Saturday, February 9, 2008

Another great idea...another disappointment

Another one of my "invention" ideas I have come to find out is already in existence. While pushing Avery on the swing today at Cousler Park I came up with a brilliant idea for a booming new trend. Satellite Dish covers. When I say that, I mean covers with designs on them such as your favorite sports teams. Or perhaps you would prefer to have one to accent the season, such as a snowman for winter, or a scarecrow for fall. This could be similar to the flags people put out in their yards, or the mailbox covers you can buy. Well, after doing the dreaded Google search, I found out they already are marketed.

This I must admit was even harder to swallow then the "Clothing Exchange" website idea I was nearly as excited about earlier this year. That dream ended at Genova's when MJ told me she saw that idea on Oprah earlier that month. No, this one was tougher to take. This was tangible, marketable, and probably in a boom market with so many people making the switch to the dish.

It's off to the drawing board for the next big idea...i'll keep you posted. After I patent it that is.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

From one Monopoly to the other..the saga continues..

Today Verizon contacted me because Comcast had been in contact with them to take over my phone number to start digital phone service. Having DSL and the phone through them already to keep my business they were willing to offer me their own "Triple Play". Apparantly Verizon and Direct TV have an agreement to be bundled together. After a phone call back to Verizon, this is what I was offered now...

DSL- $14.95 Grandfathered rate
Unlimited Calling anywhere in the US and Canada- $ 24.99
Direct TV Choice Extra Plus DVR Package- $ 39.99
1 DVR and Standard Receiver- No Charge.
A $50.00 "Stay With Verizon" bill credit.

$ 79.00 total for all three services, and the channel package is actually really good. This is normally a $59.99 package. I was paying $80.00 for just cable up to this month. "Real Nice"

The install is scheduled for Saturday, February 16th.

We'll see what happens when I call to cancel my Comcast this time.

Monday, February 4, 2008

The latest dish..on the dish

So today was the scheduled install of my Dish Network Satellite. I finally made the plunge after making many phone calls, working out deals, and becoming pretty sick of going through all of it. Today the scheduled install was between 1-5 PM. They showed up at 6:30 for what I found out would be a 3 hour install. No thanks. Also I was supposed to be getting one of the new Dual LNB HD dishes so I would only need 1 as opposed to 2. Turns out that wasn't the case. On the plus side, the installer was American, and he thought he knew my brother from playing basketball at UTEP.

I rescheduled my install for Wednesday between 9-12, but after my call to Comcast, I believe I will be staying with the Big Guys after all. Bottom line is I was switching for savings, and once I went to the customer cancel line I was given an offer that worked for me without the headache. My once $80.00 cable bill now goes to $99.00, but I now have Cable, Phone, and Cable internet for that price, and they are even kind enough to throw in the HD DVR for free. I'll take it. I improve my Internet speed, get a DVR, and drop my $141 bill to $99. Mission accomplished..at least for this year. They only guarantee it for one year, so the headache will probably resurface next February. Good Times.

What a game last night! It was great to see the Patriots lose, especially with Seau, Moss, and yes even Donte Stallworth aboard. Oh yeah, I forgot how annoyed I was with Wes Welker last night. One thing's for sure, the Pats should have franchised Vinatieri, they can't win the big one without him. Aren't the Patriots becoming much like the Yankees lately?? They sign all these big name free agents, only to forget there were reasons these guys (Seau, Moss) never won. Whether it's coincidence or just plain bad luck, you have to wonder why it is that way.