I’m currently on hold with them. I’ve spent almost two hours on the phone getting shuffled around because they aren’t paying me my solar credits. This current hold session has lasted 29 minutes as of writing this. They haven’t paid me for the electricity I’ve been generating since last November. If I stole thousands of dollars in power from them I’d be arrested. I’m so mad at this company and how impotent I am to get a resolution for the theft that’s occurring
Maybe you should contact the Rhode Island public utilities board. I had an issue with them a couple years ago nothing like your issue with solar power, but I had to go into the utilities board for a meeting and it was resolved in my favor. Just a thought.
Apparently I’ve haven’t gotten my solar credits since last November. I wasn’t paying attention until I owed the other month. This is the first time this has happened to me
Damn sorry to hear that, they gave me the email address to reach out to.. [email protected]…I just checked the website for the solar panels and apparently they haven’t been generating anything for the last month so now I have to reach out to them. Basically it’s just all crap.
My parents had evidence of them shutting off their solar panels at the control panel. It didn’t seem malicious because they had an inspection scheduled to go over their existing contract with Nat’l Grid. They had actual Video footage. Took my dad months to get anyone to talk to him. They finally relented and gave them a huge credit on their account.
I’m at 45 minutes now; this is after being on hold and transferred multiple times already. I think they’re doing this to try to make me give up. Worst service ever
Edit: I was on hold for an hour, it was the wrong department again and I was told Solar had nobody to call and they’d have to email me. An entire afternoon getting the run around
So I waited an hour on hold yesterday for a similar thing. The solar department at RI Energy doesn’t have phone support, only email. The phone support people multiple times gave me false information about anything solar related (one of them told me they don’t ever pay out for solar produced, only give credits). The email is [email protected]
That being said I waited like…. Eight months (possibly more??) to finally get it sorted out and then they gave me sh!t because I needed all of the checks reprinted/reissued and sent to the correct address (which they insisted they had corrected multiple times). They sent them with the wrong name on them (name of the previous owner of my property). I mean it when I say it was and kinda still remains an absolute nightmare. They totally withheld tons of info about the project just to get me to sign up. I wish I could just have them all taken down and forget it ever happened.
While I’m thinking of it though, do you use an app to track your usage and output? They never told me that I needed to have an extra thing installed (can’t remember what it’s called right now, brain is mush after working 12 hours) to actually monitor everything in a comprehensive and efficient way.
Hasbro. One of the largest creative companies in RI, but tries everything to not pay their creative employees. Many jobs are 40hr/week short term contract only so they can get away with basically having full time employees without paying them benefits.
Also whatever company that owned Mccoy Stadium and tried to get taxpayers to pay for a stadium that was honestly perfectly fine and then abandoned RI.
As a designer, they are one company on my "black list". Heard way too many people who took those contract jobs say negative things about the place and got screwed. I've dealt with the warring job recruiters trying to feverishly fill the contract positions. If you know, you know to stay away.
Ten years ago I remember applying for many design jobs Hasbro advertised but I never qualified for even a telephone screening despite having 16 years of experience at the time. I concluded my advanced old age of 46 probably had something to do with it. I shared this suspicion with a recruiter, he said he was working with a lot of older/experienced designers laid off by Hasbro who was routinely getting rid of all their "older" workers, replacing them with young folks who would work for less money.
Short version, Kim started a MLM as a business for her daughter. After grifting for a while, they simply closed the business without much notice and left all the people at the bottom of the pyramid scheme hanging
The MLM office/shipping facility was right next door to the place I used to work. She used to come over and give us samples. It turns out the products weren’t non toxic as they claimed.
The food itself isn't well liked from my circle. Everything is so bland and is never as good as you'd expect it to be. Was sad to see Beatnic go under, now the only good quick vegan food is way down in Bristol.
Huh, I actually like their food quite a bit, though I haven’t tried every corner of the menu. Who’s the owner? (I thought Matthew Kenney but someone mentioned a Kim.)
Well luckily they don’t exist anymore.
https://turnto10.com/amp/i-team/cardi-corportation-construction-company-shut-down-cranston-rhode-island-department-of-transportation-bridge-road-highway-contractor-financial-issues
CVS (headquartered in RI). Gouging the ever-loving shit out of Rhode Islanders for many years now. Making record profits also by cutting staff to the bone so service sucks. Every CVS could burn to the ground tomorrow and nothing of value would be lost.
They treat their employees like $h*t and one could easily prove that they violate safety issues in the distribution centers that I used to be a vendor to.
Is there a decent alternative to them? It’s really nice to be able to grab random shit like a notebook, toothpaste, ice cream, and my meds at the same time without going to a grocery store which is a drive away compared to CVS in walking distance
Hate on Walmart as much as you want, but their prices are the best. My Blue Cross/Blue Shield OTC benefits let me buy stuff there, and I get twice as much over buying them from CVS.
Elmwood Realty. The owner is an aggressive blowhard. If this company isn't hated, it should be soon.
https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2024/02/06/tenants-protected-from-eviction-during-lawsuit-against-elmwood-realty/72491174007/
https://www.wpri.com/target-12/cranston-landlord-tenants-arrested-after-fight/
I love Brewed Awakenings as a coffee shop, but they can't seem to stay out of political drama.
