What is your pet peeve of the day?

[travelover]

Stingy rebate requirements.


We got a rain barrel to help save water.


I 'jumped' ahead and got it all hooked up and ready to go for the next rain.


But - in order to qualify for the rebate, a before picture is required of the gutter and barrel and two after pics.


I had already modified the downspout gutter to install the barrel.


So, we won't qualify for the partial rebate.


Grrrr....

That's what Photoshop is for.

 

[TromboneAl]

My pet peeve with these is that they do not seem to last... I have had three handles go bad... they are not cheap...

I just ordered these third-party ones for $1.39 each. I'll let you know if they are any good:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OBSMGZY

 

[Meadbh]

My pet peeve for today is the overuse of the word "miracle". It comes up a lot in stories about health care. Here's an example:

Couple prepares for ‘miracle’ triplets - Salmon Arm Observer

It's not a miracle, just one chance in 50 million. I wish people understood probability.

 

[Fishingmn]

My dog eats poop.

 

[Texas Proud]

I just ordered these third-party ones for $1.39 each. I'll let you know if they are any good:


Amazon.com: 20 Replacement Brush Heads HX6013 HX6014 ProResults Compatible with Philips Sonicare Electric Toothbrush: Health & Personal Care

I thought you were talking about the handles and not the heads....

I have ordered the heads like you have.... much cheaper and they seem to fit just fine...

 

[hausfrau]

My dog eats poop.

Mine does too. Dead birds also. Her breath is awful.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

So he disconnects again and we look at the old tank and the new tank and there is a black rubber gasket missing from the new tank.

Couldn't you take the gasket from the old tank and put it on the new one?

 

[pb4uski]

My dog eats poop.

Mine does too. Dead birds also. Her breath is awful.

Dogs being dogs.

 

[aaronc879]

My pet peeve is people who drive with both feet. A guy passed me on the highway yesterday going at least 80 mph(in a 70 zone) and had his brakes on for at least several minutes before he was out of sight. He must go thru a lot of brake pads while risking the lives of everyone else on the road.

 

[braumeister]

I wish people understood probability.

Oh, I am so with you on that. But alas, I think it's a lost cause. I keep seeing people buying dozens of lottery tickets, thinking it will vastly increase their chances of hitting the jackpot.

Here's an interesting take on it:
Why People Probably Don't Understand Probability : NPR

 

[Walt34]

But alas, I think it's a lost cause. I keep seeing people buying dozens of lottery tickets, thinking it will vastly increase their chances of hitting the jackpot.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7320273

Of course it does. If I buy two lottery tickets rather than one, my odds of winning went up by 100%. So the more I buy the better my chances of winning. It's sort of like this:

 

[braumeister]

Of course it does. If I buy two lottery tickets rather than one, my odds of winning went up by 100%. So the more I buy the better my chances of winning.

Wow! Thanks for setting me straight on that.

So if I buy ten tickets, my odds of winning must go up by 1,000%. This is looking better all the time.

 

[NW-Bound]

... we look at the old tank and the new tank and there is a black rubber gasket missing from the new tank...

With the standard 5-gallon BBQ propane tank that I use, the rubber ring is on the removeable hose/regulator assembly and not the tank. Yours is obviously of a different design.

Wow! Thanks for setting me straight on that.

So if I buy ten tickets, my odds of winning must go up by 1,000%. This is looking better all the time.

Yes. The chance of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292 million.

If you buy 10 tickets, it is now 10 in 292 million, still a very small number but it is 10x higher. Similarly, a beggar who has a dime is 10x richer than a beggar with a penny.

Realizing that the minuscule chance of a jackpot is discouraging, the lottery officials entice people to buy more by increasing the odds of winning little prizes. The chance of winning $4 is 1 in 38. So, people win that once in a while, and that gives them encouragement to keep on buying although spending $38 to get $4 on the average does not sound too appealing to me.

 

[Philliefan33]

My peeve today is customer service reps that cannot use critical thinking or common sense to solve a problem. Or maybe it's the company policy that ties the hands of customer service reps.

Our oldest DD will age out of our health insurance in November. She will switch to the policy offered by her university (she is a contracted PhD student). BC/BS sent us a letter that said "your dependent, Jane Doe, will lose coverage on her 26th birthday". DD submitted a copy of that letter with her application to the university coverage. Today she received an email stating that "we need a letter indicating the date on which you will lose coverage. The letter you submitted does not indicate the date and is unacceptable".

Grrr....is it such a leap to go from "Jane loses coverage on her 26th birthday" to "Jane has applied for our coverage and indicated / proved that her birthday is a certain date " to "Jane loses coverage on that certain date" ??

So now I have a request in to BC/BS for a letter specifying the date that DD will lose coverage. Making work for me and someone at BC/BS.

 

[MRG]

My peeve today is customer service reps that cannot use critical thinking or common sense to solve a problem. Or maybe it's the company policy that ties the hands of customer service reps.

Our oldest DD will age out of our health insurance in November. She will switch to the policy offered by her university (she is a contracted PhD student). BC/BS sent us a letter that said "your dependent, Jane Doe, will lose coverage on her 26th birthday". DD submitted a copy of that letter with her application to the university coverage. Today she received an email stating that "we need a letter indicating the date on which you will lose coverage. The letter you submitted does not indicate the date and is unacceptable".

