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

[GaT]

5 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

When you have some time to spare I recommend everyone clean up their ad section.

From a computer

Click on Settings >Ads > Your Interests then click on each section and hover over the box & click the ex to get rid of what you don't like. It helps, for a bit. I tend to do this once a month, takes about 5 minutes (took about 30 the first time)

Why don't you just use an ad blocker? I never see ads.

[JTMacc99]

I’m actually struggling with the pros and cons of FB right now. 
 

There are real, tangible benefits for me that other means don’t do as well. And conversely I really don’t like the power they hold over my information and over the flow of information on the internet in general. I kinda want to delete it. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 11/23/2019 at 3:40 PM, annzeepark914 said:

I love Facebook. But I treat it like a family photo album. We're all over the country & no longer seeing each other frequently. I only have 14 "friends". No politics, nothing offensive. One "friend" posts a lot of religious stuff so I hit the button that stopped her posts. She doesn't know this. I visit her page so I don't miss her nonreligious/nonpolitical posts. I have had casual friends want to be on my list but I say I've only got 14 "friends" & can't handle any more right now (they probably think I'm pathetic but at least I didn't have to say no 😎).

Me too. For me, it's the best way for me to stay in touch with my family in India, and my friends who I've met online and who I met in real life due to our mutual love for our favorite author. Plus friends from high school, that I was friends with, and have reconnected with after a number of years. 

I don't click on any ads. But then, I'm not on Face Book that often anymore due to my work schedule. And I only go on there to see what family is up to; and to check out what my few favorite authors' pages have on there.

[theredhead77]

12 hours ago, GaT said:

Why don't you just use an ad blocker? I never see ads.

I do use an ad-blocker. These aren't traditional ads, they are adverts that show up in your feed as posts and as far as I know, no ad-blocker can block those, since they are sponsored posts. If you have a an ad-blocker that blocks those please share.

[GaT]

5 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I do use an ad-blocker. These aren't traditional ads, they are adverts that show up in your feed as posts and as far as I know, no ad-blocker can block those, since they are sponsored posts. If you have a an ad-blocker that blocks those please share.

I didn't realize you were speaking about just FB, I don't do FB, so I don't have a feed to worry about LOL.

[2727]

These peeves are along the same lines of a restaurant having bad food -- and such small portions! But it would be nice if there were a happy medium.

1. Audiobook narrators. Or as they're often styled in the credits, "performed by." This isn't Shakespeare in the park, folks! Enough with the overacting, shrieking, and women making male voices sound like billy goat gruff. There's another group that for some annoying reason take loud breaths at the end of paragraphs.

2. Availability. My library almost exclusively carries the sort of popular titles found in airport gift shops that lean heavily on action and suspense. Hoopla has a slightly greater variety but only allows four checkouts per month and I've gone through most of them. An Audible subscription is $15 a month for one freaking book of your choice plus two "originals". Pfft.

3. I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited for $10/month and have Alexa read the books to me, but the majority of titles included in Unlimited are self published genre series. Those can be enjoyable and all, but popular authors and well known books are mostly excluded. At least change the danged name for truth in advertising!

For me, subscribing to streaming services is a bargain and provides a lot more value for the money than audiobooks, at around $15 each for 8-10 hours of playing time.

[ratgirlagogo]

Emotional support animals cause problems for people with trained service animals (again):

https://news.yahoo.com/airlines-veterans-riled-conduct-unbecoming-195105884.html

[emma675]

Automatic flushing toilets.

I was finishing up my business at work and turned around to flush the toilet (sometimes they flush, sometimes you have to hit the button, there's no rhyme or reason) and somehow my work badge flew off and landed in the toilet. IN THE TOILET. Which, of course, started to automatically flush, the bastard.

Those stupid badges are essential because you can't get into the parking garage or onto any of our office floors without them and it costs $40 to replace if you lose it. So I panic, stick my hand INTO THE TOILET, and grab it. Then I practically run through the stall door to throw it and my hand into the sink. 

There isn't enough Lysol in the world, people. 

[meowmommy]

6 hours ago, emma675 said:

Automatic flushing toilets.