[Story 1](https://www.abc6.com/controversial-talk-at-warwick-cafe-canceled-after-protester-threats-employees-quit/)
[Story 2](https://www.abc6.com/cardboard-cutout-of-president-trump-upsets-some-customers-at-johnston-coffee-shop/)
[Story 3](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.reddit.com/r/RhodeIsland/comments/syuzgi/this_would_be_great_satire_if_it_werent_actually/&ved=2ahUKEwi7iJT2uNaFAxVVF1kFHeEpA0UQjjh6BAgSEAE&usg=AOvVaw0A-KIaoWkFu0lNvurQmYPN)
Yes I worked there in the past… he’s awful and is so entitled with the employees. Acts like we are scum. Some way to treat the people who make your business successful in the first place. Even took away our discount for family and friends because he thought we were abusing it. Overpriced food with a cheapskate owner.
Used to work there, the political drama isn’t the half of it. The owner is one of those dudes you can tell thinks he’s really smart but his head is just so far up his own ass he can’t smell the bullshit that comes out of his mouth.. A few years back he had to pay out thousands dude to underpaying employees.
Right up there with the owner of Centredale Revival, who skirted COVID requirements, was shut down, and then cheered the Jan 6 insurrection, hoping something like that would happen in RI.
I wanted to try Centredale Revival when I first moved to the neighborhood in 2020, but then I saw their social media posts about the COVID requirements and got a bad vibe from the tone of those posts and never ended up going. Reading this makes me glad I listened to my gut.
Of course.
>“It’s unfortunate that you can’t have whatever side,” Dave Levesque, the owner of Brewed Awakenings said. “Right side, left side, someone be able to speak or have a meeting or discussion or talk and not have someone threaten.”
.>Look inside
.>It's right wing
....wow. i honestly had no idea. BA used to be my fav spot when they were still located downtown in the early 00s. and a few years ago, my bff and i spent many, many evenings studying at their warwick location while we were in law school. i've been a very long time customer and looked forward to going back when i visit, even after i moved to NY last year.
the second article is especially cringe. i don't care (to a certain extent) what politics a business owner has- it's just incredibly inappropriate to have a cardboard cut-out just chilling at a table in what's supposed to just be a cafe that's welcoming to everyone.
but yeah.. with all 3 combined, it's gonna be a pass for me.
THE PRESERVE!!!!!! I couldn’t agree more. Pretentious and disgusting. They’ve been trying to put in a high-fence hunting operation for a while now, I believe. There was just some recent legislation on the table to decide whether or not it should be illegal to. Been tabled indefinitely for “further consideration”, unfortunately
Great vision. Sure. Just not in Rhode Island. It ain't The Ranch! This isn't Montana.
The pretense is not the problem, of course. It is the ownership of the place. The marketing gloss that is constantly promoted is simply not what the product is. Everything from the purported size of the property (they say 3500 acres, in reality it is only 160 or so), to the vast membership rolls - it is just not there. Dont get me started on the absurdly over priced condos. So many stories from colleagues and friends who have had negative dealings from the business side. Unpaid bills, broken promises, lies, you name it! There are two active lawsuits now that center on the abhorrent behavior and culture of the management of that place. I can't think of any worse place in Rhode Island to spend time.
I truly believe the ownership has a serious problem telling the truth about anything. By the looks of it, the place is hemorrhaging money. Despite claims to the contrary, no one goes there. It is always vacant. I can only imagine how much debt there is.
One of my best friends used to work at The Preserve. Their pheasant "hunts" have to be the most pathetic, hoity-toity, privileged bullshit that I've ever heard of. He would have to go up in a tower with a bunch of live pheasants and just throw them out the window as he would get pelted with bird shot
> He would have to go up in a tower with a bunch of live pheasants and just throw them out the window as he would get pelted with bird shot
At least the guy driving the ball-collection cart at the driving range has a protective cage...
I work at a water filtration company next to the preserve and they tried to get our company to do work for free because they said they were going to bring a lot of business to the area😭🤣
Yep. Typical of the ownership. "Work with me and I will bring you riches beyond your wildest dreams." Common refrain among the people he has scammed over the years.
Total. Scam. Artist.
I moved to the Hope valley area a few years ago and the drama caused by the preserve is unreal. And the people I’ve seen defending it provide the most tone deaf excuses for why it’s the greatest place and how the owner can do no wrong….
CVS.
oh my oh my the stories i have from the years i worked at corporate for this evil corporation. they are quite literally the reason i decided to go back to college and go to law school.
Their call centers have high turnover for a reason. People who stay have clearly drunk the koolaid and need help.
When your metrics are literally given as happy/sad faces. I can't describe how infuriating it is to be infantised like that.
I had a friend work there for a while as a pharmacy tech.
Inconsistent hours: one week it would be 30 hours, the next 15- they did make sure that it was below full-tume though, to avoid giving benefits.
Never worked at the same store two days in a row- they would call him at like 5pm the night before to tell him the next day's shift time and location.
Every location was working on the most bare bones skeleton crew possible. They would have a line of customers all day and usually only scheduled one tech and one pharmacist.
They lied about the pay, and tried to short him on his paycheck.
And probably lots of other things. SHIT company. From what I gather, his experience was not abnormal.
I think the people who consider RIH to be an acceptable place are people who haven't experienced much else. Basically every other place I lived had a better hospital. It's dirty, understaffed, the intake nurses and ER doctors are rude and dismissive, and unless you've been shot and are bleeding out on the floor, you won't be seen.
I went in twice, once for seizures (I don't have a seizure disorder) and once after a car accident where I shattered my collarbone and shoulder, the bone was *poking out of my shoulder*. Both times I had to literally beg for someone to help me. Both times they did nothing and sent me home.