Grrr....is it such a leap to go from "Jane loses coverage on her 26th birthday" to "Jane has applied for our coverage and indicated / proved that her birthday is a certain date " to "Jane loses coverage on that certain date" ??

So now I have a request in to BC/BS for a letter specifying the date that DD will lose coverage. Making work for me and someone at BC/BS.

Maybe not, most letters used by insurance companies are canned, pre-written and approved by the folks in charge of that business area. Typically the processor who reviews just says this is incomplete for X reason, the variables are passed into the letter, and a human never even sees anything. Many times the thing sould be worded differently but the folks that approved the letters don't understand all the nuisances of the business.

I spent a number of years consulting in insurance back offices.

Of course it's still a great peeve!

 

[urn2bfree]

Ungrateful trick or treaters-
Last year at least two separate kids greeted my candy (a FULL SIZED BUTTERFINGER!) with disdain and asked if I had something without peanuts!!

How about, "Thank you" and take the stupid candy bar and trade it with somebody else that has whatever is your looking for?

Even if you have peanut allergy --same thing-- I don't think this is the time and place to ask the world to accommodate your allergies. That is just not reasonable.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Cassius King]

People who take themselves too seriously.

 

[aaronc879]

Ungrateful trick or treaters-
Last year at least two separate kids greeted my candy (a FULL SIZED BUTTERFINGER!) with disdain and asked if I had something without peanuts!!

How about, "Thank you" and take the stupid candy bar and trade it with somebody else that has whatever is your looking for?

Even if you have peanut allergy --same thing-- I don't think this is the time and place to ask the world to accommodate your allergies. That is just not reasonable.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

When I was a kid, my brother and I would go out the second trick or treating started and we would run around the neighborhood getting all the candy we could. Then we would go home and quickly empty our bags. We would put aside all the stuff we didn't like and our parents would give that out to other kids. Then we'd go out again and again doing the same thing. That way us kids got the candy we liked and our parents got free candy to give out since they were quite poor at that time. We were always grateful for whatever was handed out. Like you said, you can always trade with someone later.

 

[irishgal]

About 10 years ago when I was living in the suburbs some kids parents dropped a note in everyone's mailbox asking "that everyone have peanut free candy for Bobby" and added that "we would prefer that you not store the candy anywhere near other candy that might have peanuts". Then the note went on to say what time Bobby would be coming around to get his special candy.

 

[Walt34]

Grrr....is it such a leap to go from "Jane loses coverage on her 26th birthday" to "Jane has applied for our coverage and indicated / proved that her birthday is a certain date " to "Jane loses coverage on that certain date" ??

Clearly for them the leap is too great.

Like the man said "Ya can't fix stupid".

 

[Dogman]

aja888 - you don't want to kill them! have a spray bottle with water and a touch of vinegar and spray the dog and if necessary the owner.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

Ungrateful trick or treaters-
Last year at least two separate kids greeted my candy (a FULL SIZED BUTTERFINGER!) with disdain and asked if I had something without peanuts!!

How about, "Thank you" and take the stupid candy bar and trade it with somebody else that has whatever is your looking for?

Even if you have peanut allergy --same thing-- I don't think this is the time and place to ask the world to accommodate your allergies. That is just not reasonable.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Ya know, some kids have severe allergic reactions to peanuts - even just touching residual traces.

My son has been tested several times and is 'off the charts' for his reactions. He has been advised by his physician to not even come into physical contact with peanut butter.

So, just taking the kindly offered candy as good manners can be very dangerous.

Have you considered that?

 

[meierlde]

Ya know, some kids have severe allergic reactions to peanuts - even just touching residual traces.

My son has been tested several times and is 'off the charts' for his reactions. He has been advised by his physician to not even come into physical contact with peanut butter.

So, just taking the kindly offered candy as good manners can be very dangerous.

Have you considered that?

This of course suggests that one tell the child that due to health reasons trick or treating on the street is off limits. (Perhaps organize a party for kids with peanut issues instead)
Of course 40 years ago in Houston you had the guy (since executed) who gave out poisoned candy and killed a couple of kids. It does suggest that better to go to a party of some sort.

 

[MichaelB]

Perhaps organize a party for kids with peanut issues instead

This is the only option for a child with a peanut allergy. Peanuts are far too common ingredients in food preparations.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

This of course suggests that one tell the child that due to health reasons trick or treating on the street is off limits. (Perhaps organize a party for kids with peanut issues instead)
Of course 40 years ago in Houston you had the guy (since executed) who gave out poisoned candy and killed a couple of kids. It does suggest that better to go to a party of some sort.

We educated our son early to ask and to politely decline peanut candy at Halloween.

Fortunately, we live in an neighborhood where parents were sympathetic to such situations.


We did have to face a very dangerous situation at school where in Kindergarten, a helper forced our son to eat his peanut butter sandwich because 'everyone else is eating as told, so should you', despite his being told to say that he is allergic to peanuts.

Fortunately, we had his Epipen registered and on hand at the head office and it was administered when he started to show symptoms.

The helper was dismissed later after review for callous disregard of established procedures and not listening to our son.

Would we prefer our son not have the allergy and the associated problems?

Of course - what parent wouldn't, as would our son.

It isn't fun and it's deadly serious.

Sure would be nice if more people had some compassion for this.