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

[ABay]

If GoNetSpeed comes to your neighborhood, I recommend it. $50 a month forever ($52 with tax), faster than Comcast ever was, great customer service--they sent a crew out on 12/23 after dark in crappy weather!--and the only problem I've had in about a year is when the contractors severed the connection and then claimed they didn't. That was 12/23.

[bilgistic]

GoNetSpeed isn't around here.

Y'all, I had to make ANOTHER call because my internet wasn't back on an hour and 45 minutes after the rep "turned it back on". Thirty minutes later in my FOURTH phone call, it's back on. Total phone time: 3:30.

I plan to burn down Spectrum HQ tonight. Who's with me?

(/s, obviously.)

[Mountainair]

5 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I dreamed about this mess all night. I've decided I'm just going to get the internet turned back on and forget about the TV channels. I'm going to see about getting new service with a different provider at my boyfriend's. He currently has service with that provider, but I can get a much better/cheaper deal with new service. I don't want to give Spectrum any more money.

Unfortunately for us we don't have any other option but Spectrum for internet but I routinely switch my cable provider every two years in order to get the best deals. They'll do anything to get you in the door but nothing to keep you. I'm currently with Dish for cable but in December my contract is up and I'll be back to shopping around for the best deal. 

[HissyFit]

3 hours ago, Mountainair said:

Unfortunately for us we don't have any other option but Spectrum for internet but I routinely switch my cable provider every two years in order to get the best deals. They'll do anything to get you in the door but nothing to keep you. I'm currently with Dish for cable but in December my contract is up and I'll be back to shopping around for the best deal. 

I applaud your willingness to play musical chairs every two years, but you succinctly outlined my pet peeve: "They'll do anything to get you in the door but nothing to keep you." I would commit to a lifetime contract with the phone/internet/cable service that would always guarantee me their best rate.

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, HissyFit said:

I applaud your willingness to play musical chairs every two years, but you succinctly outlined my pet peeve: "They'll do anything to get you in the door but nothing to keep you." I would commit to a lifetime contract with the phone/internet/cable service that would always guarantee me their best rate.

Exactly. My "promotional rate" kept climbing over the past few years, and no amount of negotiating would get me a better deal. My bill jumped $15(!!!) last month, which I thought was mighty convenient timing given that everyone was/is under the stay-at-home order.

Through all of this bullshit, no one at Spectrum offered me any kind of credit on my bill. Virtually anyone else with whom I do business (except the power company, probably) would have duked me a little something if they had screwed up to even a degree of what Spectrum did. I'm not surprised they didn't, because it's par for the course.

I keep thinking about that first rep, before it all went to hell, the one who screwed it up to start with (and then there were five after him...). He kept trying to sell me on their mobile phone plan. I told him, "Look, man, I don't want to do business with y'all for my cable and internet. I'm definitely not giving you my mobile phone business." THANK THE GODS I didn't let him talk me into Spectrum Mobile.

[bilgistic]

In today's episode of "I hate everyone"...

I just took all the trash and recycling out. There was a lot, and frankly, it was (I hope it was) the mental barrier keeping me from getting in gear with the moving preparations. I filled up my car with the recyclables, because the sole recycling area is across my complex.

Some lazy piece of human garbage had left a giant 6’+ long, thick/wide cardboard box that held a GAZEBO laying across the width of the recycling area. One end was pinned under the dumpster because I guess the trash folks didn't move it before emptying the dumpster. I couldn't move it. I had to climb over the box to put my recyclables in the bins.

On my last trip back to the car, I tripped over that stupid box and my right big toe slammed/banged/grinded against the concrete. It's the same toe from which I recently had an ingrown toenail excised. It hurts so badly! My toenail is crunched/broken and my flipflop was filling up with blood as I drove back. I'm now soaking my foot. It's a bloody mess (literally and figuratively). I HATE PEOPLE!

Edited May 9, 2020 by bilgistic

[Annber03]

Why the hell would someone think that's the best way to get rid of a freaking gazebo? How...bizarre. 

Sorry you hurt your toe/foot. That sounds incredibly painful. Hope it heals up all right!

