Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[Sandman87]

Speaking of auto correct: Yes, Google, I really did want you to search for the thing I typed in rather than for your helpful corrected version. Just like the last 9,999,999 times that we went through this. Now knock it off!

[Maharincess]

I was out with about 10 people from work the other day. I'm the old lady in the group. EVERY one of them had their smart phones on the restaurant table the entire time and would glance at it, pick it up, from time to time. I had mine in my purse. I don't get it. I don't understand the need to be connected to other people instead of the people you are spending time with.

As t auto-correct, I use it when typing on my kindle, because otherwise I'd have too many errors. And it amuses me when it "corrects" me, hence my post about germaphobe being changed to Germantown.

I don't get it either. Nothing can be so important that you need to look at your phone every 5 minutes. I see people all the time walking with the phone in their hands, why?

It's not just you get people either. I see people of all ages glued to their phones out in public.

Half the time I forget and leave my phone at home when I go out and you know what? I survive!

[Sweets McGee]

In defense of having my phone in my hand all the time, I  use a smartphone app for my shopping list. And when I'm walking around the grocery store with my phone out and I'm looking at it and checking things off, I can feel the judging eyes of other shoppers on me. Hey, people looking on disapprovingly, phones aren't only for social media. They have practical uses too!

[Qoass]

I am loving all the bowls of Christmas candy everywhere but for the love of chocolate, people, please do NOT put peppermint flavored candies in with chocolates:  the peppermint invades everything else in the bowl and that's gross.

 

Thank you.

[backformore]

In defense of having my phone in my hand all the time, I  use a smartphone app for my shopping list. And when I'm walking around the grocery store with my phone out and I'm looking at it and checking things off, I can feel the judging eyes of other shoppers on me. Hey, people looking on disapprovingly, phones aren't only for social media. They have practical uses too!

Yes! At Christmas time in particular, my phone is used to tell me the ages of all the great-nieces and nephews, what I bought already, AND what I gave them last year. At the grocery store, It's a great tool for looking up a recipe and making sure you get all the ingredients. Of even texting whoever is at home to ask to check the fridge to see if we are out of something. I'm in favor of using your phone to make life easier.

But if I'm out with you, having coffee or a drink, and you're texting other people, well then you are not going to be a priority for me to spend time with. I'm not even referring to dating, just when I'm catching up with an old friend, or hanging out with a coworker, checking your phone all the time makes me feel like I'm boring you.

I am loving all the bowls of Christmas candy everywhere but for the love of chocolate, people, please do NOT put peppermint flavored candies in with chocolates:  the peppermint invades everything else in the bowl and that's gross.

 

Thank you.

I agree!

[annzeepark914]

I've got a new term for what I do the week before/leading up to Xmas:  Stealth Shopping.  I'm at the mall or big store by 9:00 AM and out the door before 10 and off to other less frequented stores.  I know what I'm going to get so there's not much looking/pondering.  And I won't go to Wegman's until after Xmas.  It's saving my sanity ;>)

[ABay]

Wegman's! I miss Wegman's so much. It is the Valhalla of grocery stores and the nearest one is more than 2 hours away. If I have to drive that far, I might as well go the extra 5 hours to Buffalo and have a selection of them.

[auntlada]

I am loving all the bowls of Christmas candy everywhere but for the love of chocolate, people, please do NOT put peppermint flavored candies in with chocolates:  the peppermint invades everything else in the bowl and that's gross.

 

Thank you.

Spearmint candies are worse. At least some people like chocolate and peppermint. Spearmint does not mix well with chocolate. And if I won't eat the chocolate, you know something is wrong with it.

[Quof]

And when I'm walking around the grocery store with my phone out and I'm looking at it and checking things off, I can feel the judging eyes of other shoppers on me.

Yes, but are you walking around the store with your eyes glued to your phone instead of watching where you are going, or standing blocking the aisle while you scroll through the list on your phone?  If so, I judge.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Quof

[Maharincess]

I've got a new term for what I do the week before/leading up to Xmas: Stealth Shopping. I'm at the mall or big store by 9:00 AM and out the door before 10 and off to other less frequented stores. I know what I'm going to get so there's not much looking/pondering. And I won't go to Wegman's until after Xmas. It's saving my sanity ;>)

Exact opposite for me. I hate crowds and I'm a night owl so I prefer to go shopping after ten at night. I love that most stores are open 24 hours this time of year. I do a lot of midnight shopping when I can find a willing partner to take me.

The stores are empty that time of night.

