So, for now, you can continue to earn airline miles at Verizon's expense.
They made a decision to accept credit cards in order to bring in more customers. Don't expect me to volunteer to pay for it.
when are the idiot consumers going to stop whining and complaining about these charges, and start looking for better companies to do business with?
Unfortunately, in many industries, there is no alternative to the oligopolies other than to not partake of the product at all. If you make the choice to not partake, then you are a ridiculously small minority compared to the sheer masses of people who don't know or don't care that they are getting ripped off. Even if 1% of the people refuse to get a cell phone because of the costs, the cell phone companies aren't swayed by that number. They just figure 1% of the people don't want one at all, not that the 1% want one on reasonable terms and conditions.
I always thought it was more egregious for them to charge for NOT listing your number, rather than for listing it. When asked, reps always gave some lame excuse, like it costs money to flag to remove the listing entry...
Even more entertaining is that they will charge you to not list your number, but if you are a business, they will charge you to list it.
With the current state of our government, I'm surprised that they don't request ID for cash transactions. After all, they already know who you are if you use credit.
I can vouch for the fact that just about every Asian business owner I know does as much cash business as possible. They pay their employees at least partly in cash and they take in cash as much as possible, and sometimes the cash register doesn't ever get opened at all.
The drawback is that when they want to go buy a house or something, they can't get any credit. Their tax returns show such dismally small income that the banks won't lend them money even though they have a couple of hundred thousand dollars in cash to put down.
9/10 places I went for pho and dim sum did not accept credit cards at all just 3 years ago.
I only use American Express and will avoid places that don't let me use American Express. I don't have a Visa or a Mastercard and don't want one. There is one pho place by me that does not take American Express despite the fact that American Express is emblazened upon their ticket trays upon which they deliver your bill to you.
The state Tax Commission in my state proudly boasts that they charge a $3 fee for debit or credit transactions. I make it a point every time I drop in to tell them that they are in violation of their merchant agreement. However, I think, being a state, that they probably told Visa and Mastercard that if they wish to do business in their state, that they had to allow the state to charge extra fees for processing.
One time they really pissed me off when I went in to renew my license plates, and they were unable to do one of them because it wasn't in the database, so I just did the one and paid them with the one and only check I had, then they miraculously found my other plate in the database and I told them that I had no other form of payment than the one check I had already given them and my credit card. They refused to waive the extra fee even though they had probably caused the problem by mistyping the information in their database lookup.
the "pre-history" of transactions (which you have a little wrong btw) came about because of merchants advertising a certain price for an item, and then charging more when credit card customers walked in the door, without indicating in advance a slightly higher price for credit transactions. This was deemed false advertising.
Well then why is not false advertising when they say it is $9.99, but when I go buy the item, they charge me almost $11 after tax?
Why is it not false advertising when the airline says a ticket will cost $200, but when I go to purchase the ticket, it cost $250 after various non-voluntary fees?
Why in hell would you give people BETTER odds then ONE in infinity by repeatedly changing passwords.There's still only one password that is valid at any given time. However, I agree that you should never change your password if it is not compromised. If they have your password, they are not going to give you the courtesy of waiting 30 90 or 120 days before using it. They only thing prematurely changing your password does is make it more likely that you won't be able to remember your own password. The sooner that corporate security departments realize this, the safer our data will all be.
By insisting on keeping the defamatory post up despite the wishes of the poster, I would argue that the web site owners are assuming responsibility for that content, and are therefore liable for future lawsuits.
Well, if they agreed to take it down at her request, she could have been coerced or threatened by the company (in fact that is pretty likely probably why she is asking to take it down). That is not a good reason to take it down.
It is like accounting. In accounting, you don't (aren't supposed to) remove transactions. Once a transaction has occurred, it has occurred. To reverse it, you do another transaction.
When you "speak"; it's temporary and not viewable by the world. Posting things on the internet is more permanent.
And therefore you should think much harder before posting than you would before speaking. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be the case. People get all cocky over e-mail and the internet because they know that people can't just reach out and smack their face. This lady found out that sometimes they can.
I agree with you. There is no need for anonymity when you represent the 99%. The 1% can't target 349 million people.
It just reveals the truth, that they don't represent the 99% at all. They are a bunch of yuppies with more money and time than the rest of us poor working slobs who are out publicly screaming for us to feel sorry for them.
As a middle class U.S. citizen, I consider the 99% to be part of the 1%. They are far better off than me. I have to work for my food, I can't afford (nor do I want) an iphone, my car is 11 years old, and my vacation this year consisted of driving to the grandparents and living with them for a couple of days. Screw the 99% and their incessant whining. I'm more in favor of taxing them than taxing the rich.
I'm sure nights are busier than daytime. I am not even aware that we have a "cheap night" where I live, but if there was, the teens in my area would have the same attitude as you, "Screw that, I'm going on expensive night. Otherwise how will people know that I am wealthy?"
When I go in the mornings, there has never been more than 30 people in the theater and on at least one occasion, it was only me and my kids, for a first run, high grossing movie.