[bilgistic]

51 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Why the hell would someone think that's the best way to get rid of a freaking gazebo? How...bizarre.

Because if we've learned anything over the last few months, people are incredibly entitled and simply cannot be inconvenienced!

[Mountainair]

19 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Through all of this bullshit, no one at Spectrum offered me any kind of credit on my bill. Virtually anyone else with whom I do business (except the power company, probably) would have duked me a little something if they had screwed up to even a degree of what Spectrum did. I'm not surprised they didn't, because it's par for the course.

To make a long story short, at the beginning of the year we parted ways with our business partner to go out on our own. We moved business operations into our home which meant we had to cease a lot of the services we were receiving at our office location in town. Part of that was cancelling our cable subscription with Spectrum but we wanted to keep internet and phone services at the office location for the other business owner. Spectrum told my husband that it would be cheaper to keep the cable than to cancel it. If we cancelled the cable but kept phone and internet the bill would go up by about $25. Makes no sense unless you look at it like they need to keep the cable customer numbers high because of all the competition with streaming. Which also makes one think they wouldn't want to piss off their cable customers and send them running elsewhere. So, the current owner of the business at our old office is paying for cable, internet, and phone but has no TV. 

 

22 hours ago, HissyFit said:

I applaud your willingness to play musical chairs every two years, but you succinctly outlined my pet peeve: "They'll do anything to get you in the door but nothing to keep you." I would commit to a lifetime contract with the phone/internet/cable service that would always guarantee me their best rate.

I'm actually really happy with Dish right now and might not switch providers when my contract is up. I've thought about cutting the cord completely and visited my Aunt and Uncle back in October who were using YouTube Tv and was quite impressed with what it offered. An antenna doesn't work where we live and I would miss getting to watch my local channels (news, Jeopardy, Sports) which is the main reason I keep cable. But with YouTube TV they were able to watch football games and current programming. 

[Moose135]

I've had YouTube TV since last October, and I am very happy with it. I get all the local Charlotte stations - network and local independents, most of the major cable networks (Hallmark and History being two I don't) and plenty of sports - several flavors of ESPN, FS1 & 2, NBCSN, the regional sports channel (Fox Sports South, I think) as well as MLB, Golf, and maybe NFL Network. They also have separate add-ons for premium movie and sports channels. All that for $49.99 a month.

[harrie]

Also a fan of YouTube TV.  I also pay $20 a month for Philo to get some missing channels - History, A&E, the MTV family of channels, Hallmark, Up, Lifetime (because I need those Lifetime movies), for example.  At ~$70 per month, I'm still paying half or less than what I did for cable. 

[bilgistic]

My flat "leaf"-style antenna that I've had for several years is doing fabulously for getting the local broadcast channels. I'm on the second floor and there's an unobstructed window to which I have taped the antenna. I may not have as good results at my boyfriend's place; It's a ground-floor unit and the window is under a breezeway.

I watch a handful of things on the local channels and piecemeal the rest of the things I watch via my family's subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu and DirecTV. I share my Prime Video account with them.

Edited May 9, 2020 by bilgistic

[emma675]

I still have DirecTV and haven't switched yet because I can't figure out if I would still get all of my local channels and specialty channels (like Hallmark, HBO, all of my sports channels, etc.) with something like YouTube or Roku or whatever. But my bill keeps rising so I'm going to have to do something. 

[TattleTeeny]

Almost screamed at a customer service rep, which is not my style at all.

On May 1, I ordered flowers for my "second mom" (my BFF's mom whom I've known for 40 years now), who is in a care facility after dementia set in crazy-rapidly a couple of years ago. The delivery date I chose was yesterday. As of now, they haven't even been shipped...though I have been charged a "weekend/same-day" fee, even though this is neither of those things (they did the same on my own mom's order too, which was delivered yesterday afternoon. But my mother hasn't called to say thank you, which now makes me doubt that delivery too). Now the soonest they can promise delivery is May 12. So, she will get nothing on Mother's Day while obviously not being allowed visitors. And no explanation as to why I wasn't alerted by email regarding the delay (and judging by the number of emails I get daily from them, surely they know how to reach me).

