A Powerful Testimony!

Joni Eareckson Tada is the founder of Joni and Friends, an organization accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community.

A diving accident in 1967 left Mrs. Tada a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, unable to use her hands. During two years of rehabilitation, she spent long months learning how to paint with a brush between her teeth. Her high detail fine art paintings and prints are sought after and collected.

Joni was a guest on "Larry King Live" and did a tremendous job giving her testimony! It will move you to tears at different points during the interview. Its amazing the freedom they give to someone in her condition to share their faith. The whole interview can be watched from her website. I am not sure if will work for those of you on dial-up but you can give it a try I guess.
Here is the link> Joni and Friends.
Scroll down to get to the Larry King interview.
The two ideas that jumped out at me as she shared were these:
People get all pumped and excited when their favorite sports team or hero wins. Do we Christians get excited and pumped when we hear a fellow Christian proclaim the name of Jesus openly in front of millions of people? Joni could be considered a hero to our Christian faith for her courage.
The other thought or question that kept coming to my mind was this:
What it will be like when Joni moves from this life to Glory? I can see her running to Jesus with her new strong legs and wrapping her new strong arms around Him in utter joy and delight!

Disputed Charges and Good Ole BBB!

We have a dear lady in our church that we call "Sister Barbara". In her 80's, she continues to defy her age by doing things that most folks her age either can't do, or don't have the courage to do. Some of those "things" include email and internet usage. She started out using a "Mail Station"
which allowed her to send/receive email using a small LCD type unit about the size of a large calculator. The cost for this service was about 10.00 per month. The main problem with this arrangement was that she was missing all the pictures of family and friends that were coming across our church email group on occasion. Since the cost for dial-up internet access was no more expensive than what she was already paying, it made sense for her to move on to real email and internet access. I had gotten a new laptop around 6 months ago so she purchased my very capable >Toshiba Satellite A65-126<.
I was amazed at how quickly she was able to get the hang of doing email and basic internet usage. She really enjoys visiting blogs and corresponding through email.
This brings us to the title of this particular roblog entry: "Disputed Charges and Good Ole BBB!"
The service she had with the "Mail Station" was switched over to a dial-up service offered by the same ISP(internet service provider). A problem surfaced as sister Barbara noticed that she was being double-charged the monthly fee of 9.95 per month! It began to appear that they never shut down the old "Mail Station" account! I contacted the ISP through online chat support last month and thought we had it all taken care of only to discover that the same double charge appeared yet again this month! This was not acceptable. I told her I would try to get it taken care of for her. Well, once again I went to this ISP's online chat support signed in using her login ID. Here is a complete copy of how it went:

Welcome to LiveChat. Your chat session will begin shortly.

Not at home and you want to read your email? With Web Mail you can check your email from any computer with an internet connection!

