Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

andres3 · January 2017

I'm regretting lifting my ban of AT&T recently to take advantage of a too good to refuse offer through Costco for Direct TV and U-Verse (AT&T) Internet. Mainly Direct TV has a good product at good price, but their customer service and coordination with the AT&T takeover could use some work.

Can't blame them entirely, as I am disappointed with their customer service in the first few months, but that pales in comparison to the way I've had to deal with AT&T and their deplorable customer service.

So they never sent me a first bill. Then they shutoff my service as apparently they choose a random wrong email to send the bills to (and default is apparently paperless; bad policy). So without ever having received a bill, I have to contact them to get the first bill paid since they turned off my internet (it was off for less than a day; I called them the same day they cut me off). A month later I get a bill showing a $49 "reconnect" fee. This is after I've already called in to demand a credit for all fees and charges associated from their mistake, I think there were two "late fee" related charges. I didn't know about this one until more recently as it only showed up on my latest bill.

They actually argued with me and gave me a hard time for demanding a credit on the $49. They said something to the effect of "I have to check my online account for their bills even if I never get one." They said something along the lines of "they are not the only company to charge a high (reactivate) fee."

Bottom line, I've received at least 4 bills now (a couple from Direct TV, maybe 3 from AT&T), and none of them have been correct, and I've had to call into each separate entity for each and every bill. The bills were supposed to have been "combined," but for some reason that never happened, or it did happen and was somehow removed (another fiasco). That's a lot of phone calls and wasted time. Wait times when you dial range from good to mediocre.

breld · January 2017

That's very frustrating. We just made a switch from AT&T to Verizon last week - we'll see how that goes.

28firefighter · January 2017

We moved from AT&T to T-Mobile last year - we're saving $200/month across our 5 phone plan including devices, coverage is probably 90% of AT&Ts at this point, and we get unlimited data. I've been pretty happy so far.

andres3 · January 2017

qbrozen said:
I definitely miss remote start. No power liftgate on the EX, and that is just fine by me. Way too small and light of a hatch to need it. Wife uses the one on the van constantly (along with the remote start), but it annoys me with its slowness so I usually just do it manually, much to her disbelief.

i agree keyless start should just be a given these days. My biggest surprise in shopping was finding the 2013 GLK did not have it. When the salesman told me to insert the key fob, I said "you are kidding, right?" When my VW Jetta has it, it is just expected elsewhere.

I hate slow power doors/lift-gates. I'd want one that opens with the speed of an inflating air bag! Of course, that would mean you'd have to have a dozen or so ugly warning/caution stickers all over your car's rear end.

I hate the ugly black, yellow, and red colored air-bag warning stickers on the Kia's visors. Audi is forced to put a sticker telling you to flip the visor open to see the real written warning, as a graphic is apparently not enough these days.

andres3 · January 2017

breld said:
That's very frustrating. We just made a switch from AT&T to Verizon last week - we'll see how that goes.

Cingular got bought out by AT&T so my wife and I inadvertently were with AT&T during my boycott. Nearly 2 years ago we switched to Verizon, and we have enjoyed monthly savings of significant dollars, and a much better overall experience. AT&T needs to stop buying everything.

For me it is a nightmare. It would be like Chrysler suddenly buying up all the companies I like.

suydam · January 2017

ab348 said:

andres3 said:

I would consider owning a Pontiac Vibe or Geo Prism to be the equivalent of having owned a Toyota.
I would consider it to be the equivalent of being put into jail.

Having owned. Vibe I'd agree with you there. Never drove a Prism though.

