Category: Business

A Hotwire-Insura Security Problem in Boca Falls:

We reported some time ago on Hotwire Communications problems in Boca Falls.
Now we can add another to the list. But first, we received this notice:

Hotwire representatives will be on site to assist with any chronic technical issues … with Internet and television services … at the Boca Falls clubhouse Thursday 9/20 (tomorrow) from 4-7 pm.

As for the Insura Security, Hotwire included a deal as part of the package. For the first year it’s about $10/month, and goes up after that.
We have two problems. One is a security issue I won’t detail for, well, security reasons. It’s minor, but we still want to get it fixed. The other problem is that our “alarm system monitoring certificate” fails to indicate it covers the fire alarm. Thus we’re not getting the complete break on our insurance that we should.
So I call Hotwire support today to get this addressed. First I call the main customer service number. The call gets answered fairly quickly after a mildly annoying phone-computer system. But the person who answers tells me I need to call a different number, which I then see is mentioned on the alarm certificate.
So I call that number: 855-637-1554. This is for Insura by Hotwire. And we get another computer answering the phone – yet another example of a company using computers because they’re cheaper and less effective than paying someone in India $2/hour.
This computer asks me where I am – Boca Raton – it gets that right. Then it asks for my last name. I say it. This is where it bogs down. It apparently can’t find me in the system. It keeps giving me names of people who are not me. I keep saying no. We go around in circles a few times. I keep hitting Zero on the keypad, but that does nothing. I’m never offered a chance to speak to a person.
So after 5 or 6 tries I give up and call back to Hotwire. Now I wait another few minutes before getting a person. And the person tells me he’s never dealt with an alarm system question before. That’s just great. I tell him I’d like to speak to his supervisor. I get put on hold. For a while. That’s plenty of time for me to start writing this article.
I don’t get his supervisor, however. I get a woman who works with the alarm systems. She seems pretty clueless about the 855 phone number that doesn’t work. She tells me she’ll send out a corrected alarm certificate to us. We’ll see if we actually get that. As for the minor security issue, she says someone will call me to set up a time to come to the house.
Now we wait to see if they deliver on that. I’m not confident.

3 Big Reasons Why iPhone Beats Android

The iPhone 5 announcement has sparked a number of articles bashing Apple for the iPhone being behind Google’s Android on features.

These attacks fail on two levels. First, the extra features in Android are unimportant. Second, the iPhone beats Android on three key features.
Let’s start with the iPhone advantages:
1. Customer Service
Even the articles that give iPhone a fair hearing miss this, and it’s the biggest advantage. These devices are incredibly complex. Many users encounter problems with them. When you have a problem with your Android smart phone, where do you go for help?
For iPhone users, there’s an easy answer: The Genius Bar. Every Apple Store has one. You can make an appointment ahead of time or just show up. You will have to wait a little but usually it’s pretty quick. And the Genius Bar is staffed by real people who get paid more than minimum wage and actually know what they’re talking about.
Compare this to the typical experience of trying to get technical support from any other consumer electronics company. This includes long waits, frustratingly slow responses from a guy named Sean. Sean has an accent from India, gets paid about $2/hour, and is handling conversations with two or three other customers at the same time. He often has no solution to your problem. And if you’re not happy with Sean, just wait. They’re working on replacing him with a robot.
Apple’s customer service is far better than any other consumer electronics company. It’s not even close. And that may be the biggest reason why we customers love the iPhone.
2. iTunes
Many of us are already invested in music on our iPhones, iPods, and other computers. Will this music work on an Android phone? Maybe. It is probably doable. Here’s an example of how one guy says you can do it: How to transfer your iTunes music to Android. If there’s a better method I’m not sure. In searching I came across an ad from Samsung that referenced the same software.
It may not be fair, but it’s reality. We have our stuff on iTunes because of our existing iPhones and iPods. If we switch to Android, getting music on there will be a major pain. The same thing is true, to a lesser extent, for apps. For those who have iPhones already, we’re invested in the apps we use and replacing them on Android may be mostly workable, but it’s a hassle.
3. iCloud
This is the smallest of the three but still a big deal. When I take a picture on my iPhone, it is automatically in the cloud and shows up on my iMac at home. From Apple’s website: it lets you access your music, photos, calendars, contacts, documents, and more, from whatever device you’re on.
Android can use Google Drive or Microsoft (Mac users shudder) SkyDrive but they’re not even close to iCloud.
Update – After some comments, I realize I wasn’t clear about the iCloud advantage here. It works seamlessly for the user. I take a picture on my iPhone and it appears on my desktop at home. I buy a song on iTunes from my phone and -poof- it’s on my computer. Or I buy a song on my computer and -poof- it’s on my iPhone. Like magic. Yes, it’s true that there are features for Android that do something like this. But they do not work as well and are not as easy to use for non-techies.
Since originally posting, I’ve also discovered that you can use an ios 9.3.5 jailbreak to install apps, tweaks, libraries, etc on the iPhone 5. More reasons to favour it!
iPhone’s Trivial Disadvantages
Looking at the latest and greatest Android phones, they do have some real advantages.
Screen size: Some Android phones do have larger screens. But they’re either not that much bigger, or so big that they make the phone’s size uncomfortable. Wrtant for any phone owner.
NFC: One of the big but wrongheaded criticisms is that iPhone 5 doesn’t support NFC – Near Field Communications. Sorry techies, but pay attention: NO ONE CARES!
NFC would make it easy for you to pay for things with your phone, and “share photos, contacts, videos and more, just by tapping their backs together.” But paying with your phone is not widely available in stores and few people want to pay with their phone. It’s not ready for prime time. As for sharing, I think the Palm PDAs had a feature like that. No one used it then either.
Most of the other advantages also fall into the No One Cares category. They appeal to engineers and other geeks who care about a visible file system or pen support – another feature that failed with Palm over five years ago.
In the end, few iPhone users will switch to Android. And for those who are already invested in and comfortable with Android, they’re not going to switch to iPhone either.
Unless they want quality customer service.

