HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: blix@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Gunnar Blix)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Annoying/fraudulent from National Parks and Conservation Association
Keywords: environment national park conservation
Date: 16 Apr 92 18:16:57 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL

I received my fifth letter today from an Association calling itself
the "National Parks and Conservation Association", and it contained
the exact same "questionaire" as the previous four letters. I didn't
move or do anything that should cause my name to pop up in their
database over and over and over....

The questionaire is in itself insulting to my intelligence - all they
really want to know is if you see environmental issues the way they
do by answering a severely biased yes/no question, and choosing the
"other" option makes you look like a complete idiot on any question.
The first letter I got, I filled it out sort of under protest, tagging
on a comment that their questionaire was pretty worthless. The second
time, I figured they'd messed up, so I filled it out again adding a
note that I had filled out this questionaire before. The third time I
tossed it out, and the fourth time I sent it back with a note never to
contact me again. Well, they did, with the same idiotic questionaire.
I sent all their stuff back in their postage paid envelope, telling
them to get out of my life.

Of course, included in each letter is also a plea for membership and
donations, with no specifics about how the money gets spent or what
they really do except "promoting conservation of national parks." I
have no intention of ever giving them money, but I would still like to
know if anyone knows more about this association.

Is there any way I can stop their mailings from annoying me every 6
months or so?
--
******************************************************************
* Gunnar Blix      * Good advice is one of those insults that    *
* blix@cs.uiuc.edu * ought to be forgiven.              -Unknown *
******************************************************************
From: khlcu@emerald.cc.columbia.edu (Kenneth Lee)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Laundry Detergent recommendations
Keywords: perfume free, allergen free
Date: 13 Apr 92 15:51:44 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Systems Support Group, Columbia University

Can anyone give me any recommendations on laundry detergent that doesn't 
have perfume in it and doesn't cause allergic reactions?

My wife has many allergies and all the detergents that I've been able to 
find have perfumes in them, which causes breathing problems.  In addition,
they all seem to leave residues that cause skin irritation in both of us.

We've heard that borax by itself with no detergent supposedly is good for 
cleaning laundry, but in the limited experience we've had with it, it doesn'
t seem to get the dirt out, but it does seem to whiten everything.  Has 
anyone had any experience in using borax?

thanks/k
----------
Kenneth H. Lee				khl@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu
Columbia University			rutgers!columbia!cunixf!khl
209 Watson, 612 West 115 Street		khlcu@cuvmc.bitnet
New York, NY 10025
From: ingram@hotair.enet.dec.com (Larry J. Ingram)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Jenn-Air appliances?
Date: 6 Apr 92 22:12:13 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


In article <1992Apr3.215836.29510@dsd.es.com>, sbender@navajo.dsd.es.com (Steve Bender) writes...
>In article <1992Apr3.190125.4892@infonode.ingr.com>, frank@ugly.b23a.ingr.com (Franklin Owens) writes:
>|> I will purchasing appliances for a new house shortly.
>|> 
>|> What do you guys think of Jenn-Air appliances?
>|> Feel free to recommend any brand for the following:
>|> 
>|> 1. cook top/ grill 
>|>     gas or grill ?
> 
>When remodelling our kitchen, we looked at Jenn-Air but
>decided against it because the vent/fan offered was not
>variable speed and quite noisy.  Moreover, the fan was
>ALWAYS on when a burner was turned on... a real nuisance
>when you just want to boil water for tea.

	The fan only comes on when you use the barbeque grill, *not* a
	regular burner.

	I bought all Jenn-Air appliances when I remodeled my kitchen. I had
	the Euro-style electric stove (mostly black, very little chrome)
	w/solid burner cartridge and barbecue grill, the top-of-the-line 
	dishwasher w/membrane keypad and digital display, side-by-side
	refrigerator/freezer w/through-the-door ice and water, and a batch
	feed disposal.

	I had no defect problems within the 2 1/2 years I owned them before
	I sold the house. I did have one of the barbeque grills partially melt
	when we had an un-supervised guest cook a meal. He treated the grill
	on the stove like a regular barbeque grill and had a great fire
	going! I could've killed him! No other damage to the stove, though.

