FreedomPop significantly worsens offerings.

[sms]

FreedomPop significantly worsens offerings.

FreedomPop used to be a good deal for a low-usage phone, with rates as
low as free (200 minutes. 500 texts, 200MB data) to $5 (Unlimited
minutes and texts, 1GB data).

Unfortunately they have significantly worsened their offerings. The free
plan now includes 10 voice minutes, 10 texts, and 25MB of data (1/20th
the minutes, 1/50th the texts, and 1/8th the data).

There is no longer a $5 plan. The $15 plan offers 250 minutes, unlimited
texts, and 1GB of data. This is a 200% price increase for less minutes
than the old $5 ($60 annual) plan.

You can still find some of the old plans for sale at Best Buy and other
stores. No telling whether or not they’ll honor the $5 per month plan
upon renewal or if the free plan will continue at the terms indicated on
the card.

It look likes RedPocket, who now owns the FreedomPop AT&T business,
wants to get users to migrate to a RedPocket plan. The low-usage
RedPocket plans are a much better deal.

On the plus side, FreedomPop is dumping their proprietary app and now
you can use native dialing and texting. They are sending out new SIM
cards. I have a spare phone with the 1GB monthly plan and they
automatically sent the SIM card which I put into a different phone. The
phone with the old SIM card still works for data, but not for calls, the
phone with the new SIM card works for everything.

[Arlen Holder]

On Thu, 31 Dec 2020 15:34:11 -0800, sms wrote:

> On the plus side, FreedomPop is dumping their proprietary app and now
> you can use native dialing and texting. They are sending out new SIM
> cards. I have a spare phone with the 1GB monthly plan and they
> automatically sent the SIM card which I put into a different phone.

The Real Bev is gonna be happy to have the granfathered FreedomPop plan!

Me?

I have the free-for-life 200MB/month cellular T-Mobile SIMs on my cellular iPads.
o That gives me free USA calling to & from even POTS lines to/from the device

Of course, Google Voice still has free USA VOIP calling to/from any device
o But, of course, you have to be on the Internet for that VOIP to work

Unfortunately, I never used FreedomPop (but I do read what others post).
o Let's see what value the grandfathered FreedomPop folks have to add.
--
Happy New Year! (Let's all resolve to get smarter every day & help others.)

[The Real Bev]

On 12/31/2020 07:29 PM, Arlen Holder wrote:
> On Thu, 31 Dec 2020 15:34:11 -0800, sms wrote:
>
>> On the plus side, FreedomPop is dumping their proprietary app and now
>> you can use native dialing and texting. They are sending out new SIM
>> cards. I have a spare phone with the 1GB monthly plan and they
>> automatically sent the SIM card which I put into a different phone.
>
> The Real Bev is gonna be happy to have the granfathered FreedomPop plan!

Their concept of "lifetime" is flawed. I bought a $20 "lifetime"
hotspot and they just canceled the plan. I only used the damn thing
ONCE in two years. I've got two more of the 'lifetime' 200MB/month SIMs
besides the ones in our old phones, but I have't much faith.

> Me?
>
> I have the free-for-life 200MB/month cellular T-Mobile SIMs on my cellular iPads.
> o That gives me free USA calling to & from even POTS lines to/from the device
>
> Of course, Google Voice still has free USA VOIP calling to/from any device
> o But, of course, you have to be on the Internet for that VOIP to work
>
> Unfortunately, I never used FreedomPop (but I do read what others post).
> o Let's see what value the grandfathered FreedomPop folks have to add.

When I've used it (you have to use it every once in a while -- I assume
once a month -- or you have to log in again to re-authorize your chip.
Not a problem, just a nuisance) it's worked fine.

--
Cheers, Bev
"Screw the end users. If they want good software,
let them write it themselves." -- Anon.