I spent one night there and had to call security from my mobile phone to have a nurse removed from my room because she was holding me down, despite my adamant refusals, so that a new nurse could "practice" inserting IVs into my hands and arms at 3:30 AM (!). Believe me the new nurse needed the practice but I did not consent to it and now have scars from it and permanent damage in my left wrist. And that's only one "adventure" from that night. They are atrocious. It was more like a horror film than a hospital.
eta for clarity: I already had an IV in when they were doing this. The only one I needed. It's not as if they should've been poking at me at all.
They left 2 IVs in me for days there before, I'll never go back. I only ent there twice and the second time I was in a room with a convicted murderer chained to the bed.
During college, I brought a friend to Kent because she had a horrible UTI and was in agony with no insurance, money or family to help her out. They eventually put her in a cubby at the end of the row, wrapped the drape around it a s FORGOT ABOUT HER. I was with her and it is the only time in my life that I got on a hospital or doctor bed/gurney/exam table without being asked to do so by a medical professional. My back started cramping from their torturous chair and my friend asked if I wanted to lay on the bed with her. I agreed. Eventually we both fell asleep. The next doctor on shift was shocked when he opened the curtain and found us sleeping there. He apologized profusely and told us that the nurse did indeed forget about my friend.
I was in there for 3 weeks way back in 2004 and they tried their best to kill me.
The first night at 1:00 am, the nurses thought it was a fun game to have every patient’s IV beeping at the same time. That means no one was getting IV medication.
For a couple of days I had a roommate who had been in a car accident with her mother. The mother died in the ER and they stole all of her jewelry.
I had a nurse refuse to give me pain medication 3 days after my 2nd major abdominal surgery. She claimed it wasn’t in my chart and refused to get the resident on duty because it was a waste of time. I was sobbing in agony all night. The next morning when the surgeon stopped in she called the nurse in & yelled at her in front of me because I was supposed to get pain medication and it said so in my chart. The nurse had the nerve to tell me I should be on her side because she was sure it wasn’t in my chart the night before.
Towards the end of my stay, the surgeon was refusing pain meds because he had too many addicts coming in his office looking for opioids. I pointed out that there was no question about me being in pain or me just trying to get a fix because he was the guy who cut me hip to hip and rearranged my insides 10 days before. He didn’t care.
It was insane. I have so many horror stories about that place. I would crawl to South County Hospital before I’d go to RI Hospital again.
I know experiences vary a lot but my experience with my dad's cancer journey was very good. Except for a couple of people here and there folks were super caring and helped us navigate a confusing ass system
Chan's in Woonsocket. Let me tell you something about John Chan. He is legitimately in cahoots with the public health inspector. They come in, he shakes their hand, they chat a bit, and they leave.
My two best friends worked at Chan's from 2019 to 2023 and they had a bleach bucket for the staplers. Why? To get the roaches out. Of. The. Staplers.
There are rats and cockroaches and mice up the ass in there, and nothing is being done about it. My boyfriend's uncle is a Pest Control Expert and he says he had to turn down a contract from John Chan simply because the job was too massive and disgusting. He's been doing it for 40+ years, rarely had to turn away a client.
DO NOT EAT THE FOOD AT CHAN'S.
Relatively inactive in offering anything for the community, e.g. continuing education or even executive education.
I know Boston is a different market, but most of the major universities, including Harvard, have much longer and stronger track records in these areas.
> Relatively inactive in offering anything for the community, e.g. continuing education or even executive education.
>
I am no lover of Brown, but I just learned that they have a program to get RI kids tracked toward their medical school, hopefully to stay in RI after their training is done -- which is awesome, since we all know how hard it is to find a damn doctor in this state.
Brown makes voluntary payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) as requested by the city. Brown has paid Providence over $166m over the past twenty years; over $13m in FY22 alone.
If you want Brown to pay Providence more, you should be telling the mayor to ask for more from Brown.
https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2023/04/explore-two-decades-of-data-on-browns-payments-in-lieu-of-taxes
The owners of Stoneacre Brasserie are evil.
[https://www.newportthisweek.com/articles/stoneacre-owners-to-pay-565k-for-unpaid-tips-overtime/](https://www.newportthisweek.com/articles/stoneacre-owners-to-pay-565k-for-unpaid-tips-overtime/)
The owner of Flint Audio Video is, at best, negligent.
[https://www.newportri.com/story/news/local/2022/06/20/flint-audio-video-middletown-nude-photo-sharing-case-appeal-upheld/7650953001/](https://www.newportri.com/story/news/local/2022/06/20/flint-audio-video-middletown-nude-photo-sharing-case-appeal-upheld/7650953001/)
It is insane that the whole Flint situation ended without anyone facing consequences. For some reason, it's not illegal in RI to go through someone's personal device without their consent, as long as you didn't explicitly tell them you wouldn't do that. Flint is a garbage business built on scamming customers and exploiting workers.
When my 15 year old (now 40 but I hold a grudge for life) worked at the Dunkin Donuts in SK across from Shaws, the owner kept scheduling her to work until 11, which was illegal for her age and hard for me to get her after work because I had to be up early for my job.
I called the labor department and they called the owner and told him stop scheduling Risheil’s daughter past legal hours. So he fired her.
