Big Girls Don't Cry

Today is one of my sad days.

What happened to Amazon?

I have been a huge fan of Amazon.com and a loyal customer for many years. However, recently their value and customer service has plummeted. Their online chat customer service is now a joke. Generally I get transferred to at least 5 or 6 different customer service representatives before being helped--sometimes the person who finally helps me is the original customer service rep who transferred me! Amazon.com used to care about their service quality; what happened?  :(

In addition, Many of the items I buy have recently jumped up in price 10-25%. One of the reasons I have been a loyal Amazon customer is because they consistently had the best price. Now, if you look at the Amazon Prime prices, sometimes they are even 25-50% higher than other sellers selling the same item new through Amazon (check the "used and new" link an inch or two below the add to cart button)! For example, by searching other Amazon sellers I just bought a textbook for $155 new (after delivery charges); whereas, Amazon Prime is charging $212 for the same book. So disappointing...

I doubt Amazon was losing money, so why raise the prices so much? Why skimp on proper customer service? Amazon used to have all the best products, prices, and service. Now it's missing two of the three.

Considering Amazon.com is known for having the most comprehensive reviews system, certainly they should've known that changing their prices, service, and value wouldn't be overlooked by internet bloggers.

For what it's worth, I am a paying Amazon Prime member ($79/yr) and planned to purchase all my Christmas presents through Amazon; now I am looking at other options....

What happened to gender differences?

Feminist women have trained men to believe that they do not have to be men anymore. Most men are oblivious, only noticing the money they save while courting and how much easier it is to get sex. But it runs much deeper than that. There is an inherent lack of respect for men by women once women have to take on a more masculine role. Why should I respect him as a man when I can be my own provider? Why should I respect his penis when I can easily get another?

What is the male role? The ability and desire to provide for and protect his family at all costs. A man's goal is to work and make as much money as he can to provide. While he's single, this is to prepare for his eventual wife and children. No real man would ever allow a woman to pay for dates, as doing so demasculates him to the core. The money saved doesn't justify the lost respect. Fathers who allow their children to go hungry, without clothes, or without intellectual stimulation aren't men either. Whether with his child's mother or not, a man will do whatever it takes to have enough money to make sure his family is ok. "Wanna-be men" believe that paying court-ordered child support (which they are often bitter about) is good enough. And lastly, men are supposed to be able to fix and repair things. Even if you have plenty of money to hire someone, the ability to do basic house and car repairs is expected of all men.

What is the female role? To be a caretaker and raise healthy children. Most women have jobs, yet at the same time this can defeminize them. A woman takes care of her family--and not by paying someone else to do it while she goes to work. A woman puts her children first (because they cannot protect themselves) and her partner second. Woman are excellent comforters and are there to lend a hug or supporting comment when her child or man needs it. Women are expected to "step back" when it's helpful towards encouraging her family to to grow and succeed. In addition, frugal shopping and cooking are essential skills all women should have.

Surely it is clear that I do not believe in equal rights. I never have. Men are providers and protectors; women are caretakers. This is natural and works the best because men and women are biologically different. In today's society, many females try to prove they are equal to or better than men. Sadly, laziness has caused just as many males to expect women to pick up the man's slack. Divorce rates in the U.S. are over 50%, and I am convinced this is why. Having a vagina doesn't make you a real woman just like having a penis doesn't make you a real man.

Once upon a time, men knew that they had to "step up" to the husband and father role when they got a woman pregnant. Now, instead of being selective when choosing sex partners, boys are taught (often by their parents!) that they have the option of running away from their male responsibility. Parents claim they want their children to be successful in everything; however, for the past 50 years these same parents have neglected insuring that their children can live up to the most basic of gender roles. These roles exist for a reason and create a harmonious society. When gender roles are not respected, everyone suffers. Do you have children? If so, are you teaching your son how to be a man? Your daughter how to be a woman?

