Ford Dumps Sync and MyFord Sync Users

The new iPhone app from Ford, Ford Pass, does nothing for existing users of MyFordSync, which is being discontinued next year. Ford has chosen not to recompile Destinations from a 32-bit to a 64-bit app, so it no longer works in iOS 11. Ford Pass also abandons these users, even though there is over a year left on most Sync subscriptions. Any developer knows it would have been easy to recompile Destinations or expand Ford Pass to service Sync users and allow them to continue to use their cars systems with their phones.

After having spent thousands of dollars on Sync for my two Fords, I no longer have an app to control it from my phone. Worse, I won't even be able to control it hands-free from my car! Ford Pass has chosen to ignore hundreds of thousands of users like me. To make matters worse, I can’t even use CarPlay or install third-party apps on MyFord Sync as a replacement since the BIOS in the existing system is incompatible.

Maybe Ford Pass is a great app for those who have purchased a brand new Ford, but it’s apparent that their new CEO, Jim Hackett, has decided to dump older owners by instructing the developer of Ford Pass to ignore them. I seriously doubt this would have happened under Alan Mulally, who had a far more focused eye towards Ford customer satisfaction. Under Mark Fields and now Jim Hackett, it seems Ford has lost that extra effort towards customer attention and quality and returned to the Ford of old.

This arrogance to Ford’s users will make me think long and hard about whether I ever purchase a Ford in the future. 

The Great Chase Rip-off

Here's something that will drive you crazy, another one of life's little indignities.

You may not be aware that there is a regulation by the Federal Reserve that you can only make 6 transfers between your savings and checking account within a statement period. Transfers made at the ATM are exempt. It's referred to as Regulation D. You can read more about it here.

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, must feel that after the banking crisis, there is some perverse need to get even more money from his customers in the form of hidden bank fees. Chase, with no announcement to its customers, decided to limit the number of transfers allowed under Reg D to 4 per statement cycle and to include ATM transfers as part of that number.

Think about this carefully. You are being charged a fee for transferring your own money between your own accounts. It is bad enough to have the Federal Reserve's misguided Regulation D which limits transfers to 6 per month, but totally ridiculous that Chase limits it to only four, and then eliminates the ATM exemption.

I ended up at Chase after Washington Mutual was absorbed by them. I am not going to accept this type of limitation by Chase so that they can simply charge me another fee. I called the bank today and was able to get it reversed for this statement cycle, but I'll be damned if I intend to stay a Chase customer and help feed their coffers with fees that are designed to annoy and harass their customers.

I realize it will make no difference to their bottom line, but I'm going to shop around for a bank that at least follows Reg D and doesn't try and use it as an excuse to charge a trivial fee just to annoy its customers and pocket a few extra dollars. I'll repost my findings about which banks are adhering to Reg D and which have decided on their own fee schedule.

The Great Pickle Experiment!

Those of you who know that I moved to Florida from New York City also know that one of the things I miss down here is food. As an example, I can't seem to find a good, sour garlic pickle. Criminal! Worse, Ba Tampte and Schoors have stopped making them, or at least they're not stocked in Publix. What the... Surely I can't be the only one who loves these sour, garlicky treats with a sandwich, or as a snack.

Dire situations call for drastic measures! I have done extensive research and found a sour garlic pickle recipe. I made my first batch today, but won't have the results for about a week. I will report back on my success, or lack thereof, and be happy to share this recipe once I'm sure it's a success.

Stand by pickle lovers!! More to come!

Comcast delivers

I've been holding off on writing this post because I thought my good experience with Comcast customer support might just be a one-time event. It turns out, it isn't. These guys are damn good at it.

It starts with answering the phone. Such a simple thing, folks, but these people actually answer the phone promptly.

Once they do, they solve the problem. From placing an order to replacing my cable box with a PC card (I own a Tivo HD), or installing a cable modem, they've been helpful every time.

A few months ago I sent an e-mail inquiring when more HD channels would be available. I got a personal phone call from HQ to discuss what they're doing and when to expect more HD programming.

Last night I was unable to get a few of my premium channels, I called, they reset the cable connection remotely and everything was fixed! Time spent: under 3 minutes.

I know I'm quick to rag on someone when they do badly, but I want to make sure that I acknowledge best-in-class service. I don't know what it's like elsewhere in the country, but in South Florida, Comcast customer service is the clear winner over DirecTV.

Garmin is a real disappointment

Last week my Garmin 765T GPS went dead because of a firmware update that I installed from Garmin. Their instructions were to send it in, at their expense, and the unit would (presumably) be repaired.

So don't you think if the reason an expensive piece of electronics turned into a doorstop was because the software you issued was faulty that you'd bend over backwards to get the unit replaced? Don't you think this would be true, especially if you represented yourself as the premier maker of GPS units for automotive, aviation and marine use?

