us, to start a blog.

At first, I thought--sigh, done it, been there--but on further reflection, the only difference between the bloggers who command the attention of the digital industry and me is that they blog. They write. They find new ways to draw attention to themselves. Well, after 15 years in the business, I've got something to say as well.

And it all starts here.