AZ GENERAL 74 RE YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY THEY CALL IT QWORST
From: Elvis on Line (songs@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2003 05:50:54 GMT


Scott in Aztlan wrote:
> I called Qwest the other day to downgrade my telephone service. I had 2 voice > lines, each with flat rate local service and Caller*ID. My primary line had > Security Screen in addition to the Caller*ID; I also had DSL on my primary line.

> I asked them to shut down the second line, convert the first line from flat rate
> to measured service, set my long distance provider to "none," and take off the
> Security Screen and leaving just plain old Caller*ID. > > I bet you can guess what happened.
> > Come Friday, I find that, in addition to the changes I asked for, they also > decided to turn off Caller*ID on my primary line AND to turn off my DSL!
> > And, of course, by the time my ISP and I figure out what happened, it's already
> Saturday evening and Qwest's business office is closed until Monday.
> > Comcast might suck, but if they were to offer me local phone service right now,

> I would bloody well take it. > LOL. When I went to DSL, I had a week of Qwest hell. I got a bi lingual service operator, and English was her weaker language. ater talking with her, first they disconnected my ATT long distance service, and didn't reinstall it for a week. The day I got my long distance back, I caught a Qwest installer on the side of my house as he just completed installing a second phone line, which I had him immediately disconnect. He claimed I ordered it. I started checking my bill closer and found out that they were billing me $1.50 a month for some other long distance company I never ordered. I also refused to pay the MSN bill after I cancelled, and kept getting billed.


From: Scott in Aztlan (qinencnyn@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2003 20:42:10 -0700

On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 05:42:10 GMT, "bat" <bat@no-spam> wrote:

>"All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its
>own way."
>Leo Tolstoy >
>meaning, there's 1,000 ways to screw your phone service, and only one way to >make it right. Take your chances...

So I found out what happened:

Qwest will only sell you DSL if you have a flat rate phone line - greedy little fuckers just can't live without the extra profit. So when they converted my phone line to measured service, it automatically caused my DSL to be shut off.
Of course, the moron who took my order neglected to mention any of this.
:rolleyes:

The worst part is they claim they cannot restore my service to the way it was;
whereas before I was paying one bill to my ISP which covered both the DSL line and the Internet service, now Qwest claims they must bill me for the DSL on my phone bill and I will be billed separately by my ISP for the Internet service.
PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!

-- Life is short - drive FAST!


From: "bat" (bat@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 04:47:02 GMT

SiA> PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION SiA> COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE LET THEM BE SiA> COMPETENT!!!!

Wrong prayer. The "competition" will bring nothing more than 1,000 new traps,
tricks, and scams for you. "Competent" in today's business involves two arts:
(1) screw customers (2) avoid lawsuits.

I think a prayer to the state regulation would be much more effective.


From: Little John (jammin1@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 2003 23:16:21 -0700

On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 20:42:10 -0700, in a fit of unbridled digital verbosity,
once again proving the problem is located between the seat and the keyboard,
Scott in Aztlan <qinencnyn@no-spam> two-fingered to all:

|>On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 05:42:10 GMT, "bat" <bat@no-spam> wrote:
|>
|>>"All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its |>>own way."
|>>Leo Tolstoy |>>
|>>meaning, there's 1,000 ways to screw your phone service, and only one way to |>>make it right. Take your chances...
|>
|>So I found out what happened:
|>
|>Qwest will only sell you DSL if you have a flat rate phone line - greedy little |>fuckers just can't live without the extra profit. So when they converted my |>phone line to measured service, it automatically caused my DSL to be shut off.

|>Of course, the moron who took my order neglected to mention any of this.
|>:rolleyes:
|>
|>The worst part is they claim they cannot restore my service to the way it was;

|>whereas before I was paying one bill to my ISP which covered both the DSL line
|>and the Internet service, now Qwest claims they must bill me for the DSL on my
|>phone bill and I will be billed separately by my ISP for the Internet service.

|>
|>PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE |>LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!

http://www.cox.com/Tucson/

jammin1 at jammin1 dot com
If you ain't in bed by 11...Go home!


