Stop feeding the beast!

[MiBrassFS]

Around our house we use the saying “don’t feed the beast” when ridiculous prices are an issue. To us, this means we are refusing to purchase something and will do without or find an alternative.

You’re thinking, “and?”

I just noticed an ounce (a single friggin’ ounce) of a really simple valve oil with an instrument manufacturer’s name on it is priced at $19.95.

Are people really paying this?

I hope not. Push back on that nonsense.

Don’t feed the beast.

[arpthark]

The other day I went to oil a valve with a spare bottle of oil I took out of a case I sold / former rent-to-own instrument, and some enterprising young person had replaced the entire contents of the bottle with water.

[bloke]

Veterinarians are charging prices like $6,000 or maybe even more ($10,000?) To perform operations on people's animals. As long as people's hearts overrule their brains, I'm sure that veterinarians will continue with this type of pricing and raise it even higher, as they darn well should.

(We all so love our pets, don't we?)

[Tim Jackson]

Thanks to this site, I now refill valve oil bottles with lamp oil.

Thank you very much.


YJ

[MiBrassFS]

Veterinarians are charging prices like $6,000 or maybe even more ($10,000?) To perform operations on people's animals. As long as people's hearts overrule their brains, I'm sure that veterinarians will continue with this type of pricing and raise it even higher, as they darn well should.

(We all so love our pets, don't we?)

I don’t know much about veterinary services prices, but, according to this, the owners of the dog (a “pit bull mix”) that attacked my family got off extremely easy. The emergency services cost nothing near this.

[sweaty]

Very sorry and not surprised. There was no penalty for the owners of the four pit bulls that tore me up.

A dog attack is the same as a crazy guy stabbing you with a knife (I had four). One would think it would be taken seriously.

[MikeS]

Thanks to this site, I now refill valve oil bottles with lamp oil.

Thank you very much.


YJ

I just now realized that I might have been reading @bloke’s posts wrong. I’ve been using valve oil for my lamps. That just might explain why I’ve been sitting in the dark so much.

[MiBrassFS]

Very sorry and not surprised. There was no penalty for the owners of the four pit bulls that tore me up.

A dog attack is the same as a crazy guy stabbing you with a knife (I had four). One would think it would be taken seriously.

There really were no repercussions here either. We actually called local animal control and received no response. Maybe they deemed it comparatively not bad enough as no one died… The home owner was presented with a bill and came over with the money a week or so later. I have a feeling they were fearing legal action, so they paid up. The dog owner and their crazy father, who were visitors, were nowhere to be seen. In the end, the home owner asked if we wanted an apology from them. We declined. What good would that do?

I hope you’re healing up well. Both my wife and the pup are still showing bite marks after all these weeks.

[bloke]

I also use MINERAL oil...to oil the minerals copper, zinc, nickel, iron, and chrome