I have updated the layout of the site, to try to make navigating from page to page easier, and to try to make the advertising on the page less obstructive, yet still easily available and accessible for anyone that finds any of the ad links that pop up interesting or helpful.
I have also replaced the top banner logo with a new one that is not as tall as the original nyphonejacks logo, in hopes that it will take up less space on the screen and thus have more content on the page when you first visit the site.
I hope that the new layout makes it easier to view this page. The "search this site" is now located on the top of the right frame if you are looking for it. If you love or hate the new layout, or if you have any suggestions feel free to comment. As always, I believe that you should not need to sign up or sign in to anything to leave comments, so they are open for anyone. I have only enabled the captcha to try to reduce spam comments, but i have even permitted spam comments in the past if they are on subject and might be helpful to readers.
DUE TO ISSUES WITH GOOGLE PHOTOS ALL IMAGES AFTER AUGUST 2015 ARE NOT SHOWING, I AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THIS WORKING!
Promotions:
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
PoE injectors, PAP2T, 8 port switch and 2 surge protectors.
The phone wiring was run with CAT5 wiring and punched into the 66 block. I converted 4 phone jacks into data jacks for VoIP phones. The wiring was not long enough so I added keystone jacks and 8p8c (RJ45) connectors to extend the wire into the patch panel (the orange jacks to the left of the photo).
I installed and mounted the 2 surge protectors (black one on top, and white one on bottom.
I provisioned, installed and mounted a Linksys PAP2T to provide an extension for the overhead paging system (gray box towards top of image.
I installed 6 PoE injectors (the black boxes mounted above the patch panel)
I installed an 8 port switch (above patch panel to right). These power Polycom 331 phones that were installed in various locations within the store.
I installed all of the white patch cords from the 24 port panel to the PoE injectors and switch.
All of the existing wiring that went to the old phone system that was removed before I arrived were taped back and placed above the panel. They were just hanging down and messy.
Still need to test overhead paging system. Currently it remains in an ROH state as soon as dial tone is connected to it. I believe that the telephone interface is defective and may need to be replaced. .
[UPDATE: The existing Bogen telephone interface for the overhead paging was defective, and was replaced with a UTI-1]
I also need to add several ATA devices for several cordless phones. Currently there are 2 Linksys 3102 devices in place for 2 cordless phones, however they need to be replaced with PAP2T or 2102 devices. There is only 1 free port left in the Netgear switch, and 1 port available in a Linksys/Cisco wifi router that was already in place to the right of the panel.
[UPDATE: SPA3102 devices were removed and replaced with pap2t devices and cordless phones are now operational]
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
cell phone rate spreadsheet updated
view the blog post here http://blog.nyphonejacks.com/2011/05/blog-post.html
or the actual spreadsheet on google docs here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjMbManptfxfdHdkYzE0RVhucGl6NUsySTJIVG8yY0E
or the actual spreadsheet on google docs here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjMbManptfxfdHdkYzE0RVhucGl6NUsySTJIVG8yY0E
Monday, December 12, 2011
Host your own proxy for free on Google.
Ever have the need for a proxy server? Ever find that the public proxy server that you are trying to use is blocked? Perhaps you just want to be able to have your own proxy just because.
Well, this article http://www.labnol.org/internet/setup-proxy-server/12890/ shows you how easy it is to set up your own proxy. The whole process only takes a few minutes. I set one up for myself, not that I have had much of a use for it yet, but it is there, in case I go to a customers location and I need to access content that might be otherwise blocked on their firewall, or DNS servers, with out needing to adjust the settings on their network. (I am talking work related stuff here people, although your use, or need for a proxy server might be a bit different, such as social media or other blocked sites)
Well, this article http://www.labnol.org/internet/setup-proxy-server/12890/ shows you how easy it is to set up your own proxy. The whole process only takes a few minutes. I set one up for myself, not that I have had much of a use for it yet, but it is there, in case I go to a customers location and I need to access content that might be otherwise blocked on their firewall, or DNS servers, with out needing to adjust the settings on their network. (I am talking work related stuff here people, although your use, or need for a proxy server might be a bit different, such as social media or other blocked sites)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Ooma is upgrading their Voicemail servers on January 3 2012
Just in case you are an Ooma subscriber and the email hit your spam box, Ooma just sent out the following email today:
Dear Nyphonejacks,Ooma is upgrading to a new voicemail system! The new servers will bring faster voicemail retrieval and more efficient voice prompts. It will also open the door for us to develop advanced voicemail features and services in the future.We will officially upgrade all existing Ooma accounts to the new voicemail system on January 3rd, but we're inviting users to make the switch now. This will ensure you have uninterrupted remote access to your voicemail and give you more time to wind down your old voicemail account. You can upgrade your account at any time by clicking here and following the prompts on your screen.If you do not upgrade your account at this time, we will automatically upgrade it during the week ofJanuary 3rd. If your account is upgraded by Ooma, you will not be able to remotely retrieve voicemail messages until you log in to My Ooma to reset your voicemail PIN.Keep in mind that voicemail messages on the old server WILL NOT be moved to the new server. This includes both new and archived messages. Voicemail messages from the old server will only be accessible until January 31st, so if you want to keep your messages please download them at your earliest convenience.If you'd like to learn more about the upgrade process, please see our FAQ. Or, if you're ready to upgrade now, click here to begin.Until later,
Team Ooma
What kind of crappy VoIP service does Ebay use?
