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InvisibleYidakiMan
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Registered: 09/28/02
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Its not comcast is shit-tastic
    #7671406 - 11/23/07 05:09 PM (16 years, 2 months ago)

My economic beliefs have varied widely in my life. I can remember being 15 and being exposed to economics for the first time. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to live under any system except communism. LOL. Then I went to World History class and figured out why. Later, around 16-18, I became strongly socialist. Then in adulthood, I took on libertarian beliefs. Now, at my job I sweat out the hours. Its real hard work and I am extremely offended when I see a quarter of my hard-earned wages disappear before my eyes even see them.

But here I write about Natural Monopolies. Has anyone ever received good service from a natural monopoly? I sure haven't. Here are my most memorable experiences with natural monopolies.

Time Warner Cable/Roadrunner - Unfortunately, I've been forced to subscribe several to Time Warner because it was the only broadband option available. Here is my experience with Time Warner:
July 2004: During a move, my landlord asks me to remove the cable that has been strung up in front of the house. We call Time Warner, cancel service and ask for the cable to be removed. Fast forward three months when debt collectors are calling because I haven't been paying my Cable bill. We call Time Warner, furious, the CSR on the phone insists that we asked for the cable to be removed but did not ask for the service to be terminated. They had to check their phone records to let us go of the charges. This same situation actually happened another two times. We canceled but they kept billing without sending bills and eventually sending it to debt collectors. Three times I have canceled Time Warner service and gotten debt collectors notices in the mail. Time warner has a pretty funny customer retention program, ie; JUST DON'T LET THEM LEAVE.

Right now, I'm actually with Comcast. We just signed up and it is another monopoly. This service is horrible. We experience frequent outages that keep me from using the internet several times a day. When I play online games I occasionally get kicked out because my internet connection times out. This is pretty ridiculous because when we signed up they ran new cables from the pole to our house.

Paypal - Ebay knew damn well if they bought Paypal they would create a natural monopoly for escrow payments on their website. Occasional sellers don't have the resources to find an alternative. I've been trying to get rid of some crap that doesn't really belong at Goodwill. So far I've made $20, but I spent two hours listing and about 6 hours trying to get my money - its just not worth it.

Cinergy/Duke: After moving out of a house and canceling service we get a bill three months later. New tenants moved into the house and they're sending the bill to our house! Just like Time Warner, they deny deny deny that I ever canceled. They check the phone recordings and confirm that I did. They removed the charges but no apology.
Secondly, I admit that I have been late to pay my electricity, but those fucks have turned off the electricity in January and on a FRIDAY! No power, no heat for a weekend. Fuck that, its illegal and they flagrantly disregard the law.

I'm getting so jaded, so fucking sick of these companies/corporations that I might just refuse to deal with them ever again. I'll fucking use a can and wire to communicate and a candle to light my home if I have to put up with this shit again!


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Invisibletak
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: YidakiMan]
    #7671708 - 11/23/07 06:06 PM (16 years, 2 months ago)

That pretty much sums up my experiences with these, and some other companies as well. Its pretty ridiculous.


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The DJ's took pills to stay awake and play for seven days.


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OfflineSeussA
Error: divide byzero


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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: tak]
    #7673457 - 11/24/07 03:12 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

Your examples are why I am anti-socialist. With socialism, the government becomes a natural monopoly of everything leading everything down the same path as you highlight above.


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Just another spore in the wind.


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Offlinekotik
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: Seuss]
    #7673543 - 11/24/07 05:17 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

I was with Adelphia for a while, but they got bought by comcast. I canceled my service 6 months before that happened, just because I was moving anyways. When I got to my new place, I signed up for Brighthouse (which I have had no problems with at all yet, and I'm picky). The funny thing is, I started getting bills from Comcast, saying I owed a few months of service, plus a modem, plus interest! I wrote and said I had never been a customer, and that I had paid my balance with the company they just bought on time, and in full.

No response, but then I get a letter in the mail from a debt collection agency, which I am still refuting. Awesome! My first impressions with comcast are phenomenal. They are screwing me over, and I'm not even a customer.


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No statements made in any post or message by myself should be construed to mean that I am now, or have ever been, participating in or considering participation in any activities in violation of any local, state, or federal laws. All posts are works of fiction.


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Offlinenobhdy
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: kotik]
    #7673570 - 11/24/07 05:43 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

i hate comcast. aside from blocking torrents, their service and support sucks.

it took them a month to match my schedule so they could come out here and install internet. they go by four hour timetables. its their way of saying "if we're late, its not our fault"

i leave for work before they go on call and i get home an hour after they stop. fucking retarded.


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[quote]Gumby said:
And if you are going to waste peoples time with your stupid questions, at least try to have grammar skills higher then that of a 7th grader.

READ DAMNIT! [/quote]


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InvisibleYidakiMan
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: nobhdy]
    #7674655 - 11/24/07 01:56 PM (16 years, 2 months ago)

Here's an update with Paypal. The customer service rep on the phone insisted that my University blocks emails from Paypal. In order to confirm my account I had to change the primary email address and ask all my buyers to cancel the pending payment and resend to the new one. This is what the CSR told me on the phone.

So far three out of five buyers have told me to go fuck myself.


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Offlinea_guy_named_ai
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: YidakiMan]
    #7676542 - 11/25/07 12:31 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

It sounds like these companies are just trying to make some quick cash off of people who would rather just pay and be done with it that put up with that nonsense.

Perhaps there are local services that are more honest?


