Why Sprint should be careful dumping customers

The news today said SPRINT is letting go of a thousand of their customers for calling in to customer service too much. No I'm not kidding. In their ultra competitive industry they are choosing to let customers go rather than service them.

This led me to ruminate on the service I have received as a cell phone customer. I had my first cell phone from AT&T - I had no real service problems with them. I was lazy and just kept my service with them years after my contract was up. (despite many offers to change).

Then one day I was at a AT&T cellphone stand at the Sam's club and picked up a brochure. I decided to call the customer service number and ask what kind of pricing I could get to extend my contract. The agent on the other end of the phone gave me pricing but it was exactly the same as in the brochure.

I said "I've been a customer for years, paying on time, never leaving or negotiating another price and you're offering me the same as if I walked in off the street?". The agent said "yep". I said "well I think I may cancel my account because that is ridiculous" Then she said the magic words, the words no customer service rep should say to someone threatening to leave. "that's your choice Sir!" I was shocked "you mean to tell me that you don't care if I leave you as a customer?" and she said "That's your choice Sir" - so I said "Cancel my account starting today".

Thats exactly what I did. (I didn't have a cell phone for 2 years until I was stranded out front of a friend's house and they couldn't hear me ringing the bell)
I wound up getting an account at Verizon after doing some research. Their service has been pretty good until recently.

I got a call at home from a Verizon sales rep offering me a new chocolate phone if I agreed to a 2 year contract. The phone would be $40. There was nothing wrong with my phone at all - it just seemed time for a new one. I signed up over the phone and received the phone. This is where all the fun began.

First the chocolate phone is a real lemon. It sucks in about every way possible. People can't hear me, it dials people when I don't want it to, the ringer turns off in my pocket, the camera is horrible, it doesn't register when you want to delete messages etc etc etc - it is the worst phone. (its cute - lots of compliments)

Next thing I know I get a bill for $150!!!!! They said I didn't return some paperwork they had sent so I was being reverted to the 6 month pricing. (I didn't receive this paperwork.) I was told I had to go into a store to sign the paperwork. (This is after I was verbally recorded agreeing to the deal via phone and unwrapping the phone with a warning saying I was agreeing to the deal)

I went to the store and they told me I had to do it via phone. They connected me via phone and I told them the phone doesn't work anyway so I wanted to forget the contract then. They said no deal it was past 30 days so even though the product is horrible I cannot return it. To get the $150 charge off my bill I had to argue with them on the phone. They wanted to credit me only a partial amount, kept telling me my Chocolate phone's value was such a special price etc. I had to keep saying "It doesn't work and You're getting a 2 year contract out of the deal and I'm getting nothing. I'm getting a bad phone!"

They finally credited me the $150.00 but did nothing for my inconvenience, aggravation or frustration. (I wish they'd choose to dump me!)

In the meantime I'm getting mail from AT&T every day trying to get me back as a customer. They wouldn't have lost me in the first place had they done the right thing. These cell companies should know the value of losing a customer and trying to gain a new one.

All these cell companies need to realize - how they treat their customers will come back to them twofold. When I boycott a company they are dead to me - I recently changed my landline service from AT&T (formerly Ameritech) to my cable company. I have had Ameritech my whole life but thanks to AT&T's purchase they no longer have my business. They won't get me back. Why?

Because their Customer Service rep said "That's your choice Sir".

Are you always tired? How I came back to life!

I'm not someone who falls asleep at the movies or on transportation. A movie can be really boring and I'm still sitting there taking it in. I don't sleep on transportation either - I didn't even sleep on a trip all the way to Australia. It just isn't me. Then something strange started happening....

I'd be watching a movie and I suddenly couldn't control my sleepiness. My head would start to fall forward even when I was engaged in the movie or a play. I feel like I didn't even see a couple of the movies or plays I was at the theatre for. Then on transportation I started falling asleep. Any distance in the car would suddenly have me nodding off and snoring for a moment. I fell asleep on a plane and was making so much snoring noise that two young girls took my picuture! embarassing but true.

I kept thinking it was my crazy sleep schedule. I would often say up late to midnight then get up early (or later on when I wasn't working sleep in late). This even started to affect my work life. I would be sitting looking at the computer and my head would start to fall forward. I could just stare at the computer. I even got in trouble because I got sleepy in a meeting at work (with the lights off) in the conference room. I think this contributed to me resigning my position at my previous company.

