Reinventing Customer Service

I recently had the opportunity to experience a level of customer service that really took me by surprise when a company tried to actually make things right. I have previously posted about Apple 1st generation hardware woes and while they were legitimate claims of defects, attempts to get them fixed not on my own dime served fruitless for over a year. But then something very very cool happened on a last attempt to reach out to Apple about the obvious issues that I was having with the hardware.

Just as recap:
A firmware update to my optical drive effectively broke it (wouldn't even read OS disc)
And there was discoloration in tandem with an unprovoked crack in the top casing.

Now while the top casing did suck it was something I could live with (if I had to) but the firmware breaking my optical drive (Superdrive 2.1 firwmare on a Matshita UJ-857 drive) really irked me. Of course there is an argument for just buying an external optical and going from there. However I didn't break my machine, and it was a laptop. Who wants to lug around a giant external optical when going somewhere? I know that I sure don't want to.
So how did things go wrong, and what did I do in order to get the ball rolling in a helpful direction? Well first of call, calling Apple's support lines is of very minimal help when you are "a tech person" and have already tried the usual steps of reseting things to default. You can't blame the techs on the phone because most consumers calling in (especially macs) are probably not going to know pretty specific reasons as to why the computer is effed.
The largest obstacle for the regular Apple phone tech's was that this was not a "documented problem" when all over their own discussion boards as well as various forums there are literally thousands of people who were effected by this firmware collision.
So here is what worked for me, and hopefully if you have a similar situation you will have the same type of response from Apple. First of all I e-mailed a pretty "to the point" letter to the following three e-mail addresses: steve@mac.com, sjobs@apple.com, sjobs@mac.com While these are "Steve Jobs e-mails" we all know he probably has absolutely nothing to do with these addresses and it's just an intercept point for a few staff in Cupertino to catch the really annoyed customers. I honestly didn't expect any reply as I felt that I had exhausted all of my avenues of potentially getting my issues resolved, but within 2 business days I got a nice call from a "Ken Bell" who gave me a direct phone number to reach him at, discussed my situation and had me talking to a real Tech the same day. After receiving my Logs and realizing that it was a legitimate issue from Apple, they promptly had a box sent to my door, and with 1 day shipping each way I had my computer back all fixed within 3 business days.
Being a college student and only owning this one Macbook and no other computer, time was critical when getting it repaired and Apple certainly delivered.
In addition to the new Superdrive (as you couldn't just flash it back to the previous firmware) they also replaced my top case for discoloration!
I was very pleased to know that if you push hard enough a company like this will fix a wrong doing even when the computer is out of warranty. While it is unfortunate that I know there are a lot of customers who gave up on the phone lines and went without a fix. However if you have the same problem try to recreate my steps and see if you have similar success!

Rubicon Difficulties?

So you may or may not have heard about the LA company called "The Rubicon Project" who aims to optimize your online ad inventory to produce a higher CPM for unsold ad space within your site. This blog is pretty small, but I decided to give it a shot and was accepted into their Beta. Recently Rubicon went through an update in their control panel, better reporting etc. That is all fine and dandy until it doesn't work right. First of all Rubicon is finally making strides to profit from the ad inventory optimization, they claim on average a 30% improvement of CPM for websites, and to be honest thats probably pretty close, and they will not be taking a 10% cut of revenue for the service - I can live with that.
But here is where things get tricky, they all the sudden stopped reporting since April 13th, and even those numbers are lacking a few bits of network data. But the weirdest part of all was when I went to log into their secure control panel and was redirected to AT&T Wireless 3 times! How in the heck is a secure log in page redirecting to a cellular company? If anyone else uses The Rubicon Project and is having difficulties, please post in the comments. I have attempted to contact Rubicon about the far delayed reporting but apparently my e-mail is "still in the cue". Maybe they are having a flood of questions as to why things just aren't working?

P.S. It sure doesn't seem to stop their ad inventory from showing up on this blog!