EDIT This may not have had anything to do with Ebay after all, as I just experienced a similar problem on a phone call just now - I think it must be the stupid WiFi calling feature of my new Tmobile cell phone... I will do some testing to see if the trouble was in fact ebay related, or the fact that Tmobile thinks it is a good idea to use my WiFi to make calls when I am within range of my AP.
I opened an Ebay account several months ago, because I had intended on selling a bunch of the stuff that I have that I no longer need or use. I have been too busy to get around to actually putting anything up on the site, so it sat there dormant for quite a while. Today I logged into the account, because I actually do plan on putting some stuff up on there within the next few weeks or so. When I logged in I found that my account has been suspended - in September! I never received the e-mail telling me that the account had been suspended. The alleged reason for the suspension was the activity on the account. What activity on the account? I have not even logged back into the account after I set it all up.
Unfortunately the only way to resolve this was by a phone call. There was no online option to resolve this problem, either by email, chat, or by providing a form for me to complete the required information that they needed from me.
From the moment that the call connected the call quality was shit, pure shit. I had an extremely difficult time understanding the customer service rep located in India. Since they are located in India, I have no idea why their hours of operation are based on Pacific time! It felt like I was on a bad skype connection or something. A company that has the volume business as Ebay, and the amount of revenue that they generate, you would think that they would invest in some added bandwidth for their VoIP system, or at least use a more reliable VoIP provider than the bottom barrel VoIP service providers.
I am not sure if they still own Skype or not, but the connection quality reminded me strongly of the experiment that I did at my home where I replaced my home phone service with Skype for several months. That experiment failed terribly, and Magicjack provided a much better connection, and simpler solution. It just shows how sad your product really is when the Magicjack can beat you as far as quality, and price.
Well this is just another one of those rant posts. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
I will probably post what I am posting on Ebay here, and on several of the forums that I frequent before putting the stuff up on Ebay. to give people a heads up, and perhaps deal directly with people if possible.
I opened an Ebay account several months ago, because I had intended on selling a bunch of the stuff that I have that I no longer need or use. I have been too busy to get around to actually putting anything up on the site, so it sat there dormant for quite a while. Today I logged into the account, because I actually do plan on putting some stuff up on there within the next few weeks or so. When I logged in I found that my account has been suspended - in September! I never received the e-mail telling me that the account had been suspended. The alleged reason for the suspension was the activity on the account. What activity on the account? I have not even logged back into the account after I set it all up.
Unfortunately the only way to resolve this was by a phone call. There was no online option to resolve this problem, either by email, chat, or by providing a form for me to complete the required information that they needed from me.
From the moment that the call connected the call quality was shit, pure shit. I had an extremely difficult time understanding the customer service rep located in India. Since they are located in India, I have no idea why their hours of operation are based on Pacific time! It felt like I was on a bad skype connection or something. A company that has the volume business as Ebay, and the amount of revenue that they generate, you would think that they would invest in some added bandwidth for their VoIP system, or at least use a more reliable VoIP provider than the bottom barrel VoIP service providers.
I am not sure if they still own Skype or not, but the connection quality reminded me strongly of the experiment that I did at my home where I replaced my home phone service with Skype for several months. That experiment failed terribly, and Magicjack provided a much better connection, and simpler solution. It just shows how sad your product really is when the Magicjack can beat you as far as quality, and price.
