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http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=0&threadid=3638263&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 Audit and Consulting thread is up. Really bare right now, would appreciate any input from client or auditor sides. Big 4 bashing is encouraged.
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Jun 3, 2014 16:28
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| # ? May 18, 2024 01:31 |
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Veskit posted:TIPSY TOWING!!! If you get drunk but you want to go home, you can call AAA to pick your drunk rear end up and get the car towed with you. These are both cool and legit in terms of usefulness. I had no idea roadside did that. I also thought roadside was like $5-$20 a month but $10 a year sounds like a "why wouldn't I?" expense.
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Jun 3, 2014 16:36
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YMMV on both of those points, especially Tipsy Towing; it's not a standard AAA service but is offered by some state branches (and even then, not necessarily 24/7 year round).
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Jun 3, 2014 16:40
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I have robot laser radiochip keys for both of my vehicles, and because they're like $200 to get a new one, I only have one key for each vehicle. If I lock my keys in the car, its going to totally save my bacon to get a tow or unlock. Also, if I lose my keys, it will save me big bucks to get my car dragged to the dealership/locksmith to get those replaced.
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Jun 3, 2014 16:41
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You know you can call a tow place directly and get the same service? I've only used the tow service twice. Once to get a broken car from my driveway to the shop, and once when I had a flat and discovered the spare was flat too. If I'd simply paid for a tow truck both times, it would have cost me less than my AAA membership. Tipsy towing was never something I did, though. That might have tipped the scale.
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Jun 3, 2014 16:47
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If I'm traveling, I don't want to have to search for a random tow service on Google and hope I don't get screwed. I want to call AAA and know I'll be dealing with something that I can trust.
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Jun 3, 2014 16:56
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Zhentar posted:YMMV on both of those points, especially Tipsy Towing; it's not a standard AAA service but is offered by some state branches (and even then, not necessarily 24/7 year round). I was told about it by the california branch AAA as an actual selling point because my car broke down at a bar. He told me I should have stayed out drinking and he would have towed me home with the car NP. Even called it tipsy towing. I've also gotten emails from AAA saying hey, we know it's the 4th, dont be dumb and get your car tipsy towed in New Mexico sooo.
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Jun 3, 2014 16:56
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I used to always drive beaters, so the $2 a month for roadside assistance was way worth it. We turned it off since moving to Seattle since we drive like once a month, but having a tow service while always driving cars in the $200 to $300 range really worked out well :P
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Jun 3, 2014 16:56
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Juanito posted:If I'm traveling, I don't want to have to search for a random tow service on Google and hope I don't get screwed. I want to call AAA and know I'll be dealing with something that I can trust. Also you get like discounts off everything with AAA. I get 10% off my auto repairs and oil changes, most hotels do 10% or more, lots of camp sites have AAA discounts. It's so way worth it for me.
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Jun 3, 2014 17:40
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You can get that discount just by asking for it even if you're not an AAA member like... 75% of the time 
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Jun 3, 2014 17:49
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moana posted:I locked my keys in my car on Christmas, I'm pretty much an idiot and it's totally worth it Yeah this happened to me once and I didn't have AAA which sucked. A friend with AAA also got them to jump a battery for me even though I could have done it on my own but couldn't because I was at work. Besides tows, jumps and opening a locked door what else do they offer? Is there a limit to how far they will tow?
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Jun 3, 2014 18:19
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FrozenVent posted:You can get that discount just by asking for it even if you're not an AAA member like... 75% of the time
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Jun 3, 2014 18:35
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Sephiroth_IRA posted:Yeah this happened to me once and I didn't have AAA which sucked. A friend with AAA also got them to jump a battery for me even though I could have done it on my own but couldn't because I was at work. 100-200 miles 4 times a year. Depending on which service you get.
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Jun 3, 2014 19:00
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Veskit posted:california branch AAA ... New Mexico sooo. Not coincidentally, both states that offer it. 
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Jun 3, 2014 19:59
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Welp, the finally getting around to pricing the replacement engine on my wife's car. Mechanics (both) think the piston rings are busted. Looks like $4500 for a rebuilt engine. This is a 2008 Altima with 61k miles (warranty expired at 60k) that burns about 1 gallon of oil per month. I'll never buy a new car again. Gotta find trade in value next, then decide if I should I repair it or trade it in.
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Jun 3, 2014 20:29
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Zhentar posted:Not coincidentally, both states that offer it. Huh well go figure. It's a good service if available for sure.
