Hey, State newspaper: Quit trashing my yard with McClatchy supplements

Update 8/26/2019 - This matter seems to have been due to automated responses I received by submitting my request through the State newspaper's website. I finally contacted them by phone, and the supplement has apparently been discontinued. Otherwise, my remarks stand as stated.   8/29/2019 update - Spoke too soon, the supplement is being delivered again effective yesterday morning. None arrived last week after my phone call, so I thought the State had gotten the message. Perhaps this matter will have to be resolved in small claims court. 9/16/2019 - small claims court won't work, it has to be an individual - not a company - doing the harassing in order to get a restraining order. Meanwhile, I've learned that dislike of the State's supplements is rampant and not being able to get delivery stopped is an all-too-common problem. Just another out-of-control corporation making life in Amerika (sic) miserable for consumers. As Dr. Paul Craig Roberts says in this article, "Life in America has become a gut-wrenching, soul-sucking, misery-drenched, demoralizing existence."

Update 10/4/2019 - Don't bother complaining to the SC Dept. of Consumer Affairs, a worthless agency that functions primarily to provide cushy jobs for select South Carolinians at taxpayer expense. I couldn't even get the little corporate stooge's website to work, so I sent 'em an e-mail and finally got a reply but the info they sent didn't work either, so I replied with a link to this post.

One of the best things I ever did was cancelling my subscription to the State newspaper. In a society where mainstream media is a mouthpiece for government propaganda, only fools subscribe to newspapers, especially in this age of the Internet. It hasn't been as good as allowing thug goon AT&T to disconnect my home phone (landline - I've never had a cell) due to robocalls and a bill I didn't owe 'em, along with my home Internet (I now use a computer at the library) but even so...

I made the mistake of continuing McClatchy supplements, which I never read, but figured I might use for catching the cleaner when I clean my bicycle. Even that proved unnecessary, so I repeatedly asked the State to cancel delivery of all supplements. Things went well with the YES and EXTRA, but CAROLINAS FOOD supplement continues to clutter up my yard. Last time it was deposited, I put two of the ones I had already received alongside it, and the newest one disappeared, leaving me to discard the other two. A similar thing happened at least once before, so no surprise.

The State would be well advised to put some energy into investigative reporting 'stead of cluttering up people's yards with their unwanted junk. An excellent starter would be for 'em to warn the public that a time limit has been quietly placed on wills as part of an ongoing probate racket that got underway in 1986, but I'm sure that would be asking way too much.

I'll send the State a link to this post hoping that will at least help me with yard-work.

Update 5/24/2019 - Below is a copy of the reply I received from the State newspaper, and I'm hoping for the best. Meanwhile, the following Wednesday another CAROLINAS FOOD supplement was tossed on my driveway.

Dear Parris Boyd,

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. We have sent a follow up 

request to the distribution team to have this stopped however it may 

take approximately two weeks for delivery to be cancelled. We do take 

your request seriously and will honor your wishes. If you have any 

questions or concerns, please contact us at 1-800-888-3566.

Sincerely,

Sara

Customer Service Representative

AT&T illegally disconnects my 911 access, lies to the FCC

Amerika (sic) is probably the biggest lie in the history of mankind. The corrupt little rat-hole is too cowardly to admit - and most Americans are too brainwashed to realize - that it's a dictatorship ruled by crooked corporations.

South Carolina law is very clear in prohibiting phone companies from disconnecting access to 911 regardless of the reason they decide to terminate someone's service. AT&T - livid because I refused to pay their fabricated bill - violated that law.

Recently, I thought it would be kinda fun to file a complaint with the FCC, just to see what excuse AT&T and the corrupt FCC would come up with to keep from re-connecting my access to 911. And wouldn't ya know it? AT&T told the FCC a blatant lie, claiming I asked them to terminate my phone service.

Actually, for over three years, I've done fine without having 911 access, and I was prepared to lose such access when I took on a goon thug corporation like AT&T. But that's another story.

Of course, it would be risky for a phone company to lie to the FCC if the FCC weren't owned by the corporations it claims to regulate. For example, the FCC has done a remarkable job of making sure robocalls continue while pretending it wants to stop 'em. Toss in Consumers Union's deceitful "Campaign to End Robocalls" and you have an orchestrated effort to keep consumers bankrolling crooked businesses like AT&T.   .

The FCC - intent on upholding a corporate crook - took AT&T's blatant lie at face value, and ruled that AT&T had "responded" to my concern, case closed. Here's a copy of my reply to the FCC:

AT&T - the kind of bullying corporate THUG the FCC loves to represent - made 'a response' to my concern. Never mind that their response was ridiculous.

SO glad I haven't had a phone for over 3 years, and use a computer at the library. I continue to save tons of money - just wish I had taken such action sooner. Ah, the peace and quiet of not being harassed by robocalls, much less PAYING for such harassment. 

Never expected the FCC to take any action on my behalf - just wanted to cause AT&T the trouble of making a reply. The FCC is a typical government agency, always looking out for thugs like AT&T instead of consumers.