I hate any and all kinds of mints. On very, very rare occasions I'll get a craving for some Junior Mints but after eating a few I realize how much I hate them.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Maharincess

[33kaitykaity]

In defense of having my phone in my hand all the time, I  use a smartphone app for my shopping list. And when I'm walking around the grocery store with my phone out and I'm looking at it and checking things off, I can feel the judging eyes of other shoppers on me. Hey, people looking on disapprovingly, phones aren't only for social media. They have practical uses too!

I just have a feeling that the percentage of people thumb-driving on their smartphone out in public using it for practical purposes is probably really, really, really low.  

 

I think probably what I had in mind is the people Bill Maher was talking about here.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLtU4afYut4

[Bastet]

His impression of people with their phone out on the table during dinner was spot on, and then I choked on my water when he made the joke about taking pictures of the food. 

 

Ten percent of whomever was surveyed confessed to looking at their phones during sex?!  (Love his joke about texting one's partner.)

[Sweets McGee]

Yes, but are you walking around the store with your eyes glued to your phone instead of watching where you are going, or standing blocking the aisle while you scroll through the list on your phone?  If so, I judge.

No, I stand off to the side and out of the way. I detest those people who stop in the middle of the aisle, phone or no phone. I think we've had that conversation before somewhere in this thread. :)

[Sandman87]

I detest those people who stop in the middle of the aisle, phone or no phone. I think we've had that conversation before somewhere in this thread. :)

 

I saw that happen at the supermarket yesterday. Some couple encountered a friend, and they proceeded to hold a meeting right in the busiest part of the store; the aisle leading past the espresso counter that everyone uses to get to the meat counter, bakery, and deli. The only way they could have picked a more obnoxious spot would be if they had blocked the front doors to the store.

[Maharincess]

I hate the middle of the aisle reunions.

I'm so upset for my kid right now. She always has the bad habit if being so excited that she gives the kids their Xmas presents early. To try to combat that, this year she tried layaway so the gifts wouldn't be in the house tempting her.

She went to one store and got all of my grandson's presents, then she goes to the next store to get all of my granddaughters presents and the store has lost the box.

She's been there for 2 and a half hours while they look for the box. Couldn't find the box so an employee went around the store and was just going to pull from the shelves everything that had been in the box.

All sold out.

She just called me crying from the store asking how you explain to a 7 year old that she has no presents. My daughter is very timid and non confrontational, I'm not. I want to go down there and raise hell so bad.

That box is there, they just need to get off their asses and find it.

Sorry for the rant but even though she's in her early 30s, when my kid cries, the mama bear comes out.

[bilgistic]

For a literal pet peeve, my cat, who I got from the pound when he was a wee kit, now wants to be hand fed freshly caught salmon from the freshwaters of Alaska, or something. The little asshole now has three different kinds of dry food in rotation that he turns up his nose at, and countless flavors and brands of wet food that he loved yesterday but will not deign to eat today. He checks out fine at the vet, other than being a little thin because of his long-term heart disease. I love him to pieces, but he is wearing me out!

[Bastet]

Ah yes, I love when they scarf something down one meal and then the next look at you as if to scoff, "I cannot believe you expect me to eat something so vile."

 

At the market yesterday, a couple was right smack in the middle of the walkway that is perpendicular to the check-out lines and all the aisles -- so pretty much the worst place in the store to cause a traffic jam.  One person was trying to maneuver around them on one side, another person on the opposite, and he was just babbling away on his phone and she was fussing with something in their cart.  When I rolled up with my own cart, I just kept going until they were directly in my path and then said with deadly calm, "Move."  They did.  Idiots. 

 

Maharincess, I hope the layaway box was found.

 

To all those who celebrate it, I wish you a peeve-free Christmas.

[Maharincess]

The box was never found. My daughter insisted on going back and looking herself. She went through every box in the layaway dept and none were hers. She got her money back and for her troubles they gave her a whopping ten dollar gift card.

She's out re shopping now.

She had a Lego set in the box that is sold out everywhere. I think somebody who works there wanted that Lego set.

Edited December 24, 2015 by Maharincess

[wilsie]

Maharincess, I hope your daughter is able to get the things your granddaughter will notice and enjoy the most.  And maybe, with the Legos, she can tell her that they will be her extra special after the holidays present so she can enjoy them later after the excitement of her first gifts has worn off.  Your daughter and granddaughter are so very loved.  I hope they feel that even more.  And maybe someone, possibly you, could write in a note or journal about the great love this little girl's mom has for her to try and duplicate her gifts on Christmas eve.  It reminds me of the love in "The Gift of the Magi" by O'Henry.  Peace, joy, and love to you and your family!

[Maharincess]

Wislie, thank you so much.

I had both kids today while my daughter went shopping, they had to finish painting the ornaments we made for their mommy and daddy.