You are not currently in a chat session.
'Sally V.' says: Thank you for contacting LiveChat, how may I help you today?
barbara@earthlink.net: hello
barbara@earthlink.net: I seem to be getting double charged on my debit card for my dial-up service.
barbara@earthlink.net: I called to clear this up last month and they failed to fix it
barbara@earthlink.net: I was double charged 9.99
Sally V.: Hello. Please let me look into the issue.
barbara@earthlink.net: plus had an odd charge of 6 dollars and change
barbara@earthlink.net: this double charge has occurred twice now
Sally V.: I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Sally V.: Let me pull up your account details and assist you in this regard.
barbara@earthlink.net: Can you credit my account 26.00 to cover the overcharges?
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok thanks
Sally V.: Please let me know the security word on your account for account verification purposes.
barbara@earthlink.net: ******
Sally V.: It is not matching. I am referring to the account with barbara@earthlink.net
Sally V.: It appears to be a duplicate account issue.
barbara@earthlink.net: I asked earthlink to clear that problem up already. Over a month ago.
barbara@earthlink.net: It seems they have failed to correct it.
Sally V.: I apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Sally V.: I can verify the account by another method.
Sally V.: Please provide me the last four digits of your VISA card on file, for account verification purposes.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok...give me a minute to find the card (Rob quickly calls sis. Barb)
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: I will wait for you.
barbara@earthlink.net: *****
Sally V.: Thank you for the account verification information.
Sally V.: I have verified both the accounts now.
Sally V.: I se that the mailbox from the MailStation account is moved to Dial-up account and the second (MailStation) is inactivated.
Sally V.: Yes, it has been inactivated.
Sally V.: You have only one account with Unlimited bill plan.
barbara@earthlink.net: yes....I got rid of the mailstation and went with regular dial-up
Sally V.: You have signed up this account under the $9.95 for 6 months promotion.
Sally V.: There are 4 months remaining on this promotion.
barbara@earthlink.net: At a promotional rate of 9.99 per month for 1 year
Sally V.: You will be charged $9.95 for the next 4 months too.
barbara@earthlink.net: oh ok
Sally V.: It is only for 6 months.
barbara@earthlink.net: Yeah for 6 months
barbara@earthlink.net: What about the credit of 26.00 for the over charges?
Sally V.: I see that the mailbox move has been done on 02/03/06.
Sally V.: You were charged only $9.95 on your Dial-up account.
barbara@earthlink.net: But my bank statement shows two additional charges from the old account that was supposed to be cancelled 2 months ago.
barbara@earthlink.net: it showed double 9.95 charges for 2 straight months...plus an odd 6.00 charge
Sally V.: Okay. I will forward a credit request of $9.95 on your account to our Billing department which will be reflected on your next bill cycle date.
Sally V.: I understand your concern in this regard. But, any billing issue must be raised within 30 days from the date of the invoice generated.
barbara@earthlink.net: It means I have paid a total of nearly 46.00 for the past 2 months for just 1 dial-up account
barbara@earthlink.net: I already raised the issue on the previous invoice but earthlink failed to correct the problem the first time
barbara@earthlink.net: I plan to copy this chat to file a complaint with the BBB Better Business Bureau if you fail to refund the amount.
barbara@earthlink.net: I will also send a copy of my bank statement showing the charges.
barbara@earthlink.net: to the BBB
Sally V.: I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. Okay. I will forward a credit of $19.90 on your account which is for 2 months.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok...I can accept that
barbara@earthlink.net: I agree to let the other 6.00 go since you agree to crediting 19.90 to my account.
barbara@earthlink.net: Thanks for your help in this matter
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: Also, for your information, the security word on this new Dial-up account is placed as *******
Sally V.: You are welcome.
Sally V.: Can I assist you further?
barbara@earthlink.net: I will look for the credit on my next bank statement.
barbara@earthlink.net: Not at this time.
barbara@earthlink.net: Thanks
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: I am sorry for the confusion. It is a credit that is to be forwarded.
Sally V.: It will be reflected on our account on your future invoices.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok, and hopefully that secondary account got eliminated
Sally V.: Yes.
barbara@earthlink.net: So I won't keep getting charged for it.
Sally V.: You will be charged for only one Dial-up account.
Sally V.: Yes, exactly.
barbara@earthlink.net: ok thanks again
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: You're welcome and thank you for using EarthLink LiveChat. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us again.
Sally V.: Bye.
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What would we do without the help of the BBB! I have used the BBB on 2 other occasions with excellent results. I have found that simply the threat of using the BBB makes a big difference. I just hope they follow through with the credit they promised.

A side note> She is looking forward to getting DSL if it ever becomes available! We sure hope its soon!

More Great Deals!

Staples has some really good deals again this coming week! Check these out:
1. How about a 200gig hard drive for only 40.00 after rebate.
2. A 1gig USB storage drive for only 35.00 after rebate. (the 512MB is only 15.00 after rebate)
3. A 50 pack of blank recordable DVD's for only 5.00.
4. A 17" LCD flat monitor for 180.00 after rebate.
5. Another great deal on a laptop. 480.00 after rebate.
6. Has a super good deal on the Netgear Super G (108MBPS) wireless router with notebook card. Only 30.00 after rebate!
One thing I really like about staples is their "easy rebates"! You can submit the rebates online. No cutting UPC's, making copies of reciepts, or mailing anything!
There are more deals on the circular. Click here> Staples Circular
I ought to be getting paid for this free advertising. Staples owes me big!

Valentines Day

Valentines Day started out a little rough. Some of you may know that my wife has diabetes. She didn't get this disease until later in her life. It began showing its ugly head during the pregnancys of our last 2 or 3 children. Of course this condition is called "gestational" diabetes. She was warned that gestational diabetes can turn into full blown type 2 diabetes. Unfortunatley, we really feel that instead of type 2, she has aquired type 1! Her sugar levels can sometimes test out from 300 to over 500! This is unacceptable to say the least. Tonight we decided that the time has come to approach her doctor with some concerns! I really believe she needs to be treated as a type 1 with different types of insulin that will help control the high sugars. Attempting to control with diet and pills IS NOT WORKING!
Back to Valentines Day:
She was really down this morning about thie diabetes stuff. Even shed a few tears. I realized that this would mean that V-day would have to be done up right to pull her out of the gloom. I proceeded to sneak out to the local Christian bookstore and found the following items:

First, a card.... (click the picture to enlarge)


Then a musical table motto.... (click to enlarge)


It worked! Her tears of frustration this morning turned to tears of joy this afternoon! I even choked up a bit.
PS. I don't like to give flowers because they fade away. This sort of thing lasts a lot longer!

