What's bugging you? (2015)

[hawing]

You were using the (ostensibly shared) kitchen to make food at a normal mealtime? [sarcasm]You fiend![/sarcasm]

Yeah, no, those aren't realistic expectations.

[1992casey]

Subject: What's bugging you? (2014)

 

We had a company replace our garage door opener on Monday. In the middle of the job there is a loud knock on our door. I rush to the door to find the guy that is doing the job standing their with a very bloody arm looking at me in distress. I rush to go get a beach towel to wrap around his arm and he tells me that he needs me to take him to the hospital. So, I drop everything I'm doing (I was working from home) and rush to get my keys, wallet, phone, and lock the doors. I take him in my car (that has a light interior) to the hospital and after I get there I call the company to let them know whats going on and to tell them that they should A) probably send someone to the hospital and B) send someone to my house to finish the job and take care of the van that's sitting in my driveway with the back doors open.

 

About 30-45 minutes after I get home from the hospital two guys arrive in a car, one guy to finish the job and the other to just basically says to me "thanks for taking care of my guy, he's a bleeder" before he gets back in the car and takes off (I assumed he was going to the hospital). When the "new guy" finishes the job he pulls out the invoice to get payment. I ask him if they are charging me "full price" and he says yes. I tell him that, considering the circumstances, I think I should get some sort of discount. He tells me that someone in the office will have to handle that and that he will have them call me. About an hour later I get a call. They offer me $20. I think this is pretty low but I just say ok (I have blood stains all over my garage floor and a little in my car, I'm out a beach towel, I was interrupted from my work, and I saved them the cost of an ambulance).

 

When I tell this story to people they can't believe that the company only offered me $20. So, I'm wondering what other people think. Am I being callus and trying to make a "financial gain" out of someone else's misfortune (by the way, the guys is fine, he needed 8 stitches) because I'm expecting more of a discount or is it just good customer service to offer a better discount in this situation?

I was thinking of the businesses that I wanted to get around to reviewing on Yelp, and this came to mind. This would certainly stand out if people were picking a company to do business with. I'm surprised that the suggestion didn't come up when we were discussing this situation last summer.

 

There's still time to add the review. If you haven't used Yelp before, it may pay to add a few positive reviews for companies you've had good experiences with. That lends more credibility to your negative reviews.

[DHonks]

since Patrick425 had a driving and texting rant, I'll stress my biggest driving rant. I hate it when people blatantly violate the law by not using their turn signal. They're driving a several thousand pound, gas loaded weapon at 45 mph down the road, but won't give anyone else the courtesy to let them know their intentions???!?!?!?! I wish it were a $2,000 fine for every time someone makes a lane-change in an intersection, lane change without a signal, turn without a signal, or fails to signal at least 100-feet before an intersection.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

two roommates, a girl and a guy, and they're a couple. One yelled, but being a couple they speak for the pair. I was home all day and they were working. When they got home I was already in the kitchen making my dinner (about 6:30). The guy said he was very mad that I was using the kitchen when they got home and that I should have been cooking when they were gone (I was making pizza dough). He said I do this all the time. I'll add that I don't cook every day and they frequently eat takeout, so I'm not sure what "all the time" necessarily means.

 

I don't think 6:30 is an everyday schedule for them but I also don't pay attention. They don't have M-F 9-5 jobs. He insinuated I peer through the window for them to get home and then race in the kitchen. I told him he was more than welcome to be in the kitchen with me and that I could move whatever was necessary. He swore again, I told him that my appetite won't revolve around their schedule and if they didn't like it they can find a new roommate. He swore again so I gave my 30-day notice.

 

I don't know the degree of right or wrong in this particular instance and a complaint had never been brought up to me before. I recognized it as control and that I couldn't keep capitulating. I can use very little kitchen space and can only have two drawers to their 12. I must maintain a spotless kitchen but they leave big piles of dishes out for about a week at a time.

 

I'll likely need a couple weeks at an extended stay motel, but I should be able to afford it.

 

What jerks.

 

When you leave, run some fiberglass insulation in the dryer.

[fondybrewfan]

Two things.

 

1. My 18 month old puked in her car seat last night. You are not supposed to wash the fabric because it might compromise its integrity in a crash. There is no way to get the funk out without sending it through the washer so I might get to go buy a new one.

