• codyphi@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Gas stations have also gotten unbearable. I loathe the screen that forces advertising content in front of me while I’m already paying for gas.

      • SSTF@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yes, I’m surprised out haven’t seen it. The screen that takes card information will start playing some insufferable advertisement while the gas pumps.

        For those who don’t know: one of the physical unlabeled buttons on the side of the screen always mutes it, so just push all of them if some kind stranger hasn’t marked it for you.

      • AmbientChaos
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        1 year ago

        I’ve seen one in the US, but it was in a small town with only one has station. No need to treat your customers nice if there is no competition, haha

      • solstice@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I’ve been seeing it for decades, I first remember bitching about it in like 2004 I think…

    • Zoness@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Oh yeah this has started happening here in central Illinois and I fucking hate it.

  • Account@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Nah, I just absolutely hate my ISP. But also loath gas stations whose pumps do advertising you can’t turn off.

  • darkevilmac@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Not sure why people would hate gas stations, I hate the gas companies setting the insane prices, but the stations themselves are often just local businesses.

    ISPs on the other hand are like abusive partners, they do an awful job until you say you’re going to leave. Then they start begging you to stay and promising to get better. Then they’re good for about a week before starting to completely screw you again.

  • malloc@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    National ISPs like Spectrum/Time Warner Cable, AT&T, and Comcast/Xfinity have an oligopoly. They have divided up America into their own markets and purposely avoid entering each other’s markets to avoid competing with each other. With no competition, they are free to charge as much as possible, avoid providing good support, and can provide suboptimal service (ie, low and asymmetric download/upload speeds, terrible latency). [1] The problem worsens if you live in suburban or rural areas. Of course there are exceptions where coverage overlaps due to sharing infra, but that is rare and possibly priced in.

    [1] https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/2/18/21126347/antitrust-monopolies-internet-telecommunications-cheerleading

    • 1D10@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Those same ISPs compleatly ignored rural areas. 10 years ago I could only get internet through Dish network ( the worst ISP) today thanks to the government helping small ISPs I can choose from 2 companies offering high speed fiber.

      Right now I’m on 200 up/down for $70.

      • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I have the small town ISP also, it’s great. I get 100Mb symmetrical fiber for $50/mo with no contract and no data caps. Very reliable, almost never goes down.

  • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Above gas stations? About the only thing that annoys me about them is half the stuff not having a price listed. I guess I’d hate them more if they kept jacking up prices the longer I was a customer. 🤨

  • shmp@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Gas stations:

    • tell me the actual price up front
    • can provide enough product for local traffic
    • have a real person available to help, standing right there
    • give me the opportunity to shop around on price, brand preference, favorite color plug things.

    My ISP:

    • 10ish mbps when we feel like it
    • itll probablly be less than $100, probably
    • take it or leave it bub, or gtfo
    • solstice@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Don’t forget the random charges for a few bucks that they stick on all the time banking on people not bothering to call and bitch about it because an hour on the phone isn’t worth it for ~$5.

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      You won’t see Americans united in that hate, because our system is actually great for the top 30% of people. It’s the bottom 30% who are really fucked by it. And the people in the middle are merely fingerfucked by it.

      • bearr@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I think it’s more like top 5%. Between my husband and I we’re top 30% and it’s still terrible for us. But, point taken, like everything else in the US it’s serving the powerful few so it’s unlikely to change.

  • kaupas24@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Personally I’ve never had any problems with my isp. Here in Norway, I pay about $50 pr month for 10Gbps up and down. Isp doesn’t care if I selfhost websites or other things with my connection. Just hassle free

    • EatALime@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      My family pays $160/month for a 4Mbps up/ 1 Mbps down internet and landline phone combo that usually tops out at half that speed in practice. It’s amazing much of anything loads out here.

      • kaupas24@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Kinda sad to see how people pay wayyy more for way less. I imagine this issue worsens in countries with more corrupt governments or countries that allow for bigger monopolies of infrastructure people rely on.

  • Zorro@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I wish non-evil convenience stores existed because nothing’s better than the gas station when you’re stoned to the bone

    • 2d@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Food Co-ops are the closest thing I think, or farmer’s markets but those aren’t particularly convenient

  • talentedkiwi
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    1 year ago

    At least I can sort of choose gas stations. I have no choice in (non-wireless) ISPs.

    • c2h6@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      But don’t you love paying twice as much for half the average speed that people in other cou tries are getting?

  • dan1101@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Two things bug me about US gas stations. One is the 9/10 of cent thing they persist in. So the gas isn’t $3.29, it’s $3.29 9/10. And of course you know who benefits from the rounding, the retailer. The other thing that bugs me is gas pumps that play ads loudly. Luckily those seem to be getting more rare.

    • SSTF@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Before it was common knowledge how to mute those screens, I saw a rash of screens & speakers damaged right after the ads started being introduced.

      • dan1101@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I was always tempted to do that but never gave in to the temptation. Glad to see the less careful gave in and helped us all.

  • TONKAHANAH@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    who… what?

    I’ve never heard any one really complain about gas stations. is the questioned and response worded poorly? I think people hate paying high prices for gas but I’ve never heard any one say they hate gas stations before.

    ISP’s tho, every one can agree that they can go gargle an entire warehouses of unwashed dicks

    • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I don’t hate either of them. I have 2 good ISPs in my small town, and they offer good + reliable service for a reasonable price, without data caps. I’m very lucky to have these choices, I know from past experiences.

      I do hate bullshit ISPs like AT&T though. I formerly lived in a house where they were the only ISP option and the service was terrible, slow, and vastly overpriced. Also unreliable.

      These local ISPs are great though. I hope more small towns get their own small ISPs like we have.

  • heili@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I don’t hate gas stations, but I do hate people who don’t know how to pull up to a fucking gas pump without completely cocking it up for everyone else!

    • DannyDeck@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I switched to Sam’s from Costco. The biggest issue is after the very orderly gas line at Costco, Sam’s is the wild West.

      • heili@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Watching some woman lose her mind at Costco because the attendant refused to let her drive the wrong way through the pumps and made her go get in line properly while I was pumping my gas was so wonderful.