The Great AT&T Bait and Switch

The popularity of Apple's IPhone has been without peer. An excellent device that can handle a ton of data. The IPhone has been a huge success. Anyone with an IQ north of 90 knew that-before the phone hit the ground.

Everyone that is except AT&T. I read an article the other day wherein the CEO said because of that success, they simply don't have the infrastructure, i.e. the bandwidth or capacity to handle all of the data requests coming through the pipeline. Therefore, they must pass this cost onto the consumers who are using that bandwidth. Here is a blog I clipped that references that problem:

AT&T's Bait And Switch On iPhone Unlimited Service: We Screwed Up, So Now You Have To Pay More

from the well,-that's-convincing dept

There's lots of buzz going around concerning the news that an AT&T exec has admitted that to deal with the companies own inability to build out a strong cellular network (angering tons of iPhone users), that it's planning to put in place caps and charge more to high-end users. Of course, this is pure bait and switch. The company sold people on an unlimited data plan, failed to invest in its network, and pushed high bandwidth apps on people. And, of course, it's worth noting that while they now want to charge high bandwidth users more, they don't say anything about the low bandwidth users. No one gets a discount. AT&T is making a ton of money off of the iPhone. It could have -- and should have -- invested more of that into network upgrades. Now it's blaming its most loyal users -- the same ones who it recommended high bandwidth apps to -- and expecting that everyone will be happy with that? AT&T may discover that people start looking for other alternatives if they dump the unlimited data offering that they sold people.

Now I kind of understand this dude's problem. He is claiming to be a victim. A few months ago, AT&T started surcharging me for data. Apparently I didn't have the "all you can eat data plan" that IPhone users have. I have a Blackjack II. So I did the only thing I could do to cut costs. I took data off my phone. I use my laptop for data.

Well then in January, AT&T decided to triple my bill to something like 250.00. I called their call center. One of those script readers at the call center told me that 4200 primetime rollover minutes of mine had "expired." They had simply eliminated them without telling me and tripled my bill. That rollover minute plan was the only reason I had signed up. On a 450 minute plan per mo., those 4200 minutes are worth about a year's worth of calling. They have value. And that's why AT&T swiped them from me. I also had to sign up for a two year contract.

AT&T's answer to all of this was that the expiration of those minutes was in my contract. I told them at no time during the "selling" phase of my plan did anyone state this. She said it's in your contract. That would be great, show me the contract, I replied. Like I carry the thing in my wallet or that I can read the 2-point font it is written in.

The kind woman then agreed to reduce my bill to something like 90 bucks a month from the 65 I had been paying.

That folks-is classic bait and switch without the data excuse. Sign up for one plan, agree to a two year contract, and then have AT&T switch you into a much more costlier plan and I still don't have data.

Here's my position. I want the plan I signed up for at the agreed upon price. I have already given them back their precious data and was forced to add, "all you can eat" texting. Let no good deed go unpunished.

All of this greed has left me with no other option than to refuse to pay the bill and file an FCC complaint. That means I have to rely on Frankenstein Government to settle this. David v Goliath. God help me and my credit score. I can understand the IPhone users complaints. They have a very data receptive device which was bought for that purpose and AT&T is too greedy to invest in their own infrastructure and is now dropping downloads, gouging customers, and making excuses. So file your complaints with the FCC. Let's see if Frankenstein can save us a few hundred bucks in return for the 20 thousand I will pay in taxes this year.

You're Gonna Need More Than That

The I.R.S. is gearing up. Shotguns, bounty hunters, all of this in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Land of the free? Well... just as long as you turn over your money.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/02/irs_riding_shotgun_for_obama.html

Oops!

This has to be the one of best quotes of the year



"As an American I am not so shocked that Obama was given
the Nobel Peace Prize without any accomplishments to his
name, but that America gave him the White House based on
the same credentials."

Guess what? We are about to steal 6k more from you, plus eternal and revolving interest of course

That's per person in the United States. Per working stiff, its more like 15k.

Congress is about to vote on another 2 trillion in spending and raise the debt ceiling. It will cost every one of you 6k plus interest. It has to pass. Defaulting on China just isn't an option. Nor is cutting the shit out of entitlement programs. That gets politicians un elected.

But guess what. You bastards are all gonna get un elected anyway.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100204/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_debt_limit

Time and time again, I have talked about personal courage. Our politicians simply don't have personal courage. It takes courage to tell citizens we have to cut SS or Medicare. Or abandon war efforts. These pussies just can't do that. It is political suicide and takes courage. They don't have any.

Want proof? Read this quote, snipped from the article.

We don't have a choice," said Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn. "We are on an unsustainable march toward a fiscal Armageddon."

Of course you have a choice knucklehead. You always have a choice. They just both happen to suck. One takes courage, the other is the coward's way. We know which one you will take.

It's like asking pigs to sing. It's not do-able. We should all quit working. Period. A nationwide strike. That would shut it down. But since that ain't gonna happen, sharpen up your pencils and send in your checks. And unlike your credit card debt, you can't pay this debt off early and avoid the interest.

Need Dough? Let's Crank Some Out!

You know, there is nothing illegal about printing your own currency. And as I pondered the implications of this, it dawned on me that the tax advantages could be huge.

In fact, IRS would get down right neurotic. Just the thought of that makes me smile.

Here's some places printing their own.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/BetterBanking/struggling-towns-printing-their-own-cash.aspx

Now I want you to stop for a moment and ponder this. Could we do any worse than the Central Bank and government?

Here's my thought process. What if we lined up an entire supply chain, printed our own money and backed it with something that had value. Like gold. In fact, the printers would agree not to print one dollar more than they had backed by precious metals. And our new currency could be exchanged at any time for a like amount of gold, silver, nickel, copper. Held in reserve until the metal was replaced. No fractional lending ever. Signed and agreed to.

Would our new currency have real value? Of course it would. And it would replace that worthless fiat currency that the government has been issuing. In record time.

Hmmm...

Try On These Big Girl Panties Oh Ye Optimists and Ostriches

I have trying to tell people for months just how bad this economy is. I have been trying to tell people we are broke, completely bankrupt. We owe more than we are worth.

Well, since I dwell here in obscurity, (I can do the simple math with the help of the US Debt Clock) take a look at what Ron Paul says. I think its even worse. So I snipped this paragraph from Ron Paul. Try these big girl panties on and think.

Since the national debt is increasing at a rate greater than a half-trillion dollars per year, the debt limit was recently increased by an astounding $984 billion dollars. Total U.S. government obligations are $43 trillion, while total net worth of U.S. households is just over $40 trillion. The country is broke, but no one in Washington seems to notice or care. The philosophic and political commitment for both guns and butter – and especially for expanding the American empire – must be challenged. This is crucial for our survival.

That's right. If the government could get everything we owned, we'd still owe 3 trillion.

And just for your viewing enjoyment, here is the debt clock. Scroll down to the very last line, the last entry on the right. And please, write your check for 350 thousand bucks and send it in.

http://www.usdebtclock.org/