Well this is just another one of those rant posts. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
I will probably post what I am posting on Ebay here, and on several of the forums that I frequent before putting the stuff up on Ebay. to give people a heads up, and perhaps deal directly with people if possible.
New Blog - Kindle Fire Fanboy
A few days ago I created a new blog, Kindle Fire Fanboy. I did not have much content prepared, so i did not announce it.
I have been working to add some content to the newly designed blog, and feel that I can now announce it to everyone who visits my other blogs.
You can click HERE to visit the new blog, or click on the new links provided on the top of this page just underneath the NYPHONEJACKS banner.
I have been working to add some content to the newly designed blog, and feel that I can now announce it to everyone who visits my other blogs.
You can click HERE to visit the new blog, or click on the new links provided on the top of this page just underneath the NYPHONEJACKS banner.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
What to do with a WiFi enabled Blackberry that no longer has service.
EDIT: Seems that everything broke, strangely except for the built in browser. This is not a top priority of mine, as I have internet access on my new Android phone, and can use my Kindle Fire to browse the web while I am on the phone. I will however play around with this when I have free time, and figure out what settings need to be changed to regain as much functionality as possible.
Since I switched over to an Android phone I no longer have active service on my Blackberry. I have been using my Blackberry on the train as my MP3 player so that I do not kill the battery on my new android phone, but it seems like just using my old Blackberry as a MP3 player is wasting the potential that this device can still do.
Unfortunately I have a CDMA version Blackberry, that means that there is no SIP software that I can install and run, so I am unaware of if any of you GSM Blackberry users can continue to use SIP softphones on your Blackberries.
What I have been able to do so far is to set the default browser as the WiFi browser by going to SETTINGS>ADVANCED OPTIONS>BROWSER then choosing HOTSPOT BROWSER as the default browser, then saving. This enabled me to access the built in browser of the phone to surf the web. For some reason it will not allow me to click on any of my bookmarks - so further testing needs to be done to determine why it is behaving this way.
Other apps that require internet to work are:
Opera browser works just fine over WiFi
Twitter continues to get updates
Google Voice app still updating (although of course you can not use the phone to make calls)
So far I have not been able to get GPS to show my location, AFAIK you should not need a cellular connection or service for GPS to work, so I will need to look into this issue further.
Funny thing of this all? I am using the WiFi hotspot feature of my android phone to power the WiFi of the Blackberry. Well at least it allows me to jump on the internet real quick with the Blackberry while I am on an active call with the Android. Yes I have tested that the hotspot still works while on an active call.
I will update as I find other uses, functionality, or modifications needed to get more use out of my old Blackberry.
Since I switched over to an Android phone I no longer have active service on my Blackberry. I have been using my Blackberry on the train as my MP3 player so that I do not kill the battery on my new android phone, but it seems like just using my old Blackberry as a MP3 player is wasting the potential that this device can still do.
Unfortunately I have a CDMA version Blackberry, that means that there is no SIP software that I can install and run, so I am unaware of if any of you GSM Blackberry users can continue to use SIP softphones on your Blackberries.
What I have been able to do so far is to set the default browser as the WiFi browser by going to SETTINGS>ADVANCED OPTIONS>BROWSER then choosing HOTSPOT BROWSER as the default browser, then saving. This enabled me to access the built in browser of the phone to surf the web. For some reason it will not allow me to click on any of my bookmarks - so further testing needs to be done to determine why it is behaving this way.
Other apps that require internet to work are:
Opera browser works just fine over WiFi
Twitter continues to get updates
Google Voice app still updating (although of course you can not use the phone to make calls)
So far I have not been able to get GPS to show my location, AFAIK you should not need a cellular connection or service for GPS to work, so I will need to look into this issue further.
Funny thing of this all? I am using the WiFi hotspot feature of my android phone to power the WiFi of the Blackberry. Well at least it allows me to jump on the internet real quick with the Blackberry while I am on an active call with the Android. Yes I have tested that the hotspot still works while on an active call.
I will update as I find other uses, functionality, or modifications needed to get more use out of my old Blackberry.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
History of the telephone
I researched this information a while ago, and it was sitting in my Google Docs folder. It is a work in progress and is not all inclusive. I tried to keep with most of the major events surrounding the history of telephone communications.
Free DNS service providers.
