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The customer service message we’d all love to give!

Woot : What Is Woot?

While I’m not much the wiser as to ‘what is W00t!’, I am in admiration of their customer returns policy!

Will I receive customer support like I’m used to?

No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don’t end up liking or you have what marketing people call “buyer’s remorse,” sell it on eBay. It’s likely you’ll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn’t work, find out what you’re doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it’s probably your fault. Google your problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and ask other people if they know. Try to call the manufacturer and ask if they know. If you give up and must return it to us, then follow on to the next FAQ entry.

How do I return a defective product?

Unless we specifically tell you not to, call the manufacturer of the product you bought. You will likely get a replacement of a new model or better item from them. If we still haven’t dissuaded you, email rma@woot.com with your woot order number, the name of the product you are returning, and the detailed problem with the item. We will respond with return authorization by the next business day. Because we aren’t likely to have a replacement in stock, you should be prepared for a refund-only option if that’s all we can do. Know that return freight will be at your expense. Again, you will probably get a better deal from the manufacturer, or whoever else handling customer service for that product.

Joy!

Unless you’re the customer, of course.

Avocado Cutter: pointless gadget – and not even a battery

…not nor no blue LED neither, dammit.

The Avocado Cutter

Makes a knife look like a technical solution.

You know you’re in trouble when the “feature list” is as follows:

•Your personalized logo on the Avocado Cutter
•A customized recipe card
•Sealed in a clear poly bag
• Free digital pre-press and color seperations
•Shipped in easy storage cartons
•A digital version of your card

“Sealed in a clear poly bag”?? With this packing, Ambassador, you really spoil us.

111,111 miles

Photo_032806_002.jpg

A shot from the crapcam (while stationary, of course) of the odo on our car: 111,111 miles. Not bad.

I’m not sure whether it’s having driven some 35,000 miles last year on motorways (Ms 1, 6, 62 featuring most highly in my list) between London, Manchester and Liverpool that’s made me ponder interesting, symmetrical, well-kerned combinations, or whether an innate pull towards numerology, but whatever the reason it’s still a pretty number.

It’s the only time I’m likely to see the same number “all up” on the odo: I missed 000000 and I’m not sure I’ll still have the car at 222222.

That’s it. Welcome to my private musings from the driver’s seat 🙂

MMS – a purpose at last!

MMS to Combat London Grafitti at MobHappy

Yay – at last a sensible purpose for MMS (other than sending photos of the kids with mucky faces to all and sundry): calling in the White Knights of the local authority to clear up graffiti, fly-tipping and other antisocial behaviour.

While not quite as satisfying as calling up close air support (think choppers, “Ride of the Valkyries” and “Platoon”), I have visions of Rapid Response Units, armed with picture phones, awaiting our text…

It shows though the innovation happening in local authories in the UK, opening up services and responsiveness. With move mobile phones in the UK than people I reckon that we can’t even call them elitist 🙂

All I want now is a phone with sufficiently good resolution to scan in the barcodes of expired Road Fund Licences and/or the VIN number of cars without. A mobile crushing lorry could then render the car into a heap of diced metal and plastic, ready for recycling, while the camera then catches the look on the face of the tax dodging, insurance-free, polluting, congestion-charge-evading tossers when they get their just deserts.

You’ll see me in the picture cowering behind the Very Large Gentlemen – joy being balanced by fear, natch.

Three cheers for Lewisham. Not sure what it’ll do for the People’s Art of Graffiti, but hopefully we’ll now get a better view when the rubbish, fly-tipping and abandoned cars are removed 😉

Fuel Cell flashlight

Angstrom Power Inc. :: Better than Batteries™

Is it wicked and/or weak to desire this torch (oops, “flashlight”) so much? This is like CSI-style torchiness on turbo-charged steroids.

Never mind what on earth fuel cells might be, just remember that it recharges with hydrogen. Yes. “Whoomph + pshhht”.

Best of all is that the recharger is so, well, Judge Dredd. “R1 Refueling Station”. Swoon.

Quoth the blurb:

https://www.angstrompower.com/products_r1.html

.

Someday, all battery-powered thingies will be this way.

Now, is it better, while on an extended back-country trek, to moan about taking spare batteries or carting a small cylinder of compressed hydrogen?

Anti-linking: parody site “isolatr”

isolatr

Thanks to Ian for this:

Our patented isolatr technology: Helping you find where other people aren’t”

The FAQ is hilarious – the sort you’d love to write during moments of frustration.

Thank goodness for satirists – or at least those who have the energy to do a site like this for our amusement 🙂

The Logos of Web2.0

The Logos of Web 2.0 | The FontShop FontFeed | Font blog, typography tips, and design news.

This is a great post, taking a ‘fontographer’s’ view (I think that’s the same as a typographic view, but I could be wrong…) at the logos of the ‘web2.0’ companies.

There’s certainly a distinctive “look” to any self-respecting W2 company’s website but it’s been difficult to characterise (other than saying “pastel colours, chunky san-serif fonts and lots of white”). This post gives a neat categorisation, examples, a guess at the font… Fun.

Most interesting though are the comments from the logo designers – that’s web community for you.

Now all we need is the parody site…

Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine

Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine

Yay – what a job!

Unpaid, natch (worth doing just for the conversational value!):

The role of the Committee is to advise Government Hospitality Section of the FCO on the maintenance of an appropriate standard of wine for use at Government functions. This entails giving advice, after tasting, on the purchase of wine, the exchange of wines if necessary, the management and stocking of the Government Wine Cellar at Lancaster House, and advice on suppliers.

This is such a fun, open-government role that I’ll even hold off on my (usual) curmudgeonly screams of “that’s my taxes you’re drinking!”.

Pleased to see that, while many other aspects of British life are challenged/in decline we can at least hold our end up when it comes to international schmoozing of dignitaries and drinking said diplos under the table.

Huzzah!

US Eurovision: Fine – but who’s their “Wogan”??

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | US to emulate Eurovision contest

“Eurovision is the granddaddy of all talent shows and the Super Bowl of singing,” said Ben Silverman, chairman of series producers Reveille.

Well, that’s just fine. My only interest is who’ll be the american Wogan. His irony has made it cool to be so uncool, and has promoted harmony and understanding amongst the participating nations. Oh yes.

The “SuperBowl of singing”? That’s just great 🙂