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Rixos
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Yesterday i ordered a sensor from amazon for $59.99 sold and shipped by amazon and picked free sameday shipping. In two hours when i went back to check the price, new price was $50.99. I didn't worry since amazon always refund me the difference in the past as long as you call or email or chat with them in seven days and seller is amazon. So I gave them a call and asked for price difference refund. First rep was nice and after checking the price difference, she tried to issue the refund of the difference but couldn't so she transferred me to her supervisor. Her supervisor informed me of a internal policy change happened a week ago and there will be no price adjustments, refunds or one time courtesy refunds at this point. I asked him what to do and he told me the only way is return the item and reorder it. Big disappointment. No big deal i lost 8 or 9 bucks but amazon seems to get more and more greedy. I wanted to give you guys a heads up. Think twice and check prices very carefully. Or add the item in your cart and watch the prices for a day or so before ordering.
Most reps are not informed yet about this policy change so only they figure out when they try to issue a price adjustment.
23 Replies · 3116 views
Rixos
First it was 30 days then 7 days and now no more. Good old days. I will still buy from amazon but like i said google the price then add it to my cart and wait for couple days.
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DJdish
Getting used to this new way of doing things.

I shopped around for an item, found it, waited, the price went up (I have this feeling that sometimes the more I click on an item, say to read reviews, check the price, the price goes up), so I waited, and when it went back to the original price I ordered it, I checked it later and the price was up again. So I guess my timing for ordering wasn't that bad.

On another item, I decided to go to another website and I ordered from there, the item did not arrive as scheduled, they gave me a refund, and the item arrived quite late, I notified them I already had a refund and now the item had arrived late, they told me to keep the item (i.e. for free).:biggrin
stargaze
First it was 30 days then 7 days and now no more. Good old days.

Amazon used to have some great deals but they are fewer and fewer it seems now.
The last two items bought from Amazon they seemed to ship them from across the country and took close to 2 weeks to arrive.
Guess it was because I would not pay the $99.00 for prime so now they lose more and more business as I go other routes that are increasingly becoming cheaper for me.
I visit Amazon for the reviews on products but if more people leave them those may end up being less. :(
Rixos
Even if you pay for prime still not as good as before. Their prices were unbeatable before. No tax and now plus tax plus they got tricky in years. You buy something for $20 and even before e they ship it , less then five minutes price down to $15. Cant cancel it because at that second they update to prepare for shipping.... You have to return it to get a refund....sad loved amazon before but they are getting worse and worse.
EarDemon
Completely opposite experience here.

After many years I decided to get new home office furniture. Purchased a Bush L desk and bookshelf on Amazon from a third party retailer. Ordered both on a Monday, and they came on Thursday. The desk is a little smaller than my previous one so I just ordered the matching lateral file to extend the desk so I can place my printer and maybe subwoofer on it. This was purchased through Amazon directly since (even with tax) they were over $50 cheaper than the place I got the desk and bookshelf from. I ordered the lateral file on Saturday night, specifically chose the SuperSaver free shipping (what's that usually 6-8 business days?) and upon looking at the status, it's due to arrive tomorrow. Total weight just under 100 lbs.

I typically purchase items on Amazon from third party sellers who are located outside of NY State to avoid paying sales tax and have never had an issue. On the rare occasion I buy on Amazon directly, never had an issue either. I always choose the cheapest shipping method and am just about always surprised with how fast things come. I'm not 2 years old, I don't need the instant gratification of having everything NOW! So I have no interest in Prime, when I usually get everything within 3 days, 4 at the most. Last year when I ordered a battery changer for my camera, it was supposed to arrive on a Monday, it actually came on a Sunday believe it or not.

