HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ky04@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (KUN YU)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Damark International
Date: 7 Oct 92 02:49:41 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

In article <1992Oct3.200153.11470@sequent.com>, debk@sequent.com (Deborah Stewart) writes:
>Has anyone out there had any experience (good or bad) oredering
>products from a company called Damark International out of
>Minneapolis, MN? any comments welcome.
>Thanks!

I have had some experience with Damark, pretty good, not necessarily 
impressive. I bought computers and a briefcase, and a toothbrush which I 
don't like. I returned a CPU of a Goldsatr computer which could not boot.
Also got $190 refund since they lowered price two weeks after I bought 
a computer. No hassale. Their products are not namebrand or top-quality,
but cheap.
-- 



                                                          _                  
ky04@lehigh.edu                                         / _ \
KYu, BioProcessing Institute                          /\ _|_ /\
111 Lehigh University                                    /|\
From: bkottmann@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil (Brett Kottmann)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: How do I handle Phone harassment?
Date: 7 Oct 92 18:28:34 GMT
Organization: Logicon Technical Services, Inc.

In article <1agj04INN5ef@aludra.usc.edu>, rmakarem@usc.edu (Total Stranger) writes:
> Hi,
> About two months ago, I started getting phone calls asking for a
> person with the same last name as mine, but I have no idea who
> that person is.
> Apparently the calls are from collection agencies and different
> creditors.  Every time I received a call, I would explain to them
> that they have the wrong number, and would they please not call
> again.  Most of the calls stopped, but there are a couple of 
> agencies that still call frequently, and every time we tell them
> that they have the wrong number they accuse us of lying.  It is
> getting to be unbearable.  What can I do to make the phone calls
> stop?  

	Sue them.

> I know the names of the people who are calling, as well as their
> company names and phone numbers (All left conveniently on the
> answering machine), can I bring harassment charges against them?

	Yes.

Brett--------------------------------------------------------------------------
	"Why the courts don't tell a husband who has been living off his wife
to go out and get a job is beyond my comprehension."--Joan Lunden
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17643 rec.boats:6977
From: hal@kaos.declab.usu.edu (000200 Lynch)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.boats
Subject: Re: Houseboating on Lake Powell
Date: 9 Oct 92 15:32:55 GMT
 <1992Oct6.211711.19472@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> <1992Oct8.183941.25931@pony.Ingres.COM>
Reply-To: hal@kaos.declab.usu.edu (000200 Lynch)
Distribution: na
Organization: Utah State University

In article <1992Oct8.183941.25931@pony.Ingres.COM>, reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux) writes:
|>
|>So, where the heck is Lake Powell?  I've  never heard of  it except in
|>this newsgroup...
|>					reb
Lake Powell, on the Colorado river, is the water impounded by the Glen Canyon
Dam.  The location is roughly in the middle of the border between Utah and
Arizona.  The lake is ~80 miles long as the crow flies, over 100 by boat.
It is located in a red rock desert.  With apologies to all you ascii artists!

                                                 
     |                                          //                           |
     |                      Utah               //                            |
     |                                        //   Lake Powell               |
     |                                      / /                              |
     |                                      //_________                      |
     |                                     / ----------->                    |
     |                                    / /                                |      --------------------------------------/  /--------------------------------+--
 /                                       \/                                  |
/                                 Glen Canyon Dam                            |
                                                         Arizona


--
Hal Lynch

	US Mail:  Utah State University
	          Office of Computer Services
	          Logan, Utah 84322-4410
	Internet: Hal@cache.declab.usu.edu
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17726 alt.activism.d:3800 aus.general:1874
From: Jym Dyer <jym@mica.berkeley.edu>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.activism.d,aus.general
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Date: 12 Oct 1992 23:44:31 GMT
Organization: The Naughty Peahen Party Line
	<1992Sep27.135600.28965@anomaly.sbs.risc.net>
	<Gary.Woodman.719.717641452@anu.edu.au>
	<1992Sep28.053336.9290@cs.su.oz.au>
NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: yar@cs.su.oz.au's message of 28 Sep 92 05:33:36 GMT

> Having just recently raised a child in this country . . .