When I took trips with my friends they were alarmed because I stopped breathing in the middle of the night and would gasp for breath. (My mouth would be very dry in the mornings & I would have a slight headache) My friend noticed the gasping when I stayed over night at his house, he told me "I think you have sleep apnea". I had told my Doctor about being tired but once I mentioned sleep apnea he sent me for a sleep test.

The sleep test is a unique experience. It was in a nice hotel off of Michigan Ave where one entire floor of rooms are set up for sleep studies. They put you in a normal hotel room except there is a camera in the corner watching every move you make, they hook you up to a bunch of wires all over your body and then watch you sleep. After awhile (a couple hours?) they woke me up and told me I needed to use a machine to breathe so they hooked a machine up with a mask over my nose and mouth. Then I was back to sleep again. They woke me up very early (Like 5am or something) and sent me home. The report showed I DID have sleep apnea and I needed a machine to wear at night to breathe.

I received the CPAP machine in the mail. It is a machine about the size of a small loaf of bread with a big hose like thing attached (remember those old hair dryers?) and a mask to go over your face. (some go on both nose and mouth, mine is nose only) I didn't want to use it at first, I don't like things touching me while I'm sleeping but I was getting more miserable with the situation. I started using it on and off. I started noticing that when I used the machine I didn't have a headache and I had more energy. (Finally getting the REM sleep that everybody needs - the restorative sleep) It's weird to have it on at first and you do kinda look like a science fiction monster.

I eventually got used to it and started to use it every night. My whole life started to change. Suddenly I felt good again. No sleepiness, no dry mouth, no headache and an abundance of energy. I even started working out again because I didn't feel so tired anymore. I could go to the movies and pay attention again, Every car ride wasn't nap time. It was very much like coming alive again. I realized that I had not really been sleeping all those months - it was like putting in the bare minimum of fuel in a car and running on fumes.

Now I take my machine everywhere and I'm not embarassed by it at all. I took it to my friends beach house when I slept on the couch, I take it home with me when I visit my parents and I even take it on flights with me. (Airlines know them well) Since I've had it I have even started to meet others with the problem or everyone seems to know someone. (Even Rosie O'Donnell uses a CPAP to sleep)

I wanted to write this blog because had my friends not alerted me and I hadn't told my Doctor this would have kept going on and on. It was ruining the quality of my life and I didn't know it.

If you think you are having any of these symptoms please tell your Doctor right away. Now when I take a nap it's because I want to, not because I have to.

Why Isaiah Washington is just the tip of the iceberg

Isaiah Washington is livid over being fired from Grey's Anatomy for calling a cast member a "faggot". He has said he apologized enough and now he's even saying that they fired the wrong guy. Sadly he just doesn't get it. However this is not suprising it speaks to a bigger issue - homophobia in the black community.

This struck me the other day when I realized that I had seen the musical The Color Purple, had read the brilliant book and seen the movie. It got me thinking about all the documentaries, television shows and books I have read about the black experience in America. Does the African American community do the same for gay people? I think not. I know who Emmet Till is - does the majority of black americans know who Harvey Milk is? I don't think so.

Homophobia is deeply ingrained in the Black Community. Black men are taught that they have to be real men and not "punks". Being gay is not only against the religious beliefs but also the societal norms of the community. This causes the most flamboyant gay black men to exist in a "don't ask, don't tell" aspect of their community. The gay black men who can "pass" are often on the down low - pretending to be straight but having gay sex. This has ramifications for the entire community.

Exploring the "down low" issue shows how homophobic the African American community really is. The gay men in this situation are treated as evil men doing wrong to black women. What is not brought up is the reason these men are on the "down low" in the first place. It's because of the oppression they are facing from their own community to not be able to live their true life. Pointing their fingers at the men in this scenario and treating the women as victims are not taking acceptance for their own actions. It is the communities homophobia that is causing this to happen - its time to stop the blame and start taking responsilbity for the situation society has created for them.

You would think when you are a minority who is oppressed you would be more sympathetic towards others in the situation. However this is clearly not the case. I have often heard black public figures trying to distance themselves from comparing racism to homophobia. They don't want to compare the struggles because of their own bias.

