Still Verizon

Every time I try to call verizon, I get someone in the Philippines that has a very limited command of the English language.  When I ask to be transferred to the states, I am put on hold, then cut off. And their website is useless.  Like I said, I feel that if we are to have free enterprise, then we should have access to all the phone companies in the United States and we should be able to pick and chose which one we want.  As it is now, the country is divided up into territories.  You don't have a choice in land lines and very little choice in cell service.  That is not free enterprise.  That is monopoly.  Back in the 70's, I think, the Congress broke up the Bell telephone company citing the fact that it was stifling competition and was a monopoly.  So what we have now is a bunch of little half-assed companies that are just out to gouge the customer.  There is not competition and no free enterprise.  All the pols did was stack the deck against the consumer.  But, hey, that's nothing new, now is it?  What the companies see as free enterprise is captive consumers that are forced to buy their products.  Look at what the Bush regime tried to do with the drug companies.  At the push of the big drug companies, laws were passed to keep us from buying any medications from out of the country even though those are the very same drugs sold in the United States at 4 times the price.  With the help of Congress, the businesses are really screwing us and the politicians are getting rich for doing these favors for the companies.  And every two years they come around and tell us how much they have done for us and we get poorer and poorer.  Great country.  And this is the best we have to offer.

Verizon again

I have a  relative who is disabled.  Last week, on my urging, she called Verizon to get a land line.  My reasoning for this is that a landline is much easier to trace than a cell.  So if she ever need to call for an emergency, all she would have to do is dial 911 and even if she could not tell them what was wrong, they would know where it was coming from.  So she called and ordered a landline, no frills.  No long distance.  Just the basic landline.  She was given a number.  When she asked if they needed to come out to install it, she was told no everything could be taken care of  and they would activate her line.  So I took her a phone.  She called me on her cell and told me she was going to have to buy a new phone because that one was not working.  She couldn't get a dial tone.  I went over last night.  No dial tone.  So I called the number she had been given.  I was told it was a non-working number.  Today she called Verizon.  There was no record of her ordering the phone.  No record of the number she had been given.  So she set up a new order and someone is supposed to be out next week to activate the line.  As I said before, Verizon sucks.  No apology.  Nothing.

Direct TV

I had Direct TV for years.  I watched it go up and up and the quality of programming go down.  Well, I ditched them when I started breaking up the Verizon bundle.  Over the years, I had received no offers, no discounts for being a good customer, nothing.  And I was seeing offered to new customers all channels for $29.99/month for up to 12 months.  I am paying almost $70 for the mid-range package.  Here is the kicker. After I ditched it, I immediately started getting offers.  First I got that offer for $29.99 and today I got a prepaid Visa card for $300 if I would only reconnect Direct TV.  Direct Tv can kiss my grits.  They suck.

Bundle

Keeping my fingers crossed, I think I have finally gotten that damn bundle broken up.  And low and behold, my phone bill is cheaper after the breakup.  Verizon was really sticking it to me.  I would love to switch my internet to cable, but the only choice we have for cable is Suddenlink and it sucks.  Back in the early 2000's, we had Cox.  I used them for tv and internet.  I never had a problem with them.  As soon as Suddenlink took it over, problems started.  I was paying for high speed and I was getting dial up speed.  My cable tv was not much better.  It was always going out.  So, I'm kinda screwed.  I suppose I will take their cable when and if I buy a new tv.  Maybe I won't even buy a new tv.  Not liking my choices at all.