=^= Stop right there.  "In this country" changes everything.
Everything.

=^= We're talking about people who don't have access to medical
information, don't have a nearby supermarket to select different
brands from (as if that were even the issue), and don't have a
big industrialized dairy industry to keep the price of (cow)
milk affordable.

=^= Nestle's strategy has been to dress up their employees in
the white medical garb of health workers, and actually have
them denigrate breast-feeding (by portraying it as a bestial
practice) and promoting formula-feeding as a modern medical
alternative.

=^= New mothers are given just enough free sample of formula
so that if they use it to replace (rather than supplant) their
own milk, their own milk will dry up.  And some of those mothers
make that choice, because Nestle's "clinicians" tell them it's
the right choice.

> As always, the problem is a lot harder to deal when faced
> with reality.

=^= I suggest that *you* face reality.  Really, it doesn't
take rocket science to realize that your premises are totally
inapplicable to these people in developing nations!

> The solution for some seems to be to blame the evil large
> multi-national, and if that make you feel good, then go
> ahead . . .

=^= That's just a vacuous flame.  How about dealing with the
actual substance (i.e., what a given multi-national is doing)
instead of whining about some surface appearance?
    <_Jym_>
__
I don't know if she likes this, but in a way I treat her as a staff
 person.
                -- Vice President Dan Quayle, referring to Marilyn.
From: richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Revenge on a telemarketer!
Date: 15 Oct 92 22:17:41 GMT
Organization: Hatch Usenet and E-mail.  Playa del Rey, CA

In article <sch.719090578@gargoyle> sch@unx.sas.com (Steve Holzworth) writes:
>My best results to date have been with the following:
>
>(stm = scummy tele-marketer)

The way I like to do it is:

(ring)
me:  Hello?

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

me(If I don't recognize the voice): Who is calling please.....?

stm: This is John Doe with Long Distance R Us.

me: Hold on, let me get him for you.
    (I then put the phone on HOLD and hang up.  It has taken as
     long as 10-15 minutes before the line_in_use line goes out.)
-- 
                
Rich Greenberg - N6LRT - 310-649-0238 - richg@hatch.socal.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: royg@netcom.com (Roy H. Gordon)
Subject: Fire Extinguishers
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 17:47:57 GMT

We need to purchase new fire extinguishers for our home and autos.

What should we get?   (I remember Consumer Reports once did an article
explaining the various types and labellings.)

Thanks.
From: kz08+@andrew.cmu.edu (Ken Zuroski)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Quicken: Mac vs. PC
Date: 12 Oct 92 19:49:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: elara.718948194.4694.0
Organization: Doctoral student, English, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

In regard to the recent thread on Quicken compared to Managing Your Money:

Someone mentioned that the Mac version of Quicken doesn't have the ability
to track investment information like its PC counterpart. I learned this the
hard way--I bought a Mac version after reading up on the PC version, thinking
that they were the same. Since it took me a bit of time to learn all the
functionality of the program, by the time I learned that it couldn't do
all I wanted it to I was already heavily committed to using it (i.e., had
spent hours typing in all my account info). 

I've been thinking about switching to MYM or some other financial tracker;
I understand that either MYM or something similar will read Quicken files.
However, I'd rather just have Intuit release a new version of Quicken for
the Mac that brings it up to speed with the PC version. Anyone know if there
are any plans for this anytime soon?

Ken

---
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken Zuroski
Department of English
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
kz08@cmu.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: konstan@saturn.cs.umn.edu (Joe Konstan)
Subject: Re: mail order sales tax
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Minnesota
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 22:06:59 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.175555.3477@wvus.org>, pete@wvus.org (Pete Gregory) writes:
|> 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...

The other way, I'm afraid....

