HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: johne@vcd.hp.com (John Eaton)
Subject: Re: AVIS screws us big time
Organization: Hewlett-Packard VCD
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1scd1 PL4
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 22:46:21 GMT

roger@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Roger Lustig) writes:
: 
: Trouble is, none of the rental agencies has the wherewithal or the legal
: right to go out on the highway, kick people out of their rental cars,
: and drag them back on time.  Nor does their contract with you require
: you to return the car on time.  
: 
: 
---------------------------------
Ever read the fine print on the back of a rental car application? This is 
from a Hertz Card Application:

  11. For rentals in Arizona, It is required by law that I acknowledge my
      understanding that it will be a violation of Arizona statues 13-1806
      if the rental car is not returned within 72 hours of the due date and
      time specified on the rental record and that I shall be subject to a
      maximum penalty not to exceed US$150,000 and/or imprisonment of 1.875
      years


John Eaton
!hp-vcd!johne


Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr)
Subject: Re: Homeowners insurance scam (State Farm)...
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 12:46:00 GMT

In article <1992Aug19.144644.1603@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil> bkottmann@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil (Brett Kottmann) writes:
>
>	Our Agent (Allstate) terms the replacement value as total cost.  We're
>insured for the approximate purchase price, plus $90k for furnishings.  The
>amount will only go up if our house gets a higher appraised value.  We can use
>the property tax numbers for this.
>
Not quite right.  What the insurance company means is that if the
cost of housing rises, so does the insurance coverage and vice-versa.

Up until this year, my coverage went up by the general rise in the
cost of comparable housing in my area.  This year, it went down.  So
did the overall coverage.

Replacement value means that if your house burns down or some such
disaster happens and your television is destroyed, the insurance
company will pay (actually reimburse) you for the cost of a new one
not the depreciated value assuming that you have this type of
coverage.

This is from my Allstate agent and a previous agent from a different
brokerage (not State Farm; they screwed me with car insurance).

Dave

-- 

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

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: ar710@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (William G. Martin)
Subject: Re: DAK's short-wave radio ??
Followup-To: rec.radio.shortwave
Reply-To: ar710@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (William G. Martin)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 20:29:55 GMT


In a previous article, C058SJLX@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu () says:
>  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.

The DAK radios have been discussed extensively over the years in
the group rec.radio.shortwave -- I don't know if there are any
unexpired postings about them still extant on your system, but I
suggest you take a look there. Also, any future discussion of this
will be better located there than in misc.consumers.

To summarize:

DAK's cheaper model, the MR-101s, at $50, and the radio portion of their
shortwave/dual-deck cassette, at $80, are generally regarded as poor
to wretched. The only thing they have going for them is the digital
readout -- the RF sensitivity, image rejection, and selectivity are
lousy. You will get better performance from one of the $30 analog-tuned
radios currently advertised from other sources.

Their latest model (I don't have the catalog handy, so am unsure
about the model # and price), is a smidgen better, but has a hidden
fatal flaw -- instead of continuous tuning between the shortwave-band
limits, it instead has been insanely designed with built-in shortwave-
broadcast-band divisions, arbitrarily forcing the radio to jump from
band to band and skip over areas of the spectrum in which there are
many "out-of-band" frequencies used by many different broadcasters.

The shortwave program "Media Network, aired on Radio Nederland, 
routinely reviews all types of shortwave radios. They reviewed this
latest DAK model just a week or so ago. Their evaluation: not
worth the money.

Also, in case you didn't know: DAK is currently operating under Chapter 11
bankruptcy -- this may not have any effect on their reliability or
the likelihood that they will be around in the future to honor
warranties, but it should be considered.
-- 
Will Martin
wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil OR wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil
From: hedges@pilot.njin.net (Douglas Hedges)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Time to deliver mail order goods or refund money?
Date: 14 Aug 92 14:51:50 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

If one orders through the  mail  with  payment  through  personal
check,  is  there  some  maximum  amount  of time one has to wait
before demanding one's money back?   The  check  has  long  since
cleared  (about  5 weeks ago) but no sign of product.  Any postal
laws pertain to this?  Does a company have to  deliver  within  a
certain  amount  of  time  before  being obligated to refund your
money?
From: shoroff@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Bart Simpson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Movie Rental Place wants my Credit Card #
Date: 17 Aug 92 03:00:22 GMT
Organization: Univ of Texas at Austin