It's not surprising that the FCC is campaigning to limit free speech on the Internet. Here's a link to one of my blog posts about AT&T: Beaten at its own game, AT&T discounts the bill I DON'T owe 'em 

I loved it when Dr. Paul Craig Roberts ran a guest article about the FCC's efforts to do away with Internet neutrality and headlined his reference "The Internet, the Last Bastion of Free Speech in America, is Under FCC Attack." Sending the FCC the link to my blog post was right on target.

When I got the letter AT&T was required to mail me about my complaint, I wasn't surprised that the sex-obsessed, LGBTQQIAAP-supportin' thug evidenced some gender confusion. Remember to thank AT&T for contributing to America's never-ending epidemic of STDs.

I just love it when corporate scum and their government cohorts start believing that high-tech gadgetry is one of life's basic necessities. It must be a shocker to a greedy thug like AT&T that somebody has managed to get along so well for over three years without having a phone, 911 access, or home Internet.

You see, boys and girls, Amerika's corrupt power structure has a vested interest in making sure everyone has a phone, preferably a cell phone. It makes consumers vulnerable to robocalls from corporate bill collectors even if charges are unwarranted. But that's only part of the picture. Dr. Roberts gets to the crux of the matter in his recent article, "I Remember When America Was A Free Country," stating, "Their cell phones, social media, and the Internet give them the illusion of freedom (emphasis mine)."

It's always a pleasure to expose AT&T for lying, but to expose 'em for lying to the much-ballyhooed FCC has been a real bonus. Made my day.

Update 6/29/2018 - My pleasure to send a link to this post to AT&T's president's office and the FCC. Talk about a goon thug corporation being above the law...

BEWARE of Consumers Union's campaign to end robocalls

Update 5/17/2019 - This post has now been vindicated. The number of robocalls has surged in recent years. Consumers Union's efforts (they've now changed their name to Consumer Reports Advocacy), along with those of the U.S. (Unlimited Stupidity) government's, to end these calls have failed because they were never intended to succeed. Consumers Reports Advocacy and corrupt regulators are obviously opposed to empowering consumers. IS ANYONE SURPRISED THAT BRINGING BACK PAY PHONES NEVER MAKES THE NEWS? Meanwhile, I've saved about $4,000 since allowing thug goon AT&T to disconnect my home phone and Internet rather than pay a bill I didn't owe 'em. Consumer Reports Advocacy has apparently blocked me from posting comments on articles they publish about ending robocalls. Doncha just LOVE their devotion to free speech.

"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." - anonymous

I got a bad first impression of the Consumers Union gang when I asked them to investigate engine failures in MR2 Spyders. They expressed an interest, then clammed up, never advising consumers of the risk involved in purchasing one. That was long ago.

So it was with cautious optimism that I got involved with their so-called Campaign to End Robocalls. Started promoting their campaign on my blog posts as I wrote about my decision to not have a landline or cell phone as an alternative to paying to be harassed by robocalls. I didn't see what participating in their campaign could hurt, and hoped to learn more about Consumers Union along the way.

I learned a great deal about 'em.

Ending robocalls is no problem - it'll soon be three years since AT&T terminated my "service" (including home Internet). I sure wish the thug had taken such action long ago. The peace n quiet that comes with an assurance that my phone ain't gonna ring remains absolutely glorious, and my bank account continues to grow. Factor in the IMMENSE satisfaction of not enriching the coffers of an out-of-control telephone industry, and it's wunna the best deals ya could ask for.

Along the way, I became acutely aware of the crooked telephone industry's campaign to eliminate coin-operated pay phones, and posted about it more than once on Consumers Union's Facebook page. Those comments were ignored, whereas my comments promoting CU's "Campaign to End Robocalls" were met with enthusiastic responses from CU, even to the point of hosting live links to my blog posts about not having a landline, cell phone, or home Internet. .

Then I began to notice businesses insisting that consumers use a phone to purchase products and services, which prompted several blog posts, all linked to in my post,"Is Mountain America Federal Credit Union in cahoots with the telephone industry?" After publishing that post, the question quickly became "Is CONSUMERS UNION in cahoots with the telephone industry?"

In the process of publishing tweets with a link to my post about Mountain America, I replied to one of Consumers Union's tweets, and my reply was apparently removed. So I fired off a tweet to CU asking if they were trying to keep things quiet about businesses helping phone companies force consumers to use phones. CU absurdly denied that my reply to their tweet had been removed, stating that it had been sent off for investigation and they would be in touch.

Just for grins n chuckles, I then posted a link to my post about Mountain America on CU's Facebook page. And the strangest thing happened. My post wouldn't appear as the most recent, which would have given it exposure on the front of CU's Facebook page. Instead, the post was buried, appearing out-of-sequence, and prompted no response from CU, even after I explained what had happened in a reply to the post.

I just love it when organizations act dumb. If CU was really interested in helping consumers, they would object not only to businesses requiring folks to use phones to obtain products and services, CU would have been objecting to the elimination of pay phones from the get-go. With me, it's a matter of choice not to have landline or cell. Many folks, for example those who are in bad health, not so fortunate, which demonstrates how greedy the telephone industry is, and how uncaring for consumers CU actually is. That CU touts itself as an advocacy for consumers is a joke. 