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Jun 3, 2014 20:39
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Folly posted:Welp, the finally getting around to pricing the replacement engine on my wife's car. Mechanics (both) think the piston rings are busted. Looks like $4500 for a rebuilt engine. This is a 2008 Altima with 61k miles (warranty expired at 60k) that burns about 1 gallon of oil per month. I'll never buy a new car again. Might be worth contacting Nissan USA directly since it's only 1k out of warranty, though 5 years was up last year. Tough break 
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Jun 3, 2014 21:12
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Chiming in on the AAA thing. Even if you know how to do basic car maintenance/fixes, I have to say that as a woman who sometimes drives in either lovely neighborhoods, or rural areas, often at night - I am really grateful I can stay in my car and call someone, rather than be on the side of the road, fixing a tire. Some things are worth the money.
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Jun 3, 2014 21:50
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And if you're the petty criminal type, AAA will post your bail, up to 5k I believe. Not sure how many times a year you can use that(although if you find yourself in jail multiple times a year you probably have other financial concerns). E: Although I'm sure some small time criminals are attractive. I meant petty. BallerBallerDillz fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Jun 3, 2014 |
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Jun 3, 2014 22:16
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Christ, it's a better deal than joining the Free Masons at this point.
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Jun 3, 2014 22:20
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So I own a house that I rent out in a middle-middle class neighborhood. Near a mall and major roads, not some subdivision in the middle of nowhere. I ask for appropriate rent for the area. I haven't had a renter for about a month. Management Company says they have a Section 8 approved applicant. I don't want to discriminate based on income, but are there potentially a lot of hassles and downsides involved with Section 8 tenants? Would that make my neighbors upset?
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Jun 3, 2014 23:12
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Folly posted:Welp, the finally getting around to pricing the replacement engine on my wife's car. Mechanics (both) think the piston rings are busted. Looks like $4500 for a rebuilt engine. This is a 2008 Altima with 61k miles (warranty expired at 60k) that burns about 1 gallon of oil per month. I'll never buy a new car again. As a previous poster said, try contacting Nissan. My mom's Mazda began to develop serious rust near the end of the warranty. I didn't know rust was covered under warranty, so I never did anything about it. But then I found out it was covered, and 11 months after the warranty expired I sent an email to Mazda Canada to complain. They covered 50% of the cost of the repair. So, worth a shot. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that. Just remember to be calm and respectful, at least until you find out they won't do anything for you. And try to sound like a lawyer, but make no threats. Focus on the positives of them helping you. Edit: Also, if they reject you, that's when you bring out the big guns, saying things like "recall", "Twitter", "defect", "lemon", and "safety". Last one may not apply in your case. Rick Rickshaw fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Jun 4, 2014 |
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Jun 4, 2014 02:35
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CatchrNdRy posted:So I own a house that I rent out in a middle-middle class neighborhood. Near a mall and major roads, not some subdivision in the middle of nowhere. I ask for appropriate rent for the area. Only issue is that depending on your locality you'll have to get inspected and approved for section 8, but the bar is very low. Literal slum houses get approved. As for your neighbors, a) there's no way they can legally find out unless you or your tenant tell them and b) gently caress em Also section 8 tenants are great since you have a guaranteed rent payment from the government.
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Jun 4, 2014 03:26
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Chiming in on the roadside assistance love: I ran a half marathon a little over a week ago and it killed me (I ran another race the night before). When I finally managed to get back to my car, I found out my battery was dead because I left the lights on from driving to the race. If you don't have some kind of road side assistance with your insurance, get it. You'll never know when you do something dumb and need it. Also, when I was younger, I locked my keys in the car when I was out in the desert in Texas. I did not have roadside assistance then.
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Jun 4, 2014 04:03
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GAYS FOR DAYS posted:Also, when I was younger, I locked my keys in the car when I was out in the desert in Texas. I did not have roadside assistance then.
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Jun 4, 2014 04:06
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Juanito posted:What did you end up having to do? He ran his first half marathon.
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Jun 4, 2014 04:52
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Bloody Queef posted:Only issue is that depending on your locality you'll have to get inspected and approved for section 8, but the bar is very low. Literal slum houses get approved. I was reading that the rent payment is only partially subsidized. And if they are Section 8 and decide to squat (I have no idea why they chose my house, they are certainly cheaper places) they have even more protection. Thanks, I think I'll look into their background a bit and see how I feel.
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Jun 4, 2014 06:25
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Juanito posted:What did you end up having to do? My girlfriends dad lived not too far away (we were only like 10 miles out of town, but still a ways when in the desert). Him and some of his buddies eventually came out and helped me break into my car. I'm sure we could have gotten a locksmith or tow place to come out and get us, but that was the free option so we chose that first. The sun burn was the worst part. We were a couple of pale rear end white kids from Wisconsin there in the winter cooking in the sun.
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Jun 4, 2014 13:05
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Looks like we're going to go with travelers and combine the house/cars. This makes me happy because I forgot that our current home owners policy was just something we grabbed to buy the house so our monthly payment should go down a bit.