What you are referring to is the fact that states can no longer force
companies that have no business presence in the state to collect use 
tax for them.  There is a lot of background:

Sales tax covers sales made within a state.  Most states also have a use
tax that is identical to the sales tax except that it covers goods bought
out-of-state and usually allows you credit for sales tax paid to another
state.  In other words, if I live in California and buy a computer
locally I pay sales tax.  If I buy it from Oregon (no sales tax, as far
as I know), I pay use tax to California.  If I buy it in Arizona (lower
sales tax than CA) I pay sales tax in Arizona and use tax (minus
tax paid) to California.  Finally, if I buy it mail order from New York, 
I pay only use tax to California, instead of any sales tax to New York.

This hasn't changed.  You still owe the same taxes to your home state on
out-of-state purchases.  What has changed is how they are collected.  States
had been pressuring mail-order companies to collect use taxes for them (an
administrative nightmare for mail-order).  The new rules say that states only
have to collect these taxes if they have a business presence in the state.

Finally, there is nothing to prevent the mail order company from voluntarily
collecting use taxes (or presumably from reaching an agreement with the state
to collect them for some fee).  

So, if you order from out-of-state, AND the company has no business presence
in your state, AND they choose not to collect use tax, then you won't be 
billed tax, BUT will still be legally obligated to pay it on your own.  States
recognize that this is hard to enforce (except for registered purchases such
as motor vehicles) which is why they want companies to do the work.  Nobody
can guess whether states will be more aggressive in enforcing this now that
they can't get the mail order folks to do their dirty work.

Joe Konstan
konstan@cs.umn.edu
From: jailbird@next08pg2.wam.umd.edu (serial killer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: television problems
Date: 8 Oct 92 03:47:15 GMT
Organization: Workstations at Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park



Hey guys my Panasonic tlevesion isn't working properly and I thought maybe
someone could help me.  When I first turn the computer on it works  
perfectly. But after about 5 minute after it starts to warm up a little it
just turns off.  I'm probably going to take it to fix it but first I want  
to have an idea what it could be so I don't walk in there blind and let  
them tellse so they could rip me off.

thanks

l8r

jailbird
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: bill@unixland.natick.ma.us (Bill Heiser)
Subject: Re: Question about bounced check
Organization: Unixland Public Access Unix  (508) 655-3848
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 23:40:34 GMT

henry@ADS.COM (Henry Mensch) writes:
>i know of no instance of someone collecting this fee from the bank ...
>doing a chargeback takes about three seconds ... and apparently bank
>seconds are expensive.

Oh, yes, those $4.35/hr bank clerks are a budget breaker!

I think it's just another ploy of the Big Banks (tm) to squeeze more
money out of us.  Or, it could be a tactic to make us "be careful of
who we take checks from", or in other words, to do their job for them
(processing check verification etc).

>i think the idea is that you collect this fee from the person who gave
>you the bum check ...

Can a small business do this if no notice has been publicly posted?
-- 
bill@unixland.natick.ma.us                      ESIX Mailing List Moderator
Public Access UNIX/USENET/E-MAIL!  UUCP Accounts Available!  (508) 655-3848
5 lines  -  Located in Natick, MA   USA    Supporting V.32/PEP/V.42bis, etc.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: rhalse20@ursa.calvin.edu (Rob Halsey)
Subject: Re: KM vitamins
Organization: Calvin College
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 01:11:56 GMT

joni@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (joni.dunlap) writes:

>I have a girlfriend that is selling this vitamine suppliment called KM.
>She has been trying to sell me this stuff for about 6 months now. She 
>claims that you will instantly start feeling better within a week of using  
>the stuff on a daily basis. Well the stuff is expensive and sound like a 
>lot of snake oil. Any and all comments about the stuff welcome. 
> 
>Joni :) 

Well, I can't speak from personal experience, but my 42 year old mother
uses the stuff.  She had been to at least 15 different doctors to try to
get them to explain why she never feels motivated, or also why she can
never sleep for more than three hours uninterrupted.  She started using
it about 6 months ago, and she swears by it.  I gather that it is all
natural, so I guess that is good.  But for her, the best part is that
she has been sleeping much better.  Maybe it has done her body some
good, or maybe it is all bull$#!+, but she likes it.