EDIT: I made a spreadsheet of the DNS servers posted on this page, may add to it in the future. For now I am just going to provide a link to the spreadsheet instead of publishing it on here, since it is the same information here, minus the source links. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjMbManptfxfdDd2RzBEWHRaU29PUGhDZGg1QmtlcEE
Last night Optimum Online had major issues with their DNS servers leaving many people with out "internet" access. While it was true that most people were not able to use their internet connections during this disruption in service, it is misleading to claim that they lost internet connection. What they did lose was the ability to resolve domain names to IP addresses.
Changing the DNS servers that your computer or network uses to resolve host names resolves issues like the one experienced by Cablevision last night. I do not know why Optimum does not have a contingency plan for an event where their DNS servers go down. Obviously the DNS1 and DNS2 servers that they use must be at the same data center - and quite possibly even on the same server if an outage took out all of their DNS capabilities. This is a major problem for a large internet service provider. They should have redundant servers at multiple data center locations, and should have had the ability to shift traffic from one data center to another almost instantaneously when one or more servers go down. Perhaps they need to take the advise from my post on the importance of network redundancy
Here is a list of DNS servers that you can input into your network adapter settings on your PC, or into your router that are available for free to anyone on the internet regardless of ISP:
These are provided by http://www.opendns.com
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
These are provided by http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
not quite sure who runs it now-a-days, but this one is also pretty easy to remember some links claim owned by level 3
4.2.2.1
4.2.2.2
4.2.2.3
4.2.2.4
4.2.2.5
4.2.2.6
http://www.dnsadvantage.com/ provides these two
156.154.70.1
156.154.71.1
http://www.resolvingnameserver.com/freerns.html provides these for you
208.94.147.150
208.94.147.151
http://www.scrubit.com/ provides these DNS that is family friendly and filter out pornographic websites
67.138.54.100
207.255.209.66
someone over at claims that these are from level3 (could not find the page where they are listed on level 3 website)
209.244.0.3
209.244.0.4
https://dns.norton.com/dnsweb/huConfigureRouter.do offers several options
security: blocks malware sites
198.153.192.40
198.153.194.40
security+pornography, blocks malware and porn
198.153.192.50
198.153.194.50
security+porn+non-family friendly, sounds like a rated G experience (perhaps useful for those with small children)
198.153.192.60
198.153.192.60
http://www.opennicproject.org/ has many DNS servers to choose from
66.244.95.20
74.207.247.4
216.87.84.211
66.90.81.200
64.0.55.201
72.14.189.120
69.164.196.21
72.232.162.195
205.185.120.143
184.154.13.11
128.173.89.246
68.68.18.197
89.16.173.11
192.121.121.14
I could continue to go on forever, I may end up making a spreadsheet of all of these to post at a later date.
Refer to your routers user manual for information on how to change the DNS servers inside of your router, or if you just want to change the DNS on one of your windows computers go to control panel>network and internet connections>network connections and then right click on your LAN adapter and select properties. Scroll to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) then click properties. Leave the top setting alone which will likely say obtain an IP automatically (do not change this setting, skip over it) instead check the use the following DNS servers, and enter one of the above IP addresses as the primary and one as the secondary. You may need to reset your adapter after making changes before your PC is able to resolve domain names.
Last night Optimum Online had major issues with their DNS servers leaving many people with out "internet" access. While it was true that most people were not able to use their internet connections during this disruption in service, it is misleading to claim that they lost internet connection. What they did lose was the ability to resolve domain names to IP addresses.
