HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: misc.consumers

In misc.consumers, paulj@b8.ingr.com (Joey Paul) writes:

>We live near a radio tower (~100 yds) and experience the following:
>
>1). TV interference on certain channels (varies from day to day).
>
>2). Continual interference on our phones.
>
>3). Interference on our answering machine.
>
>4). When we turn on our PC we get built in FM on the speaker.
>
>Basically, anything with a speaker picks up the radio transmissions.

Basically, anything with a speaker which is poorly designed picks up radio
transmissions.

Think about it.  Is your phone supposed to be a radio receiver?  What about
your answering machine, or your PC?  The answer is no.  But someone saved
a few bucks by not making them immune to radio signals.

Even your TV, is a receiver, but not of signals in the radio broadcast
band.

Write to the manufacturers of the equipment.  They can often help solve
the problem.  The problem is with your equipment, not the radio
transmitter.


Donald Borowski    WA6OMI    Hewlett-Packard, Spokane Division
"Angels are able to fly because they take themselves so lightly."
                                       -G.K. Chesterton
From: eldred@rrunner.jpl.nasa.gov (Dan Eldred)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: ***WARNING: BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH ALLSTATE INSURANCE!***
Date: 9 Apr 92 21:53:42 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Jet Propulsion Lab

In article <1992Apr9.001136.6358@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> kh43543@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ford Prefect) writes:
>
>****Don't buy Allstate Insurance--- You'll have a hard time getting money
>from them when you need it.....****


You don't have to deal with the insurance company.  Just file a
claim in small claims court against the driver.  Then, assuming
you win (and you have a strong case), settlement from the insurance
company is between them and the other driver. 

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|   PRESERVE THE BILL OF RIGHTS.  STOP CIVIL FORFEITURE UNDER RICO!   |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| Dan Eldred                  | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 198-326    |
| eldred@rrunner.jpl.nasa.gov | 4800 Oak Grove Dr.,Pasadena, CA 91109 |
| Phone: (818) 354-6519       | Fax: (818) 393-4440                   |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr)
Subject: Re: Buy American
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 17:02:16 GMT

In article <1992Apr6.143444.19991@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> Cessna@kn5f.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark T. Evert) writes:
>In article <1992Apr3.081246.1174@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil> 
>thaberlandt@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil writes:
>>   Ford:   Escort -        Mexico
>>                                
>
>The Escort is assembled in Michigan.  The Tracer is assembled in Mexico, 
>but is considered a domestic because of the high USA made parts content.
>
>Mark T. Evert
>
And it's point of final assembly will state that it was made in Mexico.
Is it made in America? Yes.  America includes all countries in North,
Latin and South America, Puerto Rico, the trust territories such as Guam
and the Marianas and the Caribbean countries tied politically to the 
United States, Canada, Mexica and all the other countries in the Western
Hemisphere.

By the same token, should I not buy a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry
since they are made in the United States?

Dave


-- 

Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: tflynn@infocenter.encore.com (Tonya Flynn)
Subject: Re: Are You Still Cleaning Your Hard Contact Lenses By Hand???
Organization: Encore Computer Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 18:36:41 GMT

in article <17734@oasys.dt.navy.mil>, roitman@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Richard K. Roitman) says:
> 
> In misc.consumers, @pmafire.inel.gov writes:
> 
>>a "Cleansatron Auto Contact Cleaner",,,,,,I got mine from QVC,
> 
>>If you would like more info on what a GREAT little invention this is,
>>please email, and I would be happy to pass along more info!
>>
>>Jeff Later     jeffl@pmafire.inel.gov
> 
> 
> Jeff,
> 
>     I tried to email but it kept getting bounced.  I'd like whatever
> info you may have.  Specifically, will it work with gas-permeable lens?
> 
> 
> Rick Roitman
> roitman@oasys.dt.navy.mil

Me too-me too.  Tried emailing but message kept being returned with
error message (sometimes this means the mail went through but the
daemon doesn't 'know it').

Why don't you just go ahead and post.