[sms]

On 12/31/2020 8:17 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
> On 12/31/2020 07:29 PM, Arlen Holder wrote:
>> On Thu, 31 Dec 2020 15:34:11 -0800, sms wrote:
>>
>>> On the plus side, FreedomPop is dumping their proprietary app and now
>>> you can use native dialing and texting. They are sending out new SIM
>>> cards. I have a spare phone with the 1GB monthly plan and they
>>> automatically sent the SIM card which I put into a different phone.
>>
>> The Real Bev is gonna be happy to have the granfathered FreedomPop plan!
>
> Their concept of "lifetime" is flawed.  I bought a $20 "lifetime"
> hotspot and they just canceled the plan.  I only used the damn thing
> ONCE in two years.  I've got two more of the 'lifetime' 200MB/month SIMs
> besides the ones in our old phones, but I have't much faith.

<snip>

You have to understand that the FreedomPop hotspot plan you had was
prior to the company being liquidated. That FreedomPop is gone.

Your hotspot was on the Sprint network. Ting acquired the Sprint side of
the business and apparently had no interest in continuing that service.

Red Pocket got the AT&T side of FreedomPop, and kept the FreedomPop
brand, and now are apparently trying to kill it off. I suspect that
they'll keep renewing the $60/360 day FreedomPop plan for a while since
it probably isn't a money-loser (not much more expensive than the Red
Pocket $99/360 day yearly plan), but that they are trying very hard to
get rid of the free plan.

If JC Penney goes out of business, and liquidates, then you'll probably
lose your "lifetime" warranty on that JC Penney car battery too.
Actually they may already have gotten out of that warranty by declaring
bankruptcy, not sure. Apparently Firestone is already trying to weasel
out of replacing the batteries
<https://www.camaros.net/threads/lifetime-battery-not-so-according-to-firestone.201648/>.
I just thought of these batteries the other day when driving by an old
mall that still has the old, re-branded, JC Penney auto center
operating. And still has one of the last Bay Area Sears stores as well.

When Gemco went out of business I lost my lifetime membership which I
paid a whole dollar for. Clearly Gemco's concept of "lifetime" was
flawed as well.

[nospam]

In article <rsnioa$t44$1...@dont-email.me>, sms

<scharf...@geemail.com> wrote:

> When Gemco went out of business I lost my lifetime membership which I
> paid a whole dollar for. Clearly Gemco's concept of "lifetime" was
> flawed as well.

it was not flawed. lifetime anything has always been *their* lifetime,
not yours.

[Arlen Holder]

On Fri, 01 Jan 2021 11:37:03 -0500, nospam wrote:

> it was not flawed. lifetime anything has always been *their* lifetime,
> not yours.

To nospam's point,

I have a few Sears' Craftsman tools I purchased way back in the early
sixties that I'd like to get "repaired" by Sears, but even with the
lifetime being "their" lifetime, it's not always the same stuff either.

More on topic, I have the "SIM card for life" from T-Mobile for my iPads,
where the iPads are the limiting feature, not the SIM card, I fear.
o Why did Apple now destroy my second unused iPad for no good reason?
<https://groups.google.com/g/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/c/v75CQikTbAc/m/iU6uovGEBQAJ>

Happy New Year.
--
BTW, nospam, if you don't bullshit us, you'll find me quite cordial to you.

[The Real Bev]

On 01/01/2021 08:31 AM, sms wrote:
> On 12/31/2020 8:17 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
>> On 12/31/2020 07:29 PM, Arlen Holder wrote:
>>> On Thu, 31 Dec 2020 15:34:11 -0800, sms wrote:
>>>
>>>> On the plus side, FreedomPop is dumping their proprietary app and now
>>>> you can use native dialing and texting. They are sending out new SIM
>>>> cards. I have a spare phone with the 1GB monthly plan and they
>>>> automatically sent the SIM card which I put into a different phone.
>>>
>>> The Real Bev is gonna be happy to have the granfathered FreedomPop plan!
>>
>> Their concept of "lifetime" is flawed. I bought a $20 "lifetime"
>> hotspot and they just canceled the plan. I only used the damn thing
>> ONCE in two years. I've got two more of the 'lifetime' 200MB/month SIMs
>> besides the ones in our old phones, but I have't much faith.
>
> <snip>
>
> You have to understand that the FreedomPop hotspot plan you had was
> prior to the company being liquidated. That FreedomPop is gone.
>
> Your hotspot was on the Sprint network. Ting acquired the Sprint side of
> the business and apparently had no interest in continuing that service.

