Did I hear right ???????????

[Pajaro]

This is something I heard on a news radio show yesterday. Unless I miss understood it. But another hair brain excuse for higher prices from banks. The price charged to retailers, from the banks, for credit card transactions is going up because of the higher price of gas.......

Can some one please inform me HOW an electronic data transfer can be effected by the price of GAS!!!!!!!!!!!
GGGGGGGGgggggeeeeeeeeessssssssshhhhhhhhh

I have worked in I/S for all most 29 years. And never once have I had to fill the gas tank on my computer.
Sorry folks that just hit my last nerve.

[CanadianScroller]

I often feel sorry for the middle man.
A friend of mine owns a restaurant. He now has to pay a fuel surcharge on his supply delivery.
Can you imagine how his customers would react if he were to tack on a fuel surcharge to his coffee prices?

I do not understand why some companies can get away with this surcharge nonsense and others cannot.

I agree with you, it it ludacris that we have to pay extra for such services.
As it is the banks are turning in huge profits and offering less customer service.

I wonder how they would react if we issued them a bill, for stress surcharges. It seems they can change the terms of the contract at their whim.


Time for us to have a new Boston Tea Party. Everyone should tip their charge cards into the bay

[Jediscroller]

To address Carl's point about the fuel surcharges.
Unfortunately for those on the wholesale end, it's either raise prices ar tack on a fuel surcharge. The advantage of the latter is that when gas prices eventually drop you're still paying the same price for the goods. If they simply raised the price of the goods to absorb the added expense of fuel then even when gas prices start dropping the wholesale prices would still be higher.

I haven't been hit with any fee increases for credit cards (I accept them in my business).

[Pajaro]

Jedi I don't think it is being done in all states yet.

[Larrysch]

I think there is a little motor in the electronic data transfer case - like a model airplane motor - and it requires gas - its there just for a back up in case the electrical power goes out., well at least that sounds good.
It just burns my fanny when you hear of the big oil companies not making money for the quarter - one posted that they only made a few billion dollars and that was down from the earlier quarter. Not too many people make that kind of money and are dissatisfied with the profit. The American people are being taken for a ride by the oil companies - and sadly were not doing anything about it.
My 2 cents worth - anyhow.

[honeycow]

Carl is right. The middle man gets hit hard sometimes but I can tell you that the guy on the very end gets hit the hardest. That being dairy farmers. We pay higher prices along with fuel surcharges to get supplies and feed trucked in and then we have to pay hauling charges to have our raw product delivered to the processors, again with a surcharge. If any of you are into country music, check out an oldie by John Conley called the 'Working Man'. Kind of says it all.

[ajay]

I just read this morning that American Airlines will start charging $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second. Next they'll be charging $5 for the small bag of peanuts or pretzels and then a service charge for picking up the empty wrappers. Ya can't win!!!

[Pajaro]

Originally Posted by Larrysch

. The American people are being taken for a ride by the oil companies - and sadly were not doing anything about it.
My 2 cents worth - anyhow.

I agree with you Larry. I think that with the power of the Internet, there must be something we can do.... Not thu this Message board because that is not what its for. If any one has any ideas let me know. Course we won't get much sympathy from the rest of the world because their gas prices are pushing $10 a gallon now and have been for quite some time. In Europe and Asia, mass transit is very advanced (compared to most cities in the US,,, well all cities except New York).

I was going to start taking the bus to work but I was in formed (by the powers that be) I cant do that because I have to travel between three hospitals, in two counties, at a moments notice. I get paid mile reimbursement when I do. But not to travel back and forth to work. So it's not only the oil companies, look around, when was the last time you got a cost of living raise Ha Ha Ha Ha, what's that.

See what happens when I go away for a week. I get full of hot air and start complaining about every thing. Three Years - Seven Months - Three Days until I retire, but who's counting. And what good will it do. I won't be-able to afford to retire anyways. Well nuff said, or I'll be retired befor I know it.

[Big_red_S]

Simple answer: because they can!

[Jediscroller]

Originally Posted by Pajaro

I think that with the power of the Internet, there must be something we can do.... If any one has any ideas let me know.

Yep, there sure is. Eliminate unnecessary trips, buy a more fuel efficient vehicle, turn the thermostat down (or up in the summer) or just grin and bear it.

As far as what I did when prices started going up, I changed jobs so that my commute was reduced from 100 miles a day to 6 miles a day. As for the rest of it, I just grin and bear it.

The upside to all this though is that I notice boats and bigger vehicles are coming down in price so it may be a good time to buy one (I'm waiting to see how much more the prices come down before I decide). I don't think gas could go high enough to get me into one of them little dinky cars. I'll ride my GS-1100 if I really want good gas mileage, hehehehe.