Stay Safe

To all those in the path of Hurricane Gustav, please stay safe.

And that's the way it is...

I grew up in the Walter Cronkite era. Every night we tuned in to watch him tell us what was happening in the world. We trusted him, and for many years he was considered one of the most trusted figures in the United States.

He was our source of information about the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the war in Vietnam, the Apollo 11 moon landing and Watergate. When he retired, the nightly news changed and will never be the same.

Perhaps his best-known trademark was ending the CBS Evening News with the phrase "And that's the way it is" followed by the day's date.

When Walter Cronkite said that's the way it was, then by golly THAT'S the way it was.

Lately, however, "that's the way it is" has taken on a new meaning. To wit:

1. Last Friday my antivirus program began to act up. I got an error message along with a link to the manufacturer's website where I was instructed to download a fix, run it, run an update and follow any further instructions in the antivirus program. After doing that, the instructions I received told me to uninstall and reinstall the software. So I did just that, using THEIR uninstaller. At that point my ability to connect to the internet disappeared. I called the software people. They told me to go to their website, download another removal tool and run it. Uh... I'd just told them I couldn't get to the internet. They assured me that uninstalling their software could not possibly affect my internet connection. They suggested I call my internet service provider. "But YOUR software caused this. You need to help me." "I can't help you," he said in his heavily accented voice. "Why?" I wanted to know. "Well, that's the way it is."

2. I called my ISP and when they found out I didn't have their router, they said they couldn't help. "Why?" I asked. "Well, that's the way it is."

3. I called the router manufacturer and spent 3 hours upgrading the firmware on my router and creating a new network, which still did not solve my problem. "You need to call the manufacturer of your computer because it's not a router problem." "But why can't I get online?" "Well, that's the way it is."

4. I called the store where I purchased the laptop because it's still under warranty. The Geek Squad youngster came two days later and spent over an hour going through various diagnostics before he found a message indicating a small piece of my antivirus software was still resident on the hard drive and was blocking the internet access. He went to the AV company's website, downloaded the removal tool onto his teensy tiny flash drive, put it onto my laptop, ran it and voila! Internet access. "Why couldn't the AV people have told me to do that?" I asked him. "It would have saved you a trip and I'd not have spent the last 36 hours madder than a wet hornet." He shook his head and said "Well, sadly, that's the way it is. Their people are just stupid." At least he helped me and was sympathetic to my plight.

5. I bought a new floor sweeper last month and already part of it isn't working properly. I called the manufacturer on Monday because it's still in warranty. I expected them to replace it. Nope. They told me to take it to a repair shop where it will be repaired free if it's determined the problem is a mechanical failure. If THEY decide it's not, I get to pay for the repair. I imagine a service bill is probably more than the sweeper cost. "Why can't you just replace the sweeper?" I asked. "Well, that's the way it is."

6. My ATM card expires on February 29 and as of Monday I'd not received a replacement. I called the bank and learned no request had been generated to issue a new card. So the woman I spoke with put in the request and said I'd get it in five to seven working days, which means I may well be without my ATM card for a while. I asked if she could expedite it and she said she could -- for a $25 fee. "Why? It's not MY fault the bank screwed up?" "Well, that's the way it is."

7. A few weeks ago I switched from using my old desktop to using my nine-month-old laptop that runs the Microsoft Vista operating system. I knew I'd have to download new drivers for my printer, but once I did that, I expected the printer to work properly. Nope. I have trouble getting it to do double-sided printing correctly. I've been on the phone to the printer people numerous times and the answer is always "Well, that's the way it is."

WHY is that the way it is? Instead of the phrase being words that left me with a feeling of security, the words now leave me feeling helpless and hopeless. Those words are now simply a big fat excuse for poor workmanship, poor customer service and bad management.