Changing the DNS servers that your computer or network uses to resolve host names resolves issues like the one experienced by Cablevision last night. I do not know why Optimum does not have a contingency plan for an event where their DNS servers go down. Obviously the DNS1 and DNS2 servers that they use must be at the same data center - and quite possibly even on the same server if an outage took out all of their DNS capabilities. This is a major problem for a large internet service provider. They should have redundant servers at multiple data center locations, and should have had the ability to shift traffic from one data center to another almost instantaneously when one or more servers go down. Perhaps they need to take the advise from my post on the importance of network redundancy
Here is a list of DNS servers that you can input into your network adapter settings on your PC, or into your router that are available for free to anyone on the internet regardless of ISP:
These are provided by http://www.opendns.com
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
These are provided by http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
not quite sure who runs it now-a-days, but this one is also pretty easy to remember some links claim owned by level 3
4.2.2.1
4.2.2.2
4.2.2.3
4.2.2.4
4.2.2.5
4.2.2.6
http://www.dnsadvantage.com/ provides these two
156.154.70.1
156.154.71.1
http://www.resolvingnameserver.com/freerns.html provides these for you
208.94.147.150
208.94.147.151
http://www.scrubit.com/ provides these DNS that is family friendly and filter out pornographic websites
67.138.54.100
207.255.209.66
someone over at claims that these are from level3 (could not find the page where they are listed on level 3 website)
209.244.0.3
209.244.0.4
https://dns.norton.com/dnsweb/huConfigureRouter.do offers several options
security: blocks malware sites
198.153.192.40
198.153.194.40
security+pornography, blocks malware and porn
198.153.192.50
198.153.194.50
security+porn+non-family friendly, sounds like a rated G experience (perhaps useful for those with small children)
198.153.192.60
198.153.192.60
http://www.opennicproject.org/ has many DNS servers to choose from
66.244.95.20
74.207.247.4
216.87.84.211
66.90.81.200
64.0.55.201
72.14.189.120
69.164.196.21
72.232.162.195
205.185.120.143
184.154.13.11
128.173.89.246
68.68.18.197
89.16.173.11
192.121.121.14
I could continue to go on forever, I may end up making a spreadsheet of all of these to post at a later date.
Refer to your routers user manual for information on how to change the DNS servers inside of your router, or if you just want to change the DNS on one of your windows computers go to control panel>network and internet connections>network connections and then right click on your LAN adapter and select properties. Scroll to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) then click properties. Leave the top setting alone which will likely say obtain an IP automatically (do not change this setting, skip over it) instead check the use the following DNS servers, and enter one of the above IP addresses as the primary and one as the secondary. You may need to reset your adapter after making changes before your PC is able to resolve domain names.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Updates 11.28.11
I finally added the image of the mounted door phone for the wire snaked thru brick post. You can view it by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the post.
I added an image of someone using a payphone @ trainphones.nyphonejacks.com that post can be viewed HERE.
I added an image of a sign that I found on a building somewhere in midtown Manhattan that seems to have been inspired by OWS/Zuccoti park @ funnycellpix.blogspot.com which can be found HERE.
I added an image of someone using a payphone @ trainphones.nyphonejacks.com that post can be viewed HERE.
I added an image of a sign that I found on a building somewhere in midtown Manhattan that seems to have been inspired by OWS/Zuccoti park @ funnycellpix.blogspot.com which can be found HERE.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
People, please install your low voltage wiring BEFORE walls go up!
UPDATE: I returned to this customer to neaten up the patch panel and install the router/switch. An update post can be viewed by clicking HERE
I arrived at this job to install several VoIP phones, and possibly do 1 or 2 CAT5 runs. When I arrived, I found that the restaurant on the first floor was nearly at the final stage of construction. No drop ceilings, laminate walls, and marble floors. The electrician had pulled some low voltage wiring but almost none of it was located anywhere near where they wanted their phones located at.
Unlike most other jobs, most of these photos are photos taken before, not after.
Please people, remember your low voltage wiring during the construction phase of your project. Do not think of where you are going to put your phones, computers, cameras, etc after all of the walls have gone up, Especially if you are installing special laminate walls, and marble floors over a poured concrete floor.
I do not like surface mounting wiring, especially not on a new construction, and I do not think that you want to see wiring all over the place after you have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars constructing a new building.
Rethink having the electrician run your low voltage wiring. The electrician is not going to ask the right questions, or have the proper intuition that you are going to want or need wiring at certain locations.
If I were to have had the opportunity to run the wiring when the walls were out there would have been much more CAT5 runs done. I would have pulled 2 drops to each location where they would have possibly needed a phone. I would have also pulled access control wiring to each of the outside doors, and any interior doors leading to offices. I also would have considered the possibility for an overhead paging system in the basement.
What should have been a quick install of 7 VoIP phones and a router - to wiring that should have been installed during the construction phase took 2 long days. (2-8pm day 1 + 11-6pm day2)
I arrived at this job to install several VoIP phones, and possibly do 1 or 2 CAT5 runs. When I arrived, I found that the restaurant on the first floor was nearly at the final stage of construction. No drop ceilings, laminate walls, and marble floors. The electrician had pulled some low voltage wiring but almost none of it was located anywhere near where they wanted their phones located at.
Unlike most other jobs, most of these photos are photos taken before, not after.
