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While other of my Web pages deal with political and social issues, here I present commercial products and service worthy of praise or deserving of contempt.
My Web site contains no advertising. That includes this specific page. Before listing a product or service here, I did not contact the company involved regarding these comments. I have not requested any consideration for making favorable comments or for not making unfavorable comments. These represent my sincere opinions without any bias from compensation. If I were to receive any post hoc compensation for a favorable comment, I would note it here. No amount of compensation would induce me to change a negative comment.
Where I make favorable comments, I may include a link to a company's Web site. The company makes a good product or provides a good service, and they deserve the promotion. Where I make unfavorable comments, I will not include a link; they certainly deserve no promotion.
Change happens. Sometimes, a good thing goes bad. Sometimes, a bad thing is corrected. That is why the entries below are dated.
I heard this Web service advertised on the radio. They offer to give you a free valuation of your home. Interested in updating my personal financial data, I tried the service. Given the results, I would suggest that no one bother with the effort. Of the ten characteristics listed for my house (and thus presumably part of the basis for the valuation), at least four were wrong:
23 January 2000
In the late fall and through the winter, the air in southern California can be very dry. Several days may go by with the relative humidity outdoors never exceeding 25% and often dropping below 10%. Indoors with the heat on, the air is even drier. This makes my skin itch, and I might even scratch until I bleed.
A doctor suggested that I use Carmol 10 lotion. It's great! It is not an oil and does not make my skin greasy. It contains no perfume and thus does not trigger my hay fever. Most important, it works. Almost immediately after using it, the itching stops. Carmol 10 is not merely a soothing lotion; it actually moisturizes my skin.
Made by Bradley Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Carmol 10 might not be found on the shelves at your local pharmacy. Try asking your pharmacist to order it.
23 January 2000
I would list this under the good because of the very tasty meals I have had, not fast food but prepared very quickly. However, their lack of cleanliness turns my stomach.
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These comments apply only to the Baja Fresh in Manhattan Beach. If I see the same problems at other Baja Fresh locations, I will update this section.The problem described here is actually a violation of health laws.
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Individuals who eat within the restaurant are served their meals on a black, plastic tray. When they are finished, they dump their trash in a bin and then place the trays on a small counter on top of the trash bin.
I have seen a Baja Fresh employee open the trash bin to check how full it is, sometimes pushing the trash down. Then he picks up the trays, wipes them, and returns them to the service counter for re-use. Then, the same employee restocks the napkin and utensil bins. Finally, the cloth used to wipe the trays is also used to clean the tables and counters where customers eat.
There are two major problems with these actions:
The whole situation very much resembles the idea of taking used plates and utensils out of the trash bin, wiping them with napkins also retrieved from the bin, and then re-using them.
I sent an E-mail message to the Baja Fresh corporate headquarters, expressing these concerns. (No, I did not indicate that they might be listed on this Web page.) I received no reply, and I observed these disgusting actions continuing more than a week later. Now, I will be calling the Los Angeles County Environmental Health agency to make a complaint.
26 February 2000
I discovered that the Manhattan Beach Baja Fresh is a franchise operation not under direct control of the chain. Thus, my comments above apply only to that one location. The Los Angeles County Environmental Health agency inspected that location and directed them to make some changes in their procedures. I noticed that the person restocking the plastic utensils wears fresh rubber gloves. However, trays are still not washed before reuse. And those trays are clearly dirty: They have crumbs stuck to them before a customer's order is placed on them.
26 March 2000
See my A Shipment to My Daughter.
24 April 2000
For 31 years, I had a checking account at Santa Monica Bank in southern California. This spring, the purchase of Santa Monica Bank by U.S. Bank became final. Within two months, I cancelled my account for several reasons:
U.S. Bank, however, notified me shortly after the effective date of the merger that all bank-by-mail transactions had to be addressed to their home office in Minneapolis (half a continent away). Instead of next-day processing of my deposit, I would be lucky if my deposit were received within three days.
I now have a new checking account at a small, local bank. The account has no minimum balance. They charge no monthly fee, and they print my checks for free. I do not need a large bank whose checks are recognized across the nation; instead, I want — and found — a bank that recognizes me.
4 June 2000
Updated 26 June 2008
See my Why I Canceled Pacific Bell Internet.
21 June 2000
If you live in the vicinity of Thousand Oaks, California, and have Blue Shield health insurance, you might not be covered for emergency room services at the Los Robles Regional Medical Center — even though Los Robles is indeed a Blue Shield preferred hospital. They have an exclusive contract with a doctor's group for ER service. None of the doctors in that group are Blue Shield providers.