Sandman6472 · January 2017

With Cingular and now AT&T and after a few hiccups, we're pleased. Son left our family plan so paying $35/each phone, 4 phones on plan. Get 10 gigs/month with rollover and have yet to go over 4 gigs, this month at 3.75. No more contract and my payoff ends in 3 months while my oldest in 10. My 25% postal discount a big reason we're still there as I would switch to T-Mobile in a nano second but would cost upwards of $40/phone but would have unlimited data. I just turn my data off whenever not in use which helps keep the bill low. All the places we live, our house plus each kids rental, has wi-fi which takes over from the data when walking through the door.
Suspect most folks are like me wanting a new device every couple of years as tech and features do change. Got my newest phone from Amazon.com Saturday and will go over to the AT&T store sometime next week and have them transfer the sim and other things to the new unlocked gsm device. Went android again though my tablet and laptop are both Apple. Just prefer the android platform for my smartphone for some odd reason...it just works for me. My current phone only has 8 gigs of storage, most taken up by bloatware, plus a 8 gig s d card. Only problem is most app's can not be moved over to the s d card. New phone has 32 gigs I think plus uses the cloud to store app's and photos not being used. A new idea so we'll see how it all plays out.

The Sandman

andres3 · January 2017

kyfdx said:
I was close.. the House and Senate advanced a bill to buy that '97 Range Rover. But, it was vetoed by the Executive Branch.

You need to go back and show a 2/3 super-majority in the House and Senate can override that veto! Or maybe you want to get re-elected again....

stickguy · January 2017

phones, cable, insurance, etc. all have the same issue. They are fine as long as you are set up correctly and don't make changes. Just get the monthly bill and pay it. But, if you have a glitch, or fall into a crack, you become a problem child and it can be a nightmare to ever get it all fixed. The machine is not designed to deal with you special cases.

I just had a spat yesterday with Comcast (stuck with them sadly). They were doing some sort of outside system maintenance, and were in everyone's boxes out by the road. No notice. I only knew because I was home and saw the guy, and went out to ask why he was there. Well, after he left, we were totally dead in the water. Had a chat with the service center, and they could not get anyone out until the next day (I did get a credit for that missed day though). Next morning early, guy came, fixed problem, even did some stuff inside (that I never asked for). So, problem solved .in theory.

get the bill last week, and it is even higher than normal. Find buried in it a $40 charge for a service call. So back on phone to point out their error, and got some pushback on it. Tech notes were skimpy to say the least. Had to push to file a complaint, to get sent "up the chain" for review, including having to pull my original call. Because I ain't paying for them to come out, since it was only to fix what they broke. Regardless of what the tech decided to poke around with while he was there!

suydam · January 2017

These "service charges" to fix a problem they caused are such a pain in the tv and internet industry.

corvette · January 2017

Everyone on Broadbandreports just says to file an FCC complaint any time you have an issue with a cable/TV provider. I've never done it but supposedly it is the quickest way to get your issue resolved.

AT&T is stringing a bunch of fiber here in Louisville, but as far as I can tell, most of it is still "dark" and the houses near it aren't eligible for fiber service.

My parents' internet (in a rural area) was out for a couple of weeks. Cable company only has a tech in the area once a week. The phone company there is running fiber to the home but keeping everybody on the same pricing/speeds as their DSL service unless they want to pay hundreds for symmetrical fiber service (which most home users aren't willing to do). It's sad to see someone with a 5 millisecond ping time but their download capped at 2 megabits.

Unfortunately, I need use of AT&T's towers for my cell service, since I often travel to rural areas and they seem to have the best coverage where I travel. I've been with Straight Talk for several years now without issues, which gets me AT&T's towers at about half the price. If you can live without visual voicemail on the iPhone, it's a great deal.

mjfloyd1 · January 2017

Punch- 2017 Honda Accord Touring sedan. Pick it up tomorrow evening.

breld · January 2017

@mjfloyd1 - congrats! Such a great all-around car.

suydam · January 2017

Congrats! Tell us about it.

28firefighter · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:

Punch- 2017 Honda Accord Touring sedan. Pick it up tomorrow evening.

