Wednesday, November 25, 2015

What a Horrible Place to Put an Apostrophe






















Fandango

Dear Fandango, I have a $25 gift card that is not working because (presumably) part of the claim code tore off when I was scratching the back. From what I can read, the code says "#################". There may be a letter/number missing at the end. Please advise. I do not want to be out $25 due to this design flaw on the card. There are two other numbers on the card, one that says "###########" follow by the Fandango logo, and below it a card number of ###################. I will send pictures if desired. Please help me rectify this. 

Sincerely, 
Firstname Lastname

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Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

We will assume your issue has been resolved if we do not hear from you within 48 hours.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

You may also update this question by replying to this message. Because your reply will be automatically processed, you MUST enter your reply in the space below. Text entered into any other part of this message will be discarded.

[===> Please enter your reply below this line <===]

[===> Please enter your reply above this line <===]

 Response Via Email (Shelly) 05/09/2015 12:34 PM
Dear Firstname,

Thank you for your email and interest in Fandango.

Using your Fandango gift card is easy, just start by visiting us at Fandango.com:

1.    Enter your zip code or city name in the main search box to find partner theaters in your area.

2.    Select a date, theater, movie, and showtime.

3.    Enter ticket quantity and pick seat locations (when available).

4.    Enter your email address.  To take advantage of our new Worry-Free Ticketing option and other member perks, we recommend that you create a free Fandango VIP account (or just sign in if you already have one).

5.    Click "Gift Card," enter your claim code (or card number and PIN), then click apply.  If needed, pay the remaining balance with your preferred method of payment.

6.    Complete the purchase, then choose a way to pick up your tickets.

7.    ENJOY THE SHOW!

Thanks again for your email and for making Fandango your choice for online movie tickets.

Best regards,

Shelly
Fandango Customer Support
www.fandango.com
Wireless access: mobile.fandango.com 
 Auto-Response 05/09/2015 11:53 AM
 Your question has not been submitted yet!

Try one of the Answers below.

If your issue remains unresolved click the "Finish Submitting Question" button below.

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Shelly,

Obviously this does not resolve the issue.  Clearly you did not read my message.  Please see below.  I am copying it again.  I find the "We will consider your issue resolved" coupled by the fact that you totally ignored it awful customer service.

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Your reply did not process correctly. Please reply to this message and enter the text between the specified lines. Your message has been attached.

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[===> Please enter your reply below this line <===]

Shelly,

Obviously this does not resolve the issue.  Clearly you did not read my message.  Please see below.  I am copying it again.  I find the "We will consider your issue resolved" coupled by the fact that you totally ignored it awful customer service.

Dear Fandango, I have a $25 gift card that is not working because (presumably) part of the claim code tore off when I was scratching the back. From what I can read, the code says "#################". There may be a letter/number missing at the end. Please advise. I do not want to be out $25 due to this design flaw on the card. There are two other numbers on the card, one that says "###########" follow by the Fandango logo, and below it a card number of ###################. I will send pictures if desired. Please help me rectify this. Sincerely, Firstname Lastname.

[===> Please enter your reply above this line <===]

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Dear Firstname,

Thank you for your email and interest in Fandango.

We apologize for any inconvenience this issue has caused. However, the code that you provided, ###################################, is a working claim code. This code is valid, and we have verified that it works, as we applied this to a test purchase. If you are still having issue we suggest changing to an alternate browser, or device.

We hope this information helps. Thank you for choosing Fandango as your online ticketing agent. Have a great day!

Best regards,

Shelly
Fandango Customer Support
www.fandango.com
Wireless access: mobile.fandango.com 
 Customer By Email (Firstname Lastname) 05/09/2015 01:10 PM

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[===> Please enter your reply below this line <===]

I have entered this code on two/three separate occasions.  The website gives an error message each time.  I have used 3 other cards in between all with no issues.  If nothing is wrong with the card, then something is wrong with the website.  Can you issue me a different $25 code and invalidate this one?  

[===> Please enter your reply above this line <===]

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Dear Firstname,

Thank you for your email and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

In order to help resolve this issue we need more information from you. Please reply to this email with the answers to the following questions:

- What are you trying to purchase tickets for? Please include the full name of the theater, movie title, date and time of showing.

- What steps are you taking? Please include any error messages you may have received.

- What internet browser and version are you using? (For example: Internet Explorer, Version 7)

- Are you running the current version of Adobe Flash Player? (To check this simply right-click over the area where the seating chart should display and select ‘About Adobe Flash Player.’)