They say that they're "out of flowers" now and nothing can be done for today or tomorrow, even though I tried to wrangle a lesser arrangement--just anything so Mom can have something. She's in and out of lucidity and still fairly independent-minded, as far as one can be where she is, literally and figuratively. If she's lucid on Mother's Day, she is going to feel neglected.

The rep finally--after countless finger-pointings at UPS, various reasons for the fees (all somehow different each time and all nonsense), and 3 requests to speak to someone else--transferred me. They wanted to give me a credit...to use them again! Hell no.

EDIT: She agreed to refund the whole order but also deliver it on Tuesday. But I just got an email for a refund...

and a cancelation of the order.

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[peacheslatour]

Quote

They say that they're "out of flowers" now and nothing can be done for today or tomorrow, even though I tried to wrangle a lesser arrangement--just anything so Mom can have something. She's in and out of lucidity and still fairly independent-minded, as far as one can be where she is, literally and figuratively. If she's lucid on Mother's Day, she is going to feel neglected.

I'm sorry about your friend but as a retired florist, when a florist says they're out of flowers they are out of flowers. Happened to me on Valentines Day. Of course by then I had made my deliveries for the day and it was just walk ins straggling in at the last minute. With the 'rona they could be having a hell of a time getting their own fresh flowers delivered to their shops.

[TattleTeeny]

25 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm sorry about your friend but as a retired florist, when a florist says they're out of flowers they are out of flowers. Happened to me on Valentines Day. Of course by then I had made my deliveries for the day and it was just walk ins straggling in at the last minute. With the 'rona they could be having a hell of a time getting their own fresh flowers delivered to their shops.

Oh, yeah--I don't doubt "out of flowers," even during non-"unprecedented times." But I can't help but feel like this company (which isn't just one flower shop) could have intervened a bit sooner--or at all, considering I wouldn't have had any idea if I hadn't checked on it.

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

Almost screamed at a customer service rep, which is not my style at all.

On May 1, I ordered flowers for my "second mom" (my BFF's mom whom I've known for 40 years now), who is in a care facility after dementia set in crazy-rapidly a couple of years ago. The delivery date I chose was yesterday. As of now, they haven't even been shipped...though I have been charged a "weekend/same-day" fee, even though this is neither of those things (they did the same on my own mom's order too, which was delivered yesterday afternoon. But my mother hasn't called to say thank you, which now makes me doubt that delivery too). Now the soonest they can promise delivery is May 12. So, she will get nothing on Mother's Day while obviously not being allowed visitors. And no explanation as to why I wasn't alerted by email regarding the delay (and judging by the number of emails I get daily from them, surely they know how to reach me).

They say that they're "out of flowers" now and nothing can be done for today or tomorrow, even though I tried to wrangle a lesser arrangement--just anything so Mom can have something. She's in and out of lucidity and still fairly independent-minded, as far as one can be where she is, literally and figuratively. If she's lucid on Mother's Day, she is going to feel neglected.

The rep finally--after countless finger-pointings at UPS, various reasons for the fees (all somehow different each time and all nonsense), and 3 requests to speak to someone else--transferred me. They wanted to give me a credit...to use them again! Hell no.

EDIT: She agreed to refund the whole order but also deliver it on Tuesday. But I just got an email for a refund...

and a cancelation of the order.

 

1-800 flowers?

If you have an Edible Arrangements in your area they may still have inventory.

[TattleTeeny]

Oh my goodness, they have just confirmed that they canceled the whole thing. I called back and they set me up with a new order to be delivered Tuesday and tried to charge the same amount that I was charged way back when I made the original order -- including that "same-day/weekend" fee!

EDIT: Rep came back and offered me a discount that was less than the inexplicable "same-day/weekend" fee -- all while sniping that it wasn't her who screwed this all up to high heavens. I laughed, thanked her, and said forget it. Did some scrambling and actually found a local florist who will deliver tomorrow for no extra fee (total was about the same as the ill-fated other one). Whether they can get it there tomorrow remains to be seen, but OK--whatever at this point; I have no reason to doubt this, or doubt that they would at least let me know of any issues. 

