🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4j3n6n$p6p@itsmail1.hamilton.edu>,
jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy) wrote:

> And you are *sure* that *all* the money you spend on, say, your electric
> bill, your telephone bill, your water or sewage bill and similar services
> often available through just *one* supplier is spent wisely?

Of course it is not. And now we are about to embark on the road to
competition in the local service market. I wonder how many people have,
over and over, complained that there is only one "phone company" and have
declared that if there was any competition they would go elsewhere.

But you watch: in a few years, when competition is beginning to mature,
some of those same folks will sit back and say, "I'm the customer; it is
up to suppliers to grovel to me", not realizing that as with long
distance, the most aggressive companies are not necessarily the best
deals. Or, they will sit back, do no shopping, and continue to bitch about
prices not going down, or service not being what they think it should be.

Consumerism is voluntary; you don't have to play. But it stretches
credibility for people to claim they have other things to do with their
life AND complain about prices and service in the marketplace. Savvy and
active consumers are what keep markets in line. Customers get the value
they deserve.

-- 
John Higdon  |    P.O. Box 7648   | +1 408 264 4115  |      FAX:
john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | +1 500 FOR-A-MOO |+1 408 264 4407
             |       http://www.ati.com/ati          |