Baby It's Cold Outside - How Are You Keeping Warm?

[phillymatt53]

Oh, so like the TV commercial with the Russian guy who says hello dis is Peggy. Typical for a Russian too.

The thing is...
The obvious flaw in their scams is that they don't realize that IF they were really from the utility company, Phone Company, etc, they'd have that company's computer screen in front of them with all my information.
So why ask me for it?
I pity the gullible people who succumb to this type of crime.

 

[vacerator]

They usually start by saying your utility company can save you on your bill. That doesn't mean they are affiliated but may imply that.

 

[circlew]

I find no savings in dialing down the temp. The furnace just has to run longer to bring it back up.
Telemarketer for Michcon gas isn't foreign. She calls from and 810 area code number in Flint.

Evidently they can make it look like they are calling from any number they so desire. For example, they may be physically located in India, but show on caller ID as a local number. I wish the telephone companies would make all calls coming from countries outside US and Canada go through an operator like they used too.

 

[phillymatt53]

Evidently they can make it look like they are calling from any number they so desire. For example, they may be physically located in India, but show on caller ID as a local number. I wish the telephone companies would make all calls coming from countries outside US and Canada go through an operator like they used too.

That is another reason why I don't subscribe to extra phone company services like Call-Waiting, or Caller ID. - which Verizon charges extra for with my landline service.
I don't need them, period.
Because with all this "fake number-spoofing", it's not worth paying for when it doesn't give you a true and proper number.
I used to have Caller ID before all this spoofing started.

Same with Call Waiting - it's annoying when I'm on the phone with someone and they put me "on hold" because they "got another call".
And they always leave me hanging on a dead silent phone for minutes because "they forgot about me"?
Nah, screw that!.... If it's annoying to me, surely it's annoying to others.
You'll get a Busy Signal if I'm on the phone with someone, just try again later.
Just like the Old School days.
I used to have Call Waiting years ago, and that annoying "beep" disrupts my conversations or made me miss a word of someone that I'd have to ask them to repeat again.
"Yeah, John's number is 215-63"BEEP"2945". - Huh?

I like to live my life "Simple" and without all those so-called fancy features.

 

[verizonbear]

Temps have been <20 F for past few days with slight wind chill, and it's snowing.

Boilers are working overtime so it's nice and toasty indoors (steam heat), but one feels sorry for those in newer buildings with electric heating of various sorts. They are being clobbered with insane electric bills.

So far have heard no complaints from those using heat pumps. Well they are warm anyway, but at what cost most won't know until bills start coming in.

 

[verizonbear]

I've decided I am at war with BGE the local utility provider in Maryland. I keep my thermostat at 60. Use a heated mattress pad on my bed, a heated throw blanket downstairs in front of the TV and my cat has a heated bed next to the window so she can observe birds. I just replaced my AC and furnace I did not get an HVAC I wanted to stick with straight natural gas. My bill last month was 260, I'm thinking this month I may be closer to 300. My neighbors who changed out to an electric HVAC are averaging 500 to 800 utility bills with their units utilizing emergency heat due to the temperature. This weather has been making me look at real estate in Florida TBH lol.

 

[circlew]

That is another reason why I don't subscribe to extra phone company services like Call-Waiting, or Caller ID. - which Verizon charges extra for with my landline service.
I don't need them, period.
Because with all this "fake number-spoofing", it's not worth paying for when it doesn't give you a true and proper number.
I used to have Caller ID before all this spoofing started.

Same with Call Waiting - it's annoying when I'm on the phone with someone and they put me "on hold" because they "got another call".
And they always leave me hanging on a dead silent phone for minutes because "they forgot about me"?
Nah, screw that!.... If it's annoying to me, surely it's annoying to others.
You'll get a Busy Signal if I'm on the phone with someone, just try again later.
Just like the Old School days.
I used to have Call Waiting years ago, and that annoying "beep" disrupts my conversations or made me miss a word of someone that I'd have to ask them to repeat again.
"Yeah, John's number is 215-63"BEEP"2945". - Huh?

I like to live my life "Simple" and without all those so-called fancy features.

I had call waiting for a long time on the home phone, and it was OK. However, I would have preferred what my cousins in Texas had. Their phones had the red hold button, and buttons that lit up for the two outside lines and intercom - just like in an office. That way there is a visual indication that someone is on hold.

 

[vacerator]

We ditched Verizon 2020 for Consumer Cellular. It's been fine. The only thing is that to certain area codes, you have to use mobile stat to send photos or videos. We also ditched cable (Scamcast) for streaming, but that is no longer the savings it was because more channels are charging. You don't win for very long.

 

[phillymatt53]

We ditched Verizon 2020 for Consumer Cellular. It's been fine. The only thing is that to certain area codes, you have to use mobile stat to send photos or videos. We also ditched cable (Scamcast) for streaming, but that is no longer the savings it was because more channels are charging. You don't win for very long.

Don't you just LOVE the manipulation, lies, and disruption to enjoyable living by Big Tech?

 

[phillymatt53]

I've decided I am at war with BGE the local utility provider in Maryland. I keep my thermostat at 60. Use a heated mattress pad on my bed, a heated throw blanket downstairs in front of the TV and my cat has a heated bed next to the window so she can observe birds. I just replaced my AC and furnace I did not get an HVAC I wanted to stick with straight natural gas. My bill last month was 260, I'm thinking this month I may be closer to 300. My neighbors who changed out to an electric HVAC are averaging 500 to 800 utility bills with their units utilizing emergency heat due to the temperature. This weather has been making me look at real estate in Florida TBH lol.

Early on, when I moved into this house into 2005, I took some reasonable pro active things to save money.
Because aquiring a home can be stressfull initially.
One of those things was wrapping the hot water pipes in that tubular insulating foam tubes.
Another was packing some fiberglass insulation in spots that are prone to getting cold.
Another was installing a Honeywell programmable "setback" thermostat.
And yeah, I took the plunge and kept it lower than I'd like, hoping to get used to a cooler home atmosphere. - 68 when I was home, 60 when I was at work and sleeping.
But I could never get used to it, always causing me to override it up to at least 72.
And I also used an electric blanket at night.
But I said to hell with all that energy saving crap.
I want to feel comfortable in my own home, and don't want the TV news suggestions to rule my life and make me miserable.
I got tired of listening to what others told me what I should do.

It's a shame that your utility company is milking customers, I'd suspect mismanagement or greed as a part of it.
Forget what excuse "they" tell you, you'd never get the truth from them.

 

[wayupnorth]

Seems my local electric company, Verizon, is more interested in putting and paying for constant ads on local tv touting what hard work they do to keep the power on. Spend that money on lowering bills instead of expensive ads.