When I ordered my new desk, I also ordered another monitor, to go along with my other two. Since like I said this desk is slightly smaller, it turns out I don't have enough room for three 27" displays amongst all of my other crap. The return was simple and painless. I was emailed a prepaid label, stuck it on the box, gave it to our UPS driver at work the next day and within 3 days my credit card was reimbursed.
DJdish
I came back to this thread, because I thought I remembered someone posting that Amazon no longer does price adjustment after an item is purchased if price goes down :(
JSheridan
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
156 Replies · 4338 views
Foxbat
Unless Dish acquires DirecTV and its mid-USA satellite slots, I may not have Dish Network to reach 40 years. Or, I guess we could buy a new house…
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S
Unless Dish acquires DirecTV and its mid-USA satellite slots, I may not have Dish Network to reach 40 years. Or, I guess we could buy a new house…
have charlie buy you a new house :biggrin :clapping
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T
Well, I didn't immediately think of broadcast, where there are all kinds of digital "subchannels"- I remember back when digital broadcast began that supposedly the 6mhz channel would likely support just 1 HD program and that the added subchannels would likely have to remain SD. I don't watch enough broadcast to know. Are there a lot of the subchannels in SD-only, and how do they do that, like are they in 4:3 or some kind of low-res widescreen?
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Foxbat
have charlie buy you a new house :biggrin :clapping
Unfortunately, I don't think my social proximity to Charle Ergen provides any special perks. Maybe if Foxbat, Jr. were to marry his daughter…🤞🏻🤣
S
Unfortunately, I don't think my social proximity to Charle Ergen provides any special perks. Maybe if Foxbat, Jr. were to marry his daughter…🤞🏻🤣
that would be one hell of a convo :biggrin.
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osu1991
Well, I didn't immediately think of broadcast, where there are all kinds of digital "subchannels"- I remember back when digital broadcast began that supposedly the 6mhz channel would likely support just 1 HD program and that the added subchannels would likely have to remain SD. I don't watch enough broadcast to know. Are there a lot of the subchannels in SD-only, and how do they do that, like are they in 4:3 or some kind of low-res widescreen?
New more efficient encoders. I think there's around 60 channels/sub channels now in the Tulsa dma. 480 widescreen for most of the sub channels, but some have 2 HD channels and a couple of SD sub channels while others have 1 HD and 5 or more SD sub channels. If they moved to mp4 or hevc encoding they could do higher bitrates for SD or more HD or even 4K in that 6Mhz channel. That could render some early digital tvs unable to tune though as they may not have the codecs for that. Considering 4K tvs have been on sale for years, I think it would be a very small minority of TVs with the problem. I'd rather see that happen and keep ATSC 1 than continue the move to a DRM enforced ATSC 3 world.
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S
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
The title was to catch everyone's eye lol! But it is a thought I've been having as I dev a Roku app for a client. You see many MAAANY years ago I got really interested in cable TV channels and even chatted with a regional carrier, Insight about what it took to get a channel number. It was surprisingly easy although prohibitively expensive.



You could petition, reserve a high channel number, they monitored performance and if they liked you, you'd get lower channel number overtime and cut into ad overlays.



Roku has a similar setup. Make an app, if it has a strong, original linear component you could get channel assignment on The Roku Channel.



As mixed as my feelings are on the current media landscape, I can't help but feel a little excited interest when I scope out the apps in the Roku store.
2 Replies · 48 views
navychop
Hmmm. I think Roku will last. But will Firestick? With their backing, I guess so. Apple TV STB? Of Course. Walmart? Seems someone ought to go, but with their backing?….

Off brands have, as probably expected, very short lives.
S
Hmmm. I think Roku will last. But will Firestick? With their backing, I guess so. Apple TV STB? Of Course. Walmart? Seems someone ought to go, but with their backing?….

Off brands have, as probably expected, very short lives.
All of those services have FAST Channels. FAST is a linear online broadcast stndrd. You notice how their linear channels all have some overlap? They are gettting paid for every second those streams are up without really having to do their own accounting. Best part is they don't even facilitate any of the stream bandwidth. Over glorified app stores on some android hardware. No reason NOT to stay in the game.
K
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Season 2 order already in hand:

'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Renewed for Season 2, Tatiana Maslany to Guest Star in Season 1

I've not been optimistic about this show based on what I've read so far. Seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Interesting though that Tatiana Maslany will have some sort of role.
94 Replies · 3724 views
harshness
Females wearing any clothing is unthinkable on Ferenginar.
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long_time_Dish
Females wearing any clothing is unthinkable on Ferenginar.
Was never a huge of the Ferengi-centric episodes in Trek...
Jimbo
Was never a huge of the Ferengi-centric episodes in Trek...
Me either ...
They turned out to be a Poor adversary ....
Foxbat
They got their proper due on "Deep Space Nine"
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long_time_Dish
They got their proper due on "Deep Space Nine"
And too many episodes centering on/around them as well...
SuperDish_Fan23
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
35 Replies · 1107 views
S
I looked for wrecked trains on ebay and those are hard to find too!
Almighty1
I remember this in the news too...

Bobby
I remember this in the news too...

That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.
SuperDish_Fan23
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
Whoever still has their 922, please let me know i just wanna see photos of the ui and other stuff
S
Whoever still has their 922, please let me know i just wanna see photos of the ui and other stuff

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wL6dsORmXg
T
Slicker guides never did much for me
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Almighty1
That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.
Good point as part of that time mentioned was before I was even alive.