Need help? While written in a religious context, these two books are the best I've seen for teaching a woman how to be proper wife: For Woman Only and More Hours In My Day. If you love your daughter, you will teach her these skills. You can also teach her how to be self-sufficient, but she needs to know how to be a proper woman first and foremost. When parents fail to teach their boys what it takes to be a man, women and children get neglected. Since I am a woman, I do not have any book suggestions for men--but I will start looking, and will add a comment below when I have some. If you do not live up to your gender role, you need to evaluate why and fix yourself.


**** Just a side note, after working in strip clubs I can tell you that most strippers have children. The same holds true for prostitutes. A large percentage are forced into adult work to support their child(ren) because the males who got them pregnant weren't really men. These women are often looked down upon, when in reality they do whatever it takes to take care of, provide for, and protect their children after a man has chosen not to be there.

MagicJack is now a SCAM

I was a happy MagicJack user for a few years, evening buying several extras as gifts for friends. Magicjack promotes itself claiming that by purchasing their device and service you receive unlimited free calling within the Unites States. However, they are now charging for these same calls. By no longer offering the service which their customers paid for, they are committing fraud.

If you are considering getting MagicJack, don't! If you already have them, post an online review. If you can still charge it back with your bank, do.

---

Here was my interaction with them today:

Scarlet: Hello, how may I help you?

Me: Yes, I have had MagicJack for a few years and it has always worked properly. Now it is charging me to make calls. These are not international calls, but calls within the United States. My plan states that these calls should be free and always have been until today. Obviously, there is a mistake on MagicJack's end. When will this be fixed?

Scarlet: Let me help you with that.

Scarlet: May I have the first and last name of the account please?

Me: [My name]

Scarlet: Thanks. Is this your number, [My phone number]?

Me: yes

Scarlet: "You need to add prepaid minutes if you are calling a conference line, platforms or other non-ILEC areas"- is this the recording you've heard?

Me: The recording said that my call (which has always been free) will now be decucted from my pre-paid minutes. This is not ok.

Scarlet: Unfortunately, you will need a prepaid minutes if you hear that recording.

Scarlet: It is in our Terms of Service.

Scarlet: We may require prepaid purchase and/or we may charge you for calls to conference lines, platforms and certain non-ILEC area calls, or any call wherein we incur a cost from another carrier. We may provide for a fee, premium prepaid services, which may be powered by YMAX Communications Corp. (YMAX), and may include some inbound, international, conference, platform and outbound calls that receive a recording and certain calls to non-ILEC areas, and the rates for those services will be governed by listed price lists or tariffs.

Me: This is a local US call. It is to a landline in Pennsylvania and has always been free up to now.

Me: I have 2 magicjack plus which I haven't activated yet. If this is a new policy, MagicJack has really went against what was promised when I purchased and I would like to get a refund for those.

Scarlet: May I have your magicJack Sales Order Number for the magicJack PLUS?

Me: [My MagicJack Plus Order Numbers]

Scarlet: Thank you. Please wait, while I check it for you.

Scarlet: Order Number: [my order number]. Order Date: 06/02/2012 we cannot issue a refund for this order since it is past 30 days Free Trial Period.

Me: But the magicjacks were never activated and I ONLY bought it because MagicJack claimed "Free Local and Long Distance charges". This is apparently no longer true, therefore I would like a refund.

Scarlet: We can only issue a refund if it's within 30 Day Free Trial period.

Me: Wow, then MagicJack is no longer honoring their contract and policy. If this cannot be resolved, I will be forced to contact my bank regarding these fradulent charges, I paid for a service that is not being offered. This is fraud.

Scarlet: You are aware of the 30 Day Free Trial. We cannot issue a refund for the order you made.

Me: Magicjack is committing fraud.

Me: I am going to contact my bank immediately.

Me: I have already been using the main account, but I will charge back the other two lines which were never activated,

Scarlet: I believe that I have already provided you all the information needed and that we are keep on repeating the same process. I would like to ask permission to end this conversation with you. Thank you

Since we haven't heard from you, we must release this chat. Please click here should you need further assistance: www.magicJack.com/techchat

** Not knowing that she immediately ended the session, I wrote the following reply:

Me: You do not have permission. This has not been resolved. Please give me a phone number to call and speak with someone live.

