Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ut-ngp.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!werner From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Sears, Radio Shack, Junk Calls Message-ID: <347@ut-ngp.UUCP> Date: Mon, 5-Mar-84 06:58:32 EST Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.347 Posted: Mon Mar 5 06:58:32 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 6-Mar-84 02:35:52 EST Organization: Comp. Center, Univ. of Texas at Austin Lines: 46 D-CON-POWER ( what, me losing faith in RAID ? ) Sears: I don't want to start a discussion on this, but ... I can't understand why anyone comparing prices would want to buy anything from them. Not even the automotive department is competetive anymore. And when Sears in Miami did not honor my tire guarantee, because it was from Texas and about to expire - there went my last reason for buying my auto-supplies from them !!! As I was leaving the country the same night I had neither chance nor desire to fight this one, but I have not forgotten it !!! Still, getting a card to establish credit might be worth it. Radio Shack: Their prices are more than non-competetive - they are an outrage. Buying anything there but a few odds and ends which are hard to get, or not worth the trip elsewhere, is a NONO for me. I buy their paper+plastic record sleeves, though, to protect my records, never having found them elsewhere (<$3 for 10). Their insistence of asking for the address EVERY TIME and refusing to take NO for an answer, is very annoying and I have given up on trying to modify their behavior. Just another reason why I abhor buying anything there. BTW: The owner of Radio Shack has become STINKING rich in the few years he's been at it, and is now playing Texas politics in a very annoying way, meddling with education, etc. Junk Calls: We have seen nothing yet. Just last week, there was an interview with reps from TI and DEC on CBS-Nightwatch, introducing DECTALK and TI's latest speech module. Especially DECTALK is targeting companies who would like to have DEC's little machine make lots of calls for them. In 7 different voices, 3 male and female each, of different timbre to give the impression of different ages, plus the voice of a "darling" child, this machine will intrude into our privacy. It might be neccessary to await its impact before having a chance to pass some legislation about restricting its use, but if anyone is interested in trying to organize and execute the first steps into that direction, I am game. Flaming here or elsewhere has its function of raising awareness, but for me, I am already going crazy every time one of those computer-voices starts talking to me - I need action. werner @ ut-ngp { .UUCP or .ARPA }