Edited May 9, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

or doubt that they would at least let me know of any issues. 

Well, I was right about this part, at least. Just got an email saying that the arrangement I chose is unavailable. Back to the drawing board!

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Oh my goodness, they have just confirmed that they canceled the whole thing. I called back and they set me up with a new order to be delivered Tuesday and tried to charge the same amount that I was charged way back when I made the original order -- including that "same-day/weekend" fee!

EDIT: Rep came back and offered me a discount that was less than the inexplicable "same-day/weekend" fee -- all while sniping that it wasn't her who screwed this all up to high heavens. I laughed, thanked her, and said forget it. Did some scrambling and actually found a local florist who will deliver tomorrow for no extra fee (total was about the same as the ill-fated other one). Whether they can get it there tomorrow remains to be seen, but OK--whatever at this point; I have no reason to doubt this, or doubt that they would at least let me know of any issues. 

Yeah, always go with the local people. They really care about their customers (who may be neighbors) and I know I would bend over backwards to keep a customer happy. I'm glad you got it sorted.

[TattleTeeny]

As of now, I have something in for Monday. If that doesn't work, I suppose I could go rogue, pick something from the side of the road, and toss it onto the facility's doorstep with a note! However, it is snowing right now in North Jerz--will the roadside flowers be there for me?!

Edited May 9, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[Browncoat]

You might have to dig through the snow, @TattleTeeny, but the snow will keep any roadside flowers relatively warm -- it's meant to be below freezing here tonight, with clear skies.  I don't know what's going to survive!  So my current pet peeve is this ridiculous cold snap (heh, almost typed slap).  

[TattleTeeny]

I'll slap it! I went out to the animal shelter today in normal, nice weather and suddenly I was in a squall!

[bilgistic]

We need "rage face" reaction emojis on these forums.

[TattleTeeny]

My (actual) mom just got her flowers. Looks like I am back on the phone with this shady-ass customer service. They too were supposed to have been delivered Friday. And they are wilted and brown. I never had a problem with this place before but it looks like they're losing their marbles over there!

[annzeepark914]

Has anyone contacted the yeast companies to ask where the heck is this product? Fleischman's--are you producing any more of those little packets? I'm not much of a baker (it's too precise & mysterious for my personality, I guess) but I'd sure like to make a few bakery items during these self isolation days. 

[Moose135]

19 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Yeah, always go with the local people. They really care about their customers (who may be neighbors) and I know I would bend over backwards to keep a customer happy.

While that's great advice, it would also mean calling a random florist 600 miles away to get flowers delivered. I'm not sure that would work well for me. I've mostly used ProFlowers, and Bouqs a few times over the past 8-10 years - I've had a couple of issues, but I've usually been satisfied with the results.

[peacheslatour]

57 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Has anyone contacted the yeast companies to ask where the heck is this product? Fleischman's--are you producing any more of those little packets? I'm not much of a baker (it's too precise & mysterious for my personality, I guess) but I'd sure like to make a few bakery items during these self isolation days. 

Oh god, I could have shot myself yesterday, I had two precious packets of yeast left and I was making pizza. I accidentally cut into the second one while cutting them apart and half the contents of the second package got dumped on the counter.

[Bastet]

22 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Yeah, always go with the local people. They really care about their customers (who may be neighbors) and I know I would bend over backwards to keep a customer happy.

There is a florist right down the street from my parents' house that has been there my whole life.  The one nearest to me (about half a mile) has changed hands a few times and I haven't tried out the newest folks yet.  There are a couple more in my neighborhood that have been around a very long time.  The florist who did the flowers for my parents' anniversary party took over from his dad, so that shop has made it (very well; they do a lot of events for the studios) a long time.  And the family-owned bakery from which we got the anniversary cake is the same place that had done their wedding cake.

I don't order flowers very often, but I wish I'd thought to do it for Mother's Day this year.  I don't normally get my mom flowers; instead we spend the day together (go to a museum, gallery, etc., go to lunch, then hang out at my parents' house and I make dinner), but obviously that cannot happen this year.  It would have been a nice surprise for flowers to show up.  Oh well.  Maybe it will be an even nicer surprise if I order "miss you" flowers to show up on a random day next week.  Especially if the card reads, "Just to let you know I miss spending time with you.  Okay, yeah, I didn't get my shit together in time to send you Mother's Day flowers."