West Boca Chamber Golf Tournament

The West Boca Chamber of Commerce will hold a charity golf tournament on October 5th at Boca Greens Country Club. Full details of the event are on their site: West Boca Golf Tournament.
Registration and lunch start at 11:30 am, with the golfing itself starting at 1 pm, and finishing with a reception from 5-7.
It’s not cheap – $105 per golfer or $500 for a foursome (which includes recognition for your business as a hole/tee sponsor). But the price is not unusual for a charity golf event.

Capt. Eisenberg at West Boca Chamber

Captain Matt Eisenberg, head of the West Boca office (District 7) of the Palm Beach County Sheriff, spoke this morning at the West Boca Chamber Breakfast. His talk included an extensive PowerPoint presentation.
The event was held at the Jimmy the Greek Taverna on Glades just west of the Turnpike, with a buffet.

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The food was excellent but the room was not laid out well for the crowd. It worked but it was a little tight in places.
Steve Perman started off the program with a personal thank you to the attendees and thoughtful remarks about September 11th.
Also discussed was the upcoming golf tournament. We will post details in a separate post.
Typical for the group, we went around and introduced ourselves.
Next meeting October 9th with Robert Watson, History professor from Lynn University and involved in the upcoming presidential debate. It will be at Boca Greens. The event will start early.
The event was sponsored by Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs, a law firm whose office is near Town Center.
Captain Eisenberg was accompanied by Lt. Todd Baer.
He started by talking about the See Something, Say Something program, part of the PBSO’s crime awareness initiative.
He discussed residential and vehicle burglaries. Both decreased slightly from the previous year.
Most residential burglaries occur during the day.
A question about home invasions – response that they are usually drug related, targeting a home thought to be selling drugs.
Top stolen items: jewelry, computers, televisions, and game consoles.
Watch for unfamiliar vehicles backed into driveways. Watch for solicitors going door to door.
People walking between homes. People walking out of homes with large items such as televisions.
Vehicle burglaries hitting parks, day cares, gas stations, shopping plazas and fitness centers.
Don’t leave valuables in your car!
There is an organized crew they call “Felony Lane”.
They use rental vehicles and they’ll tint the windows.
Watch for someone exiting a vehicle and crouching between cars or looking in car windows.
Night vehicle burglaries mostly in residential areas and often done by teens. Top stolen items: change, cell phones, wallets, garage door openers, iPods, gps and guns.
Valet parking was also discussed. There was a fair amount of paranoid questions about using credit cards, debit cards and ATMs. The central theme of the advice was situational awareness. If you’re going to an ATM and a guy in a hoodie and sunglasses is lurking nearby, that might be time to step back.
Internal thefts: family, friends, children’s friends, service workers, solicitors (water testers). They may have drug problems.
Suspicious activity: call non-emergency 561-995-2800 (South County) or 911 for emergencies.
Don’t put yourself in danger. Don’t confront a suspect or tell them you’re calling police, unless it is a life safety issue.
The talk was well received.

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