Winner winner chicken dinner! First punch is in.

henryn · January 2017

Great car. Did you go for the V6? I understand their sales month / quarter / year extends to January 3rd, is that right?

corvette · January 2017

In the US, the Accord Touring only comes with the V6.

mjfloyd1 · January 2017

Modern steel metallic (charcoal) with light grey leather guts. V6 6 speed AT. Touring has adaptive cruise and about every safety system that I can think of -has the Honda sensing system and navigation. The dealer cash ($1000) ended today so I did my all too familiar purchase by phone. Local dealer had a ruby red one for $500 less but daughter (and I)likes the charcoal (but wife likes the ruby red) and local guy said there wasn't enough time to get the transfer in with dealer cash ending today (seems like BS - I would think that they could have arranged the trade and put the VIN in the system, but whatever). Picked it up for about $31k before sales tax, $175 doc/title fee and $1.25 wheel tax. Stickered at $36k ish IIRC.

My timing, as always, is impeccable. Wife is in south FL with one daughter (and TDI Passat) and I am here with a 15 year old. Luckily a friend is going to Indianapolis tomorrow and can drop me off. Yeah, I don't plan well. Kinda like buying my RS7 over the phone (thinking that they wouldn't accept my offer, followed by that oh crap, now I have to drive 10 hours to Baltimore moment). I'm a genius- not.

mjfloyd1 · January 2017

I drove an Accord touring, Accord ex-L 4 cyl / cvt, civic hatch cvt , Q70, and Mazda 6 with my daughter yesterday. Q70 rode the best but is a bit top heavy in awd and stickered at $57k. I really drove it since stickguys favorite dealer has a 14 q70 with 5 k miles for 30k. Mazda6 rode well but while probably adequate, seemed underpowered compared to the V6 Accord. I also figure the Honda resale will be better.

As an aside, the Infiniti dealer has a sister VW store next door. The salesman said that someone returned a TDI with most body panels and interior stripped. Seems underhanded to me.

stickguy · January 2017

the white Q70 is still there!

I heard about the stripping of TDIs. I would say screw it, and tell the owner nope, not good enough. Either put it together, or no dice, and if they don't like it, go hire a lawyer.

mjfloyd1 · January 2017

I looked to see if the white Q70 was still there. It looks like it doesn't have front parking sensors so I assume that it doesn't have all the safety systems as well.

Infiniti salesman was a young disenchanted lawyer -technically the TDI only needed to be driven under its own power to qualify

kyfdx · January 2017

stickguy said:
the white Q70 is still there!

I heard about the stripping of TDIs. I would say screw it, and tell the owner nope, not good enough. Either put it together, or no dice, and if they don't like it, go hire a lawyer.

Exactly

kyfdx · January 2017

Call from my dealer, today. Driver's airbag (Takata) is finally in. Can't remember exactly, but it was 2014 or 2015 when they replaced the passenger side. Driver's side recall notification was about the same time.

On a 2006 model.

stickguy · January 2017

that reminds me. My RDX has an open recall on the airbag. I forget to ever ask about it. Pretty sure they will never mention it.

just got the recall notice for my Sonata (for the moonroof possibly blowing off. Probably won't bother with that until next time an oil change is do. So, maybe the summer!

mjfloyd1 · January 2017

I do have to admit that if I wrecked my TDI and it wasn't totaled, I'd turn it in wrecked and keep the check!

kyfdx · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:
I do have to admit that if I wrecked my TDI and it wasn't totaled, I'd turn it in wrecked and keep the check!

Yeah.. happened to a few TDI owners. Not the same as purposely vandalizing your own car.

28firefighter · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:

I do have to admit that if I wrecked my TDI and it wasn't totaled, I'd turn it in wrecked and keep the check!

I would as well. But beyond that? I can't imagine having enough free time right now to be able to strip a car down and only sell the bare minimum. Plus the whole underhanded thing.

stickguy · January 2017

so, even perusing of "Beater" winter car SUVs. This one looks pretty clean. and has a moonroof! Though definitely trucky. Not sure I would enjoy driving around in one of these. But it is nice looking.

http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/Ford/2005-Ford-Explorer-Cherry+Hill+NJ-8b0811500a0e0adf4ae7cb91b432ea98.htm?searchDepth=10:58

slightly more expensive, but more car like and economical. FWD though, but fine to me. And has the required moonroof.

http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/Pontiac/2007-Pontiac-Torrent-Cherry+Hill+NJ-904b33ae0a0e0adf4ae7cb911b766b46.htm?searchDepth=24:58

28firefighter · January 2017

stickguy said:

so, even perusing of "Beater" winter car SUVs. This one looks pretty clean. and has a moonroof! Though definitely trucky. Not sure I would enjoy driving around in one of these. But it is nice looking. http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/Ford/2005-Ford-Explorer-Cherry+Hill+NJ-8b0811500a0e0adf4ae7cb91b432ea98.htm?searchDepth=10:58 slightly more expensive, but more car like and economical. FWD though, but fine to me. And has the required moonroof. http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/Pontiac/2007-Pontiac-Torrent-Cherry+Hill+NJ-904b33ae0a0e0adf4ae7cb911b766b46.htm?searchDepth=24:58

I've always had a thing for that generation of explorer. Specifically the Black Explorer Limited with sport appearance package. That was one aggressive looking family hauler.

stickguy · January 2017

A woman that worked for me back in that era got one of those explorers (probably that generation but a few years older?). I got to drive it one day. It was not particularly enjoyable from what I recall.

28firefighter · January 2017

stickguy said:

A woman that worked for me back in that era got one of those explorers (probably that generation but a few years older?). I got to drive it one day. It was not particularly enjoyable from what I recall.

It was built and drove like a truck. It certainly didn't and still won't drive like the modern car based cross-over.

qbrozen · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:

Punch- 2017 Honda Accord Touring sedan. Pick it up tomorrow evening.

Congrats! Good decision over that 2016 CPO.

stickguy · January 2017

yup. It was pretty much a wagon body on a ranger chassis, right? and drove like one. Loud, bouncy, wallowed.

Michaell · January 2017

That Explorer is similar to the one we leased when they were new in 2002. Ours was also an XLT, green with tan leather. Loved the "fold in the floor" third row. Wasn't terribly powerful with only 210HP from the 4.0L six.

The rear window inexplicably shattered on us at Easter one year. Other than that, it was pretty reliable. Took the family to Vegas on vacation - was nice to put one kid in the second row and the other in the third row.

nyccarguy · January 2017

One of the conditions to qualify for a Cash For Clunkers rebate was that the car runs under its own power. My 1990 325i started up & drove great. It's the brakes that didn't work. In true fashion of not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to punch the card with 2 "valid" excuse. Who am I to turn away $3500 towards a new car when I was going to need a new one in a year anyway (the lease on our X3 that was going to be WAY over the miles)? I get home from work & my best friend is sitting in front of my building with a UHaul attached to his wife's Intiniti QX56. We drove to the diner parking lot next to the Acura dealer, unhooked the BMW & I drove it onto the dealership's property under its own power.

graphicguy · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:
Punch- 2017 Honda Accord Touring sedan. Pick it up tomorrow evening.

Great Car! Congrats!

nyccarguy · January 2017

@mjfloyd1 - Congrats on the new Accord!

I'm guessing 37 punches for the year!

corvette · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:

Infiniti salesman was a young disenchanted lawyer

Lots of lawyers leaving private practice these days (or not going into it to start with).

mjfloyd1 · January 2017

I'm quickly becoming disenchanted with healthcare becoming a business. I apparently went to provider school rather than medical school. I call myself an ERASP - easily replaceable anesthesia service provider. The first 18 years were great but the last 3 have absolutely sucked the life out of me. Being told that I can't get platelets because it's a Friday and the ED called for 2 units and we only have 2 more. Really?? I'm never seen morale this bad.

Now we are building a new hospital. The university wants it on their property which just happens to be next to an active railroad track with no overpass or underpass. We are also raising money to become a trauma hospital (it's all about the money) and have land by I69. It would seem to make sense to put a trauma hospital on the interstate rather than 2 miles in town, next to an active railroad track with no overpass or underpass. But who am I to think of these things?

kyfdx · January 2017

So, when I told my RR seller that we weren't going to buy it, he dropped the price to $500.

Now, that's all I was going to pay, anyway... but..

imidazol97 · January 2017

andres3 said:
I'm regretting lifting my ban of AT&T ...

My experiences with ATT are negative. I even carefully picked my Tracfones/Net10 phones so the service was Spring or Verison to avoid the ATT/T-Mobile conglomerate for carrier. Too many no calls going through and holes in their coverage despite the roaming switch between them. LOL

I certainly would never use ATT's phone/internet/TV service. My son's apartment group had a couple of buildings that are within the wireless entertainment coverage. AND I own and have owned ATT stock for decades. Even all that was a hot mess.

28firefighter · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:
I'm quickly becoming disenchanted with healthcare becoming a business. I apparently went to provider school rather than medical school. I call myself an ERASP - easily replaceable anesthesia service provider. The first 18 years were great but the last 3 have absolutely sucked the life out of me. Being told that I can't get platelets because it's a Friday and the ED called for 2 units and we only have 2 more. Really?? I'm never seen morale this bad.

Now we are building a new hospital. The university wants it on their property which just happens to be next to an active railroad track with no overpass or underpass. We are also raising money to become a trauma hospital (it's all about the money) and have land by I69. It would seem to make sense to put a trauma hospital on the interstate rather than 2 miles in town, next to an active railroad track with no overpass or underpass. But who am I to think of these things?

Sorry to hear that you're dealing with that. I have several friends in residency right now (one doing family practice and the other in a surgical residency), and they seem to be holding onto the hope that all will get better after they've made it out of training. I'm sure that is true to some extent, but after seeing what has happened to the healthcare field throughout my parents careers, I'm not overly optimistic - I just keep smiling and nodding.

mjfloyd1 · January 2017

Thanks. Looking back, it's funny that my dad was a radiologist and didn't want me to go to medical school...Maybe things will get better but i don't see how you can get out of residency with $200k + in loans and be someone's employee. Thankfully I'm in a private group practice and I'm old. I only need 8 or so more yrs. Maybe I'll look for a job in a surgery center where someone actually cares??

roadburner · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:
Punch- 2017 Honda Accord Touring sedan. Pick it up tomorrow evening.

Nice!

28firefighter · January 2017

mjfloyd1 said:
Thanks. Looking back, it's funny that my dad was a radiologist and didn't want me to go to medical school...Maybe things will get better but i don't see how you can get out of residency with $200k + in loans and be someone's employee. Thankfully I'm in a private group practice and I'm old. I only need 8 or so more yrs. Maybe I'll look for a job in a surgery center where someone actually cares??

My parents did not want me to go to medical school either, so I didn't - I went to law school instead.

Almost 5 years out and I still haven't practiced a day in my life. Consulting has been more lucrative starting out and offered a lot more stability, so far at least.

Michaell · January 2017

@28firefighter - hold tight on your request for lease numbers. We are hoping the new documents show up today.

Until then, we don't answer any of the requests in the various lease discussions.

We aren't ignoring you, promise!

28firefighter · January 2017

Michaell said:
@28firefighter - hold tight on your request for lease numbers. We are hoping the new documents show up today.

Until then, we don't answer any of the requests in the various lease discussions.

We aren't ignoring you, promise!

I wasn't worried! Not urgent either - I'm trying to make a guesstimate as to what they'll be in April/May and part of that is just tracking monthly.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2017

I think there should be an award for First Punch and Last Punch of the year...something special...perhaps an old lugnut spray-painted bronze or something.

stickguy · January 2017

Call it the Breld prize. Or maybe that should just be for the volume winner.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2017

Excellent! No, it's more than about volume...it takes courage and leadership!

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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