My phone will not charge complaint thread

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  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    Mystarra said:

    oh noes

    bought  the wrong usb cables.  accidentally got samsung charging cables.  was trying tor usb3 for the new hub.  dunno if there a difference in cables for usb2 vs 3.0  dohh  like, does it have an extra wire inside

    What is the USB cord needed for?  External Hard Drive?  Phone?  Camera?  etc.

    What do the available sockets look like?  "A", "B", "Mini-A", "Mini-B", "C", "Mini-AB", "Micro-A", "Micro-B", "Micro-B-SuperSpeed", or "Micro-AB"  See, very thorough, Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB for pictures.

    Rule of thumb:  USB devices are backwards compatable.

    Rule of thumb: if you have a proper cable with correct connector plug to match the sockets on your two devices then it should probably work but may not work as fast as you'd like it to (i.e. a USB-3 device connected to a USB-2 device will only transfer data as fast as the USB-2 device.

    Rule of thumb:  Type "A" and type "B" USB-3 sockets have a blue insert.  So, if you have several USB sockets available, you know which ones are the USB-3.

    Type "A", and type "B" sockets all have 4 connectors.

    Type "C" is an odd duck you'll probably never see one.  (Used for powering laptops and for high speed data)  See wikipedia article: https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-it-is-and-why-youll-want-it/

    Type "Mini..." and type "Micro..." sockets all have 5 connectors.

    SuperSpeed Micro type B USB-3.1 has 10 connectors. (double channels?)

    USB devices that don't have a separate external power supply get their power through a wire in the USB cable from the device they are connected to.  If the device doesn't supply enough power, bad things could happen.  Hopefully just failure to work.  i.e. no blue smoke.

    Now, considering all the complexities above, add just one more concern.  Assuming you have enough power being supplied, is your cable good enough quality to handle it?  And is the cable good enough quality to carry the data bits without garbling them?  Cheap, wimpy, damaged or super long cables (longer than 5 meters for USB-2 or longer than 3 meters for USB-3) might be a problem.

    Rule of thumb: It's best to match USB devices of similar generation.

    But basically, if you have a decent cable and the plugs fit, your device might probably work, somewhat.frown  (DISCLAIMER:  I assume no responsibility for escaping blue smoke or melting cables.)

     

    flash drives, ext hd. microphone, soundbar  i didnt want to throttle the usb3 speed with inadequate usb cable.

    and i need to back up, pc didn't come with win10 install media

    seeing a 2tb ssd for like 225  if i wait for black friday may be a better deal.  only a 1 month wait

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,441
    edited October 2019

    Non-complaint:  Off topic but... Wheee... I just discovered the Insurance plan comparison tool on the official US Medicare.gov website.  Have I been missing this all these years or is this something new?  A lot of the hair-pulling grief of trying to find a "Medicare Advantage" plan or a "MediGap" policy that A) covers your ills, and B) doesn't break your budget, has been addressed.

    As an ancient person in the US we are eligible for government subsidized medical care (i.e. "Medicare").  It doesn't cover everything and there is a relatively small premium deducted from our Social Security payments to cover our cost.  The remaining costs of medical care during the year are covered out-of-pocket or by additional insurance called "Medicare Advantage" provided by commercial 3rd party insurance companies.  And even they don't cover everything, we still have to worry about deductables and limits and coverage details.  But instead of an "Advantage" plan we could choose to purchase a "MediGap" policy that will cover everything (i.e. it covers the "gap" between Medicare coverage and your pocket) but it's expensive, yet is a good deal if you know you're going to be really really sick for a long time and don't want to leave any money to your children.indecision

    One of the problems with this system is that we can't change our policy enrollment anytime we want.  Only between mid-October and mid-November, then our new policy choice becomes effective at the beginning of the year. So the moral of the story is if you plan on getting sick during the year, make sure you have the right insurance in place.frown   

    Another downside to this arrangement is that around this time of year, we ancient ones get boxes of postal mail and tons of e-mail SPAM from insurance companies extolling their plans trying to get us to "jump ship" to them.angry  

    But back to the original subject of this tome.  This plan selection tool available on the Medicare.gov website is actually quite nice.  You supply your physical location and they provide a list of all the insurance plans available to you in your region (e.g. I have 31 frown half decent "Advantage" plans available), then you can filter on reported plan quality (1 to 5 stars), and on plan cost, deductables & coverage basics, to whittle down the contenders.  You can pick three for detailed comparison that they present side-by-side and then you can start digging into the details of things like how many days of hospital care you have before they start taking a pound of flesh every day.  Or whether they'll buy eyeglasses for you but will let you go blind from gloucoma.  frown  

    I never noticed this tool before, it's very nice.  It works, and it lets you change your mind without having to start over.  I used to use a set of 3rd party tools (one from each major provider) that gave you a list of their available plans but then gave you a link to the plan details and left you on your owncrying.  The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't seem to remember your plan choices after you log out, but you can print out your selections (but they have a slight problem with overprinting some lines of text when sent to the printer but the important information (i.e. which plans you had been looking at) is printed clearly.

    If you already have an account at Medicare.gov ("MyMedicare.gov") look for the link "Find and compare 2020 Plans".  If you already have your required drugs listed on the site then most of the work is already done and it's just a few simple questions.  And once you decide on a plan, there's a link to enroll in the plan without having to find the providing insurance company's website.   Wheee...  somebody listened to what we needed. yes

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    Chohole said:
    kyoto kid said:
    Mystarra said:
    DanaTA said:
    kyoto kid said:

    ...follow up 'plaint.  The bureaucratic nightmare seems to have passed into the realm of the absurd. seems every time I talk to one or the other I learn new information that should have been given to me up front months ago until after the fact.  None of agencies I've been dealing with say they can do anything but keeps passing the buck and claiming the other can.  I even learned one department sent me erroneous information and that there is nothing they can, or will do about it.  

