The Technology Vent and Rant Thread

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Apple scammed me for $69.

I used their Ask-Crew whatsit, as usual the bot was useless. So, providing I agreed to give it a dollar via PayPal I could have a chat with a person

I did a duckduckgo search on "ask crew" and got only three hits.

https://www.justanswer.com/software/...-ask-crew.html

https://www.complaintsboard.com/ask-...-does-c1346851

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3hnXsZELtU

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What is the warning on HP ink?

There is a big label warning that only HP ink cartridges will work. Which is true.

HP even launched a FW with a time-bomb that later disabled non-HP toner cartridges actually in use. Many HP printers with WiFi or cabled ethernet automatically communicate with HP, and may automatically update FW, and that can't be disabled.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Apple scammed me for $69.

I used their Ask-Crew whatsit, as usual the bot was useless. So, providing I agreed to give it a dollar via PayPal I could have a chat with a person

"Alex" was helpful and told me what I wanted to know.

After leaving Ask-Crew I checked my email, as expected there was the PayPal receipt for $1.00 for using Ask-Crew. And another one for $69.00 - for one months subscription to Ask-Crew… WTF!

Now I have to make sure the refund they say they've sent ends up in my bank account.

I'm contemplating using their so-called "Genius Bar" service -->> https://www.apple.com/au/retail/geniusbar/

I wonder if they charge for that too. Reading that web page gives me little hope that their staff will have any depth of knowledge regarding the Airpod 2 Pro's Hearing Aid feature.

BR

A bit odd that you blamed Apple since as far as I am aware, Ask-Crew is not connected to Apple. Perhaps you might want to change your message to indicate this?

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

I did a duckduckgo search on "ask crew" and got only three hits.

It's "Ask-Crew" with a hyphen.

Also the BBB:

https://www.bbb.org/us/nv/las-vegas/...187/complaints

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by DNSB

A bit odd that you blamed Apple since as far as I am aware, Ask-Crew is not connected to Apple. Perhaps you might want to change your message to indicate this?

It looks like maybe they are bribing various companies to refer customers not satisfied with chat bot support and it is happening in such a way that customers infer they are still in contact with the vendor or a contracted "partner".

Having agreeing to a one-time $1 fee also mean an automatic subscription is twisting the knife.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DNSB

A bit odd that you blamed Apple since as far as I am aware, Ask-Crew is not connected to Apple. Perhaps you might want to change your message to indicate this?

I got there from hereabouts ==>> https://www.apple.com/au/airpods-pro/hearing-health/

And the live Ask-Crew agent knew that when he came on line. And after a bit of to-and-fro it was his suggestion that I make an appointment with Apple's Genius Bar. Here's a clip from his message

1. Visit the Apple Broadway Store page: https://www.apple.com/au/retail/broadway/
2. Scroll down and click “Genius Bar.”
3. Sign in with your Apple ID and follow the prompts to choose a date and time to suit you.

Fact is he was representing Apple, and he did a pretty good job at doing that. Who pays him is not my concern. Anyway they've refunded the $69.00.

Added: I ordered my toner cartridge from here ==>> https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/vwa/in...ner-Cartridges

But from thereon I am dealing with HP's ""digital experience platform ecosystem" provider ==>> https://www.ingrammicro.com/

Who will probably use this courier service ==>> https://startrack.com.au/, which is a division of the SOE "Australia Post" that won't deliver to the PO Box I rent from "Australia Post" - Kafka couldn't make it up.

BR

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I got there from hereabouts ==>> https://www.apple.com/au/airpods-pro/hearing-health/

All I see on that page is advertising for the AirPods Pro 2 & 3 hearing aid feature. Even looking at the page source for the linked page and the pages linked from it for 3 levels down, the only mentions of ask are in a span ( <span class="ac-gf-breadcrumbs-home-mask"> ) and in a script variable list where enableAskAppleChat: false, is found. No link to Ask-crew is found.

Originally Posted by BetterRed

And the live Ask-Crew agent knew that when he came on line. And after a bit of to-and-fro it was his suggestion that I make an appointment with Apple's Genius Bar. Here's a clip from his message

1. Visit the Apple Broadway Store page: https://www.apple.com/au/retail/broadway/
2. Scroll down and click “Genius Bar.”
3. Sign in with your Apple ID and follow the prompts to choose a date and time to suit you.

Fact is he was representing Apple, and he did a pretty good job at doing that. Who pays him is not my concern. Anyway they've refunded the $69.00.