	My only comments are that they are great appliances, but very 
	expensive.

Larry
From: prm@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (paul.r.mount)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Fingerhuts 800 number
Summary: be hounded for life?
Date: 10 Apr 92 18:56:23 GMT
Article-I.D.: cbnewsl.1992Apr10.185623.18376
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories


Order from Finger hut, be hounded for years to buy again.
SAme thing with Carol Wright.

In each case I've found their merchandise to be mediocre,
for a good price.



"You gets what you pays for."
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy
From: brad@clarinet.com (Brad Templeton)
Subject: Re: capturing caller id data
Organization: ClariNet Communications Corp.
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 10:17:51 GMT

In article <1992Apr13.215227.7320@fid.morgan.com> sethb@fid.morgan.com (Seth Breidbart) writes:
>
>According to Miss Manners, it is RUDE to use an answering machine to
>screen calls.  There are many people I will not be rude to; therefore,

Actually, Judith Martin has written the exact opposite numerous times in
her column.   She says she's always surprised that people expect her to
come out against answering machines.

She likens them to the old days, when you called upon somebody and the
butler answered.   You placed your calling card (that's where they come
from) in a tray and the butler took it away.   He then came back and
escorted you in, or informed you that the person you called upon was
busy/away/etc.

Everybody knew they were being screened.  Etiquette however, demanded that
you could not question the butler saying that the Lord was "unable" to
see you.

Anyway, we can't all afford a butler and Miss Manners most enthusiasticly
endorses the answering machine in his place for the modern day caller.

However, I go further and say it would be great if a facility like caller-ID
let me screen my callers without any work on my part or any lost time or
embarrasment on the part of the caller.
-- 
Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Sunnyvale, CA 408/296-0366
From: lindab@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: test
Date: 7 Apr 1992 17:40:06 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu

test. sorry

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: bkwg0457@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Whitlock)
Subject: Re: BMG Phone Number?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 15:26:28 GMT

marzano@hp-ptp.ptp.hp.com (Lou Marzano) writes:


>Does anyone know the customer service number for the BMG Compact
>Disc Club?

>Thanks,

>Lou Marzano
>lou@hpams0c.ptp.hp.com

Yes, I keep it with my important phone numbers in my wallet. (What does
that say about their quality of service / speed of shipment?)

(317) 542-0414

Brent Whitlock
whitlock@logos.vlsi.uiuc.edu
From: parnass@cbnewse.cb.att.com (Bob Parnass, AJ9S)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Discrimination at Mitsubishi
Summary: legal basis for getting warranty service at different dealer
Date: 14 Apr 92 16:41:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL

In article <kum0kfINNb7n@spim.mips.com>,
mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen) writes:
 
  > 1.	The automobile warrenty is from the manufacturer and not the dealer.
  > 	The dealer has a contract with Mitsubishi which reimburses it for 
  > 	warrenty work.


A court decision forced Ford dealers to offer warranty
service to people who bought new Fords from other dealers.
The suit was filed and won by a woman on Long Island, NY, although
I don't remember if it was a federal or local suit. (this
is USENET -- you want real references?  :-)

  > 3.	Dealers can offer *extra* services to people that do buy from them.
  > 	I have even heard of offering free loan cars during service, but only
  > 	for car customers.
 
Yup.  I bought a Ford truck from one dealer but I took it for warranty
work to a different dealer because it was the closest to my home.

The servicing dealer had a policy to provide free loaner cars
only to people who bought trucks from their dealership.  Since my truck
was going to be in their shop for a long time, my wife & I staged
a "mini sitdown demonstration" in the VP's office until he
gave me a free loaner (I had bought another truck there just
6 months earlier).
-- 
==============================================================================
Bob Parnass, AJ9S - AT&T Bell Laboratories - att!ihlpm!parnass - (708)979-5414
From: mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Discrimination at Mitsubishi
Date: 14 Apr 92 16:04:31 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: gelato.mips.com

