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I know this will seem like another “me too” post after the well publicized Comcast story at TechCrunch, but I actually wrote about 95% of this a couple of weeks ago, mostly while I was on hold with “tech” “support.” I was going to wait until the issue was resolved, but I’ve decided to post it now. This is my story of how Comcast took over the cable services of my lowly regional cable provider, and how bad things can get worse. Read the rest after the jump.

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Good ol’ Michael Arrington of TechCrunch had an interesting weekend in which he learned how to minimize the classic ISP runaround (i.e., the customer service you get when your Internet stops working). He had 36 hours of downtime before, as he puts it, he lost his cool and posted to Twitter this message: “I am going to expend significant energy over the next three weeks trashing comcast.”

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Bite me, Blockbuster Online. Oh, and you too, Facebook.

About three years ago, I signed up for Netflix, Walmart DVD Online, and Blockbuster Online. I wanted to see which interface was better, and who was quicker about sending me DVDs in the mail. Netflix won, hands down.

Blockbuster has recently come out with an interesting idea, however, where you can rent online, as well as in the store. They have been pestering me to “come back” for years, and yesterday they sent me a free month. So I thought, what the heck. I’ll sign up, rent a few, and then cancel after 29 days.

I canceled after one. Here’s why:

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I read through an article on CNET yesterday that got me fired up about something I’ve had on my mind for the last three years - the unfortunate, yet inevitable, demise of Circuit City.

About three summers ago, I worked there part time as a TV/Home Theater salesperson and strange as it might sound, I absolutely loved it. Obviously I enjoyed being around the latest and greatest consumer electronics products, but I also got a lot of satisfaction from sharing what I knew with my customers and helping them pick out something that really rocked.

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Digg has had its fair share of criticism. But the idea that it’s slow, bloated, outdated, gamed, and policed has all been hearsay. But now, in an exclusive interview with TechConsumer, Digg founder Kevin Rose and CEO Jay Adelson share openly what’s been going on behind the scenes. Here’s a transcript of the interview:

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I would be remiss if I didn’t blog about this. The reason I have not mentioned it prior to this is because it’s so freaking cool I can’t quite wrap my brain around it. I’ve always loved geocaching. This is where you use a GPS to get a specific location, find a “treasure box,” and then log it on the site. It’s a great way to get kids outside, get a little exercise for yourself, and be part of a really cool online group.

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I recently heard about Shortcuts.com, a new coupon website where you can add electronic coupons to your customer loyalty card, and I was intrigued. Normally I don’t bother with coupons because I never remember to take them with me, and they tend to expire before I get around to using them. Plus there is something really frustrating about pulling out a coupon, only to find out that it has expired. But Shortcuts.com seemed to get around most of the issues I have with coupon clipping, so I decided to try them out.

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I work for SewellDirect.com, and I definitely get to see a lot of both sides of the phone support dilemma. I’ve worked there over a year and a half doing tech support through phone calls, email, and live chat. Here are my thoughts on the subject:

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