My daughter got the shopping done. She said she couldn't find one thing that had been in the layaway box but she found much better stuff and since its Xmas eve, she said the sales were great. So she was able to get more for less.

[ABay]

Current pet peeve: voice recognition software. I broke down and bought Rosetta Stone--it was more than 50% off--and I ace everything except the pronunciation and I don't know why! I do my best to mimic the words but there are some I just cannot get no matter how many times I try, replay, try again and again and again! And it doesn't tell you what part was off. My mouth will not make some of the sounds to the software's satisfaction and it burns me that I can't score 100 on the lesson even when I go back to the parts I got wrong.

 

Damn you, Rosetta Stone! I KNOW my pronunciation was close enough for a human to understand what I was saying!

 

Sorry. I know there are people with real problems. 

[Maharincess]

Everybody's problems are real. Just because somebody may have it worse than you, doesn't mean your complaints aren't valid.

That sounds really frustrating.

[hoosier80]

Maharincess, if that is a chain store, I'd be emailing/calling the corporate headquarters until I got someone responding.  Or, I'd even think about calling some consumer watchgroup or local tv station.  Total crap that they lost the layaway.  I think someone inside the store wanted the items; I'd almost ask them to check their employees.  Most theft in retail stores is done from the inside.  I managed several retail stores that had layaway, but it was all women's clothing.  We never had an instance of something not being in layaway; only time when stuff went back onto the sales floor was after no payments and many, many, many attempts to contact the customer (last thing we wanted was to negate a sale - which the layaway was considered a sale in full - regardless of the fact it was being paid for over time).

 

Hopefully, she gets all of the stuff.  But I'd be doing major complaining.  What they gave her was no compensation for their shitty service.

[BookWoman56]

Maharincess, I'd also be contacting corporate headquarters as well. Regardless of the fact that your daughter was able to take her refund and buy better stuff, there's no excuse for that kind of screw-up. My guess would be either an employee decided he/she wanted what was in that box, or the box got handed to another customer, that is, maybe another customer had a couple of boxes of stuff, and the employee mistakenly added your daughter's box in with it. And then the customer got home and didn't bother to return it, figuring it was free loot. Neither scenario speaks well for the store. I suppose it's possible the box is misplaced and landed in the part of the warehouse where they keep the stuff for the day-after-Xmas sale, but unlikely since they should have put all layaway stuff in one central location. The $10 gift card in no way makes up for the anxiety and distress your daughter went through. Hell, having to buy stuff at the last minute like that deserves hazard pay.

[ari333]

That layaway story is just enraging! II agree with the above that it was an inside job. If so, I hope that has karma written all over it. And ten dollars is insulting.

 

Oh man, I just saw a fashion segment in which the men's pants are intentionally short such that a lot of sock area shows. They look like what used to be called, in a mocking way, flood pants. HATE,

 

Random change in peeves:

I also cant stand that song that plays all the freaking time, "You used to call me on my cell phone." Hotline Bling by Drake. It is just so whiny.  

This is even more shallow of me heh and I say this as an Adele fan, but I hate the way she says in that, "Hello" song, "hollow from the other side..."

 

When, Dear God, will the Kardashians go the eff away? And while I'm wishing for stuff going away, I have had way plenty of "Flo" the insurance woman and all her incarnations. Add Peter Pan to that list too. "You don't look a day over 70, amIright?" makes me livid.

Edited December 28, 2015 by ari333

[Qoass]

 

This is even more shallow of me heh and I say this as an Adele fan, but I hate the way she says in that, "Hello" song, "hollow from the other side..."

 

 

This doesn't bother me as much as the foreknowledge that every chick who tries out for American Idol or The Voice will sing it that same way.

[bilgistic]

The stupid Peter Pan kid telling the woman she doesn't look a day over 70 pisses me off because it's a 1965 reunion. The people attending would be 68ish, but not 70. (My mother graduated in 1967, and is 66.) Also, I hate that kid's punchable face.

[ZaldamoWilder]

I only switched to a smart phone after Hurricane Sandy, and that was because I was cut off for 8 days when cell service was next to non-existent, but wi-fi hotspots were available in places with electricity. My iPhone 4S is still on OS 6 because it works fine, so why update it? I have no plans to update my phone until this one croaks.  I don't get the obsession with constantly needing the newest gadget. I also don't understand why phones keep getting bigger and bigger. First they were big bricks, then they got tiny, and now they're huge again.  How are you supposed to put that in your pocket?  I guess that's why you need the Apple watch, because the phone isn't portable anymore.  Shrewd. 