Hope this helps...
--
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: dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek)
Subject: Re: Can a clinic ask for direct cash payment for bills?
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 19:56:17 GMT
Distribution: usa

In article <1992Oct8.205320.25214@a.cs.okstate.edu>, mallidi@a.cs.okstate.edu (MALLIDI SATYANARAY) writes:
|> 
|> 	Recently, a friend of mine had to go to a clinic for Immigration
|> related health checkup. It was in San Francisco. He told that any of the
|> approved clinics (there is a list of approved clinics for Immigration
|> related health checkup) would not accept Health Insurance or checks. One 
|> has to pay cash only. His insurance would have paid most of the money, if
|> the clinic had accepted that. I was a little bit suspicious about this.
|> 
|> 	Can any clinic say that they will accept only cash? Does this kind
|> of cash payment go accounted (for tax purposes)? Can this clinic say that
|> they don't accept checks even if you show proper id like CA driver licence?
|> 
|> 	Can some knowledgeable netters give info on this?

If it would have been covered under your friend's health insurance then he
can probably file the claim and get reimbursement.  The health insurance
should work whether or not you paid.

Mike Dedek
From: giddings@denali.physics.ucsb.edu (Steve Giddings)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: contacts by mail -- illegal/unethical??
Date: 12 Oct 92 21:00:11 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of California Santa Barbara

I have been ordering my contacts by mail from Dial a Contact Lens.
I recently changed eye doctors, and my new eye doctor is stridently
opposed to my doing this.  He claims that outfits like this obtain 
their contacts illegally or unethically through third parties,
referred to an embargo that other doctors
are attempting to enforce, and has refused to give me my prescription.

My question:  is it true that Dial a Contact Lens and other such
mail-order lens suppliers are illegal, unethical, or in a legal gray
area?  Or is my doctor (and his friends) just trying to protect their
ability to continue to dispense contacts, either for medical reasons
or for profit reasons?  

I would appreciate any concrete information that anyone could supply
regarding this.  Please email comments (if there is sufficient interest
I could be persuaded to post a summary).

Steve Giddings  giddings@denali.physics.ucsb.edu

(These are my opinions and not those of my empoyer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu (jason reiser)
Subject: Re: How can I stop telemarketers from calling??
Organization: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 08:21:18 GMT

"Hi, my name is ____ and I am calling from ____ Inc. and was wondering
if you could talk to me for a few minutes about a revolutionary new
product"

"Gee, you know, I am really busy at the moment... I'll tell you what.
Why don't you give me your home number, and later, when I have a
chance, I'll give you a call.  Would that be OK?"

"Not really... (pause likely)"

"Yea, I understand.  I guess you don't really want to get these kinds
of calls at home right?"

"Exactly..."

"So, now you know how I feel."

(click)

				- Jason
jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu

appologies to Jerry Seinfeld.
From: hhaas@RAIL9000.gatech.edu (Harry P. Haas)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: How can I stop telemarketers from calling??
Date: 13 Oct 92 13:51:47 GMT
Organization: Georgia Tech Research Institute

In article <Bw0y0u.GH0@unx.sas.com> sasbrb@rolypoly.unx.sas.com (Brendan Bailey) writes:
>   Does anyone know the name and phone number of the group that
>helps consumers reduce/stop telemarketers from calling?

Contact your state Public Service Commision, and ask them about your
state regulations regarding phone solicitation.  Get CLID (Calling
Line I.D.) if available, if not, WRITE your PSC and request it.  Write
your Bell company and request it.

I have had great luck with the GPSC and my CLID device.  So far, I've
reported 3 "illegal" telemarketing companies.  I don't get many calls
anymore . . . I guess I'm now on a DON'T CALL list  :=)

hh
---
Harry Haas  GTRI/RIDL/SB    |    Georgia Tech Research Institute
Research Engineer II        |    225 North Ave.
hh2@prism.gatech.edu        |    Atlanta Georgia, 30332
"I know engineers . . . . they *love* to change things"  - Bones
From: bazelmans@pcsnode.uucp (Rudy Bazelmans)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: How do I handle Phone harassment?
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 04:37:35 EDT
Organization: Progressive Computer Solutions

rmakarem@usc.edu (Total Stranger) writes:

> I know the names of the people who are calling, as well as their
> company names and phone numbers (All left conveniently on the
> answering machine), can I bring harassment charges against them?
> 

Simply report them to the phone company.  They will handle it.


Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17581 alt.politics.elections:15616
From: curt@vtucs.cc.vt.edu (Curt Tilmes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.politics.elections
Subject: Re: Cable Bill Rip-off
Date: 8 Oct 92 16:55:48 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
In-reply-to: sean@sdg.dra.com's message of 7 Oct 92 20:12:51 GMT

>Several of the "free" magazines I get have essentially NO paid circulation.
>But they still retain their copyright.  They can, and do go after people who
>infringes on their copyright.  See what NetworkWorld's reaction is if you
>start handing out copies of one of their reviews of a product at a booth
>at a trade show without paying them even if they originally didn't charge
>you for the magazine.  They won't be happy campers, even you claim that
>you are "helping" them by giving them more exposure.

I think you are missing something here.  They want to get more
exposure for the *advertisements*.. the "reviews of a product", etc. are
the means by which the consumer is enticed to be exposed to the
advertisements.  This would be like a cable company chopping out the
good shows, sans commercials and broadcasting them.. I don't think the
Cable Bill allows that.

I agree with some of your other points. (see original posting).

Curt
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Personal Digital Assitants...
Date: 13 Oct 92 15:12:47 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana


Whatever happened to the Atari Portfolio? It's small enough to make a
good PDA, and it has a connector on the back which will allow it to
connect with a PC for data exchange. Are they still around?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: colette@bnr.ca (Colette George)
Subject: Re: Revenge on a telemarketer!
Organization: Bell-Northern Research 
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 19:15:35 GMT

In article <sch.719090578@gargoyle>, sch@unx.sas.com (Steve Holzworth) writes:
|> 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).
|> 
|> 
Actually, my best one has been as follows:

(ring)
me:  Hello?
stm: Hello. May I speak to Ms. George?
stm: Speaking...
stm: Hello, Ms. George, this is John Doe with Annoying U Ltd.
me: <click>  (sound of phone hanging up)

The reason I've been forced into such drastic action is because I was
literally being *harrassed* by certain companies, one of them being a
local paper trying to get more subscribers.  I was getting a call 
several times a month.  I tried everything, but they just didn't stop 
bothering me until I started hanging up in their ears.  Since then I 
haven't received *one* call. :-) Peace at last!

-- 
===================================================================
Colette George 			
Bell-Northern Research Ltd. 	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Internet:  colette@bnr.ca 
===================================================================
From: b_lmcgilve@cpvax.cpses.tu.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Cheap glasses
Date: 12 Oct 92 12:39:57 CDT
Organization: Texas Utilities, Glen Rose TX 

In article <9210092029.AA20279@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, asa@STL-09SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin on 9000) writes:

STUFF DELETED

> any downsides? Is it possible that these cheap glasses would be so bad
> that they actually might harm my eyes? Are these so flimsy that they'll
> fall apart in a couple weeks and thus, even though only costing $25 or
> so, be a waste of that amount? 
> 
I did this a couple of years ago, got one pair of regular glasses and
one pair of sunglasses.  The problems I noticed where:  the styles I liked
where hard to find and the lens were ground slightly differently.   
I would get a mild headache going from the sunglasses back to the regular
glasses if I was wearing the sunglasses for any length of time.  Sorry I
don't know my exact correction, but I am myopic with astigmatism (20/200+ in
both eyes).  The glasses lasted for about three years (my horse reaarranged 
them one day).  I still use the sunglasses.  Both sets came with plastic
lenses.  
-- 
Laurel McGilvery		Not only do I not speak for the company,
CPSES (temporarily)		the company does not speak for me. 

All opinions expressed are obviously mine.  Who else would own up to them?