After weeks of messing around with the douchebags at AT&T, they finally managed to get my DSL connection turned back on. Net access is one of those things that doesn’t seem that important until you’re without it. Just kidding – it’s obvious how necessary it is these days! You just can’t do much anything without it. The whole situation was, and honestly still is, a giant clusterf&*k. For review, this is what happened:

• Signed up for AT&T DSL 2 years ago. I live in the sticks, so I was surviving (barely) with dial-up before
• DSL was disconnected on April 8th DUE TO A MISTAKE AT&T ADMITTED TO MAKING. 100% THEIR FAULT.
• Call AT&T: “You’re too far away to get DSL”. Tell them I had it for 2 years
• Woman tries to say I didn’t. Not even kidding. Then she accused us of stealing DSL! WTF. I have mad computer skills, but I’ve never heard of someone stealing DSL.
• After I bitch on Twitter, an executive from AT&T HQ makes contact
• They get service turned back on. Total time without service: 1 entire month. Hours of my life wasted: 30+

While I do have DSL or U-Verse (which is basically the same thing even though AT&T acts like U-Verse is the internet delivered on bricks of gold) now, the basic problem still isn’t solved. AT&T won’t/refuses to update their computer system to show that my address can receive service. My dad asked the executive what happens if he sells our house or ever cancels service. Answer? The service can’t be turned back on.

Maybe it’s just me, but that’s an effin important thing to mention considering we never cancelled in the 1st place! If A&T cuts off our service in 2 years, I have to spend another month of my life on the phone and Twitter to get a simple internet connection! You can bet your sweet a$$ I’m keeping that executive’s digits in a safe place.

As crappy as this whole situation was, one good thing did happen. In the early days of customer support hell, I called Time Warner to see how much running cable down our road would cost. I was expecting something flippin’ crazy like $5,000. That’s the estimate they gave a few years ago. This time? THEY’RE HOOKING US UP FO’ FREE! Now we’ll be gettin another option when AT&T messes up again – which they will. Gotta give props to TW though – it’s not often a huge corporation surprises me in a good way.

What’s the worst way a company has wronged you? Did you manage to get anything out of it?

AT&T is the worst company in the world. Am.i.right? They suck. After disconnecting my internet 11 days ago, I’ve talked to at least 15 different people in every call center they operate. I still have no DSL.

Day to day life in 2011 without internet is almost impossible! I’m able to get some stuff done at school during the day, but something always comes up that I need to get online for at night. So I’ve turned to other…methods.

My iPhone, with AT&T service unfortunately, can be connected to a computer and provide internet access. The geek term for this is tethering. The only catch is that AT&T charges an extra $20 per month to use this “feature” that’s already available on my phone“.

Their logic is that tethering uses more data so users have to pay up. Except my plan is already called “Unlimited iPhone Data”. Unlimited is unlimited is unlimited, right? So paying more would be retarded.

Instead of bending over, I decided to jailbreak my iPhone and install MyWi – an app that costs $20 (one time) and shares my 3G connection over wifi so my laptop can connect. AT&T 3G isn’t amazing, shocking I know, but it gets the job done for now.

Since I started tethering I’ve used over 10 times the amount of data I typically use in a month. LOL and I still have 12 days left in the billing cycle. Some was just regular browsing – Facebook and Pandora. I think downloading high definition versions of the 1st 3 Scream movies may have had something to do with it. Who knows, I’m not an expert. I know needlessly downloading stuff a little immature and childish, but so is disconnecting someone’s internet service with no notice.

Suck it at&t.

Sorry about yesterday’s lack of post. I wasn’t being lazy. Alright, maybe a little. But the real reason is that AT&T cut off my Internet access. Jerks. I came home Friday and turned on my laptop to browse the Interwebz…and there were no Interwebz. Not acceptable.

I’m ticked, wondering WTF is up with this. I call customer service and they tell me they have a disconnection order in process. Haha that order definitely wasn’t placed my me or anybody in my house.