Irrelevant; when you buy the assets you also buy the liabilities. It
didn't seem worth making a stink about suing in small claims court.

> Red Pocket got the AT&T side of FreedomPop, and kept the FreedomPop
> brand, and now are apparently trying to kill it off. I suspect that
> they'll keep renewing the $60/360 day FreedomPop plan for a while since
> it probably isn't a money-loser (not much more expensive than the Red
> Pocket $99/360 day yearly plan), but that they are trying very hard to
> get rid of the free plan.

SOMEBODY should sue them just to keep them honest.

> If JC Penney goes out of business, and liquidates, then you'll probably
> lose your "lifetime" warranty on that JC Penney car battery too.

No. Firestone bought the auto stuff, which includes the liabilities.
If Penney's goes belly-up, that shouldn't make a difference. If
Firestone goes belly-up that's completely different.

We had two of those batteries and we still have one of the vehicles ('60
Dodge van). We've had two replacement batteries from Firestone, who
bought the auto stuff. We had to go first to Penney's with the
paperwork and get a confirmation from them. Firestone wanted to give us
a super-duper three-year battery instead, but we refused. The second
time the Firestone guy wanted to KEEP our paperwork, but I didn't let
him. He also said that he had to check the charging circuit on the van.
We asked him to show us that part of the warranty. He gave up and
gave us a new battery.

We haven't driven that vehicle for a long time, but if we decide to
again it will be interesting to see what happens.

> Actually they may already have gotten out of that warranty by declaring
> bankruptcy, not sure. Apparently Firestone is already trying to weasel
> out of replacing the batteries
> <https://www.camaros.net/threads/lifetime-battery-not-so-according-to-firestone.201648/>.
> I just thought of these batteries the other day when driving by an old
> mall that still has the old, re-branded, JC Penney auto center
> operating. And still has one of the last Bay Area Sears stores as well.
>
> When Gemco went out of business I lost my lifetime membership which I
> paid a whole dollar for. Clearly Gemco's concept of "lifetime" was
> flawed as well.

The COMPANY'S lifetime, of course. I'd be sorry to see Penney's go.
They seem more old-school than Sears, but I haven't shopped at either
place for a LONG time.


--
Cheers, Bev
The stone age didn't end for lack of stones.
-- Troy the Troll

[Arlen Holder]

On Fri, 1 Jan 2021 11:42:21 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:

> when you buy the assets you also buy the liabilities.

Hi The Real Bev,

Happy New Year!

I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not sure how it works when a company
sells (parts or all) of itself to other companies like what
apparently happened to your FreedomPop situation.

But this kind of stuff must leave plenty of examples for us to look at
given how many companies are bought out by others.

For example, I don't know who bought or took over Takata (airbags)...
o But that might provide an example of what you speak of

As "someone" is replacing millions of Takata airbags
o Is the vehicle OEM taking the hit? Dunno.

Here's the link for Takata:
o <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takata_Corporation>

Looks like Joyson bought whatever the bankruptcy sold:
o <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyson_Safety_Systems>

> I'd be sorry to see Penney's go.

I think it's a half and half case with the Blitze gasoline cans
o Which, IMHO, are arguably the worst ever made (and I own plenty)

I don't know who bought out the Blitz company's molds years ago
o But last I heard, they bought everything _except_ the red can molds

BTW, it's likely the same mold (whether red or yellow or blue cans)
o But the "liability" was on the red gasoline cans

o Exploding Gas Can Manufacturer Closes Its Doors
<https://stromlaw.com/exploding-gas-can-manufacturer-closes-its-doors/>

So I think nobody bought the red molds...
o But I'd have to look 'em up to be sure...

o A Factory's Closing Focuses Attention on Tort Reform
<https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/business/in-a-shuttered-gasoline-can-factory-the-two-sides-of-product-liability.html>

Ah, it looks like "Sceptor" bought them, where I have a bunch
of Sceptor cans which, paradoxically, I think are some of the best!
"Scepter, a Canadian plastics manufacturer, bought the operation"
--
Posted to always attempt to add value to every thread on Usenet.

