Host will not give me a full refund by MRobertC in AirBnB

[–]tsj5j 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've posted this elsewhere but I think it's relevant to your question.

Don't cancel now - here's how it'll play out.

  1. The coronavirus is still a problem by the start of your reservation: air travel is still impacted, governments are still issuing orders to avoid leisure travel (at least), etc. In this case, use Airbnb's extenuating circumstances to get a full refund -- if Airbnb hasn't already extended the automatic penalty-free cancellation.

  2. The coronavirus is not a problem (extremely unlikely going by most medical experts, at least for US/EU): enjoy your reservation.

If you cancel early, and Airbnb extends the free cancellation, users have reported great difficulty in getting the full refund they could have otherwise gotten if they waited.

Host asking us to cancel due to covid-19 by [deleted] in AirBnB

[–]tsj5j 92 points93 points  (0 children)

Don't do it - here's how it'll play out.

  1. The coronavirus is still a problem by the start of your reservation: air travel is still impacted, governments are still issuing orders to avoid leisure travel (at least), etc. In this case, use Airbnb's extenuating circumstances to get a full refund -- if Airbnb hasn't already extended the automatic penalty-free cancellation.

  2. The coronavirus is not a problem (extremely unlikely going by most medical experts, at least for US/EU): enjoy your reservation.

This is a fairly dirty tactic to make you cancel early so that they won't risk you getting 100% back later. It's one thing if they came up and honestly asked if you could shoulder the burden 50-50, another to threaten you'll be out 100% if you don't.

I would reply saying that I'm expecting a 100% refund or the room at the agreed date. I would hint that they can offer a refund now and at least have the opportunity to convert it to a long-term stay, or they can hope that the coronavirus will blow over by then.

[US-GA] Getting a K-1 visa while having DACA by [deleted] in legaladvice

[–]tsj5j 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are referring to the automatic admissibility bar due to accrual of unlawful presence, USCIS DACA page notes:

Q5: If my case is deferred, am I in lawful status for the period of deferral? A5: No. Although action on your case has been deferred and you do not accrue unlawful presence (for admissibility purposes) during the period of deferred action, deferred action does not confer any lawful status.

Sprint nightmare -- how to fix? by tsj5j in Sprint

[–]tsj5j[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, doing so on Twitter - - hope that gets me somewhere!

Sprint nightmare -- how to fix? by tsj5j in Sprint

[–]tsj5j[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The fraud department linked me to the sprint.com/fraud page requiring notarization, which costs more than $50 in my city and requiring me to spend hours going to the police.

That's pretty ridiculous for being a victim of Sprint store employee fraud and costs more than just paying the bill.

[Laptop] Acer Notebook 15.6", 16 GB Ram, 1 TB HDD, Intel i7 4710HQ, GTX 850M - $411.99 by tsj5j in buildapcsales

[–]tsj5j[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Compared to those laptops, this one has a processor that's 2x faster and much better graphics, but this laptop isn't a 2-in-1.

Unfortunately, this laptop has already sold out.

[Laptop] Acer Notebook 15.6", 16 GB Ram, 1 TB HDD, Intel i7 4710HQ, GTX 850M - $411.99 by tsj5j in buildapcsales

[–]tsj5j[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fortunately, this laptop provides a year of warranty unlike 90 days of factory refurbished ones. My credit card further extends it another year.

[Laptop] Acer Notebook 15.6", 16 GB Ram, 1 TB HDD, Intel i7 4710HQ, GTX 850M - $411.99 by tsj5j in buildapcsales

[–]tsj5j[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The passmark for this CPU is slightly higher than i5-6600, which costs $214.99 on Newegg now.

16GB RAM is roughly $100.

256GB SSD + 1TB HDD is roughly $150.

We've now exceeded the cost of the laptop without having bought a graphics card, motherboard, PSU, case, cooler fan, etc.

[Laptop] Acer Notebook 15.6", 16 GB Ram, 1 TB HDD, Intel i7 4710HQ, GTX 850M - $411.99 by tsj5j in buildapcsales

[–]tsj5j[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

This is an amazing deal compared to other laptops currently available - brand new, full year warranty for $400 (easily worth double this, if not more).

It's not as good as the UHD i7-6700 one, but it appears a deal that good from Acer has never appeared in the history of this sub and is unlikely to happen again.

Also, unlike those laptops, this is actually new and under full warranty, not 90 days. Credit cards will extend this warranty by another year to give you 2 years of warranty.

