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FCC Launches Large Scale Investigation Of Cellular Industry
I'm surprised to see people suggesting T-Mobile now that they're charging their customers $1.50 a month to send them a bill.
You should read their website - the part about how it's the customer's responsibility to check the website to see what their bill is and pay it on schedule is a classic.
Some CSR's are saying that the $1.50 charge for a mailed bill is optional and not a material change in the contract terms. Hey, how about some balance and let's make paying that mystery bill optional, too?
Windows 7 May Be Worth The Upgrade
What the marketing people have managed to almost completely obscure is that Windows 7 is based on Vista. They've fixed some bugs, added some new ones, and redressed it so it doesn't look like the same old pig.
If the reason you disliked Vista was for the DRM and activation scheme then you're going to hate Windows 7, too.
Tiny, Printed Semiconductors Will Help You Buy Wine
The best wine to have with dinner is the one you like the most. It's really just that simple. If you don't have a lot of experience with different wines then ask for suggestions from friends and family - but don't fall for the idea that there's some rule to follow here. It's a matter of personal taste.
My TWC DVR Is Possessed By The Ghost Of Someone Who Likes Tom & Jerry Cartoons
Bad cable boxes are a problem with most cable companies. Some install "tech" goes to a residence and has to sort through three or four cable boxes to find one that works right. When he gets back to the shop, he'll throw those duds into the "retest" pile and some other low paid "tech" will plug them in, see if it powers up and produces video - and put it back in stock if it does.
Those boxes that have intermittent problems like the one described here will keep on going around and around and over time all the replacement boxes they have will be these problem boxes. Management won't buy new ones when they still have 200 on the shelf that are "tested good".
You can try insisting on a brand new cable box - sometimes that'll get you one that hasn't been around the loop a few times. But don't be surprised by cable box problems on new installs that require more than one box replacement to resolve. The longer the cable system has been using that make / model of box, the more likely it is that you'll have lots of frustrating problems up front. If you're moving and staying with the same cable company, try to keep your existing box if you can.
3 Big Banks Sued For Overdraft Fee Practices
Here's what I've seen - there's more to the story than just the order the charges are processed in.
At BofA, they reconcile accounts at midnight. At that time, the process all the charges first - and then process the deposits. So if you had $1000 in your account, deposited another $5000 first thing in the morning then spent $1100 that night you'd get hit with an overdraft fee - even though you had $6000 in your account.
They chose to do things in that order for one reason - to maximize the number of fees they could charge. If they were trying to serve the customer they'd process the deposits first. That option is equally valid.
But they chose the "maximum fee" option which clearly shows how much they care about their customers.
Watch Out For Panasonic's Proprietary Battery Cameras
@supergaijin: That's the excuse these manufacturers use for locking out third party suppliers. Like HP claiming that third party ink will damage your printer - it's a plausible lie and nothing more.
The truth is that the sale of accessories and replacement parts is the profitable end of the business. Think of an inkjet printer; how much did it cost new, and how much does it cost for enough ink to run it for three years?
Now Matsushita wants to do it with batteries. It's hard for them to sell $20 batteries for $80 because of the competition. So they lock out the competition and guarantee themselves an ongoing revenue stream on replacement batteries. Consider that the average lithium pack lasts around a year in this kind of service and you'll see that they stand to make some very good money by forcing people to pay their inflated price.
Power Washer Company's Warranty Policy Sucks And Blows
I can't believe the corporate apologists posting here. What a warranty does is insure that the product the manufacturer made is free of defects in materials and manufacture.
Where the product was purchased has nothing to do with the quality of the product - and excluding those who didn't buy from an "approved dealer" is just the corporation trying to weasel out of having to honor their warranty.
For those lacking a clue, look up the Magnuson-Moss warranty act. You might also want to check the Uniform Commercial Code for "implied warranty". Just because these corporations get away with this kind of nonsense doesn't mean that it's legal.
7 Places Around The House To Stash Your Cash
Use some common sense when hiding valuables in your home. A hollow book only works well if you have a large number of books. Same with soup cans - only useful if it's one of a cupboard full.
What people searching for things tend to watch for is the thing out of place. The shelf with only one book, the cupboard with only one can of soup, etc. Make your stash look like part of the normal clutter and it'll be much safer. Watch out for places that leave traces when you access them - the drive bay cover with much less dust than the others or the TV stand with scratches where the TV has been moved frequently will attract attention. Skip those "fake cans" that are sold as secret safes - the thieves have seen those too and recognize them on sight: they're not identical to the real product.
And don't think that the common places will be ignored. The toilet tank WILL be checked, as will "under the mattress". Dresser drawers and closets will also be checked. Plants too - especially if there's just one. The freezer always gets checked so this isn't a very safe place to hide things unless your cash packet looks just like fifty other packages in there.
The best places will almost always be in plain sight and absolutely normal looking. If you've got a file cabinet full of files, an envelope with cash inside can sit in the bottom of one of the folders. If you have a large CD collection, a surprising amount of cash can hide in a CD case.
Remember that your thief is thorough, but he's also in a hurry. This is where hiding things in collections works in your favor. He'll probably check the one or two CDs you have out - but the 300 in the rack would take more time to go through than he can afford to spend.
And you might find it useful to put a small (but not tiny) amount of cash under the mattress or in the toilet tank. It's entirely possible that when the thief finds it he'll figure he's got your hidden stash and get out of there before he gets caught.
Remember, it doesn't have to be hard to get to or super well hidden - it just needs to be somewhere that prevents it from being located quickly. Professional thieves know how long it will take the police to arrive after the neighbors call in or they set off the alarm and they're done and out of there in less time than that. If you've got some tweaker coming that doesn't care if he gets caught or not then all bets are off.
More Info On Replacing An HP Laptop Motherboard
I've got one of those AMD / Nvidia based HP laptops. HP says they extended the warranty on them, but they refused to honor the warranty on mine. Yup, bad motherboard. HP support was just amazing; their support rep hung up on me. Then he called me back and hung up on me again - just to make sure I got the message.
No more HP products - never again. It's not worth it.
Comments from whuffo
Non-Receipt-Showing Walmart Customer Says He Was Physically Threatened
They check receipts to see how their own employees are doing. It's loss prevention - but not the kind you think it is.
A scam that's been around for years is for a checkout clerk to only ring up every other item for their friends or family when they come to shop. It's very hard to spot this as it's happening - but checking receipts at the door reveals it. At the stores that do receipt checking you'll also notice that the checkout clerk's name or ID number is on the receipt.
Through some social engineering coupled with the idea some people have that corporate policy equals law they've managed to convince people that it's done to prevent shoplifting - and to comply with their request to search the bags the customer is carrying.
Some basic facts: there is no legal requirement for you to show your receipt or allow them to search your personal property - the items you purchased became your property when they were rung up and paid for. And they can not legally detain you for failing to show a receipt. If they touch you or your property while they're trying to detain you it's assault and battery.
The real problem here is not that some corporations are externalizing costs by having you be an unpaid accomplice in monitoring their employees. The real problem is that there's far too many people that think that this is OK and that you are obligated to show your receipt.
I've seen "shopkeeper's privilege" mentioned in this thread and I'd urge those people to find out what that allows the store to do and when they can do it. Usually, if the store personnel see you pick up merchandise and see you carry it out of the store without paying for it they can detain you - provided they immediately call the police.
It does not permit them to search you or your belongings because they're suspicious of you.