 

Shrewd indeed.  I'm sitting here giggling because I'm at the point where I need my glasses in order to find my glasses so the remote control sized phone with the senior-friendly sized screen?  LOVE.  Lol.  I am free!  except when I text in front of anybody younger than me.  Then I get thinly veiled snickers about where in settings to go to make the words so big.   -_-    Tee hee all you like, ya damn gen X-er, my AARP car insurance collision policy has a zero deductible. 

 

No, I stand off to the side and out of the way. I detest those people who stop in the middle of the aisle, phone or no phone. I think we've had that conversation before somewhere in this thread. :)

 

I ask this in all seriousness, is it shitty to expect that the aisles work like road lanes?  Because I have an insanely difficult time wanting to go shopping and this why - nobody respects the rules of the damn road.  Where the hell else in life would you pull over, leave your car akimbo, keys in the ignition and go inspect something across the street, blocking traffic on both sides of you?  My favorite is the (non-reunion) people who stop their carts directly across from each other, with of course, plenty of free space in front of and behind them.  

 

Yesterday, in Walmart (you know that any sentence that starts this way won't end well right?) I was asking a customer service clerk a question about a price difference on an item I'd seen in a flyer, that was now (a month later) increased in the store.  He was in the middle of explaining supply and demand when a woman walked up to where we were and just started talking.  Like in the middle of my sentence, no, on top of, my sentence she just started hers.   She was older and I try to keep near the cross at Christmas so I said imma let her finish (™ Kanye).  She does that, turns away, shopping cart in hand and goes about her business.   90 seconds later, I'm still in the conversation and outta my peripheral I see her wheel her cart back over, open her mouth to make a sound and that's when I stopped her.  I said I let you interrupt me before, which you did without preamble or apology, now you back and you can see we're STILL in conversation, don't. do. it. again.   She said I thought you were a Walmart worker.  I said I'm wearing a neon pink puffy vest and carrying purse but even if I were an employee, that changes nothing about you stepping up to this spot to interrupt a conversation already in progress.  She said you're insulting Walmart employees by saying you don't look like them, you are NOT (she started chickennecking) all that, don't you...... I suspend here to say that she had more stuff she'd heard on tv to say.  Then I blessed her with a verbal anointing Sweet Baby Jesus probably wouldn'tve approved of, but it did redirect her inquiry.   If she'd been old enough to belong to the I'm 80 years old I'll say what I want club or had waited her turn upon second approach, there'd be no words here.  

 

Mahara, these superstores have a loss prevention department (in the store) that regularly reviews tape footage.  The cameras are trained on employees too.  If your daughter still has the receipt, you can go to the store and ask them to take a look at the stock room footage between 12/1-12/20 or whatever the range is.   Inconvenience aside, it didn't disappear, that's theft and if you get any pushback maybe the argument could be made that they'd want to know what happened too.

[Qoass]

I was at a warehouse store last week and blocked the aisle with my cart while I examined stuff on the  lower shelf.  This is not my habit; I just had a thoughtless moment.  Anyway, somebody I'm blocking kindly says, "Excuse me..." and I immediately rose and moved my cart with a heartfelt apology.  She responded that it was no problem at all.  I think she was so nice because I was looking at sympathy cards at the time.

 

[bilgistic]

I ask this in all seriousness, is it shitty to expect that the aisles work like road lanes?  Because I have an insanely difficult time wanting to go shopping and this why - nobody respects the rules of the damn road.  Where the hell else in life would you pull over, leave your car akimbo, keys in the ignition and go inspect something across the street, blocking traffic on both sides of you?  My favorite is the (non-reunion) people who stop their carts directly across from each other, with of course, plenty of free space in front of and behind them.

I am the one constantly grumbling under my breath at people going all sorts of ways down store aisles. "You can drive on our roads on the right, but you can't walk down an aisle on the right?!" I'm going to get punched one day when I say it too loudly.

[ZaldamoWilder]

Get off my lawn!

 

bilgistic We're gonna get hurt really badly at some point.  Lol!