You often see gay jokes in shows created by the black community. Lots of the gospel musicals have gay comic relief, skits on shows like In Living Color with feminine gay characters and most of the black comedians do some sort of gay schtick. Since gay people are oppressed in the community I think this should be compared to white "minstrel shows" of the past. Bring out the gays for a little humor.

The simple fact of the matter is that in the black community it is perfectly acceptable to be homophobic. Just look at the comments when former NBA player John Amechi came out of the closet. Player Tim Hardaway said "Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people." That he felt it was ok to say this in public and on the radio shows how deeply ingrained the homophobia is in his daily life and interactions.

This is not to say all African Americans are homophobic. When Coretta Scott King passed away I was visibly upset by the loss. She spoke out against homophobia despite pressure from her community and some members of her family. She was for civil rights of all people, no matter who they are. A true beacon of light and a great woman. Too bad more African American people can't live by her example.

My evening at the Gay Porn awards! (gasp!)

My neighbors are both porn reviewers for a local gay publication. This consists of mainly watching gay porn and writing a review of the movie. This sounds like a fun job but they actually have to sit through the entire movie. (meaning the plot and dialogue - the parts most people don't watch) They also have to come up with multiple acronyms for the penis and gay sex acts which I'm sure gets old. They invited me to the GRABBYS - Chicago's annual award show for gay porn. I wasn't sure what to expect.

I knew the reception was starting at 6pm and I was running a little late so I grabbed a cab there. When the cab pulled up I looked out the window and my mouth literally dropped open. All these gay porn stars whom I had only seen on film before were in front of the theatre hugging each other and saying hello. I didn't expect to be starstruck but I definately was. (some were shorter & smaller than they look on film)

Once I got out I saw different entrances to the venue. One was red carpeted and someone in drag (a famous porn editor I found out) was interviewing the stars on camera one by one. I gave my ticket to the usher and decided to get a drink and hang out in the lobby and stare. All around were faces I recognized - I knew them but they didn't know me.

I saw Barrett Long who is one of my favorite performers. He's a baby faced jock looking guy with an enormous.....talent. I wanted to talk to him badly but what should I say? He seemed a little shy and I think he noticed me hovering. Luckily my neighbor came to get me and show me where we were sitting.

I found my neighbors private table and the crowd started to filter in. I was thrilled to discover that our table was next to the TITAN studios table. Titan specializes in very muscular hairy aggressive performers. The stars all filled in and they did not disappoint. All muscular wearing black TITAN wife beater t-shirts. They had muscular arms and chests but tiny waists. Real live action figures.

I didn't realize my neighbors actually voted for the winners. So the porn stars were coming over to say hello to them. This meant I got to meet some of them and luckily I brought my camera to capture this. They were very happy to be in fan photos and I got to put my arms around them...not bad. Very friendly guys who appreciate their fans. (Colin O'Neal - star & director - is a real nice guy)

The show started and it was hosted by Chi Chi LaRue - a famous porn director who dresses in drag (kinda looks like Divine) and co-hosted by local chicago drag diva Honey West. (who actually sings unlike usual lip synching drag queens) They made several crazy and wonderful costume changes throughout the evening. They kept the show moving along and several porn stars came out to present the awards. (Best C*ck, Best threesome, Best Supporting Actor......you get the idea) The people who won the awards seemed genrally pleased to have won and grateful. They didn't mock them despite the hilarious nature of some of the nomination titles. (There was one crazy moment where a porn star read a nominee's name wrong - one of the Titan stars yelled out "I'm gonna knock you out!" and he was not kidding.)

Just like any awards show it went on about 20-30 minutes too long but you exepect that. The most humorous part was that the "Best Picture" nominees all had film clips shown. The Park West won't allow porn to be shown so the film clips were all "acting" or suggestive clips - no nudity. This editing was hilarious! Another highlight was famous comedy writer (and hollywood square) Bruce Vilanch getting an honorary award for attending the awards all these years. He gave a great funny speech as only he can do. (wish I could remember it)

At the intermission I finally worked up my nerve to ask Barrett Long if I could get a picture with him. He ended up being very friendly and told me "anytime" so I guess he was just shy after all. He's very handsome in person and no I didn't see his "talent". (some of the performers were in suits, others tank tops - just depended on their mood - the California awards are more formal I hear) Who wants formal porn stars????