[The Real Bev]

On 01/01/2021 12:00 PM, Arlen Holder wrote:
> On Fri, 1 Jan 2021 11:42:21 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:
>
>> when you buy the assets you also buy the liabilities.
>
> Hi The Real Bev,
>
> Happy New Year!
>
> I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not sure how it works when a company
> sells (parts or all) of itself to other companies like what
> apparently happened to your FreedomPop situation.
>
> But this kind of stuff must leave plenty of examples for us to look at
> given how many companies are bought out by others.

Nobody is going to go to court to get their $20 back. Not even a PI
lawyer could make a good class action suit out of that. You might like
to read 'The King of Torts' by Grisham.

> For example, I don't know who bought or took over Takata (airbags)...
> o But that might provide an example of what you speak of
>
> As "someone" is replacing millions of Takata airbags
> o Is the vehicle OEM taking the hit? Dunno.

The dealer replaced my 2013 Corolla bags as soon as the fix was
available. Maybe a year later there was an additional recall for some
trivial part rather than the whole airbag. I was notified of the recall
by the NHTSA at least a month before the dealer notified me. Everybody
should list their cars with NHTSA. It's not like it costs anything!

> o Exploding Gas Can Manufacturer Closes Its Doors
> <https://stromlaw.com/exploding-gas-can-manufacturer-closes-its-doors/>

We've got several metal jerry cans (used them when we were dirtriders)
if we ever need such a thing again, and I've got some kind of red
plastic can in the trunk (empty) if I'm ever so improvident as to need
to walk to a station for a gallon.

--
Cheers, Bev
If I gave a shit, you'd be the first one I'd give it to.

[Arlen Holder]

On Fri, 1 Jan 2021 23:02:31 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:

> Nobody is going to go to court to get their $20 back.

Hi The Real Bev,
I've never been to court in my life and there are _plenty_ of people I
could have sued, having lived to a ripe old age amongst people.

So I agree, fully, nobody is gonna go to court for such small stuff (some
people go to "small claims court" which I've also never been to myself).

> The dealer replaced my 2013 Corolla bags as soon as the fix was
> available. Maybe a year later there was an additional recall for some
> trivial part rather than the whole airbag.

Yes. Almost every dealer in the USA has been replacing Takata air bags.
o But who is paying them?

> I was notified of the recall
> by the NHTSA at least a month before the dealer notified me. Everybody
> should list their cars with NHTSA. It's not like it costs anything!

The dealer notified me on all my cars, and all my kids' cars.
o One of my grandkids just bought a DD - I had to call the dealer for that.

As for FreedomPop, it seems they were always a close shave.

>> o Exploding Gas Can Manufacturer Closes Its Doors
>> <https://stromlaw.com/exploding-gas-can-manufacturer-closes-its-doors/>
>
> We've got several metal jerry cans (used them when we were dirtriders)
> if we ever need such a thing again, and I've got some kind of red
> plastic can in the trunk (empty) if I'm ever so improvident as to need
> to walk to a station for a gallon.

I live in mountains, a good 30 mile round trip to the gas station.
o It helps to stock up on at least 50 extra gallons at a time.

My first ten cans were $25 Lowes' 5-gallon Blitz, but they suck in so many
ways I'm not even gonna outline them (we posted it long ago on the repair
newsgroup).

My last ten cans were $14 Costco Sceptre "jerry can" look-alikes, which are
the best I've ever had, although I do pine for one of my kids to give me a
set of aluminum Jerry Cans since, I agree, they're just great in most ways.

Back to FreedomPop, I've read the threads over the years where it just
seems like a great deal (and I'm all for great deals) with a bit of added
"pain" just to make you wonder if FreedomPop is just a great deal after
all.

If I wasn't so happy with T-Mobile, I might have considered FreedomPop
myself, but for a second line, the second-line VOIP apps work "ok" (they
have a bit of pain thrown in also).

[The Real Bev]

On 01/02/2021 09:09 AM, Arlen Holder wrote:
> On Fri, 1 Jan 2021 23:02:31 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:
>
>> Nobody is going to go to court to get their $20 back.
>
> Hi The Real Bev,
> I've never been to court in my life and there are _plenty_ of people I
> could have sued, having lived to a ripe old age amongst people.
>
> So I agree, fully, nobody is gonna go to court for such small stuff (some
> people go to "small claims court" which I've also never been to myself).

