TravelTech: Faulty Products And Poor Customer Service ... SimpliSafe Or Simply Crap?

SimpliSafe, Inc.
294 Washington Street, Floor 9
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: (888) 957-4675
Website: SimpliSafe.com

If you are like me, an avid traveler that may be gone for long periods of time, a good, dependable, affordable home security system you can operate from anywhere in the world seems to good to be true. Well, in SimpliSafe's case, it is too good to be true, so do not believe their misleading advertisements or celebrity endorsements from the likes of Kim Komando and Dave Ramsey. Here is my recent experience with SimpliSafe ...

Sensors that do not work or emit false alarms, slow response to middle-of-the-night (false) alarms, and poor or no response to customer concerns and questions are just a few of the reasons we are cancelling our SimpliSafe monitoring and requesting a full refund. Based on SimpiSafe's history of poor customer service, I expect to be ignored or hassled every step of the way,

I bought the system after hearing rave reviews about SimpliSafe on The Kim Komando Show and The Dave Ramsey Show, two radio celebrities that I thought were credible and honest. The reasons we committed to spending $400+ for a system and $300 a year on monitoring were:

1) Kim Komando's/Dave Ramsey's recommendations2) No contracts2) 100% wireless, cellular system3) Easy to set-up4) Mobile (cell phone) control and alerts5) Power outage protection6) Portability7) Pet friendly8) Not One, But Three Risk–Free Guarantees:- 60-Day Money Back Guarantee- Three Year Product Warranty- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

customer-support@simplisafe.com 1-888-957-4675 Purchase Information: E-mail Address: Billing Address: LAWRENCE, KS 66044 Shipping Address: LAWRENCE, KS 66044 Order Total: $403.52 Order Summary: Order Confirmation #: WP9XXXXX Order Subtotal:  $448.36 10% Off Your System: -$44.84 ------ Total for this Order:  $403.52 Order details:  1 x 24/7 Professional Alarm Monitoring (SimpliSafe2) - $24.99 Model: SSEDSM2 Activation code: Y5KW-KETU Service Plan: 24/7 Interactive Alarm Monitoring + Alerts 1 x Refurbished Security System: 18 Components - $423.37 Model: SSCS1-R Base Station: 1 Wireless Keypad: 1 Keychain Remotes: 2 Motion Sensors: 3 Entry Sensors: 6 Panic Buttons: 1 Auxiliary Sirens: 1 Window Decals: 2 Water Sensors: 1 Smoke Detectors: 1 Freeze Sensors: 1 Burglar Alarm Monitoring Permit Information! Instructions:  Please check with your local authorities to verify whether or not an alarm permit is required. It is the responsibility of the subscriber to obtain and maintain a valid alarm permit, if required by your local jurisdiction. Failure to do so can result in no police response and/or monetary fines. If there is, or you need some help, we'd love it if you could give us a call at 888 957 4675 to let us know! Fire Alarm Monitoring Permit Information! Instructions:  Please check with your local authorities to verify whether or not an alarm permit is required. It is the responsibility of the subscriber to obtain and maintain a valid alarm permit, if required by your local jurisdiction. Failure to do so can result in no police response and/or monetary fines. If there is, or you need some help, we'd love it if you could give us a call at 888 957 4675 to let us know!

The system worked OK for a less than two weeks, then we started having false alarms on our motion sensors in the middle of the night, waking us to the shrill sound of the alarm and not knowing if an intruder was in our home. This happened on four occasions and response times from the monitoring center varied from 30 seconds to over four (4) minutes.

A lot can happen in four minutes during a home invasion and we found SimpliSafe's alarm monitoring center's response times to be sporadic. In the four minutes it took for an operator to call us after one middle-of-the-night false alarm (fortunately), intruders could have rushed upstairs, kicked in our bedroom door, robbed us at gunpoint, sexually assaulted my wife, shot us in the head, and been on their way ... all before SimplisSafe called us to see if we even needed them to call the police! It would have been much easier and safer to Simpli pick up the phone and call 911 ourselves, so why do we need to pay $24.99 per month for "monitoring"? I asked the young lady on the phone why it took so long to call and she said that there were "too many calls for the number of people working", a sad excuse if it were in fact a home invasion.

