New, New Chat Thread - Page 380

Ron61 · #**7581** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 01:47 AM

Warren,

That is a nice picture and the background is great. Is that Boston that can be seen? Nice that you are really getting to enjoy the Cobra. I hope that everything goes great for Tru at the show in London and he has a great time also.

Ron

wtm442 · #**7582** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 05:40 AM

Yes Ron, that is Boston in the background, about 5 miles away as the crow flies.

I tried taking a picture with the running lights on, and I like the look. Something different.

Its only 62°F with forecast of about 78°F today with a chance of afternoon thundershowers. Spent about 3 hours yesterday weeding and dead-heading flowers. My fingers are still green after 2 showers and a couple of hand washings

Don't like to wear gloves while gardening.

Here is another pic of the sunset yesterday ....

Ooooppps, I almost forgot. GMW and its time for breakfast. Beam me up Scottie!

4RE KLR · #**7583** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 07:46 AM

Ron,
great story you posted yesterday. I enjoyed it. I think I have read that before somewhere.

OK,
As far as the CC companies go. They charge you interest for using the cards and some even have the audacity to charge an annual fee for you to pay them to use their card.

They charge the merchant a percentage of the sales price for every transaction, plus a transaction fee plus a batch fee. The percentage is anywhere from 1.5% -3.5% of the purchase price. The per transaction fee is almost always @ $.30 PER TRANSACTION. The batch fees are usually @ $1.00 per batch for the day or a specified number of transactions. Plus the charge you for the machine that the customer slides the card through. $50.00 -$500.00 or the virtual terminal on an E-Commerce website.

If you buy something on your credit card and then decide it was not what you thought it was and return it, the CC companies charge a return fee from $25.00 - $35.00 for That ONE return. If they accept your card and then it gets charged back they charge the retailer a charge back fee of @ $25.00- $35.00 for that ONE charge back.

They charge the retailer for a statement fee of about $20.00 $25.00 a month depending on volume.

Then after all the money they are screwing you and the retailer out of, if you credit card is stolen they all advertise loudly they will give you your money back, no questions. The problem with that is they perform a charge back to the retailer and take the money out of his account and give it back to you. Then they charge him a charge back fee on top of that.

American Express and Discover are the two worse cards for being fee happy. When I was accepting CC for my business I had a sign that said
"We proudly DO NOT accept American Express"

The truth of the matter is that when you use your credit card, the retailer takes about a 5% hit on the merchandise he sells you, as well as 100% of the liability for the purchase.

Think about this for a second. If I sell something and take a credit card I first have to pay for the merchandise I sell you. Then if you tell your credit card company the card is stolen I have to give you your money back plus the charge back fees. So I have paid for the merchandise TWICE and the CC company has gotten paid for the transaction twice.

Ron61 · #**7584** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 08:20 AM

Steve,

When I was working the company decided that instead of giving us checks for out of town expenses we had to get an American Express card and use it. I refused to do so and told them I wouldn't go to any state or city if they didn't give me the check and voucher set up in advance. Most of the people took the American Express. It was amazing at how many places they couldn't get to accept it. One of the supervisors from headquarters in San Francisco came up to take me out to dinner and explain the advantages of the American Express card and when he started to pay for it they refused to accept his card. I always got a $500 advance before I left town and then each week turned in a voucher for what I had spent and they would give me a check for that amount. Plus I just signed for the motel bills and the company got billed direct for them.

Ron

392cobra · #**7585** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 02:09 PM

Alright Warren,get ready !!!

Every since I let it slip out that I was still on dial up and you beat me merciless about the head and shoulders about it,I have been taking a survey of where I'm at in the tech/internet world.

As close as I can figure,about 1993. Better than I thought but still a little room for improvement & advancement.

UPS just delivered all the stuff I need to hook up my desk top and go wireless to my laptop with DSL.

AT&T says they'll have my deal switched on Monday.
It'll give me plenty of time to mess it up and then figure it out.

Man I'm off the porch and runnin' with the big dogs now !!!

wtm442 · #**7586** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 04:19 PM

OMG
First it was an On/Off button. Then we had Ron's problems with ISP's and e-mails that seemed to go on forever. Of course, Ron thought that Bill Gates was out to get him personally!

