Slashdot Mirror
Consumers Union Wants You to Share Your Story
dcgirl20006 writes "Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports launched a new site to help consumers across the country who are dealing with phone bills, cell phone contracts, cable packages and Internet scams.
Consumers experiencing problems are not alone. The site is searchable and consumers can find one that most closely matches the situation in which they are in. We don't have all the answers to every problem consumers may face, but some consumers have shared solutions and suggestions."
It's about time some larger, collative body steps in to perform something like this. Incidences of telephone companies (as one example of many) charging the wrong price on bills, or not providing a service, and then not fixing it up for the customer are all too common, and frankly current means of fighting these (ie. TIO, Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in Australia) , although having some power, are by no means a definitive source on _all_ incidents regardless of industry. This is a good move for the consumer in defeating corporate scare / money-grabbing tactics.
Its sites like this that really illustrate just how powerful and useful the Web can be. That and Slashdot of course.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
being that the site is slashdotted, i cant RTFS.
however id surmise that complaints would date to 2004 because things sometimes happen in the past. just a guess though.
turn up the jukebox and tell me a lie
I dunno.
Would it be so unreasonalbe for the companies to make the fine print a bit bigger? Or to make sure that the terms are so reasonable that there isn't anything that you wouldn't expect in the fine print?
So the companies involved are technically in the right. They still make a lot of profit from people who aren't fully aware of the terms, that they know are not fully aware of the terms.
If I treated people like this, then I'd rightfully be considered a complete bastard. Companies are alllowed tyo get away with it though.
While caveat emptor is a time tested principle, it is not perfect for all situations.
In particular, here are a few issues:
Example: when was the last time you read the license *before* purchasing a DVD ?
Example: try to change the license applied to your cell phone contract.
The Care Rep.
I don't know you, but I already hate you. Don't get us wrong its not any fault of yours. Just as a person is smart and people are morons, that is where the hate comes from. And here is some news we don't appreciate your business and wish you would go to hell. The brief contact that one person can have with another, in our case 490 seconds. In case you did not realize it that is the amount of time that we have to take your call find out what you are whining about and eject you from the phone. Don't worry you are not the only one, I take an average of 60 calls a day, some times 100, lets just call it 60. We work 247 days a year, lets average this... 60 * 247 = 14820 calls in a year * 400 seconds = 5928000 seconds, (lets divide that by 120 to bring it to hours) = 49,400 hours a year spent on the phone with people just like you! You may think that your problem is special; I assure you it is not. Most problems a tenured care rep has fixed within the first 35 seconds of the call. If that same rep stops to argue with you be assured that you are wrong. We know our jobs 14820 calls a year do not forget. And yet you whine you cry when you do not get your credit, you try and sway us you try and make us care, remember the first line of this manifesto. The truth is there!
Do you take time away from your work to assist someone that you hate with some thing that they did to themselves? No, you are the average American you spit on them push them kill them hang them enslave them. Do you help them apply credit for them? Its your country, you built it we just enforce the rules that you built for yourselves. Do you feel like you are getting conned? Don't worry that's just business as usual. Have you ever been lied to? Point blank lied to, so someone could get their own way? You know we notate everything, if you don't know now you do. We notate everything in some cases (if you sound like an exceptional ass) every word, we know what happened on Dec 2 of 2003. You cannot lie to us. In addition to which even if its not notated you should do your homework, before you lie to us. If the item or service you want did not exist you could never have been offered it.
How should you deal with us? It's very easy:
1. Be respectful, we are not your subordinates we are not a lower form of life and in most cases we are the only thing standing between you and what you want. And we have ALL the power that you think we do.
2. Don't Yell/Scream, if you feel the need to yell or scream take it out on someone who cares? We don't listen to it we don't care refer to line one. Don't call us in a bad angry mood, go masturbate or something then call us back.
3. Don't masturbate, do whatever you want when you are off the phone. Don't spank it while you are on the phone with us, that is just sick. And happens way too often.
4. Proper English. Axe != Ask, speak clearly and concisely.
5. Suck up. The fact of the matter is, in most cases, you screwed up, which means that I am under absolutely no obligation to do anything. In most cases if it is reasonable I will do something, but it's still my call 100% so if you yell/scream/name call, I will say no. Not because I can't do anything, but because you have not inspired me to help you.
6. Avoid the following phrase "you people". Has anyone used this phrase on you? Consider this part of Respect, and remember we know who you are and where you live. At any point in time I have access to you SSN your address your bank account numbers your credit card numbers I even know when you were born!
7. Have a pen and paper ready. I mean really.
8. Don't swear. If you swear you are in twice as much trouble, we will actually go out of our way to make your life hell.
Once again it is not you that we don't want to like you, and that is the loophole. If you treat us well if you are nice / respectful to us as an individual (we usually hate the company we work for as much as you) we will bend over backwards for you we will generally go above and beyond what we should be doing for you. If we say we cannot do something at this point we generally cannot.
There is an important exemption to this - one could try to change the license terms through collective bargaining, PR, or just if many people ask for it. This is where websites can be very helpful.
Not much to this site. Mostly a great place to bitch and make businesses look bad. One thing I do notice is there is no way to reply to a story, which is awfully convienent because leafing through what's posted I realize lots of the stories are:
* People who didn't read the fine print on contractual agreements.
* Customer's who don't understand economics of scale (i.e. one person having troubles with cell phone reception in a given area of town does not justify the cost to put in a new tower for the company).
* People who are blaming the wrong person
(i.e. a la carte cable)
Don't blame Comcast because you can't buy channels one at a time. Comcast can't buy their stations from Viacom, ect like that, that is why they don't offer it to you. If you hate this arrangement, talk to TimeWarner (Entertainmant) or NBC Universal, not Comcast.