What is your pet peeve of the day?

[starry night]

The overuse of the word "actually", actually.

 

[braumeister]

Laborers who do not show up for an appointment , I stayed home Thursday to wait for a painter to give me an estimate . No one called or showed up .

All too common in my experience. My average for independent contractors (not "laborers") to show up when promised is about 40%. A former neighbor, a banker, used to say "that's why most small businesses stay small."

 

[ERD50]

The overuse of the word "actually", actually.

Or 'literally' when they really mean 'figuratively'. As in "I literally had to poke my eyes out with a hot poker after catching a glimpse of that" (then how did you you type that response? You really got out of the hospital soon, I hope you learn to cope with this disability.). Or... "The tollway was literally a parking lot on my way to work today" (then how did you get to work? And did you shut off your engine, or leave it running all day in the 'parking lot'?).

Follow up pet peeve - when I question the correct use of language like that, DW and/or others will say "but you know what I mean". No, I will assume you meant what you said, I'm not a mind reader. Communication is what led to the advancement of civilization, we should use it properly.

-ERD50

 

[pb4uski]

All too common in my experience. My average for independent contractors (not "laborers") to show up when promised is about 40%. A former neighbor, a banker, used to say "that's why most small businesses stay small."

And these tend to be the same tradespeople who complain when work is slow. Hello...

 

[Nodak]

My pet peeve of the day is when folks who really should be at home but show up sick at w*rk. Case in point, saw the cashier at the grocery store cough in his hands a few times then into his shirt to prevent coughing in open air. All the while ringing up the groceries, handling the items through the conveyor belt and cart.

Probably in my mind, but now I feel a tickle in my throat .

Where I worked we had a guy who was very proud of never having taken a sick day. He never thought about the number of sick days he was causing.

 

[Car-Guy]

Prescription drug manufactures that include a detailed paper description of the drug and it's warning, uses, etc in the bottle or carton in super small print. Even with very high powered reading glasses some of them are impossible to see well enough to read.

 

[TromboneAl]

Grayed out computer buttons or menu options. Often you have something that's grayed out, and you don't know why.

I always argued that it was better to make the button live, and if you click it, it tells you why it's not going to work (e.g. "Sorry, you can't choose 'Cut' because you have not selected any text.").

Yes, I've probably complained about this before.

 

[ERD50]

Prescription drug manufactures that include a detailed paper description of the drug and it's warning, uses, etc in the bottle or carton in super small print. Even with very high powered reading glasses some of them are impossible to see well enough to read.

Warning: May cause print to appear smaller than it is.

Grayed out computer buttons or menu options. Often you have something that's grayed out, and you don't know why.

I always argued that it was better to make the button live, and if you click it, it tells you why it's not going to work (e.g. "Sorry, you can't choose 'Cut' because you have not selected any text.").

Yes, I've probably complained about this before.

Actually, I think the grayed out is OK,it gives a visual cue as to whether that function is active or not. But I agree, clicking, or a mouse-over should bring up a description of why it is not active.

-ERD50

 

[Bestwifeever]

Salvation Army Christmas bucket bellringers out in force today. Soon it will be the twelve weeks of Christmas, not days. I sort of get why retailers shove the Yule season down our throats as early as possible, but geez, I just mailed a Thanksgiving donation to the Salvation Army.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Salvation Army Christmas bucket bellringers out in force today. Soon it will be the twelve weeks of Christmas, not days. I sort of get why retailers shove the Yule season down our throats as early as possible, but geez, I just mailed a Thanksgiving donation to the Salvation Army.

Yes. +1. Uff da!

 

[Moemg]

Crazy home repair guys . I finally had one show up today to give me an estimate on painting a bathroom and he veered off into all kinds of other projects . It took us two and a half hours to get rid of the guy .I will never use Home Advisor again. I've had two fruitcakes from that company.

 

[splitwdw]

Crazy home repair guys . I finally had one show up today to give me an estimate on painting a bathroom and he veered off into all kinds of other projects . It took us two and a half hours to get rid of the guy .I will never use Home Advisor again. I've had two fruitcakes from that company.