Thanks,
Tonya

                                           |
Tonya (I'd rather be Sailing) Flynn       /|\      6901 W. Sunrise Blvd.
(305/797-2446)                           / | \     Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33313
"Let's just punch through that        ----------   UUCP:  uunet!gould!tflynn
sand bar"--Crew of Natty Dread          ------     INTERNET: tflynn@encore.com
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:10251 alt.privacy:990
From: edp@math.zko.dec.com (Eric Postpischil)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy
Subject: Re: capturing caller id data
Date: 9 Apr 92 11:32:25 GMT
Reply-To: edp@math.zko.dec.com (Eric Postpischil)
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Distribution: usa
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

In article <1992Apr9.005456.11245@mdd.comm.mot.com>,
gilbert@mdd.comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) writes:

>The line number may be used to guess, and that is fine, if you somehow
>are able to recognize the number.

That is trivial.  I know I would recognize the numbers of many people,
but even if I could not, some machine would do it for me.  My phone
already displays the name I have listed for a number if I dial the
number manually instead of using the autodialer.  That is, it looks up
the number I dial and puts the name in the display.  Obviously, this
would be a desirable and common feature in machines to display calling
line information.  Certainly somebody would come out with a phone that
combined autodialing and incoming-line identification.

Another feature on fancier models would announce the name of the caller,
either instead of or in conjunction with ringing the phone.  Thus,
instead of a ring, you might hear "You have a call from Bob and Diane.".
This also solves the problem of being in a different room, except for
large houses.  And anybody who can afford a large house can get more
machines.

>If you leave it for your answering machine, then how valuable was CLID
>in the first place?  Worth the 20% more on your basic phone bill, plus
>the cost of the readout device(s).  I believe SOME people will answer
>YES.  I also believe some will answer NO.

Oh, I can answer this, and I don't have to guess as you seem to be
doing.  Routing undesired calls to an answering machine is a GREAT
advantage.  It transforms answering the phone from a nuisance to a
pleasure.  My local phone company offers RingMate, which provides the
customer with a second phone number that has a distinctive ring pattern.
I have given the new number to friends and family, but not businesses. 
The new number is unpublished (which is free for the second number).  I
get a rare wrong-number on the new number, but otherwise I can answer it
always knowing it is somebody I want to talk to.  Further, telemarketers
always get my answering machine, and they rarely leave messages.  This
has made my phone much more useful to me.  You say that calling-line
identification does not provide much utility because it does not
distinguish callers, only lines.  Yet actual experience has PROVEN to me
that a single BIT of information is greatly useful -- more bits would be
better.  Calling-line identification would be even better than RingMate
-- it would provide a lot more information, even if it did not provide
all possible information.


                                -- edp (Eric Postpischil)
                                "Always mount a scratch monkey."
                                edp@alien.enet.dec.com
From: sean@sdg.dra.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Complaining about a hospital bill...
Date: 14 Apr 92 09:26:53 CDT
Organization: Data Research Associates, St. Louis MO

> insurance coverage.  All I answer is that my signature on such a form
> was never meant to convey that I was signing a blank check, and in the
> absence of a contract detailing price and services ahead of time, the
> best they could ever hope to get is the reasonable value of their services,

Unless you are a minor, this is incorrect.

-- 
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
Domain: sean@sdg.dra.com, Voice: (Work) +1 314-432-1100
From: ericb@athertn.Atherton.COM (Eric Black)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: sale tax for free item
Date: 7 Apr 92 23:31:20 GMT
Reply-To: ericb@Atherton.COM (Eric Black)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Atherton Technology, Sunnyvale, CA

In article <1992Apr2.214544.1507@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> berger@atropa (Mike Berger) writes:
>This doesn't make any sense!  They can't charge sales tax for shipping
>and "handling"!  Those aren't taxable in most states.

California thinks they can, and they do.  I think it's completely unreasonable,
but they see it as another revenue source, and they collect it.

-Eric

-- 
Eric Black	"Garbage in, Gospel out"
Atherton Technology, 1333 Bordeaux Dr., Sunnyvale, CA, 94089  USA
  Email: ericb@Atherton.COM    Voice: +1 408 734 9822   FAX:  +1.408.744.1607
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: ccd@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au (Carol C Denehy)
Subject: Re: Contact lens: HELP needed !!!
Organization: None, and I like it like that
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 23:43:42 GMT

Contact lenses per se do not automatically guarantee better vision.
You do not say what vision problems you have. If it is simple 
nearsightedness, you could expect good correction, altho soft 
contact lenses will not correct as good as harder, gas-permeable
lenses.  However, since they are much more comfortable to wear,
most people prefer the soft ones. But, if you have astigmatism
or other kinds of vision problems, soft contacts will not correct
as well as glasses do.

