fedex does not suck, Network Solutions does.

I got a letter yesterday from FedEx that turned out to be a bill. I bought $40 worth of Ethiopian coffee 'pods' to go in the awesome coffeemaker that Maggie got me for Christmas. (I also ordered from the same company an 'adapter' for various-sized other pods... it works by making a greater seal and forcing the steam through the pod, rather than around it. It resembles a very generous marital aid, but it really makes the difference, so I'll happily brew my morning java through it.)

Turns out that I owed 43 cents of import duty on this coffee, and it was coming in from the UK. FedEx and the vendor (cafepods.com) never mentioned this to me, and the package just showed up on my porch one day. Anyway... the bill I got was for the 43-cent fee, plus a 30-dollar charge for the import service.

(I'm pretty sure customs tears into "coffee shipments" all the time, 'cause we all know they're really drugs, or Austrailian Finger Limes, or bootleg anime DVD's, right? ... ha, suckers. I actually buy Ethiopian Coffee via Great Britian. Or at least I did once.)

I called FedEx up and asked them what the deal was, and mentioned that I'd never been given the opportunity the refuse the package. (also that it was rediculous to pay thirty bucks for spotting me a 43 cent fee)

The FedEx woman put me on hold for a bit, then told me that they were cancelling the whole fee... That was what made all the sense in the world. So why was I SO surprised that they did it? The fee made no sense, and was obviously a mechano-bureaucratic glitch, and a fee I never agreed to. But lots of other companies would happily defend their policy and mess up my credit if I don't pay it. (I'm looking at you, assholes at Capitol One.)

I've started voting with my feet, and not just for things that piss me off. I made a point of telling the woman at FedEx "Thank you! I am a very happy customer!". I hope her manager was listening in. I will "vote with my feet", even if it costs me more in the short-term. FedEx earned more than their $30 of my business by not being jerks.

Network Solutions, on the other hand, can "talk to the hand", as the kids are saying these days.

NetSol is the company that used to have a monopoly on registering internet domain names. They don't anymore, but in all their marketing, they'd have you believe they do, and that they provide great services and really care about your business. Meanwhile they send out intentionally deceiving notices trying to TRICK people into re-registering for multiple years when they're not actually expiring "soon" at all, or to trick them into moving their domain names over to Network Solutions, accidentally clicking on a link.

Network Solutions also changed the way internet naming service works by intercepting typos everywhere on the internet and instead of returning "sorry, that doesn't exist", they sent you to a page that said "maybe you were looking for this?"... and linking to a page that they were PAID to pimp. They were subsequently forced to knock it off.

My registration for the name "psychcifriends.net" was about to expire, so I took the opportunity to move to another registrar. NetSol responded with bureaucracy, then with intentionally confusing instructions, then with "are you sure? You're making a mistake..."

Soon (knock on wood), one of my domains will be free of them... Later, I'll move the rest of them that aren't already there away. New vanity domains have been going to little, cheap registrars for like $8 a year. More important ones that I use for email or personal business, I'm moving to Register.com, 'cause I do a LOT of business with them through work (think thousands of names), so I have a good relationship with the higher levels of their support organization, and they have an interest in not pissing me off. Plus, they're somewhat cheaper.

So, vote with your feet. I'm off to cancel my Showtime subscription from Cablevision.