Mike wanted to renew his suspended love affair with TiVo and inquired about ordering a box through his cable provider. He reconsidered when he was told the only way he could get a TiVo through the company is if he paid an unnecessary $50 “installation fee” to plug the box into his TV and wall. [More]
installation fees
Best Buy Shorted Me $70 When I Returned Stereo Equipment
By 5.25.10
Ashley says she succumbed to a high-pressure upsell in car stereo equipment at Best Buy based on a free installation pitch, only to decide she wanted to return the stuff. When she completed the return she found out the installation wasn’t free, but discounted to accommodate a nonrefundable installation fee. [More]
You Want Broadband At Home? Fine, British Telecom Wants $70,000
By 2.18.10
The Walker family, who live in a 150-person village in England, would like to upgrade their dialup Internet connection to broadband. Unfortunately, in order to do that, British Telecom insists that they would need to install higher capacity equipment for the entire village, and send the Walkers the £45,000 ($69,788) bill.
It probably goes without saying that BT has a monopoly.
