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Last reply · posted in DIRECTV General Forum
Someone please tell me once and for all if phone lines are "required" for new direct tv installations. My company continuously threatens to fire tech.'s for not hooking up phone lines. Hooking them up is one thing but I'm not bellsouth and I don't get paid to actually install phone lines and jacks. Any insight on this?
34 Replies · 5631 views
Jimbo
darobster1,
I see you have another post with more info in it.
Most of the post are accurate,I don't know what you need to know.

From what I know, what damaged posted (2) is what I have always heard to be correct.
Then again, I am NOT an installer and think that the phone line installation would be between you and the company you work for.

Also post 10 from chadzx11 states right from the D* website.

Not sure what more you want, if your company says put them in or be fired, thats between you and them.

Personally I wish they all would stay OUT of my stuff, the local cable company is the same way.

As for the Bell South Tech you mentioned, HE does not get good money for that, just his basic hourly pay (which may be good) but that money goes to the company, not the indivdual.

Jimbo
J
satsol,
DirectSatUSA has the same arrangement. They set an arbitrary number of phones that they want connected and they ding installers. They also have the rest of the MASTEC games; long hold times to close work and "lost equipment" back charges. SOS

I wonder if it has ever happened anywhere that one of these HSPs back charged a tech for "loosing" equipment and then back charged him for not connecting the phone?

Crooks, bandits & thieves!

Joe
Jimbo
darobster1,
What happens if you DO place a jack and they sign off on it, but after you leave, they decide they don't want it hooked up to the phone and unplug it ? Do you still get the charge back even though the sub disconnected it ? No one knows if or when D* might call the rec.

If it's so important to D* why don't they make it mandatory to do a phone test when the inital install is done ?
Let them know at that time if the sub has no land line.

I realize D* does these things for thier own reasons and if you suggest it , it won't go any where, just thinking outloud.....

Jimbo
D
as a long time installer, phone company's tech's tell their cust. that if you don't want to pay ph co for line that directv installer will install for free. I was told by a customer that she wanted the phone jack next to bed when her rec. was on opposite side of room! sorry but I put phone line where rec is going and am not obligated for free, to install phone lines just to save cust the phone co. charge for additional outlets. In most cases I run a phone line to nid and leave outside telling them they need phone co to tie line in from there. if they don't pay for phone line by wallfish then the line stops outside nid. hence the line is run. phone co. does the rest and cust still has to pay for additional line. This free basic installation seems to have a lot more read into by cust than what i'm obligated to do. i charge as little as $35 for a wall fish, pending on time taken to do the work, compared to electricians charge, that is considered free in my book. cuz i'll open the phone book and have them get a quote from electrician. How quickly they change their mind and go with my offer.
dishcomm
darobster1,
I see you have another post with more info in it.
Most of the post are accurate,I don't know what you need to know.

From what I know, what damaged posted (2) is what I have always heard to be correct.
Then again, I am NOT an installer and think that the phone line installation would be between you and the company you work for.

Also post 10 from chadzx11 states right from the D* website.

Not sure what more you want, if your company says put them in or be fired, thats between you and them.

Personally I wish they all would stay OUT of my stuff, the local cable company is the same way.

As for the Bell South Tech you mentioned, HE does not get good money for that, just his basic hourly pay (which may be good) but that money goes to the company, not the indivdual.

Jimbo
Bell South (Now AT&T) are paid union scale wages. A friend works for AT&T. He is transfering to the field from the office..He says the techinicins pay is $24 per hour...plus benefits. I would imagine senior techs make more than that. But anyway, they make real good coin...
Jimbo
as a long time installer, phone company's tech's tell their cust. that if you don't want to pay ph co for line that directv installer will install for free. I was told by a customer that she wanted the phone jack next to bed when her rec. was on opposite side of room! sorry but I put phone line where rec is going and am not obligated for free, to install phone lines just to save cust the phone co. charge for additional outlets. In most cases I run a phone line to nid and leave outside telling them they need phone co to tie line in from there. if they don't pay for phone line by wallfish then the line stops outside nid. hence the line is run. phone co. does the rest and cust still has to pay for additional line. This free basic installation seems to have a lot more read into by cust than what i'm obligated to do. i charge as little as $35 for a wall fish, pending on time taken to do the work, compared to electricians charge, that is considered free in my book. cuz i'll open the phone book and have them get a quote from electrician. How quickly they change their mind and go with my offer.

Interesting,
You will place a phone jack, run the wire to the NI and NOT connect it, even thou it's on the subs side of the NI ????? And then tell them to call the phone company out to term it on THIER side of the NI.

I have yet to come across that, but would gladly finish the job, the phone company charges $ 71 to dispatch a person to the house and $ 25 for every 15 minute incrument ....
Thanks, dshdwg,
We appreciate the $96 for the 5-10 minutes work involved.