 

Qoass, my sympathies :(

[topanga]

  Yesterday, in Walmart (you know that any sentence that starts this way won't end well right?) I was asking a customer service clerk a question about a price difference on an item I'd seen in a flyer, that was now (a month later) increased in the store.  He was in the middle of explaining supply and demand when a woman walked up to where we were and just started talking.  Like in the middle of my sentence, no, on top of, my sentence she just started hers.   She was older and I try to keep near the cross at Christmas so I said imma let her finish (™ Kanye).  She does that, turns away, shopping cart in hand and goes about her business.   90 seconds later, I'm still in the conversation and outta my peripheral I see her wheel her cart back over, open her mouth to make a sound and that's when I stopped her.  I said I let you interrupt me before, which you did without preamble or apology, now you back and you can see we're STILL in conversation, don't. do. it. again.   She said I thought you were a Walmart worker.  I said I'm wearing a neon pink puffy vest and carrying purse but even if I were an employee, that changes nothing about you stepping up to this spot to interrupt a conversation already in progress.  She said you're insulting Walmart employees by saying you don't look like them, you are NOT (she started chickennecking) all that, don't you...... I suspend here to say that she had more stuff she'd heard on tv to say.  Then I blessed her with a verbal anointing Sweet Baby Jesus probably wouldn'tve approved of, but it did redirect her inquiry.   If she'd been old enough to belong to the I'm 80 years old I'll say what I want club or had waited her turn upon second approach, there'd be no words here.  

 

I'm sure the incident wasn't funny at the time, but I am cracking up right now. 

[BookWoman56]

My new pet peeve has to do with cable providers, but it's a two-part peeve. First, I have no idea what it is like in other areas, but where I live (large city in TX), in theory there are several cable providers. In reality, there is only one because the two national cable providers and one regional cable provider have divided up the city into separate domains. So, where I used to live, national cable provider A was the only available option. National cable provider B would send me junk mail regularly asking me to use their service, but when I would call them or try to order their services online, the response was always "Sorry, we don't serve your specific neighborhood." OK, then, why do you keep sending me junk mail saying that you do serve my neighborhood?  A little over a year ago, I moved across town and my only option is regional cable provider. (Yes, in theory there is also the option of having a dish, but that requires logistical nonsense that I don't want to deal with.) It annoys me to no end that there is no real choice in providers. I can have my pick of cell phone providers in the same neighborhood and choose the one that best fits my needs, so why should cable services be any different? Instead, I have to choose a package that is not exactly what I want, and costs more than it should because there is no competition between providers to acquire and maintain their customer base.

 

The second part of the peeve has to do with the overall quality of cable providers. The national provider I used previously had crappy customer service but the equipment was usually solid. The regional provider I currently use has very good customer service but their equipment tends to be glitchy. So, today a tech spent 2 hours trying to get a mini-tivo box to work (after a previous tech had spent another couple of hours the other day with no success), at which point he admitted, yeah, these mini-boxes just have problems, and at my request, he used a regular tivo box instead of the glitch-prone mini version. Both techs were very nice and polite, both explained what the issue was instead of trying to BS their way out of it, but the fact remains that the equipment has been problematic (had to have a modem replaced a few months ago because of performance glitches). Why is it seemingly impossible to get both good customer service and decent equipment? This shouldn't be an either/or situation.

[backformore]

My pet peeve of the day - knee socks.

I'm pretty normal sized. I have some extra padding, but my calves are regular size. It seems to me that knee socks come in two sizes, regular, which fit but are really tight at the top, leaving a dent and a red Mark, and some days causing pain. I often roll or fold them down halfway through the day to get back the circulation in my legs. The other size is large, or plus, or wide. These fall down after ten minutes, and start sliding into my shoes. Are those my only choices? I just want socks that stay up and don't hurt me.

I'm now having flashbacks to my grandmother and great aunt wearing nylon stockings rolled down around their ankles.

[bilgistic]

I'm laughing, but only because my late grandfather literally rolled his socks down and wore them like that all the time. He had sock snakes around his ankles.

Literal pet peeve (again): as I was walking out the door to go to work this morning, I see that my bratty cat has SHAT UPON his new cardboard scratcher!! That was his Christmas present. The little shit (pun) is out of control. He only wants some mystery food I've yet to figure out, meows constantly and shits on his previously beloved toy. I'm losing mind with this turd (pun).

He's completely fine, healthwise, but his behavior is atrocious. I don't really want to get another cat, but I think my girl passing away is what prompted all this. He can be so sweet and loving, and then he shits on a toy.

[auntlada]

My pet peeve of the day - knee socks.

I'm pretty normal sized. I have some extra padding, but my calves are regular size. It seems to me that knee socks come in two sizes, regular, which fit but are really tight at the top, leaving a dent and a red Mark, and some days causing pain. I often roll or fold them down halfway through the day to get back the circulation in my legs. The other size is large, or plus, or wide. These fall down after ten minutes, and start sliding into my shoes. Are those my only choices? I just want socks that stay up and don't hurt me.

I'm now having flashbacks to my grandmother and great aunt wearing nylon stockings rolled down around their ankles.

