Friday, January 11, 2008

BIRCHES may be doomed

My Internet provider is Charter Communications. This is one of the worst companies in America but its existence is guaranteed by the local governments who license it to operate a cable monopoly. No matter how poorly a company may operate, it is able to limp along because if it has no competition and can virtually set it own prices.

I may lose this Charter connection. Today I went in to pay my bill and the company told me I had to take a number. I refused. I shoved my check and bill through the little window and walked out.

So, BIRCHES may have its plug pulled at any time.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't believe this! On the day my bill was due , I went in to the Saginaw office and waited in line behind 6 other people. There was one person behind me. When I got to the window the woman asked if I had a number.(I hadn't even seen a number place.) I said increduously and she said "well, you need a number." I tried to hand her my already made out check in in the appropriate envelope. She refused to take it saying I needed a number. By this time there were a number of people behind me. I made a number of comments and threw the envelope on her counter saying I'm just trying to give you money and left fuming. THERE'S NO COMMON SENSE LEFT!!!! I can tell you they definitely won't turn off you service unless you specifically tell them to and listening to Clark Howard I hear may who have had great difficulty, lasting several months, trying to get it ended when requested. They cashed my check, by the way. Money always is the winner! Alice

woodsman165 said...

I wrote a long comment about this that got lost when I had to sign up for yet another username/password that I will inevitably forget. I would use the same ones all the time but then some bastard would steal my identity...which is why it's easier to just not do this stuff.

To make a long story short. It comes down to it being harder and harder all the time to fight change and to do what it right. If you paid your bill on line you wouldn't have to go anywhere, take any numbers or deal with counter ladies. If you didn't recycle your beer cans, you wouldn't have to wait in line at the beer can machine at Meijers. The reasons for this I would guess could be summed up as: It is in someone's best interest to do it differently, and they care more that you do it their way than you do about doing it your way...because their entire existence and most likely their livlihood revolves around you doing it their way

Anonymous said...

Woodsman-- yet your still doing this stuff---witnessed by the fact that your comment appears here. And it obviously irritates you too! I do pay my bills on time and since I drive past this place on my way home---just figured---and if yokels like me(and you) never got upset about arrogant mistreatment, it would never be changed. Sort of like that movie(can't remember the name) in which humans were being herded someplace. Or the book called The Alliance where one man fought against implanted control devises and won. They may think their entie existence depends on my standing in line their way but I'm here to say it doesn't. It depends on my delivering the "dough". As Lincoln said in another context "United we stand or divided we fall". Alice

Bud said...

This is rebelliousness clearly in the genes.

Bud said...

By the way, making matters worse, I was the only person "in line" at the time. She says, "are you 63?" and my first reaction was to say "no" because that's not my age. Then, she asked if I was NUMBER 63.

Holy St. Jude in a Studebaker!

Anonymous said...

Put it in the drop box on the side of the building-I've never been inside the building.

Anonymous said...

Sparty, Now there is a sane solution to the whole thing. But look at all the fun you miss getting mad and irritated. Alice