    So, I decided to step on the buck and do something.  I called my Senator's office, leaving a voicemail as the person I need to speak to who handles cases like this is currently in a meeting.

    I'm almost at the state that I want to punch a wall or something but I know that would not be very healthy for the wall or particularly, my hand.

    ETA.

    What is really irritating is that between yesterday and today this runaround has used up 242 minutes of my 250 minute limit on my calling plan.  

    Need to go get some strong coffee. maybe a quad americano.

    How much are you paying for that terrible plan?

    Dana

    luksusowa smiley

    i'd porescribe a dram, but dunno what a dram is

     

    not sure wht a bullox is ,  somethimg halfway tween a bull and an ox.

     

    ..."redacted" is a British term often used to describe a situation that is totally fouled up.

    the redacted term, spelled in english with cks not x, is actually a vulgar term, used as a swear word, which means testicles  and the past participle of the redacted word is used to describe things as KK says.

    bull ot ox testicles

    testicles doesn't really work as a swear word. doesn't properly vent

    skullduggery sounds good as a swear word.  or that badmittens thingee, shuttlecock

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675

    where is the halloween render challenge?  with like prizes n stuff

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604

    Well we have an almost halloween Bryce challenge going on

     

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,441
    edited October 2019
    Mystarra said:
    Mystarra said:

    oh noes

    bought  the wrong usb cables.  accidentally got samsung charging cables.  was trying tor usb3 for the new hub.  dunno if there a difference in cables for usb2 vs 3.0  dohh  like, does it have an extra wire inside

    What is the USB cord needed for?  External Hard Drive?  Phone?  Camera?  etc.

    What do the available sockets look like?  "A", "B", "Mini-A", "Mini-B", "C", "Mini-AB", "Micro-A", "Micro-B", "Micro-B-SuperSpeed", or "Micro-AB"  See, very thorough, Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB for pictures.

    Rule of thumb:  USB devices are backwards compatable.

    Rule of thumb: if you have a proper cable with correct connector plug to match the sockets on your two devices then it should probably work but may not work as fast as you'd like it to (i.e. a USB-3 device connected to a USB-2 device will only transfer data as fast as the USB-2 device.

    Rule of thumb:  Type "A" and type "B" USB-3 sockets have a blue insert.  So, if you have several USB sockets available, you know which ones are the USB-3.

    Type "A", and type "B" sockets all have 4 connectors.

    Type "C" is an odd duck you'll probably never see one.  (Used for powering laptops and for high speed data)  See wikipedia article: https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-it-is-and-why-youll-want-it/

    Type "Mini..." and type "Micro..." sockets all have 5 connectors.

    SuperSpeed Micro type B USB-3.1 has 10 connectors. (double channels?)

    USB devices that don't have a separate external power supply get their power through a wire in the USB cable from the device they are connected to.  If the device doesn't supply enough power, bad things could happen.  Hopefully just failure to work.  i.e. no blue smoke.

    Now, considering all the complexities above, add just one more concern.  Assuming you have enough power being supplied, is your cable good enough quality to handle it?  And is the cable good enough quality to carry the data bits without garbling them?  Cheap, wimpy, damaged or super long cables (longer than 5 meters for USB-2 or longer than 3 meters for USB-3) might be a problem.

    Rule of thumb: It's best to match USB devices of similar generation.

    But basically, if you have a decent cable and the plugs fit, your device might probably work, somewhat.frown  (DISCLAIMER:  I assume no responsibility for escaping blue smoke or melting cables.)

     

    flash drives, ext hd. microphone, soundbar  i didnt want to throttle the usb3 speed with inadequate usb cable.

    and i need to back up, pc didn't come with win10 install media

    seeing a 2tb ssd for like 225  if i wait for black friday may be a better deal.  only a 1 month wait

    High speed internal flash drives (SSD) are going to be SATA connectors, or on modern motherboards possibly PCI-M.2 connectors using either SATA or Nvme data transfer protocol needed by the SSD device.

    High speed external flash drives(SSD) will be happiest with a USB-3.1 cable with a micro-B-SuperSpeed connector.

    Modern external high speed hard drives are probably going to have a USB-3.1 micro-SuperSpeed-B connector and "may" come with a short cable in the box (mine did).  You'll need a proper cable and possibly a longer one.  It will have the micro-superSpeed-B connector on one end and probably a standard USB-3 "A" connector (blue insert) on the other end.

    A soundbar isn't going to need the speed of USB-3 so all that matters is the connector type available.

    As for backing up your PC, are you cloning your system hard drive from hard drive to SSD?  If so, your new SSD should be at least as big as your current hard drive (the complete drive, not just the "C:" partition.  Some cloning software doesn't like to deal with shrinking data onto a smaller SSD than the hard drive, I know that Crucial provides a free version of Acronis backup & cloning software with their MX500 series of SSD.  Also, I believe, Samsung provides a good software backup/cloning application for their modern "860' or "870" series SSDs.  Regardless, there are several free backup or cloning apps available on the internet, but I can't vouch for them I haven't used one.  Decent, trustworthy ones can be purchased for about $30.

    ALSO, if cloning your hard drive externally to a naked SSD (one not in an enclosure and not in the computer box itself) before replacing the hard drive with the SSD, you'll need a USB to SATA cable, that probably won't be included in the box, but can be purchased for just a few dollars from Amazon or NewEgg.  Crucial provides a "Kit" containing their SSD and a USB to SATA cable but usually you'll just find their SSD and not the "Kit".  It's just as easy to order the SSD and cable separately.

    Edited to correct typos and be more accurate about the "M.2" information.

