- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 2276
The Women in Need have extended their hours.
Now this, while possibly good for a very few clients, is an absolutely lousy thing for staff. Speaking to them you detect a distinct lack of enthusiasm, but the decision came from head office (where the hours won't be extended in the least) and so they buckle down and live with it. Most of them buckled down to live with it, a few resigned in protest, the final straw that broke the employees back, but it's the way of the world.
Personally, considering the wages they're paid and the "necessity" of having a thrift shop open on Sunday, I won't be availing myself of their new and improved hours (I would if it was the people in Head Office working them, that then would be then worthwhile), and I'd recommend you don't either. There are much better deals to be had on the weekends, flea markets, garage & estate sales, let the employees have a life.
And maybe let Head Office know what a lousy policy it is.
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 2137
A helpful reminder from the Domain Registry of Canada that for only 10 times what I'm currently paying I can renew my domains with them. Every few months I get one, structured to look like a bill (with a bold disclaimer in the center of the page stating that, in fact, it's not a bill, formerly the disclaimer was in tiny print on the bottom of the page but enough people were confused, as was the intent, and obviously enough complained that they gave the disclaimer more prominence.).
Given they're abysmal rates and appalling marketing structure ("Hey, lets send out bogus invoices with lots of small print and try to get people to switch their domains to us...") I wonder how many suckers fall for it? Probably they're not targeting webmasters, rather individuals who've purchased a domain and might fail to notice the many irregularities in their helpful billing reminders and so inadvertently switch registrars.
But really, what a crummy way to do business.
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 2189
Telus and Scumbag landlords on the same day.
My previous landlord, I'd had my reservations. He'd been a little odd, bought the house as an infill, let me stay on a month-to-month basis, but there was something dodgy about him....
Still, you shouldn't be judgmental, and so when the eviction notice came I moved out, all out, and called him on March 1st and left a message to advise him of my new address and let him know if there were any problems with the way the place was left he could call me and I'd fix them.
No returned call.
And so on March 19th, having checked the landlord-tenant act for Alberta and discovered I'm 9 days past due on my Damage Deposit I call and leave a message with a secretary, I explain I'm inquiring about the status of my damage deposit, leave my phone number and address again.
I've never had a problem getting a damage deposit before, but I'm having suspicions that this may be the first time. It's a cool $1000.00, which, while not the end of the world, is a little bit much to be thrown away for nothing. Or to be squandered on drugs by a sleazebag landlord.
Wednesday, March 24th, no returned call, no message on my machine, no cheque in the mail. I call the landlord again, he answers by accident. Curt, he tells me that he paid my electricity bill. This seems odd, why should he pay my bills? It was an old one he explains, he'll show me the receipt ... and then tells me about a mattress on the side of the house, I should have it moved.
It's not my mattress, I explain, It was left by the previous downstairs tenants.
His final argument?
"Are you sure you paid us the damage deposit...didn't you just get it back from the previous landlord?"
Now this is funny, because when I first met them, the first day they took over the property, in front of me they called their lawyer and demanded the damage deposit be transferred over to them. In front of me. They spoke to their lawyers, confirmed the word of the law, then threatened legal action if the damage deposit wasn't transferred over within 24 hours.
And now the halfwit is trying to make me doubt they even have my damage deposit.
He relents, he's a busy guy but he'll meet with me on Saturday to discuss it.
Now really, there's nothing to discuss. When I finish the conversation I call Enmax to check to see if there have been any inexplicable payments on my account, there are none. If there were it would by implication have him opening my mail, which would be a separate trial, but equally damning.
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 3578
It's big news, this, at the restaurant, the Oiler's ill fated night out.
If you're not familiar, there's the news story here: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Oilers+players+refused+massive+bill+Calgary+restaurant+owner/2397784/story.html.
The boys, they've discussed it, added the bill up and double checked the math, they're arguing that the Oiler's behaved badly, they should have just paid the bill, it all adds up.
The owner, he's thinking the Oiler's might have had some cause for complaint. I'm with him.
First of all, how did this make the news? Even in a small town like Calgary, it's definitely not news. But there's something deliciously spiteful about hating the Oiler's, that inane, childish rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton, and the press knows their audience. No, it's definitely not news, but it'll sure sell papers....
Second of all, there's a certain whiff of half truths about it all. Not that I suspect that the Oiler's are in any way paragons of virtue or good manners, I've never even considered it and would be surprised if any of them were. That's not what they're paid for. But there is something very suspicious about Maurizio Terrigno's claim that he would "donate the money to the Earthquake relief fund...". I'd like to see the receipt for that, and be reassured that the charity wasn't being run by his brother.... Note the interview charge he attempted to levy on the Globe and Mail...
Third of all, he's just alienated a very affluent clientele who not unreasonably expect some discretion and privacy when they're dining out.
Maybe that was the service charge they refused to pay. In any event, as costly as it was for them in terms of bad publicity, I suspect it will prove even more costly to the restaurant owner. Read the comments following each of the articles, others have found as well the faint whiff of sulpher in Maurizio's claims and I'll be not a little surprised if it doesn't cost him a fair measure of business, if not the business itself.
I'll end with this by Mark Twain:
"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed."
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 2314
5 AM and I can't sleep. I'm quitting smoking.
Not the "My lungs are blacker than a coal miners, mouth stinks, teeth are falling out and I can't catch my breath getting out of my chair" sort of quitting smoking, although I'm sure that will come, rather a "I don't have 2 fucking cents to rub together because the damned cheques are fucking freaking late and in part again" sort of quitting smoking. The involuntary quitting smoking.
And I pace and I occasionally cry and there are moments of brief lucidity wherein I sit down to do some work but I can't focus, not even a little bit, and so I stand and pace some more and maybe weep and the cat stares at me, perplexed, l bark in return. . .
There's always the crime spree, but I'm saved from myself by my newfound inability to focus on anything, and no sooner have I Googled "Oceans Eleven" then I have forgotten what I am searching for and why I am even searching. . .
Oh yes, the crime spree . . .
So I dig out the patches, NicoDerm, step 2, a well intended gift for someone with no intentions of quitting smoking, cut them in half because I don't really consider myself to be a heavy smoker and slap one on my arm.
And in an hour I can feel the symptoms palpably, well, alleviated. Slightly. I can sit longer. Only a bit. The urges to cry, throttle, scream, bark, they still come, but they pass quicker. I toy with the idea of making this a permanent state of affairs. But the patches, after a while they burn on the skin, ache, like I've had a flu shot, the whole arm weakens, I can feel it, a peculiar bruising up it's entire length. And I wake in the middle of the night, wide awake, fully awake, my big toe pulsing...