50 Shades of Garbage

Had the displeasure of reading a few paragraphs of the much talked about 50 Shades of Gray. It was hardly anything to speak of. In other words it was paper bound rubbish, Literature in its worst state. What ever happened to writing of the calibre or Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger, The Brontë Sisters, Victor Hugo, Voltaire and countless others? It shows the state our minds have fallen into when numerous authorities are pushing crap down our throats and calling it "The Arts". Music and movies have also fallen victim to this insult, rubbish is being released and forced through our eyes and ears into our minds and we are led to believe that if for some reason we do not take kindly to this insult there is something wrong with us. There still are in existence people with a yearning for the Arts in its truest form, good movies, music and literature, yet it seems to be an unprofitable venture to try to fill that need. It is my belief that there needs to be no more books written, movies, made and music produced subsequent to 2002, that was when something went wrong in entertainment, for we are no longer entertained, well at least those of us who know the use of our brains aren't in any way entertained by the garbage that people are passing off as Art. I did do a piece on movies here, so there is no need for me to go on about that.

It seems to be the trend nowadays for persons to not think for themselves, to go whichever way the corrupt winds of our morally, and artistically depraved society blow. It is no longer cool to like things because we like the way it makes us feel or because we like it or want things because we want it or feel feelings because we feel it.Everything has been since of late all about what everybody else does, wants, likes or feels. Who is everybody? Nobody! Nobody seems to have the nerve to think, feel or like for themselves it is always what somebody else thinks, feels or likes. Our children are growing up in a world totally devoid of any intellectually stimulating activities and I would hate to see the world 40 years hence.

Spoilers Ahead...
If you want a summary of the book, pick up any $2.00 romance novel with Fabio on the cover and thats it. It is merely "Hardcore" Soft Porn, like a $2.00 romance novel with a fresh coat of the most God-awful golden-brown paint and a set of 24 inch chrome "spinner" rims. It is not worth the few million brain cells you will no doubt kill reading it. My suggestion: get yourself a bottle of cheap vodka/rum/whiskey and take a few swigs until you pass out and that would be a better read (yes read) than this book.

The Bigger Better Network?

Or is it? Jamaica has been blessed with a very liberal and harshly competitive mobile phone market and some say that this benefits the consumers, or does it? I've been a customer of Jamaica's Bigger Better Network for the past 10 years at least, had a few numbers over the years, was happy to get very good service in comparison to the other option at the time. Remember the days when you paid astronomical bills for unreliable crappy service and dropped calls and poor customer care and then came our beloved saviour from high prices and terrible services - the bigger better one. Now, eleven years have passed, numerous millions have gone both ways customers to service provider and vice versa (more one way than the next). So much so that our tiny little island nation with what is among the highest Debt to GDP ratios in the world, widespread poverty and leaders who lack leadership is responsible for the changes in fortune for the bigger better network's chief principal for the better, he now jet-sets and rubs shoulders with the best of them. That is not a problem, he seems to be one to hold giving back to the community and the country that literally made him in very high regard as we can see from the numerous sponsorships and charities his company is so involved in, he has also blessed us with the auspices of his worldwide head office on the Kingston waterfront that is in terrible need of some significant facelift that we hope was set off with the second coming of the bigger better network, and we love that, so much so that we are enamoured by the presence of the "chosen company" that we plunk down millions everyday in tithes and offerings, but hey, we are giving back. The listless leadership of losers (the Government) has nothing but picked up on this love that we have for chatter that it too has seen the possibility of extra income from the customers and applied the usual taxes as it thinks seems to be the solution for years of mismanagement perpetrated by previous incarnations of itself. 

Now, eleven years later, what can happen after the golden age of cellular technology in Jamaica? The advent of cutting-edge technology, relatively fast internet speeds, widespread almost island wide cellular coverage and what is one of the highest cell phone penetrations on the planet, where better to go than down? Down in quality of service, market ingenuity and concern for the very fabric of its existence - its customers. It has to be one of the worst companies in Jamaica as far as concern for its customers is (for want of a better word) concerned. It has adopted the approach of a Customer Service/Care Centre that ironically is a disservice to the customers. There is a literal disconnect between the customers and the policymakers of the company with the adoption of the Customer Care Centre. Customer Service Reps are, with the least bit of disrespect intended the least valuable and least useful employees in any organisation from the perspective of truly serving the customer and this I can conclude from working for some time as one in another company. The Customer Care Centre is a buffer between the higher-ups who are responsible for "make or break" decisions in a company and the very reason the company exists. This obviously does more harm than good, of all the information that comes into the Customer Care Centre, at least the vast majority of this information including customer suggestions is lost in this buffer zone, as a result, very valuable information that cannot be gathered from even the best Market Surveys is lost, and seriously, does that make sense? Similarly, the unsavoury or ineffective aspects of the company's service delivery are also lost which cannot be good news for any company. I've been slavishly paying for what this company calls "4G" which is truly a sophisticated "Wi-Fi" Network and not true 4G for some time and the service has been horrible at best. Each time I call "Customer Care" I am met with the usual facade of Customer Service which truly turns out to be a disservice to me, a loyal paying customer. The experience serves to only lead one down the proverbial garden path, distract me from the problem by literally lying and in actuality not in any way addressing the concern that I - a loyal customer have. The service in my area is horrible and I believe that this bit of information is valuable to any company if true customer satisfaction is the intention, yet I have made numerous calls to its Customer Care Centre and after at least two years the issue of horrible internet is yet to be resolved, guess what, because I am not in anyway indebted to this company (because as a consumer I have choices, thank God), I will exercise my right to choose and the minute I move from this house I am living at which is by the end of this year, I am going to get the competitions internet and cell phone as my way of exercising my freedom to choose, call me retarded but that is my way of standing up for myself and letting them know that i will not stand for it. I know my little $3,200 less every month is really chicken feed, I feel good within myself that I did in fact stand up for myself and not taken bullshit.

Over the years, sadly businesses have taken on an approach of profit at all costs and even if that means making money from immoral, misleading or illicit methods. The consumers are the idiots for falling for it, picking up the ruse yet still handing over their money religiously despite not getting what is paid for, its as if we are paying for a disservice, the bigger, better one is exactly that as a result of the same blunders made by the previous big and only network, it doesn't pay to be arrogant and in the end things will work themselves out and nothing that is based in ill-intent, greed or solely to make money really lasts, So, Digicel needs to look into its practices lest the cash cows move to greener pastures, regardless of the lavish prizes that are given away yearly like clockwork to consumers to make us feel special, we at times do get the feeling of being robbed and will move to better prospects or greener pastures because we can and our loyalty is not set in stone or ordained by God if that were so, then it would not be loyalty, it would be our duty and it clearly is not our duty to continue like moths to a flame to spend our money regardless the source to be treated with the disrespect and disregard that is on the increase in companies over the years.