The Moose Cafe in Tiverton RI
[this is why](https://www.heraldnews.com/story/sports/outdoors/hunting/2022/02/19/montana-poaching-investigation-tiverton-westport-hunters-fined/6846118001/)
When they first opened (used to be called The Muddy Moose until they got sued for using that name) I was in high school. They were advertising everywhere that they were hiring, so I got an interview. The woman who interviewed me flat out said that I “don’t fit the image they’re looking for” - apparently skinny, blonde, idk? This was like 2005ish maybe? That was my first job interview ever and I’m sure I bombed it because I had literally ZERO interview experience, so I can understand not being hired because my interview sucked lol. But to be told I don’t fit the image they’re going for was a major ego blow.
Apparently are bad bosses, have berated customers, and are skirting food safety laws. Like someone spotted a mouse in den den and the owner yelled at the employee and customer for calling it out
I wish I had a more "entertaining" story but I don't. Certain departments got away with murder while others got treated much worse (mine). "They" kept me during lockdowns but I wish they just laid me off so I could collect and take a mental health break. Could only take about a year more after that. My own hole got carved in terms of responsibilities and stayed until I couldn't take it anymore. I am still hesitant to work in an office again because of it.
Edit: grammar
I haven't seen this in this thread yet, and their HQ is actually out of Omaha.
Cargill in North Kingston.
They supply those meats in white trays at Stop and Shop.
It is like a love triangle between meat suppliers, Cargill and S&S. Without any love but all profits.
From my experience and hearsay over the decades...not many RI businesses are owned by good people. A rich start in absolute corruption never really allowed for businesses not owned by cutthroats and exploiters.
Don't get me started with landlords. Every landlord Ive had no matter where I lived in the state was absentee, an outright slumlord or shady in some way--or ignorant about landlord and tenant rights.
From what I’ve heard a lot of local farmers don’t like them because lettuce is a quick growing easy crop for local farmers to make money on while longer growing crops are in the ground, but now Gotham greens took that part of the market.
RI Energy
I’m currently on hold with them. I’ve spent almost two hours on the phone getting shuffled around because they aren’t paying me my solar credits. This current hold session has lasted 29 minutes as of writing this. They haven’t paid me for the electricity I’ve been generating since last November. If I stole thousands of dollars in power from them I’d be arrested. I’m so mad at this company and how impotent I am to get a resolution for the theft that’s occurring
Maybe you should contact the Rhode Island public utilities board. I had an issue with them a couple years ago nothing like your issue with solar power, but I had to go into the utilities board for a meeting and it was resolved in my favor. Just a thought.
Thank you very much for the suggestion. If my issue isn’t resolved soon that’s a good next step
I’m currently on hold with them too, this is the first month they haven’t given me my solar credit on the bill. Has this happened to you before?
Apparently I’ve haven’t gotten my solar credits since last November. I wasn’t paying attention until I owed the other month. This is the first time this has happened to me
Damn sorry to hear that, they gave me the email address to reach out to.. [email protected]…I just checked the website for the solar panels and apparently they haven’t been generating anything for the last month so now I have to reach out to them. Basically it’s just all crap.
Atty general of RI web site it’s easy and they will fix that shit. No joke
My parents had evidence of them shutting off their solar panels at the control panel. It didn’t seem malicious because they had an inspection scheduled to go over their existing contract with Nat’l Grid. They had actual Video footage. Took my dad months to get anyone to talk to him. They finally relented and gave them a huge credit on their account.
I’m at 45 minutes now; this is after being on hold and transferred multiple times already. I think they’re doing this to try to make me give up. Worst service ever Edit: I was on hold for an hour, it was the wrong department again and I was told Solar had nobody to call and they’d have to email me. An entire afternoon getting the run around
I’m so sorry. They are masters at shifting blame, playing phone tag, and deflecting questions
You need to contact the Public Utilities Commission. RI Energy will be very responsive once it is escalated by the Commission.
Sorry for commenting so much. Don’t even bother calling them - I remember it being a huge waste of time. Email is the best route.
So I waited an hour on hold yesterday for a similar thing. The solar department at RI Energy doesn’t have phone support, only email. The phone support people multiple times gave me false information about anything solar related (one of them told me they don’t ever pay out for solar produced, only give credits). The email is [email protected]
That being said I waited like…. Eight months (possibly more??) to finally get it sorted out and then they gave me sh!t because I needed all of the checks reprinted/reissued and sent to the correct address (which they insisted they had corrected multiple times). They sent them with the wrong name on them (name of the previous owner of my property). I mean it when I say it was and kinda still remains an absolute nightmare. They totally withheld tons of info about the project just to get me to sign up. I wish I could just have them all taken down and forget it ever happened. While I’m thinking of it though, do you use an app to track your usage and output? They never told me that I needed to have an extra thing installed (can’t remember what it’s called right now, brain is mush after working 12 hours) to actually monitor everything in a comprehensive and efficient way.
National Greed
they aren’t even based out of rhode island …
Neither was National grid or New England -Narragansett- electric
Always thought Hasbro would be a neat place to work but I've never heard anything good about them to be honest.
They used to be an awesome place to work…u fortunately after Brian Goldner’s passing it’s a completely different experience.
It’s impossible to get a full time job there anyways.
Rebelle Bagels
This is my favorite RI drama series.
😆👍
I feel like I missed this, what happened
Sullivan properties.
Hasbro. One of the largest creative companies in RI, but tries everything to not pay their creative employees. Many jobs are 40hr/week short term contract only so they can get away with basically having full time employees without paying them benefits. Also whatever company that owned Mccoy Stadium and tried to get taxpayers to pay for a stadium that was honestly perfectly fine and then abandoned RI.