You'd be disappointed. In my opinion, these units that became dysfunctional should have been hot-swapped. Garmin should have sent out a new unit and I would have returned the old one. This is what Apple did when they found out the 3G power adapter was faulty. This is what HP did when my Photosmart went bad. In fact, this is what any manufacturer would do who had half a concern for their customers.

What's happened is that they issued free ground shipping to, first, return the unit to Garmin, then wait to find out when they intend to ship the replacement. (For the record, I'm still waiting. No communication yet although UPS confirmed the delivery of the returned unit last week.)

I use my GPS in business as I travel the country. It's not a convenience to me, it's a necessity. That's why I bought a high-end device like the 765T. You'd think that a customer like that would receive at least a modicum of communication from Garmin, but apparently this would cost too much or is simply too much trouble.

It is Garmin's failure of their Q&A process that caused the problem in the first place. Unfortunately, it's now become my headache because of their decision not to hot swap these units.

So now I wait. And wait. Clearly they are swamped with the return of hundreds, maybe thousands, of units and have decided not to hire any additional help on to handle the load. I suspect that's because they simply don't want to spend the money on something that was percipitated by their carelessness in not having the appropriate Q&A for checking software. Then again, I'm just a customer, who spent hundreds of dollars on this unit. Who the heck am I to complain!!

My advice? Think twice before buying a Garmin GPS. One month ago I would have recommended them on the basis of having owned three of Garmin's GPS'. Today I'd tell you that I never had to use their tech support before, and I realize now that profit at Garmin far outweighs the customer, even in a situation where Garmin is the perpetrator of the problem.

Caveat emptor.

My vote for product of the year!

I know it's only mid april, but I am awed by a product that I stumbled across yesterday at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's a portable back scratcher!

Folks, if you've ever needed to scratch your back and used a tree, wall, or any of a million other bizarre surfaces, then you'll know that a back scratcher is a one-of-a-kind appliance.

Until recently, conventional back scratchers had two drawbacks. First, they were usually only available in the China Town. Don't ask me why that's true, since I have a very itchy back and can guarantee you that I don't have a drop of Oriental blood in me. Second, they are always about 18" long, made from plastic or wood, and therefore don't exhibit a great deal of portability. In other words, the damn thing is never there when you need it.

This puppy collapses like a portable antenna with a claw on the end. It even has a pocket clip!! It's also just sharp enough to give your back that satisfying scratch without drawing blood. It fits comfortably in a purse, backpack or briefcase and is always ready when the itch strikes you.

I LOVE THIS THING!!

My congratulations go out to Smart Inventions, who markets this device. You have my uncontested vote for Product of the Year, 2009 from a grateful, itchy-backed devotee of back scratchers.

BTW, I notice on the packaging, it's made in China. Hmmmmm.

Correction to my blog on the Kindle

My thanks to Bob Edelman who corrected me on the synchronization issue. It can be turned off, albeit from the Amazon website, and not on the device.

Thanks, Bob!

Great News About the Amazon Kindle

Today, a story in the NY Times revealed that Amazon has just released a new app called the Kindle for iPhone. Folks, I love this app! I can now read the books of my choice on my iPhone purchased from the huge inventory of ebooks at Amazon. Sweet!

There are two limitations. First, it is only good for books, not periodicals. Some of you may know that the Kindle allows you to subscribe to a newspaper or magazine and have it delivered automatically to your Kindle. I don't care about magazines or newspapers on the Kindle iPhone app or on the Kindle itself. I'm only interested in books, so that's not a limitation for me.

Second is that you have to make your book purchases on-line at the Amazon website. The iPhone app won't allow you to download them on the fly as the Kindle does. While this is slightly inconvenient, it is definitely not a showstopper.

This is a great way to read on my iPhone, whose form factor I like better than the Kindle. With the iPhone I can catch a few pages whenever I'm waiting in a checkout line, on the subway or bus, or just have a few minutes to spare while having lunch. Since the Kindle isn't easy to have in your pocket, I far prefer the iPhone.

There are several other readers on the iPhone, including the much-loved Classics and Stanza, as well as the newly released ShortCovers. None, however, have the depth of content that the Kindle for iPhone app does, including best sellers and classics.

There is also a feature of this new app called WhisperSync that synchronizes the Kindle to the iPhone, and visa versa. So, if you've started a book on the Kindle, then start to read it on your iPhone, they will both be bookmarked in the same spot. Very cool!

Which leads me to the one suggestion I have for the iPhone app. I'd like the option of turning WhisperSync off on the iPhone. I own both a Kindle and an iPhone. My wife uses the Kindle while I use the iPhone. If we're both reading the same book, but we're at different places, WhisperSync can inadvertently make her lose her place since it will try and bookmark my position to hers, and visa versa. As a workaround, I've made sure that she keeps wireless turned off on the Kindle so it can't connect with the Kindle store, but I'd still like the option of turning it off.

Maybe in the future Amazon will figure out how to sell content via the App Store as well. For now, however, I am a VERY happy camper.