This is grossly oversimplifies and I am sure some technical expert
will jump in with lots more data. I am speaking from the experience
of having a corneal condition that caused me to go from glasses
to soft contacts to hard contacts to eye surgery.  Some vision
problems cannot be corrected with soft lenses. If you doubt what
your doctor is telling you, see another doctor. But first ask the
doctor *why* your vision is such that he can't correct it with
soft lenses. Until you know that it's kinda pointless to speculate.
Also, I might ask about your age, since I am suffering from the
same condition and it's a part of growing old - I really need
bifocals. But I am 43, and I don't know how old you are.

Good luck
Carol Denehy
.sigless
From: kh43543@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ford Prefect)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: was: Buy American parrots now: union fools
Date: 13 Apr 92 16:38:56 GMT
Article-I.D.: ux1.1992Apr13.163856.10155
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

I was wondering how many other people have noticed the recent Chevy
"buy American" commmercials that have been aired on lacal TV stations in IL?
It's the one where they show this weed sticking out of a driveway and ended 
with this Lumina running over it. In between they said how an "American" car
generates more tax for schools, local govt.,...etc and mentioned nothing
about the car they had to sell. What's this commercial trying to say???
That even though our cars aren't as good, buy it anyways eventhough it 
costs just as much if not more than imports (Japanese)? What happened to
competition? You know, the thing about if you make a better product or 
cheaper if it's not as good and people will buy more? How does GM intend to
regain their share of the market that they lost with commercials like this?
Of the recent "NEW" (redesigned totally) cars from GM, I though the Cad. Eldo
is the most interesting, but has anyone seen the price for it? It's selling
(ie: dealer ads not sticker) $35,000-$38,000! What the hell is that? A Lexus
SC400 sports coupe is only slightly more than that sticker price. Or a Olds
Cutlass international Series is over $20,000 sticker price! For a Cutlass?
All laws aside, if there were no laws for the American market, it should still
be cheaper for GM to distribute their cars because most Japanese cars have
to be shipped across an ocean and then add land transport. If GM still can't 
compete, then it's their fault (when I say GM, I mean GM, Chrysler, Ford).
Getting back to the original question, Why should anyone buy anything that costs
more and offers less as far as the product goes. Doesn't anyone remember how
Honda got into the American market? They sold infurior cars at the time for a
very cheap price. Now, that's competition. They spent lots of money on 
research and devlopment and 15yrs later womped the BIG THREE. I remember when
Honda first appeared on the US market, GM, Chrysler, and Ford all didn't care
about them because they though Honda could never compete with them... Now they
know they can.. 

I'm curious to know how many people went out to buy an American car because
of the Chevy commercial that said nothing about the car they were selling?

--Kwun

P.S. I am Asian but an American citizen and grew up in a small community 
southwest of Joliet. I wrote this article because I'm concerned about where
things like this is leading the US to. I'm planning on living here my whole
life and just a bit concerned. I'm not bashing Americans since that would also
include myself... Please think about it...

 
-- 
(*  Conserve network bandwidth, reduce your signature size. :-)    --Kwun Ho  *)
(*  Internet: kh43543@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu    Home phone: (217) 398-6280          *)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy
From: gast@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (David Gast)
Subject: Re: capturing caller id data
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 92 09:51:01 GMT

In article <1992Apr04.091616.11784@clarinet.com> brad@clarinet.com (Brad Templeton) writes:
>In article <1992Apr3.203700.3116@tandem.com> Lyon_Jim@Tandem.Com (Jim Lyon) writes:

>>Unfortunately, there is another reason why many businesses want CallerId:
>>to generate directed phone lists for telemarketing. 

Partially true.  They also just want the info to sell to other
organizations.  Who knows what the other organizations will do with
the info?

>But as you say, the same feature lets me stop telemarketing on my home
>phone. 

