Uncategorised – Gjertsen [dot] ca

Buyer Beware: Our Experience with an Asko Dishwasher from Trail Appliances

Rob Gjertsen — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:08:40 +0000

Read Time:3 Minute, 22 Second

When you purchase a new appliance, you expect reliability, functionality, and customer support that matches the promises made at the time of sale. Unfortunately, our experience with an Asko dishwasher from Trail Appliances has been the complete opposite. If you’re considering an Asko dishwasher or buying from Trail Appliances, I hope our story serves as a cautionary tale.

The Start of the Problem

In August 2021, we purchased a brand-new Asko dishwasher from Trail Appliances. Excited to upgrade our kitchen, we were eager to put it to use. However, the dishwasher didn’t even work on the day it was delivered and installed. The technician, who admitted to having no prior experience with Asko dishwashers or this specific model, was baffled. He quickly blamed the issue on our home’s water pressure, claiming it was too high.

We trusted this assessment and hired a plumber to check our water pressure, incurring an unnecessary expense. The plumber confirmed that our water pressure was perfectly normal. After another visit from the same inexperienced technician, a different technician—this time someone familiar with Asko—finally resolved the issue by switching the dishwasher from a sensored fill to a timed fill. This ordeal took almost a month to resolve.

A History of Repairs

Unfortunately, that rocky start was just the beginning. Since its installation, the Asko dishwasher has required 11 or 12 service calls to address various issues. Each time, we’ve had to deal with the Asko repair center, and while they tried to fix the problems, the dishwasher’s reliability continued to decline.

Now, the dishwasher has stopped working altogether—again. It won’t even turn on. A similar issue happened in the past, and the repair involved replacing the “main board.” This time, however, Trail Appliances directed us to a third-party repair company, Comerco, as they apparently outsource extended warranty repair, at least for Asko dishwashers.

We called Comerco over a week ago to schedule a repair. To this day, we still don’t have a service date. The lack of urgency and accountability from Comerco only adds to the frustration of dealing with this product.

Replacing the Asko Dishwasher

After enduring countless issues, we finally decided enough was enough. Despite the fact that our Asko dishwasher is still under warranty, we opted to replace it entirely. We purchased a new dishwasher from Bosch, a brand we’ve had great success with in the past. The peace of mind and reliability that our new Bosch dishwasher provides have been worth every penny, especially after the constant stress caused by the Asko.

The Bigger Picture

After enduring countless issues, I’ve reached the conclusion that this dishwasher was a lemon from the start. Trail Appliances should have stepped up and taken it back during the initial month of troubleshooting. Instead, we’ve been stuck with a defective product and an endless cycle of repairs.

While Trail Appliances’ initial service was disappointing, the move to a third-party repair service has made matters worse. Comerco’s slow response time and lack of communication make it clear that they do not prioritize customer satisfaction.

A Word of Warning

If you’re considering an Asko dishwasher, think twice. The brand has been nothing but trouble for us, and based on our experience, their products are unreliable. Moreover, Trail Appliances failed to resolve the issue appropriately, leaving us to deal with ongoing headaches. Finally, the third-party repair service, Comerco, has been unresponsive and unhelpful.

We’re sharing our experience in the hopes of saving others from the same frustration. If you’re shopping for a dishwasher, consider looking at other brands and retailers. Don’t let the sleek design or promises of premium performance fool you. Our Asko dishwasher has been anything but premium—it’s been a source of constant stress.

Have you had a similar experience with Asko or Trail Appliances? Share your story in the comments. Let’s make sure no one else has to endure what we’ve been through.

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The Art of Email Etiquette: Proper Use of TO and CC

Rob Gjertsen — Thu, 30 May 2024 06:35:01 +0000

Read Time:3 Minute, 51 Second

In the realm of email communication, mastering the subtle art of addressing your recipients correctly can make the difference between clear, effective communication and a cluttered, confusing inbox. As an IT professional with 26 years of experience, I’ve seen the evolution of email from a revolutionary tool to an everyday necessity—and along the way, I’ve noticed a decline in proper email etiquette. Today, let’s delve into why it’s crucial to use the TO and CC fields correctly, the benefits of doing so, and how we’ve strayed from these practices over time.

The TO Field: Your Primary Communication Channel

Think of the TO field as the main stage in a theater production. The individuals listed here are the stars of the show, the ones expected to perform, respond, or take action. When you place someone in the TO field, you’re directly addressing them, signaling that their input or action is required.

Pros of Proper TO Usage:

Clarity: It clearly indicates who needs to take action, avoiding any ambiguity.
Accountability: Assigns responsibility, ensuring that the right people are aware of their duties.
Efficiency: Streamlines communication, making it easier to track who needs to respond.