CU finally "got in touch" with me via a message on Twitter, suggesting - of all things - that I contact them by phone. Of course, I insisted on e-mail, and finally got an e-mail asking what I thought about robocalls.

The gist of my response was to emphasize - as though CU is unaware - that e-mail and pay phones empower consumers with an inexpensive option to handing over big bucks each month to communicate, not to mention paying to put up with robocalls or paying extra to cut down on the harassment. Businesses helping phone companies by requiring consumers to use phones demonstrates that if ya give greedy goons like AT&T an inch by allowin' 'em to eliminate coin-operated pay phones, they'll take a mile. And CU couldn't care less. Let's just say that things are often not what they appear to be, especially in a society that worships deceit. At least I wuz never suckered into donating money to CU.

I've come to be uncomfortable with any person or group that encourages any kind of "campaign" directed at getting elected officials to reign in crooked corporations. Amerika is a cesspool of corruption aimed at enriching crooked, greedy goons like AT&T, Toyota, State Farm, and Toro, just to name a few. There's also a nationwide probate racket that's been going on for decades. American government is at all levels run by crooked corporate interests, making fools of a cowardly, brainwashed public "programmed" to think they can vote their way out of the malaise. I quit wasting my time at the polls long ago. Make no mistake: Robocalls are BIG BUSINESS, and if ol' Uncle Sammy wanted to end robocalls, the unconscionable jerk would have done so long ago. So-called regulatory agencies such as NHTSA (No Help To Solve Anything) are the biggest jokes of all, acting as agents for the crooked industries they claim to regulate.

Meanwhile...

I'm literally getting paid to avoid robocalls. As brainwashed Americans wander around in a patriotic stupor, blabbering on cell phones and shelling out big bucks each month to do so, I've verified that I rarely need to use a phone. I've quit promoting CU and their laughable efforts to appeal to corporate-controlled stooges to reign in the crooked corporate interests that fund their election campaigns.

Amerika's effort to attain self-governance has been nothing more than a spectacular failure. Recent polls indicate that Americans are beginning to realize that their government is a dictatorship.

Update 4/4/2018 - Such a pleasure to tweet CU a link to this post.

Beaten at its own game, AT&T discounts the bill I DON'T owe 'em

Update 5/1/2019 - My savings for not having a phone are now approaching $4,000. 

Update 10/26/2017 - AT&T has further reduced the bill I don't owe 'em - this time to $59.05 -  and the bullying thugs aren't one bit closer to getting one cent outta me. No surprise that a bully like AT&T sponsors LGBTQQIAAP activities. 

Life jus' doesn't get much better. I chose to allow AT&T to discontinue my "service" (rather than be bullied into paying their fabricated bill) on 5/13/2015, and I've had FUN GALORE ever since. Not to mention the heavenly peace n quiet that comes with not being bombarded by robocalls. Bicycling to use a computer at the library, shopping n running errands along the way, and using a pay phone has worked out FAR better than I ever DREAMED.

But wunna the ABSOLUTE BEST experiences came a few weeks ago when I got a letter from Afni, Inc., wunna AT&T's collection gangs, discounting my "bill" from $118.09 to $64.95. Not that I trust AT&T or its "enforcers," and actually, over the past year and seven months, I haven't gotten many collection letters from any of AT&T's thugs. Once the goons realize I don't have a phone they can incessantly ring, they back off quick.

Ah, the SHEER DELIGHT of sockin' it to a crooked bunch like AT&T, ANOTHER CORPORATE SLOB that thinks it can kick ALL consumers around with impunity. A gang that uses robocalls and charges exorbitant, deceitful fees to force folks to give up their landlines and buy cell phones. Just for the record, AT&T, if there's anything I HATE, LOATH, AND DESPISE, it's a cell phone. And from asking around, it appears that I've got WAY more company than your presstitute mainstream media friends would have the gullible American public believe.

It'll be such a pleasure to send AT&T and their lapdog, the SC Department of Consumer Affairs, links to this post. I'm not givin' AT&T ONE RED CENT, and along the way, I've discerned a few things that I'll take this opportunity to point out.

If anyone owes anyone anything, AT&T owes ME for at least a year's worth of home phone (landline) and Internet for the $34.95 per month CONTRACT they entered into - IN WRITING - with no mention of any additional fees, taxes, etc. At this point, I'm willing to overlook their illegalities and the inconvenience they've caused me, in exchange for the few months they billed me correctly for, only to fire up their nonsense again, which ultimately led to their cutting off my "service" entirely after attempting to intimidate me with extended periods of "partial service." 

Then there's that threatening collection letter they first mailed me, pointing out that unless I forked over the amount they came up with (I still can't figure out how they arrived at it), I would be responsible for attorney fees, court costs, etc. when their fleet of scumballs - er I mean lawyers - took legal action. Of course, once they realized that I was SERIOUS about not having a home phone, and could actually pull it off, their tone got a lot less threatening.

And factor in over a decade's worth of robocalls (the precipitating feature of this whole matter), which had gotten so bad I usually didn't even bother to answer the phone. AT&T owes me an allowance for all the harassment, essentially cutting my "service" in half. 