In article <13225@texsun.Central.Sun.COM> dbernard@thewho.Central.Sun.COM writes:
>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
>
>	Dave

I was thinking that the merchant cannot ask for another form of ID
when one's using a MC/Visa, because I saw it being mentioned on this
newsgroup quite a few times. When I was asked for ID recently to use
my chase MC I called up Chase customer service and she told me that
they can. I refered to the Credit card agreement and sure, it says
that 'the merchant can at times demand identification to
honor the card'(not reproduced verbatim). So what's the deal? Is 
Chase imposing more rules? 

Anyone knows VISA/MC addresses to get things clarified?

Srihari 
-- 
|A very creative .sig has been ordered.                                      |
|			Will take 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.                 |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Wanna get in touch?                                                         | 
|If you're    -serious: 512 371 7409   -miserly: shoroff@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu  |
|                 -nuts   : 4413 Speedway #207; Austin, TX 78751          |
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: rtw@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (R. T. Wurth)
Subject: Re: Credit Union Deposit (Share) Interest (Dividend) Calculations
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs/Holmdel, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 16:46:50 GMT

In article <7724@public.BTR.COM> timlee@public.btr.com writes:
>Based on the credit union that I just became eligible to use,
>and some information from people using other credit unions, it
>seems that it is much more common among credit unions to use
>tricky or sleazy ways of calculating interest payments.  For
>example:
>
      [list deleted for brevity]
>
>Every other depository institution that I've asked (bank,
>savings & loan, industrial loan company) pays interest based on
>daily balance or average balance of the month or quarter.
      . . .
>
>Since credit unions are supposed to be run only in the interest
>of their members, why is it that tricky or sleazy interest
>calculations seem to be more common with credit unions?
>Shouldn't members of such credit unions use their voting
>power to change the credit unions' interest policies?
>
>Timothy J. Lee                 timlee@btr.com  ...!decwrl!btr!timlee

Here's one more for your list:  My CU pays dividends on full $5.00
shares;  Fractional amounts--even $4.99--earn no interest.

The only explanation I have is that they must have originally adopted
those policies back in the days of manual bookkeeping.  Those policies
certainly did make the computations easy, allowing them to operate with
lower overhead.  In addition, it fit in with credit unions' (somewhat
paternalistic) tradition of encouraging long-term savings, and it also
fit rather well with automatic monthly payroll savings.  A long-term
saver making automatic deposits credited on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd of the
month (weekends, you know) would lose no interest until the time of
withdrawal.  If the long-term is long enough, the withdrawal penalty
(loss of interest from the start of the quarter) becomes negligible.
The resulting cost savings (from the CU's viewpoint) could be shared
with all members in the form of higher regular dividends, special annual
bonus dividends, and loan interest rebates.  I must admit that in these
modern days of computerized accounting, there is no overhead savings
(note I am not addressing the issue of paying less interest)
resulting from not computing interest on an average daily balance. 

If you don't like it, you can volunteer for a committee, lobby current
members of the Board of Directors, go to the annual meeting to raise
the issue, and/or run for the Board of Directors.  I know my CU (United
Teletech FCU, Holmdel, NJ) always seems to have to promote their annual
meeting heavily to get people to come, and they really beat the bushes
for volunteer members to serve on committees and as officers.

Speaking for myself, not an officer, just a satisfied member of United
Teletech FCU.

   Rich Wurth / HO 2J-110B / AT&T-Bell Labs / 101 Crawfords Corner Rd. 
   PO Box 3030 / Holmdel, NJ  07733-3030 / 908 949 8060 / Fax: 908 949 8101
   mtuxj!rtw or rtw@mtuxj.ATT.COM (Mail to rtw@cbnewsj.att.com may be lost.)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,chi.general,il.general,alt.dcom.telecom
From: grnwood@gagme.chi.il.us (Jerry Greenwood)
Subject: Re: Ameritech Complete MasterCard
Originator: @gagme
Organization: Gagme Public Access UNIX, Chicago, Illinois.
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 07:21:21 GMT

Also....the May 1990 issue of Consumer Reports has the four major ways in
which the interest is computed.  They list them according to their
desirability.  

