I'm so tired of Amazon and their poor customer service

On December 4th, I ended up contacting Amazon THREE times with the same problem. I'm still getting headaches from it. Supposedly my issue should have finally been fixed by the third person, but on December 9th a request via the post requested I return something I had no intention of returning. Stating that if I don't return it by January 3rd, I'll be charged (for something I ALREADY PAID FOR).

I had an issue with How to Train your Dragon (HTTYD) in which it arrived different from the product photo on Amazon. In the photo it had a slipcover, and I received my copy without a slip. HTTYD and the sequel HTTYD2 were on the same order placed with Amazon, and the first customer service rep (Melissa S.) kept thinking I was having a problem with the sequel, and I kept saying "No, not the sequel, the first one." She then insisted they had no more stock of HTTYD and offered a refund to ship it back, I said "ok" because Target had plenty WITH the slipcover so I'd just buy it there. However, she continued to not understand the difference between the first and second movie, and gave me the refund for the wrong one. – Amazon actually had plenty of stock of the first movie, it was the sequel that was out of sock, which I found out later – I then called back and the second customer service rep (Belle P.) told me she would fix the incorrect refund by charging me a second time to counter the refund, the two would cancel each other out. She also said she would put in a replacement order for the correct movie. She never did either.

Then after two failed phone calls, I decided to do an online chat, so I could have a transcript for my records as proof of what these people are telling me. The third and final rep (Paul) straightened everything out, or so I thought. He charged me a second time, to counter the refund and explained that he looked through the stock on the computer and none of the copies of HTTYD on Amazon had a slipcover (keep in mind, Target has plenty; Amazon!). So since a replacement wouldn't result in a slipcover, and I didn't want to deal with any more refunds, I just kept the copy they gave me. He understood that I would be keeping my copy, and did not order any replacements.

Now comes more problems: I received a letter from Amazon post-dated December 9th – five days after the problem is supposed to have been solved – telling me I have to return my copy of HTTYD by January 3rd. When I log into Amazon and go to my order history, it also says they are expecting a return. How can Amazon have become so poor with their customer service?

(Click to enlarge)

If it's fixed, why did I receive the letter? Between late "guaranteed" Prime deliveries, and this poor customer service, I really don't know why I keep using Amazon. It might be time to stop.

Update: It's now 9:30pm on December 20th. I emailed Amazon to ask why they sent me the letter shortly after posting this, and they were supposed to get back to me within 12 hours, it's now been 25 hours without a reply. If they happen to reply, I'll update further.

You can no longer avoid YouTube ads on the Apple TV

After years of no updates, the YouTube app on the  TV has now been updated and now plays ads. The number of ways to avoid YouTube ads is dwindling down, making your computer the only option left. As long as you don't have flash installed on your computer, the YouTube videos should load the HTML5 version, which is free of ads.

So much for Guaranteed Delivery

I decided to give Amazon Prime another chance, and took out a 30-day trial with the intent to stick with it if the service got better. I placed an order with a "Guaranteed Delivery" date for today, December 1st via USPS. Not only didn't USPS deliver it today, but according to their website it just recently arrived in New Jersey (I live in New York). What good is the Prime two-day free delivery, if it takes longer than two days? Yet another reason to pass on Prime. Obviously I won't renew to a full year, not after this poor experience. The last time I tried Prime, the service was terrible, and it looks like it's still terrible. Not worth the price.

UPDATE: The package finally came today, December 4th, four days after it was "guaranteed" to be delivered. The package also came damaged, with lots of dirt on the box as if it was thrown around in a football game. It baffles me that Prime members still have to deal with the post office. You'd think Amazon would give Prime members a more premium carrier, such as UPS or FedEx, but instead we must suffer just like everyone else with USPS.

Verizon updates their cable box software to look like an Apple TV

Last night Verizon updated its FiOS cable box to give it a flat design, reminiscent of the Apple TV. If you use Verizon, try hitting the Menu, Guide, Info, or DVR button to see the new design. 

Hanx Writer updated

The Tom Hanks endorsed typewriter app for iPad has been updated to take advantage of the new custom keyboard feature in iOS 8. Now you can type away in any app.

OS X Yosemite forces certain apps to be updated

I never felt the need to upgrade Final Cut Pro and Motion, as the old versions function just fine. But now in OS X Yosemite, Motion no longer works. Forcing me to spend $50 to upgrade to the newer version if I wish to continue to use it. This is an outrage, especially considering the old version of Final Cut Pro still functions just fine. One of the main reasons I didn't feel like upgrading, is that the newer apps are less functional. With the old Final Cut Studio suite of apps, you had tools such as "Soundtrack Pro" and "DVD Studio Pro" amongst others. The new suite of apps, which are all sold separately just include Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor. It's not right of Apple to just disable certain apps.

New iPads and iMacs

First, the iPads. There are two new iPads, the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. The iPad now has a GOOD camera, you can also do burst mode, panorama, and slo-mo. There is still no flash though, but there are two mics for better audio in videos.

