Saturday, December 14, 2013

Rant on "My Caller ID has been Hijacked!"

For 3 weeks, people I have been calling have been saying, hey whats up with your phone, your caller ID says Thomas Lotter.   This could be very disturbing to a potential business client, or an existing client who would be wondering what the heck is up….what didn’t you pay your phone bill, now you have to borrow a phone?

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I called ATT, big run around as usual. 30 minutes invested.

After talking to a flunky, who said it’s the other carriers problem and that she couldn’t do anything.    She said you have to talk to the “other carriers”.    How many others “I don’t know”.    How can I get a hold of them and what do I say to them?  “I can’t help you with that, it’s the other carriers problem”.   No it’s my problem because potential clients could be very turned off or not even answer the phone if they see an incorrect caller ID.      “There is nothing we can do Sir”

Since the flunky didn’t even have good lies, I asked if she could detail my whole issue to the supervisor so the supervisor could not just call me back, but call me back with an answer.  She said her message system only allowed about 50 characters, all she could say was “customer caller ID not correct”

She had  supervisor call me back 2 hours later (not bad for a Saturday)

She said its not ATT fault, its those other “carriers” who didn’t update their records.

In explaining to her that it is not an update problem, but that is was correct ID and then became incorrect ID.

She said that their database department has sent a request to Time Warner to update their database.    I see….so there is something that ATT can do…..

I asked how.    She said that she had sent an email to ATT database people.  
I asked how did she know that ATT database people sent the request to TW database?

She said, oh it probably didn’t happen yet.
I asked if I could get a record of her request to ATT database people, she said no, that is internal correspondence.

I asked if I could get a phone number for ATT database people so I could verify when they sent the request.   She said the database people don’t talk to customers on the phone.
I asked for an email to the ATT database people, she stated that is proprietary protected information.

I asked her to confirm that the TW database people received the request, she stated she couldn’t do that.

I asked her for a phone or email to the TW database people.      She said she didn’t have that information.

I asked her to check up in 7 to 10 business days, and report back to me if TW updated their records.     She said they don’t provide that service.  

I said what if it get lost in the process, and I lose 2 customers who are put off by having a fake name show up on caller ID, then what-- I call back after 10 days and go through the whole shenanigans again>?   “We can’t control their database Sir”

She continued, I just had another client who had the same type of problem with TW caller ID.        So they are trained to use a deflection….don’t worry because lots of people are screwed just like you.

She said I could call back to ATT in 7 to 10 days to check on things if I liked.  

And these companies make 40% profit margin, whilst most “real” businesses that are not monopolies who capture their government regulators, are happy to end up with 8% to 10%.   They only have to pretend they have any respect for their “captive audience”

Rant Out

Then, after never being able to remember an email from ATT, I receive this 2 minutes after I post up my blog rant.    Wow!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Gold and Silver are Becoming Hated

It's odd for sure, when fundamentals don't work for years at a time.    Some call them "funnymentals"

But I have seen several articles lately on how Gold is going to $500, Gold going below $1000.

I am afraid to even see what Elliot Wave International might be pimping out.

And GDX, HUI, and GDXJ have been removed from the woodshed, and taken to the cesspool for an additional soaking.

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This is the time I am looking to buy Gold.

Palladium is always on my radar, it does well in everything but a Madmax scenario, which honestly, is less than 4% chance of happening.    Plenty of SHTF scenarios will result in far less damage than a MadMaxer.


All that said, Gold, Silver, Platinum, in a downtrend.    Palladium in an uptrend.   Ill do charts soon

I checked 5 ounce silver bars selling in bulk, 100 minimum and they were selling for 8% premium over melt.    Still seems high to me.    But then again, I was buying pre1964 silver coins for a 0.3% premium at one time.  What a deal!

Silver 1963 coins now selling at a 17% markup over melt.    Wow.    

And don't forget....upcoming bull market in pitchforks.    Its a job creator and job reducer, lol.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Russell to break a channel and go down

Any questions, let me know.

Any comments?   Sheesh, no comments in a week, thats weak.



The Classics Fear Factor, Asset Class Total, Bond Indicator

They are implying up from here, but I still think this "shakeout" has not been big enough, tomorrow is expiry on options.     Killing the bulls is the most likely manuever methinks.




Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Predicted a "scary drop" yesterday, Head and Shoulder on SPX Futures

On Tuesday I wrote

My operant thinking is a scary drop prior to the Rally into Christmas/New Years
Revisiting the S&P Future (ES), one can see an elongated Head and Shoulders Pattern with the Magenta line under the shoulders.

Amazingly, todays drop went right down to the shoulder level, and then bounced, now forming a bear flag.    I think to shake out some bulls, they need a bigger drop.

However this was useful in destroying a lot of potential value in Bull Calls, for expiry in 2 days.    For some reason, it is very important for the Marker Makers (aka Takers) to rule the options market, even though it is notionally smaller than the overall market by orders of magnitude.  

For the Brokers That Be, options are a quick way to make money, even some money from selling the premium, and then by moving monies on the indices to shakeout the options holders or at least get them to expire worthless.  





Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Been Bearish a Month

The market seems to act the most "unreasonable" at the most extreme times.  

I mean....bouncing along the upper channel line for a month straight?    Sheesh.

Here is a quick backtest after losing the channel line.

My operant thinking is a scary drop prior to the Rally into Christmas/New Years