I have a suggestion, AT&T.

Let's do what you initially threatened to do. Tell your gang of lawyers to file charges, haul me into court, and let's see what a jury of my peers has to say about the bill you cooked up. I'd LOVE to present that e-mail you sent me with the itemized charges guaranteed for a year, neatly summed up, without further ado as a GRAND TOTAL.I'll even act as my own attorney.

So PUT 'EM UP, AT&T. Yer not scared of a 71-year-old and his antique, steel-framed, easy-ridin' 10 speed bicycle... 

ARE YA?

9/14/2017 update - AT&T solicited door to door again last Saturday. Always such a JOY tellin' 'em how much money I've saved - now over $2,800 - and how DELIGHTED I am not watching TV and not having a landline, a cell phone, or home Internet.

5/14/2017 update: TWO YEARS without home phone or Internet and I like it all the more as time goes by. Applying a bit of creativity, including rare use of snail mail, I don't even need pay phones. And that's a good thing, since a dumbed-up American public has permitted crooks like AT&T to eliminate pay phones. So far, I've saved about $2,500 and I've also noticed a decrease in junk mail.

Listen up AGAIN, AT&T: One year without home phone or Internet, and I LOVE it

Update 1/31/2018 - Goons from the telephone industry ripped he last pay phone in my area off a wall about 6 months ago, within 24 hrs after I used it. I had given my name and had mentioned how much I enjoy not having home phone or Internet. As pay phones disappear, businesses seem to be helping the telephone industry try to force consumers to shell out big bucks each month to communicate. Here's a link to my blog post about the situation. We need a campaign to increase the number of good ol' coin-operated pay phones. Such an option would empower consumers, and motivate the phone industry to end robocalls. I remain DELIGHTED having no landline, cell, or home Internet.

Update 5/20/2017 - Now over 2 years without home phone or Internet, and I enjoy the advantages more and more as time goes by. Not having a phone sure cuts down on the junk mail. And I've now saved about $2,000.

WOW. Tomorrow, 5/13/16, a whole year will have gone by since AT&T discontinued my "service." And what a year it's been.

The absence of robocalls has been absolutely WONDERFUL. I didn't realize just how stressful the daily, decades-long annoyances had been until they ended. For the first couple of weeks, all I wanted to do was sleep, and being retired, I could afford the luxury. In fact, before the "unwinding" ended, I got downright worried.

Ironically enough, when I had a home phone, wunna the worst robocall offenders was United Health Care. They showed their appreciation for my Medicare Advantage business by targeting me with robocalls demanding that I sign up for regular home health-care visits. Much to the medical fraternity's chagrin, I've been blessed with exceptionally good health, take no medications, and have no interest in United Health Care's supposedly optional program. I'd told 'em so more than once, but the robocalls continued, sometimes ringing my phone for up to 50 times. Much more of that - their strategy, perhaps? - and I woulda needed home health care visits.

What a pleasure it was - after I no longer had a home phone - to get a letter from United Health Care - suitable for framing - angrily informing me in big bold print at the top, "We've been trying to reach you." followed by a demand that I contact them (by phone, of course). Really.

Okay. This venture has also been about the money, but only in the sense that I don't appreciate being kicked around by a crooked corporation that assumes everyone who can afford it somehow has to have home phone (or surely a -YUK - cell phone) and Internet.

Ah yes, the Internet

I've cut my computer use by 75%, visiting the library has been a ton of fun, and a cute girl who works there even sang to me on my birthday. Top that, AT&T.

To sum it all up, this first year without home phone or Internet has been a delightful experience. The bicycling turned out to be so much fun that I've used my bicycle instead of my car 95% of the time. I've learned new riding techniques, saved a bundle of moolah, and look forward to continuing this modern day adventure in self-reliance.

 Update 5/18/2016 - My pleasure to send AT&T and the SC Dept of Consumer Affairs a link to this post.

Update 11/19/2016 - Now it's been over a year and a half without home phone or Internet, and I enjoy my new routine as much - or more - than ever.  

Listen up, AT&T: No home phone or Internet has been a blessing

Update 2/1/2018 - Businesses now seem to be teaming up with the telephone industry in an effort to force consumers to shell out big bucks each month to communicate. 

Why should this government - Repukes n Demagogues alike - and its crooked corporate cronies be allowed to terrorize citizens within their own homes?

Over two months without my "service," and the benefits remain well worth any inconveniences. Not being harassed by robocalls is relief beyond measure.

The biggest surprise was receiving notices in the mail that automatic payments for various bills hadn't been received. Really had me puzzled until I remembered that a "rewards" checking account I opened years ago required home phone and Internet. Bank First in Macon, Missippi (AVOID 'em like the plague) never sent any notice, they just suddenly stopped my autopays. Fortunately, I never had to shell out any late fees, and it wuzza pleasure to close the account. Bank First plays the teaser-rate game, and if anyone raked in "rewards," it wuz banksters and AT&T. I can get a better rate with a CD.