Once we have this information we will be able to have our Site Support Team look into the issue.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Toya
Fandango Customer Support
www.fandango.com
Wireless access: mobile.fandango.com

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Toya,
I attempted to buy tickets to Avengers Age of Ultron yesterday at AMC Lowes Waterfront Homestead PA.  I also attempting to buy them for Kingsmen the Secret Service at another theatre recently (week of April 12).  This card did not work either time.  I had other cards that I did use successfully.  I cannot recreate the error now and give you the message because I do not want to purchase a ticket at this time.  I am using Safari with the newest Flash.  I assure you this is not a browser issue as I have used three other Fandango cards successfully in the same time frame.  I used the feature on the website to check the value on the gift card and it does tell me the value at that time.  It does not work during the checkout process.  It is not an issue of it being a typo because I've tried it several times on each movie ticket I attempted to purchase.  Again, this is an issue with this particular card only.  If you will simply mail me a new card, I will gladly mail this one back to you.

Thank you,

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Thank you for your email and interest in Fandango.

We have verified the code that you provided below, ##############################, is a working claim code. This code is valid, and ready for use, as we applied this to a mock purchase. You should be able to successfully complete your purchase now. 

Please let us know if you continue to experience difficulties and be sure to let us know the error message you receive as this will tell us what the issue is. 

Thank you for your patience and for making Fandango your choice for online movie ticketing.

Best regards,

Toya
Fandango Customer Support
www.fandango.com
Wireless access: mobile.fandango.com

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We have not heard from you concerning your request for support in the 48 hours since we sent you a response. Consequently, we have changed the status of your question to Solved.

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My response letter, here.

Legally binding?


Parallel Universe


Saturday, November 21, 2015

Spiderman, you two-faced bastard!



Cloverfield Dairy Farm











Pittsburgh City Paper

Jim Lavrinc
Circulation Director
Pittsburgh City Paper

Dear Mr. Lavrinc,

I would like to see a list of places where I can pick up a copy of the City Paper on your website.  My fiancee and I are fans of the paper and frequently go out of our way to grab one because we don't know which establishments in our area may or may not have one.  This does not need to be all-inclusive, but even if it listed one or two in each neighborhood that would be a wonderful aid.  She specifically enjoys the crossword puzzles.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

I added some that weren't on here initially.  They're 'dated' the date of the letter, so they're mixed in, but you can click below to jump to them.

Cafe Press
City of Pittsburgh
Comcast
Comcast (2)
Froggy Radio
KDKA
Photobucket
Sundance Vacations, Inc.
UPS

Monday, November 9, 2015

McDonald's (Written on behalf of a friend)

Steve Easterbrook, CEO
McDonald's Corporation
2111 McDonald's Dr.
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Dear Mr. Easterbrook,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent experience at the McDonald’s restaurant in Duquesne, PA.

When receiving my order at the drive-through, I checked my bag to see if the ketchup that I had requested was there. It was not, so I simply asked the woman at the window if I could have a few packets. She proceeded to argue with me, insisting that she had given me the packets. I found this confrontation to be uncalled for and upsetting. Ultimately, I left McDonald’s with no ketchup packets whatsoever.

Typically I am a huge fan of McDonald’s, so it is with regret that I have to write this letter. I seriously hope McDonald’s has a higher expectation of customer service than this. Why an employee would need to hector anyone over a matter of a few ketchup packets is beyond me. I hope this is an example of an employee doing the wrong thing rather than a symptom of corporate nickel-and-diming spoiling a one-great company. I’ve heard of BYOB, but I don’t think you want to be the originator of ‘bring your own condiments’.

I will likely visit McDonald’s again, but I will do so with a bad taste in my mouth from this experience.

Sincerely,

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Junk email - with emphasis added by me.

TWO SUBJECT LINES of which to be AWARE
this was verified with Snopes and it is REAL. ALSO WENT TO TRUTH OR FICTION, IT’S on their site also. 
PLEASE INFORM EVERYONE you know! 
1.) Emails with pictures of Osama Bin-Laden hanged are being sent and the moment that you open these emails your computer will crash and you will not be able to fix it! 
If you get an e-mail along the lines of ‘Osama Bin Laden Captured’ or ‘Osama Hanged’, don’t open the Attachment!!!! 
This e-mail is being distributed through countries around the globe, but mainly in the US and Israel. 
Be considerate & send this warning to whomever you know. 
2.) You should be alert during the next few days: 
Do not open any message with an attached file called ‘Invitation’ regardless of who sent it. 
It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch which ‘burns’ the whole hard disc C of your computer!!!! 
This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list, that is why you should send this E-mail to all your contacts. 
It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it. 
If you receive an e-mail called ‘invitation’, even though sent by a friend. Do not open it!!! 
This is the worst virus announced by CNN, it has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. 
This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus.. 
This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where other vital information is kept. 
SEND THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!!