[peacheslatour]

36 minutes ago, Bastet said:

There is a florist right down the street from my parents' house that has been there my whole life.  The one nearest to me (about half a mile) has changed hands a few times and I haven't tried out the newest folks yet.  There are a couple more in my neighborhood that have been around a very long time.  The florist who did the flowers for my parents' anniversary party took over from his dad, so that shop has made it (very well; they do a lot of events for the studios) a long time.  And the family-owned bakery from which we got the anniversary cake is the same place that had done their wedding cake.

I don't order flowers very often, but I wish I'd thought to do it for Mother's Day this year.  I don't normally get my mom flowers; instead we spend the day together (go to a museum, gallery, etc., go to lunch, then hang out at my parents' house and I make dinner), but obviously that cannot happen this year.  It would have been a nice surprise for flowers to show up.  Oh well.  Maybe it will be an even nicer surprise if I order "miss you" flowers to show up on a random day next week.  Especially if the card reads, "Just to let you know I miss spending time with you.  Okay, yeah, I didn't get my shit together in time to send you Mother's Day flowers."

When my mom was alive I used to send her flowers on my birthday and thank her for making me a happy, healthy person.

[TattleTeeny]

My faith is renewed. The place I finally ordered from for Mom 2's flowers just called me to let me know that they are on track for delivery tomorrow afternoon. Such a vast difference--the big place doesn't do a thing to let someone know that there's a problem while the smaller operation does more than it even needs to.

[Browncoat]

I actually left a dead tree in my yard on purpose.  But it’s in the middle of the yard, and right now if it falls, it won’t hit anything except maybe another tree in my yard.  I did have it cut back when it died so it wouldn’t hit my house, but I left it for the woodpeckers and other insect-eating critters. 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Browncoat

[Blergh]

After having gone through a local storm that knocked the power out for the better part of a week, I got very frustrated with my cable/'Net/ phone provider that kept saying they'd reconnect me at very specific times two days in a row but didn't wind up doing so until the afternoon after the third 'promised' set-in-stone time! 

[bilgistic]

I have a 5"x7" purple bruise on my inner thigh from my tangle with the gazebo box at the recycling area last week. My toe is very slowly improving. I was able to cut about a third of the nail down from where it was crunched at the top. I could barely stand to touch it before. I don't think I'm going to lose the nail, since the left side seems to still be pretty well attached, but it's badly bruised. The wounds at the nail end/bed and knuckle are still open and bloody. I've been soaking in Epsom salt and rebandaging every 24-36 hours.

I move next Saturday. It's going to be interesting trying to do so with a gauze-wrapped bum toe. Not sure how I'm going to fit it in a closed-toe shoe for safely moving. I usually live in flip-flops.

[peacheslatour]

3 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I have a 5"x7" purple bruise on my inner thigh from my tangle with the gazebo box at the recycling area last week. My toe is very slowly improving. I was able to cut about a third of the nail down from where it was crunched at the top. I could barely stand to touch it before. I don't think I'm going to lose the nail, since the left side seems to still be pretty well attached, but it's badly bruised. The wounds at the nail end/bed and knuckle are still open and bloody. I've been soaking in Epsom salt and rebandaging every 24-36 hours.

I move next Saturday. It's going to be interesting trying to do so with a gauze-wrapped bum toe. Not sure how I'm going to fit it in a closed-toe shoe for safely moving. I usually live in flip-flops.

Ah shit, that's bad. Make sure you put plenty of Neosporin in it. I hate ingrown toe nails. I used to get them on both big toes. One time I was buying a bottle of Champagne and as I was putting it in my cart, it slipped out of my hand and dropped straight down onto my toe. I always thought it  was a cartoon thing but I actually saw stars.

[emma675]

That's how I broke my big toe last year, I dropped a full glass bottle of juice right on top of my bare foot. I didn't see stars but I fell over cursing and scared the dog. Two weeks later I fell over again and broke my wrist, with the same amount of cursing. July 2019 sucked. 