And the flip side of your poopy story, when they don't flush.  When you're in a busy restroom and women are waiting, and you don't want the next person to walk into your deposit, so you wait, and wait, while they wonder whether you fell into the toilet because you're taking so long.

No rhyme or reason.  There was one automatic toilet where I used to work that was guaranteed to go off two or three times while you were still sitting on it.  And forget about laying the paper toilet cover before you sat down.  That mofo grabbed it every single time.

[TattleTeeny]

On 11/26/2019 at 3:43 PM, emma675 said:

Automatic flushing toilets.

I was finishing up my business at work and turned around to flush the toilet (sometimes they flush, sometimes you have to hit the button, there's no rhyme or reason) and somehow my work badge flew off and landed in the toilet. IN THE TOILET. Which, of course, started to automatically flush, the bastard.

Those stupid badges are essential because you can't get into the parking garage or onto any of our office floors without them and it costs $40 to replace if you lose it. So I panic, stick my hand INTO THE TOILET, and grab it. Then I practically run through the stall door to throw it and my hand into the sink. 

There isn't enough Lysol in the world, people. 

You're actually kind of amazing! I, for better or worse, would not even go for my phone if it fell in the toilet, haha!

Once in the airport bathroom, after waiting in line for a long time when I was already annoyed, I took forever arranging toilet paper on the seat and when I turned to undo my belt, the automatic toilet flushed and took it all! I think I screamed.

Edited November 27, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[Brookside]

17 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Once in the airport bathroom, after waiting in line for a long time when I was already annoyed, I took forever arranging toilet paper on the seat and when I turned to undo my belt, the automatic toilet flushed and took it all! I think I screamed.

It's been pretty well documented that covering the toilet seat has no benefit, and may even be detrimental.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/17/what-happens-when-you-dont-use-toilet-seat-cover/99293226/

[TattleTeeny]

Well, I am not going to hover and I'm not going to bare-ass it (especially at Newark airport), so covering it is.

Edited November 28, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Brookside said:

It's been pretty well documented that covering the toilet seat has no benefit, and may even be detrimental.

Oh good, because I never use those things; I have always found them annoying for no specific reason.

[Nordly Beaumont]

3 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Well, I am not going to hover

Thank you!

[peacheslatour]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

Oh good, because I never use those things; I have always found them annoying for no specific reason.

I have seen people leave those soaked with pee for the next person to pick up. It's disgusting.

[TattleTeeny]

Have you been visiting the ladies room at my office, Peaches? Because OH MY GOD, what in the hell?! I often walk down two flights to use the one on another floor of the building.

[Brookside]

50 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Have you been visiting the ladies room at my office, Peaches? Because OH MY GOD, what in the hell?! I often walk down two flights to use the one on another floor of the building.

This is reminding me of an old job where the CEO would tuck his newspaper under his arm at 1:00 by clockwork every day and head off to the men's room.  He'd emerge half an hour later.  I've never understood men and their bowel movements.  Why don't they just go when the urge takes them?

[meowmommy]

28 minutes ago, Brookside said:

This is reminding me of an old job where the CEO would tuck his newspaper under his arm at 1:00 by clockwork every day and head off to the men's room.  He'd emerge half an hour later.  I've never understood men and their bowel movements.  Why don't they just go when the urge takes them?

Ummm....I used to wonder that, about my dad.  He would lock himself in the "library," so you had to use another bathroom.  It was years later that I realized what was in the library.

[Brookside]

18 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Well, I am not going to hover 

Why not?  It's great for resistance training and way cheaper than the gym.

Seriously though, what's wrong with "hovering"?  (And how has this thread got here? 🙂 )

[TattleTeeny]

Oh, nothing if you do it well, which I always could, haha! But I wear big clunky platform shoes a lot, which really adds to the "workout" of my old self! But platforms are nothing compared to (peeve alert)...

CONTROL-TOP TIGHTS! Oh my god, they really challenge your balance in that situation, which I learned after borrowing a pair from my sister without realizing they were horrible control-top! I do not recommend; those tights were relentless--ooh, the teetering they caused. And the squeezing! I ended up making a cut to the waist with scissors, causing my sister to say, "You can borrow tights but please don't put them back in my drawer with weird slashes in them!" Fair enough.

