Don't trust the technology?

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 10:59:18 -0700

It had been a busy couple of weeks in preparation for a client presentation. I flew to San Francisco to complete the documentation / presentation with the technical lead on the project. Handlery Union Square hotel was within walking distance of where we were to meet so I stayed there. The hotel seemed nice enough, big room, good chair and desk to work at and very convenient location so I was quite happy with the choice.

I had arrived a little before 9:00 p.m. but proceeded to work until around 12:30. No problem I thought, as I only need to get up at 7:30. I discovered there was something wrong with the alarm clock (one of the buttons wasn't working) so I walked over to phone the front desk for a wake up call. I noticed a sign about their automated wake up call system where I was able to set the time through the phone. Very easy to use, I set the time for 7:30. Time for a good night's sleep before another busy day.

5:15 the phone rings. It was the automated wake up call !!!!!!

I phoned down to the front desk. "I just received a wake up call but it was supposed to be at 7:30". The immediate reply was "I didn't call you and I make all the wake up calls". I proceeded to explain that it was the automated system I set for 7:30, the computerized voice confirmed this but it called me at 5:15. There was no apology, no "I'll get someone to look at" just again "ya because I didn't call you". I was too tired to fight, "can I have a wake-up call for 7:30 please". Okay, I did receive the 7:30 call.

When I was checking out, I told the lady at the front desk what had happened. Her reply was a laughing "Oh, never trust the technology, you should just call down for a wake-up call next time". There was no, "sorry we'll take a look at it", "sorry, I haven't heard of any other problems, l have someone test the system" .... it probably was a simple matter of resetting the clock on the server. So much for good customer experience.

When is big not always better?

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 16:35:34 -0700

I used to deal with a small technology shop in Vancouver. They're called Blast Radius. They used to be friendly, accommodating, affordable and humble. I didn't have any professional dealings with them for a few years.

Recently however, I had an opportunity to work with them. To my chagrin, they don't seem to be the same company. I noticed a distinct arogance amongst the client team to the point where I didn't feel like a client or partner, simply a source of revenue. As for the price? Unfortunately, they have priced themselves right out of some smaller projects - not that they seem to mind.... I suppose they aren't interested in the small projects anyway (this is reinforced by their tendency to over-complicate the simplest of tasks).

Overall, I feel really disapointed in a company that I used to cheer for and now find myself feeling alianated by them :-(

Sutori - Stories Tagged With 'technology'

Don't trust the technology?

When is big not always better?