[Guest]

On 5/11/2020 at 5:15 AM, icemiser69 said:

Neighbors who plant trees and bushes near a property line, which results in a yard that was once sunny to become shaded.  End results?  Sun loving perennial plants along with trees either no longer perform as well as they once did, or they die off completely due to the lack of sun.

Neighbors who have a standing dead tree in their yard who don't bother to take it down.   It eventually falls into a neighbor's yard, taking down fencing, perennials, living trees, and causing other damage.  Then they don't bother to clean up the mess.   They don't bother to apologize either.  Somehow, they believe it was never their problem in the first place.

Most of the money and time I spend on my yard (and roof) is in combating the problems that migrate from my neighbor's yard onto my property.

Their weeds, their trees, their leaves, their drainage.  Their backyard is a damn eyesore that I get to look at.   I would get a fence to block looking at it but I was out with a landscaper once getting a quote to fix all the dead grass and stuff that came from their shade and their roots and their weeds and they eagerly asked if I was getting a fence.... because they want a fence but they don't want to pay for one.  Nope.   Not happening.

I've invented a backstory for them that they don't have the money for anything beyond basic upkeep on their property to keep from being irritated all the time.  I only get irritated when I'm having to spend money and time on to do normally unnecessary stuff like pressure washing the roof and trimming their trees back from dropping shit on my house.

[KittyMom4]

On 5/11/2020 at 5:15 AM, icemiser69 said:

Neighbors who plant trees and bushes near a property line, which results in a yard that was once sunny to become shaded.  End results?  Sun loving perennial plants along with trees either no longer perform as well as they once did, or they die off completely due to the lack of sun.

I moved into a house with a yard overtaken by large, sun-blocking trees that were not in good shape, and allowed to grow and overhang the house and the driveway.  One of the trees dropped a branch on my newly purchased vehicle causing $1,400 worth damage and the headache of having to borrow a car while it was fixed. Any type of wind or bad weather brought more branches and leaves strewn about the yard. There was hardly any grass, just patches of dirt (or mud if it rained). Forget any flower beds. 

I notified my neighbor that I would be having all the trees removed as one abuts his property and overhangs his house. He was appalled, "You won't have any shade!" You're house will be unbearably hot in the summer!" I suspect my neighbor enjoyed the shade on his property but if one of those branches went through his roof I'm sure he'd be ready to cash in on my  homeowner's insurance!

I am having all 5 trees removed as I type this and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to plant some flower beds and enjoy some green green grass!

 

[HissyFit]

One person's trash is another person's treasure. One person's peeve is another person's pleasure. Our differences make our world much more interesting! Yes, I'm a tree hugger. I love the centuries-old live oaks that canopy my house and yard. But I try to be a good neighbor. I trim back limbs that stretch over the fence, and I offered to pay to have my yard helper rake leaves for a complaining neighbor. She said no. She didn't want my leaves OR my guy in her yard.

[peacheslatour]

16 hours ago, HissyFit said:

One person's trash is another person's treasure. One person's peeve is another person's pleasure. Our differences make our world much more interesting! Yes, I'm a tree hugger. I love the centuries-old live oaks that canopy my house and yard. But I try to be a good neighbor. I trim back limbs that stretch over the fence, and I offered to pay to have my yard helper rake leaves for a complaining neighbor. She said no. She didn't want my leaves OR my guy in her yard.

I'm with you. I love trees and the shade and privacy they provide. We have a southern exposure and get plenty of sunshine but near the house I have giant rhododendrons and camelias that I have pruned into trees and in front of the big living room window I have a big, old magnolia that shades the front part of the house. 

[Browncoat]

Same on the trees.  I've planted quite a few (mostly native) trees in my yard (and the squirrels and birds have planted some too!), in an effort to shade out as much of the grass as I can.  Most of what I've planted or what has volunteered provides food or shelter to birds, bees, butterflies, and other critters.

