Norton’s $140 Free Support
One of my client’s computers recently got infected by several viruses. She attempted to solve the problem by installing Norton Antivirus 2010. After the instillation, her computer would not allow her to logon, so she gave me a call. After doing some research, being unable to solve the problem, which was likely caused by the instillation of Norton Antivirus, I called Norton to receive the “Free Support” that came with the software. The phone support reminded me of my recent post on foreign call centers; Norton’s support was unbelievable and unacceptable. Explaining my interactions with Norton’s support team will illustrate how Norton’s “low cost” foreign call centers destroy consumer trust, damage Norton’s brand, and ultimately reduced the company’s profitability.
Before I elaborate on Norton’s phone support, I want to point you to how I solved the problem. You can see the solution on how to fix a logon logoff loop on a previous post of mine.
Formatting: Crain’s E-mail Alerts
I follow local business news very closely and Crain’s Chicago Business is an incredible source for Chicago business news. They have excellent reporting, a broad range of stories, and even a well produced daily video podcast (iTunes). However, Crain’s E-mail alerts have some opportunity for improvement. And as many of my friends and colleague know, I am a “Formatting Nazi”.
Here is a quick “1-minute” formatting improvement.
Original
Improved
The improved segment is easier to read; looking cleaner, better structured, and more professional. I made five improvements, each of which made a dramatic difference.
- Move the date below the “Top Headlines” title -> cleaner look.
- Used an Un-ordered list instead of inline, text bullets -> cleaner look.
- Decreased quantity of words in each headline -> no wrapping text.
- Standardized text sizes -> all headlines match, cleaner look.
- Used Blagojevich’s real last name, not slang -> improved professionalism.
Fixed: Windows XP Logon Logoff Loop
One of my clients caught a virus on her computer this last week. In an attempt to correct the problem, she installed Norton Antivirus 2010 before doing a full system scan using the boot disk. The first time she rebooted the computer, she got into a logon logoff loop; after entering her login information and submitting it, Windows XP would automatically logoff the account. It was at this point she contacted me and I came to help her solve the problem. [See the bottom of this post for the solution]
Fixed: LN-S4095DX Overscan
I had a problem with my Samsung LN-S4095DX cutting off the edges of the image and was able to fix it with a firmware update.
A Visit to Best Buy
A recent trip to Best Buy encouraged me to Tweet about a slow line and unhappy employee. After my Tweet, a concerned Best Buy employee responded and asked me to elaborate on the problems I was having. I decided to write him an e-mail.
Dvorak Uncensored: ATMs on Craigs List
After the Vegas DEFCON ATM debacle where hackers hacked hackers by setting up a fake ATM in front of the facilities security office, I needed to see how stupid easy it was to buy an ATM and just set it up anywhere. So my search began.
I started looking on e-bay and found plenty of new and used ATMs ranging from $500-2500 but quickly determined I didn’t want to pay $300 for shipping. Next was Craigslist…