Armed with these one can make a good choice.  There is even a 7.9

percent card out there....the catch is that it has a $39.00 fee.  That
would be great for me as I carry a large balance.  I'll probably get that
card and when the balance is paid off....switch to a no fee card.

-- 

Submitted for your approval.....
Jerry Greenwood                                                      N9NRG
grnwood@gagme.chi.il.us                                       312-545-2219

--
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: darylb@sword.eng.hou.compaq.com (Daryl Biberdorf)
Subject: Re: Movie Rental Place wants my Credit Card #
Organization: Compaq Computer Corp.
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:29:20 GMT

In article <BsvpEy.A8J@news.cso.uiuc.edu> tamu@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Todd Henderson) writes:
>At block buster(I hate this place) they use your credit card as a charge
>waiting to happen.  They told me they require so that if you don't bring
>back a tape, they just pop out your old application and use the number to
>charge up a premium price for a tape you just bought!
>
>This seems like a highly questionable practice, although I understand their
>need for security, I think this is a little out of line.  A lot of places
>only want to see a bill(elect., phone) with your address to confirm that
>you live where you told them, I assume so they can track you down.

I don't know of a video rental place that I've ever used that *didn't*
do this.  It's usually stated clearly on the rental agreement that you
sign when you apply for membership.

>I hate block buster, I hate block buster, I hate block buster.  Sorry, but
>their prices and credit card policy drives me crazy.  One more for the
>road.  I hate block buster.  Ahhhh, that fills so much better.

I don't like Blockbuster, myself, but this particular practice seems to be
common.

Daryl
--
Daryl Biberdorf                 |  Compaq Computer Corporation | standard
darylb@sword.eng.hou.compaq.com |  20555 SH 249  M/S 060701    | disclaimer
dlb5404@tamsun.tamu.edu         |  Houston, TX 77070           | applies

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: joni@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (joni.dunlap)
Subject: suplimental medicare insurance
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 17:11:36 GMT

My Mother is going to turn 65 very soon and has been looking into
suplimental medicare insurance. She tells me that it is all very confusing
to her. Well as she lives in Key Largo, FL and I live in Naperville, IL
I don't have the time or money to help her with this. I would greatly
appreciate any advice on which policies are good. I know that some of
the policies are just complete rip offs. 

Joni
From: vanover@bcsaic.boeing.com (Jann VanOver)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: bread makers
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:38:45 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle

In article <1992Aug19.214705.37208@evolving.com> root@evolving.com writes:
>does anyone have any knowledge regarding brands of breadmakers made in the
>usa.  in particular i am interested in peoples experiences with different
>brands.
>thanks,
>dxs@evolving.com

Bread makers have been discussed in the sourdough newsgroup lately, and
the definite consensus is that the dome-shaped (often called the R2D2
model) bread makers are no good.  Rectangular shaped ones, regardless of
manufacturer, are always better.

Tune in to rec.food.sourdough for more information!
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
VanOver@atc.boeing.com
       "Why don't y'all go home?"     Bette Davis in The Little Foxes
---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: gt8963a@prism.gatech.EDU (MCCARTNEY,JEFFREY ELWOOD)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Need overview of maritime "no fault" insurance/legal system
Date: 16 Aug 92 03:10:15 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

I'm sick and tired of the U.S. legal system and its ways to make
money for the lawyers at the expense of everyone else losing.
I've heard the international maritime legal system works 
wonderfully in that damages are incurred by parties up front
with set damages so that the dragged out court proceedings don't
happen as Americans are so used to.  Can anyone refer me to an
overview of the international maritime legal system that works so
well with its set damages and ways of doing things such that
the results aren't a crap shoot of who has the best lawyer, etc.

Thank you

-- 

uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt8963a
Internet: gt8963a@prism.gatech.edu
From: jfb200@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (joseph.f.baugher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: A Novel Junk Mail Approach
Keywords: You are about to lose your home!
Date: 17 Aug 92 01:21:09 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories -  Naperville, Illinois

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 :-)

Has anyone else run into a similar sort of approach?

