alan m.

Amazon generally provides good materials at reasonable prices. And the selection is gigantic. But I had to laugh at the ironic "test" when I tried to sign in last time. I had to copy and submit a series of characters to "prove that you are not a robot." Why is this so funny? Because if you try to communicate with Amazon on its website, you end up chatting with a robot!

Not keeping up with changes in technology and neglecting customer service has been the downfall of many companies. E-Bay may be the next. Software that can send an order number and expected delivery date, and then can't find a record of the order is what you expect from an amateur, fly-by-night organization. Throw in an automated assistant that can't respond to plain English and blocks the ability to type a response unless you choose from a pre-selected list of options. Follow up with a "live" associate that asks the same questions and never quite gets to solving the problem. Sorry E-Bay. I'll shop elsewhere, but you'll limp along on the strength of buyers who don't bother to read reviews.

I've taken 5 cruises with NCL, and the on board service was always top notch. But I've had nothing but problems trying to get help through their home office. I've called on a weekday during the middle of a weekday and gotten a recorded message saying call back during business hours. More recently I've been flooded with spam, and have tried FIVE times to unsubscribe, but NCL continues to be non-responsive. Reluctantly, I've made the decision to stay away from NCL on future cruises.

Shay at my local T-Mobile store was great, but it took two hours to finish our business, after I had already done all the heavy lifting on-line or via phone. This is because she kept running into the same problems I did: Poor communication internally. Sales says one thing, credit department says another. Local store rep had to keep calling because information was not being sent to her laptop, as it should have been. Spotty customer service and questionable technology. But the other companies that serve my area have even worse reviews, and since I'm dropping cable, I need a separate internet connection.

Minimal information, but I've ordered several times before and never been disappointed.

Pizza Hut use to be the standard other pizza places were judged against. Now they are just middle of the road, acceptable but not outstanding. In an effort to save money and promote "extra cheese," it appears the amount of regular cheese is being cut. If you like cheese, and insist on Pizza Hut, then go ahead and pay the extyra couple of dollars for extra cheese. You'll get the total amount that use to be regular.