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by TattleTeeny

[Nordly Beaumont]

15 hours ago, Brookside said:

Seriously though, what's wrong with "hovering"?

As actress Alex Borstein says in her Twitter profile:

"If every chick sat down when using a public toilet then we could all sit down. Hovering only leads to your piss on the seat. Stop it."

She even started her acceptance speech with that when she won an Emmy! I guess it's a real peeve for her!!

15 hours ago, Brookside said:

(And how has this thread got here? 🙂 )

We're weirdos! 😁

[harrie]

12 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Oh, nothing if you do it well, which I always could, haha! But I wear big clunky platform shoes a lot, which really adds to the "workout" of my old self! But platforms are nothing compared to (peeve alert)...

See, that's the thing -- everyone who hovers thinks they do it well.  And they don't.  

[TattleTeeny]

Maybe that's true. But I can assure you I do NOT leave messes in bathrooms.

[ABay]

Seasonal pet peeve: Ovation fucking TV. Every year I search for Battle of the Nutcrackers and every year it's harder to find it. Ovation fucking TV's website doesn't have a search feature, the schedule is a pain in the ass, the BotN link in the program menu has been going to 2018 since last year, and Googling/Duckduckgoing/Binging just calls up old articles. Finally, last night Ovation fucking TV BotN 2019 came up and I go to the website where it takes several more minutes to discover that the dates do finally correspond to the current calendar BUT 1. BotN started LAST Sunday and 2. is only available with Ovation fucking NOW, an app you can only add if you have a cable or satellite subscription. Fuck you, Ovation. If you don't want to do BotN then just drop it. Merry fucking Christmas, assholes.

[peacheslatour]

New Pet Peeve. OK Boomer. What a great way to divide us even more than we're already divided. Fuck.

[Guest]

If anyone has an issue with site functionality, including ad problems and formatting, please post it here. 

[Drogo]

Posts have been removed.  As a reminder, political discussion is off-limits here. 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

Children/teenagers who ride their bikes on sidewalks. 

When I was a kid, they showed us a film in school showing us not to ride our bikes on sidewalks. 

I'm kind of the opposite.  A few years ago, I saw a girl who looked to be about 7 or 8, riding her bike quite properly in the road downtown, but it was making me nervous as heck and I really wished she would just take to the sidewalk. But, teens and adults, I'm with you.

[Bastet]

When I was a kid, little kids rode on the sidewalks, except for in cul de sacs or other low-traffic streets.  Only bigger kids rode in the busier streets, but I can't remember at what age the transition usually occurred; maybe 10?  So I don't take notice when I see a kid riding her/his bike down the sidewalk today (as long as they're not being rude or dangerous to pedestrians).  If I think anything, it's that it's nice to see a kid getting some fresh air and exercise rather than staring at a screen, because I hardly ever see kids riding bikes anymore.

[ParadoxLost]

Companies that do everything in their power not to give customer service.

Websites don't provide proper instructions.

And certainly no contact numbers

Google their customer service number

Get an automated question tree that dead ends at

You can go to our website (did that) or you can opt for this paid service (hell, no).

Yelling 'operator' 'operator' 'operator' gets you to a rep in India.

Then you have to spell out everything you tell them in a (bastardized) NATO phonetic alphabet because every letter you say they hear is 'a'

Then they do exactly what you did and

whoops the connection stopped working (cause this next part takes 15 minutes) but it will 100% work 

Then it doesn't.

Then start call #2.

Its fixed but I want that hour and a half back.

[Bastet]

36 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

And certainly no contact numbers

And sometimes no email address.  I don't want to chat, I want to email. 

[GaT]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

And sometimes no email address.  I don't want to chat, I want to email. 

THIS a billion times. I don't want to waste my time on the phone with you, I want to send you an email when it's convenient for me, not during your working hours.

[Zola]

Websites that constantly update their terms & conditions.

And this isn't just a couple of sentences, but usually pages and pages of legalese that no one outside of a lawyer's office would truly understand, but you have to pretend to have read it in order to click the "Accept" option.

Of course you could choose to click "Reject", but then you lose access to the website and any apps the site hosts.

So they've got you over a barrel. 