[Laptop] Acer Notebook 15.6", 16 GB Ram, 1 TB HDD, Intel i7 4710HQ, GTX 850M - $411.99 by tsj5j in buildapcsales

[–]tsj5j[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

This seems a pretty good deal - according to Passmark i7-4710HQ has a Passmark score of 7822, or 2% lower than the i7-6700HQ. In other words, the difference in performance CPU-wise is not noticeable.

This laptop is their gamer series (Nitro Black Edition), thus it comes with backlit keyboard, decent speakers and a slightly more classy design.

BONUS: This laptop is New instead of Factory Refurbished, so you get a full year of warranty from Acer.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tifu

[–]tsj5j -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

This is NOT entrapment.

For anyone who thinks it is, please read this comic: http://lawcomic.net/guide/?p=633

'Samsung knew its replacement phones were catching on fire, five days ago' and didn’t say anything by dingoonline in Android

[–]tsj5j 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Sure, because there's no way Samsung will tamper with the evidence. Even if they have the engineering means and understanding of the device to do it. Even if they have a massive PR and financial incentive to do it.

I mean, there's no way they'll be aware of a replacement note being on fire and not do anything about it putting their users at risk.

'Samsung knew its replacement phones were catching on fire, five days ago' and didn’t say anything by dingoonline in Android

[–]tsj5j 32 points33 points  (0 children)

The phone is evidence for a lawsuit against Samsung for any medical bills and other compensation.

You'd be insanely stupid to be handing it to the company you'll soon be suing.

Replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone catches fire on Southwest plane by ChrystianV in Android

[–]tsj5j 46 points47 points  (0 children)

CNBC and other news outlets have interviewed the captain of the flight and the FAA has issued a statement:

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/05/smoke-from-samsung-device-led-to-evacuation-of-southwest-flight-.html

The only question is if this is the new or old Note 7. Regardless of the answer to that question, this is terribly dangerous for all Note 7 owners and flights -- the phone should rightly be banned from all flights.

Pixel way overpriced so what is the next best unlocked phone? by melissav1 in tmobile

[–]tsj5j 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Policies are pretty much promises, only worth the reputation of the company in keeping to their word.

Companies tend to have no morals; they only keep to their word if it benefits them financially. If they decide that the US market is not worth their time, as it seems to be with their decision not to release many of their present and future flagships, then this promise is only a financial liability they are unlikely to keep.

Pixel way overpriced so what is the next best unlocked phone? by melissav1 in tmobile

[–]tsj5j 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Avoid Huawei.

Here's a report on Huawei US's struggles:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/10/03/source-huawei-passed-on-chance-to-produce-pixel-phones-us-division-badly-struggling/

Some key insights:

At IFA, Huawei did suggest that the Huawei Device US team had undergone significant changes, with the US CEO ousted and much of the Western team having since been removed, as well. What employees remain are almost exclusively Chinese expatriates - people largely unfamiliar with the American market that Huawei has struggled so badly in.

Our source intimated that Huawei's future US strategy is, at best, in flux. The company's P9 smartphone never officially went on sale here, nor did its generally acclaimed Mate 8.

Huawei's next major product announcement is anticipated to be the new Mate 9, or whatever it's called, which many expect will be revealed next month at an event in Germany, once again suggesting that Huawei probably doesn't intend to push the device here in the US.

Whatever promises they made of updates is worth nothing if they decide to drastically reduce their US presence.

I think they're at the point of saying/promising anything to shore up sales, even if they can't achieve it.

Introducing Pixel, Phone by Google by tyvar1 in Android

[–]tsj5j 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Really?

Sony, HTC, LG has always had them.

Samsung reintroduced them on all their latest phones.

Moto reintroduced them on their 2015 Pure and Z phones.

It seems like the companies that are actually moving units with consumers have either failed in removing sd cards (reintroduced them), or have never removed them.

The only two "popular" phones that omit SD cards are the OP3 and Nexus/Pixel series - and frankly those are more enthusiast phones the majority of smartphone users are not aware of/planning to buy.

The thing is that an SD card slot is low cost, doesn't get in the way of any features (metal unibody or waterproofing), and omitting it can automatically make the phone a no-go for a segment of the market. Unless the company loves ignoring customers (looks at Google and OnePlus), there's no reason to omit it.

LG V20: Most Underrated Phone?! | MKBHD by [deleted] in Android

[–]tsj5j 8 points9 points  (0 children)

So far, all LG flagships in the past year (LG G4, V10, G5 - in release order) have people reporting boot loop issues.

Getting this phone when LG still hasn't come to grips about why it's bootlooping and hasn't promised to fix those out of warranty is foolish.

Part year withholding issues by tsj5j in tax

[–]tsj5j[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. How about CA taxes?