Their customer service call center is only open between 8am and 5pm, but if you need help, forget contacting SimpliSafe via email because they are nearly completely unresponsive. When I was finally able to talk to a customer service representative, they had me reduce the sensitivity of the motion sensors because the forced air heat was apparently setting them off (we have no pets or ghosts in our home). "The heater is setting them off?", I asked, something we had never heard of or experienced having owned several alarm systems from reputable companies (ADT, Guardian, etc) over the years. It is not much fun being awoken from a deep sleep, four times over a period of several weeks no less, because of a motion sensor that cannot tell the difference between an intruder and forced air heat. I wonder what kind of affect pets would have on SimpliSafe's "Pet-Friendly Motion Detector" that "doesn’t detect small pets"?

Since we installed the system and activated it on September 17th, 2015, we have had five false alarms and eight sensor errors (cut and pasted directly from our SimpliSafe "Event Log":

09/18/2015 5:13am Alarm: Motion Sensor "Living Room (Front)" 

09/20/2015 2:10am Alarm: Motion Sensor "Living Room (Back)" 

10/10/2015 7:28am Error: Panic Button "Bedroom Panic" 

10/12/2015 12:28pm Error: Panic Button "Bedroom Panic" 

10/20/2015 3:27pm Error: Entry Sensor "Elisa Room Window" 

10/29/2015 12:19am Alarm: Motion Sensor "Kitchen" 

12/13/2015 3:42am Alarm: Water Sensor "Basement" 

12/31/2015 5:32am Alarm: Motion Sensor "Living Room (Back)" 

01/09/2016 1:19pm Error: Flood Sensor "Basement" 

01/15/2016 2:19pm Error: Flood Sensor "Basement Water Sensor" 

01/19/2016 7:18am Error: Flood Sensor "Basement Water Sensor" 

01/28/2016 7:18pm Error: Flood Sensor "Basement Water Sensor" 

01/30/2016 8:17pm Error: Flood Sensor "Basement Water Sensor"

They sent a replacement water sensor on December 18th, 2015 after the original one failed (see above), but it was like pulling teeth to get them to respond or cooperate. We had several back and forth emails asking me if the "sensors were in contact with water" (obviously not or I would not have been complaining) or after admitting that the sensor was bad, I was asked for our "delivery address" ("the same address as the monitoring we pay for that is in your system", I responded). C'mon folks, use your brains!

They sent the replacement water sensor via snail mail and I received it on January 8th, 2016. One day later, the "new" sensor began to "error" and became unresponsive. It seemed to resolve itself after a couple hours, so I let it go, but repeated errors led me to contact customer service via email again on January 28th, 2016. 

"This is the 3rd time the “new” sensor (replacement for the original that was sending false alarms) that you sent us has had problems “not responding”. Here’s the message I just received from the system: 

no-reply@simplisafe.com / no subject / Sensor error: Flood Sensor 13C2Y “Basement Water Sensor"  is not responding at 1104 New York Street on 1-28-16 at 7:18pm 

What’s the problem now? This is getting ridiculous. How can our home and basement be protected if your sensors don’t work?

Please let me know what SimpliSafe is going to do about it.

Thanks"

It was ignored, so I sent another email on January 30th, 2016:

"I'm tired of false alarms, equipment that doesn't work, and lack of professionalism/responses from customer/tech support. Delays in contacting or being contacted by emergency dispatch cause great concern in event of a "real" emergency. Unless there is an immediate response and our concerns addressed, I would like to cancel our monitoring and get a refund for your faulty equipment.

Thank you."

Rather than addressing the problem or our concerns, I received the following unprofessional response the same day:

"From: customer-support@simplisafe.com Date: January 30, 2016 at 8:50:51 AM CST

 Subject: I'm tired of false alarms ...

Hello,

We apologize for the inconvenience that you are experiencing. Please understand we have many customers that need our assistance. Also, if you would like to cancel your subscription you'd need to call in to us. We can not go through with such an action with out your direct consent on the telephone. Thank you. 