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Invisibleafoaf
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Registered: 11/08/02
Posts: 32,665
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: a_guy_named_ai]
    #7677394 - 11/25/07 10:18 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

largely, there's no such thing as 'local' cable/internet service.

first, all those local companies were leasing the major provider's lines
to begin with.

second, those majors have been slowly buying each other up, creating a
duopoly across the nation and more commonly monopolies in certain areas.

my service has never been so bad since Time Warner bought out Adelphia.

Adelphia wasn't the greatest but the uptime on TW's network is shit.

another example is the cell market, it's the same game...EVERY provider
sucks in their own way. there is no clear winner and they are also
participating in the same sort of criminal fraud, denying that you ever
cancelled so that they can squeeze another month's payment plus late
fee out of you.

- record your conversations with them (they are doing the same)
- pay your last month's balance with a credit card if possible (more paper trail)
- get a transaction number
- get the name/ID of the operator that helped you.

Sprint has been trying to bill me for 6 months on an account that was closed
this spring...luckily they wiped all my CC info so they aren't charging me,
but they send me the same bill every month...and I've been on the phone with
them 5 times to clear it up and every time they say they fix it I manage to
get another invoice in the mail 2 weeks later...it's fucking absurd.


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All I know is The Growery is a place where losers who get banned here go.


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Invisiblebadchad
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Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 13,372
Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: afoaf]
    #7677584 - 11/25/07 11:23 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

I have had a generally good experience with cable companies. I had a similar problem with canceling service once with Comcast (they kept billing me), however, I called and in about 5 minutes they reversed the charges. I have had outages only once or twice, but I am compensated when they occur.

Yeah, it sucks that it takes my time to place a phone call, but in general I have had no problems.


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...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge.  It is an indellible experience; it is forever known.  I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did.

Smith, P.  Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27.

...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely.

Osmond, H.  Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436


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Invisibleafoaf
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: badchad]
    #7677857 - 11/25/07 01:01 PM (16 years, 2 months ago)

if only they *automatically* compensated for outages...I have to call
and complain which is a pretty time consuming process.


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All I know is The Growery is a place where losers who get banned here go.


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InvisibleLucidDream
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: Seuss]
    #7680279 - 11/26/07 12:05 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

Quote:

Seuss said:
Your examples are why I am anti-socialist. With socialism, the government becomes a natural monopoly of everything leading everything down the same path as you highlight above.



Only you could take a complaint about corporations run amok and turn it on its head into a platform to express your disdain for socialism. You didn't hear one fucking word he said.


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Sarcasm just one of my many talents.



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Offlinefireworks_godS
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: LucidDream]
    #7680297 - 11/26/07 12:22 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

Yeah he did. It seems clear he heard exactly what he said and expanded upon that perspective in comparison with another similar institution in order to draw attention to the same fundamental flaws inherent within that similar institution.

Duh.


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:redpanda:
If I should die this very moment
I wouldn't fear
For I've never known completeness
Like being here
Wrapped in the warmth of you
Loving every breath of you

:heartpump: :bunnyhug: :yinyang:

:yinyang: :levitate: :earth: :levitate: :yinyang:


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InvisibleArp
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: fireworks_god]
    #7680476 - 11/26/07 02:37 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

Government here runs a few monopolies. pharmacies and liquor sales comes in mind, and they work fine in my experience.

I don't mind private pharmacies thou. especially the Peruvian pharmacies where I could use the same prescription several times, and also be able to get stuff without one in poorer neighborhoods.

In Spain I managed to purchase antibiotics, all thou you're supposed to have a prescription.

It's all about the people, not the ideology.


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Offlinefireworks_godS
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: Arp]
    #7680592 - 11/26/07 04:42 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

Your nation is comparable to one state of the United States of America. Your government is more capable of representing its people, through the methods (ideaology), as it wishes to be. Of course, this is just an assumption, as I know from experience that a lot of people in the Western regions of Norway, for example, are not too satisfied with their government's presence in some of their affairs. I'm simply stating that the probability of what you describe working in a decent manner is much more likely because it is a much smaller system overall.

This is precisely why Ron Paul is interested in restraining the federal government of The United States Of America, because the government of each state is far more capable of representing its people.


--------------------
:redpanda:
If I should die this very moment
I wouldn't fear
For I've never known completeness
Like being here
Wrapped in the warmth of you
Loving every breath of you

:heartpump: :bunnyhug: :yinyang:

:yinyang: :levitate: :earth: :levitate: :yinyang:


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Invisibleelbisivni
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 2,839
Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: afoaf]
    #7681564 - 11/26/07 11:54 AM (16 years, 2 months ago)

I'm living with my parents for a couple months and we've got a local cable/internet provider here.

It runs faster than anything I have had living in cities and is equally reliable.  We couldn't get internet for years because Comcast and Verizon would pass up these few counties because they were "too hard to wire and maintain."

The business started out as a cable provider, just now offers internet and is going to offer internet phone programs or something (?).  I think they'll be around for a while expanding.

When we were trying to get it all installed here they had to run a new line from the pole to our house, and sent 4 teams over the course of 2 weeks to spray-paint colored lines in the driveway signifying where they were going to lay the line.  All of the lines were in completely different paths and the older lines we're washing away, or the leaves they were spray-painted on blew away :lol:

I called everyday for a week to get them to finish the job, and I'm certain if I hadn't we'd have waited another 2 weeks on top of the 2 that they were screwing around on.  Local or not, lots of people just don't give a shit about their jobs, management sucks and nobody knows what the fuck's going on.


--------------------
From dust you are made and to dust you shall return.


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Invisibleafoaf
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Re: Its not comcast is shit-tastic [Re: elbisivni]
    #7682150 - 11/26/07 02:56 PM (16 years, 2 months ago)

truths


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All I know is The Growery is a place where losers who get banned here go.


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