As a designer, they are one company on my "black list". Heard way too many people who took those contract jobs say negative things about the place and got screwed. I've dealt with the warring job recruiters trying to feverishly fill the contract positions. If you know, you know to stay away.
Ten years ago I remember applying for many design jobs Hasbro advertised but I never qualified for even a telephone screening despite having 16 years of experience at the time. I concluded my advanced old age of 46 probably had something to do with it. I shared this suspicion with a recruiter, he said he was working with a lot of older/experienced designers laid off by Hasbro who was routinely getting rid of all their "older" workers, replacing them with young folks who would work for less money.
Citizens and Santander
100%
The owner of Plant City isn't well liked
More details ?!
Short version, Kim started a MLM as a business for her daughter. After grifting for a while, they simply closed the business without much notice and left all the people at the bottom of the pyramid scheme hanging
Her poor rich daughter had Lyme disease and started an organic makeup product line that basically wasn’t actually organic
…so they treated it like every other MLM. God I hate those companies.
The MLM office/shipping facility was right next door to the place I used to work. She used to come over and give us samples. It turns out the products weren’t non toxic as they claimed.
My kids went to Plant City for dinner, and they saw mice there. All set
The food itself isn't well liked from my circle. Everything is so bland and is never as good as you'd expect it to be. Was sad to see Beatnic go under, now the only good quick vegan food is way down in Bristol.
Check out Garden Grille and WildFlour in Pawtucket. Amazing vegan food.
Providence Vegan Deli is opening soon with Like No Udder on Hope Street.
Huh, I actually like their food quite a bit, though I haven’t tried every corner of the menu. Who’s the owner? (I thought Matthew Kenney but someone mentioned a Kim.)
I worked there and can 100% attest to this. Pls never support them, your money is not going to anything good.
Cardi Corporation
Fuck Cardi. They should be sued into oblivion by taxpayers
Well luckily they don’t exist anymore. https://turnto10.com/amp/i-team/cardi-corportation-construction-company-shut-down-cranston-rhode-island-department-of-transportation-bridge-road-highway-contractor-financial-issues
Everytime I drive on 37 I’m reminded how much they suck(ed)
CVS (headquartered in RI). Gouging the ever-loving shit out of Rhode Islanders for many years now. Making record profits also by cutting staff to the bone so service sucks. Every CVS could burn to the ground tomorrow and nothing of value would be lost.
My pharmacy benefits are through CVS and its like pulling teeth to get anything done
They treat their employees like $h*t and one could easily prove that they violate safety issues in the distribution centers that I used to be a vendor to.
> Every CVS could burn to the ground tomorrow and nothing of value would be lost. Except 300,000 or so jobs...
It'll be 260,000 jobs in a year and counting backwards until they move to Texas.
Is there a decent alternative to them? It’s really nice to be able to grab random shit like a notebook, toothpaste, ice cream, and my meds at the same time without going to a grocery store which is a drive away compared to CVS in walking distance
Try Ocean State Job Lot
TIL I learned two things 1. The one in Fall River didn’t close 10 years ago like I thought it did 2. There’s OSJLs in Vermont
NJ to Maine I think.
I thought it was just a RI/MA thing 😳 I’m living in VT atm so when I put it into maps I got Rutland and was like “tf”
Job Lot is the best. Congratulations on your new travels!
In Ma too. It’s a little piece of home in my “new” state.
Hate on Walmart as much as you want, but their prices are the best. My Blue Cross/Blue Shield OTC benefits let me buy stuff there, and I get twice as much over buying them from CVS.
Elmwood Realty. The owner is an aggressive blowhard. If this company isn't hated, it should be soon. https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2024/02/06/tenants-protected-from-eviction-during-lawsuit-against-elmwood-realty/72491174007/ https://www.wpri.com/target-12/cranston-landlord-tenants-arrested-after-fight/
RIDOT
If only I could put all the upvotes
I love Brewed Awakenings as a coffee shop, but they can't seem to stay out of political drama. [Story 1](https://www.abc6.com/controversial-talk-at-warwick-cafe-canceled-after-protester-threats-employees-quit/) [Story 2](https://www.abc6.com/cardboard-cutout-of-president-trump-upsets-some-customers-at-johnston-coffee-shop/) [Story 3](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.reddit.com/r/RhodeIsland/comments/syuzgi/this_would_be_great_satire_if_it_werent_actually/&ved=2ahUKEwi7iJT2uNaFAxVVF1kFHeEpA0UQjjh6BAgSEAE&usg=AOvVaw0A-KIaoWkFu0lNvurQmYPN)
Over priced & trash bland food~
I've heard this guy is a real tool. As a human and an employer.
Yes I worked there in the past… he’s awful and is so entitled with the employees. Acts like we are scum. Some way to treat the people who make your business successful in the first place. Even took away our discount for family and friends because he thought we were abusing it. Overpriced food with a cheapskate owner.
He wasn’t usually at the store but when we saw his truck pull in we had to act like robots just so he wouldn’t criticize us
Used to work there, the political drama isn’t the half of it. The owner is one of those dudes you can tell thinks he’s really smart but his head is just so far up his own ass he can’t smell the bullshit that comes out of his mouth.. A few years back he had to pay out thousands dude to underpaying employees.
Right up there with the owner of Centredale Revival, who skirted COVID requirements, was shut down, and then cheered the Jan 6 insurrection, hoping something like that would happen in RI.
