Random Question Thread.

[Greatguardian]

I've got a little pain where one of my wisdom teeth is if I poke it. I wanna get panoramic xrays to check whether they need to be pulled out.
Problem is, I'm a broke student and I don't have dental insurance or a lot of money. I'm assuming getting wisdom teeth yanked (even if it's only 1) costs a pretty penny.

Wat do?

Are you a student at a large university or a 2-year school? If the former, see if they have a dental school. They should do the work for free or extremely cheap since it gives them an opportunity to have students work on you (supervised, of course).

If you're at a smaller college, check with the nearest large public university that has a dental program and see if they'll be willing to help you out anyways. You should be able to just call the department and ask them who you need to talk to about that sort of thing.

[Silenka]

I'm at the biggest school in the US apparently (Ohio State).

However, it seems like they actually charge for most work done. I asked to get a cleaning (they have separate student and actual practitioner clinics) and no matter what it would have cost even more than a dentist down the street from me. Unfortunately I'm apparently also at one of the only schools that offers bachelor degrees in dental hygiene, so I guess they take it pretty super serial and I'd have to pay. For a cleaning I'd be ok with it, but for something as in-depth as wisdom tooth extraction I don't know if I'd be comfortable with untested students doing it. I guess they have to practice somehow D:

[Jaybar]

You can either pay to get your tooth removed (which is most likely if it's not a cavity), or knock it out yourself ala Tom Hanks in Cast Away. It's your choice! This isn't something you can pass off as optional.

[Apelila]

I'm going to be moving to the Uptown Dallas area in a few months. The 2 main options for internet are either
A:AT&T U-Verse, the maximum speed offered is 3MBS
or B: Time Warner, which I've heard is powered by a fire of unloved kittens and the blood of the innocent.

Does anyone know of alternatives in the area? Is Time Warner really that bad?

[Greatguardian]

I'm going to be moving to the Uptown Dallas area in a few months. The 2 main options for internet are either
A:AT&T U-Verse, the maximum speed offered is 3MBS
or B: Time Warner, which I've heard is powered by a fire of unloved kittens and the blood of the innocent.

Does anyone know of alternatives in the area? Is Time Warner really that bad?

It's really that bad. I am pretty sure Comcast is still in the area, though they are equally bad. I'm originally from Fort Worth though, so while it's very likely that the providers will be the same there's a chance that Comcast doesn't operate in Dallas for some reason or another.

Honestly, cable internet is pretty much a monopoly run by people who could star as villains in Disney movies no matter where you go. You pretty much need to hope you get lucky and never have to deal with them ever.

Edit: Random TWC story. Friend of mine had an account with TWC. TWC, somehow, accidentally merges her account and some other douchenozzle's account. This douchenozzle owed TWC like $500 and went delinquent. She calls up TWC because they try to bill her for the $500, and they claim that once two accounts are merged they have no way to unmerge them - and her only option is to wait until someone finds the douchenozzle and makes him pay off his balance. So now she has had no internet for the past 2 years because they refuse to deal with her unless she pays off this random douchenozzle's bill.

Note: The account merge was entirely on TWC and she has no idea who this douchenozzle is.

[hey]

I get 35 mpbs from my cable company.

I only pay for 30.

[Apelila]

It's really that bad. I am pretty sure Comcast is still in the area, though they are equally bad. I'm originally from Fort Worth though, so while it's very likely that the providers will be the same there's a chance that Comcast doesn't operate in Dallas for some reason or another.

Honestly, cable internet is pretty much a monopoly run by people who could star as villains in Disney movies no matter where you go. You pretty much need to hope you get lucky and never have to deal with them ever.

Edit: Random TWC story. Friend of mine had an account with TWC. TWC, somehow, accidentally merges her account and some other douchenozzle's account. This douchenozzle owed TWC like $500 and went delinquent. She calls up TWC because they try to bill her for the $500, and they claim that once two accounts are merged they have no way to unmerge them - and her only option is to wait until someone finds the douchenozzle and makes him pay off his balance. So now she has had no internet for the past 2 years because they refuse to deal with her unless she pays off this random douchenozzle's bill.

