[ryandrake]

Everything seems to be going in this direction. We were recently looking for someone to clear out insects and other pests from our property, and every one of them tries to steer you to a very expensive "plan" where you're billed monthly. We looked around for a long time for a veterinarian where there were more actual vet and vet tech staff than there were billing staff. We were recently referred to an orthodontist for my kid, and right from the start they were on us like vultures about their various "payment plans."

I feel like as the years go by, more and more of my cognitive cycles are spent trying to avoid scams and predatory businesses.

[_DeadFred_]

Sadly business has given up on improvements/efficiency gains and is instead trying to maximize solely via extraction.

I hired a service to help with my trees because an old try was dying. Each time they come out they send me a 'survey' only it's barely a survey with most of the focus on 'Do you want to tip for the services performed'.