All posts tagged: Pricey

EE couldn’t change pricey broadband and TV deal after my husband died | Consumer affairs

EE couldn’t change pricey broadband and TV deal after my husband died | Consumer affairs

Published by Sam Flores

After my husband died suddenly, I discovered he had been paying £171 a month for our EE broadband and TV contract. EE initially offered me a monthly deal at £44.99 on the phone. There followed two letters, one day apart, cheerily addressed to my late husband. The first stated that he would have to pay £1,007 to terminate his contract; the second giving a termination fee of £520. The letters told him he could take the contract with him when he moved house. Since then, multiple calls to departments titled bereavement, value, life events, loyalty and connections have elicited multiple unfulfilled promises. The first agent offered a deal for £56.99 if I had a gap in service. The second agent said, “if this was BT (which owns EE) I could do it” and gave me £60 credit. A third said “I’m stuck”. And a fourth persuaded me to pay £112.63 to enable him to sort things out, then discovered the system wouldn’t allow the cheaper deal. The agents have been kind and helpful but say …

These 5 Common Robot Vacuum Mistakes Are Sabotaging Your Pricey Home Helper

These 5 Common Robot Vacuum Mistakes Are Sabotaging Your Pricey Home Helper

Published by skeptic

It’s the classic story with so many appliances. Out of the box, your robot vacuum works great but over time, that peak performance degrades and a few months later, it starts underperforming so much you think it’s broken.  However, with robot vacuums, it’s very possible that your machine isn’t underperforming; you’re just unknowingly sabotaging it.  “A common misconception among consumers is that these devices are totally ‘set and forget,’ requiring zero upkeep once they start their rounds,” says Ryan Wu, the head of Narwal Americas, a global leader in robot vacuum manufacture. “Despite how sophisticated their automation has become, it’s important to give them a little TLC from time to time.”  Five common robot vacuum mistakes and how to correct them  The Spot+Scrub is the company’s first wet and dry robot vacuum but it comes with many of the features we expect from the top-tier models. Dyson There are a number of common mistakes that many robot vacuum owners make without realizing it, some of which can dramatically impact your bot’s ability to do its …

California gas is pricey already. The Iran war could cost you even more

California gas is pricey already. The Iran war could cost you even more

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. attack on Iran is expected to have an unwelcome impact on California drivers — a jump in gas prices that could be felt at the pump in a week or two. The outbreak of war in the Middle East, which virtually closed a key Persian Gulf shipping lane, spiked the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil by as much as $10, with prices rising as high as $82.37 on Monday before settling down. The price of the international standard dictates what motorists pay for gas globally, including in California, with every dollar increase translating to 2.5 cents at the pump, said Severin Borenstein, faculty director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. That would mean drivers could pay at least 20 cents more per gallon, though how much damage the conflict will do to wallets remains to be seen. “The real issue though is the oil markets are just guessing right now at what is going to happen. It’s a time of extreme volatility,” Borenstein said. “We …

In Zimbabwe, millions choose funeral insurance over pricey medical cover | Health News

In Zimbabwe, millions choose funeral insurance over pricey medical cover | Health News

Published by Sam Flores

Harare, Zimbabwe – Ngoni Mutambararo’s uncle, Steward Ganda, 60, spent the last months of his life at home, trying to recover from a severe ailment on his own. Ganda suffered from severe pain in his legs that left him confined to bed and unable to tend the small tuck shop he ran in Kambuzuma, a low-income suburb in Harare. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Like millions of Zimbabweans without health insurance and unable to cover hospital expenses, he had hoped to soldier through and get well without medical attention. But as the weeks and months passed, his condition deteriorated. Eventually, family members convinced him to consult a physician, and he was first admitted to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. Doctors initially suspected he’d suffered a stroke. But on further inspection, they told the family he may have a kidney-related issue and needed to see a specialist, a nephrologist whose consultation fee was $600. With no savings, Ganda’s family spent a month late last year trying to gather the money, hoping it would save …

Amazon’s astronomically pricey portrait of the First Lady : NPR

Amazon’s astronomically pricey portrait of the First Lady : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Melania Trump. Muse Films/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption toggle caption Muse Films/Amazon MGM Studios If you’ve seen the trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 — prominently featuring shots of stiletto heels walking down corridors — you’ve got the general drift of what director Brett Ratner is up to in Melania. Melania is a high heels-forward documentary. It covers the 20 days prior to her husband’s second inauguration, when much planning is required of a First Lady: Ball and banquet invitations, place-settings for a candle-lit dinner in Washington D.C.’s National Building Museum. Her staff previews for her the golden egg that will be that meal’s first course, and wonders whether the rectangular tablecloths should have broad gold stripes, and the round ones narrow stripes, or vice versa. So many decisions, and she’s on top of all of them. The once-and-future President makes an occasional appearance, including in what appears to be a staged flashback to an election-night phone call. At another point, she drops by with her camera crew as he’s rehearsing his inaugural speech, …

Viome Full Body Intelligence Test Review: Little Clarity, Pricey Supplements

Viome Full Body Intelligence Test Review: Little Clarity, Pricey Supplements

Published by skeptic

When you wake up the next morning, before you’ve had anything to eat or drink, you spit into a little vial. Then you prick your fingertip with the provided mini lancet, which didn’t hurt at all. You fill four minivettes (think tiny turkey basters) from the little drops of blood that form on your fingertip. Once that’s accomplished, you get to have an awkward poop. The kit comes with a little paper hammock that sticks to the seat of your toilet and hangs down a little. Poop on it, and then you use the provided scoop to select a little ball (about the size of a green pea, according to Viome), put it in a vial, and screw the lid on very, very tightly, because you then shake it for 30 seconds. You can then flush the hammock, seal up your various tubes, and mail it off. It took a little more than two weeks before I got a notification that my results were ready. At the top of the homepage is My Health Overview, …