The Rant Thread. :)

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Should this thread be renamed as above?

Yes
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No
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Cook off you miserable old git!
46
68%
 
Total votes: 68

Roeleveld
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by Roeleveld » Mon, 1. Mar 21, 10:26

BrasatoAlBarolo wrote:
Mon, 1. Mar 21, 10:18
Roeleveld wrote:
Mon, 1. Mar 21, 08:55
I hope the borders will be open again in summer, I need a proper holiday.
I was on holiday in Morocco when everything started a year ago and had to cut my 10-days trip after 3 days only. The first 3 days were literally a car trip with a couple checkpoints to reach the "interesting part of the holiday".
Ouch...
Try again in 2030?

BrasatoAlBarolo
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by BrasatoAlBarolo » Mon, 1. Mar 21, 11:19

Roeleveld wrote:
Mon, 1. Mar 21, 10:26
BrasatoAlBarolo wrote:
Mon, 1. Mar 21, 10:18
Roeleveld wrote:
Mon, 1. Mar 21, 08:55
I hope the borders will be open again in summer, I need a proper holiday.
I was on holiday in Morocco when everything started a year ago and had to cut my 10-days trip after 3 days only. The first 3 days were literally a car trip with a couple checkpoints to reach the "interesting part of the holiday".
Ouch...
Try again in 2030?
I hope I can try a bit sooner, but thanks...

greypanther
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by greypanther » Mon, 1. Mar 21, 15:17

Bloody Virgin Money!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: I can't access my money!

I am not in fact willingly, a Virgin Money customer, but a Yorkshire bank customer, have been since teenage years, never overdrawn. However, it's all gone Virgin, which is obviously being a problem at the moment, as they change everything over. Bloody good advert for other banks! ( Not that other banks sometimes have similar problems... :roll: )

Time to open another account, or maybe even two, spread the risk. Not least because the nearest branch to me is now 11.5 miles away! :rant:

I guess failing to plan, is me failed. :oops:
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Alan Phipps
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by Alan Phipps » Mon, 1. Mar 21, 15:52

They will probably have set aside some money for costs and inconvenience incurred (late payment charges, delayed transfers, and sheer inconvenience of wasted trips and phone calls). No doubt the big investors/savers will have been informed in advance, but even the smaller investors should have access to that recompence if applicable. You have nothing to lose by asking.
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BaronVerde
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by BaronVerde » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 12:38

Err, what's virgin money ? Tax excempt money parked on the Virgin islands ?

-----------

I'm going into a permanent consumer strike. Will only buy what's necessary, and do so at local shops where I can pay with real money.

Reason: I tried several times now to order something over the internet, with international companies as well as ones local to where I live. It is impossible without double verification, mobile telefone registration (I do not have a mobile phone) and id/tax number disclosure. This seems to be a new problem, when I last ordered stuff ~half a year ago things went smoothly without all the bureaucracy.

Of course, this is all to my own protection and good. How gullible do they think I am ?

This is not the world I want to live in.

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CBJ
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by CBJ » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 13:08

BaronVerde wrote:
Fri, 5. Mar 21, 12:38
Err, what's virgin money ? Tax excempt money parked on the Virgin islands ?
No, it's a financial services company using the Virgin brand. The brand was originally created by Richard Branson, but is just licenced in this case.

jlehtone
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by jlehtone » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 13:49

BaronVerde wrote:
Fri, 5. Mar 21, 12:38
Will only buy what's necessary, and do so at local shops where I can pay with real money.

Of course, this is all to my own protection and good. How gullible do they think I am ?
You have real money? Most banks here have removed cash from their repertoire.
Then again, local shops do not like filthy paper either ... covid.

You are not gullible. It is the others, who are. The online stores just find it less risky to treat everyone equally.

BaronVerde
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by BaronVerde » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 14:18

@CBJ thanks for the clarification. Aren't Branson's brands branded after the Virgin islands, of which one he owns or co-owns ? Nevermind, I'm straying OT :-)
---------

My main problem is with the registration of id and mobile phone for online shopping. I love paying with 'plastic money' and did so since its invention, but only as long as I am not being tracked and analyzed, and not being locked out simply because I have no mobile phone, that's discimination and reeks of an agenda of total control.

But thanks for the encouragement, shows that I'm not the only one who is concerned ...

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Alan Phipps
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by Alan Phipps » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 14:35

I bought a smartphone just before Christmas because this is the way banks and transactions are going (and CBJ helped to nag me into it). Despite paying the monthly fees, I have yet to use it to make a call, send a text or use any data not over my own home wifi yet. (I have had a few incoming texts though with useful links to things like Covid jab booking.) I have a functional home telephone and PC for online banking so I mostly see the smartphone as a necessary but somewhat underused asset.

If I was getting out more with it then I would certainly use the NHS track and trace app.
A dog has a master; a cat has domestic staff.

CBJ
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by CBJ » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 14:42

BaronVerde wrote:
Fri, 5. Mar 21, 14:18
@CBJ thanks for the clarification. Aren't Branson's brands branded after the Virgin islands, of which one he owns or co-owns ? Nevermind, I'm straying OT :-)
The brand dates from long before he owned anything much. It started in 1970, and was supposedly named for the fact that he and his business partner were entirely new to business.

jlehtone
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by jlehtone » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 15:32

Alan Phipps wrote:
Fri, 5. Mar 21, 14:35
If I was getting out more with it then I would certainly use the NHS track and trace app.
The track&trace app in Finland has been loaded 3.2mil times. Population: 5.5mil.
This week's news: app is mostly useless or actually making tracing harder.
Not to mention that Android energy save turns the app off by default.