[Nordly Beaumont]

I love trees too - but when they start causing me problems, like growing roots in my sewer line and flooding my basement? BuhBye! Dropping giant branches that could kill someone? You gone. The problem in my neighborhood is that trees drop seeds, and people let them grow where a tree shouldn't be. Like the 80 ft twin trunk cottonwood that was growing out of my neighbor's 50 year old broke down retaining wall. That tree was never intended to grow there, but no one wanted to cut it down. I always knew that sucker was going to fall. And fall it did. Thank goodness I wasn't working in the garden when it fell, because I'd be a goner. It pulled out the power lines to three houses, killed two fences, one tree, my covered veg garden and several garden gnomes (RIP). I had just planted a rose bush a couple hours before it fell. The tree drove the rose so deep into the ground I never did find it. Trees are lovely in the right spot. But in the wrong spot, not so much.

On 5/13/2020 at 9:51 PM, ParadoxLost said:

Most of the money and time I spend on my yard (and roof) is in combating the problems that migrate from my neighbor's yard onto my property.

Their weeds, their trees, their leaves, their drainage.  Their backyard is a damn eyesore that I get to look at. 

My neighbor tells me every spring "The eyesore will be gone this year, I promise!" Honestly, I don't look at his yard, I don't even care what it looks like. What I do care about is his weeds, especially the bindweed, constantly growing into MY yard! Bindweed twining around the beautiful new acrylic fence I paid for that is beneficial to both of us. I sympathize, bindweed is impossible! But the only thing they use their backyard for is their dog (and PET peeve - your dog's crap STINKS! Clean it up! When I work in the garden on a hot day the smell is unbearable!) So it's not like they need to garden or landscape - just cut the bindweed so I don't have to! They must see me out there every weekend cutting the weeds growing from their yard into mine - I feel like they could at least pull the weeds away from the fence. I like the family, but it just seems un-neighborly to allow your weeds to get so out of control.

[peacheslatour]

22 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Same on the trees.  I've planted quite a few (mostly native) trees in my yard (and the squirrels and birds have planted some too!), in an effort to shade out as much of the grass as I can.  Most of what I've planted or what has volunteered provides food or shelter to birds, bees, butterflies, and other critters.

Absolutely. I have squirrels, rabbits, blue jays, hummingbirds and little birdies galore. I grow a lot of things that are supposed to attract bees but I still heartbreakingly few. Last year I had and empty pot of soil sitting on my porch and little shoot came up. At first I thought it was a weed but upon closer inspection, it was a baby maple tree. So I dug it up and replanted it and now it's already a couple feet tall. It gets the most beautiful autumn colors.

[emma675]

I live in a neighborhood that was a pecan grove in the 1930s before our houses were built. I have three giant pecan trees in my backyard and a 100+ year old oak tree in the front yard. You bet I get those trees trimmed on a regular basis. If the oak ever falls it will take out half of my house (the trunk is so big it takes three people holding hands in a ring to encircle it). My neighbors have a giant elm that has slowly been leaning for years and will more than likely fall before they trim it. When it does, it will take out their power line, the fence between our houses, their master bedroom and bathroom, my kitchen, and my driveway. And I will force them to pay for all of it because they have been fully aware of the problem and have done nothing about it. 

Edited May 16, 2020 by emma675d

[GHScorpiosRule]

I have two peeves today:

1.     What is so difficult about “keep at least six feet distance” to understand?

2. So sick of Bed Bath and Beyond with their “we’re with you during these unprecedented times and you can now order online while our shops are closed” yet NO ONE is available to talk on the phone/responds to emails AFTER putting the number and email on their website?

For the first one, I went to Target yesterday evening, about and hour and  a half before they closed. They are now having people stand in line and letting 2-3 into the store ata time after an equal number leave the store. Weird, as that wasn’t the case last month when I went. But my peeve is for the idiot who was behind me, closing the six feet space. I had to do that hand wave thing, telling her to keep her distance. But the twat just kept texting and refused to maintain the six feet, which forced me to move up farther until she got the message.

As for Bed Bath and Beyond, I had ordered a snack table at the end of March-they shipped it one week later, DESPITE the 2-day guarantee. I didn’t really the wait. But they shipped it with the corner of the box torn, and portly packaged. And the table was broken. Soni immediately returned it.