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Best,

Ishaya"

I assumed that someone would get back to me, but after hearing nothing more by February 1st, 2016, I sent the following email:

"Yes, I have questions. Read the email I sent to Customer Support on 1/28 highlighted in yellow below.

As far as your company’s advertising is concerned ... Your company makes a lot of great claims about your products, customer service, and “guarantees”, but you don’t even respond to customer concerns. Our water sensor has been malfunctioning for over two weeks ... 

This is the replacement sensor you sent us after the original failed (see your Dec 17, 2015 email). Why don’t you respond to our concerns? You are not doing your best as stated in your 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE.

If I am not contacted and this issue resolved NOT LATER THAN Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016, I am cancelling our monitoring and will request a full refund. We have had far too many problems with your “RISK FREE”, “SATISFACTION GUARANTEED” products in the short time we have been customers.

Thank you."

It is now Thursday, February 4th, 2016 and I have not been contacted by SimpliSafe, so I am following through with my promise ... I am cancelling our monitoring and SimpliSafe is losing a customer. I am also contacting the Massachusetts Attorney General and the Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont Better Business Bureau (where SimplisSafe has 30 complaints on-file) to file complaints. Kim Komando and Dave Ramsey will also be contacted to let them know what I think of their SimpliSafe (endorsements) recommendations.

You can read my reviews of SimpliSafe on my blog: http://www.CombatCritic.com, Yelp, and the Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont Better Business Bureau website.

CombatCritic Gives SimpliSafe 1 Bomb Out Of 10 and a spot on my " WALL OF SHAME"

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: TravelTech: Faulty Products And Poor Customer Service ... SimpliSafe Or Simply Crap?

Key Words: SimpliSafe. simpli, safe, simply, alarm, system, home, security, protection, Dave Ramsey, Kim Komando, Boston, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, product, review, Yelp, www.komando.com, www.daveramsey.com

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

TravelTech: Mohu Leaf50 - Poor Product - Best Buy And Mohu Refuse To Honor Warranty

Mohu
2720 Discovery Drive, 
Raleigh, N.C. 27616
Phone: 1-855-446-6648
Email: support@gomohu.com

Mohu Leaf 50 Amplified Digital Indoor TV Antenna

Maybe you like to travel in your motor home, RV, 5th Wheel, or camper and watch TV along the way. A portable, amplified antenna with a range of 50 miles would come in handy in many locations around the U.S., eliminating the need for an expensive satellite dish. Enter the Mohu Leaf50, just the thing you need and only $70, what a bargain ... NOT!

The Mohu Leaf50 is advertised as a small, portable amplified multi-directional antenna that gets great reception with a range of 50 miles. I beg to differ.

After paying $70+tax for this piece of plastic the size of a laptop screen, 10 feet of coaxial cable and connectors, and a USB that plugs into your TV, I have had nothing but problems. Watch the video below.

We are less than 40 miles from all broadcast towers in Kansas City and Topeka, well within the "50 mile" radius of the Mohu Leaf50, but reception is poor, sporadic and frustrating,

Having bought the Leaf50 at Best Buy, Best Buy and Mohu refused to refund my money even though even though I am only 5 months into the one-year warranty. Mohu also requires me to pay shipping if the product is defective, which it is.

Leaf 50 Indoor HDTV Antenna by Mohu does not work as advertised. Ten feet of coaxial cable connects to a piece of plastic the size of a laptop computer screen and it is supposed to get "great" reception with a "50 mile range". We are not on the road, but live in Lawrence, Kansas and it is a straight shot (flat) to Kansas City and Topeka with transmission towers 35-40 miles away (see photos below) and the signals fade out constantly, a real irritation.

I bought the Leaf 50 at Best Buy in August because of the reviews and figured that being an amplified, multi-directional antenna with a 50 mile radius, 35-40 miles of flat Midwest terrain should be a breeze. Wrong!

It worked "OK" for a couple months with intermittent but tolerable cut-outs, but when winter started to set-in, the cut outs became more frequent and longer on all channels. We have a few trees around the house so you would think that with the leaves being gone reception would get better, but it got worse, a lot worse.