[emma675]

One of my new boots has a squeak in the sole. I didn't notice it in the store because it was so loud and only noticed it in the quiet of my office today, so I've been walking around in them for a while now. Anyone know how to fix it or am I doomed to a life of being unable to sneak around when I'm wearing them?

[ginger90]

7 hours ago, emma675 said:

One of my new boots has a squeak in the sole. I didn't notice it in the store because it was so loud and only noticed it in the quiet of my office today, so I've been walking around in them for a while now. Anyone know how to fix it or am I doomed to a life of being unable to sneak around when I'm wearing them?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.wikihow.com/Fix-Squeaky-Shoes%3famp=1

[annzeepark914]

Here's something odd: there are some shoes I can't wear if I've had a pedicure with polish.  I hear a squeaky noise and it's from the thick layer of polish that they put on, esp the big toenail, rubbing against the shoe.  Once I remove the polish, I can wear my good shoes (dressy flats, heels) w/o any noise. Next pedicure I'm just going to have her do everything except polish and save the polish for summertime.

[TattleTeeny]

YOU GUYS, why, why, WHY does Amazon's tracking constantly claim that orders have been delivered when they have not yet been delivered?! I cannot take it! As an organized (and also an admittedly spendy and somewhat impatient) person, I keep track of what's ordered, especially at this time of year!

For the second time this week, tracking info says a package has arrived when it has not. When this happens, I take the time to contact Amazon and see what's what and resolve it ASAP. Just last night, I was issued a refund for--and reordered!--a package that was documented as delivered on Wednesday--and it arrived today. Now I have two of the same thing and a refund that I should probably give back (which will take more of my time!). And today, same thing: tracking says a different order was delivered last night. I got my mail literally at midnight (because I was out seeing The Cult, yay!) and it was not there. The organized part of me wants to contact Amazon, but the tiny patient part of me says give it a minute. 

Why do they do this?!

[BookWoman56]

@TattleTeeny, I have had the same experience with other carriers, especially UPS, to the point I called UPS to ask them what was going on. After listening to the corporate speak about the issue, my conclusion was that many times the driver has delivered the package to the wrong address (one street over or a few houses down) and the other times it’s the driver deliberately scanning the item as having been delivered, so as to make the driver’s delivery time stats look better, and then they actually deliver it later that day or the following day. 

[TattleTeeny]

Yeah, for the most part for me, it's not even an incorrect delivery, it's the time thing! And then, like an idiot, I try to take care of it right away in case there is a real issue, and this is where it gets me! Just do it right!

[emma675]

1 hour ago, BookWoman56 said:

...the other times it’s the driver deliberately scanning the item as having been delivered, so as to make the driver’s delivery time stats look better, and then they actually deliver it later that day or the following day. 

I have a friend who worked at Amazon corporate and 99% of the time, it's this reason. Drivers are so overwhelmed with packages (and Prime just makes it worse) that a lot of them scan packages as delivered before they actually are.

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I have a friend who worked at Amazon corporate and 99% of the time, it's this reason. Drivers are so overwhelmed with packages (and Prime just makes it worse) that a lot of them scan packages as delivered before they actually are.

I just wish they'd leave the packages where I can find them. The other day I was wondering where the jeans I ordered for my DH were. I tracked them and found out that they'd been left on our back porch. I went back there an finally found them and another package under the tarp which we keep draped over the lawn mower in the winter.

[ABay]

When that has happened to me, it has almost* always been because UPS or FedEx says "delivered" when they mean delivered to USPS for them to complete the delivery.

*One time there was a misdelivery and USPS sent the driver back to where he left it and do it right.

[Bastet]

I've never had that happen, but I keep my online ordering from big box stores to a bare minimum (because of how the warehouse workers are treated), so it probably just hasn't happened to me yet.  It's sad that it's because of unrealistic "deliver X packages per hour" requirements imposed on the drivers (like the ridiculous timelines given to warehouse workers for locating items and sending them down the line).  Companies offering low prices and free shipping comes at a human cost.