From: Scott in Aztlan (qinencnyn@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 07:02:12 -0700

On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 23:16:21 -0700, Little John <jammin1@no-spam>
wrote:

>|>PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND >PLEASE >|>LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!
>
>http://www.cox.com/Tucson/

My home is served by Comcast. According to theoir web site, they do not yet offer local phone service in my area.

-- Life is short - drive FAST!


From: Scott in Aztlan (qinencnyn@no-spam)
Subject: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 19:20:57 -0700

Yesterday, I said:

>PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
>LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!

The Lord has heard my prayer and has answered me!

In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local, local toll and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."

I went to the Sprint website and punched in my info, and sure enough, Sprint can
offer me local phone service at my house. Obviously God has granted my prayer for local phone service competition. Now if he would just grant the other half of my prayer... ;)

-- Life is short - drive FAST!


From: Scott in Aztlan (qinencnyn@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 19:28:39 -0700

On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 11:57:14 -0700, Bob Ward <bob.ward@no-spam> wrote:

>If you've got a cable modem
I don't... YET. :)

>have you considered Vonage?

Never heard of 'em! Are they some sort of Voice-over-IP/net-to-phone company?

-- Life is short - drive FAST!


From: Bob Ward (bob.ward@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 01:26:39 -0700

On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 19:28:39 -0700, Scott in Aztlan <qinencnyn@no-spam> wrote:

>On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 11:57:14 -0700, Bob Ward <bob.ward@no-spam> wrote:
>
>>If you've got a cable modem >
>I don't... YET. :)
>
>>have you considered Vonage?
>
>Never heard of 'em! Are they some sort of Voice-over-IP/net-to-phone company?

www.vonage.com
No relationship - just pointed it out to a friend in AZ the other day,
and she is planning on giving it a try.


From: Scott in Aztlan (qinencnyn@no-spam)
Subject: Re: Yet Another Example of Why they Call it "Qworst"
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:20:55 -0700

On Thu, 03 Jul 2003 01:26:39 -0700, Bob Ward <bob.ward@no-spam> wrote:

>>>have you considered Vonage?
>>
>>Never heard of 'em! Are they some sort of Voice-over-IP/net-to-phone company?
>
>www.vonage.com >
>No relationship - just pointed it out to a friend in AZ the other day,
>and she is planning on giving it a try.

Not surprisingly, Tucson's area code (520) is not among those listed on their web site. Despite being a major metropolitan area of almost 1,000,000 people,
Tucson seems to lag pretty far behind in the introduction of new high-tech services. Hell, we didn't even have a Krispy Kreme until a few months ago. :)

-- Life is short - drive FAST!


From: CosmicDawg (CosmicDawgHEADfromBUTTOCKS@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 00:20:38 -0700

On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 19:20:57 -0700, Scott in Aztlan <qinencnyn@no-spam> wrote:

>Yesterday, I said:
>
>>PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
>>LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!
>
>The Lord has heard my prayer and has answered me!
>
>In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to
>your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local, local toll
>and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."
>
>I went to the Sprint website and punched in my info, and sure enough, Sprint can
>offer me local phone service at my house. Obviously God has granted my prayer >for local phone service competition. Now if he would just grant the other half >of my prayer... ;)

Guess who's "wires" sprint will be using???
-- Remove HEADfromBUTTOCKS to reply

Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 18:57:23 GMT
From: "peanutjake" (peanutjakeNO@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

"Scott in Aztlan" <qinencnyn@no-spam> wrote in message news:g947gv0ekc6tuver6g6o6ur23d1s91d53b@no-spam > Yesterday, I said:
>
> >PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
> >LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!
>
> The Lord has heard my prayer and has answered me!
>
> In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to
> your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local, local toll
> and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."
>
> I went to the Sprint website and punched in my info, and sure enough, Sprint can
> offer me local phone service at my house. Obviously God has granted my prayer > for local phone service competition. Now if he would just grant the other half
> of my prayer... ;

Wait till you see the Bill from Sprint.
You may then think that the Devil sent them.