There was no CAT5 run behind the bar here, so I had drilled down behind the sink drain, and ran the wiring on the surface underneath the counter top. |
More low voltage wiring installed by the electrician. Unfortunately the customer did not want a phone at this location. |
Steps going down to basement. Floors are poured concrete between basement and 1st floor. |
Tiled walls in basement. Customer wanted a jack at this location. |
This is where the electrician brought all of the low voltage drops. |
Terminating the existing wires that the electrician installed to a 12 port panel. |
Existing wires installed by the electrician punched in from top. New wiring that I had to install on the surface punched down from bottom. |
My 12 port panel in the center of the image. Then all of the existing wiring that the electrician installed all over the place. |
My 12 port panel. Existing wires on top. My new wires on bottom. |
Close up of my 12 port panel installed. |
Surface mounted CAT5 wiring. I really recommend AGAINST stapling CAT5 wiring, but in this case there was little choice. I was not about to go out and buy wire molding for this. |
Please people, remember your low voltage wiring during the construction phase of your project. Do not think of where you are going to put your phones, computers, cameras, etc after all of the walls have gone up, Especially if you are installing special laminate walls, and marble floors over a poured concrete floor.
I do not like surface mounting wiring, especially not on a new construction, and I do not think that you want to see wiring all over the place after you have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars constructing a new building.
Rethink having the electrician run your low voltage wiring. The electrician is not going to ask the right questions, or have the proper intuition that you are going to want or need wiring at certain locations.
If I were to have had the opportunity to run the wiring when the walls were out there would have been much more CAT5 runs done. I would have pulled 2 drops to each location where they would have possibly needed a phone. I would have also pulled access control wiring to each of the outside doors, and any interior doors leading to offices. I also would have considered the possibility for an overhead paging system in the basement.
What should have been a quick install of 7 VoIP phones and a router - to wiring that should have been installed during the construction phase took 2 long days. (2-8pm day 1 + 11-6pm day2)
Thursday, November 24, 2011
I don't do just wiring - replacing drainage in my kitchen sink
My wife called me in a panic the other day. There was a flood under the kitchen sink. So When I arrived home I found that the drainage pipe was corroded and needed to be replaced. I have lived in this apartment for 5 or 6 years, and this has been replaced at least once since I moved in. Due to the fact that the drainage runs almost horizontally from the strainer to the trap I decided that I would replace it with plastic instead of brass. This should eliminate the potential for the pipe to rot out again.
Hole clearly seen thru top of drainage elbow. |
The rotted out brass drainage elbow. |
Replaced strainer, tailpipe, and drainage elbows. |
Another view of newly installed plastic drainage piping. |
Not that it was needed, but I replaced the strainer with a plastic strainer while I was replacing the drainage pipes. |
Old drainage pipes and strainer basket. |
I also replaced the washers inside of the sprayer since there was a small drip
Friday, November 11, 2011
Bank of America puts hold on life insurance check and charges overdraft fees even though the life insurance company released the money to BoA
Bank of America sucks. Here is the story, my wife gave me a check to deposit into our joint account that was drawn off of the life insurance policy she received from her mother. Initially the check was deposited into an ATM machine at Bank of America, but my wife forgot to sign the front of the check. When the charges in the account were initially reversed I went and spoke with the branch manager near where I work. He advised me of what the problem was, and assured me that I would not be responsible for any overdraft fees associated with this check because of the confusion, as long as the check was redeposited once we got it back in the mail.
The check arrived back from BoA, and was signed and redeposited into a BoA ATM machine. It was immediately put on hold for 10 days. (banks love holidays, even though the rest of us have to work) This caused several overdraft fees. Sure I could add funds to cover the negative balance - but I refuse to do so, and should not have to since the money is in the account. My wife called to have the fees reversed, which they did - BUT they turned around and charged another fee the same day that they credited her for the previous overdraft fee. Since I could not reach anyone on the phone the following is what I had to deal with. No information has been changed, the conversation is completely intact - only some personal information has been removed and replaced with bold text indicating what has been removed.
The check arrived back from BoA, and was signed and redeposited into a BoA ATM machine. It was immediately put on hold for 10 days. (banks love holidays, even though the rest of us have to work) This caused several overdraft fees. Sure I could add funds to cover the negative balance - but I refuse to do so, and should not have to since the money is in the account. My wife called to have the fees reversed, which they did - BUT they turned around and charged another fee the same day that they credited her for the previous overdraft fee. Since I could not reach anyone on the phone the following is what I had to deal with. No information has been changed, the conversation is completely intact - only some personal information has been removed and replaced with bold text indicating what has been removed.