Since I handle the tech stuff in our house, I’ve been the one calling customer support. Over and over. I’ve spent close to 5 hours on the phone with people of various competence levels. One wondered if the bill wasn’t paid. Another suggested I lied about having service for 2 years. Think about that one for a second. Yep, I called AT&T and demanded they reconnect service I never actually had just for…fun?

I’m not sure if this is an AT&T thing or not, but all the agents I speak to seem more concerned that I’m satisfied with their performance “even though they couldn’t solve the problem“. That’s a direct quote. Yeah…you not fixing my problem was awesome. A+++.

I finally got through to the “cancellation” department after mentioning I wanted to cancel landline service. Funny how that works. These bastards don’t care until I threaten to remove what remaining cash they get sent every month. Somehow, thanks to the Internet gods, the rep was able to place an order. An order that 10 minutes prior was simply “impossible”. I still don’t have service, so I’m sending this through my iPhone which is ironically serviced by AT&T. Hopefully the order will go through soon or I’ll be sent back to the stone age with dial-up.
What’s your worst customer service experience? Best? Give your hate (or love) in the comments!

Back in January, I decided I should open a business checking account to keep my Financial Student money separate from all my regular personal money. With separate accounts, I can keep track of expenses and make sure I’m paying taxes on the correct amount of income. Plus it’s priceless to walk into the bank at 18, say you want to open a business account, and have the teller say “Shouldn’t you be at home watching Wonder Pets or something?“. OK, that didn’t really happen, but I did get an odd look.

All was well with my fancy business account for the past few months. I maintained a balance of around $2,000, only withdrawing $10 a month to pay for website hosting. Then I checked my balance yesterday. There’s a $15 service charge! WTF. When I opened the account, I sat down with banker lady and answered a ton of questions so she could figure out the best account for me. I specifically said the account would have between $500 and $5,000. I didn’t need payroll services or any type of corporate services. So she picked an account and told me that there were minimal fees – just the usual overdraft fees and that sort of stuff.

Last time I checked, $15 a month for a checking account I barely use is NOT “minimal“. I’m wondering what the hell is going on, so I call customer service. To their credit, the woman I spoke to was nice and provided the answers I needed. It turns out that banker lady selected some BS account that charges $15 a month unless you keep a balance of $15,000. Yeah, that’s not happening anytime soon. I also found out I can’t change my account to the free business checking (that I located on the bank’s website in approximately 3 seconds) without going to a branch.

When I do go in, probably tomorrow, cause it’s not like I’m trying to enjoy my spring break or anything, I better get that $15 fee refunded. In fact, I’ll be disappointed if they don’t suggest it first, since they’re the ones who tried to screw me over. I’m thinking about closing the account if they don’t, but then I’d have to find a new bank which means ordering new checks and getting a new debit card. Switching accounts is a PITA, one that I’d like to avoid. Regardless, I’m starting to trust banks less and less. Except ING Direct. I love them.

I thought I’d show off my comic creating skillz in today’s post. Above, you can see my reaction to a statement I heard on Fox News last week. I actually saw the clip on The Daily Show, which you can watch below. 33 seconds in is where the action starts.

This lady straight up says “$250,000 is not rich. For a family of four sending kids to college, it is actually close to poverty.” What is she smoking?!?!!! There is no way you can realistically describe $250,000 as being close to be poverty. A household earning that much money would be in the top 5% of households in the United States. That amount is also more than 10x the federal poverty level.

To break it down even further, let’s consider the tax burden this hypothetical family would have to deal with. According to H&R Block’s tax estimator, this family would owe $53,000 in federal income tax. This calculation was based on the family having 2 children, one in college and one in high school. They took the standard deduction along with personal exemptions. No other methods were used to reduce taxable income, like contributing to a 401K. If we also subtract state income tax, based on California’s rates, this family would owe an additional $19,000.