From: Bob Ward (bob.ward@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 13:26:53 -0700

On Fri, 04 Jul 2003 00:20:38 -0700, CosmicDawg <CosmicDawgHEADfromBUTTOCKS@no-spam> wrote:

>On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 19:20:57 -0700, Scott in Aztlan ><qinencnyn@no-spam> wrote:
>
>>Yesterday, I said:
>>
>>>PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
>>>LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!
>>
>>The Lord has heard my prayer and has answered me!
>>
>>In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to
>>your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local, local toll
>>and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."
>>
>>I went to the Sprint website and punched in my info, and sure enough, Sprint can
>>offer me local phone service at my house. Obviously God has granted my prayer >>for local phone service competition. Now if he would just grant the other half
>>of my prayer... ;)
>
>Guess who's "wires" sprint will be using???

Guess whose "billing software" Sprint will be using?


From: CosmicDawg (CosmicDawgHEADfromBUTTOCKS@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 22:54:30 -0700

On Fri, 04 Jul 2003 18:57:23 GMT, "peanutjake"
<peanutjakeNO@no-spam> wrote:

>
>"Scott in Aztlan" <qinencnyn@no-spam> wrote in message >news:g947gv0ekc6tuver6g6o6ur23d1s91d53b@no-spam >> Yesterday, I said:
>>
>> >PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
>> >LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!
>>
>> The Lord has heard my prayer and has answered me!
>>
>> In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to
>> your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local, local toll
>> and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."
>>
>> I went to the Sprint website and punched in my info, and sure enough, Sprint can
>> offer me local phone service at my house. Obviously God has granted my prayer
>> for local phone service competition. Now if he would just grant the other half
>> of my prayer... ;
>
>Wait till you see the Bill from Sprint.
>You may then think that >the Devil sent them.
>
>

I used to have a Sprint Calling Card. It cost me something like 8
cents a minute for long distance calls. Didn't use it too much. But went on a trip after I'd had it a few years and needed to use it to connect to "the net". So I used it quite a bit and when I got home and got the bill it was 4 times what it should have been. THey had charged me 25 cents a minute. Called them up to get them to fix it and discovered that it was "not a mistake". "Huh??? I signed up for 8 cents a minute and you charge me 25 cents and it's not a mistake???"

They said "We change our rate structure from time to time". Bottom line was that while they were willing to cut that bill by a little more then half, they would not return me to my original rate and didn't even have a rate that was even close to reasonable anymore. I told them they could stick there rates where the sun don't shine and changed to a company in Texas that gives me just under 8 cents a minute.

I've had similar problems with ATT. I refuse to do business with Sprint or ATT ever again, both are crooks.
-- Remove HEADfromBUTTOCKS to reply

From: zzz (zzz@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 02:24:15 -0700

On Fri, 04 Jul 2003 00:20:38 -0700, CosmicDawg <CosmicDawgHEADfromBUTTOCKS@no-spam>
>On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 19:20:57 -0700, Scott in Aztlan ><qinencnyn@no-spam> wrote:
>
>>Yesterday, I said:
>>
>>>PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
>>>LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!
>>
>>The Lord has heard my prayer and has answered me!
>>
>>In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to
>>your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local, local toll
>>and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."
>>
>>I went to the Sprint website and punched in my info, and sure enough, Sprint can
>>offer me local phone service at my house. Obviously God has granted my prayer >>for local phone service competition. Now if he would just grant the other half
>>of my prayer... ;)
>
>Guess who's "wires" sprint will be using???

Who fucking cares? Are you actually in favor of monopolies? Have they treated you well? Do you like being screwed in the ass on a regular basis?


From: az-willie (sclaus@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 13:11:09 GMT

zzz wrote:

>On Fri, 04 Jul 2003 00:20:38 -0700, CosmicDawg ><CosmicDawgHEADfromBUTTOCKS@no-spam> >
> >
>>On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 19:20:57 -0700, Scott in Aztlan >><qinencnyn@no-spam> wrote:
>>
>> >>
>>>Yesterday, I said:
>>>
>>> >>>
>>>>PLEASE, GOD, LET LOCAL PHONE SERVICE COMPETITION COME TO TUCSON SOON, AND PLEASE
>>>>LET THEM BE COMPETENT!!!!
>>>> >>>>
>>>The Lord has heard my prayer and has answered me!
>>>
>>>In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to
>>>your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local, local toll
>>>and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."
>>>
>>>I went to the Sprint website and punched in my info, and sure enough, Sprint can
>>>offer me local phone service at my house. Obviously God has granted my prayer
>>>for local phone service competition. Now if he would just grant the other half
>>>of my prayer... ;)
>>> >>>
>>Guess who's "wires" sprint will be using???
>> >>
>
>Who fucking cares? Are you actually in favor of monopolies? Have they >treated you well? Do you like being screwed in the ass on a regular >basis?
> >
==============
The monopoly part isn't the problem with the phone company. Southwestern Bell was a monopoly in the midwest and the service was excellent. People didn't complain the way they do about Qwest.

