HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wm@cs.wm.edu (Weizhen Mao)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Terrible Experience With Alamo
Date: 13 Aug 92 15:57:38 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The College of William and Mary


  When I rented a car at Alamo a few months ago,
the person there pushed me very hard to buy 
insurance even though I used my visa gold card,
which as I understood, covered that. The sales-
man said that the card only has the so-called 
secondary coverage, which only takes care of
the car I hit, not the car I rent, or something
like that. Is that true?
-- 
Weizhen Mao
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15217 misc.legal:16040 alt.peeves:13546 rec.skiing:5274
From: neilw@informix.com (Neil Williams)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.legal,alt.peeves,rec.skiing
Subject: Re: wrong health care, and still having to pay for it
Keywords: misdiagnosis, malpractice, negligence, miscreant doctors
Date: 14 Aug 92 22:06:23 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <4034@novavax.UUCP> vaccaro@novavax.UUCP (N. Trafford Vaccaro) writes:
>Hello, everyone,
>
>You may have noticed the large number and variety of newsgroups I
>am posting this to. I am rather angry at being ripped off by 
>a small town medical operation in Winter Park, Colorado, called
>the "Seven Mile Clinic".
>[tale of internal bleeding deleted]
>
>Is there any recourse, or how do I get out of paying for shoddy work?
>If it were my car being repaired, I could contest the bill. 
>They kicked me out of their clinic, bleeding to death! And charged me
>$300! A collection agency now has the account. What should I do? Should
>I pay the bill, or take them to small claims?

Actually, it sounds like you can sue the sh*t out of them.  
Someone out there can fill in the details, but I believe there
are some laws concerning misdiagnosis and mistreatment, especially
when they are life-threatening.

See a lawyer.  You're quite a forgiving soul, not to have considered
this already. 

--Neil

-- 
Neil Williams: neilw@informix.com

Seen on my last trip on United: "If you are seated in an exit row 
and can not (sic) read this card... please notify a crew member."
From: richw@grok64.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Rich Wescott)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Universal Life
Date: 18 Aug 92 20:22:37 GMT
Distribution: usa

My wife recently heard part of a news story regarding the safety of
buying Universal Life policies. Does anyone out there know about this
story? 

-- 
/--------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| Rich Wescott                                                             |
| NCR Corp., E&M-Columbia           email: rich.wescott@ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM |
|                                                                          |
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------/
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: rion@Ingres.COM (Rion Cassidy (x3357) OGT)
Subject: Re: Movie Rental horror stories (was ...wa
Reply-To: rion@Ingres.COM (Rion Cassidy (x3357) OGT)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501
Distribution: usa
Date: 15 Aug 92 01:15:33 GMT

In article <Bszqrn.5Ft@news.cso.uiuc.edu> berger@atropa (Mike Berger) writes:
>lee@quark2.aero.org writes:
>>Moral: beware of those video return bins.  they may be convenient, but
>>without a receipt, you don't have any real proof that you returned a
>>video!
>*----
>What proof do you have when you return it to a person at the counter?
>I've never been given a receipt for returning a video tape.
>--
>	Mike Berger
>	Department of Statistics, University of Illinois
>	AT&TNET     217-244-6067
>	Internet    berger@atropa.stat.uiuc.edu

1. Say "may I have a reciept, please?"
2. If they refuse report them to the better business bureau and
   take your business elsewhere.
From: gopher@yar.cs.wisc.edu (Chris Bovitz)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Snowmobile fuel mixture?
Date: 12 Aug 92 22:59:38 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin, Madison -- Computer Sciences Dept.

In article <9710041@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> ec@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Edgar Circenis) writes:
>I have recently acquired an old snowmobile.  It is a
>500cc 2-cycle AMF Ski-daddler.  I have no idea what kind
>of fuel/oil mixture I should use.  Does anyone out there
>know anything about the fuel mixture in AMF snowmobiles?

I don't know the exact mixture, but for other snowmobiles, it's 40:1 or
50:1 (gas:oil).  Since yours is an older snow machine, I'd guess 50:1.

Anyone else?