What area do you work in ?

PS. What happens when D* does do a phone line test on a jack you placed but did not hook to dial tone ?

Jimbo
dishcomm
darobster1,
What happens if you DO place a jack and they sign off on it, but after you leave, they decide they don't want it hooked up to the phone and unplug it ? Do you still get the charge back even though the sub disconnected it ? No one knows if or when D* might call the rec.

If it's so important to D* why don't they make it mandatory to do a phone test when the inital install is done ?
Let them know at that time if the sub has no land line.

I realize D* does these things for thier own reasons and if you suggest it , it won't go any where, just thinking outloud.....

Jimbo
easy, you have the customer sign off on all work.. If that wasn't enough I'd take photos of every jack I installed as proof...BTW, when I was installing D* the CSR always did a phone line test before activating.
Jimbo
Bell South (Now AT&T) are paid union scale wages. A friend works for AT&T. He is transfering to the field from the office..He says the techinicins pay is $24 per hour...plus benefits. I would imagine senior techs make more than that. But anyway, they make real good coin...

That depends on how much time with the company, how much you start out at.

24 p/h is pretty accurate after 5 years service, sometimes less.
also depends on his location and the negotiated value the union has worked out.

Jimbo
dishcomm
satsol,
DirectSatUSA has the same arrangement. They set an arbitrary number of phones that they want connected and they ding installers. They also have the rest of the MASTEC games; long hold times to close work and "lost equipment" back charges. SOS

I wonder if it has ever happened anywhere that one of these HSPs back charged a tech for "loosing" equipment and then back charged him for not connecting the phone?

Crooks, bandits & thieves!

Joe
When we tael out EQ, we get a receipt. No chance at our company for "lost" receiver chargebacks..
I have heard horror stories of employer rip offs of technicians for the smallest things..many times the employer pockets the money. Here's a good one..A contractor near here would get a trouble call on a recent install. The tech would go back out and fx the problem..The company would without question charge back the tech..here's the best part. Even if the call was for faulty EQ or customer caused the tech got dinged anyway. The galling part is the satellite company would pay for the service call!.. So the tech worked for free and the employer pocketed the money that was supposed ot go to the tech..We are getting many of these techs applying for jobs with us..What they should do is get together and hire a labor attorney and sue these bastards.
KAB
KAB
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Much better than the critics would want you to believe. Only problem, the last guy was pretty obvious a couple of episodes in.
4 Replies · 1303 views
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R
I have watched three episodes so far and I like it.
T
As do I.
osu1991
Season 2 out now on Prime
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Amazon Sets 'The Lord of the Rings' TV Series In Mega Deal With Multi-Season Commitment

$250 Million just for the rights to make something :eeek


The LOTR original series, a prequel to Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust; HarperCollins; and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which produced the hugely successful LOTR movie franchise.

Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring.
13 Replies · 1723 views
long_time_Dish
Two friends recommended this show to me and I was hooked by the second ep of season 1! Production values are amazing and the episode runtimes are (typically) over an hour, which makes it really easy get hooked on the story because they're playing it out with movie-like pacing rather than a 34-40 minute episode. Acting and casting is really good as well!

I got started on season 2 a few nights ago and was wondering if anyone else is watching?
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Bruce
Two friends recommended this show to me and I was hooked by the second ep of season 1! Production values are amazing and the episode runtimes are (typically) over an hour, which makes it really easy get hooked on the story because they're playing it out with movie-like pacing rather than a 34-40 minute episode. Acting and casting is really good as well!

I got started on season 2 a few nights ago and was wondering if anyone else is watching?
I am amazed you like it.

Made it thru season 1, thought it was terrible, but wanted to give it a chance, made it to halfway on Season 2, Episode 2, just could not take it anymore.

It like they took the worse Lord of the Rings fan-fiction off the internet and made it into a TV Series.

Yes, the production values are high, but that does not make it into a good series.
long_time_Dish
I am amazed you like it.

Made it thru season 1, thought it was terrible, but wanted to give it a chance, made it to halfway on Season 2, Episode 2, just could not take it anymore.

It like they took the worse Lord of the Rings fan-fiction off the internet and made it into a TV Series.

Yes, the production values are high, but that does not make it into a good series.
They're taking a lot of this from The Silmarillion, of which I'm not quite a third of the way through yet, and sure, they've invented some new people, places and situations, but it's still (IMHO) a really good prequel to LOTR. Having only just started season 2, I'm still enjoying it quite a bit. I'm really not seeing the fan-fic angle in it. If season 2 proves to be as enjoyable as season 1 was for me, I'd sure like to see a 3rd season.
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long_time_Dish
Up to s2, ep4. Didn't like episode 3 quite as much as the rest, but episode 4 was terrific!
Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
548 Replies · 18878 views
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Foxbat
I saw that, wasn't sure if PHP was employed by XenForo or not.
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Scott Greczkowski
Yup thats what xenforo is written in, php.