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    Mystarra said:
    Mystarra said:

    oh noes

    bought  the wrong usb cables.  accidentally got samsung charging cables.  was trying tor usb3 for the new hub.  dunno if there a difference in cables for usb2 vs 3.0  dohh  like, does it have an extra wire inside

    What is the USB cord needed for?  External Hard Drive?  Phone?  Camera?  etc.

    What do the available sockets look like?  "A", "B", "Mini-A", "Mini-B", "C", "Mini-AB", "Micro-A", "Micro-B", "Micro-B-SuperSpeed", or "Micro-AB"  See, very thorough, Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB for pictures.

    Rule of thumb:  USB devices are backwards compatable.

    Rule of thumb: if you have a proper cable with correct connector plug to match the sockets on your two devices then it should probably work but may not work as fast as you'd like it to (i.e. a USB-3 device connected to a USB-2 device will only transfer data as fast as the USB-2 device.

    Rule of thumb:  Type "A" and type "B" USB-3 sockets have a blue insert.  So, if you have several USB sockets available, you know which ones are the USB-3.

    Type "A", and type "B" sockets all have 4 connectors.

    Type "C" is an odd duck you'll probably never see one.  (Used for powering laptops and for high speed data)  See wikipedia article: https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-it-is-and-why-youll-want-it/

    Type "Mini..." and type "Micro..." sockets all have 5 connectors.

    SuperSpeed Micro type B USB-3.1 has 10 connectors. (double channels?)

    USB devices that don't have a separate external power supply get their power through a wire in the USB cable from the device they are connected to.  If the device doesn't supply enough power, bad things could happen.  Hopefully just failure to work.  i.e. no blue smoke.

    Now, considering all the complexities above, add just one more concern.  Assuming you have enough power being supplied, is your cable good enough quality to handle it?  And is the cable good enough quality to carry the data bits without garbling them?  Cheap, wimpy, damaged or super long cables (longer than 5 meters for USB-2 or longer than 3 meters for USB-3) might be a problem.

    Rule of thumb: It's best to match USB devices of similar generation.

    But basically, if you have a decent cable and the plugs fit, your device might probably work, somewhat.frown  (DISCLAIMER:  I assume no responsibility for escaping blue smoke or melting cables.)

     

    flash drives, ext hd. microphone, soundbar  i didnt want to throttle the usb3 speed with inadequate usb cable.

    and i need to back up, pc didn't come with win10 install media

    seeing a 2tb ssd for like 225  if i wait for black friday may be a better deal.  only a 1 month wait

    High speed internal flash drives are going to be SATA connectors, or on modern motherboard possibly PCI connectors using either SATA or M.2-SATA or M.2-Nvme data transfer protocol.

    High speed external flash drives will be happiest with a USB-3.1 cable with appropriate connectors.  However, if you have a good quality short USB cable(<=6 feet), less than 10 years old, with appropriate connectors, it will probably work.

    Modern external high speed hard drives are probably going to have a USB-3.1 micro-SuperSpeed-B connector and "may" come with a short cable in the box (mine did).  You'll need a proper cable and possibly a longer one.  It will have the micro-superSpeed-B connector on one end and probably a standard USB-3 "A" connector (blue insert) on the other end.

    A soundbar isn't going to need the speed of USB-3 so all that matters is the connector type available.

    so a usb3 drive will already have the usb3 qualified cable??  sounds good.  thanks

  • Mystarra said:
    Mystarra said:
    Mystarra said:

    oh noes

    bought  the wrong usb cables.  accidentally got samsung charging cables.  was trying tor usb3 for the new hub.  dunno if there a difference in cables for usb2 vs 3.0  dohh  like, does it have an extra wire inside

    What is the USB cord needed for?  External Hard Drive?  Phone?  Camera?  etc.

    What do the available sockets look like?  "A", "B", "Mini-A", "Mini-B", "C", "Mini-AB", "Micro-A", "Micro-B", "Micro-B-SuperSpeed", or "Micro-AB"  See, very thorough, Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB for pictures.

    Rule of thumb:  USB devices are backwards compatable.

    Rule of thumb: if you have a proper cable with correct connector plug to match the sockets on your two devices then it should probably work but may not work as fast as you'd like it to (i.e. a USB-3 device connected to a USB-2 device will only transfer data as fast as the USB-2 device.

    Rule of thumb:  Type "A" and type "B" USB-3 sockets have a blue insert.  So, if you have several USB sockets available, you know which ones are the USB-3.

    Type "A", and type "B" sockets all have 4 connectors.

    Type "C" is an odd duck you'll probably never see one.  (Used for powering laptops and for high speed data)  See wikipedia article: https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-it-is-and-why-youll-want-it/

    Type "Mini..." and type "Micro..." sockets all have 5 connectors.

    SuperSpeed Micro type B USB-3.1 has 10 connectors. (double channels?)

    USB devices that don't have a separate external power supply get their power through a wire in the USB cable from the device they are connected to.  If the device doesn't supply enough power, bad things could happen.  Hopefully just failure to work.  i.e. no blue smoke.

    Now, considering all the complexities above, add just one more concern.  Assuming you have enough power being supplied, is your cable good enough quality to handle it?  And is the cable good enough quality to carry the data bits without garbling them?  Cheap, wimpy, damaged or super long cables (longer than 5 meters for USB-2 or longer than 3 meters for USB-3) might be a problem.

    Rule of thumb: It's best to match USB devices of similar generation.

    But basically, if you have a decent cable and the plugs fit, your device might probably work, somewhat.frown  (DISCLAIMER:  I assume no responsibility for escaping blue smoke or melting cables.)