In article <1992Apr14.132055.1987@crd.ge.com>, kornfein@azores.crd.ge.com (Mark M. Kornfein) writes:
|> In article <1992Apr13.202933.21913@linus.mitre.org> rajiv@hilltop.mitre.org (Rajiv Kohli) writes:
|> >
|> >	This is the text of a series of conversations I had
|> >	with Nashua Mitsubishi's Manager, Avery Beland, in Nashua,NH.
|> >	If you are as upset as I was after reading this please register
|> >	your dissatisfaction by calling this dealer or the Mitsubishi
|> >	headquarters and complaining.
|> >Subject: 	Breach of Contract and Vulgarity/harassment
|> 
|> 
|> While there is never a reason for Vulgarity and harassment it seems to me 
|> your actions were not in my opinion 100% ethical either. You bought a car
|> at the lowest price skipping your local dealer and just 3 weeks later brought
|> it to a competing dealer. I think most people would return to the dealer
|> they bought it from for service even if it was a bit farther. Warrenty work is
|> for the most part not a money maker for a dealer but a cost of doing buisness.
|> 
|> If I was the Nashua dealer I would be upset also, but they clearly should 
|> have taken care of you.
|> 
Whoa! 

1.	The automobile warrenty is from the manufacturer and not the dealer.
	The dealer has a contract with Mitsubishi which reimburses it for 
	warrenty work.

2.	As long automotive dealers create an environment where you are stupid
	to pay list price, they force you to negotiate.  If you follow their
	rules, you will find the cheapest dealer and then get service at the
	closest.

3.	Dealers can offer *extra* services to people that do buy from them.
	I have even heard of offering free loan cars during service, but only
	for car customers.

mike polen
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
From: florence (John Florence)
Subject: Re: cricket invasion
To: hfsi!bower
Keywords: dead.....stopped....kill,kill,kill
Organization: Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville, AL.
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 20:59:27 GMT

               Try DIAZION (sp) granules that you spread around
		the outside of the house......follow instructions !!!!
	
		This stuff will kill damn near anything.......good luck..


-- 
   John N. Florence     **** All opinions expressed herein are mine
   Intergraph Corp.     **** and mine alone. ****
   Huntsville, Al.      uunet!infonode!florence OR florence@infonode.ingr.com
   "Between working and eating they let you have a few beers".....HAGAR
From: ebm@corvair.almaden.ibm.com (Eli Messinger)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Cordless Phone Recommendations: Summary
Date: 15 Apr 92 06:28:25 GMT
Reply-To: ebm@almaden.ibm.com
Organization: Pandora's Box

A few weeks ago I solicited recommendations for cordless phones.  My
primary requirement was to find a phone with optimal sound.  Features
and price were secondary considerations.

Here is a summary of what was recommended:

Sony (No specific model #)
    Two different people said that people they knew had Sony phones
    they were happy with.

Panasonic (No specific model #)
    The people who mentioned Panasonic all seemed moderately impressed,
    but not wildly enthusiastic.  Two people mentioned that the metal
    telescoping antenna is prone to being broken.

AT&T 5200/5400/5600
    These are three models of basically the same phone.  The 5400 has
    10 channels (the 5200 has 2?), and the 5600 has an integrated
    answering machine.

    These phones received several votes and generally high praise from
    those who own them.

Motorola
    All the regular bells and whistles (auto scanning across 10 channels,
    two-way paging, etc.), plus it is small enough to carry in a shirt
    pocket, has an illuminated key pad, a very long battery life *and*
    it has scrambling between the handset and the base.

    The downside is that Motorla is apparently not marketing these through
    any/many retail outlets yet.  Sears Business Systems is supposed to be
    getting them soon.  Motorola is apparently working on ramping up
    production.

In the end I was really intrigued by the Motorola phones, but was unable
to find them locally.  I shopped around and looked at various AT&T and
Sony models, and ended up buying a Sony SPP-170.  This is a 10-channel
phone with autoscan, and a bunch of other handy features (autodial
buttons, a speakerphone in the base, a dual battery system that doesn't
require the handset being placed on the base for charging, two-way paging,
a rubberized antenna, and so on.)  While it sounds exactly like a corded
phone from my end, people I talk to can still tell it's a cordless.  In
normal range (inside my house) I don't hear any interference at all.
Walking around outside it sometimes beeps to tell me I'm going out of
range.

Thanks to Gunnar Blix, Michael Polen, Steve Casagrande, Dave Poulsen,
Alan Newman, David Eastwood, and Eric G. Elvira for their help.
--
	      "Phish is good."  --James Treworgy, March 18, 1992
       CSNET: ebm@almaden.ibm.com / UUNET: ...!uunet!almaden.ibm.com!ebm
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:10118 alt.folklore.urban:11576 alt.rock-n-roll:9215
From: masticol@cadenza.rutgers.edu (Steve Masticola)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.folklore.urban,alt.rock-n-roll
Subject: Queen (was Re: SARA LEE slogan)
Date: 6 Apr 92 17:59:49 GMT
Article-I.D.: cadenza.Apr.6.13.59.48.1992.8879
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban,alt.rock-n-roll
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell) writes:

>   One wonders how the "California Girls" critics react to the
>   famous Stone's song, Fat-Bottomed Girls.?

Probably not too badly, considering there is an even more famous
version by Queen (on the Jazz album).

Urban legend: A very famous computer science theorist has the "Start
of the Nude Bicycle Race" poster (from the same album) hanging in his
office. This has been the object of a lot of controversy, but the guy
is so high-powered that no one dares to tell him what he can do in his
own office. (This from a FOAF - resemblance to any persons in the CS
department here is entirely coincidental :-)

Sorry this has nothing to do with consumers. Followups are directed to
alt.folklore.urban and alt.rock-n-roll.

- Steve (masticol@anonymous.ftp.edu)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy
From: brad@clarinet.com (Brad Templeton)
Subject: Re: capturing caller id data
Organization: ClariNet Communications Corp.
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1992 07:30:35 GMT

In article <1992Apr6.175738.29491@mdd.comm.mot.com> gilbert@mdd.comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) writes:
>Answering machine.... your best bet here...  [instead of caller id]

No.  It's good, but it is not what I want.  Yes, an answering machine
can screen my calls -- but at inconvenience to me (because I still have
to stop what I'm doing to listen to the recording, and then the person,
*if* they don't hang up) and at inconvenience to the nice callers, because
they have to listen to the recording, then risk saying, "are you there" and
leaving a stupid message if I'm not etc.

The people who suggest that this is a suitable solution must not have the
same desires from the telephone as I do.   That's fine, but what I suggest
does not stop you from getting what you want from the phone.   Caller-id,
implemented properly, helps me get what I want.

I'm busy but I also like my peace.   I want to be available for emergencies
all the time.  I want to be available to some people part of the time, at
different times.   I don't want to be available to almost anybody when I
am asleep or having fun :-).   There are some people I am never available to.  
At different times I want to just have a message taken.

This is how I want to lead my private life.  When a call comes that is
one I want, I want it now, at a minimum of inconvenience for me and the
caller.   When a call comes that I don't want, or that I want a message taken
for, I don't want to even know that it's happening.

I want to be available when needed, but not ruled by the damn ringing phone
otherwise.   The right tools can do this for me.   This is the protection
of my own privacy.
-- 
Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Sunnyvale, CA 408/296-0366
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: phaedrus@cs.washington.edu (Mark Phaedrus)
Subject: Re: ***WARNING: BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH ALLSTATE INSURANCE!***
Organization: University of Washington Computer Science
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 06:01:37 GMT

     So, basically what you're telling us is, don't have people with Allstate
insurance run into us?  Er, yeah, thanks for the advice.  I'll be sure to have
people with State Farm insurance run into me from now on. :)
     (I'm certainly not unsympathetic, having run into a similar situation in
the past, but I don't see how your warning is going to help anyone, including
yourself.  The most rational thing for you to do at this point would be to go
to the insurance commissioner of your state, or to a consumer reporter at your
local newspaper or TV station, or just sue the bastards.)
-- 
\ Mark Phaedrus, Computer Science Major, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA \*\
*\ Work: phaedrus@cs.washington.edu        Play: phaedrus@u.washington.edu \*\
\*\ Cute .sig quote still under alpha-testing; planned for release in 1993. \*\
 - Hi!  I'm an anti-virus utility!  Install me in your .signature right away! -
From: carl@Cayman.COM (Carl Heinzl)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Privacy (Was Caller ID)
Date: 8 Apr 92 20:42:59 GMT
	<1992Apr7.184905.25017@tandem.com>
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA
In-reply-to: Lyon_Jim@Tandem.Com's message of 7 Apr 92 18:49:05 GMT
bcc: carl


>Other states may have similar laws.  Check your local phone directory.
>Now for my question:  Does the [more restrictive] state law apply to
>interstate calls?

IMO, it cannot apply to people NOT calling from California since it's
out of their jurisdiction (they have no ability to control interstate
commerce, i.e. happens OUTSIDE of Ca.).  It *may* apply to people
making or receiving calls IN California (from the outside).

-Carl-
--
From: marzano@hp-ptp.ptp.hp.com (Lou Marzano)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 14:38:38 GMT
Subject: Re: BMG Phone Number?
Organization: HP Pacific Technology Park - Sunnyvale, Ca.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers


Thanks for the responses.  In case any one else is interested, here it is:

It's 1-800-W-AMADEUS (the last 'S' is optional...).


- Lou Marzano
From: junck@okra.fnal.gov (Kevin Junck)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: ***WARNING: BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH ALLSTATE INSURANCE!***
Date: 9 Apr 92 14:02:41 GMT
	<1992Apr9.124702.29165@mlb.semi.harris.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Fermilab, Batavia, IL

In article <1992Apr9.124702.29165@mlb.semi.harris.com> luoni@bosco.mlb.semi.harris.com (Perry Luoni) writes:

>   Well I have a story too.  I have bought insurance from Nationwide and State Farm in
>   the past and currently I have State Farm.  When I first got my 1983 Pontiac Trans Am 
>   I called Allstate about insurance.  At the time I was over 25 and married and had no
>   tickets or accidents to my name.  Allstate refused to insure the car at all.  This 
>   made it clear to me that Allstate was a seriously fucked up company.  I will never
>   ever even consider using Allstate again since their sole basis for deciding if I was
>   eligible for there wonderful insurance was the car I chose to buy.  Nationwide and
>   State Farm both had no problems with my car and I have filed a couple of minor (non
>   accident) claims with each in the past 10 years with no problems.  I also have
>  problems with GEICO on their stance on radar detectors but that is a whole nother
>   thread.

	It sounds like our situations are very similar, with the
companies reversed.  When my wife and I (both over 25 and no tickets
or accidents) recently purchased a 1991 Honda CRX, AAA wouldn't insure
us but Allstate would.  I agree with the previous poster who said the
best route to take is file under your own insurance and let them duke
it out with the other insurance company.  What I'm wondering is how
much of this is company policy and how much is due to one particular
agent/claims adjuster...

--
Kevin L. Junck     a.k.a. Junck@okra.fnal.gov            708-840-8368
Fermi National Accelerator Lab                 Batavia, Illinois, USA
#include <std.disclaimer.h>                 ** HAIL TO THE VICTORS **
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:10406 alt.privacy:1021
From: gilbert@mdd.comm.mot.com (John Gilbert)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy
Subject: Re: capturing caller id data
Date: 13 Apr 92 04:39:21 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Motorola, Mobile Data Division - Seattle, WA

In article <1992Apr11.114335.16280@bnlux1.bnl.gov> niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr) writes:

>A simple way to prevent a phone number from being transmitted from aa
>residence to another residence is to NOT SUBSCRIBE TO CLASS AT ALL
>(caller-id, blocking, tracing, etc. are all in this service).

In areas where CLID is implemented, ALL numbers, regardless of subscribed
services will transmit.  Exceptions to this are things like pay phones,
and sometimes womens shelters and other special numbers.
Not subscribing means you can't RECEIVE, but residential phones will
always transmit, even if you have an unlisted phone number.  Your only
hope is to block, if blocking is provided in your area.

John

-- 
John Gilbert
gilbert@mdd.comm.mot.com
...!uunet!mdisea!gilbert
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy