[ds968]

Not really a "gripe" but an observation on the state of affairs today ; there have always been businesses which required a full payment in advance of various orders for goods even though you had to wait weeks or even months for those to be delivered ( furniture comes to mind, as well as other special or custom orders ) and that's totally understandable . Over the years however, that practice has graduated to more and more businesses ranging from airlines, to hotels, to doctors offices , to restaurants , many of which have imposed strict cancellation policies for reservations / appointments . Again, many of these rules are understandable; at hotels or restaurants which are typically in high demand if someone cancels at the last moment , regardless of the reason , the business can lose money so they simply don't want to ( and don't need to ) take that chance . But some are going overboard ; there are hotels in Los Angeles for example that require a minimum three week cancellation notice or you will be charged for your entire booked stay, regardless of the reason. A few top restaurants in Manhattan or L.A. ( once again ! ) require three months notice , otherwise you're charged anywhere between $ 100 - $ 200 per each person who does not show up. Doctors are still decent by comparison, most only require 72 hrs advance caclellation or you might pay a fee ranging from $ 75 to $ 150 . ( I note that dentists tend to be on that high end of the scale ..).

And now I'm informed by one of my co-workers that some car dealers are starting to charge for appointments cancelled less than 24 hrs in advance . Seriously ?! WTF, you can't be spontaneous anymore in this world , nor can you afford to have things come up and interfere with any given plans you made months ago. Ugh.

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[Rap]

Car dealers are the easiest to respond to.

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[968Syncro]

Everybody is seeking to convert their business to ...... Rent!  Yes, we pay rent everywhere we go.  The home (mortgage or rent), the car, the TV, the Internet service, taxes, water, electricity, all kinds of subscription services.   And then the fees (which are also rents) late charges, early termination charges, sign-up fees, baggage fees, a fee for a normal seat, etc.  

 

It was once that we would pay directly for an item or a service, now every business is trying to convert it all to rents.   The goal for a business is to restructure their products/services to collect monthly fees for as much as possible.  Soon we will pay rent to a driver-less car company.   I predict that soon someone will be offering food or clothing on a rental basis -- for $X per month you get food and clothing (up to a limit, and with fees if you don't behave).   For the next tier up in monthly rent, you can select leather shoes and grade A beef.   Want security for your computer:  pay me $Y per month.  Want lower cost shipping from Amazon:  pay me $Z per month.  

 

Society will now be people who work for the sole purpose of sending that money out every month - in other words your income is driven by what you owe!  It was once that we worked to produce and create things, this mindset is changing, more people now work simply to cover their monthly nut.  This is exactly where the powers (elite?) want us.   And this is a free country?

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[flash]

i don't stand in line, i don't care if they are handing out $100 bills, and i don't pay advance booking fees - period.  i would rather pay a premium and be able to do things on my schedule.

 

appointments with car dealers???

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[ds968]

appointments with car dealers???

 only service appointments,  for sales appointments I'm sure they'll gladly accept your  unannounced  " walk-in "  anytime , and not charge you a fee if you don't buy anything        :closedeyes: 

 

If anyone hands out $ 100 bills,  I'll stand in line for a little while...    , but I also avoid patronizing businesses with onerous demands and " policies " of that kind.  Fortunately, there are still alternatives, but not sure how long that will last ..   

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[flash]

the way i see it, i just don't want or need anything bad enough to put up with that kind of crap.  if i get to a restaurant, no matter how much i wanted to go there, and there is a wait, if i can't bribe somebody to seat us immediately, i bail.  i absolutely will not stand in line for anything.  i come back later, or not at all.  similarly, if i have an appointment, and they are late, i leave.  i won't even go to a concert unless i have passes.  i refuse to stand in the line to get in, and deal with the crowds.  i set up my own movie theater in my house so that i don't have to deal with the nightmare of public theaters.  lol - i have left a full shopping cart sitting there in the grocery store if i get done and go to check out, and there is a huge line.

 

my time is the most important thing in my life.  i don't get any more of it, and i'm not wasting a minute of it on nonsense.  i am sure as hell not going to let some service industry person screw with it.  they are there to serve me, not the other way around.  without me, they don't have a job.

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[968Syncro]

.  lol - i have left a full shopping cart sitting there in the grocery store if i get done and go to check out, and there is a huge line.

 

How to Pick the Fastest Line at the Supermarket

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/busine...arket.html

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[flash]

lol - don't even need to read that - i know any line i pick will be the slowest.  if i have to go to dmv, it's a sure thing that when i am "next" everybody goes on break

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[lbpesq]

When I go shopping, have to go to the bank, the post office, the DMV, or any other situation where a line is likely, I bring along my iPad.  I read my books on Kindle and iBooks, so the time in line becomes time I can read, which is often otherwise difficult to find.

 

Bill

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[ds968]

You guys just don't know how to avoid crowds and lines : simply wear a tshirt which reads : " Let me tell you about my personal relationship with Jesus " , and believe me , it'll be as if the Red Sea parts right in front of you ...


( disclaimer - that slogan may not be as effective in California , Texas or Mexico )

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[Rap]

I've gone to a register and had an employee tell me it's not open and to go to a directed one. So I leave what I put on the counter and walk to the other register. If they don't move the product I have left it there and walked out. They serve me not otherwise.

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[MCL968]

You guys just don't know how to avoid crowds and lines : simply wear a tshirt which reads : " Let me tell you about my personal relationship with Jesus " , and believe me , it'll be as if the Red Sea parts right in front of you ...


( disclaimer - that slogan may not be as effective in California , Texas or Mexico )

This shirt works pretty good too, but it helps if you are Richard Kiel.

 

http://i.imgur.com/sTsLIey.jpg

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[ds968]

Watching the local news this morning ; reporters interviewing people who have been camping overnight ( in lines often of more than a couple of hundred people ) outside Apple stores waiting to get their iPhone7 . A few at the front of the lines have been camping there for two or more nights ! Seriously, people ??!! Can this get any sillier ?

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[968Syncro]

This month I just threw out an old answering machine with a cassette tape and 5 old style home phones.  Did that help create a socioeconomic balance with these new phone buyers?

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[az968]

My Apple stock thanks you for that!

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[ds968]

This month I just threw out an old answering machine with a cassette tape and 5 old style home phones.  Did that help create a socioeconomic balance with these new phone buyers?

But I'm keeping my 8-track player in the car just to preserve that socioeconomic balance .

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