Twice. Won one, lost one.

>> The dealer replaced my 2013 Corolla bags as soon as the fix was
>> available. Maybe a year later there was an additional recall for some
>> trivial part rather than the whole airbag.
>
> Yes. Almost every dealer in the USA has been replacing Takata air bags.
> o But who is paying them?

Gotta be Takata in some way. Bankruptcy, selling off assets, president
of company doing ritual disembowelment on live TV, etc.

>> I was notified of the recall
>> by the NHTSA at least a month before the dealer notified me. Everybody
>> should list their cars with NHTSA. It's not like it costs anything!
>
> The dealer notified me on all my cars, and all my kids' cars.
> o One of my grandkids just bought a DD - I had to call the dealer for that.

Sign up at the NHTSA site. They notify everybody with appropriate VINs
as soon as they know. The fix may not be available yet, but at least
you'll know what to watch out for.

> Back to FreedomPop, I've read the threads over the years where it just
> seems like a great deal (and I'm all for great deals) with a bit of added
> "pain" just to make you wonder if FreedomPop is just a great deal after
> all.
>
> If I wasn't so happy with T-Mobile, I might have considered FreedomPop
> myself, but for a second line, the second-line VOIP apps work "ok" (they
> have a bit of pain thrown in also).

When I signed up one of the SIMs I bought for a buck FP charged me $17
for authorization. They shouldn't have done that, but the CC company
investigated and allowed the charge. Still, not that bad a deal if both
SIMs last forever -- but certainly shady.

--
Cheers, Bev
Please hassle me, I thrive on stress.

[sms]

On 1/2/2021 11:18 AM, The Real Bev wrote:

<snip>

> When I signed up one of the SIMs I bought for a buck FP charged me $17
> for authorization.  They shouldn't have done that, but the CC company
> investigated and allowed the charge.  Still, not that bad a deal if both
> SIMs last forever -- but certainly shady.

I had one of the "free" FreedomPop plans. Twice actually. For a spare
phone. If you don't use it, at least occasionally, they close the
account. If you go over your data and you don't have some way for them
to charge you for more data, they terminate your account. I used a
Virtual Credit Card tied to a new Paypal account when I set up the
account, to pay the initial $10, but that card expired a month or so
after I used it.

Now I have the 12 month FreedomPop plan on a spare phone. It was around
$28 for 360 days. The FreedomPop app is no longer necessary (and will
stop working soon so they're sending out new SIMs). When the 360 days
are over I have no idea what will happen, but I would probably not pay
$60 for that plan even if they allowed renewal.

What I let lapse was the T-Mobile $10/year plan (10¢/min, 10¢/text, no
data available) that I know you have.

Even though I had more than $150 in credit, in the San Francisco Bay
Area T-Mobile coverage is spotty at best once you leave the urban core,
and it further deteriorated during the many years that I had that $10
plan as roaming agreements with AT&T expired and were not renewed. The
phone I had the SIM in was an old flip phone which was good to take
hiking or biking, but since the coverage decreased in the areas where I
engaged in those activities, that plan became useless.

I know two families with T-Mobile service and they both complain
constantly about coverage. When I ask why they keep it, the answer is
"the free international data." I did switch my family to T-Mobile prior
to a trip to Europe, many years ago, to get that "free" data. But that
data is so slow (throttled to 2G speeds) it's almost unusable and to
upgrade to faster data costs way more than just buying a local SIM card.

Whatever complaints people have against the current FreedomPop service,
at least it's on AT&T, and not Sprint or T-Mobile. And FreedomPop offers
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon options (choose Verizon!).

[sms]

On 1/2/2021 11:18 AM, The Real Bev wrote:

<snip>

> When I signed up one of the SIMs I bought for a buck FP charged me $17
> for authorization.  They shouldn't have done that, but the CC company
> investigated and allowed the charge.  Still, not that bad a deal if both
> SIMs last forever -- but certainly shady.