I can't believe it's already Dec. 7th.  I haven't even managed to get my exterior lights up yet, and I normally do that the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  But I wound up napping and watching football instead, and rain is keeping me from it this weekend.  I think I can knock off early Monday and do it then.  Then I need to get a tree and get the inside of the house decorated.  I used to just decorate the living room (where the tree is), but last year I bought additional items and also did the study, dining room, and bathrooms.  It didn't look like Christmas threw up in any of those rooms, and the overall effect really made me happy (I am not generally in "the Christmas spirit", whatever that is, so for Christmas decorations to make me happy is a big thing).  So I want to get that going this year.

And, of course, I still need to figure out what I'm getting anyone as gifts and go shopping; I need to arrange my schedule so I can take a day next week to do that (I cannot handle weekend crowds ever, let alone at the holidays).  My parents already have everything!  And I don't want to get something just to get something, but I don't want them sitting there done after a few presents each while I keep opening.  So it gets harder every year to come up with things they'll use and enjoy.  I have a couple of things for my mom already, but that's it so far. @StatisticalOutlier, any cool things for the motorhome ideas?  That heated mattress pad I got them based on your review two or three years ago continues to be a huge hit.  And things for the RV are perfect as gifts for the two of them together.  It's just they pretty much have everything in there, too.

@auntlada, are you watching the Big 12 championship?  My big peeve for the day is Jalen Hurts putting the damn ball in Baylor's hands, which is what he did last time they played.  Baylor is playing the Big 12 championship with a backup QB and gaining fewer offensive yards than my cat could if she put her mind to it; OU should be beating the shit out of them instead of looking to squeak by with another win.  The number four slot is on the line!

[auntlada]

I haven't been, @Bastet. This morning was a club fundraiser, and tonight is a school fundraiser. In between is either laundry, Project Runway or Virgin River (on Netflix). I think laundry is going to lose.

Also, I'm not allowed to pay attention. When I pay attention, OU plays worse. My husband wants to know why I can't use my powers for good.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, ABay said:

When that has happened to me, it has almost* always been because UPS or FedEx says "delivered" when they mean delivered to USPS for them to complete the delivery.

THIS is what drives me crazy, you buy something that says "delivery in 4 days", but what they really mean is delivery to whatever post office they can get it to, & then you have to wait for the USPS to process the item to deliver to you.  

[TattleTeeny]

It's just all so maddening when you're using the tracking feature not because you're expecting miracles or for drivers to break their backs just for your package, but because you're trying to be organized and orderly. I feel like this premature scanning thing may save them time in the interim, I guess, but then adds to the workloads of the customer service people fielding the messages from concerned consumers. I don't need my stuff any sooner than they can reasonably get it here, and if I did, I'd go out and buy it in person or pay the fees for expedited service. 

[ParadoxLost]

7 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

It's just all so maddening when you're using the tracking feature not because you're expecting miracles or for drivers to break their backs just for your package, but because you're trying to be organized and orderly. I feel like this premature scanning thing may save them time in the interim, I guess, but then adds to the workloads of the customer service people fielding the messages from concerned consumers. I don't need my stuff any sooner than they can reasonably get it here, and if I did, I'd go out and buy it in person or pay the fees for expedited service. 

This has got to be a Corporate metric thing.  Unrealistic expectations and committing to more than they are paying for because they don't have enough delivery people to meet the expectations and there has got to be some kind of incentive/disincentive that is making drivers fake the data.

There is a fast food franchise here where multiple locations have started sending cars from the drive thru to the front of the restaurant and they send the food out the front door.  One time they tried that with me while it was raining when there were no cars behind me.  We had a little chat about why.  Basically the owner of those locations decided to "fix" the measurement of how long cars waited from ordering to food delivery.  Even if that meant customers were going to be unhappy about waiting in traffic for the food and the employees were running in and out of the building....in the rain.

[TattleTeeny]

I feel like this same thing happens on a smaller scale too--particularly for Stop & Shop's grocery delivery service. Drivers show up late--or sometimes early, like when you're not home from work yet--and look stressed out. I bet they take all the shit from annoyed people for it, but I doubt it's their fault for the most part. More like S&S having unrealistic expectations of how many deliveries one person can fit into a day's work.

[Was-MArsenault]

When a famous person that I really like dies.

[Mindthinkr]

I got a package yesterday...on time. The peeve is that they left it on the stairs, in the rain, instead of going up those three stairs and putting it under my large covered front porch.