What cheeses me off

[prozac]

WCMO....

Rode the Gold Coast tram to Helensvale this afternoon. Was in the rear car with a rowdy bunch of youths, talking and doing stupid stuff, but nothing that broke the law or damaged the tram.

About three stops away from Helensvale, it became apparent to all that officials were doing ticket inspections and were slowly proceeding to the back of the tram, i.e. where me and the rowdy ones were. All of the sudden they quietened down and huddled near the end of the car (where I was standing). They were hatching a plan as it became clear they had boarded without a ticket.

The ticket inspectors caught up with two of the group that were seated near the second last door to the rear of the car, and of course they got busted but it's a long process as the officers must tell them that they committed an offence and then they need ID (which of course these kids don't have, literally or not). The officers are still writing up the two as we are about to pull into Helensvale. At this point, the rest of the group is plotting - what do we do, please tram arrive at station, should we just give them fake names and addresses, the ones nearest to the inspectors stall them and take the fall for the rest of the group.

We arrive at Helensvale, doors open and all the group is out of there lickety-split. Inspectors probably knew but can't be bothered to stop them.

All this over a fare of 50 cents. The logic boggles the mind...

I tell you, if we channeled the acumen of mischievous youths to catch criminals, we'd probably have a perfect solution.

It's never about the money.

In the 70's I used to travel trains free in Europe by showing my UK Student Union card. At that time few ticket collectors spoke English well enough and they always gave up.

 

[Pushka]

Apple software updates to phone.

I've been in airplane mode for the last two weeks and only use a mobile wifi plan device or use the hotel/ship internet. I was having issues with my camera so googled and it said an update might fix it so reluctantly last night I did this.

Then I received a text message (I haven't had one during this period) and an email welcoming me to the special connection for Ship and Plane mobile plan. What? Anyone who has used this knows the costs are awful. The update turned off my airplane mode without notice.

I hate IT that messes around with settings that have nothing to do with the update and it thinks it knows your needs. Bloody Apple.

 

[DejaBrew]

Update to my Hyundai saga...

Got a call this afternoon from the service department manager to confirm that the (previously non-existent ) accessory kit and the replacement badging have arrived. Car now booked in for Tuesday morning to have accessory kit installed and badging replaced.

Let's see what else they can screw up whilst they're at it...

Off to a good start. Dropped the car off and walked to the cafe over the road from the service centre. 10 minutes later my phone rings…

Them: “I don’t think you gave us the car key.”
Me: “Um… yeah I did because I definitely don’t have it.”
Them: “Ok, let me check…”

I watch the frantic search for the key from my elevated position over the road. Clearly no key found as staffer disappears. I walk down to the reception and am greeted a few mins later by the clearly relieved service agent who declares the crisis is resolved as the key is in the workshop because “…the boys took it off my desk but didn’t tell me.”

 

[DejaBrew]

Off to a good start. Dropped the car off and walked to the cafe over the road from the service centre. 10 minutes later my phone rings…

Them: “I don’t think you gave us the car key.”
Me: “Um… yeah I did because I definitely don’t have it.”
Them: “Ok, let me check…”

I watch the frantic search for the key from my elevated position over the road. Clearly no key found as staffer disappears. I walk down to the reception and am greeted a few mins later by the clearly relieved service agent who declares the crisis is resolved as the key is in the workshop because “…the boys took it off my desk but didn’t tell me.”

The saga continues....

The “quick” - according to the Service Manager on the phone the other day, at least - job will now take another few hours and I've therefore left the service centre driving a… GWM Haval H6 hybrid loan car. As I handed over my licence and signed my life away for the loan vehicle, I was advised that there was a $2000 excess, to which I promptly suggested that should the circumstance arise, I was sure as hell not going to pay the excess given the only reason I'm driving the vehicle is because dealership royally screwed up and didn't do the job right in the first place. The service representative quickly acknowledged that this was a fair comment and confirmed that if it came to it, she'd back me up.

Get in the Haval to discover it's only got enough fuel in the tank for a little over 100kms range, so if they think I'm putting fuel in it they can go jump. In the meantime, I'm getting my mileage out of the tank so if it's running on fumes by the time I return it later today, then that's just their bad luck.

 

[Quickstatus]

The service representative quickly acknowledged that this was a fair comment and confirmed that if it came to it, she'd back me up.

Unless its in writing, anything a "service rep" at a dealer says is not worth anything especially the bit where she says she will back you up.

 

[DejaBrew]

Unless its in writing, anything a "service rep" at a dealer says is not worth anything.

Oh, I agree entirely. Still wouldn't stop me from fighting the dealership on it should the situation arise. I'm ready and willing to become their PR nightmare.

 

[prozac]

WCMO. Immediate neighbour put in a DA to do extension to rear of house and put in a pool and landscape. Ok sounds reasonable. I said I would not object if they would guarantee any plantings along our common border did not obscure our outlook from windows along that side. That said their property falls away from 2.5m below our windows to 4m below our windows. Lots of plants they can plant that will hedge without blocking our outlook, right. They had plans approved with Syzygium Australe Pinnacle ( Pinnacle Lilly Pilly) along the boundary. I come home this afternoon and landscapers are installing 30-40 bamboo plants that are already above 4m!
They started work on 18 June 2024 and workmen have been there every working day since. We initially had 2.5 months of jackhammering which resonated through the rock and up our foundations. Workmen park their vehicles all over my front council verge and use my driveway to access the road. I have not complained about any of this, but this is too far.