Since we got a new plasma TV over Christmas, and I wanted to get some sort of PVR thing going, I thought it was time to upgrade our Bell ExpressVu receivers to HD ones. I opted for the cheaper one (I’m Dutch) to which one can attach a USB hard drive to turn it into a PVR. The unit was $199. We could also rent it for $10 per month, but that defeats the purpose: we’d make back our rent within 20 months of buying it.

So I gathered up all my patience and headed for a Bell World. The transaction was remarkably smooth (for a Bell World) and I was out with my new receiver within 10 minutes. A pimply teenager told me I needed to “upgrade my dish” to be able to get HD signals (I didn’t know this: no mention of this on the Bell website), but that the upgrade was “free of charge”, just call and book an appointment.

Right.

First of all, everyone knows one cannot simply call the 1-888-SKY-DISH phone number without destroying at least part of your living room out of frustration. And second, I don’t have 6 spare hours to spend on hold. So I headed to the “helpful” Bell website, and clicked on “book an installation appointment online” button.

Right again.

Through this button I filled out a simple form. In the “comment” box I stated that I wanted my FREE dish upgrade.

This is where the fun begins.

First up was Anirvan Halder. He wrote me in an email:

I understand that you would like to install the free upgrade to your Bell TV satellite dish since you had purchased a new HD receiver.
I will surely address the issue.

and then the kicker:

You are requested to add 4 HD theme packs for just $10.00 per month before booking the service call for the installation of the Nimiq 2 hardware. If you do not add the HD theme packs then you will be billed for the Nimiq 2 hardware installation.

Hmmm… no mention of this on the Bell Website, or the pimply Bell Worlder. So I wrote back a nasty email complaining about this fact.

Next up was Partha Pratim Dasgupta. He/she wrote:

If I understood your reply correctly, you are concerned about the Nimiq 2 upgrade. We are thankful to you for writing to Bell TV and providing us the opportunity to assist you. I will definitely assist you with this concern.

and:

I would like to inform you that, this upgrade is absolutely free of charge (Customers are required to subscribe to and pay for a Nimiq 2 Programming package (i.e. HD, International) in order to be eligible for this free upgrade).

and in closing:

Hope I have been able to address your concern. 

Thank you for choosing Bell TV as your satellite provider, Ms. Gerrits.

You know, Partha, that didn’t really answer my questions. Nor am I a ‘Ms’… So I wrote another email. My language is getting quite… hmm… frustrated… basically I tell them where they can stick that $10 a month.

Back comes Anirvan Halder:

Please note that you can also subscribe to 1 HD theme pack for just $5.00 per month to avail the installation of the Nimiq 2 hardware free of cost.

Getting kind of tired of the process, I figured: fine, I’l sign up for the $5/month and then as soon as the installation goes through, I cancel that package. So I send them an email (remember, this is the online Booking Request) with my available times, and they can pick any of them to book the appointment.

Anirvan again:

I understand that you would like to add the HD Variety theme pack to install the Nimiq 2 free of cost. I will definitely assist you with this.

I cannot provide any specific information of your account because your PIN was not included with this reply. Please note that it is mandatory to provide the security PIN, if a customer replies after 7 or more than
7 days.

First of all, I would not LIKE to add the HD variety theme pack, I am FORCED TO. Secondly, NOW you want my PIN?

Fine. I send my PIN.

Aditi Roy this time:

I understand that you would like to book an appointment for your NIMIQ 2 installation. I will surely look into the matter.

You do that. Then the final straw:

In this regard you need to provide a suitable time for booking the order. Kindly speak to our technical department at 1-888-SKY-DISH for further help.

And there you go. Two weeks later and I am back to calling 1-888-SKY-DISH. I understand the problem, I am definitely getting tired of this and will surely shoot myself soon.

Two weeks, no HD yet. To be continued…

The Ottawa Citizen has been running a smear campaign aimed at the federal Conservatives called “Wish You Were Here“. This campaign is to highlight the federal prorogation and keep it in the eye of the public even though nobody else is talking about it anymore. Every day, it lists a number of area MPs and gives us their schedules to see what they are up to because they aren’t working on the hill.

However, today’s edition went horribly wrong: it seems the cons are working hard with many meetings and visits, the libs are either taking the day off or not saying where they are, the bloc did not respond, and the one NDPer is working:

John Baird (Cons.) Ottawa West-Nepean:

Three constituency meetings. Meeting with deputy minister on three issues. Infrastructure Canada briefing. Meeting with Department of Finance regarding budget Recommendations.

Mauril Belanger (Lib.) Ottawa-Vanier:

Declined to provide a copy of his schedule but says he is working every day.

Lawrence Cannon (Cons.) Pontiac:

Meetings and briefings.

Paul Dewar (NDP) Ottawa Centre:

Drop in to Dovercourt Recreation Centre for Family Day Free Swim. Attending CAS Foster a Snow Angel event on Parliament Hill. Reviewing constituent requests and follow-up. Official correspondence — foreign affairs and constituency matters. Research on foreign policy issues in preparation for diplomatic meetings. Speech preparation for remarks to Child Welfare League. Imagine Haiti Fundraiser at Arts Court.

Royal Galipeau (Cons.) Ottawa-Orléans:

YMCA. Heritage Canada Foundation. Meeting constituents about Canada Revenue Agency issues. Preparing ministerial memoranda about key economic development issues that impact on Ottawa-Orléans. Family Day Potluck Supper at Grace Presbyterian Church, Orléans. Evening activity in support of the victims of the recent Haiti Earthquake, Arts Court.

David McGuinty (Lib.) Ottawa South:

Spending Family Day with wife and four children.

Richard Nadeau (BQ) Gatineau:

Did not respond.

Gordon O’Connor (Cons.) Carleton-Mississippi Mills:

Declined to provide a copy of his schedule.

Pierre Poilievre (Cons.) Nepean-Carleton:

7:50 a.m.: Morning briefing. 9 a.m.: Reading correspondence. 10:30 a.m.: Travel to meeting. 11 a.m.: Meeting with PMO policy advisers. This meeting runs until 2 p.m. with possibility of extending to 4 p.m.

Marcel Proulx (Lib.) Hull-Aylmer:

Schedule details unavailable.

The same professional “protesters” who keep crashing the G8 and G20 summits everywhere. Organized, and bused in, carrying weapons and wearing ski masks, these are no ordinary protesters. These are anarchists. Most of the time, these idiots don’t even know what they are protesting. All they look for is clashing with local police to get them on the evening news crying about police brutality.

Go home and get a life, you bums.

… it better not be David Suzuki.

He is BC’s pride…

Toronto mayor Miller came to Giambrone’s aid today saying “The government has no business in the bedroom of the nation” (I know, highly original).

Excuse me, if I was living in Toronto, and was headed for the polls this fall, I’d say: “I would  like to know whether I am voting for a nice, upstanding man with integrity or a lying, cheating sleaze ball.”

But I don’t live in Toronto, so I won’t say that.

Here is today’s Ottawa Citizen front page:

Can you find him? Can you?

I’ll enlarge the section I’m talking about:

‘Nuff said…

Randall Denley had a great column in the Ottawa Citizen yesterday: Magic money just a McGuinty trick about Dalton’s new found money to help those poor Nortel employees who lost their pensions just before there happens to be a by election in their riding.

He writes:

Ottawa West-Nepean Liberal candidate Bob Chiarelli wished that the provincial government had done something to help angry Nortel pensioners who live in his riding. Presto, no sooner had Chiarelli made his wish than Finance Minister Dwight Duncan made it a reality. And on a Sunday, too.

and:

In April of last year, the premier said he just couldn’t guarantee help for the Nortel pensioners. There was no by election then, of course.

Randall fails to mention though, the same thing happened a few years back with hospital funding in Toronto when Georgie Smitherman needed to be elected in his riding.

Earlier this week, to the question if this is just vote buying in the eyes of the voters, Dalton replied arrogantly: “the voters of Ontario will have a chance to let us know how they feel come election time” [paraphrased]. Well, the “voters of Ontario” will only be able to vote on this nearly two years from now (and we all know how long the memory of the average Ontario voter lasts), and the voters in the West-Nepean riding sure aren’t as objective as the rest of us, now are they?

Yes, I finally did it. I installed a new theme for my blog. Functionally it is working, although there’s still a lot of tweaking to do. But I figured three days is enough to be down…

The Photo and Pages sections are being worked on the coming weeks, so keep checking back to see the final result. All other sections will be worked on as well.

Anyway, don’t hesitate to let me know what you think. (be kind).

Discuss.

Front page news today in Holland’s arguably most left newspaper De Volkskrant: “Scientists shocked by attack from minister Cramer” after Holland’s environment minister Cramer said she would not accept “any more mistakes” in the IPCC Fouth Assessment Report.

After freaking out at the glacier mistake last week (”Politicians Furious After Yet Another Blunder in the IPCC Report“) , the minister could not accept the IPCC report made such a huge mistake by reporting that 55% of The Netherlands is below sea level, when in fact it is 26%. (The additional 29% is at risk of flooding from rivers). Of course, the leftist newspaper quotes a number of scientists that claim it is merely an honest mistake.

The newspaper adds:

Climate sceptics see this mistake (on one of the three thousand pages in the report) as proof that the IPCC is operating unscientifically.

Minister Cramer is calling for a thorough enquiry. Her fellow party MP Samdon is going further in calling for a resignation of IPCC boss Pachauri.

It is heartening to see that even leftist politicians in Europe are starting to question the IPCC report, even though we’ll have to wait longer for the media to follow suit.

FEB 5 UPDATE: The Dutch government has now officially asked the IPCC to explain their numbers.