Again sorry but before I retired, if I suggested someone contact Apple Support directly, neither I nor Apple would consider me as representing Apple. Ditto for when I referred people to various other hardware and software vendors.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

It looks like maybe they are bribing various companies to refer customers not satisfied with chat bot support and it is happening in such a way that customers infer they are still in contact with the vendor or a contracted "partner".

Having agreeing to a one-time $1 fee also mean an automatic subscription is twisting the knife.

The chatbot was branded AskCrew - I'm UTC+10.

When I went to the Airpod page it would have been early hours of Monday morning. Tim Cook is a smart operator; wouldn't surprise me to learn that Apple outsources after-hours (US-EST) chatbot support for AsiaPac region.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DNSB

All I see on that page is advertising for the AirPods Pro 2 & 3 hearing aid feature. Even looking at the page source for the linked page and the pages linked from it for 3 levels down, the only mentions of ask are in a span ( <span class="ac-gf-breadcrumbs-home-mask"> ) and in a script variable list where enableAskAppleChat: false, is found. No link to Ask-crew is found.

See hereabout

The page I quoted has a number of links to other Apple pages, I followed several of them, etc, etc.

FYI - I helped design, build and subsequently manage a 24*7 IT helpdesk for an international company with operations in US, UK and HK. I also ran a skunkworks operation for the same company's M&A team for s several years.

I'm done with this.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Reading that web page gives me little hope that their staff will have any depth of knowledge regarding the Airpod 2 Pro's Hearing Aid feature.

BR

What was your question about the AirPods 2 hearing aid feature? I can't give in depth science info, but my Mom is using them for hearing aids. When she can be persuaded that she needs them. "I can hear all the people at my retirement home just fine!" But Mom, *I* live here too, and you only hear 50% of what I'm saying. Plus I have to go IN with her to doctors now, to make sure she is getting all of what they say. She was sure the new drops weren't about glaucoma. They are.

But the AirPods seem to work when she uses them. When she hasn't mislaid them.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

See hereabout

I'm done with this.

I spidered the web page for 3 levels down so I had all publicly available links from the first page and 3 levels below it. By that time, IMNSHO, claiming hereabouts is getting more than a bit misleading.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I spidered the web page for 3 levels down so I had all publicly available links from the first page and 3 levels below it. By that time, IMNSHO, claiming hereabouts is getting more than a bit misleading.

Sounds akin to the web pages where a totally unrelated ad throws up a big DOWNLOAD button to make me think that's where I should download the thing I came for. Which is in smaller print, further down.

[Freeshadow]

I think the only printers not screwing you with pagecount out of service suicides ink time bombs are the ones from brother I have a brother mfc7360n being a business leftover and couldn't be happier. whatever happens, my next will be a brother mfc* too. better pay more once for the device than being regularly milked on the refills.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

What was your question about the AirPods 2 hearing aid feature? I can't give in depth science info, but my Mom is using them for hearing aids. When she can be persuaded that she needs them. "I can hear all the people at my retirement home just fine!" But Mom, *I* live here too, and you only hear 50% of what I'm saying. Plus I have to go IN with her to doctors now, to make sure she is getting all of what they say. She was sure the new drops weren't about glaucoma. They are.

But the AirPods seem to work when she uses them. When she hasn't mislaid them.

I want to talk with someone who knows something about the feature. Local retailers can't even tell me if they'll work with my oldish iPhone, Telstra staff (biggest telco) didn't even know the feature existed. The Apple Store staff don't speak in sentences… most have pseudo North American accents & idiom grafted onto Aussie strine and banter.

My hearing loss is the result of a physical assault. Various agencies and myself have spent thousands on hearing aids… they're all useless. The only reason I have an iPhone is that I was told they'd be easier to manage from an iPhone… they're not, just another item of clutter.

But here's the rub. I can hear someone on the iPhone when I'm not wearing hearing aids far better than I can when I am wearing them! And, and, and… its significantly better that I have been able to hear on ANY other phone for almost 30 years… mobile or tethered to the POTS wires. Hence my interest in Airpods.

I'll probably buy some irrespective of what they say at the Genie Bar. But I'll need someone to set up them up for me… I don't get along with haptic interfaces. If they don't work for me, I'll add them to the rest of the junk.

BR

[DNSB]

As long as your iPhone can run iOS 18 (iPhone XR/XS or newer), you should be able to use Hearing Aid mode.

One acquaintance of mine is using AirPods Pro 2 and finds they work almost as well as her overly expensive hearing aids and much better when she is using her iPhone. Not to mention her last set of hearing aids were ~$5000 Cdn. so her iPhone and AirPods Pro 2 were considerably cheaper.