But all patched now. :)
harshness
I saw that, wasn't sure if PHP was employed by XenForo or not.
PHP and a heapin' helpin' of JavaScript.

As dated as it is, PHP is eminently adept at projects like a forum. With modules, it is competitive in flexibility and computational efficiency with tools like Node.js or Ruby (where you must choose from many outboard tools).
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harshness
More specifically, these:



A more scholarly story is here:

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navychop
"WARNING Will Robinson!"
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
10 Replies · 87 views
Juan
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share

When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...the product label only shows the weight of the product...I am sure if you brought your own plastic baggies to bring the product home you could get the cheaper price
dishstaller
When walmart set a price...they weigh the container and the product...
Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.
b4pjoe
Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.
harshness
Meat with a bone in it. It contributes to the weight.
Bone-in is a well-known and often prized attribute. Adding the tray and the film isn't right.
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Juan
Then they are stupid. Everyone knows that the price per ounce should be the price per ounce of actual product.
You are paying for the whole thing
T
You are paying for the whole thing
Well, the bag can't weigh that much, right? But by law food product packaging must display the actual net weight of the product, i.e., the contents of the container, so by any logic, if not law, a store's stated per-ounce cost should reflect that figure. But since there's not any law regulating shelf statements, a store can say whatever it wants without violating any rules. So I guess the answer is more consumer legislation. Or simply caveat emptor.
Juan
Well, the bag can't weigh that much, right? But by law food product packaging must display the actual net weight of the product, i.e., the contents of the container, so by any logic, if not law, a store's stated per-ounce cost should reflect that figure. But since there's not any law regulating shelf statements, a store can say whatever it wants without violating any rules. So I guess the answer is more consumer legislation. Or simply caveat emptor.
But a box can weigh more than an ounce..maybe 2...a can might weigh 5 ounces..a bag...not much
dishstaller
.a bag...not much
Well, according to the price per ounce on that first bag of coffee he mentions, that would mean the bag weighed over 6 ounces. That bag does NOT weigh 6 ounces. According to Google, an empty bag weighs half an ounce.
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68563 Replies · 2675241 views
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harshness
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
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Bobby
Good Golly, Miss Molly - Little Richard
dishstaller
Little Miss Dangerous - Ted Nugent
RaiderPower
Little Miss Can't Be Wrong - Spin Doctors
sdfntx
Jump Down, Spin Around - Harry Belafonte
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Anony55
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.

They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.

Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.

On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.

It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.

I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
169 Replies · 7752 views
Nebugeater
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
T
Got a 211k that works fine, and I no longer need it if someone wants to throw me a few bucks and pay shipping. Not tied to my account as of last week. Used with a tailgater and got a wally
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.
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Nebugeater
Is the 211k still available? If so, I'm interested.


Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
dishstaller
Actually, it is. A couple of people PMed me when I posted this, and when I asked for an address, they never responded. Then I just sort of let it go. Send me a PM to continue the discussion
Unless things have changed at Dish, which is entirely possible, they won't activate the 211, even as a replacement. I gave one to a customer a while back....which when I turned it off I made sure to tell the CSR I wanted it freed up so another customer could use it, I was assured it was.....and when they called to swap out there's they were told it couldn't be done. Now like I said, things MIGHT HAVE CHANGED.
Anony55
Unless things have changed at Dish, which is entirely possible, they won't activate the 211, even as a replacement. I gave one to a customer a while back....which when I turned it off I made sure to tell the CSR I wanted it freed up so another customer could use it, I was assured it was.....and when they called to swap out there's they were told it couldn't be done. Now like I said, things MIGHT HAVE CHANGED.
It hasn't changed. When I cancelled my service the other day, they told me I didn't need to return the receiver (which I already knew because I purchased it).

But in addition to that, the young man told me not to sell it, but to take it to a recycling place. The reason he gave for the advice was because 211Ks can no longer be activated.

So as far as the VIP211k goes... once grandpa dies, he's dead.
T
They tell you to trash it and not to sell simply because they're phasing them out, not particularly because someone might be "confused" into buying it and not be able to activate. They tell people that in every case where they're not acting to get a box back, either from a replacement or service cancel.
Corrado
Although my VIP211K hasn't been subscribed or connected to a dish in probably 5 years since canceling service, my 1 TB HDD full of programming still works fine.

