“Time Warner has, for a period of time, not lived up to the obligations that are required for the citizens of this community,” said Councilman Keith Millhouse. The city has complained to Time Warner for months without results.
internet
California City Fines Time Warner Cable $25,000 For Consistently Awful Service
By 3.22.07
BREAKING: NBC and FOX Announce "You Tube Killer" Featuring Full Episodes of Popular Shows
By 3.22.07
The companies said Thursday that distribution partners for the online content would include Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp.’s MSN network and Time Warner Inc.’s AOL unit. The site, which will be free, is expected to launch this summer and will carry full episodes and clips from hit shows such as “Heroes,” “The Simpsons,” “24” and “My Name Is Earl.” It will also feature movies, including “Borat.”
Purdue University Will Gladly Forward RIAA Letters To Students
By 3.21.07
If an Internet user notified decides not to pay the settlement, the music association will ask the university for its computer logs so it can pursue legal action. University spokeswoman Jeanne Norberg said the university would comply with the requests.
NPR Bites Back: Files Motion Against RIAA Internet Rate Increase
By 3.21.07
Today, on behalf of the public radio system, NPR filed a motion for rehearing with the Copyright Royalty Board in response to its March 2, 2007 decision on rates for streaming internet music. This action is the first step in NPR’s efforts to reverse the decision, and it will be followed by an appeal of the Board’s decision to be filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.
Yeah! They’re bringing the fight! According to Andi Sporkin, Vice President for Communications, NPR: “The Board’s decision to dramatically raise public radio stations’ rates was based on inaccurate assumptions and lack of understanding of the issues. The new rates inexplicably break with the longstanding tradition of recognizing public radio’s non-commercial, non-profit role, while the procedures we’re being asked to now undertake for measurement are non-existent, arbitrary and costly.” Read the filing inside.
Put Down Your #2 Pencils And Use Your .EDU Email To Get Free TimesSelect
By 3.20.07
The time is now, use your .edu email to access TimesSelect, the subscription section of the New York Times. It’s free for students and teachers. Yay!—MEGHANN MARCO
UPDATE: Best Buy Still Using Its Secret Website
By 3.19.07
I have read on your website about deceptive practices involving Best Buy where they advertise one thing on their website for a price, and then it is different when you go in the store.
Get Comcast Internet Without $50 Activation Fee
By 3.19.07
Blueprint For Financial Prosperity tells us how to get Comcast internet installed without paying a $50 activation fee.
Are Cingular And Travelocity Still Supporting Adware?
By 3.15.07
Edelman says Cingular Wireless and Travelocity are indirectly supporting the adware and spyware industry with ad dollars despite efforts by both companies to cut ties with that form of advertising.
Fight Back At Marketers By Surfing Anonymously
By 3.14.07
Marketers just love to gather information about who is surfing the web and why. They’re not above tracking a user’s web history to learn about their interests and buying habits, but they can only do it if you let them.
Farecast Deals Searches For Cheap Airline Tickets Using 'Science'
By 3.14.07
How are our deals different than thousands of other travel sites? They’re different because our deals are based on science, not marketing. We apply science to airfare deals in two ways, 1) why it’s a deal and 2) why you should buy now.
These are the questions we find ourselves asking, and now we don’t have to. Very cool. —MEGHANN MARCO
Walmart.com Launches "Site-to-Store" Shipping
By 3.7.07
Thousands of products carried online at Walmart.com are eligible for the Site to Store service. Specific Site to Store messaging is featured on eligible product pages to let customers know the online item can be shipped to a local Wal-Mart store for free. During checkout, customers can choose the Site to Store option, select the store where they’ll ship their items and even see the amount saved on shipping.
Will any of you use this? It’ll be available nationwide by the end of the summer.—MEGHANN MARCO
Best Buy Confirms The Existence Of Its Secret Website
By 3.2.07
In the wake of an investigation launched by the Connecticut Attorney General’s office, Best Buy has finally admitted that the now-infamous “secret intranet” (used to mislead in-store customers about BestBuy’s online prices) exists. The website looks identical to BestBuy.com…except for the prices.
Vonage Calls Customer "Stupid" After They Signed Her Up For An Account She Didn't Want
By 2.27.07
This one sounds like fraud to us…A potential Vonage customer called in response to a advertisement, but after giving her name and address and other info, decided that since she didn’t even use email, maybe VOIP wasn’t right for her. Several months later, she unexpectedly bounced a check. What happened?
Comparison Shopping Actually Saves
By 2.25.07
We intrinsically know comparison shopping saves money, but according to the Chicago Tribune, we don’t compare enough. Though we all think we compare prices, “research shows consumers, time and again, are most likely to buy from the first merchant they visit.”
“Prices for identical goods vary, and unless you actually do some comparison shopping, you’re not going to know that,” Lichtenstein said. “Consumers say, `Well, I may be paying a little bit more, but I don’t have time to shop around.’ But if they knew the degree to which prices may vary, they would find it’s well worth it.”
Our grandmother knows the price of grapes in every supermarket in at least five states. The Trib has helpful reminders to become more like her.
- Don’t overvalue your time: small savings add up over time to make a big difference.
- Take advantage of the internet: if you know what you’re looking for, plug it into “Froogle, MySimon, Shopzilla, DealTime and Shopping.com.”
- Take a test: search for the last few expensive items you bought and see if you could have saved more.
If that doesn’t help, remember that comparison shopping is the bedrock of our wonderful capitalist economy. If you won’t compare for yourself, compare for your country. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Charter: There's A Problem With Your Internet? Here's The Disconnect Department
By 2.18.07
Charter Communications refused to fix Matt’s internet connection. Even two technicians, dispatched by Charter, told Matt his ISP was to blame for his weak service. When Matt called customer service to complain, he was transferred immediately to the disconnect department. Matt had internet service, but, “The internet just dies. Every ten minutes or so, the internet would just die. And it’s very annoying.”
Enable Netflix Video-On-Demand
By 2.15.07
If you’re not one of the lucky people who has Netflix video-on-demand pushed to their account, you can click here to enable it.
Connecticut State's Attorney's Office Launches Investigation Into Best Buy's Secret Intranet Site
By 2.12.07
The state attorney general’s office has started an investigation into whether Best Buy maintains a secret intranet site that may have been used by some salesmen to deny customers discounts that appear on the company’s public Internet site.
We applaud the CT State’s Attorney for moving so quickly on this, but wonder if the investigation will have any teeth. As commenter something_amazing pointed out, Best Buy’s price matching guidelines explicitly state that the website does not match store pricing, and the store only matches “a lower advertised price offered by a local retail competitor on the same available brand and model.”