Note: The account merge was entirely on TWC and she has no idea who this douchenozzle is.

Well I've worked in cable for 7 years, so the Disney villain thing is hilarious. You're low balling it though, I've felt sorry for Disney villains from time to time. I considered applying for the Verizon/Comcast/TWC jobs in the area but I'm ready not to go to work and be constantly bitched at for inane reasons all day. (So I guess I'm ready to retire?)

I'd tell you what to tell your friend to do, but it doesn't sound like she really wants to give those chodes any more money.

[Greatguardian]

Well I've worked in cable for 7 years, so the Disney villain thing is hilarious. You're low balling it though, I've felt sorry for Disney villains from time to time. I considered applying for the Verizon/Comcast/TWC jobs in the area but I'm ready not to go to work and be constantly bitched at for inane reasons all day. (So I guess I'm ready to retire?)

I'd tell you what to tell your friend to do, but it doesn't sound like she really wants to give those chodes any more money.

Well, she doesn't want to give them more money, but she doesn't exactly have internet at the moment without giving them money because they're literally the only provider for her address (Corpus). If there's a way to fix her shit, I'm sure she'd appreciate it .

[Silenka]

I have Time Warner right now. I really didn't want to get them, but there was no other option.

Surprisingly...

They are not bad at all for me, at least not here in Columbus. I am paying 34.99 a month and getting a very fast download speed (at least faster than what was advertised). The service is very regular (no random outages so far) and the company, while they phone stalked me for a little while with special services after I got the service, has been easy to work with. Granted, I am only getting internet from them. I don't know how their other services are.

[Apelila]

Well, she doesn't want to give them more money, but she doesn't exactly have internet at the moment without giving them money because they're literally the only provider for her address (Corpus). If there's a way to fix her shit, I'm sure she'd appreciate it .

If they've linked her information to someone else's who literally has no connection to her (different last name, different SSN, never lived at this address) the first thing to try is to go to the local office (do not call in for this) and get them to look at it. If the accounts are linked and there is no valid reason, the call centers cant/wont fix it. The billing/sales/tech reps in all 3 of the companies I have worked for are strictly hands off once collections becomes involved. The office however isn't, since a fuck up on collections affects their bottom line. So start there. The office wants more subscribers so they'll fix it if the collections dept didn't notate/didn't justify the link.

From there it gets easy/weird. The office should fix it. If the information is completely different, there isn't any reason not to. Accounts get linked together because of same SSN/last name, or because the account holder is an authorized user on another account. If the office gives her any beef, or if they still refuse to unlink the accounts and acknowledge that none of the information matches then it depends on how much time she wants to put into this.

Easy way: Make up a name/ssn and register service under it. Pay with a prepaid visa, make sure her name is never on the account as an authorized user and keep all the information handy. If they let you refuse to enter a social, even better. There will be a deposit. You can also fake a lease to a friend (they can't legally hold the tenant to the landlords debts) and refuse to give a social. Registering a friends name obviously means the friend trusts you in case the bill doesn't get paid. You'll need a new modem, because the accounts can be linked from the same equipment as well.

Hard way: If they acknowledge the information doesn't match up but still refuse to release the accounts file an identity theft report with the police and cite the cable company saying that your information and this persons information are linked. Don't approach it that TWC is saying your responsible for the bill, approach the report that TWC is saying that she is responsible for the person's debts and she's concerned that they're stealing her identity. If they have those accounts linked bogus getting the cops involved usually results in them correcting that pretty damn quick.

Edit: oh, and be nice! I cannot emphasize how much this alone can help her. Unless the person at the office is a complete and utter tart, do not under any circumstances act like a bitch. If the office rep acts like an asshole, just ask for a supervisor. but BE NICE. Myself, I get bitched out hourly over incredibly stupid things; and if someone is nice and has a major fuck up I'll go well out of my way to make sure that the problem gets fixed. Even if its something I shouldn't touch, if they're really nice I'll get it fixed or make damn sure I try.