Another favorite Jake Deckard actually said from the stage "this is what you want to see" and made out with another star onstage and rolled around on the ground with him. Later I asked him for a pic, he was super nice and ended up kissing my cheek for the photo. I felt like Marcia Brady meeting Davey Jones.

I realized that the Gay Porn awards have a different feel than the Straight Porn awards. (not that I've been there) This is because no matter how much women say they love doing it - straight porn is inherently misogynisitic. The women are being "used" for male entertainment by males running the show. At the Grabby awards you feel like everyone involved is having a fun time. Men who love having sex with Men doing it on camera and becoming "celebrities" in the process. The Grabbys feel like one big party.

I bet there's fighting, bickering and drama involved. (these are gay men after all) I'm sure it's 'All about Steve' backstage but from the audience it was all fun!

For more info go to www.grabbys.com

CTA Responds

From: "CTA Help" <ctahelp@transitchicago.com

Thank you for your feedback.

-CTA Customer Service

CTA has lots of nerve threatening me!

The president of the CTA just annouced that he would have to double fares and remove bus/ train routes if he doesn't get the money he's requesting from the state. He's trying to create panic with the ridership to pressure the politicians to approve the funding. As someone who takes the CTA everyday I think he has a lot of nerve.

First let me recognize that Chicago has a great transit system compared to some cities. I literally have a train and about 6 buslines that are close to my house. However having these different options does not mean that the CTA makes it easy to be a commuter. It often leaves you wishing you had a car.

I have virtually stopped taking the Red Line train downtown unless I am forced to. I used to take it every day but now I just can't take sitting or standing on that dirty, filthy train. There are half eaten food items on the floor, wrappers, Peanut/Sunflower shells etc and it often reeks of urine. Sometimes the train has no air and is stifling hot as well. It was so bad the last time I took the train I told my Alderman about it. No one should be stuffed into an overcrowded train spelling of urine unless you are all on your way to the concentration camps.

I decided to take the bus lines instead. What's the problem with the buses? The inability of the CTA to get these buses on time or on any schedule whatsoever. They said they were going to let riders be able to track buses on their laptops soon and my resonse is "just make them on time and people won't wonder where they are!!!" In the past couple weekends I have had the following things happen - I have waited for a 147 express bus that took 45 minutes to arrive on Michigan Ave, I waited for a 151 bus that never showed up even after waiting a half hour. Now these things happened on the weekend - not at rush hour and not even the weekdays. This should be their "easy time" but it's not. (The weekdays during work hours should be better as well but alas the buses are still late)

In the mornings the buses are not spaced out correctly so we get the "full bus/empty bus" syndrome. The first bus arrives and people are packed into it. When I say packed I mean standing and jammed in with their faces pressed against the front window. Then the second bus comes a couple minutes later and its virtually empty. This means that the first bus is obviously late or there wouldn't be that many people waiting. I know things are real bad when I go to the bus stop and there is a crowd waiting.

I usually wait for the second empty bus and laugh at my fellow commuters. I do, however, understand their dilemma. They have to get to work and not be late. They may skip that bus and the next one could be equally crowded or not show up for 20 or more minutes. You just never know what's going to happen. One time the bus was so late I walked to the train and took it instead. Of couse then the train was delayed for about 30 minutes that day and I got to work late and it didn't look good. A gamble did not pay off in that choice but you never know. (Some bus lines are worse that others - I have hardly ever waited for a 36 Broadway bus in Lakeview where I didn't wait 30 minutes and have 2 arrive at the same time)

The drivers and employees of the CTA are usually not helpful in these situations. I have seen bus drivers be rude and nasty to riders asking questions. I have seen them be unsympathetic towards riders who have been waiting long periods between buses. I had one even skip the stop I was standing at only to catch up with her by taking another bus - I asked her why she skipped all of us at the bus stop and she just shrugged her shoulders. This was in front of her supervisor who was as shocked as I was. Another one yelled at me for stepping over the yellow line at the front of the bus (a woman was standing in the way blocking my exit). The worst was a driver who was mad at people who kept pulling the stop cord before their stops. He stopped the bus and sat there to "teach us a lesson" to just pull it once. Yes there are nice drivers, some very helpful but I would say they are the exception to the rule. I'm sure servicing the public (and lots of crazies) takes a toll on you but a little kindness goes a long way.