Cashing in - pardon the pun - on prior bicycling experience, I've made most of my trips to the pay phone and the library (8-10 milers) on my bike, done most of my shopping along the way, and saved a bundle on gas. Lots of fun, and phone calls have averaged a measly $1.25 per month. The trick is to cut way back on using computers, and I've made great progress.

Of course, I'm getting nasty threats in the mail from those sleazy, robocall-supportin' crooks at AT&T. Their latest absurdity is a bill for $118.09, which I ain't gonna pay. Successful collection efforts will be based on a "Grand Total" of $34.95 per month, and will be for February, March, and half of April. The banditos get nothing for the periods my "service" was "temporarily interrupted," partially disabled, or whatever the bullies wanna call it.

In addition to robocalls, AT&T had been ringing my landline with a tacky little recorded message about their bill, and the day before my "service" was "permanently disconnected," I unplugged all three of my phones. So go ahead, AT&T:

HIT ME WITH YER BEST SHOT.

Update 7/15/2015 - My pleasure to send AT&T, SC Dept. of Consumer Affairs, and Bank First a link to this blog post.

Update 8/29/2015 - It'll soon be four months without my "service," and things are going extremely well. Still early in the game, but I'm beginning to doubt that I'll ever pay to have home phone or Internet again.

Update 11/14/2015 - Yesterday marked six months without home phone or Internet. Going into the cooler months will be interesting re the bicycling, but so far so good. I only got one mailing from AT&T's collection agency. When the gang realized they couldn't harass me by ringing a phone, they backed off. Phones have been turned into tools for crooked corporations. 

Update 11/30/2015 - Consumers Union just now exposed our corporate-controlled, paid-off stooge of a Congress for creating a loophole whereby crooked corporations like AT&T can route robocalls to cell phones. I quit participating in America's two-headed, one party SHAM of an electoral system years ago.

Update 12/16/2015 - I love it when AT&T drops by my house lookin' for business and sez it costs me gas to use pay phones and the library. That's when I smile EXTRA BIG and tell 'em about... The Bicycle. It's also been a ton of fun tellin' folks that I no longer have a home phone and explaining why. Bicycling is working out - pardon the pun - better than I expected. Temps have generally been mild so far this winter, but I've taken several rides in the 40's without any problem. 

Update 1/12/2016 - Tomorrow marks eight months, and the winter bicycling is going SUPER well. This morning's ride featured wind chills in the 17-24 range, but with ski gear, I wuz too WARM by the time I completed my 4.5 mile trip to the library. #FUN

Update 1/21/2016 - LOVE the bicycling, and in addition to all the moolah I'm savin' on gas n phone bills, this morning I scooped up a quarter, two coppers, and a nickel - all in one spot - on my way to the library. Hee hee: It PAYS to eliminate robocalls. 

Update 2/10/2016 - Better still is the absence of political robocalls. I quit voting long ago, and the robocall situation epitomizes why. 

Update 3/11/2016 - Winter is quickly winding down in South Carolina, and the cold-weather bicycling turned out to be nuthin' but fun. Couple months shy of the one year mark, and I'm enjoying the absence of home phone and Internet more than ever. It's all in whatcha get used to.

Update 4/16/2016 - 11 months, still goin' strong without home phone or Internet. I appreciate the peace and quiet more and more as time goes by.

Update 4/22/2016 - AT&T's sales guy dropped by this wk, SUCH A PLEASURE tellin' him how much I enjoy not being bothered by robocalls, the money I've saved, and the pleasure of putting my tax dollars to work for me by using a computer at the library. Talk about icing on a cake: I happened to be sittin' on my bicycle in the driveway as we talked. 

Update 11/23/2016 - Since the crooks don't have a way to harass me by phone (robocalls) about the $118.09 bill I DON'T owe 'em, they've offered (by snail-mail) to settle for $64.95. NO DEAL, AT&T. Ya ain't gettin' ONE CENT outta me fer yer deceitful, dishonest ways.

Good riddance, AT&T. No robocalls, I save $80 per month

AT&T plans to throw this rabbit in the briar patch come 5/12 by "permanently" disconnecting my U-verse "service" that they promised me - in writing - for a "Grand Total" of $34.95 per month, then jacked up the price, and I refused to pay. Actually, I view AT&T's high-handed behavior as an opportunity.

For quite some time, I've been concerned not only about a constant barrage of robocalls, but also the fact that I've been spending way too much time sitting in front of my computer. Prolonged sitting isn't good for anyone, neither is the glare from monitor screens. Adding insult to injury, computers tend to be addictive, especially for folks like me who are retired and like to write. I've exchanged one bad habit - watching TV - for another. Fortunately, writing is only one of many interests, and the others cost a lot less than the $80 per month I've been handing over to AT&T.

An extended break in routine is an idea whose time has come, and I look forward to the peace and quiet of not being bothered with robocalls. Never wanted a cell phone, and I refuse to shell out one cent to avoid harassment that greedy, dishonest carriers like AT&T could have eliminated years ago. Things have gotten to the point where I rarely answer my phone. Pay to be harassed? No, thanks.

Last but not least is the satisfaction of not handing over about $200 per year in extra taxes to the corrupt state of South Carolina via the phone-tax scam. Dunno what the state's scumball legislators do with all the revenue they rake in, but they sure don't do anything for consumers. It's been a real hoot watching the South Carolina Attorney General's Office, the so-called Department of Consumer Affairs, and AT&T squirm after I obtained written evidence of AT&T's false advertising and insisted that all communications to "resolve" my complaint with Consumer Affairs be done by e-mail. AT&T and Consumer Affairs - bullies that they are - thought they could force me to go "off record" by AT&T constantly ringing my phone a ridiculous number of times, about 85 on at least one occasion.

America has fallen prey to a government - Repukes n Demagogues alike - owned by unscrupulous corporations. The situation is propped up by a cowardly, brain-dead public that accepts anything dished out by this warmongering, police-state oligarchy and its presstitute mainstream media. Just for the record, I don't blog under any illusion that my efforts will change a thing. Really, folks: I just enjoy speaking the truth.

Will using library computers and pay phones work out? I dunno. It'll be quite a change, but it's worth a try, especially when ya factor in the $80 per month I'll be saving. Considering what I've refused to pay AT&T, I'll come out of the starting gate at least $330 ahead.

Let the game begin.

Update 5/12/2015 - At least for the time-being, I still have partial access to the Internet. I've been without phone service for almost a month, and robocalls have continued, along with efforts by AT&T to contact me by phone instead of e-mail. AT&T is now billing me for $183.76, and I've updated the SC Dept. of Consumer Affairs, encouraging them to refer this matter to the appropriate authorities for an investigation of AT&T for fraudulent business practices.  

Update 5/13/2015 - Speaking of fraudulent business practices, AT&T and other carriers have been scamming customers with unauthorized charges, $50-70 million settlement reached this week with Sprint and Verizon. Kansas Attorney General said it well: "Consumers have a right to know what services they are signing up for and to be clearly informed about the cost of those services." 

Update 6/19/2015 - AT&T disconnected my "service" on 5/13/2015. So far so good without home phone or Internet. KNOWING my phone ain't gonna ring is jus' flat out DELICIOUS, and I have no shortage of better things to do than sit in front of a computer all day. Hope to publish a blog post about how things have been going - in the meantime, here's to PEACE and QUIET. :-)

Update 7/1/2015 - It wuzza hoot seein' AT&T get fined millions (drop in the bucket for 'em, of course) for misleading customers. Thang of it is, AT&T's customers should be reimbursed.

AT&T promotes government tax scam

No wonder AT&T deceitfully quoted me a "Grand Total" and made no mention of taxes and surcharges. These exorbitant fees are quietly levied by crooked, cash-strapped state governments, amounts vary from state to state, and it's a matter that neither phone companies nor legislators wanna talk about. From their point of view, it's best if the public can be duped and cowed into "just paying" phone bills without further ado. Sucker 'em in with misleading rate quotes, then tack on exorbitant charges when bill time rolls around. Exorbitant indeed. In my case, the additional charges amounted to about 50 percent of the rate I was promised.

Last thing the culprits want is news headlines that might cause an overtaxed citizenry to reflect on how they're being ripped off. That explains why so-called news media in my area and elsewhere have turned a blind eye to AT&T's outrageous bait and switch marketing ploy, and why the South Carolina Attorney General's Office quickly referred me to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, a toothless agency limited to "facilitating a resolution" of disputes with businesses.

My situation doesn't really constitute a "dispute" at all. It constitutes a simple, straightforward case of the marketing ploy known as bait and switch. The reason nothing is being done to stop crooks like AT&T is due to the nature of this corporate-controlled government and a paid-off mainstream media. If I hadn't lucked out and managed to obtain written confirmation of the rate I was promised, I wouldn't have ever attempted to confront the power structure's deceitful effort to soak people for extra revenue. Trying to downplay taxes, surcharges, fees, etc. is bad enough, but when there's no mention of such charges, even in general terms, and a rate is touted in writing as a "Grand Total," it becomes fraud, pure and simple.

It wuzza hoot the way AT&T "mistakenly" overbilled me about $165 when I got my first statement for U-verse, and then gradually - as I complained - lowered the amount down to an additional $17 in an effort to dupe me into thinking "Wow - look how much AT&T has reduced my bill," when in fact, of course, AT&T was increasing my bill from the $34.95 per month I was promised to a whoppin' $52 per month. The absurd ploy was even emblazoned on my account in the form of a graph. Along the way, billing amounts have inexpicably changed several times, raising questions about exactly how AT&T "computes" these additional charges.

AT&T's nauseating degree of gall evidences how utterly corrupt this government - Repukes and Demagogues alike - has become, and how powerless consumers are when confronted with corporate fraud. Likewise for AT&T claiming (I got it in writing in an e-mail) that they "couldn't calculate" the additional charges. Never mind, of course, that they have no problem "calculating" such charges when bill time rolls around. The person I communicated with in their president's office never did get around to offering a reasonable explaintion of the company's glaring misuse of the term "Grand Total," and I wasn't surprised that AT&T balked at my insistence on communicating only by e-mail. Nor was I surprised that the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs tried to persuade me to communicate with AT&T on the phone instead of by e-mail. It was a hoot when AT&T stated (here again, I got it in writing in an e-mail) that they would never include those additional charges as part of a "Grand Total." Standard definitions of terminology aside, AT&T apparently thinks folks should agree to buy their products wihout knowing how much they cost.