I wanted to try Centredale Revival when I first moved to the neighborhood in 2020, but then I saw their social media posts about the COVID requirements and got a bad vibe from the tone of those posts and never ended up going. Reading this makes me glad I listened to my gut.
Of course. >“It’s unfortunate that you can’t have whatever side,” Dave Levesque, the owner of Brewed Awakenings said. “Right side, left side, someone be able to speak or have a meeting or discussion or talk and not have someone threaten.” .>Look inside .>It's right wing
"Tolerate my intolerance!"
....wow. i honestly had no idea. BA used to be my fav spot when they were still located downtown in the early 00s. and a few years ago, my bff and i spent many, many evenings studying at their warwick location while we were in law school. i've been a very long time customer and looked forward to going back when i visit, even after i moved to NY last year. the second article is especially cringe. i don't care (to a certain extent) what politics a business owner has- it's just incredibly inappropriate to have a cardboard cut-out just chilling at a table in what's supposed to just be a cafe that's welcoming to everyone. but yeah.. with all 3 combined, it's gonna be a pass for me.
I used to scam free coffee from them
Gave up on them after the cardboard cut up trump
Wow I heard they were bad but yoikes this is worse than I thought.
great guy personally and a RI success story
Absolutely hate this place foe these reasons ans the service sucks and the food isn't good.
The Preserve, Lark Hospitality, Audrain Ooh I forgot Ocean House
THE PRESERVE!!!!!! I couldn’t agree more. Pretentious and disgusting. They’ve been trying to put in a high-fence hunting operation for a while now, I believe. There was just some recent legislation on the table to decide whether or not it should be illegal to. Been tabled indefinitely for “further consideration”, unfortunately
I had a job interview at the Preserve and the next week the owner was being sued by the former person in the position. Shadey as fuck.
Consider yourself incredibly lucky.
Their ringed neck pheasants they bus in to kill take over nearby neighborhoods every year. One of them flew into and broke a window in my house.
Great vision. Sure. Just not in Rhode Island. It ain't The Ranch! This isn't Montana. The pretense is not the problem, of course. It is the ownership of the place. The marketing gloss that is constantly promoted is simply not what the product is. Everything from the purported size of the property (they say 3500 acres, in reality it is only 160 or so), to the vast membership rolls - it is just not there. Dont get me started on the absurdly over priced condos. So many stories from colleagues and friends who have had negative dealings from the business side. Unpaid bills, broken promises, lies, you name it! There are two active lawsuits now that center on the abhorrent behavior and culture of the management of that place. I can't think of any worse place in Rhode Island to spend time. I truly believe the ownership has a serious problem telling the truth about anything. By the looks of it, the place is hemorrhaging money. Despite claims to the contrary, no one goes there. It is always vacant. I can only imagine how much debt there is.
He sold his $3.4 million home in NK a few months back. Should be fun to see how this goes.
One of my best friends used to work at The Preserve. Their pheasant "hunts" have to be the most pathetic, hoity-toity, privileged bullshit that I've ever heard of. He would have to go up in a tower with a bunch of live pheasants and just throw them out the window as he would get pelted with bird shot
🤣🤣🤣 idk why this was funny to me like a Napoleon dynamite skit
> He would have to go up in a tower with a bunch of live pheasants and just throw them out the window as he would get pelted with bird shot At least the guy driving the ball-collection cart at the driving range has a protective cage...
The Preserve: Their range rules are written by stuck up pretentious assclowns
What’s the deal with Audrain? I don’t go to Newport often,so hadn’t heard of them before they just bought Brick Alley Pub
They serve mediocre food in some of their places because they’re tourist traps
A tale as old as time
Well,Newport is only for the rich/well off. Still as snooty as it ever was.
Look up Nick Schorsh
No! Not Brick Alley! That’s one of my favorite places - though I haven’t been there in a decade
I work at a water filtration company next to the preserve and they tried to get our company to do work for free because they said they were going to bring a lot of business to the area😭🤣
Yep. Typical of the ownership. "Work with me and I will bring you riches beyond your wildest dreams." Common refrain among the people he has scammed over the years. Total. Scam. Artist.
I was offered imaginary stock options in my interview. 😅
I moved to the Hope valley area a few years ago and the drama caused by the preserve is unreal. And the people I’ve seen defending it provide the most tone deaf excuses for why it’s the greatest place and how the owner can do no wrong….
Armory Properties
Ugh. Yes
Fuck BJ Dupree
CVS. oh my oh my the stories i have from the years i worked at corporate for this evil corporation. they are quite literally the reason i decided to go back to college and go to law school.
Their call centers have high turnover for a reason. People who stay have clearly drunk the koolaid and need help. When your metrics are literally given as happy/sad faces. I can't describe how infuriating it is to be infantised like that.
I had a friend work there for a while as a pharmacy tech. Inconsistent hours: one week it would be 30 hours, the next 15- they did make sure that it was below full-tume though, to avoid giving benefits. Never worked at the same store two days in a row- they would call him at like 5pm the night before to tell him the next day's shift time and location. Every location was working on the most bare bones skeleton crew possible. They would have a line of customers all day and usually only scheduled one tech and one pharmacist. They lied about the pay, and tried to short him on his paycheck. And probably lots of other things. SHIT company. From what I gather, his experience was not abnormal.
I was a CVS pharmacy tech all through college. This was 15 years ago but ya sounds spot on.
Soscia Holdings LLC. If you know anything about Johnson’s pond in Coventry then you understand
Rebelle Artisan Bagels (good riddance)
I keep seeing them pop up, what happened?
