Bottom line: Although the design and ordering process is very easy, streamlined, and simple, placing an order with this company, based on my personal experience, runs a very high risk of cumbersome delays, phone tag, and a major investment in your personal time.

I placed an order at javasigns.com for a sign for my car window in October of 2009.  I received an email that my order would ship soon.  I then received an email that my order had shipped on Oct. 15 and, based on the tracking number, would arrive on Oct. 19.

The package did not arrive, so I called — several times because I often got their answering service, even when I called during business hours — finally to speak to Trish Marshall who assured me there had been a mistake and my order would ship right away.

To avoid the drawn out details, that phone call process was repeated several times over the next two months, and yet no package arrived.  Finally, Ms. Marshall promised to refund my money and get the order out that day.

Over a week later, I did get the refund, but I did not receive the item.

Most customers might call the problem solved at this point, but I really wanted this sign as advertisement for my business, and I had been promised it, so I continued to press the issue.

Eventually, it became nearly impossible to get in contact with Ms. Marshall either by email or by phone.  Once I did reach her again, she told me there was a problem with the sizing of the sign — they were having trouble cutting it, so she asked if there was some leway on the dimensions.  We worked it out, so again she assured me my order would ship soon.  By now, it was the middle of December.

A week and a half later, still having received no shipment confirmation or package, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey.  Three days later, my sign arrived.

Ironically, shortly after the sign arrived, I received an email from the BBB that, since my money was refunded, there was nothing they could do.

I will never deal with this company again because of the time and energy I had to spend to simply get the sign — a sign whose price tag was $136 and some change — but they did earn a few redemption points for honoring their promise even when they were not forced by the hand of the BBB.

Proceed with caution.

Truth is, it’s a piece of cake. First things you need to know:

Your modem is just that — a modem, and it is connecting like any dialup modem.

Dialup number: #777
Username: xxxxxxxxxx@vzw3g.com (replace xxxxxxxxxx with you 10-digit phone number associated with your modem)

Plug your UM150 into your USB port. Ubuntu should detect it as /dev/ttyACM0

Now, simply run “sudo wvdialconf”

It will detect your modem and do pretty much all the configuration.

Edit /etc/wvdial.conf — put in the appropriate phone number, your username, and anything as the password (I used “abcd”).

Now, run “wvdial”

and you’re golden. Good luck!