Check out this picture taken soon after our wedding 20 years ago this April! Aint she a real Hottie! (click to enlarge)

Winter Pays a Visit.

As you will see in the pics below, winter has finally paid us a little visit. It is Sunday morning here in mid Delaware and still snowing. Church services have been cancelled for this morning. We have about 8-10 inches so far. Andrew's prayer for snow has been answered!

A Sad Day.

I am deeply saddened. I just got a call that Daniel Swartzentruber from Greenwood died suddenly of a heart attack today. I was speechless and had to sit down in silence for a while. Daniel was one of the contractors I was still doing work for. I still have 1 house to finish the electric work on for him and he had another new home to begin construction on soon. Daniel was one of the nicest guys you could know. Very soft spoken and loved the Lord. My heart just aches for his wife Connie and two boys Carey and Matthew. Many of you would remember Carey from the accident he had with his Ultralight airplane. His head got too close to the propeller while it was running and he suffered rather severe head injuries. Carey has done well recovering from that ordeal but now the whole family has this to cope with.

I will also copy the email we received from Clinton Yoder below:

Dear Ones,

We are just getting word that Daniel Swartzentruber has just died of a heart attack. No details yet. He has been troubled with diabetes for quite a number of years. He is the son of Lewis and Evelyn. His grandparents were Milton and Savannah Swartzentruber. That makes him our second cousin. Clint

To Drink a Soda...A Tutorial.

I have wanted to do a tutorial of this sort for a long time. I am hoping this will prove to be helpful to those of you that enjoy consumption of "soft drinks", "soda pop", or simply "soda" as we like to call it around here. Failure to follow these instructions will mean that you will not be getting the most out of the hard earned money that you spend for sodas. The following will work with any carbonated beverage. Well, here goes:

Step 1. Start with your favorite soda. (in this example, I used a "black cherry/vanilla Coke"



2. Make sure that the soda is "ice cold". (This is important)
3. Make sure that the glass is also "ice cold" (this is even more important) the thing we are trying to accomplish here is minimal meltage of ice (this dilutes the soda) and minimal foaming when pouring (this flattens the soda).
Another hint: Do not use a hard plastic cup. Any soda generally tastes better out of a chilled glass full of ice. Proper chilling of the glass is acheived by filling the glass with ice AND water. Let stand for approx. 1-2 minutes. See pic below.



4. Pour the water out of the glass.



5. Slowly pour the soda into the chilled glass of ice. Note the minimal amount of foaming. That is a sign that the soda and glass of ice were chilled properly. Always remember, the less foaming during pouring of the soda the better it will taste!



6. Now you are ready to consume the soda and get the best possible taste!



Ahh....wow this is good!

Other helpful tips:
**A McDonalds/Wendys/Burger King/ etc. cup with straw is actually better than using a chilled glass with ice. Also, rinsing the ice is not necessary when using the flaked ice from a commercial ice machine.
** Save the empty cans for Sister Barbara. Scrap aluminum brings big bucks right now and she needs the money to fund merit shop at school!


Some of my favorite sodas are:
1. Code Red Mountain Dew. I like it better than regular M.Dew.
2. Coke.
3. Coke with lime.
4. Black Cherry/Vanilla Coke.
5. Dr. Pepper.

I don't really care for Pepsi. It tastes too flat compared to Coke.

DSL For Mom! AT LAST!

Well, perhaps all the nagging helped. I actually recieved the following email from a local Verizon representative today:

Mr. Miller:

I just checked the Verizon On-Line DSL database (see site below) and
302-xxx-xxxx qualifies for VZ DSL service.

I would order as soon as possible since the DSL equipment is assigned on a
first-come-first-servered bases.