Hardly.  Telemarketers have lots of numbers, blocking a few numbers is
not going to help you significantly with telemarketers.

>Combine this with the new laws under review that require the
>telemarketers to keep lists of people who refuse to be called, and to
>not call them.  (Just as the DMA does for junk mail)

Learn your facts.  I thought Clarinet was the great information service,
worth every overpriced dollar it charges.  Some telemarketers are
excepted and the DMA is a voluntary organization, it has no force
of law.


>>3.  Anyone paying for a phone line can decide whether CallerId information
>>    is always blocked for calls originating from that line.

Not in NJ.

>Almost nobody would get this because a lot of people, myself included,
>would block anonymous calls except at certain times of the day.

I'd get it.

>What you probably mean is to set the default, with per-call enabling of
>caller-ID when you call a number that blocks anonymous calls.

If they want to block the call, they'd better be damn sure I want to
pay for the call; otherwise, I'll just let them call me back or in
the case of a business, do my shopping some place else.

David
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: bf644@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (D. C. Chuang)
Subject: Re: Amway, Just the Facts please
Reply-To: bf644@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (D. C. Chuang)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 92 03:44:21 GMT


>   No, but at least you could have the decency to take it to the
>   multi-level marketing board!!!

   Sorry, wasn't aware that there was one, but after my post I was
informed of a alt.business.multilevel.  The catch is my board doesn't
carry that conference.  Also I was hoping for an unbiased rather than a
sales pitch.

DC


-- 
     . o    ---------------------  Internet: bf644@cleveland.freenet.edu
   .  -^,     So many toys ...
      \>         so little time ...
       \            and even less money!
From: joanne@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Joanne Petersen)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 17:50:40 GMT
Subject: Re: sale tax for free item
Organization: Hewlett-Packard PAITC Data Center
Newsgroups: misc.consumers

While we're on the subject, why do states collect sales tax on out-of-state
purchases delivered here?  California does it (as several reputable outfits
have informed me, like Lands' End).  Some vendors don't bother to collect
the sales tax and send it to California (I won't mention their names since
I don't want them to start doing it!), and those are the ones I prefer to
do business with.  After all, if I can go out-of-state and buy something 
and bring it back here, I don't have to pay sales tax (except on vehicles,
unless they've been outside the state for xx months before coming here).

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu (jason reiser)
Subject: Re: credit history reporting
Organization: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 03:44:21 GMT

jchen@flash.bellcore.com (Jason Chen) writes:
> In article <kumpjcINNlir@spim.mips.com> mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen) writes:
> >In article <1992Apr14.140559.413@ibmpa.awdpa.ibm.com>, satya@netmail.austin.ibm.com (Satyanarayana Rao) writes:
> >With a secured credit card you are not borrowing money from them, you are
> >borrowing it from yourself.
> 
> Wrong. The deposit is simply a collateral, just like a car in an auto loan.
> Your still borrow money from them.
> 
> C. Jason Chen 
> jchen@flash.bellcore.com

Mr. Chen,
	First off, lets try not to start out our little responses with
"Wrong" after someone who knows what he is talking about has taken the
effort to make a response.  Besides your attitude, you are mistaken.
The money that an individual gives to the bank for a secured card is
not collateral.  Collateral would be some THING that the bank would
hold and then sell if you refused to repay them.  Money is NOT
collateral.  If your secured card has a limit on spending of $1000,
then they are, in some form, holding $1000 of your money, so in
essence, you are not using their money; you are using your own money.
The only real advantage to a secured card (over nothing) is the
convenience of mail order and a card is often needed just to write a
check.  It is unfortunate that you can't establish credit with a
secured card, but the implication is that credit only comes with risk.
If you are a risk, and you pay your debt, you can establish good
credit.  However, the card companies assume that it SHOULD not be
possible for you to run up any bill larger that the credit limit, and
they have exactly that much of your money.  Sure, they take some small
risk, but unfortunately you don't establish credit.  I agree with the
person who first responded.  Take out some kind of small loan and pay
it back (quickly to avoid interest).