Even after taking away income taxes, the family would have $178,000 to live on. That’s $14,833 every single month. That’s enough to pay for almost 2 years of my tuition at a public 4 year university. In one month. Even living in a super expensive city like Los Angeles would be easily affordable on that salary. A $250,000 LA salary is rougly equal to a $168,000 Columbus, Ohio salary according to CNN’s cost of living calculator. Cbus is not far from where I live. You would be extremely comfortable with that kind of money.

The idea that this family would be poor is blatantly and demonstrably false. It’s insulting to people who are actually living in poverty, both in the US and around the world. The fact this this obviously privileged women would suggest such a thing is moronic proves she’s a horrible person.

Does anyone not agree with me? I’d love to hear your opinions on this!

P.S. Do you like the comic? Should I incorporate more of them into posts?

This should be common sense, but the general public seems to be a few french fries short of a Happy Meal, so I’ll announce it one more time. STOP talking on your cellphone at the checkout counter. It’s rude and I know your phone call isn’t nearly as important as you’re pretending it is. If I was on my phone while scanning and bagging up your items, would you be annoyed?

I don’t claim to be more interesting than whoever you’re talking to. Promise. That doesn’t mean you get to ignore me. You know why? Because I don’t want you coming back in the store 10 minutes later bitching that I didn’t give you a gift receipt. Of course, I tried asking if you needed one. But you were busy…shouting into your iPhone, and ignoring your bad@$$ cashier.

While I try to be accurate, I’m still human and I make mistakes. There’s a chance I’ll forget to scan a coupon or apply a discount the store is providing. It happens. Customers who aren’t being jerks and talking on their phone are 99% more likely to spot my error and let me know. Checkout needs both people paying attention.

By talking on your cellphone, you’re probably going to screw up your own transaction. When I ask if you if you have any rewards cards to redeem and you say no to the person on the phone, I continue the sale. After a certain point, I can’t go back and you’re stuck paying full price. Sorry about that…

Don’t be rude to me. Don’t be rude to other customers who don’t want to hear you screaming. Give me your attention and I’ll give you mine. We call that “customer service” in the biz.

After watching a late night showing of Paranormal Activity 2 this weekend (which kept me on edge the entire time), me and a friend went to grab a bite to eat at Steak ‘n Shake. We were seated immediately, but our service turned to crap right after that.

We waited at least 5 minutes just to place our drink orders. I know it’s “just” 5 minutes, but I’ll usually have a glass in front of me within that time frame at any other restaurant. When our waitress finally did acknowledge our presence, she apologized for the wait, but remarked “I didn’t even realize you were here”. Um…awesome? I’m much happier now.

She brought our drinks, then disappeared. Another 10 minutes go by and she returns to finally take our order. At this point, I’m annoyed…and hungry. The movie was exhausting and I wanted some food ASAP. Our waitress leaves with our order, telling us “It’ll be out in no time”.

That part she actually got right, probably because she wasn’t involved. Our food arrived within an acceptable amount of time and was prepared correctly. But still, I was annoyed. Not only did we have wait almost 20 minutes just to place an order, but it was made clear that another, larger, party was the priority.

When it was time to pay though, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to tip. The food may not have been bad, but the service was pretty shitty. The wait time sucked and hearing “I’ll be right back, I have to go take this other table’s order first” pissed me off. But does that mean our waitress should go without a tip? I was so close to leaving nothing. Then I felt “bad” and left a dollar. (My total bill was $5.00. Like I said, this was Steak ‘n Shake, not exactly a 5 star establishment.)

So did I make the right decision? My experience wasn’t a positive one, so should I have left nothing? Or should service be extremely bad (rude waiter, orders completely messed up, etc.) before a tip is withheld?

I don’t like being angry or frustrated. But I swear, stores that you make you purchase a certain dollar amount of merchandise in order to use a credit card make me want to punch a baby. Yes, it’s that irritating.

Sure, it doesn’t happen a lot. Only a few stores I know of have this stupid policy. But that actually makes it more irritating because it’s always a surprise when you find out you can’t pay with plastic! The nerve!

