HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.legal
Subject: Reasonable and customary, was Re: Does the 30 day/90 day rule apply?
Date: 9 Oct 92 15:26:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: iecc.1992Oct9.152620.5207
Distribution: usa
Organization: I.E.C.C.

>>   1.	The fee being charged exceeds what my insuror considers
>>	"Reasonable and Customary" for the services rendered, and
>>	I will not pay more than the R&C.
>
>Oh what basis?  The provider charges what they deem reasonable; you
>received the services.  This is not a good faith dispute about the
>amount of the bill: ...

Yes, it is.  In the screwy U.S. medical system, pricing of medical
services is now even harder to understand than pricing of cars.  But
unlike a car dealer, doctors almost never quote a price before you buy.

Insurance companies all have "reasonable and customary" amounts that they
will pay for a service, often somewhat below the amount that the doctor
might like to charge.  But they all take the R&C amount except in odd
cases.  (I'm currently in a three-way argument with a doctor and an
insurance company where it appears that insurance set the R&C for our
procedure $1000 less than it paid for other identical procedures by the
same doctor.  But that's unusual.)

Since my insurance has a fairly large deductable, when I pay the
deductable amount I've taken to writing a letter to the doctor explaining
that my check covers the difference between R&C and what the insurance
paid, and if they don't think that's enough, don't cash the check.  I
staple the letter to the check to avoid claims that they didn't get the
letter.  They always cash the check and that's the end of it.

-- 
John R. Levine, IECC, POB 349, Cambridge MA 02238, +1 617 492 3869
johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {ima|spdcc|world}!iecc!johnl
Re-elect Vice President Potatoe-Head !
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: sch@unx.sas.com (Steve Holzworth)
Subject: Re: Revenge on a telemarketer!
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 19:22:58 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.

My best results to date have been with the following:

(stm = scummy tele-marketer)

(ring)
me:  Hello?

stm: Hello. May I speak to Mr. Holzworth?

me: Speaking...

stm: Hello, Mr. Holzworth, this is John Doe with Long Distance R Us,
     how are you today?

me: Not interested, thanks (click).


--
Steve Holzworth
sch@unx.sas.com
x6872
SAS Institute - Open Systems R & D
Cary, N.C.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: dana@rucs.faculty.cs.runet.edu (Dana Eckart)
Subject: vita-mix question
Organization: Radford University
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 19:31:16 GMT

I am considering buying a vita-mix and would like to hear from anyone who 
has had experience with this product.  Please indicate whether your comments
pertain to the vita-mixer 4000 or the vita-mix 3600+.  Thanks in advance.

-- 
J Dana Eckart     INTERNET: dana@rucs.faculty.cs.runet.edu
                     SNAIL: 15 Grandview Dr/Radford, VA  24141
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Subject: Re: hummingbird feeder formula
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:12:49 GMT

In article <92287.092237SAHRABI@auvm.american.edu>, <SAHRABI@auvm.american.edu> writes...
>>Boil 1/2 cup sugar in 2 cups of water.  Let it cool, and place it
>>in your feeder.  Cheap, easy, environmentally sound.

>I was given to understand that humming birds cannot digest complex
>sugars such as sucrose.  They will gorge themselves on the sugar solution
>because it tastes sweet, but they get no nourishment from it.
>A glucose solution using honey is much better for them since they can
>digest glucose.

I happened to read the label of a commercial hummingbird feeding packet in
the store today, and the first 2 ingredients were sucrose and dextrose (both
sugars), in that order.  #3 was something containing protein, #4 (maybe #5)
was food coloring.

-Mike
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: rhalse20@ursa.calvin.edu (Rob Halsey)
Subject: Re: Color Match - As Seen on TV
Organization: Calvin College
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 17:12:44 GMT

jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu (jason reiser) writes:

>redmond+@cs.cmu.edu (Redmond English) writes:
>> Hello,
>> 
>>   I've recently bought a new (to me) used car.  It has some
>> minor cosmetic damage, such as stone chips on the front, and
>> key scratches around the door locks.
>> 
>>   I'd like to improve the appearance.  The color match thing
>> on TV looks ideal, but does it work really?  Is there anything
>> else comparable that doesn't look so sleazy, and that I can get
>> non-mailorder?
>> 
>>   Any advice would be appreciated.
>> 
>>                      Thanks in advance,
>> 
>>                           Red/.
>> 

DO NOT BUY "COLOR MATCH" CAR POLISH!!!!!