 

2. Trying to plan a 2nd floor bathroom renovation project on an old home. I have the cost pretty well nailed down for labor and materials; but I have been told that the old pipes coming up from the basement are nearing the end of their useful life and should be replaced. I don't know what this costs yet but I am expecting it to be a lot. The bathroom desperately needs to be re-modeled and just the labor and materials for that is affordable for me; but the cost to replace all those pipes might just be too much for me. If I don't replace the pipes and they start leaking 1, 5, or 10 years from now I will kick myself in the butt for not doing it. Perhaps I need to find one of those 18 month interest free credit cards and just do it pay for it over time.

[pete]

It sounds like you're talking about the water lines. If the company you're using doesn't use PEX, they'll say its difficult, expensive, unproven, whatever. If they have used it, they'll say its fantastic, saves money and has been used for X years (a really long time) in Europe and elsewhere. Wherever you are, I think I might use a search engine or a directory and look for someone who does PEX and say hey, I was thinking of upgrading the water lines from here to there, what's the cost on something like that?

[fondybrewfan]

Thanks for pointing out PEX, I am not a plumbing expert by any means but it seems like that might be a better option than traditional copper and certainly would save me some money. I will have to call around town to find some places that use PEX; I imagine not everyone does. Perhaps part of the reason plumbers haven't fully adopted PEX is simply because it is so much cheaper and quicker to install; less money for them.

 

In researching online I haven't really seen a huge downside to PEX other than some problems with fittings several years ago that hopefully is resolved by now. Its cheaper, easier to install especially in a re-piping situation, is less prone to freezing than copper, and generally lasts as long as copper and other options. If you find a good installer it seems like a very good option.

[fondybrewfan]

So I just had a panic attack. Contractor tore out my bathroom today and after turning the water back on a leak started running down my first floor wall. He freaked out and quick turned the water off and called me. I am panicking at work for about 15 minutes will he cuts out a few floor boards to see what happened. Turns out the demolition caused a nail to make a small puncture in the pipe causing the leak. He tells me this is very easy to fix, thank goodness. I had $10,000 repair bill nightmares running through my head.

 

Good news is that he didn't find mold or anything like that.

[Bikeage77]

Convenience fees are one of the worst things in the world. I just got gouged for an additional $28 so I could take my wife to see the Replacements. I've never spent this much on a concert, and I never will again. I'd rather the tickets were just a flat $65 a piece instead of feeling like I'm getting taxed 30% because of the magic of the internet. Total [expletive deleted by moderator].

[Invader3K]

Convenience fees are one of the worst things in the world. I just got gouged for an additional $28 so I could take my wife to see the Replacements. I've never spent this much on a concert, and I never will again. I'd rather the tickets were just a flat $65 a piece instead of feeling like I'm getting taxed 30% because of the magic of the internet. Total [expletive deleted by moderator].

 

Ditto. I wish vendors would just be honest with "up front" pricing. That's the model some sites like Stubhub (IIRC) have gone to.

[jerichoholicninja]

93.5 and 99.7, two of my favorite radio stations, have switched to country in the last few months. If 94.3 switches I may never listen to the radio again.

[MrTPlush]

Tuition and the drivers of North East Illinois.

[Patrick425]

93.5 and 99.7, two of my favorite radio stations, have switched to country in the last few months. If 94.3 switches I may never listen to the radio again.

 

Yeah, over the last 10 years or so, there seems to be general assumption in this state that everyone like country music. I don't get it. I can maybe see if we were in Texas or Wyoming or something, but I don't get the overwhelming presence of country music in Wisconsin.

[FVBrewerFan]

I don't think it's an assumption. It's about ratings and money, so I doubt these stations would go to that format if the audience wasn't there. Which, as long as I'm here, I'll add this to "What's bugging me."

 

If you like country music, fine. But quit trying to convince me to like it too. If I hear "but the new stuff is different" one more time... I get it, it's not Loretta Lynn anymore. But it still hurts my ears, so quit trying to make me like it.

[jerichoholicninja]

I don't think it's an assumption. It's about ratings and money, so I doubt these stations would go to that format if the audience wasn't there. Which, as long as I'm here, I'll add this to "What's bugging me."

 

If you like country music, fine. But quit trying to convince me to like it too. If I hear "but the new stuff is different" one more time... I get it, it's not Loretta Lynn anymore. But it still hurts my ears, so quit trying to make me like it.

 

The new stuff isn't even country. It's like a combination of pop and rap with beer, trucks, and tractors.