Well, hello, AV software company. I decided to forego the final six weeks of my subscription and I purchased someone else's product as a replacement. The Geek Squad youngster is billing YOU for the service call since YOU gave me such bad advice and wasted his time cause that's the way it is. The DH is just looking for a good reason to switch banks, and if they pull this stunt when his ATM card comes due for replacement, he'll yank the funds from all three checking accounts and take them to a new bank cause that's the way it is. I take Bill Gates' name in vain every day now. Sorry pal, but as far as I was concerned, XP wasn't broken. And why, since Vista has been on the market for nearly eighteen months, have all the compatibility issues not been worked out. And don't tell me "Well, that's the way it is."

I'd like the excuses to stop. I'd like for companies to be accountable for their errors and their customer service departments to really give customer service instead of reading from a prepared script that doesn't allow for any deviation. I'd like to hear the word "And that's the way it is" and feel good again.

How about you? Got any good horror stories you'd like to get off your chest? Let er rip!

P.S. My foot improves every day. I went to the orthopedic surgeon today to have my stitches removes, only there weren't really any to remove. Everything was done internally with dissolving sutures and the outside was closed with steri-strips.

I can get it wet now (yay! cause bathing was a real exercise in creativity). I can wiggle my toe but am not supposed to try and force it to move. I can wear my new Crocs (I got two pairs for the price of one on eBay) if they're comfortable (they are) but if I'm going to be on my foot for a while (like grocery shopping) he suggested I wear the surgical shoe since it provides more support. I have an Ace bandagae on it and still have to keep it elevated as much as possible.

He said today's x-rays looked very good and the bones ares healing well. He also said I'd obviously followed doctor's orders and stayed off it and kept it elevated because there's virtually no swelling. If he gave fancy stickers for following orders, I'd have gotten one. Or maybe two. I still have to take it as easy as possible. It's difficult to put life on hold totally for six weeks. I'm to amble along at a slow pace and see him in a month. And if things continue as they have thus far, I'll start physical therapy then.

One Phish, Two Phish, Bad Phish, Pee-Yew Phish

Isn't it bad enough that the price of oil has risen sky high? That translates to higher prices at the pump and higher prices in the grocery stores. The bread I like is over $3 a loaf now. Milk is approaching $5 a gallon (which makes gasoline look cheap).

Everywhere you turn, prices are up, up, up. And that stinks.

If that's not enough to get your panties in a wad, check out these emails I've received lately. They are but a sampling of the efforts to which folks go to try and steal your financial information or wreck your computer. The one above left is an attempt to get me to log into my PayPal account and give them access to my checking account.



At first glance this appears to be an e-card from a friend. But no sender is named and a legitimate e-card from a website like Hallmark or American Greetings will give the sender's name.

This, my friends, leads to an executable file, which will most likely infect your computer with a virus and/or fry your hard drive.

Sadly, there is a legitimate site called egreetings.com. But the link in the message doesn't lead there.

According to this one, I was entered into a UK Lotto and WOW! My number was drawn to win the one million dollar daily jackpot!

All I have to do is email and give them my bank info. Yeah, right. Instead of a one million dollar deposit, I'd most likely see the contents of my account withdrawn and disappearing into the night.





This one comes close to actually looking real, and that's scary. I use this bank and use their online site to monitor my account. According to the email they're doing a random security check and if I don't respond to the email, they'll assume my account is fraudulent and suspend it. "The purpose of this verification is to ensure that your account has not been fraudulently used and to combat the fraud from our community."

Boy do I feel better. Not!


This is my all-time favorite. I retrieved a message remotely from my answering machine and was told my online payments had expired and I needed to go to a certain website and update my information. I was a bit suspicious, and when I got home and checked the caller ID, my suspicions were confirmed.

The Better Business Bureau got tons of calls about this one and it was on the evening news and in the local newspaper twice. They have no idea why Caller ID showed up this way, but I'm glad it associated the number with a nefarious bunch hoping to separate some fools from their money. And would you believe that even with "THIS IS A SCAM" showing up on caller ID, some folks actually went to the website and gave them their personal info???

Beware! Phishing is becoming more prevalent and the phishers are getting more and more sophisticated. Banks and other financial institutions will NEVER ask for private information over the phone or via email. When in doubt, check it out.

Tell us about the scams you've run across and help educate our readers to the dangers lurking out there. Enlighten us and I'll pick one lucky commenter to win a nifty book light.