FCC Transmission Tower Locator Website

I took the Mohu Leaf 50 back to Best Buy in December, but they would not honor Mohu's 1-year warranty, telling me "it's outside our 15-day return policy". That is exactly why this was the first thing I had purchased at Best Buy in seven years, their lousy return policy, and it will be the last thing I ever buy at Best Buy!

TV Reception Maps - Transmission Tower Locator Website

$70 plus tax for this cheap piece of plastic and co-axial cable is absurd and I cannot recommend that you buy one unless you are very close to the transmitters. Even though the FCC online digital reception map indicates that Fox (WDAF - 35 miles), CBS (KCTV - 35.7 miles), and ABC (KMBC - 39.3 miles) are all in the "green" (strongest) signal category, the constant loss of signal and reception is an aggravation I can live without. What a waste of $75. My $10 rabbit ears get better reception than the Mohu Leaf 50.

I contacted Mohu on January 11th, asking for a refund.  Here was their response:

"Dear Combatcritic,

We would like to acknowledge that we have received your request and a ticket has been created with Ticket ID - xx360.  A representative will be reviewing your request on and will send you a personal response. This usually happens within 24 hours.   

Please remember should you need troubleshooting assistance or if you would like to know what channels you should receive at your location you will need to send us your complete address so we can provide you with the most accurate assistance on the first contact.  Should you need to provide us with any additional information such as your address, order number, etc. simply visit your inbox and reply to the email confirmation.  

You may also be able to find immediate help using the links below.

Sincerely, 

Mohu Sales and Service

Business Hours: Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm EST"

I sent them my address on January 11th as requested, but here it is ten days later later (January 21st) and I still have not been contacted by a Mohu Representative. So much for doing what they promise.

Here is the warranty and return verbiage from the Mohu website: 

"Mohu Warranty and Returns

Warranty Details
Mohu warrants our products against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase. During this period, the products will be replaced or repaired at no charge. This warranty does not cover damage due to acts of nature, commercial use, accident, misuse, abuse, or negligence. This warranty is valid only in the USA and Canada.

There are no implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purchase except to the extent that implied warranties of either sort are required by applicable law, in such case, each warranty is limited in duration to the one year.

Return Procedure
If you cannot locate your packing slip, please contact us via our Contact Us page http://www.gomohu.com/contact/ or by phone at our toll-free number 1-855-4GOMOHU (919-896-7696, 8am-5pm EST, M-F) about items you would like to return. Include your name, order number and approximate date of purchase for faster service. 

Customer is responsible for all return shipping charges. 

Items should be returned to the following address: 

Mohu, Inc.Attn: Return Department2720 Discovery Drive,Raleigh, NC 27616 

Returns sent to any other address will not be accepted."

I sent Mohu Customer Support the following message on January 17th:

"I disconnected the amplifier as your website suggests, but reception only got worse. I have a strong signal on most channels, just like the FCC website (and yours) says I should based on our location and that of the towers. Here’s a video showing the problems: 

As you can see, the signal is strong, but the picture fades in and out. Please let me know how to troubleshoot because I am not paying shipping to return your defective product. If we cannot fix this quickly, I’ll take the $70 loss and publish my review for Moho and Best Buy based on my experience.

I have moved the antenna everywhere in the room based on the limitations of the cables provided and nothing helped. I also unplugged the amplifier from the TV because Mohu said the amplifier could be faulty, but I had zero reception with the amplifier disengaged. 

Mohu finally contacted me and they refuse to fix the problem or stand behind their product:

"I apologize the below reply was not received, unfortunately this antenna will not work for your needs. 

Unfortunately the reception at ground level is weaker than shown of the FCC due to hills between you and the broadcast towers.  

At ground level the signal strength for most of the transmitters are in the low 30 decibel range which is typically too weak for the antenna to receive. To improve reception or have signals similar to the FCC database the antenna needs to be elevated. You should try the Leaf 50 antenna on the second floor or in the attic, you can use an extension coax cable after the amplifier to the TV less than 20 feet. 

The Sky 60 antenna is the only Mohu antenna that can be mounted on the roof for the best signal reception as well as connect more than 1 TV through a splitter. This antenna is also the best option for customers interested in recording the TV shows. 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. 