Management is the problem.

And, I believe, the real problem that is affecting all companies is the practice of giving stock options to executives.

It has created unbounded greed so they cut their staffs to levels where service and performance suffers and then still raise rates / prices constantly in order to continuously show greater profits every year to "justify' their huge bonuses etc. etc.

Stock options need to be stopped and executive pay needs to be capped at some percentage of average employee pay .. whether 100% max or 200% max there must be a cap.


From: Jim Kent (j.g.kent@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 14:22:49 GMT

On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 13:11:09 GMT, az-willie <sclaus@no-spam> wrote:

>And, I believe, the real problem that is affecting all companies is the >practice of giving stock options to executives.

Stock options are poison -- they fail to align the interests of recipients with the underlying well-being of the organization.
Assuming that the executive is focused on creating wealth for himself by inflating the stock price, this virtually requires 'gaming' the system to get the institutional fund managers and the general public to buy stock. Few people realize that stock prices have very little linkage to the true underlying value of the company, and are, in fact,
just the market's opinion as to what the company may be worth in the future. This opinion is very easily swayed, even in stock market professionals, by the likes of the big investment banks with hidden agendas and corrupt 'analysts' (a euphemism for con-artists) like Jack Grubman.
Unfortunately, 'gaming' doesn't necessarily result in sound decision making forrunnign the company nor dies it actually add actual value for the company, its employees, or the shareholders. It creates a house of cards preordained to collapse at whatever point the executive runs out of tricks, such as in the cases of Enron, Global Crossing,
Tyco, Adelphia, and on and on.

Equally unfortunately, the corruption in the system runs deep and includes most of the present bought-and-paid-for legislative and executive branch. Don't expect reform on these issues any time soon.
Expect at best some highly-publicized window dressing.


From: "Phxbrd" (phxbrd@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 16:12:50 GMT

> I've had similar problems with ATT. I refuse to do business with > Sprint or ATT ever again, both are crooks.

I bought a Sprint(what a jap puts on a broken arm) card for use with a cell phone only to find that my unused balance evaporated at the end of 30 days.
You gotta be crazy to deal with those thieves.


From: "bat" (bat@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 16:16:33 GMT

JK> On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 13:11:09 GMT, az-willie <sclaus@no-spam> wrote:

>>And, I believe, the real problem that is affecting all companies is the >>practice of giving stock options to executives.

JK> Stock options are poison -- they fail to align the interests of JK> recipients with the underlying well-being of the organization.

perhaps not only the stock options (given to executives), but the stock market in general, as the main indicator of company's well-being. Perhaps economic systems must have a term, lke presidents, and retire after it.
Otherwise they inevitably become corrupt and counterproductive. Stock market was useful when stock prices reflected the true value of companies. These days are long gone, and today the productivity, performance, innovation on one side, and stock price on the other are different animals.

I always wonder when I hear that another company announces some future x,000
layoffs (which always has a positive impact on the stock price) - how is it even possible. How did they come up with that exact number? What are these workers doing now, and what will they be doing until fired? are they doing useful profitable work? if yes, then firing them would decrease the profits and should lower the stock price instead of raising it; if no, why they were not fired long ago, or at least today? Even thinking about this phenomena alone drives to the conclusion how absurd, speculative, and counterproductive the market valuation is.


From: "bat" (bat@no-spam)
Subject: Re: The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 16:24:50 GMT

SiA> In today's mail, I received a postcard from Sprint which reads "Say good-bye to SiA> your local phone company. Sprint Complete Sense combines your local,
local toll SiA> and domestic long distance for one great rate, from one company."

Check out Sprint at www.consumeraffairs.org , to learn more about the great rate and the company.