For those of you who actually have a life and don’t keep up on official credit card policies, Visa/MasterCard/Disover/AMEX take a certain percentage of the sale price as a processing fee. If you’re only buying a $1.75 candy bar, the store might lose money on the sale.

Stores don’t like this obviously, so some of them force you to either buy more or pay with cash. I understand that a business needs to make money. I really do. But I also want a convenient way to pay. If the door has a Visa sticker, I want to pay with my Visa damn it. I shouldn’t be forced to jumped through hoops just to pay.

This type of “discrimination” (yeah, I just called this discrimination) was actually prohibited by the credit card companies. Until now. I learned from Five Cent Nickel that the financial reform bill changed the rules and card companies have now adjusted their policies. Fantastic.

If I was running a business, I wouldn’t mess around with this BS. Sure, I might make a tiny bit more profit if I adopted a minimum. Maybe. But I wouldn’t run the risk of pissing off my customers. Even if they give in and buy more, they’re likely leaving the store with a bad taste in their mouth with a side of annoyance. That could translate into not coming back – even when they were going to spend far over the minimum.

Businesses: Please, end the madness! Either accept plastic or don’t. Don’t cheapen your brand by forcing me to change my payment method to avoid overspending!

Finally: I’ve read about some people who say they’d be “embarrassed” to use a credit card for a low amount – say less than $10. Why? What’s the big deal?

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about money. The following are statements or attitudes that I hear quite often. They’re all false. Or at least they should be!

1 – You’ll always have a car payment

I’ve heard this exact statement from an older adult. I was really surprised, because it seems to defy common sense. You’re only ALWAYS going to have a car payment if you upgrade to a new car every few years. The interesting thing is that people seem to forget that their first car didn’t require a payment. Think about it – when a typical 16 year old buys a car, it’s usually paid for in cash. No payments or interest required. If you can own a car at 16 free and clear, then it’s logical that you should be able to own a car free and clear at the age of 35.

2 – Everybody has credit card debt, so it’s not a big deal

Actually, not everyone has credit card debt. In fact, most people don’t. The reason why the number quoted when discussing average debt is so high is because those with extreme debt – like a mind blowing $60,000 scattered around 8 cards – drive up the average significantly. Even if everybody did have lots of debt, that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. You’re still, essentially, paying “the Man”.

3 – Owning a home is always better than renting

All I need to mention is the housing bubble and you’ll see what I mean. I’m going to go ahead and assume (and probably make an a$$ out of myself) that MANY people who bought homes in the early 2000s grossly OVERPAID and would have been much better off RENTING. Even without the housing mess and recession, I caution everybody (especially recent college grads) to think long and hard about buying a house. It’s a gigantic purchase and there are lots of hidden expenses – and not all of them are financial.

4 – Stuff will make you happy

There’s no doubt that we all need certain things – shelter and clothes for example. There are also some luxuries that can make our lives easier and more convenient – like an iPod or microwave. But don’t let material objects run your life. How big of a house do we really need? How many DVDs are we really going to watch more than once?

5 – Online bank accounts are scams, unsafe, or inconvenient

No, they aren’t. All the ones I use and have heard of are FDIC insured, just like any other bank. Online banks encrypt your information and force you to make strong passwords. Finally, online banking is one of the most convenient things since sliced bread. Day or night, you can transfer money and it’ll be there either instantaneously or within 2 business days. ING Direct will even MAIL a check to someone for you!

6 – There will be time to save later, so go have fun now

This is simply an immature thing to say. You know what group of people want what they want right NOW? Children, that’s who. When exactly is “later”? After high school graduation? After college? After getting married? Life is always going to get in the way of better finances, so we need to stop making excuses and JUST FIX OUR PROBLEMS. I’m young and want to have fun, which requires money. I’m not against spending for fun, but I’m against sacrificing an awesome future for fun. Yes, I’m trying to have my cake AND eat it too. It’s going to be f’ing delicious.