Upon occasion I power it up to watch something I recorded as far back as 2010. The last time I had it going in September it even let me rescan the local OTA channels which I think it refused at some earlier time. I will use it until the day it fails but this topic makes me think some software download is responsible for current subscribers.
Anony55
Although my VIP211K hasn't been subscribed or connected to a dish in probably 5 years since canceling service, my 1 TB HDD full of programming still works fine.

Since it hasn't been connected to a dish in that long, it probably missed the firmware update that they designed to cause the problem.
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!
10 Replies · 358 views
HipKat
I think they were more of a transitional receiver bridging the VIPs to the Hopper. They were a PITA to install and were buggy. Personally, I thought at the time that they were the best receiver out there. The versatility of the VIP's with the new Hopper GUI and, by far, the coolest-looking front plate and lighting.
T
I think they were more of a transitional receiver bridging the VIPs to the Hopper. They were a PITA to install and were buggy. Personally, I thought at the time that they were the best receiver out there. The versatility of the VIP's with the new Hopper GUI and, by far, the coolest-looking front plate and lighting.
I don't recall that they came out just before hopper, but rather that they came out even before 722. Or could be thinking of 921.

As to the title pf the post, "rare" does not necessarily mean valuable or desirable.
Nominal
I don't recall that they came out just before hopper, but rather that they came out even before 722. Or could be thinking of 921.

As to the title pf the post, "rare" does not necessarily mean valuable or desirable.
You are thinking of the 921. The 922 was the first DVR with Sling functionality built in (that was eventually disabled along with the Sling Adapter for the 722s and the 1st Hopper because they relied on now-defunct Adobe Flash technology). With the bugginess described by others and the removal of its marquee feature (Sling) the 922 faded into obscurity once the Hopper 2 with built in Sling was released and they finally made the concept into a fully functional product.
dishdude
I had one, the front panel lighting was cool, the menus were fresh and a lot more modern looking than the ViPs. However, it was very buggy and the Sling functionality just didn't work well - I think it was due to internet speeds at the time. I think I had to pay $40 for the Sling app on my phone iirc.
MikeD-C05
I had one, the front panel lighting was cool, the menus were fresh and a lot more modern looking than the ViPs. However, it was very buggy and the Sling functionality just didn't work well - I think it was due to internet speeds at the time. I think I had to pay $40 for the Sling app on my phone iirc.
I had both the 921 and the 922. I used to buy them from DishDepot.com in Florida and trade in my older owned receiver towards the newest receiver. The 921 was a reboot receiver and the sling part was hit or miss. I look back on all those receivers I paid for over 25 years and I think it was just TV. If I had that money back now I would be lot richer. My Owned Hopper 3 is sitting in a drawer in my office not being used.
T
That was part of the Ergen scheme, to sell the product as well as the service. And who didn't want the best box?

Maybe they went to the hopper because they were running out of 3-digit model #s- 1022 would have been kinda clunky. Folks would have tried to say "one-thousand and twenty two" instead of "ten-twenty-two".

Like some say "two thousand and twenty six".
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S
That's not really unusual. Cable companies like to the provide the box too. The phone company provided the phones in until the government forced them to allow third-party phones.
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 8 views
R
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
1 Replies · 75 views
Bruce
Every time my Dish contract comes up I weigh the options of keeping Dish or switch to streaming. Right now I can watch/record the OTA channels vis my HDHomerun. I also can stream CBS and NBC via the Paramount+ and Peacock apps. What I would need to find is how to watch the Food Network, HGTV, Syfy, USA, Hallmark channels, Great American Family, Lifetime channels plus a few more with an app or two. My current Dish bill is $118, so I should be able to get a few apps for a lot less.

Any suggestions? I would want the best picture quality and audio quality I could get.
USA and SyFy content is on Peacock, you can receive the rest of those channels via Philo, only $25 a month.

dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

5561 Replies · 461039 views
harshness
I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.
harshness
I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.
It turns out I was justified in my suspicion.

Gavin Newsom somehow authorized the temporary move of the distribution date of the Winter blend to September 28th.
Foxbat
It turns out I was justified in my suspicion.

Gavin Newsom somehow authorized the temporary move of the distribution date of the Winter blend to September 28th.
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price? Our State Government has been doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the current situation and put a freeze on the State Taxes on fuel sales at the pump. That's why we're still under $4.00/gal. while across the border in Michigan it's much higher.
Bobby
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price? Our State Government has been doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the current situation and put a freeze on the State Taxes on fuel sales at the pump. That's why we're still under $4.00/gal. while across the border in Michigan it's much higher.
Winter blend is cheaper than Summer blend.
Bobby
Regular$5.839​
Premium$6.299​
Diesel$7.999​
at Costco, Rohnert Park.​
harshness
Does that raise, or lower, the overall price?
Winter blend is reportedly 10-30 cents cheaper, but I would point out that prices have dropped as much as 62 cents at RP.
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