The Venting Thread

[FishProf]

The colleague who has ONE task on their plate but keeps up a constant barrage of inquiries and cajoling to push me to work solely on that project.  Helloooo!  Finals! Grading! Your project needs to be done in MAY.  Back off Jack!

[citrine]

There was no snow when I got up and put Nephew on the bus this morning. Now the Lake Effect has come for us all. I'm hoping the buses can get him and all the rest of the children home this afternoon...

[paultuttle]

Very sick with powerful sinus infection just before long vacation. Second round of antibiotics started yesterday.

Husband recently rear-ended by young university student driving old Jeep on rain-slick roads not paying attention to stopped traffic. Husband mostly OK but some residual neck/back pain.

No heat in the house yesterday morning. Quickest service was 6 hours after diagnosis. Maintenance guy replaced a part. Said he "hoped this will fix everything." Really reassuring right before long vacation (insert sarcasm emoticon here).

Surely it will all get better?!

[Economizer]

Here I go again!

A number of years back I wrote on the old CHE Fora about a banking difficulty that I had encountered.  I described the situation fully and, to my oblivious surprise, a law firm (which I think was a very successful one at "class action suits" [by which was run by a former Frat Bro {by whom, to begin with, I was unloved}]), picked my idea and settled one of the, at that time, largest such suits ever settled.  Incidentally, something caused the FORA to crash in such a way that I had to change my screen name shortly thereafter (any connection?  Hell, I don't know!).

So now, as I try to pay [and it is a struggle] my credit card bills, I will go on to discuss another financial worry that I, and perhaps a few million [or hundreds of million] others have in common.  My concern is that when I call to pay a said type bill, I am asked for my bank account number by an automated payment system. Often, there is a message included which instructs me that I cannot pay by giving my debit card information and that I must enter my banking info into the system.  But, I am not sure that I want to do this as I:   1.  Do not know who I am giving the account info to
                        2.  Do not know the association or connection of the entity by which I am asked to the
                             firm to which I actually owe the money.
                        3.  Do not know which country the submission operation is located (laws/security/
                             communication procedures not as reliable as they would be if operated in the
                             U.S.A.?).
                        4.  Do not know if "customer service agents" to whom I am referred 'ditto'.

To be fair, often when I pursue other payment options, most times subject systems, although the automated systems deny it, will offer, when and if I get to a "human" customer service person, often offer other payment alternatives [often, to go directly to a chain store location].

Oh, by the way, in the initial class action suit that developed, I think, from my CHE FORA remarks, I did receive a check for $7.21.  WOW!

P.S.  By the way, I am also thinking that, if interlopers can squeeze enough numerical sequences from gathered financial info, they will eventually be able to break into international banking codes and such. That would be a beeg problem, huh!

[mamselle]

Just continuing to fuss about strikes, travel planning, the fact that three papers depend on working with the materials I've planned to see, and I have no way to foretell if I'll be able to get to France, in the second half of my trip, let alone travel about as I usually/do need to do once/if there.

If I postponed, it would be until March, the soonest I could next go. Unpicking all my plans would be a huge pain.
It's very unfair...a French friend says, "selfish," even, that a proposed change unlikely to affect anyone now living in any terrible way is being used as an excuse to leverage all this havoc.

And Boor-is just got in. Yuck.

A yellow-capped dingbat and on orange-tufted gooney bird are just the sort of leaders the world needs right now.

I'm going off to do a balance sheet on costs-benefits of my options, after checking more websites for travel info.

NOT what I wanted to do this AM!

《toddles off, grumbling..》

M.

[scamp]

P.S.  By the way, I am also thinking that, if interlopers can squeeze enough numerical sequences from gathered financial info, they will eventually be able to break into international banking codes and such. That would be a beeg problem, huh!

Outside the US, people freely give their bank account numbers for transferring money for all sorts of reasons (e.g., for personal to person transactions, rent payments, etc.). Just having someone's bank account info doesn't mean you can take money from their account (although you can put money into their account).

[Economizer]

Re: Previous post.