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Jun 4, 2014 19:21
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I increased my 401k contribution above the minimum to get the employer match yesterday. I was a little concerned because I knew I'd have to tighten my wallet a bit to afford it (it would be manageable, but I'd have a little bit less to spend on having fun). Well today I found out I got a $2500 raise. It's my second raise so far this year, where in the past the company has been terrible about giving out raises, sometimes only doing it once every 2 years. When I asked why, the manager said, "Because I told them you deserve a loving raise." Now time to really start crushing my student debt.
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Jun 5, 2014 00:38
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I ran over my dog today. Don't worry, the dog's ok. I took her to the vet and got a full x-ray set on her. She's just bruised. I'm still not quite sure how it happened. The dog chased the car up the driveway. I guess she got to close to the back tire. It's possible that she just laid down in front of it, because it looks like I ran over all 4 of her legs. She tends to submit by rolling over on her side when she's scared, so maybe the was trying to surrender to the car that she just picked a fight with. This particular dog isn't that bright, so it's believable. Anyhow, this is relevant to the thread because it turns out that I can go to the urgent treatment center and get an exam with an x-ray for $90 on Saturday. I know because I sprained my foot really bad pack in February. (Neither the doctor's office nor the insurance company could tell me what I'd pay if I billed insurance, but they said they'd charge $90 if I self-paid.) The dog cost $172 for the same service during regular business hours. I'm glad she's ok. But I guess it's time to find a new vet.
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Jun 5, 2014 19:15
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That's incredibly lucky, I'm glad she got off that easily  . One thing to keep in mind though regarding the costs is that an animal hospital/veterinary clinic might have less chance to recoup the cost of an X-Ray machine versus a human ER(less uses of the machine, but it still costs the same). If so, a higher cost per use wouldn't be unreasonable. I have no idea though, as I've only ever owned one cat myself(not counting animals that my parents owned and paid for) and so far he hasn't had any possible breaks.
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Jun 5, 2014 19:18
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There are other factors that may also affect the pricing of your x-ray. It's likely that your urgent care receives grants and donations to subsidize indigent care, which may help contribute to a reduction in price (although it would be unusual for them to be receiving that much). More significantly, the general assumption is often that self-pay patients won't pay, so they could be charging below cost in hopes of getting paid for some of it rather than none of it (or to avoid you turning to the ER and incurring a much larger bill that you won't pay). edit: that also may have been a reduced rate for paying up front. Getting people to pay their bills after the fact is surprisingly expensive Zhentar fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Jun 5, 2014 |
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Jun 5, 2014 19:53
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Got tapped to raise funds for a large (3 Mil) deal. Heard some buzz about people creating various "Kickstarters for Investing", wondering if anyone knew where to look? Tapped a few people but they're all in rewards-based funding (i.e. Kickstarter itself).
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Jun 5, 2014 21:18
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An investment deal? Why are you not working with an investment bank?
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Jun 5, 2014 21:21
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Returned the cable modem that I was leasing from Time Warner for $6/month since I bought my own. My bill will now be $16/month for internet (tax included)  This is the modem I bought used for $20 shipped if anyone's interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002M3SHXA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Jun 5, 2014 23:01
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My uncle was looking into cable plans because the cable at the house was in his ex's name and wanted to get new service since she moved out like a year ago (sheesh) and I managed to convince him to both buy a modem instead of rent one, and not to even bother with cable instead of buying the ultra expensive plan he was looking at. Small victories. I've seen the guy watch like 10 hours of cable in the last year, and he was looking at the premium packages 
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Jun 5, 2014 23:05
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You should have got the surfboard modem with docsis 3.0 IMO. I have had better results with that version (SB6121). I actually just bought another one for my wife's apartment.
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Jun 5, 2014 23:10
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Folly posted:Anyhow, this is relevant to the thread because it turns out that I can go to the urgent treatment center and get an exam with an x-ray for $90 on Saturday. I know because I sprained my foot really bad pack in February. (Neither the doctor's office nor the insurance company could tell me what I'd pay if I billed insurance, but they said they'd charge $90 if I self-paid.) The dog cost $172 for the same service during regular business hours. 172's pretty cheap for vet x-rays. Remember they have to restrain your animal and immobilize them in a good position while simultaneously not getting bit. That's a little trickier than most urgent care x-rays.
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Jun 5, 2014 23:23
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| # ? May 18, 2024 01:31 |
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spwrozek posted:You should have got the surfboard modem with docsis 3.0 IMO. I have had better results with that version (SB6121). I actually just bought another one for my wife's apartment. I think docsis 2.0 is good on Time Warner up to 50mbps down - I'm only on the $14.99/2mbps down plan and the new modem is fine with speed.
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Jun 5, 2014 23:29
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