[Invader3K]

I don't think it's an assumption. It's about ratings and money, so I doubt these stations would go to that format if the audience wasn't there. Which, as long as I'm here, I'll add this to "What's bugging me."

 

If you like country music, fine. But quit trying to convince me to like it too. If I hear "but the new stuff is different" one more time... I get it, it's not Loretta Lynn anymore. But it still hurts my ears, so quit trying to make me like it.

 

The new stuff isn't even country. It's like a combination of pop and rap with beer, trucks, and tractors.

 

"Rock & roll with a cowboy hat", some would say.

[1992casey]

The new stuff isn't even country. It's like a combination of pop and rap with beer, trucks, and tractors.

That's the whole thing. If we were going to hear Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash, it'd be a whole lot different than listening to the stuff they've been calling "Country" over the past couple of decades.

[bani1717]

I never grew up listening to country music and didn't really like it as a kid (probably because my parents never listened to it). Within the past few years though, I have begun listening to "country" and really appreciate it. Partially because it's generally more wholesome than some of the stuff out there that you hear...

[jerichoholicninja]

I never grew up listening to country music and didn't really like it as a kid (probably because my parents never listened to it). Within the past few years though, I have begun listening to "country" and really appreciate it. Partially because it's generally more wholesome than some of the stuff out there that you hear...

 

More wholesome? There's a whole lot of cheating on significant others, getting drunk and doing stupid things, breaking the law, encouraging ignorance, and destroying others' personal property in country music.

[Patrick425]

I never grew up listening to country music and didn't really like it as a kid (probably because my parents never listened to it). Within the past few years though, I have begun listening to "country" and really appreciate it. Partially because it's generally more wholesome than some of the stuff out there that you hear...

 

 

I don't know, perhaps that's true, but while I personally would not listen to music that promotes a lot of violence towards others or is widely misogynistic, I don't necessarily choose my music by how "wholesome" it is. The Wiggles and The Partridge Family were pretty wholesome, but not music I'm going to put in my play list. A lot of what turned me on to rock when I was a kid was the rebellious side of it. May be a bit hypocritical of me, but even if I may not entirely agree with the message of the rock or alternative genres, I enjoy lyrics that have some sort of thought put into them and are not just about blue jeans, pick up trucks, warm summer nights, cold beer, and patriotism. Also, not a lot of bass in most country songs (unless maybe you are talking about fish ), I enjoy a good underlying drums and bass line in my music.

 

Edit: Someone will probably reply with someone like Johnny Cash and how rebellious he was. True, possibly one of the most rebellious musicians of all time. I like a lot of his songs and I don't know that I completely classify his songs as country. If you listen the Jack White station on Pandora, a lot of Johnny Cash comes up.

[FVBrewerFan]

Willy Nelson was/is rebellious also. But I agree, I like a lot of different types of music, and it's not determined by the wholesomeness of the content or the artist. Same goes for movies, I probably don't agree with 99% of what the movie stars promote as their causes, how they live their personal lives, etc. Ditto for pro sports. It's all entertainment, and if everyone had to pass the wholesome test, I would have nothing to watch or listen to.

 

With country, I have honestly tried to like it but I just don't. Every once in a while there's a cross-over song I like here and there, but that's it.

[jerichoholicninja]

5 job interviews in the last 4 months and 5 rejections. I'm at the point where I'd rather not even get interviews anymore. It's less depressing.

[Baldkin]

I have a four letter last name.

 

It rhymes with Both.

 

99% of people pronounce it as though it rhymes with Moth. Including my boss. Who I've corrected on it at least 12 times.

[Invader3K]

5 job interviews in the last 4 months and 5 rejections. I'm at the point where I'd rather not even get interviews anymore. It's less depressing.

 

Hope your luck improves then.

[Patrick425]

5 job interviews in the last 4 months and 5 rejections. I'm at the point where I'd rather not even get interviews anymore. It's less depressing.

 

 

Not sure what your qualifications are Jericho or what you are looking for, but keep plugging away. When I graduated from college over 25 years ago, I had a whole binder of rejection letters. At least 30 of them. Not sure why I kept them at the time. Many of them were rejections before I could even get a resume. Other than my college degree and a mediocre 3.0 GPA, my resume was pretty thin. I finally landed a job that did not pay very well (compared to what other grads I knew were getting at the time), but gave me the opportunity to prove myself and make connections. Never really had to go through that again. For the most part the jobs I took since that time were through people that I had already worked for and knew what I was capable of.

 

Stick with it, it will pay off in the long run.