Isn't it a shame when government aligns itself with crooked corporations like AT&T, Toyota, GM, etc. ad nauseum in an effort to pump ill-gotten gain into corporate coffers? The "phone-tax and surcharge" scam bears stark similarity to the Homeowners Association (HOA) scam, whereby crooked legislators allow neighborhood gangs to bully homeowners into handing over what amounts to extra taxes.

I quit voting over a decade ago, and the fact that elected officials are beholden to crooks like AT&T epitomizes my reasons for refusing to participate in this corporate-controlled sham of an electoral system. It's gotten to the point where we don't even have a free press in this country. Americans are confronted with a pervasively crooked power structure - tyranny is the word - that cannot be remedied at the ballot box.

Update 4/29/2015 - It has now come to light that AT&T's top advertising honcho - Aaron Slator - has been fired, and the company sued, due to a whistleblowing employee exposing racist images she found on Slator's cell phone. Nothin' like pristine, unassailable character when it comes to advertising. Worse yet, racism seems to be a systemic problem within AT&T.

Update 5/3/2015 - check out Time Warner's claim - at least they attach fine-print making vague reference to "additional" charges - of Internet only for $14.99. In South Carolina, that quietly prompts a tax - er I mean "surcharge" - of about 40%, increasing the monthly fee to around $21.00. 

Update 4/9/2015 - Not surprised that South Carolina's Attorney General - the son of Congressman Joe Wilson - is embroiled in controversy over his dismissal of a Special Prosecutor charged with investigating public corruption in the South Carolina legislature. Maybe he should hand the investigation over to the South Carolina Dept. of Consumer Affairs...

AT&T tries bait and switch

4/3/2018 update: AT&T illegally disconnected my access to 911 when they permanently disconnected my telephone. Stay tuned.

I'm fed up with the telephone industry, especially AT&T. Robocalls are bad enough - I get two or three per day Monday thru Saturday - and now it's an ongoing, inexcusable effort to force me to pay more for U-verse than I was quoted.

It all began the first few days of last December when I called AT&T to discuss cancelling both my Internet and phone (I have a land line) service. Charges had been runnin' 'bout $72 - $80 per month, and given the constant barrage of robocalls - which had prompted me to generally avoid answering my phone - it just didn't seem worth it.

The lady I spoke with was very nice, seemed sincerely interested in helping me, and wound up quoting me a rate of $34.95 per month for a year if I would sign up for U-verse, which I gladly accepted. When AT&T showed up to install the U-verse, I inquired again about the rate. He quickly confirmed what I'd been told, and e-mailed me a copy of the charges (installation and modem fees waived), which ended off with a "Grand Total" of $34.95 per month.

No mention was made verbally or in writing of any addtional charges.

All well and good until charges showed up on my new U-verse account. Initially, I was billed for over $200, but after several online chat conversations with AT&T, that was gradually reduced to a little over $52 per month. AT&T dug their heels in for the $52 per month, and the online chats got somewhat less than cordial. 

ALWAYS - I repeat ALWAYS - get it in writing when AT&T specifies charges that you are in agreement with. Had I not obtained written confirmation, it's anybody's guess as to what I would have wound up being charged.

I refused to pay anything unless I was billed for the amount I had been quoted, and the next thing I knew, I got a nasty notice via snail mail advising me that my service would be "temporarily interrupted" the following day unless I forked over the $52 per month. So I immediately filed an online complaint with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs.

Good thing I got to Consumer Affairs' website when I did.

Next morning, my phone had been disconnected for all but emergency calls (see 4/3/2018 update). Of course, the robocalls continued, and my Internet usage was restricted to e-mail, Facebook, and, for a short while, Blogger. Attempts to navigate to other websites prompted a nasty, full-screen pop-up berating me to pay the fifty-two bucks. 

I persevered, and it took about a week before Consumer Affairs e-mailed me confirmation that AT&T had agreed to $34.95 per month, and I needed to pay for two months based on that rate. I paid the amount within hours after receiving notification from Consumer Affairs, full service was restored, and I hoped the matter had been resolved.

But alas.

My next bill (the current one) popped up for about $92, and I've again complained to AT&T (Consumer Affairs had given me contact info for someone in AT&T's president's office), with a copy of this latest complaint to the person I initially communicated with at Consumer Affairs. I e-mailed my complaint Monday, my bill is due on the 27th, and I haven't heard hide nor hair from Consumer Affairs or AT&T.

I can understand errors on the first bill for U-verse. But there's no excuse whatsoever for my service being interrupted for a week. Nor is there any excuse for the same thing starting all over again. This entire matter amounts to nothing more than a bait and switch tactic, with a dose of bullying thrown in for good measure. The 27th will be here soon, and I suppose AT&T plans to once again "temporarily interrupt my service" in an effort to make me accept a higher monthly rate than I was quoted. 