NHS app is better?

Alan Phipps
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by Alan Phipps » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 15:51

Anecdotally, it seems to work very well. Someone we know works at a superstore checkout and always has the NHS app on while away from her home.

She has been told to self-quarantine for 10 days by track and trace 3 times now, but the odd thing is that a typical shopping checkout would not last the 15 mins of proximity to trigger the app, even though many smart phones must be going via her till each working day. Her conclusion is that the app is triggering hits during the 20 minute bus ride she does to and from work.
A dog has a master; a cat has domestic staff.

pjknibbs
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by pjknibbs » Fri, 5. Mar 21, 15:53

Alan Phipps wrote:
Fri, 5. Mar 21, 14:35
I bought a smartphone just before Christmas because this is the way banks and transactions are going (and CBJ helped to nag me into it).
I haven't needed anything beyond what my e63 gives me since that thread, TBH! It still works fine for 2F authentication (they just send you a text, after all)...

greypanther
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by greypanther » Fri, 12. Mar 21, 21:36

Amazons pathetic attempts at packaging items they have sold me!!! :evil: :evil: :evil:

Is it really asking too much to send an appropriate sized box, with you know a decent amount of packing inside to protect things? :x
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Mightysword
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by Mightysword » Fri, 12. Mar 21, 21:47

@graypanther.

It's often the opposite for me. Many time I receive a box from Amazon and have to wonder "do they really need to use this big of a box!". Several time the boxes are so big that upon delivery I scratch my head "did I order something THIS big?"
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greypanther
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by greypanther » Fri, 12. Mar 21, 22:54

Mightysword wrote:
Fri, 12. Mar 21, 21:47
It's often the opposite for me. Many time I receive a box from Amazon and have to wonder "do they really need to use this big of a box!". Several time the boxes are so big that upon delivery I scratch my head "did I order something THIS big?"
Yes, we get massive boxes too, which whilst wasteful, is not my problem. My annoyance is: the lack of packing inside the box, which leaves the item bouncing around inside. Especially a problem if the item is fragile. :x
Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth

Roeleveld
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by Roeleveld » Fri, 12. Mar 21, 22:59

greypanther wrote:
Fri, 12. Mar 21, 22:54
Mightysword wrote:
Fri, 12. Mar 21, 21:47
It's often the opposite for me. Many time I receive a box from Amazon and have to wonder "do they really need to use this big of a box!". Several time the boxes are so big that upon delivery I scratch my head "did I order something THIS big?"
Yes, we get massive boxes too, which whilst wasteful, is not my problem. My annoyance is: the lack of packing inside the box, which leaves the item bouncing around inside. Especially a problem if the item is fragile. :x
Be glad it actually arrived at the correct address.

Had a delivery guy from GLS unable to read trying to deliver a parcel today.

greypanther
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by greypanther » Fri, 12. Mar 21, 23:03

Roeleveld wrote:
Fri, 12. Mar 21, 22:59
Be glad it actually arrived at the correct address.
Yes had that too, from Amazon, actually delivered to the wrong house, on a different street. Several times. Thankfully they were honest...
Arriving broken and unusable is little better. :evil:
Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space
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Mightysword
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by Mightysword » Fri, 12. Mar 21, 23:22

Roeleveld wrote:
Fri, 12. Mar 21, 22:59
Be glad it actually arrived at the correct address.

Had a delivery guy from GLS unable to read trying to deliver a parcel today.
You know, this is something that made me realize the difference between a professional workforce and an untrained one. I've been a Prime since my college days, and for over a decade I think they shipped to the wrong address ONCE, and maybe one delay/late arrival per year, but 2 days is 2 days. Which is an extremely impressive record. Even without all the bell and whistle, the prime membership was worth it for that alone. But then, basically all delivery was handled by UPS, Fedex, DHL

A few years back they open a warehouse in my state. Out of all the thing make me feel guilty the most about buying on Amazon is one: not supporting the local and two, no sale tax. Although I did put in my Amazon purchase amount each year when I file to pay the state its due. So at first I was like GREAT, I got all the usual benefit, the local getting jobs and now the sale tax is applied automatically since Amazon now have an official presence. Problem is, they also outsource the shipping to smaller gig business now. And ... things went to shit: my stuffs get delivery to the wrong address at least a handful time a year, delaying is a common occurrence, it's literally a coin toss whether I actual get the promised 2 days shipping or not these day. I also went from "never receive broken items in 12 years to have it happened several times in 3 years. In fact, the reason why I think the record isn't worse because I rarely buy easy to break stuffs from Amazon, I once have to send back a glassware that was broken on arrival, just to receive a replacement that also broken at which point I just asked for a money back. :evil:

Frankly at this point I'm seriously reconsidering the Prime membership, this year could be the last year I have it.


Think that qualified as a rant, yes? :D
Reading comprehension is hard.
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pjknibbs
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Re: The Rant Thread. :)

Post by pjknibbs » Sat, 13. Mar 21, 07:55

It can vary by address, though. Apart from one item that simply never turned up at all, I've never had anything mis-delivered from my Amazon account to my own address. My mother's address is a different matter--in that case, it seems to be largely random if the item will turn up. Best one was some flowers I bought her for Mother's Day a couple of years ago, which ended up being left on the doorstep of a house on a completely different street. They ended up getting delivered by a puzzled property owner about two weeks late, long after we'd given up on them and got a refund.

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