Chris


-- 
Chris Bovitz              |    "I demand that you shoot me now!"
Department of Meteorology |    
Univ of Wisc - Madison    |       -- Daffy Duck
moonunit@meteor.wisc.edu  |    
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: rion@Ingres.COM (Rion Cassidy (x3357) OGT)
Subject: Re: Prodigy Scam
Reply-To: rion@Ingres.COM (Rion Cassidy (x3357) OGT)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501
Date: 22 Aug 92 03:33:26 GMT

In article <1992Aug21.235622.21361@colorado.edu> bobk@hopper.Colorado.EDU (Bob Kinne) writes:
>About a year after the subscription ended, I received two threatening 
>notices from a "Great Lakes Collection Bureau", which claimed that I 
>had incurred a 'debt', and made unspecified threats as to what would 
>happen if I didn't pay this 'debt'.
>
>The best (perhaps the only) way to keep companies on the legal and 
>ethical track is to punish them severely for leaving it.  In the 
>Republican era, our Federal government isn't very interesting in 
>doing this.  That leaves it up to us, the consumers.  I suggest 
>strongly that all netters avoid "Prodigy" and not encourage this type 
>of scam.  I also note that Sears and IBM are the parent companies of 
>"Prodigy", and it wouldn't be a bad idea to refrain from doing 
>business with either of them as well.  

Have you considered that this may have simply been an honest clerical
mistake and that your letter got things cleared up?  I had Prodigy
for about a month also, but have never received any threats from bill
collectors.

Rion
From: rsl@aplpy.jhuapl.edu (Russell S. Laderer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Need Address and Name
Date: 13 Aug 92 19:11:18 GMT
Organization: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

Does anyone have the name and address for direct correspondence
to the President/CEO of Ford Motor company?

As many of you in this group may remember, I bought a Ford Taurus
Wagon for my wife last October.  Although one of the two problems
we`ve had has been handled very well, this request is to help
me clear up the other problem.

I'm tired of dealing with customer service droids and their
managers who change their tune every time an discussion goes
in a direction other than theirs.

(Stop reading here if you are not interested in the problem.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple months ago, I put a sheet of plywood on the rooftop
carrier on the wagon.  A few seconds after reaching 40 mph, I saw
the plywood flying across the road (looking in the rearview mirror).
Upon examination, I found the left connecting brace of the front
bar had torn off of the roof.

1) I went to the dealer, and was told this was not covered under the
warranty.

2) I wrote Ford Customer Service, (and filled out a satisfaction survey)
and informed them about the problem.

3) I got a call from a rep, who after hearing my explanation, gave
me a number to call to get it taken care of.

4) The person at this number said the carrier is not designed to
carry wood.  I asked him where in my vehicle documents was this
limitation stated.  I was transferred to a supervisor.

5) The supervisor listened to my account once again, and then put
me on hold.  When the supervisor got back on the phone, I was told
she had called the service manager at the dealership, and that
he believed the car had been in an accident.  I disputed this
and asked her what kind of accident can leave a car completely
unscathed except the left front of the roof rack.  I was then
told my complaint would be registered, that I would get a 
response in writing, but the rack would not be repaired.

This is why I'm tired of dealing with Ford`s CS droids.

For those who are curious, the quoted repair cost is ~$210.

So much for Ford's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
This is the first American car I've owned, after being completely
satisfied with a Toyota Corolla (bought used with 60k, sold at 140k),
and a Mitsubishi Mirage (bought new, still going strong at 130k).
Needless to say, its going to take quite an argument to convince
me to buy American again.

Scott Laderer
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: schwartz@nynexst.com (S. H. Schwartz)
Subject: Re: Request: trouble-free car recommendations
Reply-To: schwartz@nynexst.com
Organization: Expert Systems Lab., NYNEX Sci. and Tech., White Plains NY
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 12:29:54 GMT

In article 8@berkp.uadv.uci.edu, cindy@berkp.uadv.uci.edu (Cindy Windham) writes:
>I'm looking for a car that is large enough to seat two adults and two small 
>children (and their carseats) comfortably, enough room to tote a stroller, 
>and other sundry children's paraphernalia, peppy even in automatic, and 
>amazingly trouble-free (having your car break down with two small kids in it 
>is _not_ okay).  Any suggestions?

I bought my 89 Mercury Sable sedan last November.  While I've never put
a child seat in it, I believe that the back seat has more than enough space.
The trunk is also suprisingly spacious.

