What cheeses me off

[RealtimeY]

Depends on the store. Ours requires someone to come over from customer service even though the self checkout is right next to this gate.

I had the same experience. In the past the self check-out attendant would assist, but then it changed so that that person would call someone else over via the PA. Really bizarre change of process.

WCMO is Woolies don't put it in more stores

With the focus on theft prevention recently, I can certainly understand why it's so limited... unfortunately.

 

[p--and--t]

With the focus on theft prevention recently, I can certainly understand why it's so limited... unfortunately.

What ridiculous tho is they will check an item or two for an honest customer but do exactly zero when someone fills a trolley in the store and just walks out with the entire trolley load without paying. They just stand there shrug their shoulders and watch.

 

[Pushka]

What ridiculous tho is they will check an item or two for an honest customer but do exactly zero when someone fills a trolley in the store and just walks out with the entire trolley load without paying. They just stand there shrug their shoulders and watch.

Interesting comment. And at least the scan and go have made some payments (if not all when honest).

 

[Lynda2475]

WCMO is when tissue, napkin and toilet paper dispensers are over stuffed so it's impossible to get 1 or 2 out without tearing or a bunch more than you wanted come out leading to waste.

Just now wanted a tissue in my hotel room, packed so darn tight ii kept ending up with tiny useless shreds. Finally managed to get a grip and then like 20 come out. All so maids can refill less often?

Used to happen at my previous job, in the kitchen the cleaners would over stuff the napkins everyone would complain but message never got through.

 

[TheRealTMA]

WCMO is when tissue, napkin and toilet paper dispensers are over stuffed so it's impossible to get 1 or 2 out without tearing or a bunch more than you wanted come out leading to waste.

Just now wanted a tissue in my hotel room, packed so darn tight ii kept ending up with tiny useless shreds. Finally managed to get a grip and then like 20 come out. All so maids can refill less often?

Used to happen at my previous job, in the kitchen the cleaners would over stuff the napkins everyone would complain but message never got through.

Wow. You don’t travel with your own tissues?

not unusual in hotels to only have four tissues left in bathroom pack.

 

[Lynda2475]

Wow. You don’t travel with your own tissues?

I do have a small pack in my purse but prefer to save those for when I'm out and about or on a plane and use hotel ones in room.

not unusual in hotels to only have four tissues left in bathroom pack.

Well opposite problem here. Everything is well stocked, including complimentary mini bar and snacks, toiletries even include toothbrush, razors etc.

 

[JohnK]

All so maids can refill less often?

In a way, yes.

My wife is a housekeeper and works for 2 motels in Brisbane. In one they work in teams of 2-3 per room in another in teams of 6-9 per room. If you see what they have to do in such a short time per room then you'd understand. They are pushed to achieve. They have to do things very quickly. If they're slow they don't last very long. There's very little time to seek perfection.

I suspect its the same in the bigger hotel chains but the pay is also considerably less.

 

[Lynda2475]

Sure but it takes a second to check that it's not near empty. Only waste time refilling if the tissues/napkins are getting low. It takes more effort to ram extra items into a tight space then to delay refill until closer to being needed.

 

[Mr_Orange]

What is cheesing me off today.... discovering Demand Tariffs on electricity accounts and having no way of reliably comparing provider costs since it's impossible to work out the impact of the Demand Tariff in advance!

What a crock of cough. This stinks of another way to confuse the consumer and prevent them from finding the best deal.

 

[JohnK]

NSW public school holidays are 2 weeks later than QLD public school holidays. It worked out nicely for June/July as we're leaving from Sydney 1 week before QLD school holidays and return to Sydney just as QLD school holidays end and NSW school holidays commence.

The return SQ airfare from BNE-BKK was ~$5400 but we ended up paying ~$3100 for SYD-BKK return and ~$300 + points for BNE-SYD return.

The current airfares on offer around QLD school holidays are atrocious. Should not have to cost close to $6000 for 3 people to travel economy to BKK. Curious how many people are trapped and do not look for alternative ways to travel. Will be interesting to see what we have to pay for travel for Christmas holidays. Return airfares are not yet available so think one would need to book very early or pay through the nose.

 

[serfty]

What is cheesing me off today.... discovering Demand Tariffs on electricity accounts and having no way of reliably comparing provider costs since it's impossible to work out the impact of the Demand Tariff in advance!

What a crock of cough. This stinks of another way to confuse the consumer and prevent them from finding the best deal.

Are you unable to download your power usage over a date range broken into 15 minute intervals?

Noting that my premises has a smart meter and the electricity distributor supplies this on request.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Noting that my premises has a smart meter

We do too.

Are you unable to download your power usage over a date range broken into 15 minute intervals?

No idea. I can try and find out.

The reality is though that this is next level just to compare providers. Most people would not know how to do this and it seems as the government's Energy Made Easy web site, which uses your NMI, does not take account of demand tariffs in its comparison results.

 

[RB]

We do too.


No idea. I can try and find out.

The reality is though that this is next level just to compare providers. Most people would not know how to do this and it seems as the government's Energy Made Easy web site, which uses your NMI, does not take account of demand tariffs in its comparison results.

We are with Origin. There is a Usage section when I look at our account that lets you download very detailed consumption and feed-in figures. Certainly not next level if I can do it

 

[Mr_Orange]

We are with Origin. There is a Usage section when I look at our account that lets you download very detailed consumption and feed-in figures. Certainly not next level if I can do it

I found the usage section and there is a facility to download. At best it gives me hourly, which is not the basis for calculating the Demand Tariff, and that is for a single day. If I select the whole bill, all I get in the download is the total usage for that bill.

Short of individually downloading 90 days of data, combining it all and then analysing to find the peak hour - oh wait, that's right, I need either 30 minute or 15 minute data.

It is next level and it does prevent users from making valid comparisons.

BTW, this is Energy Australia. - I just transferred to Red Energy anyway. Fixed tariff with a hight solar FiT, and much cheaper than Energy Australia for my last bill.

 

[Quickstatus]

BTW, this is Energy Australia. - I just transferred to Red Energy anyway. Fixed tariff with a hight solar FiT, and much cheaper than Energy Australia for my last bill.

I rang EA and said I want to discuss billing as Red Energy offering me a better deal.
without me saying what I wanted they offered me 7% discount then 13% discount: then I said sorry not close enough. They transferred me to another person who offered me 25% discount.

I did my sums and put the last 12 months on a spreadsheet (in detail) so exactly knew the discount needed to parity with Red Energy. Basically 25.9% discount required. I'm happy with 25%.

 

[Hvr]

What is cheesing me off today.... discovering Demand Tariffs on electricity accounts and having no way of reliably comparing provider costs since it's impossible to work out the impact of the Demand Tariff in advance!

Are you able to get a PowerPal installed on your meter? It provides power use intervals of 15 minutes.

In Victoria I use this site to get 30 minute usage stats, including Solar feed in.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Are you able to get a PowerPal installed on your meter? It provides power use intervals of 15 minutes.

In Victoria I use this site to get 30 minute usage stats, including Solar feed in.

Interesting gadget, thanks for sharing. It looks as though it is only free in Victoria though and $129 elsewhere.

 

[Lynda2475]

WCMO is that Qantas pub at OOL closes between QF flights instead of staying open until the last QF flight.

Landed at OOL on a QF about 20 mins ago, managed to use the toilet and grab a takeaway coffee before being evicted to the terminal where there is no where to recharge devices.

Supposedly they will reopen 1 hour before my flight so in 2hrs and 25mins time, not even 1 hour before boarding, so will maybe get 30 mins to partially recharge devices ( i need an hour for full charge) before needing to walk to gate and board.

Am told this is so Jetstar passengers don't abuse the lounge, but what about actual QF customers?

It makes no sense, as I've confirmed all the staff stay around and are paid for the 2.5hours that the are helping/serving no one. It just cheap.

Other lounges open at least 1 hour before the first flight boards I.e when I used to get the 6am syd-mel (first flight out of syd t3 everyday), I could be in the lounge getting my caffeine hit at 4:45am.

ETA - come 17:25 there are apprxo 125 people waiting to get in and a new sign up that says no Jetstar passengers. They have 2 pizza out and they were gone in less than minute.

 

[VPS]

I found the usage section and there is a facility to download. At best it gives me hourly, which is not the basis for calculating the Demand Tariff, and that is for a single day. If I select the whole bill, all I get in the download is the total usage for that bill.

Short of individually downloading 90 days of data, combining it all and then analysing to find the peak hour - oh wait, that's right, I need either 30 minute or 15 minute data.

It is next level and it does prevent users from making valid comparisons.

BTW, this is Energy Australia. - I just transferred to Red Energy anyway. Fixed tariff with a hight solar FiT, and much cheaper than Energy Australia for my last bill.

what FIT are you getting?

 

[Mr_Orange]

what FIT are you getting?

6.6c with Energy Australia and it will be 8c with Red Energy.