Limited Edition PS3: Gunmetal

For the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 there will be a limited edition PS3 with a slick gunmetal finish, dual shock 3, and of course the MGS4 game bundled in. The catch for this thing of beauty? It will only be available in Japan and will cost roughly $520 USD at launch. So any of you guys on this shore wanting one will have to scour the ebay auctions and hope that I am not trying to out bid you :)

[Via Impress]

AD/ Printing OS X 10.4

For thos of you reading my OS X 10.5 article, Apple made it relatively easy to connect directly to the printer using the add printer functionality when on an active directory system in their newest operating system. However, what are you supposed to do if you are running a PPC that isn't up to par for 10.5? That is the case for a lot of enterprise settings. I found a great article about how to implement log in and log out hooks in 10.4 to allow for network printing without actually joining an Apple to AD.
The steps bellow were tested using a Windows 2003 server box.
--start of file

-- written by Mark Butler, Mark J. Reed, Emmanual, David Thompson and Paul Thompson
-- reads original printers.conf to theText variable
set theText to do shell script ("cat /etc/cups/printers.conf") with administrator privileges


-- set printersconf variable to path to tempfile as string
set printersconf to "/tmp/printers.conf"
set printersconf to (POSIX file printersconf) as string

-- set username and userpass to variables
set username to text returned of (display dialog "Enter your User Name:" default answer "your username")
set userpass to text returned of (display dialog "Enter your Windows password:" default answer "your password" with hidden answer)


-- replace text in variable theText to username and pass
set tempdelims to AppleScript's text item delimiters
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "username"
set temptext to every text item of theText as list
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to username
set temptext to every item of temptext as string
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "userpass"
set temptext to every text item of temptext as list
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to userpass
set theText to every item of temptext as string


-- safely convert to unicode special chars
set theText to the theText as Unicode text

-- this is a handler it calls the writefile below with theText variable and printersconf variable
writeFile(theText, printersconf)

-- this creates a backup of the /etc/cups/printer.conf file
do shell script ("cp /etc/cups/printers.conf /etc/cups/ printers.conf.pre-userpass") with administrator privileges

-- this copies the tmp file back to the /etc/cups folder
do shell script ("cp /tmp/printers.conf /etc/cups/printers.conf") with administrator privileges

-- set permissions back on the file
do shell script ("chown root:lp /etc/cups/printers.conf") with administrator privileges


-- restart cups .... not sure you need this but it couldnt hurt
do shell script ("killall -HUP cupsd") with administrator privileges


--- this handler writes the file called earlier these are an easy way to reuse code it can be called multiple times but only needs to be written once...
on writeFile(thecontents, thefile)
set f to (open for access (thefile) with write permission) -- edited
write thecontents to f as string
close access f
end writeFile


--end of file

I saved it as a run only application, and placed it in a folder I created on the local machine in /Library/. I called the folder "Management" but you can call it what you wish. I also created a shell script to reset the printers.conf file on logout, and placed it in the "Management" folder as well. Here is the script:


#start of script


#!/bin/bash


# Simple script to move the printers.conf file back to original status


rm /etc/cups/printers.conf
cp -Rp /etc/cups/printers.conf.pre-userpass /etc/cups/printers.conf
exit


#end of script


The permissions and ownership are set as follows:


chmod 755 /Library/Management **permissions on the management folder**
do a chmod 777 on the files within the management folder
chown -R root:admin /Library/Management

The final part to this puzzle is the creation of Login and Logout hooks in the local machine.

Login Hook ** This is for the AppleScript**
sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook /Library/ Management/Printing.app

Logout Hook **This is for the shell script**
sudo defaults write com.apple.loginwindow LogoutHook /Library/ Management/Restorecups

The only other thing that needs to be completed is to cd /etc/ cups/ and edit the printers.conf file. Once you set the printers up right once using the Printer Setup Utility, you cd to /etc/cups/ and do a sudo vi printers.conf Replace the username and password that you inputted during the setup and replace it with "username" and "userpass" I have included a sample below for reference:


# Printer configuration file for CUPS v1.1.23
# Written by cupsd on Wed Oct 26 16:33:57 2005

Info Printername
Location Domain
DeviceURI smb://username:pass@Domain/ServerName/Printername
State Idle
Accepting Yes
Shared Yes
JobSheets none none
QuotaPeriod 0
PageLimit 0
KLimit 0



After checking to make sure it works on one machine, if you have ARD on that machine, you can use it to push all of the information to any other machines that you need to set it up on. You need to push the "Management" folder located in /Library, and the printers.conf file, the PPD folder, and printers.conf.pre-userpass files located in /private/etc/cups/

Thanks so much for the help Paul!