				- Jason Reiser
 
 
  /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
  \                                                            /
  / Jason Reiser  Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 \
  \            E-Mail at jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu            /
  /                    Or Call 518-581-7079                    \
  \                                                            /
   \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
                                                                




Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.autos
From: mikel@pdx165.intel.com (Mike Lee)
Subject: Re: Attempted cheating by Sears Auto
Reply-To: mikel@ichips.intel.com
Organization: Workgroup Computing Division, PDX, Intel
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 00:03:20 GMT

In article <29E38203.7709@noiro.acs.uci.edu>, jfarran@cuba.acs.uci.edu (Joseph Farran) writes:
|> In article  bphdarcy@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (SJ Roc D'Arcy, MBP) writes:
|> 
|> >Really.  I got a Craftsman drill for x-mas and the second time I used
|> >it, it failed.  Sears gave me one hell of a hassle trying to return it.  I
|> >told my wife not to by from them in the future.  Snap-on may cost more but
|> >they DO stand behind what they sell.
|> 
|>  I guess it all depends on the Sears store.  The Sears store in our city 
|>  has always been fantastic (for me) at refunding or exchanging an item. 
|>  As a matter of fact, withing a couple of months, I returned a Sega game, 
|>  a Super Nintendo game, a regular Nintendo game and 2 phones.   Most of
|>  these failed after some years and Sears was good at exchanging them for
|>  another, or refunding my money.
|> 
|>  In the case of the Super Nintendo which we bought during Christmas, it 
|>  failed.  We took it back and they gave us a new one and with some money 
|>  back because it was cheaper now than during December 8-)
|> 
|>  Come to think of it, I think Sears has lost money with me :-).
|> 
|>  Joseph

I've had some pretty good luck with Sears too.  I bought a Craftsman drill
which I used for a couple of years before I killed it (I honestly did abuse
the thing; I don't think it was made for routing patterns into hardened
steel 8^) Anyway, I brought it back to see if they could repair it, and
even though I abused it to death and it was out of warranty (warranty on
power tools is only 1 yr.), they replaced it with a new for me for free
(their idea; I didn't even think of it, much less suggest it).  While I
think the quality of their tools now it not as good as some of the tools my
dad bought years ago, it works well for me, and they still stand behind it
100%.

-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|								| | | | |   |
| Mike Lee							| | | |	|   |
| mikel@ichips.intel.com					 \     /    |
|								  \   /	    |
|			 #94 - Team Banana Racing		\	/   |
|			      SUZ GSXR-1100			 \_____/    |
|									    |
| "Ride Hard; Come Out Wet..." 						    |
|									    |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: jwc@netxcom.netx.com (Jeff Comer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: California Girls (Re: SARA LEE slogan)
Date: 10 Apr 92 21:25:30 GMT
Organization: NetExpress Inc., Vienna, VA, USA

In article <1992Apr1.194106.3843@ecl.psu.edu> s1a@ecl.psu.edu writes:
>I'm not sure that this is the right newsgroup, but . . . 
Not really, but I'll contribute my 1/50$....

>On another note, what is the INTENDED meaning of the Beach Boys song 
>"California Girls"?  Some of my friends claim it is
>        
>       They wish that all girls could be LIKE California girls.
>
>Others (including myself) insist that the song is saying
>
>        They wish that all of the girls in the US could be IN California.
>
>If you have any enlightening comments on this, let me know.

The song goes, 
  "Well East Coast girls are hip, I really dig ...." etc etc.
  "I wish they all could be California Girls" etc etc.

I take it to mean that Brian Wilson liked the variety of girls all over the
US, and that California could benefit from the infusion.

-- 
Jeffrey W Comer   jwc@netex.netx.com   703-749-2369 (v)  703-749-2375 (fax)
"Life is too short for 'classic rock'."
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:10450 rec.arts.books:7937
From: chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Behrens)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.arts.books
Subject: Who sells the cheapest Magazine subscriptions ?
Date: 14 Apr 92 02:11:10 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Clemson University

The subject: line just about says it all...
but, I'll ask anyway,
Is there someone who sells magazine subscriptions for less than 
you can typically get from the business reply cards inside a given
magazine ??  Maybe a Wholesaler or some publisher/distributor ?

Thank You.
Chris Behrens
chrisb@hubcap.clemson.edu
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:10400 alt.privacy:1018