Sincerely, 

Michelle, Mohu Sales and Service, 855-446-6648"

Oddly enough, contrary to Michele's claim that my "antenna will not work", their very own website claims that the Mohu Leaf50 is in-fact recommended for my location (note zip code for Lawrence, Kansas and the date in the screenshots below), adding that it will receive "25 channels":

So why does Mohu now claim that I have the wrong antenna? Here was my response to Michelle:

"Then why does your website recommend the Leaf50 for Lawrence, Kansas residents (66044) like me, falsely advertising 25 channels received? 

Your company has some serious integrity problems, false advertising included, and I will report you to the FCC as well as the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.   

I will eat the $75 I wasted on your product, take it with me to the firing range, and use it for target practice with my 9mm Beretta, posting the video on my popular YouTube channel with a link to my review of Mohu on my popular blog: http://www.combatcritic.com/2016/01/traveltech-mohu-leaf50-antenna-with-50.html. Can you say “viral” video? Sure you can! 

Good luck with your lousy products and deceptive business practices. What goes around, comes around!"

I have already lost $75 on this product and I am not about to waste another minute dealing with this unscrupulous company. Their product is defective, not my fault, so why should I pay for shipping or another antenna? Most reputable companies cover shipping and send pre-paid return labels when their products go "tits-up". I guess that tells us what kind of company we are dealing with at Mohu ... Excuse me while I go buy a real antenna from a reputable company ... and it WILL NOT be at Best Buy.

CombatCritic Gives Mohu, The Mohu Leaf50, and Best Buy 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My 'WALL OF SHAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

TripAdvisor - Top Contributor

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: TravelTech: Mohu Leaf50 - Poor Product - Best Buy And Mohu Refuse To Honor Warranty

Key Words: Mohu Leaf50, Mohu, leaf, 50, amplified, HDTV, HD, multi-directional, antenna, TV, best, buy, false advertising, Best Buy, travel, value, product, technology, tech, review

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked-Up Beyond All Repair"

Topeka, KS: Drove 25 Miles, Arrived During Business Hours, But "Closed For Maintenance"? UNSAT!

Margarita’s Jalisco
1616 SW 17th
Topeka, KS 66604
Phone: (785) 234-1500
Website: margaritasjalisco.com
Prices: $$$$ - Don't know, never saw a menu!

We made the 25 mile drive from Lawrence, on a night and time they advertise as being open (6pm on a Tuesday - my birthday by the way), but were turned away in the parking lot. As we drove up, a man I assume was the owner knocked on the window of our car and said, "we're closed for maintenance". I told him, "but we drove all the way from Lawrence to eat here", to which he replied, "sorry!".

You cannot close a business during business hours for routine maintenance just because Tuesday evening may be a bit slower than most. For an emergency (power outage, flood, bomb threat), yes, but maintenance, absolutely not. They had 12+ hours between closing on Monday night and opening on Tuesday morning to perform the maintenance or they could have scheduled (and advertised) closing between lunch and dinner instead, but they chose to close unannounced during prime dinner time instead.

I had heard that the food was good here and the service excellent, but I will never find out because I will not be back. You had your chance Margarita's Jalisco, and you wasted our time and our gas ... you blew it!

CombatCritic Gives Margarita's Jalisco 1 Bomb Out Of 10 For Obvious Reasons And A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME ... More Bombs Are Better!

PS - We drove over to El Centenario just a few blocks away, they were open, they were packed, and we had an excellent meal ... read my review elsewhere on Yelp!

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "#1 Ranked Foodie"



... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Margarita's Jalisco

Title: Topeka, KS: Drove 25 Miles, Arrived During Business Hours, But "Closed For Maintenance"? UNSAT!

Key Words: Margarita's Jalisco, margarita's, margaritas, margarita, jalisco, Mexican, Topeka, Kansas, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Tabelog, Zomato

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR -"Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Lawrence, KS: Aggressive Driving Was All I Had To See To Decide NEVER To Hire This Company

River City Heating & Cooling

1120 E 23rd St

Lawrence, KS 66046

Phone: (785) 841-2665

Facebook: RiverCityHeatingAndCooling On Facebook

I wouldn't hire these guys if my life depended on it.

