Nick C.

Fox News online has deteriorated over the years, and I say this as a conservative, one who finds Fox News to be balanced, not "right wing propaganda" as some on the left like to dismissively say. While some online stories and articles are well constructed, many writers seem to lack a grasp of basic English skills, or they'll present stories that leave you scratching your head, as they are missing details. Even some headlines contain errors in spelling, etc.

Several years ago, Fox News online conducted a wholesale "purge" of readers, many of whom would leave comments for stories that were funny, insightful, and not at all in violation of the posting policies. Moderators acted like power-hungry monsters. Now, Fox runs multiple stories that you can only read if you "sign up", so gee, I guess it needs more readers? Add to this annoyance the annoyances of having a full banner at the top of the page come down over text that you are reading, or a video window that follows you down the page, demanding that you look at its unrelated content to the story that you're trying to read. The site isn't user friendly at all. When push comes to shove, I'll take the televised Fox News and the TV station in general over their online venue.

My adopted daughter and I went to MyHeritage.com to explore membership for her. They ask you for information (names of parents), ask you to import a family tree from sites like Ancestry.com, etc. Kind of hard to do if you're adopted and don't have any of this information. Nowhere on the MyHeritage site did we see the option to simply join and get a DNA test kit. They did offer a trial membership, but that required giving the same information about parents, etc. too. Ancestry.com on the other hand was very easy to join. We considered MyHeritage.com based on reviews saying that it gives more information in regards to European matches. Oh, we also tried contacting MyHeritage Support. You either have to log in as a member, or create a membership using the information that an adopted person probably wouldn't have. No way to actually contact someone.

I have no problems with Amazon in general, but can't understand why an item that comes FROM Amazon has to go all over the country before coming to me. Example: I'm in Mass. An item that I bought went from an Amazon warehouse, ALSO in Mass., to Kansas, then to Texas, where it was turned over to USPS, which then brought it BACK to me in Mass.! Why couldn't folks at the warehouse in Mass. Have had it picked up by USPS THERE? I live 29 miles from the warehouse. Amazon sent it 1,768.2 miles to Dallas Texas, then back to me. Instead of using FUEL to send it 29 miles, fuel was used to send it a total of 3,536.4 miles! In addition to prolonging the delivery time, how is this good for the environment?

Bought an expensive vacuum cleaner from Sears which came with a warranty; also bought Asurion coverage which was to kick in once the Sears warranty expired. The hose broke in just three months, Sears wouldn't honor their warranty. Called Asurion, explained that Sears was being awful about this, and Asurion replaced the broken hose even though they weren't yet obligated. Months later the vacuum power switch broke. Called Asurion, quickly got friendly service and a return label, and the repaired vacuum came back in about a week. I highly recommend Asurion, not so much Sears, and even less the vacuum cleaners that are being made today.

I use Paypal quite a bit, have rarely filed a claim, but did so two weeks ago. Fedex claimed that a package was delivered to me, on 8/18 at 1:15pm. They also claim that the same package was delivered to me on 8/18 at 5:51 pm! There was no package. We looked everywhere, checked with the neighbors, etc. I filed a claim with Paypal, the claim was eventually denied because Fedex had "proof" of delivery. If you track the package and click on "proof of delivery" you see a page that basically says, "Yeah, we delivered it, yes indeedy doody!" No photo, no signature, just a "delivered" status entered by a Fedex driver. Well guess what? Fedex drivers will mark packages as "delivered" or "out for delivery" before they even are, to "save time". Some drivers deliver to the wrong address, and some will STEAL packages and mark them "delivered". Given my lack of filing claims with Paypal, and given the small amount that I was asking for in this instance ($70) I don't understand why Paypal didn't side with me. I was home when the alleged delivery was made, I went to our door just minutes after the alleged delivery at 1:15pm, there was no package. Hey - maybe Paypal uses Fedex for all of its shipping needs so they scratch each other's backs! Chances are, Paypal is SWAMPED with claims against Fedex (even Amazon dropped it because of how overall lousy it is) so this is Paypal's way of cutting losses - even when a refund to the customer is JUSTIFIED.

I wanted to post a topic on Reddit, was unable to because that "ability" comes with being someone with a history of using Reddit. Okay, fine, except having this "history" isn't easy. Example: I sometimes do Google searches on various topics and questions and am brought to Reddit, where I find related posts and comments. One time I left a comment for an active thread, and got a message from a Reddit moderator criticizing me for replying to a thread that was three years old! Really? The fact that it's "old" doesn't mean that people won't still find it or find it useful, and if the thread is still ACTIVE, why would a moderator do this in the first place? Based on this, the only way that you can have a history of using Reddit, prior to creating a sub-Reddit so that you can post your own topic, is to comment on NEW Reddit posts, which really limits you if your concern is something that was last posted and commented on several years ago. Quora sucks too, but at least it doesn't scold you if you reply to a post that's three years old!

I don't have a problem with Etsy sellers or buying on Etsy in general, but I DO have a problem with Etsy not enforcing it's own rules and policies, especially when specific examples are brought to their attention. Example: sellers are supposed to post photos of THEIR OWN WORK. They are supposed to sell either the item shown in the photo, or one like it. Numerous sellers of Medieval style armour on Etsy however (all in India) use stolen photos of armour from reputable armourers or even from museums, and pass them off as photos of "their work". What they actually send you is garbage, poorly made, looking nothing like the photo. Etsy will do nothing about this, even when you send them links to the legitimate website where the photos were stolen from!