While reports from the family's case focused entirely on the equipment rental charges, media records show that Ester Strogen originally started by paying $29.95 per quarter ($9.98 per month) in the 1960s for her combined telephone connection.
The actual base cost for standard residential telephone service over a 42-year period (spanning roughly 1964 to 2006) reveals how basic connection costs evolved compared to the equipment rental fees:

Historical Phone Service Rates
  • 1960s – 1970s Base Rate: Standard local phone service was heavily subsidized and tightly regulated under the Bell System monopoly. A basic landline package with unlimited local calling typically cost between $5.00 and $10.00 per month.
  • 1980s – 2000s Post-Deregulation Rate: Following the AT&T divestiture in 1984, base line service rates steadily climbed due to the introduction of subscriber line charges, touch-tone fees, and local infrastructure adjustments. By 2006, basic flat-rate local residential phone service hovered around $15.00 to $25.00 per month (excluding long-distance packages and taxes).
The True Lifetime Service Bill

Assuming an average baseline connection fee of roughly $12.00 a month over that 42-year span, the line connectivity itself would have realistically accumulated to approximately $6,000 in raw cash payouts.
When you bundle the actual service costs together with the escalating equipment rental fees, the total cumulative out-of-pocket phone expenses over those four decades easily crossed $12,000 to $14,000. Long-distance phone calls—which were billed entirely by the minute back then and could cost up to 15 to 30 cents per minute—would add significantly more to that historical total depending on usage.

The widely publicized calculation stems from a viral news story from 2006 involving a widow named Ester Strogen. Her family discovered she had been continuously leasing two rotary dial telephones from AT&T for 42 years.
The total cost—which actually came out to more than $14,000 by the time the lease was canceled—was calculated based on the following legacy telecom structure:
  • The Monthly Fee: At the time her granddaughters discovered the charges, the ongoing leasing fee was $29.10 per month for the two outdated phones.
  • The Math: Over 42 years (504 months), paying roughly $24 to $30 a month accumulates to between $12,000 and $14,600 ($29.10 × 504 months = $14,666.40).
Why did this happen?
Prior to the landmark breakup of AT&T ("Ma Bell") in 1984, consumers were legally not allowed to own their phones; they were required to lease them directly from the phone company.
When the laws changed and phone ownership became legal, AT&T spun off its rental division into a company called QLT Consumer Lease Services. Millions of customers, particularly elderly individuals who were used to seeing a single unified phone bill, simply never realized that the small recurring "equipment lease" line-item could be canceled by buying a cheap phone at a retail store.

Yes, leasing absolutely cost that much in reality, and the math is entirely accurate. However, the calculations performed by the family did contain one major historical nuance: they multiplied the final 2006 rate across all 42 years, which means the actual total cash paid out was likely a bit lower.
The original viral story focused on 82-year-old widow Ester Strogen from Canton, Ohio, who paid $29.10 a month for two black rotary phones until her family intervened in July 2006.
The reality behind how the cost reached that staggering total breaks down into two distinct phases:

Phase 1: The Historical Base Rate (1960s – 1984)

When Strogen first got the phones in the 1960s, renting was a legal mandate and cost a fraction of the 2006 price—usually just a few dollars a month.
  • The "Insurance" Mirage: In exchange for that fee, Ma Bell promised free, lifetime maintenance. If the phone broke, they replaced it instantly at no extra cost.
  • The Cost-Plus Reality: Because these solid-state phones were built like tanks out of heavy plastic and steel, they almost never broke. Consumers paid a continuous premium for decades for a repair service they rarely used.
Phase 2: The Deregulation Rate Hikes (1984 – 2006)

After AT&T was forced to break up its monopoly in 1984, the rental side of the business was shifted to Lucent Technologies and later a legacy holding company. To maximize profit off a shrinking customer base, they steadily increased the monthly rental fees over the next 20 years.
  • By 2006, the rental cost had quietly ballooned to roughly $14.55 per phone per month.
  • When the family discovered the $29.10 monthly charge, they looked back at the 42-year span and estimated the collective loss at over $14,000.
Even adjusted for historical inflation—where $2 a month in 1964 had the purchasing power of roughly $20 today—Ester Strogen and hundreds of thousands of other elderly Americans realistically paid thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for standard desk phones they could have purchased at retail for $10.

The exact out-of-pocket dollar amount Ester Strogen paid over those 42 years was never publicly determined, as neither AT&T nor the family had access to monthly billing records stretching all the way back to the 1960s.
The figures reported in the media are entirely mathematical estimates based on the 2006 rate. The two primary numbers used to define the "cost" are:
  • The Stated Media Total: More than $14,000.
  • The Exact Family Formula: $14,666.40. This was derived by taking her final recorded bill of $29.10 per month and multiplying it across the full 42 years (504 months).
What the True Cash Cost Likely Was

Because AT&T did not charge $29.10 a month back in 1964, the true historical cash sum she handed over was lower than $14,000. In the 1960s and 1970s, basic phone lease fees were generally bundled into standard service or itemized at just $1.00 to $2.00 a month per phone.
If we realistically assume she paid lower base rates for the first 20 years before the post-1984 deregulation price hikes took effect, a realistic estimate of the actual cash paid is between $5,000 and $7,000.