Welcome to an online chat session at Bank of America. Please hold while we connect you to the next available Bank of America Online Banking Specialist. Your chat may be monitored and recorded for quality purposes. Your current wait time is approximately 0 minutes. Thank you for your patience.Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.Jennifer : Hello! Thank you for being a valued Bank of America customer! My name is Jennifer.Jennifer : How may I assist you with your personal savings and checking accounts today?You: i would like to know what kind of games you people are playing?Jennifer : I regret the inconvenience whatever the concern may have caused, however, I will do my best to assist you on that.Jennifer : Before I can go ahead, can I have your full name as on your bank statement and the last 4 digits of your account number?You: you hold a check for over 2 weeks that was drawn off of a life insurance policy account - and are continuing to charge overdraft fees to my account when the money is in the accountYou: Personal details removedYou: do not understand why i can not get past your IVR to speak with an actual person on a telephone like a civilized person either. .Jennifer : Thank you for the information, name removed.Jennifer : Thank you for bringing this to my attention.Jennifer : I would like to take a moment to review your account to determine the reason behind this deposit hold.You: what about the overdraft fees? my wife called yesterday to get them removed, only to get assessed another charge the same day.Jennifer : I understand that getting an unexpected fee can be frustrating, let me review your account.You: unexpected? what is unexpected is that you hold this check for so long, i have never experienced anything like this before it is completely unacceptableJennifer : Please allow me a few moment while I check the information.Jennifer : I apologize for the delay, please allow me a few more moment to check the information.You: okJennifer : Thank you.Jennifer : Thank you for being with me online.You: don't really have any other choiceJennifer : After reviewing your account, I can see here that when the funds were deposited on 10/24/11 there was an adjustment or deposit correction made on the account.Jennifer : I can also see that we have refunded one of the Overdraft fee that was assessed on the account.You: right, the front of the check was not signed at that time, it was signed and redeposited.Jennifer : The refund was processed 11/10/11.Jennifer : Yes, you are correct, I can see that it was deposited on 11/7/11.You: the branch manager @ branch temporarily removed said i would not be responsible for any overdraft fees associated with this check if it was redepositedJennifer : Right now, I can see here that there was a hold place on the deposit for $amount removedYou: what refund was processed on 11/10/11? i see only ONE refund for a previous overdraft fee... then a NEW overdraft feeJennifer : Your funds will be available on 11/17/11 by 9 a.m.You: this whole experience is completely unacceptable...Jennifer : I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you.You: i still have an overdraft fee that i am not responsible for on my account and i have never heard of such a thing that a hold would be placed for so long for a depositJennifer : The refund I am referring to was the one for the previous Overdraft fee and it was processed on 11/10/11You: you people should be paying meYou: right then you just turned around and added another overdraft fee on top of thatJennifer : I completely understand that, holds are placed on checks deposited to protect both our customers and the bank from losses in the event that a check is not honored or is returned unpaid from bank on which it is drawn.Jennifer : The bank follows the Federal Reserve hold guidelines, which were designed to provide time for the check to reach the paying bank and to be returned in the event the check is unpaid.Jennifer : Let me see what I can with that Overdraft fee.You: it is a life insurance policy that is in my wifes name going into this bank of america account that she is a joint owner of - insurance company name removed has already released the funds to bank of americaJennifer : There is no specific dollar amount that will avoid a hold.Jennifer : The decision to delay funds availability is based on many factors, including your relationship with the bank, the length of the relationship, the combined account balances, the dollar amount, type of check being deposited and the overdraft history on the deposit account.Jennifer : I suggest that you set up direct deposit in order to prevent holds on a check issued.You: so you get a lot of bounced life insurance policy checks do you?You: it is a FUCKIYou: FUCKING life insurance accountJennifer : I regret the inconvenience this may have caused you, I will do my best to assist you on the Overdraft fee, however, for the check availability, we have to wait for the date mentioned in the system.You: do not understand how you expect me to direct deposit funds from a life insurance policy that was stupidJennifer : That is one way of avoiding hold on a check deposit.Jennifer : The decision to place a hold is based on many factors, including the account history and overall customer relationship.Jennifer : Although there is no guarantee holds will be avoided in the future it is less likely when you:You: i never experienced such problems with checks beforeJennifer : Have an established Account historyYou: this is one of the worse experiences that i have ever had to deal withYou: i have been a customer for many years this is absurdJennifer : I regret