So when I stand waiting 30 to 45 minutes for a bus to arrive and 2 of them come together. (or one so packed I can't get on it) I'm not thinking of how much money will arrive from Springfield. I'm thinking that the CTA really needs to get its act together.

Does America Hate Movie Musicals?

I saw the trailer for a new movie called "Across the Universe" which is a musical based on Beatles' songs. What struck me right away was that the preview only showed a moment of someone singing and then lots of dramatic dialogue sequences. This is the same thing they did for the initial trailers for "Dreamgirls" and "Chicago" as well. Is hollywood trying to trick people into attending a musical? What is going on here?

It seems to be a cynical marketing ploy by the studios. They seem to say "I know the audience hates musicals but we'll get them to see this one by mistake" or "Maybe their husbands and/or boyfriends will agree to go if we make the trailer less musical" etc. I think this is insulting to the movie audience and not accurate to the tastes or wants of the public.

It is true that the movie musical isn't the powerful force in Hollywood it once was. There was a time when several movie musicals came out a year and were extremely popular with audiences and critics. The studio MGM became one of the most powerful studios in Hollywood due to their successful musicals.

By the 60's musicals were starting to lose ground with audiences and by the 70's they were gasping for breath. This was due to a lot of different factors. One was the end of the 'studio system' that whole heartely created musicals from the composers to the stars to all the magic inbetween. (Think Wizard of Oz) The studios became companies controlled by other industries or became merged with other companies. Add to that the lack of good musicals being made - for every "Sound of Music" or "Funny Girl" there were several big flops putting the knife in the back of the movie musical. (Clint Eastwood singing in "Paint Your Wagon" is a good example)

The 70's brought a whole new realism to the movies. They became gritty, tough and more real life than fantasy. (More "Godfather" than "Guys & Dolls") Movie musicals seemed almost passe in this movie landscape. Even material made for the era didn't seem to work (Like the disappointing "HAIR" musical or "The Wiz"). Even a couple huge musical hits didn't seem to save the downslde. (Cabaret & Grease)

By the 80's Hollywood had pretty much given up on the movie musical. They instead had some "dance" movies to take their place. (Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, Footloose, Fame) They had decided that America really didn't want to see musicals anymore and stopped making them. A self fulfilling prophecy. It took Disney to revive movie musicals starting with "The Little Mermaid" in 1989.

Througout the 90's movie musicals were mostly animated features. Some great (Beauty and the Beast) and some not so much (Hercules). These movies not only revived the genre somewhat but caused Disney to take these shows to Broadway. (The reverse path of the past musicals)

I think one more thing that added to the musicals demise was the "parody" factor. Musical numbers became an easy joke for an audience. Sitcoms, comedy movies, animated shows all started to have musical numbers in them. Some making fun of the genre and some reverent to it. (Think The Simpsons) This however also caused musicals to become "uncool" - or something to be laughed at.

However the success of "Chicago", "Dreamgirls", "Moulin Rouge" and other musicals shows that there is an audience out there for musicals. They just seem to be demanding good musicals that are made well. The Bombs (Phantom of the Opera, RENT) deserve to be bombs because they are not up to the standards of the modern audience. Audiences pack Broadway shows, Touring shows, and local theatre groups. There is a demand for this type of entertainment.

I read that "Chicago" got made because the musical numbers came from Roxy's subconscious and not just people singing their feelings. In other musicals the songs are coming from the stage like "Dreamgirls" or "Cabaret". I actually heard someone say "I don't like when people burst into song it's just not realistic" - Hollywood buys into this logic as well. I don't buy this at all. If audiences can suspend their disbelief that a grown man can crawl up a building like a spider don't tell me they can't imagine people singing.

There are so many great musicals that haven't been made into films yet. (La Cage Aux Folles, Les Miserables, Into The Woods etc) Here's hoping the genre can be revived and brought back to life. (Hairspray, Sweeney Todd, Mama Mia and others are going to try)

No matter what I hope the Hollywood marketing departments realize that musicals are not something to be ashamed of but to be proud of.