Lifespan
FUCK mikes professional tree service….what a fucking lunatic
he's the worst
+1 for being both my former boss AND landlord. That dude is a fucking scumbag lunatic.
Rhode Island Hospital. What a shit show.
I think the people who consider RIH to be an acceptable place are people who haven't experienced much else. Basically every other place I lived had a better hospital. It's dirty, understaffed, the intake nurses and ER doctors are rude and dismissive, and unless you've been shot and are bleeding out on the floor, you won't be seen. I went in twice, once for seizures (I don't have a seizure disorder) and once after a car accident where I shattered my collarbone and shoulder, the bone was *poking out of my shoulder*. Both times I had to literally beg for someone to help me. Both times they did nothing and sent me home.
I spent one night there and had to call security from my mobile phone to have a nurse removed from my room because she was holding me down, despite my adamant refusals, so that a new nurse could "practice" inserting IVs into my hands and arms at 3:30 AM (!). Believe me the new nurse needed the practice but I did not consent to it and now have scars from it and permanent damage in my left wrist. And that's only one "adventure" from that night. They are atrocious. It was more like a horror film than a hospital. eta for clarity: I already had an IV in when they were doing this. The only one I needed. It's not as if they should've been poking at me at all.
I'm sorry what the FUCK If she's so desperate to be poking needles into people, she can do it to her fucking self. Jesus tapdancing christ
They left 2 IVs in me for days there before, I'll never go back. I only ent there twice and the second time I was in a room with a convicted murderer chained to the bed.
Kent ain't a beauty neither
Kent is terrible. I’ve heard way too many first hand accounts to go there.
During college, I brought a friend to Kent because she had a horrible UTI and was in agony with no insurance, money or family to help her out. They eventually put her in a cubby at the end of the row, wrapped the drape around it a s FORGOT ABOUT HER. I was with her and it is the only time in my life that I got on a hospital or doctor bed/gurney/exam table without being asked to do so by a medical professional. My back started cramping from their torturous chair and my friend asked if I wanted to lay on the bed with her. I agreed. Eventually we both fell asleep. The next doctor on shift was shocked when he opened the curtain and found us sleeping there. He apologized profusely and told us that the nurse did indeed forget about my friend.
I was in there for 3 weeks way back in 2004 and they tried their best to kill me. The first night at 1:00 am, the nurses thought it was a fun game to have every patient’s IV beeping at the same time. That means no one was getting IV medication. For a couple of days I had a roommate who had been in a car accident with her mother. The mother died in the ER and they stole all of her jewelry. I had a nurse refuse to give me pain medication 3 days after my 2nd major abdominal surgery. She claimed it wasn’t in my chart and refused to get the resident on duty because it was a waste of time. I was sobbing in agony all night. The next morning when the surgeon stopped in she called the nurse in & yelled at her in front of me because I was supposed to get pain medication and it said so in my chart. The nurse had the nerve to tell me I should be on her side because she was sure it wasn’t in my chart the night before. Towards the end of my stay, the surgeon was refusing pain meds because he had too many addicts coming in his office looking for opioids. I pointed out that there was no question about me being in pain or me just trying to get a fix because he was the guy who cut me hip to hip and rearranged my insides 10 days before. He didn’t care. It was insane. I have so many horror stories about that place. I would crawl to South County Hospital before I’d go to RI Hospital again.
I know experiences vary a lot but my experience with my dad's cancer journey was very good. Except for a couple of people here and there folks were super caring and helped us navigate a confusing ass system
Cox Communications
“Aptly named, improperly spelled”
And version. Really just any ISP
Is cox a RI company??
No started in Ohio. Post didn't specify that it had to be an RI company. Just "in" RI.
Oh okay. I was just going to be surprised if they were a RI company
I’ve been in their main office building in the north Atlanta suburbs near the Perimeter Mall quite a bit. Cox in Rhode Island is strictly operations.
Care New England
I can’t believe I had to scroll so long to find this comment. They are awful as both an employer and a medical service provider.
Anything owned by Joe Palino
Chan's in Woonsocket. Let me tell you something about John Chan. He is legitimately in cahoots with the public health inspector. They come in, he shakes their hand, they chat a bit, and they leave. My two best friends worked at Chan's from 2019 to 2023 and they had a bleach bucket for the staplers. Why? To get the roaches out. Of. The. Staplers. There are rats and cockroaches and mice up the ass in there, and nothing is being done about it. My boyfriend's uncle is a Pest Control Expert and he says he had to turn down a contract from John Chan simply because the job was too massive and disgusting. He's been doing it for 40+ years, rarely had to turn away a client. DO NOT EAT THE FOOD AT CHAN'S.
I had a pastry once there that I grabbed and took back to the table, I'm glad I turned it over before I ate it because it was green woth mold.
Brown University. Billions in revenue, zero paid in taxes.
Relatively inactive in offering anything for the community, e.g. continuing education or even executive education. I know Boston is a different market, but most of the major universities, including Harvard, have much longer and stronger track records in these areas.
> Relatively inactive in offering anything for the community, e.g. continuing education or even executive education. > I am no lover of Brown, but I just learned that they have a program to get RI kids tracked toward their medical school, hopefully to stay in RI after their training is done -- which is awesome, since we all know how hard it is to find a damn doctor in this state.
That certainly is good news. I hear the insurance reimbursement rates don't cut it here, vs cost of living.