I worked at a retail store this summer where we sold the stuff.  It
looked good, until one of our customers came in and used it on his newer
car, which in turn gave a white car a totally rusty bron lookk.  He in
turn sued our store for a new paint job, and won.  The moral of the
story is, don't buy the stuff.
--
Rob Halsey                       | "I will love him and hug him, and squeeze
(rhalse20@calvin.edu)            |  him and pet him, and pet him and squeeze
Calvin College  Phi 33           |  him and I will call him George!" 
Grand Rapids, MI 49546           |                    -Looney Toons (tm)
From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Battery Leakage Warranties
Date: 10 Oct 92 07:17:36 GMT
Organization: Green Hills and Cows

This is a question concerning alkaline batteries and their propensity
to leak and what the manufacturers are willing to do about it.

I carry a Maglite seven-cell flashlight (PR-20 bulb) around in my
truck. Recently during a need to use it, I discovered that a couple of
the Duracell batteries had sprung a leak and had cemented themselves
inside. It really made a mess of the battery compartment of the
flashlight and I am still in the process of trying to scrape out all
the gunk. 

Eveready cells have a notice printed on each battery that
states that if any device is damaged by a leaking "Energizer", Eveready
will repair or replace the item at its option. Unfortunately, the
Duracells have no such statement. Does anyone have any experience at
trying to get Duracell to "repair or replace" damaged goods? Does
Duracell tend to leak more than Eveready?

If these had been Eveready batteries, it would have been interesting to
see what the company would do with my all-but-ruined flashlight.
Replacement may not be an option: I have not seen any Maglite larger
than six cells for a number of years.

Again, does anyone know if Duracell will clean up the mess that its
batteries make?
-- 
 John Higdon  |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115     |       FAX:
 john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: kena@ngc.com (Ken Anderson)
Subject: Re: hummingbird feeder formula
Organization: Network General Corporation
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 20:37:49 GMT

In <1992Oct13.200854.1056@col.hp.com> cab@col.hp.com (Chris Best) writes:

>> Boil 1/2 cup sugar in 2 cups of water.  Let it cool, and place it
>> in your feeder.  Cheap, easy, environmentally sound.  

>----------

>Yes.  Yes.  Maybe.

>So many people say to boil the water - is this for some
>sterilization reason, or just to make the sugar dissolve
>more easily?  If the latter, it's a waste of energy to
>do the same thing you can do by hand in 20 seconds.

>I've been using cold tap water for years, and they keep
>coming back - so I doubt you need to sterilize the water.
>I haven't come across any piles of dead hummers in the
>woods...

The above is a 4 to 1 ratio and I have always used a 3 to 1
but I also don't boil it.  I suppose the boiling would reduce
the water ratio down anyway.  I just mix 1/4 cup sugar and
3/4 cup water in a mixing cup when my small feeder runs
out (about every 3 or 4 days in the summer and now down to
about once per week).


-- 
ken anderson   kena@ngc.com
Disclaimer: insert your favorite disclaimer here
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17683 misc.kids:25777 rec.autos:23775
From: gazit@iris.usc.edu (Salit)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.kids,rec.autos
Subject: Re: Child Safety Seats
Date: 10 Oct 1992 20:11:26 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: iris.usc.edu

In article <Bvwv7K.71z@acsu.buffalo.edu> oispeggy@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Peggy Brown) writes:
>I was thinking of buying 1 new infant and 1 new toddler carseat, 
>and a used one of each for our 2nd car.
>
>If there is an accident we probably couldn't return it to the 
>manufacturer.

No. We had an accident. They would not accept it (but they are interested
in the details, probably for recordkeeping).

>Any advice about buying used carseats?  

Personally I would not buy used carseats, unless you know the people enough
to take their word on whether the carseat was ever involved in an accident.
A carseat that had been in an accident could still look brand new yet be
unsafe in the next accident: the retraction mechanism may have been
damaged, there may be tiny cracks in the plastic shell, etc. I think the
risk is not worth the $50 or so saved. Buy anything else used, but not
carseats!

Just for the record, our son was safe and sound in a Fisher Price seat
when we were involved in a serious head-on collision. The seat looked
just the same after the accident, but the manufacturer told us to get a
new seat.

>- Peggy -

Salit
gazit@iris.usc.edu
From: pete@wvus.org (Pete Gregory)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: mail order sales tax
Date: 14 Oct 92 17:55:55 GMT
Article-I.D.: wvus.1992Oct14.175555.3477
Distribution: usa
Organization: World Vision U.S.

Hi - I seem to remember hearing something about a change this year wherein
mail order companies out of your state cannot collect sales tax for your
state.

Example: I, a CA resident, would pay no sales tax if I buy something mail
order if that company is in any other state.

Can someone substantiate this one way or the other?  Many thanks...
-- 

Pete Gregory       |  Internet: pete@wvus.org
UNIX SA            |  Bangpath: ames!elroy!wvus!pete
World Vision U.S.  |  Slowpath: 919 W. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, CA 91016
From: jwc@netx.com (Jeff Comer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: BEWARE of Intellec Computer Corp.
Date: 15 Oct 92 16:58:18 GMT
Organization: The Chaos Bobs

Phil Calvert (PNCSPPC@ccvax1.cc.ncsu.edu) writes:
>A friend ordered a 33 MHz 486 PC from Intellec Computer Corp., P.O. Box
>660767, Miami, FL 33266-0767.  It arrived damaged.  She sent it back for
>a new one and they sent back the same exact unit with even more damage.
>She sent it back and requested a refund.  No response.  Several times
>she called the company and was put on hold and given a run-around.
>Recently, the company's phones were disconnected.  Now she has no PC
>and is out $2000.  Any suggestions?
>
>By the way, the computer was purchased with a credit card.  However, since
>the above transpired over a several month period I presume she can't
>collect via that route.  Or am I wrong?

I presume the $2000 charge has already appeared on the card. If not, she
is in luck. RUN, do not walk, to the nearest mailbox with a letter stating
what happened and that you are refusing to pay the charge.

Even if she has already ponied up the $2000, I don't think it's too late.
But you will have to move fast and tell the credit card folks what happened.
Good luck!

-jc
From: schoen2@husc10.harvard.edu (Michael Schoen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Personal Digital Assitants...
Summary: looking for recommendations
Keywords: PDA, Wizard, B.O.S.S., Newton
Date: 11 Oct 92 06:21:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc10.schoen2.718784460

Well, Apple's Newton is still a ways away, and I probably won't be able to 
afford one anway, so...does anyone have any recommendations on the current
crop of PDAs?

I've looked briefly at the Casio B.O.S.S., Sharp Wizard, and Psion series,
but I definitely need some advice. I'm looking to spend $200 or less, and
I mainly need a small (the Casio looks better than the Wizard in this respect)
device for keeping names, numbers, adresses, and other pertinent info, along
with basic note taking, and a well designed interface to a calendar/appointment
book.

A side question, other than which PDA is best, is whether or not you have
found them useful at all. At this point, I store a number of things on my
notebook, but find the whole process so cumbersome that I usually don't
bother to access it. Are PDAs too much of a bother at this point?

Thanks for any help.

Michael A. Schoen
schoen2@husc10.harvard.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: chrz@tellabs.com (Peter Chrzanowski)
Subject: Re: 600% faster PC, fraud?
Organization: Tellabs, Inc.
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 17:30:59 GMT

In article <8072@public.BTR.COM>, rem@btr.btr.com (Robert E. Maas  rem@btr.com) writes:
> Yesterday/Today in the mail I received an advertisement from "Tiger
> Software", 800 Douglas Entrance, Executive Tower, 7th Floor, Coral
> Gables, Florida 33134. Among the various items for sale was "FAST" for
> $29.90, which claims "HOW TO INSTANTLY MAKE YOUR PC RUN UP TO 600%
> FASTER! WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL HARDWARE! JUST SLIP IN THE DISKETTE!" I
> don't believe that claim can possibly be true. Is it a fraud?

You have to look at the weasel words, e.g., "UP TO" 600% faster.
It would seem to be true as long as they can find one program
that will run 600 percent faster.  

It seems plausible that a disk cacheing program might improve
the speed of something by that amount, if the something were
disk-intensive, esp. if your (real) disk drive were slow.
From: drevik@utkvx2.utk.edu (Drevik, Steve)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: ZEOS, GATEWAY, or Brand X ?  Your suggestions needed ASAP.
Date: 9 Oct 92 02:36:00 GMT
Organization: University of Tennessee Computing Center
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Oct8.141151.22959@schbbs.mot.com>, R1156C@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Michael Dow) writes...
>I'm going to buy a computer... Well, actually my company is buying it.  I'm
>the user.  Anyway, I tell them what I want and they write te check (within
>reason).
> 
>The system:  486/33 CPU
>             200+ meg HD
>             SVGA (1 meg, non interlaced)
>             128k Cache
>             8 megs memory
> 
>Zeos offers for ~ $2800.
>Gateway offers for about $2600.
>Brand X (someone will build the machine for me) comes in at about $2400.
> 
>My budget is about $2800.
> 
>Any comments about quality, etc?

Our company just recently bought some ZEOS 486 25/50's and a
Gateway 486 25/50.  The Gateway did significantly better on
the Norton Util benchmarks (107 vs 77!!).  We had a bad SIMM
in one of our ZEOS computers.  All the Gateways we have had so
far work reliably (Gateway did have a reliability problem a
few years ago with the "ugly box" 386'SX's).

I would recommend Gateway.  The delivery will be about another week
more than they quote, though.  It's expected in the industry today.

Why a 33 Mhz?  I recommend a DX2 25/50 Mhz, especially if you are
doing CPU-intensite tasks like compilation.

-steve


> 
>Michael R. Dow
>R1156C@waccvm.corp.mot.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk)
Subject: Re: Damark International
Organization: Pegasus,  Honolulu
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 00:58:01 GMT

>
>That's right, READ, don't look at the pictures.  Just becuase the pictured
>disk player says "Sony" on it doesn't meant that the one you receive will.
>

Hopefully the catalog mentions this somewhere.  Otherwise, that
practice is illegal (I think).


-- 
Richard Foulk		richard@pegasus.com
From: Brady_David@Tandem.Com (David Brady)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Revenge on a telemarketer!
Date: 17 Oct 92 00:39:16 GMT
Organization: Tandem, Inc.
X-Xxdate: Fri, 16 Oct 92 01:46:07 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11

In article <1992Oct16.215138.22040@ads.com> Henry Mensch, henry@ADS.COM
writes:
>savoia@sw.stratus.com (Rick Savoia) wrote: 
>->	This is down right rude and can also be dangerous to the person
>->	on the other end. 
>
>unsolicited telemarketing is rude.  the boat horn is an occupational
>hazard.
>
>--
># henry mensch / booz, allen & hamilton, inc.  / <henry@ads.com>
># "fight the real enemy."  -- sinead o'connor, and many others.
     ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^
I believe the real enemy here is *aggression*. 


This is what I do:
Answer the phone; determine that it is a solicitor; say "no thanks"; and
hang up the phone.

Easy - minimum of discomfort for all parties involved

This is what you do:
Answer the phone; determine that it is a solicitor; put the phone down;
get the boat horn; put the boat horn at the ear piece; blast the horn
(and cause the solicitor PHYSICAL discomfort); put the horn down; and
hang up the phone.

What do you do to boy/girl scouts selling cookies at your door?

==================
[Kid rings doorbell]
Ding Dong.

[You open the dorr and the kid says...]
Hi.  I'm selling magazines for my high school band and....

[You get out your boat horn and...]
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

[The kid looks scared and wonders why his ears ringing.]
===================

What's the difference between this and blowing out a telephone
solicitor's ears?  (Ah, I see.  The phone solicitor would find it hard to
fight back, whereas the door-to-door solicitor COULD fight back.)

This whole boat horn idea is petty malicious.  It is designed to infict
discomfort AND is dangerous - I speak as someone with ears that could be
damaged easily.   Wouldn't a simple "no thanks" suffice?
-----------------------------------
email: Brady_David@Tandem.Com

Remember, David Brady IS Lee Harvey!
From: scooter@hirgon.hw.stratus.com (Scott Jeffrey)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: How can I stop telemarketers from calling??
Date: 15 Oct 92 20:44:24 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.


	I tell the telemarketer to hold while I get the 'man of the house',
and hand it to my 3 year-old.  He loves talking on the phone...

scott


--
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
+  scooter@hirgon.hw.stratus.com                  Flat Flip Flies Straight  +
+                      "Go to the forest and move."                         +
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: heflin@rtsg.mot.com (Suzanne Stratton Heflin)
Subject: Re: Sweepstakes
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 15:42:29 GMT

jls@hela.iti.org (Janet L. Smith) writes:

>I just received a notice that I had "successfully completed the
>first two stages of the All-American Sweepstakes and Promotion"
>and I am ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED to receive at least one of the
>following 5 items
>	o  Chrysler LeBaron of $10,000 cash (they pay sales tax)
>	o  2 round trip airfares to Bahamas (hotel as low as
>	   $27/night)
>	o  Sony 32" color tv
>	o  Sony camcorder/VCR
>	o  $1,250 cash

>Now,  I know I have never entered a sweepstakes and they say the
>mailing list was drawn up from "credit and other criteria to target
>people most likely to be interested in this offer."     They say you
>are guaranteed to get something and then give odds for the awards -
>the vacation being 249,969:250,000.    Is this a time-share scam?

Probably.  Or the "free airfare" is from Miami.  At least it's an 800
number.  My husband once called a 900 number, the nut.  For several weeks
(longer?) after that, we got approximately 5 to 10 similar things EVERY
DAY.  Ignore them, they'll go away...

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: olsen@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Diane Olsen)
Subject: Re: Twins!!
Organization: Stanford University CSLI
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:12:45 GMT

My best advice is to post your request to misc.kids, if that group
is available at your site.  It's a great newsgroup that discusses
everything to do with kids, and it has a very high signal-to-noise
ratio (i.e., little flamage).  Be sure to ask about FAQ's;  there
may be one on twins.

--Diane

P.S. -- Congratulations!

-- 
Diane L. Olsen		"A woman with a mind is fit for all tasks."
olsen@csli.stanford.edu		--Christine de Pizan (c.1363-c.1431)
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17530 alt.politics.elections:15463
From: al@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Alan Peterman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.politics.elections
Subject: Re: Cable Bill Rip-off
Date: 7 Oct 92 18:06:49 GMT
Article-I.D.: qiclab.1992Oct7.180649.28983
Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon.

>In article <1992Oct6.165315.13389@netcom.com>, strnlght@netcom.com (David Sternlight) writes:
>Great analysis!  I was wondering just how to interpret all of this.  I
>think you really hit the nail on the head in that second paragraph.
>May I state it in steps:
>
>  1)  Broadcast networks are paid, according to the number of viewers, 
>      by advertisers.
>
>  2)  Cable companies, by providing a user-friendly medium for broadcast
>      networks to integrate into, are actually providing a service to these
>      companies, providing more viewers and therefore should be paid the fair 
>      market value for these services.  

So who pays the TV station?  They pay the network, don't get national
advertiser revenue, and on their local programming are paid by
viewer related advertisers.  Sorry, but they produce programming,
and the cable companies want to distribute it without paying them
for use of their signal.  What really galls me is the cable
companies charging $20+ per month for distribution of these
"free-to-them" signals and a smattering of cheapo "info" channels.
That's why we disconnected 3 years ago.  Of course the lousy
signal they provided was just adding insult to injury..

Of course the only time a pro-consumer bill could pass Congress
was the month before elections.  Maybe we need elections
every other month.  

-- 
Alan L. Peterman                                 (503)-684-1984 hm & work
                       al@qiclab.scn.rain.com
It's odd how as I get older, the days are longer, but the years are shorter!
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: fritz@fc.sde.hp.com (Gary Fritz)
Subject: Re: KM vitamins
Organization: HP SESD, Fort Collins, CO
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.4 PL6]
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:51:59 GMT

George B. Clark (georgec@eng.umd.edu) wrote:
: Look at the ingredient list on the label. It can't be anything more than
: an over-priced, multi-vitamin supplement. Just buy a generic brand, if
: you are so inclined.
: 
: It sounds like your friend is involved in pyramid sales. Has she tried
: to recruit you to sell the stuff, too? In any case, she doesn't know
: what she's talking about.

George, have you ever considered collecting a few facts before you spout
uninformed and prejudiced blather!?

I know nothing about "KM vitamins".  I suspect the original poster was
referring to Matol's "Km" herbal tonic.  Some people have reported the
sorts of results the friend claimed, some haven't.  But in any event:

  "It can't be anything more than over-priced multi-vitamins"
and
  "Your friend [might be] involved in pyramid sales ... [therefore?] she
   doesn't know what she's talking about."

These statements indicate an eagerness to slam something YOU know nothing
about.  I suggest in the future you might want to restrict your comments
to subjects you actually have some knowledge about, or at least make it
very clear you have no knowledge of the subject and are posting uninformed
opinions.

Gary
Newsgroups: misc.consumers