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[-] Audacious@sh.itjust.works 131 points 5 months ago

Both probably give the same exact water at the same temp.

[-] mdd@lemm.ee 157 points 5 months ago
[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 87 points 5 months ago

Oh yeah, Steve called the manufacturer about that, and they're supposed to be sending someone out this month. Maybe next. Our deepest apologies for the inconvenience.

No, the system won't allow us to discount or refund.

[-] Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 39 points 5 months ago

That's my favourite line, "I'm sorry we can't do that because of how our system works."

"But you're ripping me off and that's illegal."

"I'm sorry, the system won't allow me to refund you."

"So you're admitting that your company built a system that rips people off and breaks the law as a matter of policy? You realise that's worse, right?"

[-] archon@sh.itjust.works 15 points 5 months ago

It's just finger pointing to avoid liability.

"Oh no, that's not our fault! It's these guys who did it, so talk to them!"

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[-] plz1@lemmy.world 28 points 5 months ago

Or they warm the tap water

[-] yannic@lemmy.ca 15 points 5 months ago

If the water is cooled with a low-energy method like a Peltier cooler, the heat has to go somewhere.

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[-] ch00f@lemmy.world 125 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Even if it was free, opening an app to get water is bullshit.

Edit: Let the record show, I was referring to the chilled water.

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[-] bestusername@aussie.zone 92 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Jokes on you; I torrent my water!

[-] Zozano@aussie.zone 26 points 5 months ago

A torrent of water, if you will.

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[-] oce@jlai.lu 23 points 5 months ago

I just cry myself a river.

[-] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 85 points 5 months ago

If this was downtown or at parks I can kinda see them providing something. Knowing this is likely at a university library or building its just removing access that was already there.

[-] akilou@sh.itjust.works 133 points 5 months ago

Fuck that. If it's downtown or at a park the fucking municipality can afford $1.99/mo

We need more public facilities. This privatization bullshit can kick rocks

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[-] ch00f@lemmy.world 51 points 5 months ago

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=%28specific+heat+of+water%2912.8K%281+gallon+*+water+density%29

200kjoules of heat must be removed from a gallon of water to cool from 55F to 32F (out of the ground down to pleasant drinking temperature).

Assuming a COP of 2 for your compressor (conservative), that's 100kjoules or 1/36 of a kWh.

High price for a kWh of electricity is $0.25 in the US. So for your $2 subscription, you can pay for 8kWh per month or enough to cool 288 gallons of water or roughly 9 gallons per day. More than anybody would rightly use.

What a fucking ripoff.

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[-] BranBucket@lemmy.world 79 points 5 months ago

I feel that the majority of innovation occuring in modern capitalism is confined to two key areas:

  1. Regulatory capture and market control.

  2. New ways to mindfuck people into overpaying for goods and services.

[-] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 24 points 5 months ago

Productive innovation ceases the moment growth has reached its peak. It is then replaced by counterproductive "innovation", such as finding new ways to nickel and dime your customers, reduction in quality or dismissal of employees. All in the name of simulating "growth" to please the shareholders.

[-] barsquid@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

The entire country has incentivized its top minds to developing ad tech bullshit. Like literally our astrophysicists are working at Stitch Fix instead of doing astrophysics.

[-] Krauerking@lemy.lol 15 points 5 months ago

I help setup ad placement TVs for resort style businesses.

Studied theoretical astrophysics and astro xenobiology as a double advanced major...

My boss used to brag he managed to get the astronaut in his team so, I am useful for facts and puzzles.

God I hate my existence.

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[-] vonbaronhans@midwest.social 44 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Reefill.com isn't even a registered domain. I call horseshit.

[-] fiercekitten@lemm.ee 61 points 5 months ago

You are right, it is not a current valid domain. It was an Indiegogo crowdfunded project though, and I am guessing it failed.

[-] joenforcer@midwest.social 54 points 5 months ago

https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/178262-56#overview

Went under about two years after the crowdfunding. Guess people didn't want to pay $2 a pop for chilled and filtered tap water.