You are not currently in a chat session.

This company does not care about their customers and is now running on a rip-off model. I pre-paid five years each for unlimited calling for several phone lines. Several lines which will no longer be used because MagicJack is now charging for what they claim is free. This is fraud! Don't trust them. MagicJack is no longer the good company they once were. Do not believe any good reviews you may read; check the dates on them, they will be old.

Do Nice Guys Finish Last?

Another blogger I follow recently publicly shared a story about how her grandparents started dating. Here is an small excerpt:

He said she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, but everyone told him not to waste his time. In turn, she didn't give him the time of day ... until one day.

My granddaddy was driving the mule truck when she crossed the street in front of him. Instead of stopping for her, he hit the gas and stopped mere inches from hitting her.

That's when she spoke to him for the first time, although what she said wasn't very ladylike. But he just grinned.

When she asked what he thought was so damn funny, he just smiled some more and said, "I got you to talk to me."

Behaviors, like the grandfather's above, need to be acknowledged for what they are: unhealthy. Unfortunately, some people don't see the harm and sometimes even find it cute. That boggles my mind.

I posted a simple comment saying it is sad that some people get attracted by being treated poorly--and how that is psychotic. The blog owner was offended and deleted my comment.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The phrase "Nice Guys Finish Last" exists because with tons of women it is true. They ignore the nice man who treats them with respect, instead falling for a jerk or "asshole" guy who doesn't treat them well (usually from the get-go). This happens so often that I've witnessed men who started off as nice guys become assholes because they were tired of losing out...and, sadly, they get more women. In the case above, the grandfather couldn't get the woman's attention until he put her safety at risk.

Assholes bait women with excitement, shock, fear, and/or drama. A common technique is to dish out back-handed compliments as part of the courting ritual. More women appear turned-on by these behaviors than turned-off. When it takes negative behaviors to snare a mate, additional negative behaviors are likely to escalate over time.

The more dysfunction you live with, the more normal it seems. Unconsciously people seek it out, getting into one unhealthy relationship after another. This also explains why women stay with bad men; toxicity is addictive and often interpreted as a "spark" or "chemistry". It is difficult to understand any other kind of life.

Several years ago I underwent training and certification for domestic violence and sexual assault counseling. Abuse comes in many forms. Physical abuse is the easiest to spot, but mental, emotional, sexual, and financial can be just as harmful. When someone is mean and/or violent towards you and you remain part of that person's life, you reward and reinforce their negative behavior. And...your self-esteem suffers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
During my life, I've had healthy relationships and unhealthy ones. In hindsight, the unhealthy ones could've been spotted from the very beginning--and should've been. People need to respect each other, themselves included. After lots of therapy and self-reflection, I recognized that I was drawn to the excitement of drama and was able to break that cycle. Now, I would never consider dating an "asshole". Nice guys only. :)

Nice guys usually remain nice guys for many years before converting into assholes. Which is better? Depends on who you want to date and what her values are. Women who are attracted to the "Bad boy" or asshole type, usually take years of abuse before breaking their cycle. So, if you want to date young women, being an asshole is often more effective. *sigh*     Supply and demand: the older a woman gets, the fewer nice guys are out there. So, for women 30+, being a nice guy totally pays off and women will appreciate you.

Gambling? VOIP? Privacy?

Were you an online gambler? Has your internet service provider blocked you from using Skype or another VOIP service? Do you live outside the United States yet want full access to Pandora, Youtube, and Netflix? There are ways around this.

The simplest way is to use a VPN. A VPN is a direct connection to another computer. By directly connecting to another computer first, you can then use the service you want in an area where it is still allowed. How does this work? By using an IP address which is based in a country which allows the service you wish to use, you get access. It's an easy solution.

I have been using a paid VPN service for several months. Since I travel worldwide, sometimes my VOIP service won't work. All I have to do is load up my VPN and "viola!" It works! Simple as can be and worth every penny. To learn more, click the banner below and choose which service best fits your specific needs. You'll be glad you did.

quotes

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
-- Albert Einstein



"If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
-- Abraham Maslow