Good luck,

Paul

Paul Thielemann
Verizon Delaware
Phone 302-576-5322
Fax 302-777-0491

As you can imagine, I was elated! I immediately rushed to the Verizon website and placed the order. I sure didn't want to wait till it became "unavailable" again! How can you beat 15.00/ month! That is cheaper than AOL and a lot of other ISP's!
I reminded her of the other big benefits of DSL.
1. Your phone is no longer tied up by the computer when its online.
2. The computer stays online. No more waiting to dial up the connection.
3. Of course the SPEED! 768K download speeds compared to whimpy little 56K (at best) dial-up modem speed.

A Live Chat Session "DSL"

I was at Verizon's website recently to check few phone numbers for DSL availability. As often happens, a pop-up box came up inviting me to chat live with a verizon representative regarding DSL. Here is how the chat went:

We are routing you to a chat representative. Thank you for contacting Verizon Online DSL. Your average wait time is 4 seconds.
You are now chatting with Megan C.
Megan C: Hello. Thank you for visiting our DSL chat service. How can I help you with your DSL questions?
you: Hello....I have a few questions.
Megan C: I'd be happy to help you with that.
you: How come my number always shows unavailable when I check it for DSL?
you: Its the year 2006 and its hard to believe I can't get it yet.
Megan C: There could be several reasons. DSL is a distance-sensitive technology that works solely over copper phone lines. Currently, Verizon Online DSL is only available to customers residing within 3 "wire-run" miles (up to 18,000 feet) from their Verizon Central Office. In addition, customers must be served over copper wires.
you: But I have friends less than a mile from me that have had DSL for a few years now.
you: How come its taking them so long to get it expanded?
Megan C: I do not know why your area is not qualifying, or when it will qualify.
you: My mom can't even get DSL yet and she lives right in town
you: Cable internet is so expensive
Megan C: It is possible that there is not a port open for your line at this time and that is the only problem.
you: I mean, you all got a great price at 15.00 per month....but what good does it do if its not available?
Megan C: I'm sorry.
you: I realize its not your fault
you: I just can't figure out why it is taking so long to get DSL available on a larger scale
you: I figured by the year 2004 DSL would be everywhere
you: But it seems to be stalled out.
Megan C: Verizon Online continues to expand its networks. If you enter your telephone number on our web site, you will receive a page that will allow you to enter your name and email address for notification of future availability.
you: Hopefully that availability will happen in this century!
you: Thanks for your input
Megan C: You're welcome. Thank you for using Verizon's chat service. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
you: Ok. Goodnight
Your chat session has been terminated by the Verizon Online DSL chat representative.

As you can imagine, after this chat session I sighed and thought to myself "its hopeless" !

Robview #2 "Packet 8"

Yes folks, its time for another thrilling edition of "Robview". In this edition, we discuss the topic of "Packet 8". Packet 8 is a VOIP type phone service that we have used for nearly a year now. Some of you may have heard of "Vonage" which is probably the most well known VOIP service out there. VOIP works through a broadband internet connection (you must have broadband to use VOIP) and functions essentially just like a normal phone line. Why switch to a VOIP service you may ask? Number 1 reason is to save money. We pay under 25.00/ month for phone service and features that cost over 60.00 month with regular phone company. Features include: unlimited long distance in US and Canada, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, to name a few.
Let me list a few cons in all fairness:
voice quality is not always the best, echoing can sometimes be heard, phone is out when internet connection is down, they don't yet support faxing.
In summary,
I have felt it has been worth it. Our 1 year contract with Packet 8 is over at the end of this month. I am thinking of giving Vonage a try next. Some friends of ours will be going with Vonage soon and I want to check it out at their place. I will keep you posted.
Stay tuned for the next Robview where the topic will be the much anticipated look at "Plaxo"
You may never lose another phone number or address again. EVER!

Rebates.

When it comes to rebates, I try my hardest to get them sent off. I realize that a lot of companies are figuring/hoping that most people will not bother to submit rebates. I am not one of those "most people"! There are few things that make me more upset than when a rebate check fails to come back. I recently got 2 post cards back in the mail from a company that I submitted 2 rebates to. The cards stated that my rebate submissions were invalid. I WAS LIVID! (sounds a lot like invalid!) Fortunately, there was a phone number on the post card that made it handy to call and dispute the charge of "invalid rebate". I called and told the guy that I submitted everything in accordance to the requirements and was surprised at those notices of denial. He didn't seem to hesitate to say "I will, on this one occasion, validate your rebates for you". When I got off the phone with him, I thought to myself "Wow, if they don't win because folks submit the rebates then they try to cheat you out of the rebate checks by saying you messed up when you submitted the rebate!".
I haven't got the checks yet, maybe I still lost. "Time will tell" as the saying goes.