this seems to be rapidly becoming the pattern for business all over north america. i don't know about the rest of the world, i don't live there.

the larger and more successful a company is, the more likely it is to treat its customers like they are doing them a favor by taking their money. and its not just the consumer that is abused, as you point out, their employees and suppliers are too, as well as the communities they are in and even their investors and stockholders.

the only way we can teach these people a lesson is to take our business somewhere else, but that always seems to be an inconvenience, or more expensive, or just not practical for one reason or another.