     

    flash drives, ext hd. microphone, soundbar  i didnt want to throttle the usb3 speed with inadequate usb cable.

    and i need to back up, pc didn't come with win10 install media

    seeing a 2tb ssd for like 225  if i wait for black friday may be a better deal.  only a 1 month wait

    High speed internal flash drives are going to be SATA connectors, or on modern motherboard possibly PCI connectors using either SATA or M.2-SATA or M.2-Nvme data transfer protocol.

    High speed external flash drives will be happiest with a USB-3.1 cable with appropriate connectors.  However, if you have a good quality short USB cable(<=6 feet), less than 10 years old, with appropriate connectors, it will probably work.

    Modern external high speed hard drives are probably going to have a USB-3.1 micro-SuperSpeed-B connector and "may" come with a short cable in the box (mine did).  You'll need a proper cable and possibly a longer one.  It will have the micro-superSpeed-B connector on one end and probably a standard USB-3 "A" connector (blue insert) on the other end.

    A soundbar isn't going to need the speed of USB-3 so all that matters is the connector type available.

    so a usb3 drive will already have the usb3 qualified cable??  sounds good.  thanks

    I said "may".  indecision

    If it's an external drive and has a USB-3.1 micro-SuperSpeed-B socket, and is new from a reputable manufacturer,  it MAY come with the appropriate cable since it's such a weird connector and the company is probably tired of hearing about complaints of not having a proper cable in the box, but it will most likely be a SHORT cable (3 foot?), quite possibly 1 inch shorter than you need.frown  (Notice my excessive use of weasel words!devil)

  • i'm tired... can i go home now?

    wait, i'm already home.

    and i don't get paid for all the hard work I've done today.

    WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

    I think I swerved right past complaint and into a whine.

     

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,441
    edited October 2019

    Non-complaint:  News today is full of articles about the end of permission for tourists to climb Uluru (formerly "Ayers Rock", the 1100 foot high big red rock in the center of Australia).  I've been there, and done that.  But at the time (1995), our tour guide mentioned that the natives (who own the area) disapprove.  Being about 47 years old at the time and at the peak of my physical conditioning I could have made the journey to the top with ease along with the rest of the group.  But being often called to the tune of a different drummer, I only went up the first 100 or so feet, up to the point called "Chicken Rock" where the guide rope begins, took some pictures and came back down and walked the entire way around the base of the rock (about 3 miles), it was a fascinating couple of hours.  so much more to see.  Ponds of water, dry 500 foot waterfall channels, glades of green trees, walls of solid rock shaped like breaking sea waves, natural caverns under huge overhanging rock, ancient rock paintings.  Huge office building sized chunks of solid rock that just one day decided to fall while nobody was looking, a slab of solid rock that had been weathered to have a hundred foot long peek-through under it along the edge of the monolith.  The daytime full moon visible hanging on the edge of the rock.  I think I had a much better time of it than the people who exhausted themselves only to get to the top and see essentially the top of a giant pockmarked rock and a long distance view of sameness everywhere they looked, and then the long steep climb back down.  So much more variation down on the ground.  At one point I saw a huge giant boulder that had broken loose and slid part way down the slope and was just stuck, waiting for a few more thousand years before it could fall the rest of the way.  I can understand why the natives have such reverance for the area.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50151344

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    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 40,932

    ...Dana, I realised later you meant what phone plan.  (was tired and  still a bit fumed at the situation last night).

    I am with Consumer Cellular on their basic 20$ plan which offers 250 minutes of phone time. I also pay an extra 5$ for 3 GB to cover a few apps I need like my transit ticket and arrival apps as well as navigation (at the base level you only get 500 MB).

    Usually I never even come close to that limit, however between Tuesday and yesterday. all the time I was stuck on hold alone chewed through a lot of that.  It was primarily calling the SSA which is the worst as instead of having you just enter choices/info on the keypad it requires a verbal response so if you mispronounce one thing, it repeats the question over (there is also a lengthy spiel at the beginning before it even gets to the options part). Then there is the hold time itself. On Tuesday it was something like 75 minutes, plus 10 minutes on hold when I was transferred from one department to another, and Wednesday morning around 45. Also on Wednesday I was on hold for about 10 min with the loan processing agency even after I opted for them to call back when it was my turn. All that came up to around 140 minutes in addition to the time I was speaking with the various people at the agencies. 

    However one thing that CC does which few if any other carriers do i,s instead of cutting you off or charging by the extra minutes (which is usually more expensive per minute) they simply bump you up to the next tier for the rest of the month which is only 5$ (this also includes an increase in data as well) So until the middle of next month I have unlimited calling and 5 GB of data.

  • kaotkblisskaotkbliss Posts: 2,914

    Well I have a huge complaint... well huge for me anyway.

    At one point Megadeth overcame Metallica as one of my favorite bands with their Countdown to Extinction, Youthinasia and Cryptic Writings albums.

    Then Dave had some medical issues and couldn't play for a long time. He couldn't just take a vacation or something, no... he had to go and mess with all their released albums "enhancing" them.

    Wouldn't be a huge issue except that the original versions of all those great songs aren't sold in digital format and finding an original release CDs is difficult (and getting more and more so) and I can't stand what he did to the songs :(

    If only my copies of the CDs hadn't gotten worn out

     

  • McGyverMcGyver Posts: 7,047
    edited October 2019

    My local supermarket is so bad at being a supermarket... There used to be a terrible supermarket nearby that went out of business recently, and once they did, the supermarket that I shop at, which wasn't so bad at the time, decided to take up the mantle of terriblest supermarket... they are constantly out of stuff (it's like a friggin' Glasnost Soviet grocery store half the time), they stopped carrying half the good stuff they used to and their fruits and vegetables are like the suckiest... and then there is stuff like this...

    I'll let you figure out what's wrong there...

