Bear with me here

[GirlinContempt]

I'm excited about something pretty boring :D

I'm getting my new phone line today!

Here's the deal. Back in 1996, MTS was privatized. We were told this would be a great thing, competitive rates, more efficient, etc. I didn't believe it then, and the 10 years that followed proved me right. Prices kept rising, service was shit. And, competition? The only real competition entered the market late 2005, and still can't service the whole city.

But, they can now service me :D My phone bill will drop from $80+ to $30 for three months, and then $50 there after, everything included. All the features, all my long distance, everything. With 24 hour support (Screw you MTS and your never-work-weekends, only-till-6 crap).

I am very happy and excited. But I still want to find the people who were in favour of privatization and ask them "WTF OMG?!"

[billyskank]

1. Woohoo!

Okay, in of itself it's pretty boring, but still :woohoo: :bounce:

My government is crazy for privatising things. But they've already done the obvious stuff (and the national health service is still proving a little too difficult) so now they're privatising really wierd stuff. I just heard on the radio today that they want to privatise the coast guard's helicopter service. And previously I read in the paper they intend to privatise the police forensics service.

:wtf:

[GirlinContempt]

4. At least my hydro is still crown

though the other hydro company went private *sigh*

Sounds pretty fucked. They're trying to priv. health care?

[billyskank]

9. Yes, but they won't admit it

They just talk about greater private involvement in the health service. What they mean is private companies taking the routine profitable stuff (hip replacements, eye surgery, stuff like that) and leaving the NHS with all the messy complicated (and expensive) stuff.

Even that isn't so bad, plenty of European countries successfully run publicly-funded health services with the private sector actually providing the service; France is the poster boy for good health care, and they have lots of private sector involvement.

What is really bad is they are making loads of ill-thought out market-oriented "reforms" on the NHS, like payment for results, which make no sense and have caused a funding crisis. Many hospitals are now faced with big budget deficits and are being forced to lay off staff, this after the government has increased health spending by billions over the last few years. It's insane, and it plays directly into the hands of the right, who can point to the problems and say, "you see, just throwing money at the problem isn't the solution." Of course the right want to cut health spending, so that they can cut taxes.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. What have you got against privatization, pinko?

You may have been getting boned, but SOMEONE was making money, and THAT is the American way. :patriot:

[GirlinContempt]

3. Actually, I think the jackoffs who bought MTS were American

Could be wrong though :P

[ZombieNixon]

5. Keep yer gol'durn commynizzum in Canadia, you dum Canadan.

:P

[mdmc]

6. Did you need to get a new number, or did you get to keep your

old phone number?

:)

[GirlinContempt]

7. I got to keep the same number.

Get this.

When I had cable internet in my old house through the same company that's now doing my phone, I was having connection issues. I called, the next day they sent out a tech, who replaced all the cable in my 3 story house for free, and replaced the connector outside because it was starting to get corroded.

When I called them to hook up my phone, they took all my info, contacted MTS, set up the switches and disconnection so I'll only be without service for about 5 minutes, and set up my appointment, all within about 15 mins. I didn't have to do anything.

Mts, my current provider, cut off my internet once because I forgot a dollar in my last payment to them, and didn't even notify me. Just a few days ago, they cut off my phone even though I'd paid, and I was without service for over a day. When I called the woman on the phone couldn't understand it, but wanted to charge me to reconnect even though it was not my fault. On top of the high price of service and shoddy support, BLAH.

[mdmc]

11. SOUNDS awful

hang in there! The power of competition!

[GirlinContempt]

12. More like the horrors of privatization

[ThomCat]

8. It's always fun to abandon a company that

really don't deserve your business. :)

[GirlinContempt]

10. It is indeed!

:)

[GirlinContempt]

13. And now, a shallow reason why new company is better

The tech who came to install was hot. Luscious. Gorgeous. Wow. Just CUTE. And funny and charming and interesting. And he flirted with me for like two hours. I'm sure he was just being nice, but still. Wowzah. Nice service ;)

[ghostsofgiants]

14. Wait, I don't work with your phone company...

:P

[GirlinContempt]

17. Are you 6'3"?

*drool*

[ghostsofgiants]

20. 6'2", close enough.

:P

[GirlinContempt]

21. You're 6'2"?

Thats close enough for me. Come on over ;)

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. Aw, I thought this was gonna be a pic thread

[GirlinContempt]

16. Well, now it is

:P

[Richardo]

18. You took my answer, O.R.

:rofl:

[GirlinContempt]

19. Why Richardo!

Bad!

[Richardo]

22. .

:blush: :hi:

[GirlinContempt]

27. !

:hi: ;)

[wildhorses]

23. sorry...did I copycat a copycat...or did someone copycat

your OP? :blush:

[GirlinContempt]

28. Someone copied my OP

[Misunderestimator]

24. You should try Vonage. Only $25 a month for everything.

[GirlinContempt]

26. The company I'm with

The new one, is the same price as Vonage (in canada, around $50) :)

[Misunderestimator]

30. Ah! Well, that's good.

I guess the only other advantage with Vonage is if you do much travelling. You can take the router with you and use it free from anywhere in the world where you can plug it into a broadband connection.

[GirlinContempt]

31. Yeah, thats always neat

:)

[Deja Q]

25. Kewl! (the lowered price of the bill)

As for companies proclaiming competition and lowered prices yet only the opposite happens; they've got their heads stuck in the sand. :D

[GirlinContempt]

29. Lower prices are always nice on the ol bank balance

:D