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Bottom Line First: Do not buy blinds from Hunter Douglas via Costco. Or perhaps at all. Besides being overpriced as compared to options elsewhere with the same quality, their customer service ethic is garbage. Everyone just about everywhere has their own story about some really bad customer service experience. I’ve been fairly lucky. Not too many vendor problems. But this one time I suppose, things just went wrong. And then right.

They were really badly wrong with Costco and Hunter Douglas Blinds, and to some small degree American Express. Then things went great with Blinds To Go. American Express was actually really helpful in assisting us with disputing the charge for the not done services. But in the end, their policies likely won’t help us. We’re not going to pay the charge though. At some point, either my wife or myself or both will have our cards canceled even after years of personal and business charges. (Because we’re just not going to pay the charge.) Oh well. We’ll likely have to waste some time and money on a lawyer or something at some point as well. And drop a note to the major credit agencies about the dispute for when our credit gets dinged for the bill we won’t pay for a product that was wrong in the first place, (based on their measurements and cutting), and which we don’t have in our possession in any case as it was returned. As you can probably tell by now, this isn’t just about the money. This is one of those principle things where we don’t really care if this affects our credit or wastes more time or whatever. It just can’t be let to stand.

When I get some free time, I’m going to put up on this page, in all the gory details, either scans or links to .pdf files of all the correspondence between us, Costco Hunter Douglas and American Express. Most won’t bother reading all of it. Some might if they find this page while searching for Costco Hunter Douglas Blinds and just feel like seeing how painful it can be with what should be a simply resolved issue.

For now, I’ll just offer the bottom line again. Don’t buy Blinds at Costco Hunter Douglas. Go to Blinds To Go. It’s less expensive at Blinds To Go, they’ll actually cut your product correctly, and it’ll work perfectly. Or at least better than Costco Hunter Douglas Blinds.

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Update: Costco did the right thing. They gave us a credit and the matter is closed. We should have gone directly to them earlier. American Express was great the whole way with our dispute, but the fact that Costco was responding to Amex as a merchant rather than dealing with us as customers may have been an issue. Since I’ve not had a lot of issues with vendors about much of anything over the years - just lucky I guess - I really didn’t know how to handle such things. But should it happen again, I think I’ll try to a) go to all the sources I can rather than just the credit card company; and b) just write directly to the highest level folks I can find wherever I can. Anyway. I can now once again feel comfortable picking up some bulk toilet paper and cases of whatever.

My wife and I like Costco. We like it better than the other big box folks. You do have to check a little bit on the prices as not everything is the best deal; but in general, things are solid there and it let’s us get a lot of bulk stuff so we don’t have to shop that much. We both work busy jobs and don’t have time for such things. We appreciate Costco’s having done the right thing so we can be happy shopping there. I recently watched a Motley Fool video with Costco CEO Jim Sinegal. This guy’s attitude towards customers is probably why we came out of this with a good resolution that keeps us as customers.

I’ve done just a little bit of research on the below letter allegedly written to some employees from a boss. Near as I can tell, it’s not just urban legend, but nor have I positively identified a source. Be that as it may, this text seems to have traveled via Email SortaSpam, (that’s what I call semi junk jokes/missives and such from friends and family which is mostly quickly circular filed but occasionally has something interesting.)

Anyway, here it is. I like it because I’ve been feeling a bit more right-ish lately as I’ve been increasingly disgusted with piss poor financial management both by Government and supposedly trustworthy institutions.
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To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact, which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back-story. This back-story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You’ve seen my big home at last year’s Christmas party. I’m sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don’t see is the back-story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn’t have time to date. Oftentimes, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business — hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom’s for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn’t look like it was birthed in the 70’s. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don’t. There is no “off” button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden — the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations . . . you never realize the back-story and the sacrifices I’ve made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn’t. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.

Yes, business ownership has it’s benefits but the price I’ve paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don’t pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes You know what my “stimulus” check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you’d quit and you wouldn’t work here. I mean, why should you? That’s nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don’t understand . . . to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn’t need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don’t defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child’s future. Frankly, it isn’t my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.. You see, I’m done. I’m done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won’t be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever.

If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about . . .

Signed,

Your boss

CJ Galiano

That’s it. I’ve done it. I’ve pretty much just completely surrendered.

Baaaaaa. I’m one of the Sheeple now.

I’m fully Orwelled. Or Jeremy Benthenmed/Panopticoned, Minority Reported. What I’m talking about is having all but fully thrown in the towel on personal privacy. (Ironic given a bunch of years ago I wrote a book on the subject. Foolish. I’d take it back if I could. ‘Twas a pointless exercise.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

I love my Amazon Kindle II. Sure, there’s some things I’d change, but overall, this is up there with the iPhone for me. I was waiting for it for years. The Kindle One looked too much like a 1950s kitchen appliance for me. The older Sony units didn’t thrill me. The iRex eBooks also didn’t grab me. But then… the Kindle II. It wasn’t just the product itself; it was the whole ecosystem around it. It seemed like the time was right. Here’s some thoughts I’ve had about it so far…

How it’s Changed My Reading Life

I’m Reading Much More

Mostly likely any eBook customer is an avid reader. Some readers may be used for specialty applications from electronic flight bags for charts to tech manuals of some sort. But the latest generation of eReaders are Crossing the Chasm from early adopters to mainstream. While I may be an Early Adopter in many ways; I’m not quite bleeding edge in terms of technology adaption either. Anyone who doesn’t buy that we’re headed into the mainstream here should take a look at a recent Silicon Alley Insider Story explaining how 35% of Amazon Book Sales are for Kindle versions when such versions are available. In any case, what I’ve found is the Kindle has helped me read an average of a typical book a week. Sometimes a bit longer for really long books, etc. This has happened for at least two reasons. The new ease of reading during my commute and just how quickly text flows with the Kindle. I don’t really have much time to read book length material outside of commuting time; with the exception of the occasional summer beach excursion. I’m sure others have both similar as well as their own reasons for why they’re choosing this device. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Yes, there’s a new form of Rot on the Internet. There’s ye’ ole’ Link Rot for when links die on the ‘net, there’s Application Rot, (which I wrote about a few years ago), and now there’s Authentication Rot. (Though this isn’t really a great name. I’m amenable to suggestions.) Actually, Authentication Rot doesn’t exist too much yet. It’s about to though. I’m writing this in mid-May, 2009. My stake the ground right now is to say, “One of the upcoming Internet s#$% stroms that will blow through within the next 12 months will be a failure of Facebook Connect.” (BTW, I hope I’m wrong. I hope some dev folks from FB read this and say, “No way. We won’t let it happen.”)

What is Authentication Rot?

Authentication Rot is when a users can’t log into a site because the site is using some external source for user authentication and that source goes down. Or changes their code. Or their policies. When and where will this happen? It will happen with Facebook Connect. Now before anyone gets their knickers all twisted up, let me say that I really like Facebook. A lot. It’s a great, fun service and I use it for a lot of stuff. That doesn’t make any of what I’m saying here less true. There are real risks when sites use Facebook Connect as a sole login for user or merges existing accounts to Facebook credentials without leaving the historical id/pw of that local site. [Read the rest of this entry...]