Joe Baugher			**************************************
AT&T Bell Laboratories		*  "You see, something's going to    *
2000 North Naperville Road	*   happen.  Something wonderful!"   *
P. O. Box 3033			**************************************
Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033		
(708) 713 4548				
ihlpl!jfb                   Who, me?  Speak for AT&T?  Surely you jest!	
jfb200@cbnewsd.att.com
From: niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: question on washers/dryers
Date: 19 Aug 92 18:35:39 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973

In article <Bt5nLM.3Gq@world.std.com> ibe@world.std.com (ira b ekhaus) writes:
>hello,
>
>Are there any references or recommendations for brands of washers to buy?
>How about the issues in buy them used (what to look for , % of new price) ?
>
First of all, forget about brand names.  The basic function is to wash
clothes,  period.  Some are better and some are not and I'm speaking
from experience having had two new washers and several rebuilt ones.

Purchasing a washing machine should depend on you, your household and
how much you intend to use the machine.  The bigger the price isn't
always the better, no matter what the sales person says.

What I've found in the used market is that the warrantees are better
over the initial period.  Don't expect them to last as long as a new
one since their life cycle has already been used up (or almost).

As I said, the simpler the machine the better.  I can't imagine my
family of eight people needing a "golly, gee, whiz-bang" model when the
basic purpose is to wash clothes.

Dave

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


-- 

Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: mpeter@OAVAX.CSUCHICO.EDU (Margot Peter)
Subject: Re: Boric Acid--the best roach killer!
Reply-To: mpeter@OAVAX.CSUCHICO.EDU
Organization: California State University, Chico
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 18:57:06 GMT

In article <MMEYER.92Aug18124253@m2.dseg.ti.com>, mmeyer@m2.dseg.ti.com (Mark Meyer) writes:
>In article <Bt6pvq.22x@news.cso.uiuc.edu> acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng) writes:
>> I heard their "skin" dries up and withered. 
>
>	I thought it acted as a stomach poison, after the roaches
>ingest it while "cleaning" themselves.  Hmm...
>
>-- 
>Mark Meyer                                             

Some cruisers brought back a boatload of roaches from the tropics. Rather than
go the aerosol bomb route, they mixed a little sugar with the borax. A few days
later, "No problem, Mon."


Margot                 "I had to sink my yacht to make the guests go home."
                                      F. Scott Fitzgerald
From: ed@wente.llnl.gov (Ed Suranyi)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Movie Rental Place wants my Credit Card #
Date: 19 Aug 92 16:59:52 GMT
Organization: UC Davis Dept of Applied Science at LLNL

In article <Bt72GC.7Gq@news.cso.uiuc.edu> tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
>In article <1992Aug11.184817.11221@icd.teradyne.com> rvn@icd.teradyne.com (Rafael Vidaillet) writes:
>>	Well this is the way all the movie rental places I have been a member
>>	of work. The idea is that if you take off with the tape and dissappear
>>	they will be able to charge you the price of the movie.
>
>I'm a member of precisely one movie rental club, and I gave them nothing
>more than my name and address. All it really takes is to find a
>reasonable place with which to do business.

Well, I don't doubt that there's ONE place that will rent you videotapes
without a credit card number on file, but I've certainly never found
one myself.  I'm a member of about seven video stores, and they all
had asked for a credit card.  Until your posting I never heard of one
who didn't.

In fact, most rental places that I'm aware of -- from car rentals to
furniture rentals to video rentals -- require some kind of security,
which in most cases is a credit card number.

Ed
ed@wente.llnl.gov
From: connie@sw.stratus.com (Connie Lopes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Need Address and Name
Date: 14 Aug 92 18:27:05 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.




In article <1992Aug13.191118.10422@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>, rsl@aplpy.jhuapl.edu (Russell S. Laderer) writes:
> 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


	Traveling 40 MPH with a solid piece of plywood tied onto the
roof?  The end result does not surprise me a bit.  I bet a foreign
car would yield the same result.  Good luck trying to get someone
else to pay for it.  No sympathy from me!

Connie