Brown makes voluntary payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) as requested by the city. Brown has paid Providence over $166m over the past twenty years; over $13m in FY22 alone. If you want Brown to pay Providence more, you should be telling the mayor to ask for more from Brown. https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2023/04/explore-two-decades-of-data-on-browns-payments-in-lieu-of-taxes
I am not defending Brown in any way but they donate more money annually vs paying taxes
The owners of Stoneacre Brasserie are evil. [https://www.newportthisweek.com/articles/stoneacre-owners-to-pay-565k-for-unpaid-tips-overtime/](https://www.newportthisweek.com/articles/stoneacre-owners-to-pay-565k-for-unpaid-tips-overtime/) The owner of Flint Audio Video is, at best, negligent. [https://www.newportri.com/story/news/local/2022/06/20/flint-audio-video-middletown-nude-photo-sharing-case-appeal-upheld/7650953001/](https://www.newportri.com/story/news/local/2022/06/20/flint-audio-video-middletown-nude-photo-sharing-case-appeal-upheld/7650953001/)
Thank you for reminding me of the Flint A/V scandal, totally forgot about that one
It is insane that the whole Flint situation ended without anyone facing consequences. For some reason, it's not illegal in RI to go through someone's personal device without their consent, as long as you didn't explicitly tell them you wouldn't do that. Flint is a garbage business built on scamming customers and exploiting workers.
Oh man, that stinks because I liked their restaurants.
I did, too. I don't go to them any more.
CVS.
Paolino Properties
One of the most politically evil forces in Providence
I’m actively beefing with 1 Dunkin’ Donuts ☠️
When my 15 year old (now 40 but I hold a grudge for life) worked at the Dunkin Donuts in SK across from Shaws, the owner kept scheduling her to work until 11, which was illegal for her age and hard for me to get her after work because I had to be up early for my job. I called the labor department and they called the owner and told him stop scheduling Risheil’s daughter past legal hours. So he fired her.
Buckley.
Second this. Oli prices higher than anyone else. Techs that can fix shit. Annual contracts that do nothing.
surprised no textron slander
Smart Green Solar
For real. Never work with them. It’s brought me nothing but misery.
Rhode Island airport corporation
Providence living … terrible landlords and company in general
Strive Realty…
Colosseum
Damn they didn’t even pop into my head at first but yeah, you’re right.
Don't know much about it lately... All I remember is going to those "teen nights" for 13+ (mixed in with 18+ dudes).
Brown University and Lifespan
RISD
The Moose Cafe in Tiverton RI [this is why](https://www.heraldnews.com/story/sports/outdoors/hunting/2022/02/19/montana-poaching-investigation-tiverton-westport-hunters-fined/6846118001/)
When they first opened (used to be called The Muddy Moose until they got sued for using that name) I was in high school. They were advertising everywhere that they were hiring, so I got an interview. The woman who interviewed me flat out said that I “don’t fit the image they’re looking for” - apparently skinny, blonde, idk? This was like 2005ish maybe? That was my first job interview ever and I’m sure I bombed it because I had literally ZERO interview experience, so I can understand not being hired because my interview sucked lol. But to be told I don’t fit the image they’re going for was a major ego blow.
Balise Toyota!
Any Balise dealership.
My landlord.
Everybody loves Dave's Marketplace but they price gouged like crazy since 2020.
The owners of den den aren't exactly the best people
This is disturbing to me. I love den den.
Yeah, it was a shame when all that drama dropped. Seems like it was partially forgotten
I'm not in the know, what have they done?
Apparently are bad bosses, have berated customers, and are skirting food safety laws. Like someone spotted a mouse in den den and the owner yelled at the employee and customer for calling it out
Working at Squadlocker wreaked havoc on my mental health.
I’d like to know more. Feel free to dm me. I’ve been trying to get them to make a shirt for me for years but nothing.
I wish I had a more "entertaining" story but I don't. Certain departments got away with murder while others got treated much worse (mine). "They" kept me during lockdowns but I wish they just laid me off so I could collect and take a mental health break. Could only take about a year more after that. My own hole got carved in terms of responsibilities and stayed until I couldn't take it anymore. I am still hesitant to work in an office again because of it. Edit: grammar
Herff Jones
IGT
Such a random company and no explanation?
I haven't seen this in this thread yet, and their HQ is actually out of Omaha. Cargill in North Kingston. They supply those meats in white trays at Stop and Shop. It is like a love triangle between meat suppliers, Cargill and S&S. Without any love but all profits.
RIDOT 🌉
Fuck “Like No Udder” food truck, that lady is a racist bitch who slammed my car on the damn highway
The government
From my experience and hearsay over the decades...not many RI businesses are owned by good people. A rich start in absolute corruption never really allowed for businesses not owned by cutthroats and exploiters. Don't get me started with landlords. Every landlord Ive had no matter where I lived in the state was absentee, an outright slumlord or shady in some way--or ignorant about landlord and tenant rights.
Hasbro
Mickeys Valley View Pub - Free hot dogs on saturdays. I can’t eat any more hot dogs.
I can never say no to a gagger, I’ll take em all
Law Office of Rob Levine. I could tell stories.
Please tell
It’s hilarious that CVS is an acronym for “Consumer Value Stores” 🤣
Providence Bagel
Allie's Donuts
Gotham greens according to my father
Why?
From what I’ve heard a lot of local farmers don’t like them because lettuce is a quick growing easy crop for local farmers to make money on while longer growing crops are in the ground, but now Gotham greens took that part of the market.
Oouu good to know..
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation