Plugged In
Stay plugged in to technology news. Cox staffers across the country and around the globe bring you breaking tech news and other high-tech tidbits and explain what it all means to you and your community -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Only with "Plugged In."RSS feed
What's on this page →
All the entries posted on December 18, 2007.
Commenting is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F
Recent entries
Home > Plugged In > Archives > 2007 > December > 18
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Instant messaging cuts down on waiting at the bank
Who needs sitting in a bank waiting room to talk to a loan officer.
When I went online the other day to check on home-equity loans and the rates that various banks were asking, I happened onto the Chase Bank site.
While reading about the different types of loans and their advantages and disadvantages, a small screen popped up on my monitor.
It was an instant-messaging window, and an agent named Nadine asked me if she could answer any questions. We went back and forth for several minutes but when she asked if she could call, I said: maybe later.
After a few more questions, I finally asked her to call. My point is I got a lot more information that was specific to my house and mortgage without the hard sell (or at least before any hard sell) that you might get in a brick-and-mortar bank.
It’s a great idea. I’m surprised other banks and retailers don’t do it. If you see anybody else trying it, let me know.
Permalink | |
Taking shots at Microsoft’s Vista
It’s tough being the biggest, baddest software company in the world.
Even while Google is trying to take over the Internet single-handedly, PC World is taking shots at Microsoft, probably because it’s still considered the 800-pound gorilla of the high-tech world, or at least its chairman.
Leading PC World’s top 15 biggest tech disappointments for 2007 was Vista, the new PC operating system. It gives Vista props for its parental controls but it launched with software and hardware incompatibilities. So much so that some consumers switched back to XP.
Rounding out the top 5 were: the Hi-Def player format war, Facebook’s advertising blunder, Yahoo’s sorry state and, of course, the iPhone and Apple’s many celebrated mistakes despite a very cool device.
Did they leave anything off the list?