XP Games + Vista

So after recently taking the plunge to Vista, I was saddened when my good old trusty (and dated) Call of Duty 2 wouldn't run via a regular install! Oh noes! Well luckily I found out a way to make most "made for windows xp" games run pretty smoothly.

So here's the scoop:
First of all, go ahead and the normal install disregarding the compatibility message brought up by Vista.
Secondly, navigate to the launch file for the particular game you want to modify and go into properties.
Then two things need to be selected in order to ensure best compatibility:

Check to run as an administrator and,
Check to run "in compatibility with Windows XP SP2"

Making sure that both are checked is pretty critical to avoid permission bugs and to get you right into the gaming action once again under the hood of bloody vista!

AD/Printing in OS X 10.5

In Apples newest Operating System named "Leopard" OS X 10.5, Apple has finally streamlined network printing on AD/ systems. Previously on OS X 10.4 you had to install log in/log out hooks in order to connect and print to network printers without doing some server trickery. With 10.5, its pretty simple once you show a simple extra button during the "add printer" setup.

Steps:
1. Open System Preferences
2. Select Printers & Fax
3. Click the "+" sign in order to start the adding process
4. With this pane open, Cntrl + Click the menu bar to "Customize Toolbar"
5. Drag the "Advanced" button onto the menu bar
6. Select the Advanced button - The computer will briefly not give you any options as it scans the network.
7. Under "Type" select Windows, this will change the address line to the correct "smb://"
8. Enter in the full address of the printer (ie) " smb://NeworkAddress/PRINTERNAME "
9. Name the printer something relevant
10. Under "Print Using", you will want to say "Select Driver"
11. Type in the model number and add the printer

It is nice that small things like this in newer versions of OS X show Apples consciousness of enterprise situation needs. Hopefully with the FULL exchange support coming on the iPhone, we will be able to see a real amount of support without strange glitches with Mail and iCal.

Phillips Exits U.S. Market

Phillips is feeling the pinch that most panel makers are getting hit with. The cross branding of the same panels should have been a heads up for most that its a market where only a few can succeed. Usually either the ultra-high end or the cheapest of cheap. The Phillips brand with be taking the later is it will not be outsourced by producer Funai who follows the philosophy of "cheaper is better; the cheapest guy at walmart = king".
Funai can be found in a lot of black friday ads for television sets and dvd players at big blue and white, or as I personally like to call it "the mothership" (see: trailer park expansions).

Joost Sees Shaky Future

Joost - a P2P video streaming program from the same founders of KaZaA and Skype are restructuring the organization and focusing their efforts in what seems to be a push to save the company. Their biggest problem is lack of exclusive, premium content and a growing list of viable competitors such as Hulu which now even streams full length movies to any Flash enabled web browser. Joost sees their future in the US market and will be dropping global support as they saw an uphill battle for global distribution rights as they are normally sold on a country to country basis.
A real opportunity that I see for Joost is their emerging trials of streaming video. Real time video is what is missing from the web to replace the traditional cable subscriptions in tandem with the need for a company to make a "cable box replacement" as plugging a computer up to the tv is not the way to go for most people save a few geeks [myself included].
According to a source at TecCrunch; a problem with the current structure at Joost is the number of egos within its leaders ad their inability to be as nimble as such a start needs to be in such a competitive field as online video. It has a lot of good ideas, it just isn't popular enough or have nearly good enough content to make it the hit it could potentially be.
[via TechCrunch]

To Vista or Not to Vista?

