Drivel: I received the below notification from BestBuy.com this evening. I wonder how much this is costing BestBuy.com? I also wonder who decided not to approve the purchase of a good intrusion detection system (IDS) because that's what they pay their staff to do. Nothing beats a good IDS. I would bet that the $50,000 to $100,000 investment in a good IDS system plus a single person to administer the system would have saved BestBuy.com all the money they are now spending to clean this mess up.

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IMPORTANT: E-MAIL HOAX NOTIFICATION Late Wednesday afternoon, June 18, 2003, Best Buy became aware of an unauthorized and deceptive e-mail to consumers titled "Fraud Alert." That e-mail message, which requested personal information (i.e., social security and credit card numbers), claimed to come from the BestBuy.com Fraud Department. That message was NOT from Best Buy or any of our affiliates.

Best Buy is working with the appropriate law enforcement authorities to quickly resolve the situation. We are working to shut down sites affiliated with that unauthorized e-mail and Best Buy will work with law enforcement authorities to prosecute any perpetrators involved in this illegal act to the fullest extent of the law. If you replied to the fraudulent e-mail in any way, contact your bank and/or credit card companies immediately.

No Best Buy systems have been compromised, and our online business is secure. The privacy of your personal information is of the utmost importance to Best Buy and any information you provide to us is handled according to our Privacy Policy.

As part of the preparation for the relaunch of BestBuy.com, online purchasing will be temporarily unavailable beginning Friday, June 20; however, our product information and helpful resource articles will still be available. Rest assured, the fraudulent e-mail will not affect the launch of our redesigned Web site.

If you have any questions, call Customer Care at 1-888-BEST BUY (237-8289) or visit our Online Pressroom.

To find out more about protecting your information, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

Thank you for being a valued Best Buy customer.

posted: 7:25:23 PM  permalink  trackback ()  comments ()    

Notes From The Road: This is a rant from an experience I had on a trip earlier this month, June 4 to be exact.

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I had an interesting experience going through airport security at Boston's Logan International Airport this morning. Apparently "backpacks" are now considered carry-ons and not personal items. There are no criteria for determining what a "backpack" is and it is left up to each of the "guards" in security. To make matters worse, this will only happen to you if you are departing from Boston.

I can appreciate and understand the nature of this decision. People are stretching the rules to cram as much stuff in their carry-on bags as possible and stretching the limits of what a "personal item" and a "carry-on" are. However, such as arbitrary decision as targeting "backpacks" makes no sense without qualification. I can understand if the effort is to force European trekkers to check the mammoth backpacks they will be living out of for three months or the extra large daypacks that are being made these days that you can live out of for a week. However, this doesn't appear to be the case. I was hassled this morning about my computer bag, which roughly has the dimensions of 18 inches tall by 12 inches wide and 6 inches deep -- no bigger than any other computer bag. The only difference is that I can wear mine on my back. To add insult to injury, the same "guard" that was hassling me had just let two crew members through that looked like they were going on vacation and each of them had a huge daypack on their backs and were pulling rollerbags. It up set me so much I stood there arguing with this so called "guard" until she said she would let me through if I could fit my computer bag in my carry-on, which I did and I was on my way.

This situation raises a number of issues with traveling today that can remedied with some attention to detail and coordination on the part of the airlines and government. Travelers generally distrust airline baggage handlers to care for their belongings in transit. This distrust and perception has only been exaggerated by the state and publicity of the airlines. This distrust leads people to carry-on all of their belongings if at all possible. The airlines need to inform their passengers of the steps they are taking to insure the proper handling of their belongings and make them aware of the process used to remedy any problems encountered. Have you ever seen a sign describing your friendly baggage handler or a simple process diagram when you go to look for lost luggage? I haven't. It doesn't help to see airline employees trying to skirt the system.

The TSA is doing a poor job of setting security standards at all of the nation's airports. There are no standards, except the uniforms and equipment you see at the checkpoint. The variations in the security processes at the different airport create great inconveniences for frequent and non-frequent travelers alike. Some airports still make you take off your shoes, whether or not you know it will set off the metal detector. Some airports make you take of your belts. Boston won't let you take a "backpack" with you. Some airports require ID beyond the security checkpoint and some don't. You never know what you expect at each airport. This is pure craziness. I really don't care what the local airports think or want to do. The TSA needs to set the standards and all airports must adhere to them. This will eliminate the variations at each airport that cause travelers endless frustration. This will also eliminate the ability of airports to create arbitrary, poor thought out rulings.

What has happened to customer satisfaction? My experience with the airlines and air travel doesn't just happen in the air. My experience begins as I enter the airport and ends when I leave my destination airport. What are the airlines, airports, and various government agencies doing to make my overall experience with air transportation better? Nothing.

posted: 11:03:19 AM  permalink  trackback ()  comments ()    

Drivel: Life is becoming more interesting and is not without opportunities. I am contemplating becoming an employee of a company rather than growing my own business right now. Becoming an employee is very different than working for yourself. Unless you have been an employee and worked for yourself, it is very hard to imagine the difference and the trade offs. I thought I understood the trade offs and issues before working for myself, but I really didn't. I am in a quandry right now with making a decision about specific opportunities. All of the opportunities I am looking have trade offs, pros, and cons. None are ideal, but then again we don?t live in an ideal world.

posted: 10:52:19 AM  permalink  trackback ()  comments ()