Did they send an email letting me know they received it? No. Calling the customer service number ended up with me being 694 in line or the call not going through at all. So I emailed them: TWICE, only to get an auto response that they would resend in 5-7 business days. And when they did, another auto response that they were not answering emails due to the pandemic and calling was the only way to resolve any issues.🤬🤬🤬🤬 I had chosen to exchange, but now wanted a full refund.

Sooo, now? Better Business Bureau is my new best friend. Within hours of filing a complaint, I got an EMAIL response, apologizing for the “high standard” they usually have, blah, blah, blah, fish cakes. So in addition to getting a refund (because they JUST tried to send a replacement and it’s now out of stock), they gave me a store credit for $20.

All I know is I’m never ordering online from them again.  I’ll wait until the store reopens.

Apologies for the long rant.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[bilgistic]

8 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Did they send an email letting me know they received it? No. Calling the customer service number ended up with me being 694 in line or the call not going through at all. So I emailed them: TWICE, only to get an auto response that they would resend in 5-7 business days. And when they did, another auto response that they were not answering emails due to the pandemic and calling was the only way to resolve any issues.🤬🤬🤬🤬 I had chosen to exchange, but now wanted a full refund.

I've had this issue recently. It's like, all of the sudden, returns are no longer being processed like they used to be. We're now just supposed to assume returns arrived back at the store and hope our accounts will be credited. Too bad if you want to find out, because no one's going to reply to your email or answer the phone.

Like, I get that it's a crazy time, truly. Obviously, I get it, as I sit here with no income. But companies cannot abandon the basic customer service practices--and then turn around and say, "We're all in this together." They also can't make the excuse that they're understaffed. Literally millions and millions of people need jobs; more than a million people in NC alone have applied for unemployment. If your company doesn't want to pay people to work when there is a need, then that's another story.

It's been interesting to discover who I will and will not be patronizing any longer during and after--if there is ever an "after"--all this.

[GaT]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I've had this issue recently. It's like, all of the sudden, returns are no longer being processed like they used to be. We're now just supposed to assume returns arrived back at the store and hope our accounts will be credited. Too bad if you want to find out, because no one's going to reply to your email or answer the phone.

It's even worse if you bought something from Japan or Hong Kong. I buy a lot of stuff from both places, & after my stuff was mailed, they both changed where & how they would mail stuff overseas. Now my stuff is stuck in limbo somewhere & there's nothing anybody can do.

[HissyFit]

13 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

   What is so difficult about “keep at least six feet distance” to understand?

And it's not just the customers.

Friday was my first venture inside a store in eight weeks. I was standing in an aisle in Lowe's, reading paint labels on a shelf, when an employee, leading another customer, walked up and reached in front of my face to take an item from the shelf. Six feet? His hand was six inches from my nose! In normal times, this would have been rude. During a pandemic, it's inexcusable.

I left my cart and the store. I'd learned the name of the paint color I needed, and I really wanted it that day. But Amazon got my money.

[Kiki777]

4 hours ago, GaT said:

It's even worse if you bought something from Japan or Hong Kong. I buy a lot of stuff from both places, & after my stuff was mailed, they both changed where & how they would mail stuff overseas. Now my stuff is stuck in limbo somewhere & there's nothing anybody can do.

I had this issue, ordering face masks from Amazon.  It took so long to ship (I didn’t know they were coming from China, it would have been nice if there was some indication on the item page) and I couldn’t wait forever to get masks, in the meantime I got them from work.  I was able to cancel the order and Amazon refunded me.

I hear y’all on the lack of social distance in stores.  So for the time being I will pay extra for grocery delivery.  When other retail stores open up I will fully take advantage of curbside.  I just can’t trust the general public, when it comes to keeping myself safe.

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 hours ago, Kiki777 said:

I hear y’all on the lack of social distance in stores.  So for the time being I will pay extra for grocery delivery.

I'd do this if I could--but there is up to a 3 week wait. That is, online delivery isn't available for the next three weeks for any of the large grocery stores. And fortunately for the local Indian stores, where I get my spices and food I want to cook, there is respect to keep the distance.