 

For a time, Walmart had a brand of knee socks that I loved -- George. I think they were the store brand -- or at least something sold only at Walmart. No Walmarts in our area carry them any more. They have a different store brand -- Peds -- with socks that fit sort of OK, but don't feel as nice. I can't explain what it is about the feel, but I don't like it. It's close to that shiny polyester fabric from the 70s. They are too slick feeling. There are other brands with socks marked "boot socks" but they only come halfway up the calf, which makes them not boot socks to me. If they're not taller than my cowboy boots, they aren't boot socks.

[hoosier80]

I called yesterday to set up my mom with internet service, using her phone and cable tv provider.  They keep sending her stuff every month, even on her bill, add internet and bundle and save up to xxxx.  It varies on the percentage, but if you have the triple bundle, you save more.  Right.  I called and first this chick was like well that will be 24.99 more a month.  Oh wait a minute there chicky.  You keep sending this stuff out, no discount?  Well, let me look.  Well I can do xxx.  I did not budge, it was no discount.  Finally after on the phone a good 10 minutes, she miraculously finds something that will lower the annual bill by $120.  I'm like I need to talk it over.  Then she said oh call back to my direct line and if it goes to voice mail, I'll call you back.  Well, mom said go for it, and I call Cathy Cable back.  Sure enough, voice mail.  I leave a message.  Now she said she'd call right back and she emphasized it with like in a minute.  Ok.  I waited a good 30 minutes, and no Cathy Cable.  I am like let me try it online, found another number, got a local guy and had it all wrapped up in minutes.  He even knew the area.  Honored Cathy's quote of $120 less per year.  Even if it's just one year, saving mom $120.  

 

As I am packing up to drive back to my house, yep, Cathy Cable calls back - a good hour and a half later. We left it roll to mom's answering maching. Sorry, Cathy you lost out on that sale.  Delete message.

[bmasters9]

As I am packing up to drive back to my house, yep, Cathy Cable calls back - a good hour and a half later. We left it roll to mom's answering maching. Sorry, Cathy you lost out on that sale.  Delete message.

Cathy Cable did indeed lose out-- by saying "Back in a minute" and then not returning until 90 minutes later. If she had said, "We are dealing with quite a few other customers on our end, and we will be with you ASAP," the delay might have been excusable, but to say, "Back in a minute," and then not return until 90 minutes later-- poor service right there. 

[Qoass]

 

Qoass, my sympathies :(

 

 

Thanks, but that's what makes the story all the more unusual:  Nobody died...I was buying sympathy cards to just have on hand.  I find it better to buy them with a clear head then I can write a note and mail them right away when I need to!

 

Unless you're offering me sympathies about my stolen porch statue from up-thread which I'm still pretty pissed about.

 

We got our first snowfall of the season this morning:  almost enough to cover the grass and it's now turning to rain.  That didn't stop my local TV station from ramping up their "storm" coverage complete with doppler radar maps, a "mobile storm unit", reporters standing by the road in the dark in their matching jackets and warnings to stay off the roads apparently to make room for the camera van they sent out to broadcast live footage of driving on the highway.  It almost made me long for a segment on the Republican presidential campaign.

[ari333]

This doesn't bother me as much as the foreknowledge that every chick who tries out for American Idol or The Voice will sing it that same way.

 

Oh NO! I didn't think of that!. I must watch that show on DVR for the ff. :)

[BookWoman56]

BookWoman56, where do you live? I'm in Austin and a former coworker loved Grande, but they aren't in my neighborhood. We don't want to deal with satellite dishes and everyone in my family likes Time Warner's news channel, so we're sticking with them. I did finally buy our own wireless router and modem, so it saves us from dealing with Time Warner's less-than-stellar equipment. I wish I could buy our own cableboxes, but I suspect the troubles we have stems from their frequent updates -- seems they push those out every couple of weeks, which causes service interruptions.

Forumfish, I am just down the road from you in San Antonio. My current provider is Grande, and as noted, they have great customer service, easily accessible 24/7 and both the service reps and techs have unfailingly been polite and helpful. The equipment, though, has its issues. Had problems with the primary modem for a while, in that it was almost impossible to get internet signal upstairs and even downstairs the signal was prone to disappear for hours at a time. I had called a few times, they reset something on their end without an actual service call a couple of times, but the improvement was marginal. A few months ago, when I got permission to begin telecommuting full-time, I had to call them again because I can't lose my internet connection for hours at a time while I am working. The tech came out, looked at the modem, and flatly said they had made the mistake of buying that particular model only to have ongoing problems with it, and so were phasing it out and replacing it with a different brand. He replaced it, gave me his cell number to call if I had any issues with it in the next day or two following installation, and most of the issues were resolved. I was impressed that he admitted the overall issue with the brand of modem; generally, other providers have just said the particular unit must be old or defective, etc. The mini-tivo they tried to install for an additional TV was the same issue; they have apparently had problems with many of the units and are looking into an alternative.