Another example: Etsy forbids the sale of items that mock or demean people based on a number of things, including religion, yet there are items for sale on Etsy that mock and demean Christianity, such as a poster of a stripper dancing before Christ and his apostles at the last supper. I'm actually not very religious, but know darn well that if the stripper was dancing in front of the Prophet Muhammed, Etsy would yank the poster in a heartbeat. Double standards!

Whats the problem Etsy? Not enough staff to actually DO something about this? Or maybe money is your bottom line?

Placed an order with KFC in Alston, Mass. At 9 am this morning for two meals, with delivery to be made by Grubhub at 1 pm. At 12:55 pm, just 5 minutes before we were to have dinner, we got an email telling us that KFC cancelled our order because - take your pick - they were "too busy", and/or they RAN OUT of chicken breasts and biscuits! How the hell does a KFC run out of basic, staple food items? Totally unprofessional to send a last minute message, giving us NO time to consider an alternative. They didn't even ask us if we'd like to choose something else from their menu! Haven't gone to KFC for YEARS, thought we'd try it again, and this happens. "We ran out of biscuits and chicken breasts and are too busy" my foot. More likely an issue with POOR management and staff people who call in sick all the time.

Bought one of Marto Swords medieval knight statues (King Richard the Lionheart), paid a LOT for it. It was supposed to come with a lance that bore a flag with the same three lions that are on the horse's caparison, but it came with a lance that had the French fleur-de-lis flag instead. Whoever originally packed it made a mistake. I contacted Marto in Spain (assuming that an international company would have an English speaking rep) and I also contacted their distributor in the US. Never got a reply! How freaking hard is it to ship a replacement lance/flag? Despite THEIR error, I even offered to pay for it! The attached photo shows the statue and incorrect lance flag in the original box. The flag should be red and gold with English three lions, not white and gold with the French fleur-de-lis! Yes, it matters!

I posted on Quora off and on for several years. Occasionally I would find useful information and enjoy comments from others, but many of the comments there come from folks who post pointless questions like, "Why are cats cute?", or come from those who are into intellectual posturing. My biggest gripe concerned comment moderation, which I feel is biased. Here's an example. I have an interest in military history, artifacts, uniforms, music, etc., from all periods. In response to a comment left by someone else, I replied that it was totally possible to aesthetically appreciate the uniforms, medals, ceremonies, pomp, banners, and other things connected to the Third Reich, while at the same time hating Hitler and everything that he and the Nazis stood for. My comment was removed as "hate speech", which is nonsense. Some little fluff bunny mod or reader got "offended". I subsequently terminated my Quora account. Quora is a joke. It claims to foster "civil discourse", doesn't delete some comments that do violate their policies if they come from a certain socio-political perspective, and does remove comments that violate absolutely nothing. Quora and its cancelling minions at their headquarters in Cal. Can go pound sand.

I've bought on Chairish in the past with no problems; bought an antique vase for $150 and an antique chair for $2,500. Recently I saw another antique chair hat I liked and used the "make an offer" option. I did so, then realized that the height of the seat made the chair impractical for use as a desk chair. I contacted the seller, asked to cancel my offer, got no reply. I then discovered that the amount of my offer - over $800 - had been deducted from my bank account and was marked as "pending"! I went to the Chairish site, read the "fine print", and sure enough, this is what they do when you make an offer. I was used to making offers on eBay - if accepted, YOU make the payment, and YOU choose the method of payment. Not in Chairish, they use the card that you've used before and just take the money.

I sent two more messages to the seller, got no reply, finally called Chairish, and a rep canceled the offer for me and I got an email to that effect. Problem is, information on the Chairish website says that if an offer is canceled, you get an IMMEDIATE refund. It doesn't say "in three business days", it says "immediate". It's now been three days, still no refund, and when I call Chairish I get a message saying, "We're really busy right now, please leave a message and don't all back!" I can't access my money, I can't reach the seller or Chairish. My bank said they would step in in another three days so I'll get my money back, but I'll never make an offer again on Chairish. They take your offer, add tax and shipping, then TAKE that amount from your bank account, without even asking if you prefer to pay using a different method, and you can't of course reach anyone.

Two examples of how USPS helps customers:

1. Went to the PO to pick up a package. Saw no pickup window, stood line a long line, got to the counter, was sent to the other end of the floor to the "offocial package pickup window" which had no sign. Asked why they couldn't make a sign and was told, "Oh, a sign requires that someone study the request and that a committee approves it."

2. Had a package shipped to me with tracking that didn't update in two weeks. Called USPS, had the usual fight with the automated system that wants you to spend 27 minutes listening to USPS ads and not speak with a real person, then got to speak with an agent. Told her of my concern, gave her the tracking #, and she said, "Let me look into that for you!" Minutes later she comes back and says, "Sir, your tracking didn't update, I don't know why." I reply, I know, that's why I asked USPS for help with this." and got, "We can only tell you what you see yourself when YOU track." Freaking woop-de-doo.