I don't know what you mean by "peppy," but the accelerator gives a decent response.
---
Steven H. Schwartz		Expert Systems Laboratory
schwartz@nynexst.com		NYNEX Science and Technology Center
PROFS: SCHWARTZ@UNIX		500 Westchester Avenue
914-644-2960			White Plains NY 10604

Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15187 misc.legal:16017 alt.peeves:13509 rec.skiing:5263
From: fritz@hpfcbig.sde.hp.com (Gary Fritz (tmp))
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.legal,alt.peeves,rec.skiing
Subject: Re: wrong health care, and still having to pay for it
Date: 14 Aug 92 16:28:44 GMT
Reply-To: Gary Fritz <fritz@hpfcbig.sde.hp.com>
Organization: HP SESD, Fort Collins, CO
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1scd1 PL4

vaccaro@novavax.UUCP (N. Trafford Vaccaro) writes:
: I was on a ski trip to Winter Park 6 years ago when I had to visit the
: Seven Mile Clinic. 

I don't know if this is relevant, but why did this sit for six YEARS
before anything happened?

It seems to me you have excellent grounds for malpractice.  It sounds like
they kept you there for hours without (any? sufficient? necessary?) care 
when you had a life-threatening condition.  Then they just tossed you out
on the street at "quittin' time", with no recommendation or even diagnosis.
That seems like clear malpractice to me.

You might have trouble pursuing a 6-year-old case -- I have no idea --
but you certainly have sufficient grounds to shut up the "smug doctor".

Gary
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jimh@pacdata.uucp (Jim Harkins)
Subject: Re: Disconcerting goop from aluminum baking pan
Organization: Pacific Data Products
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 17:57:10 GMT

In article <2592@tivoli.UUCP> dfavor@logan.tivoli.com (David Favor) writes:
>aluminum cooking can be grossly hazardous to your health. I wish I
>had kept a newspaper article I read (somewhere in Texas or Oklahoma).
>this article described a church social where a mass of strawberry
>rubarb pie filling was cooked in aluminum pans. it seems that the
>fruit's acid reacted with each of the pans, liberating large quantities
>of aluminum. several older church members died and all the rest were
>admitted to local hospitals.

Male bovine creature excrement alert!  I really can't buy this.  In today's
litigous environment just the lawsuits filed would have been all over the
media.  Never mind any health concerns.  You do know they sell the Weekly
World News in Texas and Oklahoma, don't you?

Aluminum may or may not cause alzheimers (sp?), but it's going to take 20-30
years.  These people probably got your everyday, ordinary food poisoning.

jim

-- 
Lawyers Creed:  What's mine is mine, what's yours is negotiable.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Harkins                         [ucsd|uunet]!pacdata!jim
Pacific Data Products               jim@pacdata.com
--------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: shun@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (shun.cheung)
Subject: Re: Seiko Language Calculators
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 21:27:26 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.213850.14094@lsil.com> mitch@lsil.com writes:
>I'm looking for a cheap mailorder source for a Seiko TR-1700 Japanese/English
>English/Japanese language translator/calculator.  J&R Music World only sells
>Spanish, French, and German models.  The street price here is $65.

I bought the English-German one from J&R for $29 a few months ago.
Essentially, you get what you pay for. I find its vocabulary
quite limited for someone who wants to study German. (I wouldn't
mind paying 2-3 times as much for one comparable to a good German
dictionary had it existed.)  It would be fine for a tourist,
however.
-- 
-- Shun Cheung,    electronic: shun.cheung@att.com    voice: (908) 615-5135
     HR 1A-304, AT&T Bell Labs, 480 Red Hill Road, Middletown, NJ, 07748 USA
From: dbernard@thewho.Central.Sun.COM (Dave Bernard)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Movie Rental Place wants my Credit Card #
Date: 12 Aug 92 15:52:54 GMT
Reply-To: dbernard@thewho.Central.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems

Unless the by-laws of Visa and MasterCard have changed in the
last few years, merchants are expressly forbidden to use these
credit cards as forms of identification, for check ID, for any
other purpose except to make a credit card purchase.  Likewise,
they are not to ask for other forms of ID, or for your phone number
on the charge slip.  If the merchant violates the by-laws, he can
be forbidden to use these services.  Best to write a letter to
the credit card company, if you're really curious (not just the
bank, but actually to Master Card (in St Louis?) or VISA (San Mateo,
CA)

	Dave
From: timlee@public.btr.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Credit Union Deposit (Share) Interest (Dividend) Calculations
Date: 15 Aug 92 06:17:47 GMT
Reply-To: timlee@btr.com (Timothy J. Lee)
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Distribution: usa

bwhitlock@uiuc.edu writes:
|timlee@public.btr.com (Timothy J. Lee) writes:
|>Shouldn't members of such credit unions use their voting
|>power to change the credit unions' interest policies?
|
|                                      It would be great if you could organize
|a members' revolt against the policies of the credit union and get them 
|changed.  I would think that it would be easier to volunteer at the credit
|union yourself, and work your way up to the Board of Directors where you
|could change things.  Good luck.