Actually in the 1970s there was not a big discussion about global cooling.BR>
Actually I grew up in the 70's and there was DEFINITELY a lot of discussion of a new ice age coming. They didn't call it global cooling, but it amounts to the same thing.
In other news on the same day, a record low temperature was recorded at Oakland airport
That whole weather versus climate argument works both ways.
Next article please.
It's the complete reverse in the rest of America, too. Everyone else is pushing for online payment and electronic billing because it saves on paper and postage costs.
Well, not everybody. Verizon is not the only one that charges the customer a "convenience fee" for the convenience of not having to hire someone to process your mailed in check. My gas company also charges a fee even for automatic monthly payments, so screw them. I mail it in.
There is literally no way to renew your license plate in my state without incurring a convenience fee of at least $1.00. It is stupid and deceptive. They should just roll it into the cost. Of course, it probably already is rolled into the cost, and they just like charging you more because you are required to have one.
I think you will find if you go on the cheap times, there is usually almost nobody there. All the teenagers go at the most expensive times because they are apparently all rich. I take my kids on Sunday mornings, and for the four of us, it is less than $30 including popcorn and icees.
Apple can negotiate a significantly lower rate and could share some of that savings with the app author.
Or they could keep it for themselves. For example, a common transaction fee is $0.30. That means that you pay $0.30 plus some percentage to your payment processor. For cheap apps, that's coming close to Apple's percentage, plus you have to deal with what is almost certainly a more convoluted process for payments and distribution.
Of course, if you are selling stuff for a dollar, you would probably choose a merchant plan where the transaction fees are lower, but the percentage costs are higher. Most companies charge in the same ballpark once all fees are considered, but if you are smart you choose a plan that fits your pricing. Typically, if you are paying more than 7% overall for your credit card service, for a small vendor, then you are doing it wrong.
But how will you know when the last few moments are, when the calendar ends on a day, not an hour, a minute or a second, and also we don't know if it ends at sunrise, sunset, or what. Also, what to do about the fact that no matter what time it ends, somebody is either going to be cheated because it is not yet the 21st, or somebody else is going to get extra because it is already the 22nd.
Clearly, the Mayans didn't think this through. Of course, the fact that their civilization cratered is good evidence that they don't have all the answers. From their calendar it appears they got the end of the world wrong by about 500 years.
Slashdot Mirror
So, for now, you can continue to earn airline miles at Verizon's expense.
They made a decision to accept credit cards in order to bring in more customers. Don't expect me to volunteer to pay for it.
when are the idiot consumers going to stop whining and complaining about these charges, and start looking for better companies to do business with?
Unfortunately, in many industries, there is no alternative to the oligopolies other than to not partake of the product at all. If you make the choice to not partake, then you are a ridiculously small minority compared to the sheer masses of people who don't know or don't care that they are getting ripped off. Even if 1% of the people refuse to get a cell phone because of the costs, the cell phone companies aren't swayed by that number. They just figure 1% of the people don't want one at all, not that the 1% want one on reasonable terms and conditions.
I always thought it was more egregious for them to charge for NOT listing your number, rather than for listing it. When asked, reps always gave some lame excuse, like it costs money to flag to remove the listing entry...
Even more entertaining is that they will charge you to not list your number, but if you are a business, they will charge you to list it.
With the current state of our government, I'm surprised that they don't request ID for cash transactions. After all, they already know who you are if you use credit.
I can vouch for the fact that just about every Asian business owner I know does as much cash business as possible. They pay their employees at least partly in cash and they take in cash as much as possible, and sometimes the cash register doesn't ever get opened at all.
The drawback is that when they want to go buy a house or something, they can't get any credit. Their tax returns show such dismally small income that the banks won't lend them money even though they have a couple of hundred thousand dollars in cash to put down.
9/10 places I went for pho and dim sum did not accept credit cards at all just 3 years ago.
I only use American Express and will avoid places that don't let me use American Express. I don't have a Visa or a Mastercard and don't want one. There is one pho place by me that does not take American Express despite the fact that American Express is emblazened upon their ticket trays upon which they deliver your bill to you.
The state Tax Commission in my state proudly boasts that they charge a $3 fee for debit or credit transactions. I make it a point every time I drop in to tell them that they are in violation of their merchant agreement. However, I think, being a state, that they probably told Visa and Mastercard that if they wish to do business in their state, that they had to allow the state to charge extra fees for processing.
One time they really pissed me off when I went in to renew my license plates, and they were unable to do one of them because it wasn't in the database, so I just did the one and paid them with the one and only check I had, then they miraculously found my other plate in the database and I told them that I had no other form of payment than the one check I had already given them and my credit card. They refused to waive the extra fee even though they had probably caused the problem by mistyping the information in their database lookup.
the "pre-history" of transactions (which you have a little wrong btw) came about because of merchants advertising a certain price for an item, and then charging more when credit card customers walked in the door, without indicating in advance a slightly higher price for credit transactions. This was deemed false advertising.