When I lived across town, my provider was Time Warner. I generally had no major problems with the equipment, but trying to get in touch with them for anything, from setting up service to changing service to discontinuing service, was an exercise in frustration and futility. They had farmed out their customer service work for setting up service to a vendor. So when setting up service, I called what was listed as the TW number and was handed over to this vendor to get my info, etc., Vendor, more or less representing themselves as a part/division of TW, collected the upfront installation charge from me, paid with my debit card. This vendor proceeded to charge my debit card roughly $10 a month for close to a  year, until I noticed it (yes, my own damn fault for not paying attention but it's easy to miss a small transaction like that) and called them, and was informed that I was paying that amount for them to be the go-between if I needed service from TW; when I called TW directly (after wading through the roughly gazillion phone numbers they had listed), they said they knew nothing about any arrangement like that. In addition to that part of it, the installation appointment and then subsequent service call appointments were invariably fucked up. On the phone, you are told "day X and time range  A-C." You arrange to take that time off from work for that specific day, or in my case, to work from home that day. Then the "reminder" call comes and informs you that the scheduled appointment is instead "day Z and time range D-F." Then half the time the tech was a no-show and at the end of the day designated for the tech to be there, an automated call would come saying that oops, we need to reschedule for day Y. Fortunately, my manager understood the situation (the appointment confusion was a standing joke among my colleagues, most of whom had similar experiences), but people in a less flexible job would have lost a couple of half-days of work at a minimum for no good reason. 

 

ETA: I also prefer the chat function instead of calling, but it was not an option when I was first setting up service in my previous location. I will be relocating to Houston next year and don't yet know which cable provider will be the default for whatever neighborhood I land in. For the Grande techs, when they came out last week to install the mini-tivo, I had recently moved my large tv into a new entertainment center and not gotten around to hooking all the cables back between it and the regular tivo box. Tech saw that it was not connected and volunteered to do it for me, even though it wasn't necessary for him to do so to install the mini-tivo. I just wish the equipment performance matched the level of customer service.

Edited December 29, 2015 by BookWoman56

[bilgistic]

I spent at least half an hour chatting with "Leonard" at AT&T today because the charge for a modem I don't have is still on my bill after two months and a previous chat session (of which I kept the transcript, but what did that matter?!) during which I was told the charge would be removed. TWC is evil incarnate. AT&T U-Verse is stupid and incompetent. I'm anxiously awaiting Google Fiber, but I'm pretty sure they're going to suck, too.

[Sandman87]

We got our first snowfall of the season this morning:  almost enough to cover the grass and it's now turning to rain.  That didn't stop my local TV station from ramping up their "storm" coverage complete with doppler radar maps, a "mobile storm unit", reporters standing by the road in the dark in their matching jackets and warnings to stay off the roads apparently to make room for the camera van they sent out to broadcast live footage of driving on the highway.  It almost made me long for a segment on the Republican presidential campaign.

Do you live in an area where snow is a rarity? I noticed the same kind of thing when I moved from the SF Bay Area to a town that is less fault-line-intensive; here it's big news when there's a 3.4 earthquake, down there it would be a big yawn. "A 3.4? Must be Tuesday."

[Qoass]

 

Do you live in an area where snow is a rarity?

 

 

Hardly:  I'm in New England which has had an unseasonably (but delightfully) warm December. This was the first snow since last March so the local television crews had a delayed-gratification snowgasm...

[annzeepark914]

Well, I just got back from MN for Xmas.  On the way to Minneapolis, we were flying in first class (got upgraded--what a thrill, initially).  Unfortunately, before the plane left the gate, a 2 year old two seats behind & across the aisle started screaming when it was time to be buckled in.  The screams were nonstop & piercing. The flight attendants told mom that we couldn't take off until the kid was buckled.  I turned around (the screams were really that bad) & she caught me looking at her and said, "Do you have children?" and the way she said it seemed ok so I said "no".  That's when she ripped me apart for looking at them & accused me of rolling my eyes (I swear I didn't), & if I'd had children I'd understand. Then she decided to take on the flight attendants.  When they returned, saying the child was too old to sit on her lap, she said, in a very condescending voice, "Well, age really has nothing to do with it...it's size that matters".  They called some place to get advice & suddenly she got the kid buckled (cause that plane wasn't moving from the gate--wish they had booted the whole family off at that point).  I can't imagine smart mouthing flight attendants. The rest of the trip we all had to hear lessons in phonics in a very loud voice as she taught/read Sigrid her stories.