Some other replies have also indicated that it can be difficult to
change a credit union's policies.  In practice, how difficult?

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy J. Lee                 timlee@btr.com  ...!decwrl!btr!timlee
This message comes with no warranty, not even an implied warranty of
fitness for any particular purpose.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: haber@shark.mel.dit.CSIRO.AU (Yaacov Haber)
Subject: Re: DAK's short-wave radio ??
Organization: CSIRO, Division of Information Technology, Melbourne
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 01:54:25 GMT

In article <Bt8MH2.HAG@acsu.buffalo.edu> C058SJLX@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu writes:
>
>  I have seen a portable short wave radio advertised in the
> DAK catalogue.  The few technical specifications the ad gives
> seem to be good, however the price is well below the prices of
> similar products from other sources.  I am talking about
> $40  vs  $100+.  I want to buy a radio like this, but the
> price looks suspicious.
>  On the other hand,  the Miracle piano teaching
> system ($350-$399 from other sources) sells for $199 in
> the same catalog, the lowest price I have ever seen for this
> product.
>  Please post or e-mail any comments/recommendations.
>                      Thank you
>          Eleazar Puente


Well I purchase one and brought it with me to AUstralia so that I could
get US and Israel News. I can't get either no matter how hard Itry.
I have friends with more expensive radios that get both with ease.
Granted I'm no expert.

Yaacov Haber
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
From: joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins)
Subject: vacuum cleaners - which one?
Organization: Morgan Stanley & Co., New York, NY
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 00:49:44 GMT

My neighbor Mike tells me his SO wants a $600 electrolux vacuum cleaner.
They live in a two story colonial and have a 12 year old son, with no pets.

For obvious reasons, he thinks there are better values out there, for LESS money.

If you had to buy yours over again (electrolux or other), how much would you
spend and what brands would you buy/avoid?

Please help my neighbor Mike - send any comments to me at:


Joe

joec@morgan.com


THANKS in advance


Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins)
Subject: Re: Disconcerting goop from aluminum baking pan
Organization: None
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 19:07:48 GMT

In article <2592@tivoli.UUCP> dfavor@logan.tivoli.com (David Favor) writes:
>aluminum cooking can be grossly hazardous to your health. I wish I
>had kept a newspaper article I read (somewhere in Texas or Oklahoma).
>this article described a church social where a mass of strawberry
>rubarb pie filling was cooked in aluminum pans. it seems that the
>fruit's acid reacted with each of the pans, liberating large quantities
>of aluminum. several older church members died and all the rest were
>admitted to local hospitals.
>it always surprises me when I see aluminum cooking pans/utensils in
>stores. it surprises me even more when I see people using them...

What probably happened is that the food reacted with the Aluminum, forming
some dangerous Aluminum compounds. I suspect the strawberry/rhubarb
released some acidic/basic compounds, which attacked the Aluminum (see
below), forming some toxic byproduct.

Aluminum is actually a fairly reactive metal and will burn quite well
under certain conditions. Its far more reactive than iron, copper, gold,
silver, lead, mercury, etc. Aluminum is NEVER found in the raw form
in the environment. Even your Aluminum pots, pans, etc are really coated
with Aluminum oxide since the raw metal will react with oxygen in the
air to form Aluminum oxide (a form of rust, but not permeable).

Aluminum powder is explosive and Aluminum mixed with household rust will
burn (under the right conditions) at over 4000 degrees and leave
hot, glowing molten iron as a byproduct. It also release Ultraviolet
rays as well and can damage your eyes if you look at it too long.

Certain things should NEVER be mixed with Aluminum, i.e. acids and
especially LYE. LYE and Aluminum react quite violently. If you wish to
see for yourself, place some aluminum (foil? pot? pan?) outside and drop
5-10 crystals of LYE on them. Drop 10 drops of water on that and
wait a few seconds.