Clean up your act, AT&T.

Update 2/19/2015 - AT&T is developing quite a reputation for bait and switch. The FTC is suing AT&T over the company charging customers for "unlimited" data, then throttling the data. "'Unlimited' means 'unlimited," says the FTC. Someone also needs to tell AT&T that "'Grand Total' means 'Grand Total.'"

Update 2/20/2015 - 
> My tweets with a link to this blog post are being blocked from appearing in Twitter's real-time posts. Likewise re the tweets appearing on my Twitter profile page. Corporate CENSORSHIP in the age of the Internet. My pleasure to expose Twitter and AT&T on Facebook. 
> Who woulda thought? My Facebook posts with a link to this blog post are also being blocked from appearing in real-time. AT&T and their crooked, bullying cohorts don't like it when folks dare to expose AT&T's inexcusable behavior.

Update 2/23/2015 - 
> This morning I heard from the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs advising me that they will once again reach out to AT&T. Stay tuned as consumers get a firsthand look at how AT&T bullies its customers.
> AT&T prefers to argue instead of correcting my bill, realizing, of course, that the so-called South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs has no legal jurisdiction in the matter. Here's a copy of the e-mail I just now sent to Consumer Affairs with a copy to AT&T:

"I didn't speak with AT&T the last time you resolved my complaint, and I complained to Consumer Affairs only after repeated conversations with AT&T. I'm not interested in arguing with AT&T - that's why I contacted Consumer Affairs. 

If AT&T wanted to correct my bill, they would have done so by now - the bill continues to reflect over $90 instead of the $34.95 I was promised - so it appears the situation cannot be resolved through Consumer Affairs.

There's no reason whatsoever - other than a lack of good faith on AT&T's part - that AT&T can't respond to Consumer Affairs' inquiry the same way they did last time, taking action to correct my bill."

> I just love it when crooked corporations like AT&T feign ignorance in an attempt to bully customers into complying with unjust demands. Just now heard from Consumer Affairs with the "news" - who woulda thought? - that AT&T sees nothing wrong with my current bill for over $90. Consumer Affairs wants me to have yet another verbal exchange with AT&T, when the facts of my case have been clear to AT&T since the first part of last December. I refuse to be baited in such a manner. Toothless state "Consumer Affairs" departments - looking out for business interests instead of consumers - are part of the problem when it comes to crooked corporations. I never expected much when I contacted the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs to begin with.

> I understand, AT&T: Crooked corporations and their stooges in state government would rather not converse in writing. Sure am glad I lucked out and got a copy of that quote for U-verse at $34.95 per month.

Updates 2/28/2015 - 
> Consumer Affairs says their actions are limited to facilitating a resolution between customers and businesses. They do not render decisions and have no legal jurisdiction over entities such as AT&T. In other words, the SC Dept. of Consumer Affairs is just another toothless, tax-funded agency that wears consumers out with meaningless back and forth chit-chat.
> AT&T reduced my current bill to about $38 and sent me an e-mail (copy to Consumer Affairs) claiming they would never include taxes and surcharges in a "Grand Total" because they "cannot calculate" such charges. Perhaps AT&T expects folks to purchase U-verse without knowing what it costs. My bill was due yesterday, I'll pay it when the amount is corrected to what I was promised, and I have advised AT&T (copy to Consumer Affairs) to review the definition of "Grand Total." 
> AT&T's claim that they "cannot calculate" taxes and surcharges is at odds not only with common sense, but also contradicts what they state on their website. Obviously, they are able to calculate such amounts and should advise potential customers accordingly. Failure to mention such amounts while offering a "Grand Total" price for U-verse, and then billing customers for such amounts epitomizes the marketing ploy known as "bait and switch." 

Update 3/9/2015 - Just for the record, I was referred to Consumer Affairs by the SC Attorney General's Office. Wonder why the SC Attorney General isn't taking a direct interest in what appears to be a bait and switch tactic.

Update 2/12/2015 - AT&T is now billing me for $86.40 - the correct amount (for two months) should be $69.90. I've updated Consumer Affairs (copy to AT&T) and have once again emphasized my willingness to pay the bill as soon as it's corrected to the amount I was promised. Truly a shame that paid-off legislators - Repukes and Demagogues alike - allow crooked corporations like AT&T to kick consumers around. 

Update 4/15/2015 - Effective today, AT&T has once again interrupted my service. I notified AT&T and Consumer Affairs via e-mail that I have no intentions whatsoever of paying AT&T one cent until my bill - now three months worth including April - is corrected to $34.95 per month. Consumer Affairs replied back that there's nothing more they can do. Isn't it wonderful that this paid-off, corporate-controlled government gives consumers such great recourse against crooked corporations?

Update 4/16/2015 - Future payments to AT&T - if any - will reflect a credit for each day my service has been interrupted.

Update 4/29/2015 - AT&T now says they will "permanently" disconnect my service if I don't pay by May 11. Real hoot when corporations are allowed to promise a rate in writing, then not honor it, and tack on about 50% of the rate as an additional charge. Apparently, AT&T expects folks to agree to pay for their product without knowing the cost.