     

    1D901163-1569-4999-AD18-E97DD15398F9.jpeg
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    Post edited by McGyver on
  • kaotkblisskaotkbliss Posts: 2,914

    yum! I could go for some frosty paws right about now

  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,173
    edited October 2019

    Non-complaint:  Off topic but... Wheee... I just discovered the Insurance plan comparison tool on the official US Medicare.gov website.  Have I been missing this all these years or is this something new?  A lot of the hair-pulling grief of trying to find a "Medicare Advantage" plan or a "MediGap" policy that A) covers your ills, and B) doesn't break your budget, has been addressed.

    As an ancient person in the US we are eligible for government subsidized medical care (i.e. "Medicare").  It doesn't cover everything and there is a relatively small premium deducted from our Social Security payments to cover our cost.  The remaining costs of medical care during the year are covered out-of-pocket or by additional insurance called "Medicare Advantage" provided by commercial 3rd party insurance companies.  And even they don't cover everything, we still have to worry about deductables and limits and coverage details.  But instead of an "Advantage" plan we could choose to purchase a "MediGap" policy that will cover everything (i.e. it covers the "gap" between Medicare coverage and your pocket) but it's expensive, yet is a good deal if you know you're going to be really really sick for a long time and don't want to leave any money to your children.indecision

    One of the problems with this system is that we can't change our policy enrollment anytime we want.  Only between mid-October and mid-November, then our new policy choice becomes effective at the beginning of the year. So the moral of the story is if you plan on getting sick during the year, make sure you have the right insurance in place.frown   

    Another downside to this arrangement is that around this time of year, we ancient ones get boxes of postal mail and tons of e-mail SPAM from insurance companies extolling their plans trying to get us to "jump ship" to them.angry  

    But back to the original subject of this tome.  This plan selection tool available on the Medicare.gov website is actually quite nice.  You supply your physical location and they provide a list of all the insurance plans available to you in your region (e.g. I have 31 frown half decent "Advantage" plans available), then you can filter on reported plan quality (1 to 5 stars), and on plan cost, deductables & coverage basics, to whittle down the contenders.  You can pick three for detailed comparison that they present side-by-side and then you can start digging into the details of things like how many days of hospital care you have before they start taking a pound of flesh every day.  Or whether they'll buy eyeglasses for you but will let you go blind from gloucoma.  frown  

    I never noticed this tool before, it's very nice.  It works, and it lets you change your mind without having to start over.  I used to use a set of 3rd party tools (one from each major provider) that gave you a list of their available plans but then gave you a link to the plan details and left you on your owncrying.  The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't seem to remember your plan choices after you log out, but you can print out your selections (but they have a slight problem with overprinting some lines of text when sent to the printer but the important information (i.e. which plans you had been looking at) is printed clearly.

    If you already have an account at Medicare.gov ("MyMedicare.gov") look for the link "Find and compare 2020 Plans".  If you already have your required drugs listed on the site then most of the work is already done and it's just a few simple questions.  And once you decide on a plan, there's a link to enroll in the plan without having to find the providing insurance company's website.   Wheee...  somebody listened to what we needed. yes

    Be careful.  Part A already covers hospital charges, but at 80%.  That's like most insurances, anyway.  Part B covers doctor visits and related in-office procedures, I think.  Again, at 80%.  In Massachusetts, Medicaid (Mass Health here) pays for your Part B coverage, and also pays the 20% that Medicare does not cover...IF you don't have assets in excdess of $2,000.  If you are over the asset limit, they will still pay the Part B cost (about $135.50/month), but will no longer cover the 20%.  A supplemental insurance would be needd at that point.  My mom has Silverscript for prescription medicine.  I bring her to the pharmacy, and I'm quite often amazed...often she has no co-pay at all!  Sometimes it's something like $2 or $3.  I will be looking into that when Diane retires and we have to go the full Medicare route.

    Dana

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,173
    edited October 2019
    kyoto kid said:

    ...Dana, I realised later you meant what phone plan.  (was tired and  still a bit fumed at the situation last night).

    I am with Consumer Cellular on their basic 20$ plan which offers 250 minutes of phone time. I also pay an extra 5$ for 3 GB to cover a few apps I need like my transit ticket and arrival apps as well as navigation (at the base level you only get 500 MB).

    Usually I never even come close to that limit, however between Tuesday and yesterday. all the time I was stuck on hold alone chewed through a lot of that.  It was primarily calling the SSA which is the worst as instead of having you just enter choices/info on the keypad it requires a verbal response so if you mispronounce one thing, it repeats the question over (there is also a lengthy spiel at the beginning before it even gets to the options part). Then there is the hold time itself. On Tuesday it was something like 75 minutes, plus 10 minutes on hold when I was transferred from one department to another, and Wednesday morning around 45. Also on Wednesday I was on hold for about 10 min with the loan processing agency even after I opted for them to call back when it was my turn. All that came up to around 140 minutes in addition to the time I was speaking with the various people at the agencies. 

    However one thing that CC does which few if any other carriers do i,s instead of cutting you off or charging by the extra minutes (which is usually more expensive per minute) they simply bump you up to the next tier for the rest of the month which is only 5$ (this also includes an increase in data as well) So until the middle of next month I have unlimited calling and 5 GB of data.

    We have Consumer Cellular.  I pay $20 for unlimited talk, $10 for the extra line for Diane, $20 for unlimited text and 10GB of data.  (just upgraded again from 5GB, at no extra cost)  And free in-account talk (voice calls between Diane and me, or - I think - between me and any other CC customer)  You may want to talk to them about this.  Maybe you don't want the extra data, I don't know.  But the $20 should cover unlimited talk, it does for me.

    Dana

    ETA: And I do love that policy of just bumping you up to the next tier if you go over minutes...but that won't happen to me...but I guess it also applies to the data usage.  I can't see us ever going over 10GB of data, though!

