Another sign of the downfall of the US Dollar

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


I can agree with the day to day advantages of having the plastic. As a matter of fact, if I wouldn't have had the cash at hand, i'm sure I would've just jumped on the net and paid from the existing card. My ordeal is more along the lines of the extra 2.7% I had to pay (which obviously would fluctuate on certain people's bills). If I had a simple $40 dollar a month plan, thats a rediculous 12.5% for face time with someone that just has to punch some keys and click ok. Remember even though you have $10,000 in a bank account, its not only you that has it and access to it, but the bank is making a killing off the interest its making LOANING OUT YOUR MONEY. So in a sence a $1 in cash wont have the same value as $1 in a bank account. To you, yes, to the banking system there's a big difference.

Handling cash can be quite expensive (protection and transportation).

I rarely use cash if ever -- only credit which I pay in full immediately, hence no finance charge and I get tons of frequent flyer miles.

Guys, my wife and I went to Dominican Republic on Delta for free for gossake, using that payment mode. If you find there is conspiracy in this and evil nefarious types are giving away airplane tickets with meanest intentions, feel free to discuss.

Originally posted by HighwayDrifter

I would like to think that a customer of 5 years of on time payments (well 59 out of the 60 months) is more important then someone who will sign up on a whim to probably leave on a whim when the next gadget phone pops up.

I would like to think so too, but from what the representative is saying in the article, it doesnt seem to be the case.

She is saying we want our customer service people to spend their time selling new plans, not servicing existing customers. It is pretty explicit.

Phone companies have you locked into contracts. And, they try to make it so your hardware, your phone itself, will not work for a different company. They have deliberately set it up so that once you are their customer it costs you a lot to leave. That gives them security, and that translates into "we dont need to work to retain you, we just have to get you locked in."

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander

Phone companies have you locked into contracts. And, they try to make it so your hardware, your phone itself, will not work for a different company. They have deliberately set it up so that once you are their customer it costs you a lot to leave. That gives them security, and that translates into "we dont need to work to retain you, we just have to get you locked in."

I think there is a lot of truth in that statement, but there are some pretty big generalities, too.

I've been with Verizon since I got my first contract plan some five years ago and I think I can say unequivocally that Verizon has the best customer service that I've gotten from any company in my memory.

Their motto is "Your problem is our problem," or something like that, and they live up to it.

Whenever I've had a problem, they have cheerfully helped out in every single case, even going so far as to give me free minutes one month when I was concerned about going over my limit and, in reality, I wasn't even close.

Verizon claims to have the best network and I can't argue that claim one way or the other, but I do know that I've never done business with a phone company that is so eager to assist the customer as Verizon is and that goes for every other company I currently do business with.

reply to post by HighwayDrifter


Possible Law Suit.

It's illegal to deny the exchange for services in Legal Tender..

Unless explicitly stated in your contract.

Wow, McDonalds charged to use a credit card in their drive though. Never thought it would go the other way around. Though I do know gas stations here are charing if you use a credit card, and I know of one that takes cash only.

ama

Making you pay for the service of paying in cash!
That is like getting charged a fine by the police for getting robed at gun point.
WoW Crazy

reply to post by amatrine


The Gas Station and the McDonalds ALREADY PAY FOR YOU TO USE YOUR CREDIT CARD...

Ever wonder why they ask you "credit or debit"???

It's because when you use CREDIT the merchant has to pay a fee FOR YOU..

When you pay with a DEBIT card YOU pay the BANK a processing fee..

Amazes me so few people know why they ask you that.. now you know.. they are trying to save money.

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


You are right, they are not all that cavalier with their customers yet. In an earlier post I suggested that one should abandon a company that was treating one in that fashion for one who did not. So I do recognize that they do not all currently think that way. I should have been careful to carry that distinction through all of my posts.

I do think that there is a danger of letting one company gain a financial edge by mistreating you without penalizing them for it. It tends to drive the competition in the same direction over time.

[edit on 7-10-2008 by Illusionsaregrander]