(It won't, I'm sure, but I really want it to.)

This morning I faxed my iPod lease agreement to everyone's favorite bar prep course. But before I could bear to part with an additional $1075, I wanted to call and see how they justified the increase in cost. I can understand an additional $400-$500 for the iPod + charger + pre-loaded content + shipping, etc. But the extra $500 in tuition? How is that justified?

You know what they told me? Well, first the lady gave a bitchy, "It takes a lot more effort on our part to load an iPod for one person than it does to stick another chair in the room." When further pressed, she said the extra $500 in tuition is charged because I can watch the lecture more than once and rewind when I need/want to.

...


Seriously? I'm paying an extra $500 to rewind? Please. That is offset by the fact that I don't have the convenience of being able to raise my hand and ask a question of the live lecturer if something is unclear. Just tell me that I'm paying for the convenience of listening to lectures on my own schedule from the comfort of my couch. I would have bought that. I pay extra for convenience all the time.

The thing that got me though was how short the lady on the phone was, when all I wanted to know was what the extra charge went to pay for. And even though I still think it's BS, I was at least polite about it.

I guess monopolists just don't like having to come up with bull shit reasons why they charge so much, when the real answer is that they do it because they can.

On the bright side, at least now BAR/BRI views me as a person instead of just another "chair in the room."