 

Then, while in a Super Target in Savage, I experienced Minnesota Not-Nice. I had 3 items and was behind a customer having a nice chat with the cashier as her items were rung up slowly.  I noticed the cashier beside us looking bored.  So I began to collect my stuff & was going to her when my original cashier said in a snotty way, "Oh, we're almost done here; you don't have to leave".  The bored cashier got a customer before I could get to her so I came back and it was my turn. The cashier sarcastically said, "See, that wasn't so painful, was it?".  Man!  In the land of Minnesota Nice, I couldn't believe it.

 

Other than that, Christmas was fun and it snowed and we went sledding and drank hot cider.  I'm glad to be home!

[Quof]

 

That's when she ripped me apart for looking at them & accused me of rolling my eyes (I swear I didn't), & if I'd had children I'd understand.

 

I would have said "Yes, I do, they're home with a sitter where they belong."

 

Bite me, Sanctimommy.

[topanga]

Well, I just got back from MN for Xmas.  On the way to Minneapolis, we were flying in first class (got upgraded--what a thrill, initially).  Unfortunately, before the plane left the gate, a 2 year old two seats behind & across the aisle started screaming when it was time to be buckled in.  The screams were nonstop & piercing. The flight attendants told mom that we couldn't take off until the kid was buckled.  I turned around (the screams were really that bad) & she caught me looking at her and said, "Do you have children?" and the way she said it seemed ok so I said "no".  That's when she ripped me apart for looking at them & accused me of rolling my eyes (I swear I didn't), & if I'd had children I'd understand. Then she decided to take on the flight attendants.  When they returned, saying the child was too old to sit on her lap, she said, in a very condescending voice, "Well, age really has nothing to do with it...it's size that matters".  They called some place to get advice & suddenly she got the kid buckled (cause that plane wasn't moving from the gate--wish they had booted the whole family off at that point).  I can't imagine smart mouthing flight attendants. The rest of the trip we all had to hear lessons in phonics in a very loud voice as she taught/read Sigrid her stories.

 

Then, while in a Super Target in Savage, I experienced Minnesota Not-Nice. I had 3 items and was behind a customer having a nice chat with the cashier as her items were rung up slowly.  I noticed the cashier beside us looking bored.  So I began to collect my stuff & was going to her when my original cashier said in a snotty way, "Oh, we're almost done here; you don't have to leave".  The bored cashier got a customer before I could get to her so I came back and it was my turn. The cashier sarcastically said, "See, that wasn't so painful, was it?".  Man!  In the land of Minnesota Nice, I couldn't believe it.

 

Other than that, Christmas was fun and it snowed and we went sledding and drank hot cider.  I'm glad to be home!

Well, the mom sounds like an asshole, but her initial reaction to you could've also been from embarrassment hidden by a lot of hostility. I've been on airplane with a crying toddler (my own), and as a parent, you try everything you can to get the child to STFU (lovingly, of course) because you know that their noise is disturbing other passengers. But this lady talked to you and the flight attendants like an entitled prick (can women be pricks?) whose child could scream and violate safety rules till the cows came home. 

 

And customer service sucks these days in so many places. I'm glad you didn't let Miss Snotty ruin your vacation. 

Edited December 30, 2015 by topanga

[Bastet]

Not that I'd be any less annoyed by a disruptive child if I was in coach, but, yeah, when I'm sitting there in a seat for which I paid a lot of money or miles and you plop down with something that runs a high risk of being a noise machine you cannot shut off ... I mentally brace myself and request that my pre-takeoff drink be made a double.  I understand that sometimes you have to get someplace with your child via airplane, but under optional circumstances I just don't think it's appropriate to take a child who will not/cannot behave on a plane. 

Edited December 31, 2015 by Bastet

[topanga]

In defense of having my phone in my hand all the time, I  use a smartphone app for my shopping list. And when I'm walking around the grocery store with my phone out and I'm looking at it and checking things off, I can feel the judging eyes of other shoppers on me. Hey, people looking on disapprovingly, phones aren't only for social media. They have practical uses too!

Me too! When other shoppers make faces at me,  I want to yell that I'm looking at my grocery list, not texting. 

[bilgistic]

I turned around (the screams were really that bad) & she caught me looking at her and said, "Do you have children?" and the way she said it seemed ok so I said "no".  That's when she ripped me apart for looking at them & accused me of rolling my eyes (I swear I didn't), & if I'd had children I'd understand.

I really, really hate when parents say that. I tell them that my mother managed by herself to make all three of us girls aged five and under behave in public in 1980. My sister does it now with her eight-year-old. Don't blame your shitty parenting on your kid, parents.

 

Says me with the obnoxious cat.