Cons of Misusing the TO Field:

Overload: Including too many people can dilute responsibility, leading to inaction.
Confusion: Misplaced recipients can create confusion about who is responsible for responding.

The CC Field: Your Supporting Cast

The CC (carbon copy) field is akin to the supporting cast—those who need to be in the loop but aren’t directly responsible for the outcome. These are the people you want to inform without expecting a direct response or action.

Pros of Proper CC Usage:

Transparency: Keeps relevant parties informed, promoting transparency.
Documentation: Provides a record of communication to those who might need it for future reference.
Focus: Allows primary recipients to stay focused on their tasks, while others stay informed.

Cons of Misusing the CC Field:

Inbox Overload: Over-CCing can clutter inboxes, leading to important messages getting lost.
Indifference: Too many CCs can lead to recipients ignoring emails, assuming they aren’t directly involved.

A Brief History of Email Etiquette Evolution

Back in the day, email was a novelty. We treated it with a certain level of reverence, crafting messages with care and attention. The TO and CC fields were used judiciously, partly because of the novelty and partly due to the slower pace of digital communication.

However, as email became ubiquitous, the volume of messages skyrocketed. Inboxes became overwhelmed, and the careful practices of email etiquette began to erode. Suddenly, everyone was CC’d on everything, and the TO field became a free-for-all. The once clear lines of responsibility and information-sharing blurred, leading to the chaotic email landscapes we often see today.

Why Have We Drifted?

Several factors have contributed to this drift from proper email etiquette:

Speed Over Substance: In our fast-paced work environments, the focus has shifted to speed rather than clarity. It’s quicker to hit “Reply All” than to thoughtfully consider who needs to be in the TO or CC fields.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): People often CC others out of a fear of leaving someone out or to cover their bases, leading to bloated email chains.
Technological Changes: Tools like instant messaging and collaborative platforms have changed how we communicate, making traditional email etiquette seem less relevant to some.

Getting Back on Track: Best Practices

To reclaim the clarity and efficiency of email communication, consider the following best practices:

Be Deliberate: Before sending an email, take a moment to think about who truly needs to take action (TO) and who needs to be informed (CC).
Limit Recipients: Avoid the temptation to over-CC. If someone doesn’t need to be informed, leave them out.
Use BCC Wisely: For large group emails where recipients don’t need to see each other’s addresses, use the BCC field to maintain privacy and reduce clutter.
Educate Your Team: Promote awareness about the importance of email etiquette within your team. Sometimes, all it takes is a little education to bring about change.

Conclusion

In conclusion, properly utilizing the TO and CC fields in email is not just a matter of etiquette; it’s a crucial component of effective communication. By being mindful of whom we address and inform, we can enhance clarity, accountability, and efficiency in our professional interactions. Let’s take a step back, remember the roots of good email practice, and bring a little order back to our digital correspondence. After all, in the world of IT, where precision and clarity are paramount, a well-addressed email can be the difference between success and chaos.

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Moving SUCKS

Rob Gjertsen — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 04:57:57 +0000

Read Time:33 Second

I do not enjoy moving, and our townhouse feels empty. It feels, hollow.

When we moved into our townhouse, it was the fifth time in three years. This does not include the times when we had to move the office for the company, and I had enough at that point.

8-1/2 years later, and we are moving again, to a place about 45 minutes away from where we have called home the entire time Heather and I have been together. It is exciting, tiring, stressful, and every day it feels like moving day will never come.

Here’s to moving day, and the changes it brings in our family’s life.

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As Canada Votes…

Rob Gjertsen — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 13:26:26 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 10 Second

I think few elections I have been able to partake in, have left me feeling so hollow as this one. I have come away from this group of candidates, wondering who it is best NOT to vote, and I feel empty as a Canadian today.

There are so many things which either the party itself or the leadership for that party, is for or against which are dealbreakers for me. Being in the position of voting for the least undesirable candidate/party is so cliche, it’s tiresome. And yet, that is how I feel today more than any other election prior with which I have partaken.

While a civic right as a citizen, I am a firm believer that voting is a civic duty, one far too many Canadians partake in. It is a part of the democratic process that is imperative to implementing change, and forming the country we as citizens want today and in the future. If we don’t get out and vote, what example are we giving to our children. What are we saying to those who lost their lives, to give us this base right?

But as I look at the political landscape today, I fear for the direction the parties in our beautiful country are headed.

I will get out and vote today, of that I am certain. For whom will I be voting, that is a different story…

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Letters to Freya: Din Flott-Tante Louise

Rob Gjertsen — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 16:02:03 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 9 Second

Hello Little One,

In November of last year, we suffered a loss in our family. Your Great-Aunt Louise passed away, aged 95. She was your Bestefar’s oldest sister, the matriarcal figure of the Gjertsen Family at the time, and meant a lot to both your Mom and me.

She met you on three different occasions, the first of which was when you were 4 days old. In hindsight, and after looking through the photos of that day, I regret that we didn’t get any pictures of you with her that day, nor on any subsequent visit.

I visited her two weeks before she passed away. We were able to have a video chat with you and Mommy, so that she could see and talk to you. She loved that conversation.

One of the things she said to me, is she wanted all of us to know how much she loved us all, how proud she was of everyone, and she didn’t want us to forget her. She wanted us to remember her.

Family is everything Freya. It is something that I talk to you about, even now at just 3 years old. We always love each other, no matter what. We can be angry, and frustrated, and even not like each other very much in the moment. But not matter what, we always love each other.

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Tech Insight: Facebook is for Sharing, Not Storing

admin — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 00:25:09 +0000

Read Time:4 Minute, 12 Second

When was the last time you held an actual photo album or a printed photograph in your hand? Maybe you look back at older photographs only when Facebook’s TimeHop app reminds you of a pic from five years ago? If so, you may be risking your visual history.

Privacy concerns, or concerns around Social Media in general not-withstanding, Facebook is a great way to share photos with friends and family around the world. You ge to enjoy their comments and the affirmation of their likes. But using Facebook as a storage medium for your photos is NOT a good play, and here’s why.

Some people treat Facebook as their photo album archive. They delete the originals from their devices or digital camera when they need more space. But Facebook compresses images for faster download. It satisfies impatient social media users, which means photo quality suffers. If you wanted to print those photos in the future, they wouldn’t look as good as the originals.

That’s not the only drawback. When you trust Facebook with all your photos, you’re allowing that company to control your visual archive. It’s hard to imagine, given Facebook’s reach today, but what happens to your photos if the company goes out of business? The people who were using MySpace to manage their photos in 2006 might have an idea.

The younger users amoung us are already moving onto other social platforms. Plus, Facebook’s tremendous growth rate in North America and Europe is slowing thanks to it’s already increadible market share. Those daily active users, a segment of which I definately am not, are their primary source of revenue. You know Mark Zuckerberg is in some meetings every day about that.

Even if Facebook continues as the business behemoth it is today, we don’t know what policy changes it might make. It could change its terms of service whenever it wanted (if you even read those in the first place). Users have ZERO guarantee for how long Facebook will store their images, or any sort of content for that matter (how ironic, that I will be sharing this on Facebook).

Keep in mind also, that many of the photos showing up in your timeline are actually taken by friends. Facebook provides an entire album of other people’s photos when they’ve tagged you, but if those same people decide to untag you or remove said photo, that photo is then lost to you.

Finally, there’s also the risk of your account getting shutdown or compromised. You’ve probably had friends warn you not to accept any new friend requests from them because they’ve been compromised. you wouldn’t want a thief to steal all your photo albums. Similarly, you dint want a cybercriminal to gain access to all your images (check your privacy settings).

Recommendations

Just as with data, I want to recommend you have a “3-2-1” backup system for your digital photographs. This means having three copies of the photos you care about. you don’t need to backup the blurry ones if you don’t want to.

You may want to keep one copy on the original device, but you should have two other copies of the high-quality (uncompressed) original images as well. One you might keep on an external storage device (please encrypt this), and the other you could upload to cloud storage.

the cloud backup gives you access to the photos from any device from any location. So, if your home is hit by a disaster (water leak, fire, flood, hurricane) or theft, or you lose your device somehow, you still have a backup. Your Facebook photos and videos are just there to be shared with friends and family.

Not sure where or how to safely store your photos and videos? Reach out to me via Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn and I’d be happy to provide some guidance.

One Final Thought

Last year I took a customer’s hard drive into a data recovery lab that we work with. While there, I had a conversation with a young lady who had a little girl that looks about the same age as my daughter.

She was there in the hopes that they could recover photos from her iPhone. Her husband, herself, and their daughter had been away on vacation and her phone was dropped into the pool. She had been having them saved to iCloud, but her husband had (for some reason unknown to her) cancelled the service. Her phone was what she always used to take photos.

Her daughter was almost two, and as a result of the phone being damaged beyond recovery (which it was) and the iCloud subscription having been cancelled, her entire visual record of the first two years of her daughters life was lost.

I cannot even imagine being in that position, and the conversations I’m sure that would follow.

I am a huge advocate for redundant, and regularly tested, backups. A backup that is untested, is worthless.

Please remember: Storage is cheap. Data (or in this case your photos) is priceless.

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A Blank Page

Rob Gjertsen — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 04:54:53 +0000

Read Time:24 Second

First, you start with a blank page. That’s where you begin.

Then, you start pressing keys. As you type, the cursor moves across the screen.

But, does what you write make sense? Is it cohesive?

So, you go back and review what has been said. Does it deliver a message?

How, is it that we convey the meaning we want? Can we express ourselves effectively?

Can, we be content with what we create? First, you start with a blank page.

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Coincidence or Not…??? Not OC…

Rob Gjertsen — Sun, 31 Mar 2019 03:46:15 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 10 Second

If…

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Equals…

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then

K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

Both are important, however both fall short of 100%

BUT

A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

Years ago, more than I would care to admit, I read the book Attitude is Everything by Keith Harrell. This was the first non-fiction book I read after stepping away from university, that I found to truly speak to me.

One of the things he talks about is the power of words.

The things we say and the things we hear from others are another great cause of a bad attitude. Whether said in love or in anger, words leave a lasting impression. Therefore you should be very mindful of the things you say, particularly in anger. Once released to the universe, words cannot be taken back.
Attitude is Everything by Keith Harrell

These are very true words.

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Day Off Musings

Rob Gjertsen — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 18:16:17 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 30 Second

A rare weekday off, on which I have zero intention of doing any ‘work’. So far I’m failing…

As I sit at Starbucks, waiting for the Ford dealership to complete some work one of our cars, I am trying to catch up on my personal email that I have neglected going back to the Spring of 2018. So many email messages. So much junk..

While I sit here and work through the backlog of messages, and enjoy listening to some much-neglected podcasts that I very much enjoy, I am reminded that I have found myself forgetting to breathe the last few months. I am very bad at forgetting to fulfil and stay current with some of my personal interests, and instead, I become completely engrossed in my work. I will skip personal interests and little things that I should do, and instead, I will spend that extra hour or two at night to try and catch up on email. I need to be better about making sure I don’t miss these things.

Things I need to be better about, which I’m going to write down in hopes that doing so will help me be contiously intentional in doing so, include:

Better about making time for Heather and I, be it date nights, or game nights, or just sitting and talking. I have been guilty about not being intentional about this the last while.
Pay more attention to the timing of the time which I work at home, where I don’t take time away from my time with Heather or Freya. Doing so in the evenings is bad for this, so if I instead get up early, I won’t lose time with either of them.
I need to write and read more, which I think will help me in my creativity again, and my planning processes. I hardly do any of either currently, as I am continually reactive and behind things all day every day at work, so that when I get home I feel I have to spend that extra time. My only answer to what I am being asked to accomplish is to work more hours.
Stay current with my personal interests, and explore new ones. For those who know me, I am a big Liverpool FC fan, as well as Formula 1. 2018 saw me watch 4 LFC games, which is far less than I want to take in. I miss being able to enjoy the time taking in the matches and in turn the broadcasts and ongoings surrounding each F1 Grand Prix.
University has taken a backseat to everything else. I haven’t done any of my coursework over the past month, which has put me on the backfoot, and I need to change this.

So there we are. Here are my thoughts this morning while I sip on a hot drink, feeling like crap with this damn flu, in search of some cathartic release in the form of writing, waiting for my car to be ready.

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A Great Dinner

Rob Gjertsen — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 16:40:44 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 9 Second

Last night was our annual company Christmas party. It was a great meal partnered with matching conversation with many. I always look forward to the event, which I always hope everyone enjoys. This year saw 38 attendees, including guests, and I think it was a very perfect size all said and done.

This year we recognized a couple coworkers who had reached 5-years with the company, something of which I take pride. I take pride, not in the fact that it is my achievement, but for the fact that the organisation has fostered an environment that has retained them for this period of time, and (hopefully) has allowed them to grow with their role and the company as a whole.

One hundred fifty-seven million, six hundred and eighty thousand.  Two million, six hundred and twenty-eight thousand.  Forty-three thousand, eight hundred.  One thousand, eight hundred twenty-six.

Five.

That is the number of seconds, minutes, hours, days, or years, since your first day here at SilverPoint.  A simple number can be inconsequential when you try to gain the perspective of what the true significance of what it means into focus, and what it is which you have brought to this organization.

Instead of trying to look at one that is simple, let us look at a complex number.

Infinity.

When we consider what a person brings to an organization, it is not simple.  It is complex and dynamic.  Perhaps infinity is a much more fitting representation of what a single person brings to an organization, as the ways in which you add to our organization’s complexity are infinite.

Simple is complex, and complexity is simple.

While some might say congratulations, that makes this sound like a simple achievement, whereas that single word does not seem sufficient to express the complexity of this milestone.

Instead, we would simply like to say, thank you.
The text above,
is the body of what was written on the plaques we provided to each of our coworkers who had reached 5-years service with the organisation.

However, a surprise which I was given along with Mike, my business partner, was an award of recognition to each of us from the entire staff. It was not something I had expected to receive, and I don’t think there are many things in my professional career which can compare to the feeling which receiving such a gift provides.

Receiving a gift such as this one, is both extremely humbling and rewarding.

All I can say to anyone involved, would be Thank You.

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