I had one of the "free" FreedomPop plans. Twice actually. For a spare
phone. If you don't use it, at least occasionally, they close the
account. If you go over your data and you don't have some way for them
to charge you for more data, they terminate your account. I used a
Virtual Credit Card tied to a new Paypal account when I set up the
account, to pay the initial $10, but that card expired a month or so
after I used it.

Now I have the 12 month FreedomPop plan on a spare phone. It was around

$28 for 360 days (∞/∞/1GB). The FreedomPop app is no longer necessary

(and will stop working soon so they're sending out new SIMs). When the
360 days are over I have no idea what will happen, but I would probably
not pay $60 for that plan even if they allowed renewal.

What I let lapse was the T-Mobile $10/year plan (10¢/min, 10¢/text, no
data available) that I know you have. Even though I had more than $150
in credit, in the San Francisco Bay Area T-Mobile coverage is spotty at
best once you leave the urban core, and it further deteriorated during
the many years that I had that $10 plan as roaming agreements with AT&T
expired and were not renewed. The phone I had the SIM in was an old flip
phone which was good to take hiking or biking, but since the coverage
decreased in the areas where I engaged in those activities, that plan
became useless. I know two families with T-Mobile service and they both
complain constantly about coverage. When I ask why they keep it, the
answer is "the free international data." I did switch my family to
T-Mobile prior to a trip to Europe, many years ago, to get that "free"
data. But that data is so slow (throttled to 2G speeds) it's almost
unusable and to upgrade to faster data costs way more than just buying a
local SIM card.

Whatever complaints people have against the current FreedomPop service,

at least it's on AT&T, and not Sprint or T-Mobile. And Red Pocket offers

[Arlen Holder]

On Sun, 3 Jan 2021 09:10:35 -0800, sms wrote:

> Even though I had more than $150
> in credit, in the San Francisco Bay Area T-Mobile coverage is spotty at
> best once you leave the urban core, and it further deteriorated during
> the many years that I had that $10 plan as roaming agreements with AT&T
> expired and were not renewed.

Q: With free roaming, how can T-Mobile cover possibly be less than Verizon?

Steve is what I've termed a Type II apologist, which is basically that he's
not malicious per se, but he's not the type of person who could earn a
degree in the math, engineering, or science fields, because he's utterly
immune to facts.

He holds on to an opinion whether or not there is any basis in fact
whatsoever of that opinion (e.g., he still believes Qualcomm royalties went
down).

Basically, if a MARKETING brochure says something, Steve doesn't have the
technical ability to discern fact from fiction.

I suspect Steve is college educated so it's not necessarily that Steve is
just stupid like the Type III apologists always prove to be (e.g., Alan
Baker, Joerg Lorenz, Lewis, Jolly Roger, et al.).

It's just that Steve's Myers-Brigg's personality type is almost certainly a
strong "intuitive" and perhaps even a strong "judgmental" personality.

Basically Steve uses only MARKETING brochures to form his opinion
o And he holds on to those opinions in the face of facts to the contrary

An example is that Steve was told by Apple MARKETING that the total cost of
ownership of iPhones is lower than that of Android, on average, where Steve
and I went over the facts but he went silent the moment I brought up the
salient facts that Apple MARKETING didn't tell him.

Basically, Steve shills for Verizon, which is fine.
o But Steve always claims incorrectly that Verizon coverage is superior.

I've had all three in the same area that Steve lives and they're all just
about the same, even here in the mountains surrounding Silicon Valley.

My point to the adults on this newsgroup is simply to take note that Steve
_always_ shills for Verizon, but _all_ his shills appear to be fact free
(mostly based on Verizon glossy MARKETING brochures), where Steve always
goes silent the instant he's asked for a single fact backing up his belief
system.

Steve's entire belief system is based on anecdotal evidence, plus whatever
he can glean from glossy Verizon MARKETING brochures.

When asked for facts, Steve goes silent (fancy that).

For example, how could Verizon's cover possibly be "better" than T-Mobile
when T-Mobile allows free roaming, which I've asked in the past over here:
o Is there any disadvantage to roaming in the USA?
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/50DdHgmAp6Y/>

Given I can handle any engineering or science curriculum, unlike Steve, I
would truly like to know the answer to this question I've posed before:
Q: With free roaming, how can T-Mobile cover possibly be less than Verizon?
--
Posted, as always, so that we can learn from what you can impart to us.