Now we will probably have a new set of problems to debug as Fred thunders into a new century. Just keep all of your ho's away from the equipment.

It was a nice day out today until 5 minutes ago. Thunderstorms. Don'y ya just love em.

4RE KLR · #**7587** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 04:35 PM

Fred,
Don't forget to secure the signal in your wireless

wtm442 · #**7588** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4RE KLR

Fred,
Don't forget to secure the signal in your wireless

I do not have anything wireless, except for my new laptop I bought. I use the laptop during vacations.

I can easily just plug it into a USB hub so I can access the internet while I'm home to update software, etc, before I go on vacation.

But I have a generous neighbor with wireless, so whenever I boot up the laptop, it connects thru my neighbors connection. I'm not sure who it is, but its free.

wtm442 · #**7589** (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 392cobra

Man I'm off the porch and runnin' with the big dogs now !!!

Where? Under the porch?

Ron61 · #**7590** (**permalink**) 06-21-2008, 01:49 AM

Fred,

I have the same thing. My desktop computers are using Cat 5 cables and my laptop is wireless, except when I am home and I use the Cat 5 Ethernet connector if I want to go on line with it. In fact I should drag it out and let it update as it has been in the case for over two months now.
Welcome to the 2oth century. Now when are you going to move into the 21st century? I can't keep up with Warren so give up trying.

Ron

wtm442 · #**7591** (**permalink**) 06-21-2008, 04:36 AM

Fred
Did you have anything to do with this caper?

http://www.dailynewstribune.com/stat...wing-attention

Joe Wicked · #**7592** (**permalink**) 06-21-2008, 06:10 AM

I remember reading about that. I thought it was a pretty funny prank at the time. I knew one lady who started sitting by her front window with a shotgun to catch anyone who tried to steal her lawn ornaments. The funniest part of it was she was afraid of the gun, so she did not have any shells for it. I guess she was counting on just the scare factor.

4RE KLR · #**7593** (**permalink**) 06-21-2008, 07:37 AM

GMA

Beautiful day here, right now. It'll be smoking hot in an hour or so.....

Ron61 · #**7594** (**permalink**) 06-21-2008, 07:42 AM

We have a heavy overcast this morning and the weather forecast says there is a chance of showers and lightening this morning. Just what we don't need is lightening starting a bunch of fires in this mess we have now. But I do enjoy the cooler weather so far.

Ron

392cobra · #**7595** (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 06:33 AM

upper 60's here right now,close to 100 later.

BB & The Ho's found my box of DSL stuff and want to help install it.

I want to put a couple of hundred miles on the scooter this morning.

I wonder if letting them just run the wires would be safe ?

Ron61 · #**7596** (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 06:42 AM

Sure, let them do all of the icky stuff and you will only need to finish up when you get home.

We had the strangest day here yesterday I have ever seen. It was very dark all day and we had 4 straight hours of lightening and thunder that shook the house almost like a 3 earthquake. But very little rain. Not even enough to get my driveway wet. I have seen thunder and lightening like that before, but not for 4 straight hours.

Ron

392cobra · #**7597** (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 06:45 AM

Sounds like a warning to me.

If I were you,I'd think about changing my ways....soon.

Ron61 · #**7598** (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 06:51 AM

Today is supposed to be in the 90s and sunny. Yesterday was just some more of the changing weather patterns we are seeing. Another cycle to go through. Though this area has had over 20 small quakes in the past week, only one of them was enough to feel.

Here is a picture of a check that is thought to have been sent by a ticked off customer.

How to tell when you've ticked off a rocket scientist
A Check sent to Verizon from an upset Customer.
The amount is believed to be $ 533.82.

4RE KLR · #**7599** (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 10:11 AM

I would like to see there faces trying to fgure that one out

Wll CC has been down for me most of the day 11:10 and it just now came up. Hmmm

GMA

Ron61 · #**7600** (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 10:15 AM

Steve,

I was on early and it was ok, then later I tried and it was down, but I don't know how long. Didn't seem very long as I went to a few other sites and came back and it was working ok. I just saw a news article that the lightening we had started 60 fires but they have most of them under control.

Ron