In the very near future Microsoft will be rolling out an auto-update of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Vista users which typically the sign to jump on board when it comes to Microsoft products (typically 1 year, or the first service pack, which ever comes first). So the question is whether or not the typical Microsoft cycle holds true for their latest offering, and with the announcement straight from the mouth of Bill Gates saying that Windows 7 is coming sooner rather than later, some argue that Vista is just another ME (see: Mistake Edition), however the real big thing here is: "Are businesses going to use Vista or not?". This is fundamental because if Businesses end up using Vista we will see it in use for a much longer time than that of Vista. While most IT departments are trying to steer clear of this "pretty OS" and stick with Windows XP (Microsoft even offers a downgrade License to XP from Business/Ultimate Editions) but there is a kicker that will probably force more business operations onto Vista than are currently willing to do so. Windows XP's support if officially dead in 2010 which leaves just under a year (if there are not delays) for Windows 7 which is not enough time for most IT departments to jump onto a fresh version of Windows.
What scares and IT department more than a hog operating system that isn't really "needed" except for the fact that the previous OS isn't supported anymore is an Operating that has not been proven in the field.
If you want the best advice about what to do with Windows Vista, the safest bet is (if you have the know how) dual boot XP and Vista to make sure you can run any current Windows Application. Or if you are not necessarily tech savvy shoot for getting Vista onto your machine (or a new machine) by Christmas time this year, and hang onto it until 2011. Besides by then the baseline performance of even modestly priced PC's should be able to handle all that is Vista and provide a smooth experience. Try to steer clear of Vista Home Basic though as it is too chopped down to justify it as an "upgrade". At least jump for Windows Vista Home Premium or above.

An Amazon Service for the College Crowd

Amazon launched a peculiar service where you actually text information to Amazon and get results back as to whether or not Amazon stocks the product and at what price. You then reply with either a 1 or a 2 (if gives you only two options in its response text) at which point it prompts you for an e-mail address and zip code.
After texting that information to them, you receive an automated phone call to complete the ordering process. The interesting thing here is for book buying time for college students because you can type in an ISBN or UPC to do a price check with amazon, and if they have it at a lower price, you can go ahead and buy it right then. Nice to have an alternative to the highway robbery of most campus book stores.

nVidia 3-Way SLi: Actually fast.

The folks over at Anandtech have done a plethora of benchmarking to see how a 3-way SLi setup performs with nVidia's latest offering. The good news here for you gamers out there who demand the best is that you actually get improvement in performance from going with more cards. Usually when you are at the top end from both nVidia or AMD, putting more cards in would rarely show a meaningful performance increase. The SLi setup even beats out the best of the best from AMD.
Check out their full review here.

AT&T + Microsoft = Lovey Dovey

So it looks like Apple isn't the only company trying to tie relations with AT&T these days [see iPhone] as Microsoft is planning on bringing its surface technology into their retail stores on April 17th. Very cool yet very expensive, when can I get one of these as my smart coffee table?
It appears that it will be used as a "self serve" purchasing table.
For example: Throw a phone onto the table and learn everything there is to know about that phone model and be able to "invest" your money into things like ringtones and graphics. But few stores are getting this 10k brick of technology, only those in NYC, Atlanta, San Francisco, and San Antonio.

Intel Announces Atom Mobile Procs'

Intel made it official about their new mobile line of processors in which while there aren't any curve balls, its certainly noteworthy. This type of product should help fuel the already hot devices like the Eee PC, and the Cloudbook type computers.
While the prices are more than the $30 price range which had been rumored, these devices come with their "logic board" included with things such as integrated video capable of HD video playback.

Z500 - 800MHz, 0.65W TDP power, 400MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($45)
Z510 - 1.1GHz, 2W TDP power, 400MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($45)
Z520 - 1.33GHz, 2W TDP power, 533MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($65)
Z530 - 1.6GHz, 2W TDP power, 533MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($95)
Z540 - 1.86GHz, 2.4W TDP power, 533MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($160)
[Pricing per 1,000 units]

[Intel]

Skype Loses Out

The FCC feels that is has been generous enough when it comes to making cell phone carriers open. So much so that when Skype petitioned the FCC to push a ruling that already exists on landlines stating that any device can run on a network assuming that it doesn't cause any harm to that network was rejected. Skype had hoped to bring a nifty bandwidth hungry VoIP phone to the masses and let developers build for it, but somehow their model was just too much of a leap for the FCC. Maybe someday we can get this kind of thing right? I mean love or hate Skype but they have the right idea, that VoIP calling should be made available over networks, and it should be cheap. The day that we see a device like this running on the cell networks will pretty much be a nail in the coffin for most landline uses; it's just too hard to beat its value proposition.
[PC World]