The Real Cost When Adjusted for Inflation

While the family's $14,000 calculation overestimates the raw cash paid, it actually underestimates the true economic damage when factoring in the time value of money.
Paying $2.00 a month for equipment in 1964 sounds minor, but due to severe inflation during the 1970s, those early single dollars had the purchasing power of roughly $20.00 each in 2006 terms. If you adjust every historical lower monthly payment upward to account for inflation, Ester Strogen realistically lost the equivalent of well over $15,000 in modern purchasing power by renting instead of buying.
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S
Slicker guides never did much for me
me either. sometimes it seems like things disappear when they start changing sh*t around :biggrin
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S
I looked for wrecked trains on ebay and those are hard to find too!
you would be better off looking in ca for a train wreck to nowhere :biggrin :p
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jcrandall
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV Programming Forum
So...DirecTV advertises the Choice package with 95+ bonus channels for Satellite customers. You don't want 90+ of the 95...

Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.

I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.

What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.

If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.

1681344805401.png


Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.

MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
243 Replies · 31880 views
K
WNPX/28 Nashville (The new home of the Predators) and WMYD/20 Detroit (the new home of the Pistons) are testing on the stream server.
harshness
One might get the impression that what DIRECTV does, or doesn't, is becoming far less consequential than it used to be.
M
One might get the impression that what DIRECTV does, or doesn't, is becoming far less consequential than it used to be.
K
WPLG/10 Miami is now available to stream customers

The CW stations WCWW/25 South Bend and WBKP/5 Marquette are testing on the stream server

Last week they also added a bunch of CW stations that are still not available to sat customers:
WETM-DT/19 Elmira
WJET-DT/25 Erie
KLFY-DT/11 Lafayette LA
KARD-DT/15 Monroe
WVBT-DT/44 Norfolk
WTWO-DT/3 Terre Haute
WFXV-DT/34 Utica
KFDX-DT/4 Wichita Falls
M
Well, that was fast ! DTV Stream brought back WTCN's HD signal today.

I have to assume the station signing up a week ago as the Miami Heat affiliate here (to carry their games) did the trick. NBA magic !!!

Or the station engineer took care of the problem after hearing about it.
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D
WNPX/28 Nashville (The new home of the Predators) and WMYD/20 Detroit (the new home of the Pistons) are testing on the stream server.
Channel 28 Nashville hasn't been added so far, correct?
K
WNPX Nashville and WMYD Detroit were added to stream about 2 months ago.

They also now have PRDTRS/651 for those in Predators territory outside of the Nashville DMA and PISTONS/663-2 for those in Pistons territory outside of the Detroit DMA.
TheForce
Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone
Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.
132 Replies · 1468 views
comfortably_numb
Can't remember if I've posted this yet..


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfL5seXJyWU
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Foxbat
If you ponied up for an iPhone Duo, keep it away from anything other than your soft, fleshy fingertips. No fingernails, no dust, sand, dirt, or other particulate matter. And don't bend it more than it needs to. Zack has destroyed $2,000 of Apple hardware to get those views, which should cover his expenses.
​
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comfortably_numb
No fingernails, no dust, sand, dirt, or other particulate matter

And definitely no medieval chain armor!
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harshness
medieval chain armor
Aka "mail" or "maille".
Foxbat
IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.
​

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.
S

most carriers do. that's why they send updates that slow phones down!! i buy unlocked phones no effect to me
S
IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.
​

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.

hope you have apple care a screen job is 1000.00 :oops:. can we say over priced garbage!!!
meStevo
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
127 Replies · 2320 views
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rvvaquero
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had an argument about who was responsible for the dynasty building of the early 90's Cowboys.

The rest of us figured it out in about 3 years, Jerry has had over 30 years but still can't admit it. It's all he lives for, to show everyone he can put together a winner. I don't think he can. His kids only know what he taught them.
Y
Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson had an argument about who was responsible for the dynasty building of the early 90's Cowboys.

The rest of us figured it out in about 3 years, Jerry has had over 30 years but still can't admit it. It's all he lives for, to show everyone he can put together a winner. I don't think he can. His kids only know what he taught them.
Johnson built it, but without the Herschel Walker trade, it never happens.
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b4pjoe
Johnson built it, but without the Herschel Walker trade, it never happens.
Jerry made himself General Manager after he bought the team but make no mistake Jimmy engineered that trade. As well as a lot of others at the time.
rvvaquero
Jimmy Johnson is a football guy. Jerry Jones is a marketer (hustler).

When I see a football player get a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct (like taunting) in a close game, I often wonder what he was thinking. Was he thinking, I'm doing everything I can to make this a better team and help win a championship? Or, was he saying to himself, I want everyone to notice how great I am?

Johnson inspires one, Jones the other.
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meStevo
Got to unfurl and hold the flag at Allegiant for the anthem today - amazing experience.
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
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