[sms]

On 1/1/2021 11:02 PM, The Real Bev wrote:

<snip>

> Nobody is going to go to court to get their $20 back.  Not even a PI
> lawyer could make a good class action suit out of that.  You might like
> to read 'The King of Torts' by Grisham.

Great book. As are most of his books. Really liked _Rooster Bar_ as well.

While there's a lot of abuse in the Class Action Industry, there are
cases where it has forced companies to make things right.

One that I benefited from was the LG G4 boot loop
<https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/31/16957332/lg-bootloop-lawsuit-settlement-g4-v10-v20-nexus-5x-g5>.
Got the $425.

> We've got several metal jerry cans (used them when we were dirtriders)
> if we ever need such a thing again, and I've got some kind of red
> plastic can in the trunk (empty) if I'm ever so improvident as to need
> to walk to a station for a gallon.

The plastic gas cans that are currently being sold have so many safety
features that they're nearly impossible to use.

[Arlen Holder]

On Sun, 3 Jan 2021 09:07:58 -0800, sms wrote:

> I know two families with T-Mobile service and they both complain
> constantly about coverage.

We proved to Steve, long ago, that the coverage for T-Mobile, at least in
the Silicon Valley where both Steve and I live, is about the same as the
coverage for AT&T and for Verizon.

In addition, I've had Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile (sequentially) and I've
found nothing significantly different here in the Silicon Valley.

In addition, T-Mobile allows free roaming, so, the coverage should be no
different (IMHO), than the _combination_ of T-Mobile + AT&T + Verizon.

Since my credibility matters and since Steve is long known to just make
shit up without any proof whatsoever (it's why I claim he's a TYPE II
apologist, because he believes _everything_ in MARKETING brochures without
ever bothering to check his facts), I would welcome someone answering a
question I asked long ago about that free T-Mobile Roaming.

o Is there any disadvantage to roaming in the USA?
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/50DdHgmAp6Y/>

As far as I can tell, with free roaming turned on, you get _all_ major
carriers that T-Mobile contracts with, whether that's AT&T or Verizon or
anyone else (you get the superset of carriers' cell towers AFAICT).

How can that possibly be _less_ than what Verizon alone offers Steve?
o NOTE: Steve will never answer this as he doesn't believe in facts.
--
As always, my point of view is reasonable & factual, based on adult logic.

[Arlen Holder]

On Sun, 3 Jan 2021 15:14:27 -0800, sms wrote:

> The plastic gas cans that are currently being sold have so many safety
> features that they're nearly impossible to use.

On the gas cans, I've had long conversations with the folks at the
California Air Resource Board (CARB) on why they did what they did to
gasoline cans (given the EPA followed CARB so now it's the entire country,
I think).
<https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/portable-fuel-containers-gas-cans>

In a nutshell, CARB ordained that the gas always stay _inside_ the gas can!
<https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/portable-fuel-containers-gas-cans/portable-fuel-containers-certification-testing>

As far as I am aware, CARB didn't specify a single regulation about the
ability of the gas to come _out_ of that container.
<https://www.thespruce.com/regulations-for-portable-fuel-containers-2153054>

Hence, it stays in really wall; and yet, it comes out really badly
o Such is our fate when a government is all powerful over sense or reason

Nonetheless, if you buy the $14 Sceptre cans from Costco, you kind of sort
of get the best of all worlds, as you cut off the child-safety nib (if you
don't have kids around, which I don't), and then you completely remove the
spout when using the can, such that it's "just a can" which pours and
siphons just fine.

BTW, this can sucks (it leaves too much gas in the can after emptying):
<https://www.costcobusinesscentre.ca/Scepter-Gas-Can%2c-25-L.product.100283347.html>

This is the "jerry jug" look alike can that is fantastic, IMHO:
<http://www.costcoweekender.com/2016/03/scepter-5-3-gallon-gas-can-costco-627308.html>

I have probably a score of gas cans, so I know what's good and what's bad
o Don't even get me started on how many ways the Blitz cans suck