The Rant Thread. :)

[CBJ]

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]

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]

@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 ...

[Alan Phipps]

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.

[CBJ]

@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]

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]

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.

[pjknibbs]

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]

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

Is it really asking too much to send an appropriate sized box, with you know a decent amount of packing inside to protect things?

[Mightysword]

@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?"

[greypanther]

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.

[Roeleveld]

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.

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]

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.

[Mightysword]

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.

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?

[pjknibbs]

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.

[clakclak]

While we are allready on the topic of delivery services.


Neighbour lady STOP HONKING ALL THE TIME! It is a small cobblestone city street in an area with barely any parking spaces. You are sitting in a comfortable 128.000€ Mercedes, just wait for 2 minutes until the overworked low wage employee managed to unload the bloody dishwasher your neighbour ordered and then you will be able to get into your garage. Seriously, it is always the same driver who does it. Every neighbour is pissed at her because she honks at the trashmen in the morning and the deliver drivers in the afternoon. Lady, if you want to get your car into the garage this badly maybe don't use it for every single way. I have lived in this city for years now without owning a car, it is not a big city you will be able to get around! Last Saturday she managed to really step it up a notch by honking at a bloody ambulance that was there to transport an elderly neighbour. No matter how often people talk to her, she does not even understand why people are pissed. It is insanity.

[Chips]

While we are allready on the topic of delivery services.


Neighbour lady STOP HONKING ALL THE TIME! It is a small cobblestone city street in an area with barely any parking spaces. You are sitting in a comfortable 128.000€ Mercedes, just wait for 2 minutes until the overworked low wage employee managed to unload the bloody dishwasher your neighbour ordered and then you will be able to get into your garage. Seriously, it is always the same driver who does it. Every neighbour is pissed at her because she honks at the trashmen in the morning and the deliver drivers in the afternoon. Lady, if you want to get your car into the garage this badly maybe don't use it for every single way. I have lived in this city for years now without owning a car, it is not a big city you will be able to get around! Last Saturday she managed to really step it up a notch by honking at a bloody ambulance that was there to transport an elderly neighbour. No matter how often people talk to her, she does not even understand why people are pissed. It is insanity.

I'd point this out to her - politely of course. It's surprising how sometimes people change based on a different perspective they hadn't considered.
As for Cardboard - reminds me of my mother going on about why flour (for bread) had such issues last year due to bags only. "They should just make more, it was ridiculous". Having worked in (of all places) a pizza cardboard box making "factory" during my student years, i had to point out they don't necessarily have extra capacity laying around unused. Basically enough machines to provide what's usually required; who'd spend a ton of money on extras that are never used! That place was a small warehouse filled with loud machinery. At best they could double production (by running it 24/7), but there was no space for more machinery. It'd take months (and a bigger building) to get machinery to achieve it (let alone supplies received to enable it if they're likewise running to a capacity capability), and then staff to work it etc.

Relevance? There may be insufficient requirements for certain box sizes, or machinery capable of them, or it's produced in batches and the next run hasn't started for a low use case. So it's just cheaper to use existing stock and pack it up, than source (especially when time is of the essence in the modern world) a more appropriate size and delay/increase cost.

This isn't why your pizza box is huge and a little pizza though. That's just because they've made smaller pizza's to save costs and hope you won't really notice

[clakclak]

While we are allready on the topic of delivery services.


Neighbour lady STOP HONKING ALL THE TIME! It is a small cobblestone city street in an area with barely any parking spaces. You are sitting in a comfortable 128.000€ Mercedes, just wait for 2 minutes until the overworked low wage employee managed to unload the bloody dishwasher your neighbour ordered and then you will be able to get into your garage. Seriously, it is always the same driver who does it. Every neighbour is pissed at her because she honks at the trashmen in the morning and the deliver drivers in the afternoon. Lady, if you want to get your car into the garage this badly maybe don't use it for every single way. I have lived in this city for years now without owning a car, it is not a big city you will be able to get around! Last Saturday she managed to really step it up a notch by honking at a bloody ambulance that was there to transport an elderly neighbour. No matter how often people talk to her, she does not even understand why people are pissed. It is insanity.

I'd point this out to her - politely of course. It's surprising how sometimes people change based on a different perspective they hadn't considered.[....]

We have tried talking with her. People tried to be friendly with her. People tried getting angry. Multiple people have talked to this person multiple times over a span of 1 and a half years. Nothing works.

Her point is that she has a right to enter her garage whenever she wants and that nobody has the right to delay her because she pays for the parking spot.

[greypanther]

We have tried talking with her. People tried to be friendly with her. People tried getting angry. Multiple people have talked to this person multiple times over a span of 1 and a half years. Nothing works.

Her point is that she has a right to enter her garage whenever she wants and that nobody has the right to delay her because she pays for the parking spot.

Some people are so caught up in themselves, their importance, that they are just unwilling to see another's point of view. ( Indeed I have seen fights start around here, over such well meant conversations... ) It's a good job I am not in charge, or she would be doing without her large car already!!

[Alan Phipps]

The police responded to a call I made about my concerns about a very elderly neighbour of mine living alone with a terminal illness and slight dementia. I was due to drive him to the doctor for an afternoon surgery appointment but I could not raise him at the house which was locked up and with the front door key in the inside lock thereby defeating spare keys.

The two policemen who arrived parked their marked police car half on the pavement outside the house because it was on a dangerous corner, tried to raise him and then went to break in via the back door while I waited outside to help with the neighbour's alsation dog (which I regularly walked for him) also inside. While they were so occupied, a fit and healthy lady pedestrian interrupted them and insisted that they move their police car so that she could use the pavement unimpeded (it was possible to get past the car on foot without going into the road or hedge). The police basically refused as they told her that they were on an essential task.

The lady then turned to me and started giving me her very frustrated point of view on the matter. I forestalled her and advised that if she were that concerned about it, that she call the police. If looks could kill .... There was later a lot of rolling of eyes from the two police but, to their credit, no disparaging remarks about the lady.

(The elderly neighbour turned out to be in bed, weak and confused but fairly well, and we made it to the surgery eventually.)