B.C. Consumer - an open blog

When placing an online order at Walmart U.S. website, it will not allow to put address outside the U.S. as a credit card address (must pick from U.S. states only).

Yea, I'll pick it up myself from the store at Bellingham WA, but I want to pay with my Canadian credit card and fill my Canadian address in the payee information.

I was told that it might be that it might be that Walmart U.S. don't want to compete with the Canadian sister-chain, but:

1. What about potential European shoppers with their European credit card and European address?
2. What is the point in limiting the credit card address if I can pay for my shopping using my paypal account (which is connected to my Canadian credit card...)
3. The item I wanted to buy is one not sold in Walmart Canada (adults tricycles), so what gives?

WIND mobile is selling phones in their stores, but they won't ask the manufacturer to give better service for their customers.

I've bought an Alcatel OT-981a last December. It came with Android 2.1 on it.

Google issued several versions since, but Alcatel never certified any of them.

WIND do not consider themselves as part of this cycle. All they do is pointing at Alcatel:

Although you bought the phone from us, WIND does not manufacture any Android updates. As deke and Fou have mentioned, the update must come from Alcatel. If the update is ever released, we will certainly provide you with the link.

WIND could have easily tell Alcatel that they insist on better service for phone marketed by them, saying that bad service for equipment sold by WIND is damaging WIND's reputation. They could even have required a commitment for updates when they agreed to sell Alcatel in the first place.

But no, WIND is not standing behind what they sell. I guess they don't really care if I buy the next phone from them.

My advice - DO NOT BUY PHONES FROM WIND, they don't care about you after you left the store.

In order to pay a Telus bill, you actually have to set up an online account!

Why? What is so wrong with a secure online form? Why do I have to go through this registration process? Don't you want my money in the fastest way?

What if I want to pay the bill for someone else? Do I have to give that other person my credit card number? Or do that other person has to gice me his login credentials?

I called Telus' toll free number and asked to pay the bill by phone.

The customer suport rep. asked for the account number, which I gave him, following by my name, and D.O.B.

At that point I told him that it's not my account and I need to pay the bill as a favour for somebody who is on vacation till after the bill's due date.

The voice on the other end sais "oh... you're paing for somebody else, no problem". So he took my CC details without asking me all the details about my mother's first pet and my first school teacher's favourite colour.

Can they do that? So why bugging us with all these questions??? And why not just letting me pay it online with a secure form without the need to create an account?

My first cellphone, in 1996, was a 2120 Nokia, later known as "the brick". At the time it was much more advanced than the available Motorola and Ericsson.

Beside a short period, when my employer gave me a samsung, my phones were always Nokia. Such a beutiful human interface... everything right where I expected it to be.

I had 5120, 6210, 6310, N-Gage and many many others. As I worked for a cellular operator, I had access to all the newest handsets and participated in many pilots for new phones. When a pilot for a non Nokia was announced, I passed. Not a Nokia? No thanks.

Once I was tempted to participate in a 4 weeks pilot for Siemens. "It is really something else, you should try it". I was lured into that pilot only to leave it after 3 days. I loved Nokia!

About a year ago I won 2 iPhones. I opened one of them and tried it. Everybody had iPhone and they can't be all wrong. Well... they can! I sold the iPhones and went back to good old 3100 faithful Nokia.

A few months ago I decided to join "wind mobile" on the new year's promotion. Mainly due to the pricing policy they introduced. The phones selection for their network is very limited, but I knew they have several Nokia devices there so it was OK with me.

At the shop I tried an Android device, and it was a love of first sight! I love all Google products. They seem to have such a profound understanding about human interface... I love everything they do.

The Android itself is perfect for me. The hardware... well... I was fantasizing about a marriage between Nokia's hardware and the Android. What a beautiful kid they could have!

Alas! Recently Nokia announced that their smartphones will use MS Windows mobile! Windows mobile!!!

Are you nuts over there in Finland? Windows mobile??? What is wrong with you? Is it the winter darkness that made you wish for a collective suicide??? Don't you know that windows mobile is declining? There's a reason for that! This mobile O/S S-U-C-K-S!!!

Now there's no chance at all that I will even consider returning to Nokia. Unless they anounce one day that they start installing Android on their phones, no chance I buy Nokia again. And Nokia with windows mobile - not even if I'm paid for trying it.