Well, I guess I'll take your word for it. My concern is only recent and it is due to the requiring additional banking information that has become quite common.  Previously, my debit card was all that was required for payments almost all the time.  Why is it now that there is an increase in companies asking for the additional banking information and the requirement that one no longer can make payments by debit card?

[Economizer]

Although I try to be independent in political comments, I do have an couple of oddball questions to ask re the current hearings in the House of Representatives.  The first is about payments to witnesses and other relevant personnel for appearing or working in these matters. How much money do they make for their efforts?  Is it in addition to regular wages? Is there overtime paid.  Is there some sort of wage structure for those appearing yet not being part of the HOUSE or HOUSE staff?  The weird idea came to my mind to question if cronies working on this are just being allowed to accumulate a lot of extra Christmas money.  Well, to some degree that is going to happen, is it not?

[robear]

Generally, witnesses aren't paid, and public servants do not get compensated for their testimonies in public hearings. The lawyers surrounding witnesses, I don't know, but I doubt they work for free.

[paultuttle]

Very sick with powerful sinus infection just before long vacation. Second round of antibiotics started yesterday.

Husband recently rear-ended by young university student driving old Jeep on rain-slick roads not paying attention to stopped traffic. Husband mostly OK but some residual neck/back pain.

No heat in the house yesterday morning. Quickest service was 6 hours after diagnosis. Maintenance guy replaced a part. Said he "hoped this will fix everything." Really reassuring right before long vacation (insert sarcasm emoticon here).

Surely it will all get better?!

Now in a completely different part of the world. Much less congestion from allergies. Husband and I both doing better, and the house will (ahem!) take care of itself (although we have arranged for someone to stop by a few times).

Now listening to wild parrots and other flashy tropical birds hanging out in the backyard's avocado, lime, and banana trees . . . .

[science.expat]

I'm two months into my new job and today is our last day of work before the Christmas closedown. (I'm in Australia.) Late today my colleagues got hit with the I need a favour, buy gift cards scam. I think - hope - they all recognise the scam and several have reported it to IT.

I just hope everyone realises that it is a scam and that it has nothing to do with me.

[onehappyunicorn]

Dear part-time faculty,
When I say that you must be available the day grades and attendance are due I do actually mean it. When I have called you five times over the course of four hours because you have errors in both your attendance and grading I admit I will be a bit grumpy, especially since your voicemail is full and I cannot leave a message. What is especially fantastic is that you were unavailable because you were interviewing for another part-time position at a different college. To put the cherry on top the chair at the other college reached out to me, while I was trying to get a hold of you, to ask me for a reference for you as you sat in her office.

You are otherwise a very nice person who normally does not play the part of a moron so I did not rat you out but please, please, please don't do this again.

[RatGuy]

I place an Amazon order on Nov 30. I get a shipping notification, and a note that they've shipped some of my stuff separately. Most of my stuff arrives. A board game does not arrive. In fact, when I track the package through Amazon, it hasn't moved from Maryland. When I enter that tracking info on the UPS site, I'm told that the package never arrived at the shipping facility. Indeed, UPS says that Amazon requested a label be created, but nothing was ever shipped. I contact Amazon, who denies this. They claim that they know where the parcel is, it's been delayed, and I'll receive it on Dec 11. It doesn't arrive. I make a claim, and they offer to refund or replace. Since this game is for my group's Secret Santa next week, I ask for a replacement. This time it ships USPS from Georgia.

Guess what? USPS says the package was never mailed, but Amazon claims they're tracking it en route.

What sort of crap is this?

[mamselle]

It's what happens when very tired, very stressed workers are forced to do even more work, faster, because the company's advertising has promised physical, mental impossibilities.

I've seen a couple of articles in passing on this.

The work speed-up has taken a huge toll on the workers. And the company, obviously, has no plans or motivation to reduce its profit margins by hiring more help.

You shouldn't be on the receiving end of their false economies, either. But it sounds like that's what is happening...

M.

[Cheerful]

What sort of crap is this?

This is what happens when brick and mortar stores close because people instead support a juggernaut called Amazon.  Somewhat similar to the Walmart phenomenon but the consequences of Amazon are much larger than the Walmart case.