Soapbox style rants
I have been struggling with a Google Play suspension. For some reason, google policy is not to discuss suspensions. period. Not even to resolve them. I have been battling with email and phone support for days, but this last communique was just too good not to share. In this recording, the Google Play support agent admits nothing can be done and suggests i wait a year for the problem to resolve itself. (edited to remove personal details and to shorten length)
Google doesn’t think my account has been hacked or that I have lost control. They seem to genuinely believe that i am not authorized to pay with this “instrument” and that my intentions is fraud. This all started with a neglected Google Play account. So neglected that i never replaced the credit card on file and the one there had been reported lost in 2013. I logged into the account to buy a $4 app for some android cameras i was playing with. I purchased the app without error or incident 2 days ago. . .
I use the app with the cameras problem free for 2 days. In the end, one camera was a little glitchy, so i decided to restore it to factory settings and set it up new. This is when it all went very bad. When i logged into the store i couldn’t find the purchased app in my account and it wouldn’t let me buy it again. It was giving me strange errors about lack of internet or an error code: OR-IEH-01. It was at this point that i noticed the email about payment information being needed. I never received any emails about the purchase being canceled (apparently it was). This is when i decided to call customer service. The support agent interrupted me repeatedly, imparted the same explanation over and over, all the while asking me to submit a credit card statement from 2013. The incompetence was staggering. I did some reading about reports of a massive Google outage today. The agent insisted that i had added the lost card to the account the day of the purchase, the same day that i received the request for additional documents. This claim is ridiculous at every point, but not as ridiculous as google expecting me to have the same credit card number forever. Did the outage contribute to the problem? i don’t know, but across Google’s ecosystem there has been failure today. I even tried to create a new google play account with all new info. It did not work, something is broken. I jumped though the first set of rings and submitted my current credit card and state ID card. The rejection came swift. 23 hours under their 24 hour ETA came this email. . .
I feel at this point i need to provide some context. Was this a new account? was it active? I have used my google account almost daily since 2009. In fact, i used their own google pay service for years until they changed their policy to require delivery of digital content thought their platform only. I charged clients weekly, and google deposited that into my bank account. For years without a single charge back. I used many of their experimental products. I even used Google+ and i still don’t know how i am going to replace fusion tables.
What now? now i gather the remaining documents and try again? what are our options with gatekeepers like these? I’m still locked out of the play store and my google login is behaving erratically. (gmail delays on both incoming and outgoing)
I have used MinuteKEY in the past to easily bypass DO NOT COPY keys. Today’s errand was more about a quick solution then a security bypass. I was just copying normal keys today. Here is what i learned. With MinuteKEY, you could only make batch copies of the same key. In fact, the MinuteKEY kiosk locked your key into the machine until all the copying is done. There were zero protections against DO NOT COPY keys. They do however print keys right there in a variety of styles and colors.
Continue reading “My first purchase from a KeyMe kiosk and I have notes!”
This small exhibit includes audio/video recordings from the Daily Show cast as well as Trump Survivors. Even a set with a golden toilet and props to pose with. (i had to grab a tie, but it wasn’t long enough for me). We were given name tags upon our arrival complete with nickname (mine was “Buzzkill be3n”). you can see the whole exhibit in under an hour. well worth the visit!
Sunday June 17th is the last day in LA. 631 N Robertson Blvd. 12pm-10pm.
Maybe the biggest, certainly the sweetest rottweiler I have ever met. I miss you.
Why is it harder to buy a car then a gun? great speakers, great signs. we need proper background checks, close loopholes. this isn’t difficult. 
As you can see, it did turn out to be hardware, a GPU and CPU (ouch!). The flash storage was not it, but I figured that out eventually. This has been an issue since October! With many fixes attempted. It was a bit of a blow to my pride eventually having to turn to Apple, but they stepped up and got it done with only mild frustration on my part. Plus, they picked up the tab as my warranty is certainly expired. There comes a time when you realize that a fix would require more parts then you had at hand. I have been enjoying my functional desktop again, just in time for the new iMac Pro to make it obsolete.
I only just learned of the passing of a beloved pet. I lived with Tiny for more then 7 years and 3 locations. She was brilliant, manipulative, lazy and an incredibly fierce predator. We shared a special bond and i will never forget her. . .
Lets not forget her unfinished project.
AOL’s Long running messaging service will end on December 15th. Though it’s true that i rarely use it these days and that I actually lost my original account years ago… I have fond memories of this communications protocol. I continue to communicate with people though AIM. Apple had strong links to it at the launch of iChatAV. #nostalgia Well, AOL broke the news with a tweet. ironic?
To celebrate July 11th, 7-11 gives away tiny Slurpees! One per customer per location. How many can you drink? With so many locations near me i have lofty sights, but often forget to visit one entirely. thanks for the free frosty treat. #yum