When a police car suddenly stopped with lights flashing in front of me just minutes ago, I needed to merge into the left lane to get around the officer performing his duty. The white River City Heating and Cooling van that had cut me off just minutes earlier (on 9th Street just east of Iowa) was to my left, but rather than letting me merge left, the male driver (with a woman in the passenger seat) aggressively sped up to ensure that I could not get over, causing me to have to slow quickly in order to merge and avoid the police car blocking my way.

If this is the way River City Heating and Cooling treat Lawrence neighbors while driving their clearly marked vehicle around town, you can imagine how well you can trust them with your heating and cooling needs.

CombatCritic Gives River City Heating and Cooling 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My Quickly Filling WALL OF SHAME ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "#1 Ranked Foodie"



... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Aggressive Driving Was All I Had To See To Decide NEVER To Hire This Company

Key Words: River City Heating and Cooling, river, city, heating, cooling, furnace, air conditioner, Lawrence, Kansas, KS, 23rd, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR -"Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Beware Of Hotwire.com's Bait And Switch Tactics

Hotwire.com

Montgomery Washington Tower

655 Montgomery Street #600

San Francisco, CA 94111

Phone: (415) 343-8400

Website: Hotwire.com

When we booked this hotel with Hotwire's very limited available information, there was no mention of a parking fee, but when I checked Tulsa Doubletree's website, I noticed that they PROMINENTLY listed the following: 

"Self parking: $10.00 ($10 overnight guests)"

on their website, adding an unplanned $30 to our stay. I immediately contacted Hotwire's Customer Service Department, telling them: 

"that's false advertising and I was tricked into choosing this hotel based on the inaccurate price. Please cancel our reservation and refund our payment. Thank you!"

Here is the inadequate response I received from Hotwire:

"Dear CombatCritic,  

Thank you for contacting Hotwire Customer Care regarding your hotel reservation with the DoubleTree by Hilton Tulsa Downtown in Oklahoma,scheduled for check in on November 26, 2015, Hotwire itinerary xxxxxx7731. I understand hotel will charged $10 parking fee. I would be willing to provide information regarding your concern.     

As I have checked your account, free parking is not listed on the amenity list. We can guarantee if free parking is available if it is listed on our Amenity list. If not it depends upon hotel available and fees may apply. For future reference, please free to checked the Amenity filter before booking. As I have checked your account, you have booked a Hot Rate® Hotel. In Hot Rate® Hotel, our agreement with our hotel partners is that reservations will be used as booked.  For this reason, reservations cannot be changed, transferred or refunded.   

You can find our full Terms of Use by visiting http://www.hotwire.com/travel-information/terms.jsp.  The terms of the booking are what allow us to offer the great rates you see on our site and for this reason, your reservation must remain confirmed with the original details provided at the time of booking. 

If you require further assistance please do not hesitate to can contact us, either by replying to this email or contacting our customer support line at 1-866-HOTWIRE(467-9473). 

https://www.hotwire.com/helpcenter/contact.jsp. 

Thank you for choosing Hotwire. Sincerely, Jel A.Hotwire Customer Care"

To which I replied:

"Great. I’ll keep Hotwire’s questionable policies and lack of concern for customers when I need to make reservations in the future. Kayak, Booking.com and Trivago are much more user friendly and I can see everything before I make reservations, including hidden parking fees.
Read my upcoming review of Hotwire on my blog: http://www.CombatCritic.com and on Yelp."

BOTTOM LINE: Hotwire's business practices are deceptive, providing little information about properties and services before actual purchase. They then hide behind "small print" in their lengthy "terms and conditions" like many unscrupulous companies on the internet these days. 