[Aksannyi]

Edit: Random TWC story. Friend of mine had an account with TWC. TWC, somehow, accidentally merges her account and some other douchenozzle's account. This douchenozzle owed TWC like $500 and went delinquent. She calls up TWC because they try to bill her for the $500, and they claim that once two accounts are merged they have no way to unmerge them - and her only option is to wait until someone finds the douchenozzle and makes him pay off his balance. So now she has had no internet for the past 2 years because they refuse to deal with her unless she pays off this random douchenozzle's bill.

Note: The account merge was entirely on TWC and she has no idea who this douchenozzle is.

How can they even get away with this?

[Apelila]

How can they even get away with this?

I can give you maybe 20, 30 ways off the top of my head. a few are valid, the rest are CSR fuckups. Depending on the companies policies for unlinking an account and the intelligence of the representative you get, it becomes a matter of
'oh, I see that there is a mistake here. let me fix that for you' vs 'They're linked and there is nothing I can do. Pay up or fuck off'. That's why the simplest solution is to reconnect service in another name and never, ever let her name be anywhere on the account. No authorization, no payment history, nothing.

[Yugl]

Ive read that nasal congestion occurs more often when sitting because muscle interactions block the passage when sitting. Is there any solution for this to avoid blockages and leaks? I cannot afford to continue dealing with this issue. Chronologically, the most severe issues occurred when I returned home for the break and spend almost the entire break dealing with non-stop sneaking. I've taken Claritin, used Nasal sprays, and even Nasal rinse (The one with the water bottle). Post-break, the issue is less severe (Though I did have bleeding almost immediately after returning), but I still have issues while sitting. Any solutions?

[Silenka]

This may sound weird, but I had a co-worker who got whiplash from a car accident and went to a professional acupuncture clinic (I think at the Cleveland Clinic) to get it fixed. She said that aside from banishing the pain completely, they also drained her sinuses with acupuncture somehow, and that she'd never felt better or clearer. Apparently, it sticks for a while at least. You might look into acupuncture/acupressure to fix it, but as that's the only incident of it I've heard, I don't know how helpful it would actually be.

[Kerberoz]

acupuncture/acupressure

I dunno, that's kind of extreme. Maybe you should start with something simple like checking your horoscope or re-arranging your home for better chakra energy zero-point feng shue flow, then maybe move on to quantum balancing homeopathic sugar pills and all-natural organic coffee and free-range lemon juice enemas to cleanse your toxins. Don't forget your E-meter reading, since thetans can cause these problems. If that still doesn't work, then yeah, go see an accupuncturist. Go next door while you're at it, and get your neck looked at by a vegan veterinary chiropracter. There's only a moderate chance he'll break your neck, and you'll feel better for an entire 2-3 hours! If you still feel bad, then it's probably the Illuminati psy-waves blocking your positive orgone vibrations, so give Sylvia Brown a call and ask to speak to your ancestors (make sure your phone is using gold-plated audiophile-quality cables), then ask their advice on whether you should spend your life savings on Amway or Monavie.

[hey]

I was waiting for you to respond to that. It was better than expected.

[Blarg]

I'm having internet troubles (very high ping/latency ~1000ms and a off and on very slow dl speeds) both wired/wireless. Does having the internet provider come out to test the lines (or whatever they do) cost money or do they do that for free? I'm with Shaw (canada) if that matters.

[BerenTebogo]

God dammit Kerb nailed it. Wish I checked this thread more often I would've had a field day with the acupuncture. You win this time, Kerb.

[Silenka]

Hahaha. I've never had acupuncture before so I can't say whether I believe it works or not. A family member or two also have favorable stories about acupuncture and how it worked well on them. I've only ever heard good things about it. Awesome response though :D

Even if it only works as a placebo effect, that's at least something (an expensive something though). Perhaps you can't get a placebo effect going with nasal mucus... seems to me like it's either there or it's not.

[hey]

Perhaps you can't get a placebo effect going with nasal mucus... seems to me like it's either there or it's not.

lol? Placebos can cure cancer.