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[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 17 points 5 months ago

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/reefill-ditch-bottled-water-for-good#/

There are several articles about it and an indiegogo, if fabricated a lot of people bought it few years ago.

[-] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 42 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

That's how corporations nickel and dime you. I resist subscription services almost completely (I pay for cloud backup storage for my phone in case of breakage/theft and that's it) because as well as being a constant financial drain they inevitably degrade and enshittify, often even removing things you paid for

[-] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 18 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

"Your water subscription has increased by $1, thanks for being our customer. Reminder, creation of public fountains and bottle sharing activities are punishable by law!"

You sigh and delete the email. They send out the same message every month.

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[-] lemmylommy@lemmy.world 41 points 5 months ago

I would rather take the tap water than trust the maintenance of whatever filter they put in there.

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[-] somewhiteguy@lemmy.world 39 points 5 months ago

Is it still a thing? The website doesn't go anywhere and I can't find the app. All I can actually find are a few articles talking about how ridiculous it is to have a $2 subscription service on water fountains.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago

I found this indiegogo link from 7 years ago which gives a little more background. Its not quite as horrible as the picture suggests, I think.

There's some FAQ and Comments that give some background, like this one:

Rier Esor 7 years ago I’ve been asked by a few people: why do we need reefill water stations when there are water fountains around NYC (if you look hard enough!) and we >all have tap water at home? What’s my best answer?

Patrick Connorton 7 years ago PROJECT OWNER We're also working with New York City and the Port Authority to map free public bottle filling stations around town -- these are usually in or near >parks but, unfortunately, need to be off six months a year to avoid freezing and can be challenging to maintain. Reefill is a natural complement to >these fountains, filling in the gaps in parts of town where it is impractical or cost-prohibitive to install a water fountain.

So it doesn't sound like these were replacing existing free water fountains, but instead offering free (and paid) water in places never offered before by generating revenue from the paid water to support the installation of any water (including new free water) in places that had none before.

It also looks like the project died in 2019.

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[-] samus12345@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago

All I could find were articles from 2017 and I haven't heard of it before, so I'm gonna say it's not a thing any more.

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[-] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 36 points 5 months ago

I'm not going to hate the company for trying, but if you're a building admin using these instead of Oasis or Elkay fill stations you're a huge fucking asshole.

[-] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 17 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

But with all the money they're saving, they'll be able to renovate the admin building for the first time in two years, or have a nice dinner for the big donors, or give even more money to the football team.

Edit: assuming this is a uni. If not: won't someone please think of the investors?

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[-] Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 33 points 5 months ago

Product designers are supposed to understand pareidolia and will often intentionally put faces into their designs. Some designs look happy, others like sports cars can be made to look aggressive.

The top of this design looks like some combination of angry, sad and disappointed, which I like to think is intentional.

[-] dogsoahC@lemm.ee 31 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Drill a fucking hole in that motherfucker and siphon it off. Or just drink tap water. It's fine. At least where I live. But still drill a hole in there to fuck with them.

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[-] zakobjoa@lemmy.world 30 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I am not often in favour of shooting people.

For legal reasons this concludes my statement.

[-] queue@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 5 months ago

Property damage of this is valid. especially if you can give people water for free next to it.

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[-] match@pawb.social 27 points 5 months ago

when you see shit like this you are morally obligated to make them lose money

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[-] hierophant_nihilant@reddthat.com 27 points 5 months ago

It's a failed crowdfunding campaign, their last tweet is from 2017

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[-] Starkstruck@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

Pay for the PRIVILEGE of not drinking contaminated water!

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[-] Ibaudia@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago

Why are people trying to justify this, the city can put in chilled water taps like those Elkay ones for super cheap. Then when shitty businesses like these go under, you aren't left with a useless machine with no other water source nearby. Relying on private entities for basic things like this is just objectively a bad idea if it can be at all avoided.

[-] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago
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this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2024
1160 points (97.6% liked)

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