    Post edited by DanaTA on
  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,173

    Well I have a huge complaint... well huge for me anyway.

    At one point Megadeth overcame Metallica as one of my favorite bands with their Countdown to Extinction, Youthinasia and Cryptic Writings albums.

    Then Dave had some medical issues and couldn't play for a long time. He couldn't just take a vacation or something, no... he had to go and mess with all their released albums "enhancing" them.

    Wouldn't be a huge issue except that the original versions of all those great songs aren't sold in digital format and finding an original release CDs is difficult (and getting more and more so) and I can't stand what he did to the songs :(

    If only my copies of the CDs hadn't gotten worn out

     

    Should have made backups.  We're allowed to make one backup, for archival use such as what happened to your CDs.  I think we can do that for DVD movies, too.  Not sure about Blue Ray, but I don't see why not.  If you can afford a Blue Ray writer.

    Of course, having said all that...I've not made backups of my CDs, either.  I don't put them into heavy use, though.  And I'm careful not to scratch them or do other things that wear them out.  I had a friend who didn't take very good care of his CDs, floppies (3.5") or DVDs.  I tried to salvage data for him, but the floppies were so dirty, they wrecked my drive.  He had a Mac, so I thought they just weren't compatible with my PC.  But then one day I tried to look at one of my floppies.  Computer reported it had no data.  I knew that was bull!  Had the guy in the shop I go to put in a new drive.  He said it wouldn't be worth trying to clean and fix the other one.  That friend let me borrow a DVD of Jimi Hendrix, but I took one look at it and said, "Nope!  That's not going into my DVD player!"

    Dana

  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,173
    edited October 2019
    McGyver said:

    My local supermarket is so bad at being a supermarket... There used to be a terrible supermarket nearby that went out of business recently, and once they did, the supermarket that I shop at, which wasn't so bad at the time, decided to take up the mantle of terriblest supermarket... they are constantly out of stuff (it's like a friggin' Glasnost Soviet grocery store half the time), they stopped carrying half the good stuff they used to and their fruits and vegetables are like the suckiest... and then there is stuff like this...

    I'll let you figure out what's wrong there...

     

    Looks like that freezer has gone through at least one or more thaw-freeze cycles...hopefully that is new stock!

    How do the dogs get the stuff out of that cup?  And...just what is that original flavor?   

    Dana

    Post edited by DanaTA on
  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 40,932
    edited October 2019
    DanaTA said:
    kyoto kid said:

    ...Dana, I realised later you meant what phone plan.  (was tired and  still a bit fumed at the situation last night).

    I am with Consumer Cellular on their basic 20$ plan which offers 250 minutes of phone time. I also pay an extra 5$ for 3 GB to cover a few apps I need like my transit ticket and arrival apps as well as navigation (at the base level you only get 500 MB).

    Usually I never even come close to that limit, however between Tuesday and yesterday. all the time I was stuck on hold alone chewed through a lot of that.  It was primarily calling the SSA which is the worst as instead of having you just enter choices/info on the keypad it requires a verbal response so if you mispronounce one thing, it repeats the question over (there is also a lengthy spiel at the beginning before it even gets to the options part). Then there is the hold time itself. On Tuesday it was something like 75 minutes, plus 10 minutes on hold when I was transferred from one department to another, and Wednesday morning around 45. Also on Wednesday I was on hold for about 10 min with the loan processing agency even after I opted for them to call back when it was my turn. All that came up to around 140 minutes in addition to the time I was speaking with the various people at the agencies. 

    However one thing that CC does which few if any other carriers do i,s instead of cutting you off or charging by the extra minutes (which is usually more expensive per minute) they simply bump you up to the next tier for the rest of the month which is only 5$ (this also includes an increase in data as well) So until the middle of next month I have unlimited calling and 5 GB of data.

    We have Consumer Cellular.  I pay $20 for unlimited talk, $10 for the extra line for Diane, $20 for unlimited text and 10GB of data.  (just upgraded again from 5GB, at no extra cost)  And free in-account talk (voice calls between Diane and me, or - I think - between me and any other CC customer)  You may want to talk to them about this.  Maybe you don't want the extra data, I don't know.  But the $20 should cover unlimited talk, it does for me.

    Dana

    ETA: And I do love that policy of just bumping you up to the next tier if you go over minutes...but that won't happen to me...but I guess it also applies to the data usage.  I can't see us ever going over 10GB of data, though!

    ...yeah it sounds like if you have multiple lines you get the break.  I hate it when single people get screwed.  Just like when travelling as everything is PPDO and if you travel by yourself you have to pay the single supplement.  That is blatant discrimination.

    Post edited by kyoto kid on
  • starionwolfstarionwolf Posts: 3,670
    edited October 2019

    sorry I haven't been online this past week.  I got a weird virus.  Body aches all over.  I need to call the doctor's office on Friday.  I had plans this week and next week like watching videos on Bryce 3D.  :(

    Post edited by starionwolf on
  • DanaTADanaTA Posts: 13,173
    kyoto kid said:
    DanaTA said:
    kyoto kid said:

    ...Dana, I realised later you meant what phone plan.  (was tired and  still a bit fumed at the situation last night).

    I am with Consumer Cellular on their basic 20$ plan which offers 250 minutes of phone time. I also pay an extra 5$ for 3 GB to cover a few apps I need like my transit ticket and arrival apps as well as navigation (at the base level you only get 500 MB).