CombatCritic Gives Hotwire.com 1 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME"

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Beware Of Hotwire.com's Bait And Switch Tactics

Key Words: Hotwire.com, hotwire, discount, website, reservation, Doubletree, Hilton, bait and switch, bait, switch, deceptive CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

"Amercia's Pastime", Major League Baseball, Is Un-American

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Robert D. Manfred Jr., Commissioner
Address: 245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
Phone: 212-931-7800
Fax: 212-949-5654
Website: http://mlb.mlb.com
Prices: $$$$

As a lifetime Los Angeles Dodger fan, I have not had many opportunities to watch my "Boys in Blue" in the postseason since 1988, that's 37 years! We gave up cable, as many Americans are, because of the illegal monopolization of television as well as the ridiculous contracts and exorbitant fees charged by Time Warner Cable, AT&T, and others.

I can watch most any show on television using an antenna and pointing it toward our local affiliates broadcasting antennas. Sure, we have to watch commercials, but we have saved nearly $1200 since dropping cable. I can also watch the Kansas City Chiefs football team, live, a mere 50 miles away at Arrowhead Stadium, over "the air" for free. However, if I want to watch Major League Baseball (MLB), I have to get cable, even to purchase and stream online at MLB.com. MLB is obviously in bed with the cable companies and could care less about Americans, baseball fans, excluding those of us without cable from watching the postseason.

I have been trying for weeks to find out from MLB how I can subscribe to MLB-Postseason online after having watched the regular season online on my computer, but I was repeatedly told "we don't know if or when PostseasonTV will be available, just check our website from time to time". Really? MLB does not know if they are going to broadcast the postseason online just a few days before the end of the season? How can that be possible other than through complete incompetence or total apathy toward fans?

Finally, on October 5th, 2015, the day before the Wild Card games were set to begin, a link to PostseasonTV magically appeared on MLB.com ... HOORAY! But I celebrated too soon. You have to live outside the US/Canada or subscribe to cable (through one of MLB's limited number of providers) to watch the postseason on MLB.com. You can apparently get part of the feed, not the actual broadcast, for National League games, but not the American League series or the World Series.

I then saw a link to their forum, so I posted the following:

MLB's answer was as useless as the ridiculously unsubstantial responses provided by their "customer service", and I use that term loosely, reps gave me before season's end. Here is the MLB moderator's response and my follow-up reply:

Americans should not be forced to pay to see "America's Pastime". Baseball was available FREE for decades, but now we cannot watch our favorite teams in the playoffs without giving-in to cable's thievery. This is un-American and MLB should ensure that EVERYONE has access to post-season baseball.

I implore Commissioner of Baseball, Robert D. Manfred Jr., to fix this problem ASAP and GIVE ALL AMERICANS UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO AMERICA'S PASTIME!

C.T. Sorrentino

aka CombatCritic

CombatCritic Gives MLB.com and Postseason.TV 1 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: "Amercia's Pastime", Major League Baseball, Is Un-American

Key Words: The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, commissioner, baseball, major, league, MLB, professional, sports, America, pastime, postseason, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review

Title: Refinished? No, I Am Finished With Amazon's Lies ... What A Waste Of Money!

I bought the three of the "Titleist Pro V1 Mint Refinished Official Golf Balls,12-Pack" from Amazon which states that these balls are "Refinished to mint condition for excellent play and great affordability". Well, they may be affordable, but they are GARBAGE! The cover on the balls scratches and cracks very easily, but the main problem is their aerodynamics. 

I'm a 15 handicap (former 9) and have been playing for 50 years, so I know a little about golf. I first started noticing the problems on my tee shots where a well struck ball would perform like a "knuckleball" through the air, moving up-down and side-to-side before landing well short of where it should have. I don't get a lot of distance these days (200-225 drives), but these balls where having difficulty going 160-170 yards. The balls look good at first glance, but if you look closely there are imperfections (bumps, cracks, smudges), particularly after a small amount of play.

I bought several boxes of refurbished balls from another manufacturer last year and was quite pleased with the purchase and performance, but DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY on these balls ... they are junk!

CombatCritic Gives Titleist Pro V1 Mint Refinished Official Golf Balls by Amazon 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME" ... http://www.combatcritic.com ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Refinished? No, I Am Finished With Amazon's Lies ... What A Waste Of Money!

Key Words: Titleist, golf, ball, balls, refurbished, Amazon, Amazon.com, online, refinished, garbage, junk, internet, CombatCritic, travel, value, TravelValue