27 January 2001
When AOL stopped further development and maintenance of Netscape and Micro$oft no longer provided new versions Internet Explorer (IE) as a software product distinct from Windows, the premier Web browser was Mozilla. Even if newer versions of those other two browsers were available, however, I still recommended Mozilla.
Then the Mozilla Foundation decided to unbundle its suite of capabilities, releasing Firefox as its browser and Thunderbird as its mail-news client. Meanwhile, fans of the bundled suite were given permission by the Foundation to continue releasing it under the name SeaMonkey.
Here, I wish to focus on the browser. Mozilla browsers — be they Firefox, SeaMonkey, or Camino (which is specifically for the Mac platform) — are compliant with HTML standards where IE deviates from those standards (part of Micro$oft's plan to create its own conventions in order to eliminate competing products). Of those, I prefer SeaMonkey, as further described under my Internet Software. (See also Thunderbird there.)
15 November 2003
Updated 17 August 2006
I can understand if Micro$oft wants to rig the access to its own Web sites such that only those who use Internet Explorer (IE) can enjoy all features there. However, MSNBC hosts various non-Micro$oft Web pages, including those of Newsweek. Because I use Mozilla, I am blocked from taking Newsweek's "video tour" of the winning design of the World Trade Center memorial. Not only does this impact Newsweek's audience; it also impacts Newsweek's advertisers, who are missing some of their potential audience.
This is merely another example of Micro$oft's business practices that attempt to destroy the competition. In the long run, however, it might drive customers away from Windows and Office to LINUX and StarOffice. Remember, computer viruses spread most easily when computers have highly integrated software — browser, E-mail, operating system, and desktop applications — all from the same source.
13 January 2004
When my wife and I stayed at the Riviera Hotel in January 2004, we found not one but several of the problems cited in my Traveler's Lament.
19-20 January 2004
Originally a small, local chain of wine and liquor stores in the Los Angeles area, Trader Joe's expanded nationally (in 18 states) into a very nice grocery. The stores now carry fresh produce and meats; a large selection of frozen fish, vegetables, and prepared foods; a variety of breads; exotic sauces and relishes; dried fruits and nuts for both cooking and snacking; and cheeses. Clearly not a "health food" store, TJ's features pasteurized milk from cows that were not treated with hormones, fresh fruits that are organic and that are not, and traditional and whole wheat pasta. Wine is still the largest department, with many very good, low-price domestic and foreign labels.
The staff are all friendly and helpful. TJ's Fearless Flyer advertiser is both informative and entertaining. Best of all, many prices are lower than at nearby supermarkets.
26 January 2004
Omnis operates a domain registration service, through which I recently created the domain <www.OakParkFoundation.org> for the Community Foundation for Oak Park. I was referred to Omnis by the individual who previously registered my own <www.rossde.com> domain; he is now quite busy developing Web sites and no longer has the time to register domains.
During the brief contact I have had with Omnis, three things impressed me significantly:
Since my ongong experience with Omnis was positive, I transferred the registration of my <www.rossde.com> to that service.
26 May 2004
Updated 17 August 2006
My daughter Heather lives in Canada. Several years ago, when Heather visited her mother and me, she had a hat that intrigued me. Three years ago, when we visited Heather in Toronto, she still wore that hat. Because I am quite bald, I too wear a hat. In Toronto, I had an inexpensive straw hat similar in style to a homburg. Every time the wind blew, I was chasing my hat; but Heather's hat remained on her head.
Heather's hat is a Tilley, a unisex hat designed by Alex Tilley and manufactured by his Tilley Endurables. Because she saw how much I admired her hat and how much trouble I had keeping my straw hat on my head, Heather told me to measure my head and pick a Tilley hat style. She then sent one to me as a birthday present.
Unlike my old straw hat (which I relegated for use only while gardening until it disintegrated), my Tilley hat stays on my head through the use of a cord and gravity, not through a tight headband. This makes the hat very comfortable.
I chose a style that has an extended brim all the way around, to provide extra shade for my eyes, nose, ears, and the back of my neck. In the rain, it keeps those parts dry, along with the top of my head even though the crown is vented. It's washable, so indeed it can be used in the rain and not just in the sun.
When we visited Heather last year in Saskatoon (where she moved from Toronto), I took my wife Evelyn into a store and bought her a Tilley hat. Evelyn chose a style with a narrower brim than mine, which still provides enough shade for her face and ears. However, we could have ordered Evelyn's hat over the Web; and I have seen stores in southern California with a small selection of Tilley hats. (I have also seen some "knock-offs" that don't really have all the features and quality.)