Well then why is not false advertising when they say it is $9.99, but when I go buy the item, they charge me almost $11 after tax?
Why is it not false advertising when the airline says a ticket will cost $200, but when I go to purchase the ticket, it cost $250 after various non-voluntary fees?
Why in hell would you give people BETTER odds then ONE in infinity by repeatedly changing passwords.There's still only one password that is valid at any given time. However, I agree that you should never change your password if it is not compromised. If they have your password, they are not going to give you the courtesy of waiting 30 90 or 120 days before using it. They only thing prematurely changing your password does is make it more likely that you won't be able to remember your own password. The sooner that corporate security departments realize this, the safer our data will all be.
By insisting on keeping the defamatory post up despite the wishes of the poster, I would argue that the web site owners are assuming responsibility for that content, and are therefore liable for future lawsuits.
Well, if they agreed to take it down at her request, she could have been coerced or threatened by the company (in fact that is pretty likely probably why she is asking to take it down). That is not a good reason to take it down.
It is like accounting. In accounting, you don't (aren't supposed to) remove transactions. Once a transaction has occurred, it has occurred. To reverse it, you do another transaction.
When you "speak"; it's temporary and not viewable by the world. Posting things on the internet is more permanent.
And therefore you should think much harder before posting than you would before speaking. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be the case. People get all cocky over e-mail and the internet because they know that people can't just reach out and smack their face. This lady found out that sometimes they can.
They can have facebook. The "1%" that they are railing against don't waste their time with facebook.
I agree with you. There is no need for anonymity when you represent the 99%. The 1% can't target 349 million people.
It just reveals the truth, that they don't represent the 99% at all. They are a bunch of yuppies with more money and time than the rest of us poor working slobs who are out publicly screaming for us to feel sorry for them.
As a middle class U.S. citizen, I consider the 99% to be part of the 1%. They are far better off than me. I have to work for my food, I can't afford (nor do I want) an iphone, my car is 11 years old, and my vacation this year consisted of driving to the grandparents and living with them for a couple of days. Screw the 99% and their incessant whining. I'm more in favor of taxing them than taxing the rich.
I'm sure nights are busier than daytime. I am not even aware that we have a "cheap night" where I live, but if there was, the teens in my area would have the same attitude as you, "Screw that, I'm going on expensive night. Otherwise how will people know that I am wealthy?"
When I go in the mornings, there has never been more than 30 people in the theater and on at least one occasion, it was only me and my kids, for a first run, high grossing movie.
I won't block anything. You can feel free to move to Antarctica if you want.
Actually in the 1970s there was not a big discussion about global cooling.BR> Actually I grew up in the 70's and there was DEFINITELY a lot of discussion of a new ice age coming. They didn't call it global cooling, but it amounts to the same thing.
In other news on the same day, a record low temperature was recorded at Oakland airport
That whole weather versus climate argument works both ways.
Next article please.
It's the complete reverse in the rest of America, too. Everyone else is pushing for online payment and electronic billing because it saves on paper and postage costs.
Well, not everybody. Verizon is not the only one that charges the customer a "convenience fee" for the convenience of not having to hire someone to process your mailed in check. My gas company also charges a fee even for automatic monthly payments, so screw them. I mail it in.
Debit card fees went up, not credit card fees.
There is literally no way to renew your license plate in my state without incurring a convenience fee of at least $1.00. It is stupid and deceptive. They should just roll it into the cost. Of course, it probably already is rolled into the cost, and they just like charging you more because you are required to have one.
I think you will find if you go on the cheap times, there is usually almost nobody there. All the teenagers go at the most expensive times because they are apparently all rich. I take my kids on Sunday mornings, and for the four of us, it is less than $30 including popcorn and icees.
There is no way in blue hell that Apple is paying 16 percent credit card fees. A large company like Apple probably pays less than 3%.
Apple can negotiate a significantly lower rate and could share some of that savings with the app author.
Or they could keep it for themselves.
For example, a common transaction fee is $0.30. That means that you pay $0.30 plus some percentage to your payment processor. For cheap apps, that's coming close to Apple's percentage, plus you have to deal with what is almost certainly a more convoluted process for payments and distribution.
Of course, if you are selling stuff for a dollar, you would probably choose a merchant plan where the transaction fees are lower, but the percentage costs are higher. Most companies charge in the same ballpark once all fees are considered, but if you are smart you choose a plan that fits your pricing. Typically, if you are paying more than 7% overall for your credit card service, for a small vendor, then you are doing it wrong.
But how will you know when the last few moments are, when the calendar ends on a day, not an hour, a minute or a second, and also we don't know if it ends at sunrise, sunset, or what. Also, what to do about the fact that no matter what time it ends, somebody is either going to be cheated because it is not yet the 21st, or somebody else is going to get extra because it is already the 22nd.
Clearly, the Mayans didn't think this through. Of course, the fact that their civilization cratered is good evidence that they don't have all the answers. From their calendar it appears they got the end of the world wrong by about 500 years.