Now for the iMacs. It will have a 5K retina display.

NCIS is becoming a joke

NCIS is turning into another Law&Order. First there was just Law&Order, then Law&Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU), then Law&Order: Criminal Intent (CI). NCIS is now on the same path. The first spin-off being NCIS: Los Angeles, then NCIS: New Oleans. NCIS is becoming as much of a joke as Law&Order has been for years. One spin-off, fine. But now it's getting rediculas. This push to multiple spin-offs just makes me want to watch it less and less.

First gen iPhone vs the iPhone 6 — screen resolution

Pictured below is the first gen iPod touch, but it has the exact same screen resolution as the first gen iPhone. It's shown at the full resolution, untouched and not scaled down in any way.

Proof that Amazon's "free" shipping is a lie!

Click the picture above to enlarge

Amazon doesn't actually give you free shipping, they factor it into the price. In the example above, the Spigen iPhone 6 case is $9.99 plus $3.00 shipping if you buy it directly from the company. (9.99+3.00=12.99) You can also have the case shipped from Amazon and get "free" shipping, but be charged the same $12.99 for the privilege. So the shipping really isn't free. This is just one example, Amazon often charges more for items shipped from them than you'd normally pay if you bought from a 3rd-party. When you consider you need a minimum of $35 for the free shipping, plus Amazon charges you tax even in states that they do not have a physical presence, you end up paying WAY more than the $12.99 that you'd pay by buying the case directly from Spigen.

The law says that you only have to charge tax in states in which you have a physical presence, and there are absolutely no Amazon warehouses in my state, yet they still charge me tax. That, on top of the fact they charge more for items so they can offer so-called "free" shipping, makes them seem very shady indeed.

Apple forks the AppleTV

Yesterday there was an update to the second and third generations of Apple TV, but they are forked updates. Whereas the second generation gets a minor update, the third generation Apple TV is greeted with a new design, Beats Music app, and Family Sharing.

It looks like Apple is finally getting ready to drop the second generation. Up until now, it has received the same updates the third generation received. But now it's clear Apple is cleanng house and looking to drop the second generation Apple TV from its support roster.

Showtime Anytime now on AppleTV

The Showtime Anytime app is now on the AppleTV. HBO Go has been on TV for a while now, now we also have the option of using Showtime Anytime. If you're a Showtime subscriber, go check out the app on your TV!

Star Wars unaltered trilogy to come to Blu-ray

According to ComicBook.com Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi will be released on Blu-ray Disc prior to the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode VII late next year, according to the report.

Our sources indicate that the project has been under way for quite some time, but it's been challenging because of some damage to the original negatives they are utilizing. The goal is to release A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of Jedi in their complete, unaltered, original form without the redone special edition SFX.

Batman TV Series

The 1966 Batman TV Series is finally up for pre-order!

http://amzn.to/1rjolQJ

Batman: The Complete Series (TV) (1966-1968) 

Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually the crime fighting duo Batman and Robin. A secret Batpole in the Wayne mansion leads to the Batcave, where Police Commissioner Gordon often calls the Bat-duo on the Batphone with the latest emergency threatening Gotham City. Racing to the scene of the crime in the Batmobile, Batman and Robin must (with the help of the trusty Bat-utility-belt) thwart the efforts of a variety of master criminals, including The Riddler, The Joker, Catwoman, and The Penguin. Batgirl joins in during the final season.

Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward, Yvonne Craig, Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton 

Narrator: William Dozier 

iTunes Extras now on Apple TV

Before "iTunes Extras" was only on your computer, now you can access them on your Apple TV as well. "iTunes Extras" is the equivalent of "Special Features" on a Blu-Ray Disc or DVD.

The scientific way to cut a cake

I thought this was interestng when I watched it.

http://youtu.be/wBU9N35ZHIw

Girl Meets World

Girl Meets World is the sequel to the ABC series Boy Meets World, and will air on Disney Channel on June 27, 2014. You don't have to wait that long, because the first episode is now on the Watch Disney Channel app. I watched the first episode today on my Apple TV, and here are my thoughts.

The show takes place in New York City. Cory and Topanga Matthews live in an apartment with their two children, Riley and Auggie. The first episode is about Riley wanting to take the subway for the first time without her parents (the episode is not clear if she ever took it before with her parents). So right from the first episode, we see her growing up and taking some responsibility.

The first thing you notice is the similarities between the past and present characters:

• Farkle Minkus acts very much like Stuart Minkus, but with less of a nerdy quality. Just as Minkus was after Topanga, Farkle is after both Maya and Riley, and pretty much any other girl he sees; both characters seem concerned with doing well in school.
• Maya Hart has a lot of the same mannerisms as Shawn Hunter, but her personality seems to be more of a combination of both Shawn and Jack Hunter. It was revealed she has issues with home life, no one is around to help her with her homework.
• Riley Matthews the daughter os Cory and Topanga, is the main focal point of this series. It's her world now, not her dads. She seems a little like a mixture of both Cory and Topanga. She wants to do well in school (Topanga) but also goes along with the stupid stuff Maya suggests (Cory with Shawn). She is learning though, even in the first episode she learned what it means to grow up and make decisions.
• Lucas Friar is the love interest of Riley, but I have yet to figure him out. At the moment he seems like just a generic character, we'll have to wait until more episodes to see how his character progresses; it wasn't shown off very well in the first episode.
• Auggie Matthews is the younger brother of Riley, and his character is also not yet fully developed in this episode. He thought he and Riley were twins, so he might not be "all there" but I'll hold off any judgement of Auggie until I see more episodes.

It was nice to see George Feeny at the end of the episode, even if he just as memory for Cory. Hopefully we see more of him, but I'm happy that he was in at least one episode. And his appearance was done well in the first episode; much like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

It's Godzilla, not Gojira

When preparing Godzilla for international distribution, Toho Co., Ltd. picked the English spelling of ゴジラ to be Godzilla. Gojira is NOT the official English spelling, nor does it even represent the correct way to pronounce it in Japanese. If you listen to a Japanese speaker, you can clearly hear a "z" sound, not a "j" sound.

The Hepburn romanization system, we get Gojira. The system isn't very accurate with regard to sounds. The Kunrei-shiki rōmaji has a better translation of Gozira. Note that I mentioned a clear "z" sound in the name, and the spelling here supports that sound.

Regardless, Toho gave the official spelling as Godzilla. The spelling isn't what's wrong, it's the pronunciation. It should be Go-dzi-lla, not God-zilla. That's the main reason people started writing "Gojira" to try and get the pronunciation to be more accurate, but that spelling is NOT an accurate pronunciation either. If you're going to misspell the name, at least spell it Gozira. In either case, you shouldn't be misspelling it at all.

If your parents gave you the name Michelle and spelled it Michele. Who gives anyone the right to say your name is spelled wrong? It's the spelling on your birth certificate, and officially the way to spell YOUR name. Well Toho said ゴジラ should be given the English spelling Godzilla, and who are you to say otherwise?

Now can people please stop spelling Godzilla as Gojira. You are wrong, and you look foolish.

Cops that should be fired, but aren't.

I had Jury Duty today, and the cop at the door was giving me an attitude. So what do you do when that happens, you call the guy an asshole. I then proceeded to go to MY job, and what does this guy do? He LEAVES his job to chase me down inside the building to yell at me. And another cop joins him. So now there are two cops yelling at me, and the door is left unguarded. Yes that's right, these glorified doormen left their posted job insecure just to yell at me. What a bunch of assholes. Anyone could have walked into that court house with a gun, bomb, corpse... ANYTHING. And no one to stop them because the cops decided it was more important to yell at me than to do their jobs.

To the cops working at the Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 DO YOUR JOB! Just do your job and shut the hell up. No one needs your shit, especially a juror who technically is more important than you. Who do you think is higher up the food chain, someone that arrests people, or someone who decides if the arrested were justly arrested? Members of the jury should rank higher than anyone, except for judges. Because we are the ones that decide guilt or innocence; the two cops are definitely guilty of breaking the law.

Internal Affairs really needs to crack down on the cops that break the law as these two broke a couple. 1) Harassment. I was chased down and yelled at. I was being harassed by two cops. 2) Public Disturbance. They caused quite a bit of commotion and caused others to leave their offices to see what was going on. All their ranting and raving, and for what, something that they caused with their bad attitudes? Unacceptable! They both need to have their badges taken away for it. But it won't happen, it hardly ever does. It's cops like these two, that give the rest of them a bad name.

Facebook doesn't care if you insult the mentally handicapped

Yesterday I noticed someone made a vulgar comment about the mentally handicapped, using words such as "retard," so I reported them. This morning I wake to a notification that Facebook reviewed the report and deemed it no big deal. They were unconcerned because the comment "doesn't violate out Community Standards." In other words, they have very low standards. It is disgusting that they'd allow this sort of thng to go on. Facebook staff should hold their heads in shame.

Best Benefit of iOS 7.1

If the transparency annoys you about iOS 7, you can now turn it off in 7.1

Go to Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Increase Contrast -> Reduce Transparency

The "Disney Movies Anywhere" app

As you may already be aware if you buy a lot of Disney movies, is that with recent titles the company decided to skip iTunes in favor of UltraViolet and Amazon Instant Video for their so-called "Digital Copy" scheme. Well now Disney has sort of made up for it with their new app Disney Movies Anywhere. Once installed on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, just log in with your Disney account, and link it to you iTunes account; you can then delete this app, if you choose. After the two accounts are linked, you'll discover that those Disney movies you had on UltraViolet and Amazon Instant can now be downloaded on iTunes. Your Apple TV, Mac, and iOS devices will now get what they should've gotten all along, a true digital copy of the movie.

iOS update 7.0.6 is out

iOS 7.0.6 brings a security update that provides a fix for SSL connection verification.