As the name of the company indicates, this is a durable hat, guaranteed to be replaced for free if it wears out. Recently, the cord broke. Resembling a long fat shoestring for athletic shoes, I tried replacing it locally with such a shoestring; but the result was unsatisfactory. I sent an E-mail to Tilley Endurables asking about a replacement cord. Within days, two cords were in my mailbox along with very humorous instructions on how to install a cord. (Actually, all the literature about Tilley hats as well as the Tilley Endurables Web site make good use of humor.) But there was no invoice, credit card charge, or any other request for payment. The cord broke, and it was replaced for free!
4 June 2004
When I bought my first PC late in 1996, I bought a Hewlett Packard LaserJet 5L printer to go with it. It came with a CD with the necessary software to use the printer under Windows 95. When I replaced that first PC with a new one and Windows 95 with Windows 98, the CD readily setup the printer. Almost ten years later, this is still my only printer. With such a durable product, Hewlett Packard might belong in the Good column.
However, I recently bought a still newer PC. This one has Windows XP. The CD that came with my HP LaserJet 5L is now useless. The software will not work with Windows XP. And Hewlett Packard no longer supports the LaserJet 5L. Fortunately, Windows XP has built-in drivers for the LaserJet 5L. The problem is that I have lost valuable functionality.
As I pointed out in a letter to Mark Hurd, President of Hewlett Packard, the durability of the company's products is not matched by the durability of the company's commitment to support its products. Thus, I list the company in the Bad column.
17 August 2006
I was introduced to Vanguard by an employer who used that firm's mutual funds for its 401(k) plan. This is when I learned about Vanguard's unique corporate structure.
Mutual funds generally have a company governing them and providing management and administrative services. In almost all cases, that company is for-profit, with its own stockholders who expect growth and dividends generated from profits made by charging the individual funds various fees. Vanguard is not much different except that its management company is owned by its mutual funds and not by other stockholders. Not only does this create an incentive to keep the management fees low, but also it means that any profits go back to the mutual funds and the investors in those funds (e.g., to me). As a result, more of my investments in Vanguard funds keep working for me, giving me a better return.
Another aspect of Vanguard's operations is the prompt answering of their phones by live persons who really understand what I ask, who know the correct answers, and who can take correct action on my requests. Vanguard also has an excellent Web site where I can view my account status and make transactions.
Of course, not everything is great with Vanguard. Their mailing address is in Pennsylvania, which can mean the delay of a week in adding money to one of their mutual funds. Their policies intended to inhibit market timing are over-kill, also inhibiting small transactions intended to rebalance my investments. And too many reports on their Web site — including all prospectuses — are in PDF files, which take forever to download through my dial-up modem. Nevertheless, I am more than merely satisfied with the results of my investments in Vanguard funds.
Twenty years ago, we renovated our house. We had all the pipes replaced with copper, a new roof, a bay window in our master bedroom, and other upgrades. Among them, we had the shower in the master bathroom tiled. In the process, a Moen faucet was installed.
Now that the faucet is 20 years old, it has become difficult to operate — stiff when turning to adjust the water temperature and hard to pull on or push off. I called Moen. Without a long wait listening to "Your call is important to us", I had a live Moen representative on the line. They are mailing me the necessary replacement part with instructions, free! My past experience is that the instructions will be easy to follow; I will not need to pay a plumber.
Unlike Hewlett Packard, Moen's commitment to customer service is as durable as their products (which are indeed durable).
On 23 December, CompUSA had a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times. The banner at the top of the ad said 1 DAY SALE . At the bottom of the ad, I saw "Offers good Saturday, December 23, 2006." Among the items in the ad was a 2 GB flash drive — a memory stick — at a price lower than I had hoped ever to see.
It being Saturday, 23 December, I drove 14 miles to the nearest CompUSA store. The memory stick was an item that had been sold out the day before! CompUSA would not give me a raincheck or sell me a similar flash drive at the advertised price. The "customer service" (actually, customer no-service) clerk explained that the same ad ran with the banner "2 DAY SALE" on the previous day. I told her the store ran an ad today and should be prepared today to sell what it advertised as being on sale today.
What CompUSA did is sometimes called "bait and switch", advertising something that they don't have in order to get you into their stores to buy something else. In California (where I live), that is illegal.
23 December 2006
Effective 1 January 2008, CompUSA is closing all stores and going out of business. I do not wonder why.