Joe
joec@morgan.com
Usual disclaimers
`73 B.S. Chemistry

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: mmeyer@m2.dseg.ti.com (Mark Meyer)
Subject: Re: More Video Rental Horror Stories
Organization: TI DSEG, Spring Creek, Plano, Tx.
	<Aug17.155817.38848@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 18:32:12 GMT


	As I recall from the Dallas Morning News, "The Last Temptation
of Christ" is not available in any Blockbuster store.  BTW, did you
know that the SECOND to the last temptation of Christ was one of the
Roman guards having a "Kick Me" sign taped to his back?  Believe it -
or don't.

-- 
Mark Meyer                                               | mmeyer@dseg.ti.com |
Texas Instruments, Inc.                                  +--------------------+
Every day, Jerry Junkins is grateful that I don't speak for TI.
                "I just had a deja vu experience."  "Hey, just like last time!"
From: duncan@ravel.ati.com (Jim Duncan)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: My Office is Going Copier Shopping!
Date: 22 Aug 92 03:26:16 GMT
Reply-To: duncan@ravel.ati.com (Jim Duncan)
Organization: KUFX 94.5 FM Stereo, San Jose, CA 'The Fox'

In article <1992Aug20.183925.23454@tigger.jvnc.net> feeney@tigger.jvnc.net (Michael J. Feeney) writes:
>
>Dear members of Usenet, are any of you satisfied with your mid-sized copier?
>
I feel that you should definitely check out Savin.  My office just got
a great deal on a very nice Savin model with lots of goodies.  The
support on our old Savin was terrific.  They claim that while most
other companies will only support a unit for 5 years, they will do it
for 7 (you'd have to double check this to your satisfaction, but that's
what they say).  The machine makes 'perfect' copies of newspaper
photos, etc. and is wonderful for the jillions of sales sheets that
have to look just right.  Unfortunately, I'm at home now, so I don't
have the model number, but if you're shopping for an office copier, I
think you should get a presentation from Savin.  The Mita our first
Savin replaced was a piece of junk although they might be better now.
Call Savin.  (no connection to Savin except as a satisfied customer;
they are not a client of the radio station)

-- 
KUFX |      w  ["]                            | WA6MBV     
94.5 |...   |___|_____..duncan@ravel.ati.com  | Jim Duncan  
FM   |          H                             | ----------   
********  \_____I_____/  37 3 10N/121 59 10W  ************** 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: burgoyne@highlite.uucp (J. Robert Burgoyne)
Subject: Re: A Novel Junk Mail Approach
Organization: Gotham Communications Research
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 18:43:46 GMT

jfb200@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (joseph.f.baugher) writes:
: About a month  ago,  Mike  Royko,  writing  in  the  Chicago  Tribune,
: mentioned  that he had encountered a really novel approach to the junk
: mail business.  It seems that one of  his  sources  got  an  official-
: looking letter from an outfit which sounded like it was a bank.  After
: opening up the letter, the person read that there was a  lien  on  his
: house!   Pictures of him being immediately thrown out on the street to
: join the ranks of the homeless flashed through his mind.  After having
: cleaned  out  his  underwear, he looked at the letter again.  What the
: letter actually meant to say was  that  he  had  a  MORTGAGE  (a  safe
: assumption for most people), and that he might be interested in coming
: in to talk about refinancing.  Admittedly, this  was  a  rather  crude
: approach, but the letter certainly DID get his attention :-)

In direct response advertising, there are three different types of 
headlines you can write. (The above description of a dm letter uses a
curiosity approach.)

	Benefit headlines work the best.

	News headlines are the second best.

	Curiosity are the worst yetre  athe most favored by ad agencies.

I think the above letter is in poor taste. The sender could probably
have used the headline "Save $300 per month or more through refinancing.
Approvals in 24 hours" and gotten 10 times the response of the above
technique. And then you probably wouldn't be alling it "junk mail".

Robert
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: pmfisher@milton.u.washington.edu (Patrick Fisher)
Subject: GEICO car insurance rate increases every six omonths
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 18:56:18 GMT

	It seems that GEICO keeps raising its insurance rates on
my car every six months.  First they told me that my insurance
would be $400 a year.  However, this was based on a six month
plan.  At six months the rate went up $60.  Now that one year
is coming up, they want $520 for the year BASED ON A SIX MONTH
POLICY.
	Has anyone else encountered this rate hike?  I can understand
raising it because of inflation, but soon it seems that it may
be better to shop around for another insurer because of teh rate
increases of GEICO.

	Pat-

Newsgroups: misc.consumers