Steer clear of iLive electronics

Since purchasing a boombox with the brand name of iLive late in the summer of 2013, I have been wary of using any of its functions outside of the FM radio. Since the first time I tried using its bluetooth connectivity, the recurring problem has been its inability to actually remember the FM presents I specified after having the nerve to use other functions outside of the FM radio. I let it slide the first few times, assuming that I needed batteries installed in the boombox for some reason and today actually had the time to call and attempt to resolve the problem. After being unsatisfied with having to spend $20.00 to replace an obviously defective boombox I have written the below letter regarding the iLive IBC233B boombox and its problems including failure to remember FM presents and an LCD screen which is painfully dim.

********

I've had an ongoing problem since purchasing the above listed item in early September where after switching sources on the boombox the FM presents I had specified are reset to the factory defaults. I have tried the holding down the power button to reset the unit "fix" which has not worked. I spoke to customer service via phone and was informed the item in question is out of warranty and could only be replaced for a cost of $20.00. I find this solution unsatisfactory as this item has not worked as it should since the day I purchased it and due to being to busy to troubleshoot an item which I expected to perform normally I am now likely out the cost of this item. While I have no expectation of a company standing behind their poorly designed and non-functioning electronics, I would be pleasantly surprised if someone in an area of power would make an exception in an attempt to satisfy a new customer. All I truly want is for this boombox to function as I expect it should with presets which stay stored after switching sources and an LCD screen which is bright enough to actually read.

Sylvania hates their customers

Have you ever noticed that most everything you buy breaks seemingly as soon as you remove it from the package? I know I oftentimes feel like I am simply pissing away my money when I buy even the most basic necessities for my house. That is why I was almost boiling with anger when I went to screw in a couple new CFL bulbs into my new living room light fixture. I flipped the switch only to see that one bulb wasn't lighting. Thinking that it might have been a defect with the Chinese-made light fixture's socket, I swapped bulbs (there are two in it) only to confirm that the defect was the bulb.

Yeah, in the grand scheme of things a bad Sylvania CFL bulb is only about two bucks but I figured it's about time that companies realize that they are selling garbage. Hell, I know that the companies know they are selling crap for products. Osram-Sylvania is well aware of the fact that their cheaply-made CFL bulbs are made in China. Consumers are likely aware too because about 80% of everything sold in a typical big box store is made in China but I work for my money and would like to purchase products that work when new.

I like that sometimes you find a company who stands behind their product but making an unhappy customer jump through hoops to return a defective product is just more maddening -- that's why I wrote the e-mail copied below to some likely un-monitored email inbox at some dark basement office at some outsourced customer service company that "handles" complaints for Osram-Sylvania. As I stated in the email, I don't actually expect a response but I feel better having voiced my displeasure, knowing full well that I will steer clear of Sylvania CFL bulbs until they change their return policy for defective items (packaging and mailing a single light bulb so they can mail me a voucher or a replacement light bulb in 6-8 weeks isn't a solution, it's a fucking nuisance).

Anyhow, here's the email I sent to Sylvania:

I purchased a three-pack of 60 watt replacement daylight CFL bulbs (13 watts with a supposed lifespan of 9 years) approximately three weeks ago at my local Menards store and upon installing them today I discovered that one of the bulbs was already burned out. I wouldn't expect that a brand new bulb just taken out of the package would be defective but it was just that. I would like some sort of compensation for this product but being that they are manufactured in China like so much else in our disposable world I can't imagine that a company of your size, which has outsourced production of goods and instead of passing along the savings to the customer has actually raised the price, would actually care about having satisfied customers. By the way, your return/replacement policy of sending a product back to the given address inside the package is ridiculous. Make that easier and guarantee a working product out of the package and you wouldn't have to deal with customer comments like this one. Normally I would expect a response but I'm just one guy. Why would you care about one customer's complaints?

My problem with soda prices

I am an unabashed fan of soda. I don't overconsume the crap - and yes it is crap - but I do love the sugary treat on a daily basis. I typically limit myself to one 12 oz. can per day and I'm happy after that. I don't know whether it's the sugary goodness of it or that I am a caffeine addict. Whatever the case, I do spend a certain amount of our household grocery budget on the worthless sugary crap. Lately, though, the prices have come to piss me off.

I remember when I was a new full-time employee at my first job. Nearly every day as I returned to the office after lunch I would stop at a friendly convenience store and plop down a cool dollar and even with tax I'd be the temporary owner of a 20 oz. bottle of sugary, delicious soda.

I reluctantly accepted a price hike from 94 cents to 99 cents per bottle. That left the plus-tax price at $1.05 for a 20 oz. bottle.

Fast forward a decade and a 20 oz. bottle of soda at a convenience store can now cost upwards of $1.59! Did production costs of the sugary crap truly increase over 50% in a mere ten years? I doubt that because a less-than-portable two liter bottle of soda (more than three-times the size of its 20 oz. counterpart) can easily be found for one dollar.

Is the convenience and portability of the 20 oz. bottles in our rush-rush world of today the reason for the rather insane price hikes of soda or is there something more going on here? Would we be better off making our own soda from some bizarre online recipe or should we resort to drinking nothing but water? And what price is the breaking point? At what price will you say "no thanks" to 20 oz. bottles of soda?

Check out MinnPics - it's full of photos from across the great state of Minnesota.

Hooray! The recession is over!

Well, if I read it on Slate, it has to be true. Or dripping with sarcasm. Which is exactly how I like things to be.

If this recession, which at times still has me scurrying for a box to pack up everything on and in my desk, is over does that mean that I will someday get back to working 40 hours each week for fifty-two weeks each and every year? Will the jobs produced with this magical recovery have benefits associated with them or will they be service-type jobs as the Home Depots of the world again needlessly expand into ridiculously small markets that even under the best of conditions would be unable to support them?

Or will the rich white guys whose pockets are never pilfered during a downturn wise up and bring jobs back from overseas? Has our love-hate relationship with cheap-costing but shittily-made Chines crap come to an end? Will we finally realize that you do get what you pay for? Will Americans realize that you don't need to have one of everything? Or would such a realization hold us back from a consumer-driven recovery?

Hell, I don't know crap about the economy but I will say that this downturn has produced some up-and-coming candidates for Dumpy Strip Malls right here in the south metro of the Twin Cities. Who could have imagined that a coffee shop every six blocks was unnecessary? Who could have ever guessed that the world didn't demand six auto parts stores all along a two mile stretch of highway? And dammit if I didn't see a surplus of beads coming. After all, beads make the world go round and if we can't have a bead store in every strip mall, the terrorists will surely win.

MinnPics is alot like the Energizer bunny,it keeps going regardless of what shape the economy is in because art of all formats makes the world a better place.

The tale of the $1.56 jeans

We all know that times are tough. It's especially evident when in the course of one day I lose the match portion of my 401(k) and Chrysler plans to file for bankruptcy. But even during tough economic times, it's still not socially acceptable to stroll about without pants.

That is why, as I rushed through Target yesterday to get a package of diapers which will soon be full of pee and poop, I stopped to scope out what sort of trendy threads were on clearance in the store's men's department.

It's a little know fact that I can never have enough denim. I wear jeans at least five days a week. It's a perk of my job that I haven't yet had to sell my soul and sport dress pants and I like at least that part. Comfortable and stylish jeans are hard to come by. Levi's, in general, suck in both departments. Even though they are manufactured in China, they are still tops in quality. The best part about Target is that they sell a made-just-for-them label of Levi's that are actually more stylish than standard off-the-rack Levi's at JC Penney or Kohl's stores.

I rummaged through a small pile of denim which was a mix of Mossimo, Merona and Levi's jeans and grabbed three pairs - one of each brand - all in my size.

The first one, Merona, were too loose.

The second pair, Mossimo, were too tight.

The third pair, Levi's, were just right.

(and if you're wondering my size, it's 33/34x34 - no, I'm not square)

I don't have to elaborate any more on this painfully boring story to tell you that the Levi's were 75% off the 75% off price bringing them down to the price of a 20 oz. bottle of soda - $1.56. When the hell was the last time you paid under two bucks for an actual brand name item of clothing?

Why go to a museum when you can see photos of the same quality at MinnPics? Go. Now. Or a kitten will die.

Consumer corner tip: Cub Foods

Is it considered gluttony that I just ate half of a rotisserie chicken?

I don't consider myself a glutton but I do have a healthy appetite and I do love chicken. Chicken is one of those perfect foods. People love the wings (I don't). It tastes great baked, fried, grilled, smoked, roasted, stuffed or just about any way you can think of.

It tastes even better because is was a Gold 'n Plump chicken and it was on sale. Sort of.

Sure, I had to buy ten Knorr (formerly Lipton) rice and/or noodle pouches for a dollar each at Cub Foods but doing so saved me four bucks on that succulent little bird. Three and one-half pounds of Gold 'n Plump rotisserie cooked chicken plus ten Knorr rice and/or noodle pouches for thirteen dollars and change. It's one of those rare times I can brag about a deal at Cub Foods.

Hey, if you live in many "metro" areas of Minnesota, it's worth the trip to Cub Foods this week and it's damn tasty. I'm off to clean the bones on that little bird.

If you like even more things Minnesota, check out MinnPics. It's got tons of fresh photos just unearthed today!

Consumer Corner tip: Target

If you like food (and let's face it, we all need food) and like something that at least appears healthy, check out the deal I found at Target.

Select varieties of Quaker granola bars (chewy, etc.) are on sale for a mere $2.00 per 10 pk. box. If you buy five boxes (and ten bucks for fifty healthy snacks is a relative bargain these days) you get a $5.00 Target gift card at the register for future use.

Thanks to that bargain, I now have 50 tasty Quaker chewy granola bars in my cupboard that I may or may not share with my old lady. And I essentially paid a dime a piece. Not a bad deal. Thanks Target for having sale prices that nearly beat your house brands (the Market Pantry granola bars were $1.84/box).

The deal runs through Saturday, March 21st.