7 – Having expensive and flashy stuff means you’re successful

It’s not too hard to create the appearance of having it all, without actually owning anything. At a nearby school (not mine), there is an Escalade in the parking lot every day of the school week. I’m assuming that it belongs to a teacher. Yet, when I see it, I don’t think “Wow, she must be doing well.” I think “Wow, she must have a huge loan. That sucks.” Granted, she could have budgeted it and can easily afford it. Or maybe her husband makes a good living and just bought it outright. But I don’t think either of those situations is likely.

8 – You can get rich quickly

No, you can’t. The amount of people who got incredible rich overnight is extremely slim. So slim that a diabetic has a better chance of being run over by a truck carrying insulin. Yes, I just made that up. But still, the majority of wealthy people got to where they are by working hard and not being dumb with their money. If you want to be like them, you need to make good decisions and read The Financial Student.

9 – Money is Evil

No, it’s not. You can do horrible things to get money or with money. But money itself is not the problem. Money can, and often does, enhance our lives. Don’t be afraid to become wealthy because money is “evil”.

10 – Money Does Buy Happiness

Yes, I’m sure all of the starving people in the world are thrilled they don’t have any money. They get by just fine as long they have what really matters in life: family and friends. Oh, and a dash of hopelessness. A certain amount of money is simply necessary to have our basic needs met. A certain amount more is “necessary” for luxuries. It is true however that after that point, more money isn’t going to increase the quality of your life much.

This post was inspired by a classmate of mine who just doesn’t get “it”.

OK, so everyone agrees that changing your car’s engine oil is a good idea. People however don’t agree on who should do it. Some get all smug about it and scream “I CHANGE MY OWN OIL and NOW I’M A MAN!”. Others just take their car to the local Jiffy Lube or wherever, pay 20 bucks, and get it done.

I fall into the 2nd group. And people at school (actually just the one person mentioned above) give me shit about it every time I mention I need an oil change (Note to self: stop mentioning it!) The conversation goes something like this:

Me: Oh yeah, I need to get an oil change soon.

Douche: Oh really? You can get a good deal on the oil at [some random store].

Me: Good to know, but I’ll probably just make an appointment at the local oil change shop.

Douche: OMG. Why the hell would you do that? You’re not a man unless you do it yourself, you know that right?

Me: Um…no, I did not. I actually thought I was a man because I had a penis but maybe I was wrong.

Douche: Whatever, I can’t believe you’re such a pussy and don’t change your own oil.

It pisses me off because he assumes that I don’t know how to change my oil and acts like he’s the fucking inventor of the automobile.

Neither of those two things is true.

Here are the reasons why I don’t change my own oil:

1. It’s a pain in the ass. I’m sorry, but driving/idling to get the oil warmed up,  jacking the car up, unscrewing a bunch of shit, cleaning up the oil spill that’s bound to happen, and putting everything back together is not my idea of a good time.

2. Winter. In Ohio, it’s cold for like 4 months out of the year. I’m almost guaranteed to need an oil change at some point in the cold weather. I’m sure as hell am not going to sit under my car for an extended period of time when it’s snowing.

3. It doesn’t save time. I can schedule an appointment and be in and out of the lube shop in 30 minutes. Compare that to doing it myself where I would have to:

• Change clothes
• Go buy the oil
• Unscrew shit
• Wait for the oil to drain, just like I do at the shop
• Clean up any spills
• Clean up myself
• Oh, and dispose of the oil myself!

The last one is ironic, because guess where I would probably take the oil. Yeah, that’s right, the Midas shop 15 minutes from my house!

So that is why I don’t change my own oil. It’s not because I don’t know how. It’s because I choose not to. I know it’s not hard, I even watched a video showing the steps here.

After I watched it, I said “f**k that” and now I’m calling Midas as soon as I hit the save button on this post.

If you’d like a different perspective, one from someone who does change his own oil and isn’t a douche, check this out.