    Usually I never even come close to that limit, however between Tuesday and yesterday. all the time I was stuck on hold alone chewed through a lot of that.  It was primarily calling the SSA which is the worst as instead of having you just enter choices/info on the keypad it requires a verbal response so if you mispronounce one thing, it repeats the question over (there is also a lengthy spiel at the beginning before it even gets to the options part). Then there is the hold time itself. On Tuesday it was something like 75 minutes, plus 10 minutes on hold when I was transferred from one department to another, and Wednesday morning around 45. Also on Wednesday I was on hold for about 10 min with the loan processing agency even after I opted for them to call back when it was my turn. All that came up to around 140 minutes in addition to the time I was speaking with the various people at the agencies. 

    However one thing that CC does which few if any other carriers do i,s instead of cutting you off or charging by the extra minutes (which is usually more expensive per minute) they simply bump you up to the next tier for the rest of the month which is only 5$ (this also includes an increase in data as well) So until the middle of next month I have unlimited calling and 5 GB of data.

    We have Consumer Cellular.  I pay $20 for unlimited talk, $10 for the extra line for Diane, $20 for unlimited text and 10GB of data.  (just upgraded again from 5GB, at no extra cost)  And free in-account talk (voice calls between Diane and me, or - I think - between me and any other CC customer)  You may want to talk to them about this.  Maybe you don't want the extra data, I don't know.  But the $20 should cover unlimited talk, it does for me.

    Dana

    ETA: And I do love that policy of just bumping you up to the next tier if you go over minutes...but that won't happen to me...but I guess it also applies to the data usage.  I can't see us ever going over 10GB of data, though!

    ...yeah it sounds like if you have multiple lines you get the break.  I hate it when single people get screwed.  Just like when travelling as everything is PPDO and if you travel by yourself you have to pay the single supplement.  That is blatant discrimination.

    To be fair, I do pay for the extra text and data.  But you should be getting the unlimited minutes with your $20 subscription.  And a discount if you are in AARP.

    Dana

  • RedfernRedfern Posts: 1,593
    McGyver said:

    ... and then there is stuff like this...

    I'll let you figure out what's wrong there...

     

    Uh, possibly that some frozen dog treats have been placed with frozen dairy intended for humans?

    To be honest, I've never encountered frozen pet treats, so I'm not sure what IS the proper shelving protocol.  I mean, is there enough variety to dedicate separate storage space?  They may have had little choice.

    Sincerely,

    Bill

  • McGyverMcGyver Posts: 7,047
    DanaTA said:
    McGyver said:

    My local supermarket is so bad at being a supermarket... There used to be a terrible supermarket nearby that went out of business recently, and once they did, the supermarket that I shop at, which wasn't so bad at the time, decided to take up the mantle of terriblest supermarket... they are constantly out of stuff (it's like a friggin' Glasnost Soviet grocery store half the time), they stopped carrying half the good stuff they used to and their fruits and vegetables are like the suckiest... and then there is stuff like this...

    I'll let you figure out what's wrong there...

     

    Looks like that freezer has gone through at least one or more thaw-freeze cycles...hopefully that is new stock!

    How do the dogs get the stuff out of that cup?  And...just what is that original flavor?   

    Dana

    At this place customers tend to stand in front of the freezers with the doors open thinking about what they want to purchase... the glass is clear type... not stained glass telling the tale of the great grocery crusades, or that opaque black obsidian glass that's been very popular lately... no... regular clear glass... I watch people open the glass door to do their thinking... so it frosts up, but since these freezers are new, they cool quickly too... doing that 9,000 times a day makes the popular freezers a frickin' mess.

    I'm assuming the dogs get the frosty paws out by eating the container and pooping out the cardboard... just a guess though... also I'm assuming that "original flavor" is something like Primordial Soup... that's a really original flavor, some say it's the originalest flavor... yeech... the way I just said that... I sounded like... never mind.

    I wonder how many people thought the dog was just a mascot for an ice cream brand...  Many years ago a girlfriend of mine had her cousin visiting from Columbia, the girl had never been to the US before and her English was very limited at the time, apparently she went shopping to get a few things and bought some Garfield cereal (the cartoon cat, not James A. Garfield the 20th president who ironically was assassinated by a cat)... anyway, the cereal wasn't cereal, it was a dried cat food...

    The poor girl poured a bowl of it and was about to add milk when she noticed the smell and weird shape of the tidbits...  it was then she realized something wasn't right... In her defense there was nothing overtly "cat food" looking about the box aside from the Purina logo... as far as I remember.

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,441
    edited October 2019
    DanaTA said:

    ... Wheee...  somebody listened to what we needed. yes

    Be careful.  Part A already covers hospital charges, but at 80%.  That's like most insurances, anyway.  Part B covers doctor visits and related in-office procedures, I think.  Again, at 80%.  In Massachusetts, Medicaid (Mass Health here) pays for your Part B coverage, and also pays the 20% that Medicare does not cover...IF you don't have assets in excdess of $2,000.  If you are over the asset limit, they will still pay the Part B cost (about $135.50/month), but will no longer cover the 20%.  A supplemental insurance would be needd at that point.  My mom has Silverscript for prescription medicine.  I bring her to the pharmacy, and I'm quite often amazed...often she has no co-pay at all!  Sometimes it's something like $2 or $3.  I will be looking into that when Diane retires and we have to go the full Medicare route.