the inconvenience which I understand the fees are causing and we value your business over the years.Jennifer : Some deposit alternatives such as wire transfer can help you avoid holds with future transactions.You: or you could just release the funds that have already been released from the account which they were drawn on - this makes on sense.. this is 2011 - everything is interconnected, not like you need to get in a horse and buggy and go to the bank where the check was drawn upon to pick the cash upJennifer : I apologize, I am unable to release the hold on the check.You: look i know that you are not going to do anything about the hold, i am only waiting here to know what you are doing about these eesYou: i think that i have been more than patientJennifer : I double checked your account and process the refund, however, we understand things come up from time to time and during those instances we have refunded previous fees on the account.Jennifer : I apologize, I am unable to provide additional fee refund.You: what are you saying? i have only disputed fees that should have not been charged in the first placeYou: so you are saying that you are not reversing the fee that you are responsible for?You: hello?Jennifer : I can understand that you are not happy about the fees. However, the fee was charged due to the recurring debit card transaction that was posted to your account.You: and the money is in the account so what is the problem?Jennifer : Please allow me some more moment to check the information.You: besides the branch manager @branch temporarily removed advised me that i would not be responsible for any fees associated with overdrafts due to this check as long as it was redeposited into the accountYou: you are starting to make me feel like i am wasting my time hereYou: i do not know what takes so long to click a button on a computer and reverse a fee that should have never been chargedYou: hello?Jennifer : I apologize for the delay, please allow me a few more moment to check the information.You: with all of the excuses and amount of time that you are wasting i am close to telling my wife to just cancel that check and write a new one to put into my chase accountYou: what are you doing over there that is taking so long... i could have wired an entire offices network by now..Jennifer : I apologize for the delay name removed, I am trying my best to process a refund for the Overdraft fee that was assessed to your account due to the Netflix recurring debit card charge.You: i really do not understand what is taking so longJennifer : I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you, the system is not allowing me to process the refund as we have refunded Overdraft fees before.Jennifer : There are several things we can do to avoid the situation in the future, like having an Overdraft Protection and Alert set-up on your account.You: so so you are wasting my time? so how do i get these unauthorized fees removedJennifer : Thank you for your patience, I will be right with you.You: i really do not have any more patienceJennifer : I recommend that you visit the Bank of America banking center and request from the Manager if they can override the Overdraft fee that was assessed to your account.You: i will do that when i am closing out my accountYou: this whole experience is unacceptable...Jennifer : I apologize for the inconvenience, however, we have several ways to avoid the hold and the Overdraft fee.Jennifer : For the hold it is either you set-up a direct deposit or process a wire transfer.Jennifer : To avoid the Overdraft fee, you can set-up an Overdraft Protection and alerts on the account.You: i would like to put in a dispute for unauthorized charges to my account... the fees assessed to my account by your bankYou: i think you are just wasting my time because nothing is different from the time i started chatting with you until now.. and a lot of time has passed....Jennifer : If you wish to submit a dispute for a certain transaction, we have a Specialized Claims department who will be more than willing to assist you.Jennifer : Please contact our Specialized Claims department at 1.800.432.1000.Jennifer : We are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday - Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday - Sunday your Local time.You: except todayYou: i tried calling - you think i would prefer dealing with someone on the internet than a live person on a phone?Jennifer : I apologize, it is closed because of the holiday.Jennifer : However you can contact tomorrow.You: this was useless and a huge waste of timeJennifer : I apologize for the delay. I'll be with you shortly.Jennifer : I regret the inconvenience this may have caused, I have done my best to check if I can refund the fee.Jennifer : Apart from this, are there any more questions or anything that I can help with?You: you didnt even help me with this what else could you possibly not help me with ?Jennifer : I do apologize that we were not able to assist you further with the Overdraft fee.Jennifer : We do appreciate your business here at Bank of America.Jennifer : Thank you for choosing Bank of America's Online Chat Service!Jennifer : To safeguard any personal information, please close this window, by clicking the "Close" button in the upper right corner of this chat window.Last text message receivedThank you for chatting with us. We value your feedback and would like to invite you to take a moment to complete a survey and tell us how we did today. The survey takes only a few moments to complete and will be presented to you upon closing this window.
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