    Dana

    My experience for the last 8 years of retirement has been that straight Medicare doesn't do it for me, never did.  I've had the "Advantage" plan for most of those years because I got socked with the 20% when I didn't have it.  20% of a big number is a smaller, but still big number.sad  I've done my homework each year (despite my grumbling about it) and have been careful in my choice of Advantage plan so that I pay very little for my medications, and I usually have no co-pay for GP visits, a reasonable co-pay for specialist visits, and despite the emergency room visits, multiple operations and hospital stays I've had, have not had any significant bills to pay.yes  Oh, I've grumbled until I looked at how much the insurance has paid for me and calculate how much less straight Medicare would have paid. surprise 

    Nope, I'm sticking with my "Advantage" plan because in the last couple of years it has actually become even more overall pocket friendly for me despite a small increase in premiums and in co-pays for specialist appointments (cardiologist, urologist, etc.  Usually a total of 4 to 6 appointments per year).  And well it should.  A certain amount is deducted from my Social Security (SS) payments for Medicare and a small additional amount is deducted to pay for the Advantage plan which does actually provide more help than straight Medicare.yes  I'd be pissed if it didn't.angry  And when it comes time to need a MediGap plan to cover the rest, I'll be happy for it.indecision

    I admit there was one hospital stay where I got a bill in the mail that about put me back in there with heart failure.surprise  But I kept my head and marched straight to the hospital finance offices with all my papers and ducks in a row and asked "What gives?!"frown  They eventually admitted that they'd made a mistake.  That was almost 3 years ago and I haven't heard a peep from them wanting their money.  So, hopefully it's water under the bridge.smiley

    Would I prefer that the doctors and hospitals didn't have to deal with umpteen different insurance companies all with slightly different rules and coverage plans?enlightened  Actually, the current rules for private insurance participation in Medicare Advantage plans has established somewhat homogenous rules so most of the plans from competing companies are similar and vary only in tweaked details about how the cost is paid for, and that help one person better than another based on their situation.  But would I prefer that the government pay for everything without question and let me go to the doctor every time I sneeze?  Sure!  But that ain't gonna happen in my lifetime.indecision  Besides it's a bad idea too easily abused if there were no incentive to be somewhat conservative and minimally frugal about one's medical care. 

    I'm not eliciting debate.  I'm not being political.  I'm just saying I accept my medical situation and the help provided to me, and my part in the process.

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    McGyver said:

    My local supermarket is so bad at being a supermarket... There used to be a terrible supermarket nearby that went out of business recently, and once they did, the supermarket that I shop at, which wasn't so bad at the time, decided to take up the mantle of terriblest supermarket... they are constantly out of stuff (it's like a friggin' Glasnost Soviet grocery store half the time), they stopped carrying half the good stuff they used to and their fruits and vegetables are like the suckiest... and then there is stuff like this...

    I'll let you figure out what's wrong there...

     

    needs serious defrosting, glaciers growing

    i went to S&S last weekend, they were out of tuna salad.  thats absurd.  the elves shoulda pulled an all nighter to replenish the tuna salad bin

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675
    Redfern said:
    McGyver said:

    ... and then there is stuff like this...

    I'll let you figure out what's wrong there...

     

    Uh, possibly that some frozen dog treats have been placed with frozen dairy intended for humans?

    To be honest, I've never encountered frozen pet treats, so I'm not sure what IS the proper shelving protocol.  I mean, is there enough variety to dedicate separate storage space?  They may have had little choice.

    Sincerely,

    Bill

    my buppuy luuuved his frosty paws.

    i got a video somewhere of him eating his frosty paws. 

  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675

    in he man news, Adam's mom let on she knows he is He man.  tee hee   his furry shorts kinda of like a diaper.  momma's lil boy 

    so, he man was flying on one of those skyjet scooters, skiletor menion shot it, he man crashed into a cliff, then fell off that cliff.  Teela runs to him, she's like are you alright he man?  He says he mussed his hair, and his cartoon hair did look mussed.  Adam is so cute. and Cringer is cute.

    for some reason, Teela is not in the know about his identity.  She is the captain of the guard.  would think she should know.  Heman doesn't wear a mask, his face doesn't change, except for the tan, don't understand why she can't recognize he's Adam.

    THey went to Orco's home planet of Trala.  things are backward in Trala, trees grow upside down.  He got a sweet on with a girl Trala, it got so serious, they showed each other their ... faces.

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,441
    edited October 2019

    Non-complaint:  On a happier note.  While composing a previous post, I was listening to the Buffalo classical radio station through my computer and they started playing the "Pavane" by Gabriel Faure'.  Sigh..., I hadn't heard that in a long time and it is 6 minutes of beautiful relaxing music.  Wonderful music to DAZ by.  I had to share it.

    Gabriel Faure:  "Pavanehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QtT48Ex4ao (music starts at 0:38)

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • MistaraMistara Posts: 38,675

    thanks  hadn't heard pavane before

    not sure what i'se listening to, might be 9 inch nails

    i'd rather be watching he man, but day job has security cameras on the tv.  what a waste for a jumbo tv.

    dont bring me down  brooose grooose

  • McGyverMcGyver Posts: 7,047
    edited October 2019
    Redfern said:
    McGyver said:

    ... and then there is stuff like this...

    I'll let you figure out what's wrong there...

     

    Uh, possibly that some frozen dog treats have been placed with frozen dairy intended for humans?

    To be honest, I've never encountered frozen pet treats, so I'm not sure what IS the proper shelving protocol.  I mean, is there enough variety to dedicate separate storage space?  They may have had little choice.

    Sincerely,

    Bill

    Actually, there is a small freezer in the pet section, which contains multiple brands of frozen pet foods and some snacks... but maybe it's just for those brands... or maybe you can't mix food, snacks and "treats"... or maybe they figure if the dog is out shopping for ice cream for their family and they'll be more likely to expect to find frozen treats with ice cream... ?  
    The store used to have several brands of dog ice cream (frozen treats, not like "vanilla- almond dachshund delight" or "pistachio poodle parfait"), and they were located at the end of the freezer with a divider kinda separating them... I didn't check, but maybe it's down to one brand and flavor now... still... it's weird the way it's smack dab in the middle of the ice cream pops.   If I were actually looking for it, I don't think I'd expect to find it there.

     

    I'm pondering  why no frozen cat treats?   My cat loved strawberry ice cream.

    Post edited by McGyver on
This discussion has been closed.