Had something similar happen with a guy that came out to give an estimate for taking down a couple of trees. Instead of going right to the trees that I was trying to show him, he started to wander off to a different part of our property. He kept trying to tell me that other work needed to be done and never gave me a price on the trees that I wanted removed. I finally told him to leave...he didn't understand why or get the job.

 

[Moemg]

Had something similar happen with a guy that came out to give an estimate for taking down a couple of trees. Instead of going right to the trees that I was trying to show him, he started to wander off to a different part of our property. He kept trying to tell me that other work needed to be done and never gave me a price on the trees that I wanted removed. I finally told him to leave...he didn't understand why or get the job.

That is exactly what we had happen . No estimate for the work I wanted done but lot's of ranting about other projects.

 

[2soon2tell]

Rubberneckers who hold up traffic by slowing way down to look at at a vehicle with flashing lights on the side of the freeway. Ugh!!!

 

[folivier]

Recently when searching for a car to buy I tried to get the cost for an extended warranty. NONE of the providers would give me a price on their website or by email. SO after 2 months I'm still getting phone calls trying to sell me a warranty some from companies I didn't even ask. Keep telling them NO! I bought a CPO anyway with a factory warranty.
Why can't they just quote a price on their website? Then leave you alone when you tell them you're not interested?

 

[Dash man]

Recently when searching for a car to buy I tried to get the cost for an extended warranty. NONE of the providers would give me a price on their website or by email. SO after 2 months I'm still getting phone calls trying to sell me a warranty some from companies I didn't even ask. Keep telling them NO! I bought a CPO anyway with a factory warranty.
Why can't they just quote a price on their website? Then leave you alone when you tell them you're not interested?

They don't want to offer you an extended warranty on a website because they know the initial price they offer will scare you away. But many people don't realize extended warranties for new cars are very negotiable. My experience is driving the price down to about half their initial asking price, and maybe with some additional coverage like door dents or wheel rim damage protection. My extended warranty for my Acura paid for itself when the entire a/c unit had to be replaced 6 years after my purchase. Some people say they're not worth it, and I agree at full price. But it's a good value if you get the price down enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[aja8888]

They don't want to offer you an extended warranty on a website because they know the initial price they offer will scare you away. But many people don't realize extended warranties for new cars are very negotiable. My experience is driving the price down to about half their initial asking price, and maybe with some additional coverage like door dents or wheel rim damage protection. My extended warranty for my Acura paid for itself when the entire a/c unit had to be replaced 6 years after my purchase. Some people say they're not worth it, and I agree at full price. But it's a good value if you get the price down enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

I still don't understand why folks call these products "extended warranties". They are unscheduled repair insurance policies and, in most cases, sold through car dealers to individuals. Why you can't get a "price" over the internet on a dealer's site is because the product is marked up dramatically as mentioned above.

Interestingly, a good friend of mine worked for a GM dealer in the finance department before getting on with a CPA firm. As part of his job, he used to handle the insurance policy dealings and told me that selling those policies was the highest individual profit margin business in the dealership. The policies are marked up three or four times dealer cost.

One can buy an extended repair policy from an insurance broker directly and not at a car dealer if they wish. Also, Gieco sells the coverage along with an auto policy for a sum that is less than $15/month.

With the complexity of newer cars today, and the high cost or repair shop work, it does make sense to get a policy as long as you a a careful shopper and don't pay several times what you should for it.

 

[O2Bfree]

Grayed out computer buttons or menu options. Often you have something that's grayed out, and you don't know why.

I always argued that it was better to make the button live, and if you click it, it tells you why it's not going to work (e.g. "Sorry, you can't choose 'Cut' because you have not selected any text.").

Would a mouse-over message be better, where you see a short explanation when you put the mouse on the grayed out button, instead of having to click it?

 

[REWahoo]

Bizarre billing errors.

DW loves SirusXM radio. We've never subscribed to the service but she really enjoyed the occasional free trials whenever they were offered. As a Christmas gift I attempted to go online yesterday to subscribe to the most basic service they offer. No luck in doing it on line, even with the assistance of a CS rep using the chat feature.

After contacting them by phone I learned the problem was due to multiple accounts and inconsistent spelling of my last name. The CS rep corrected the problem and consolidated all the accounts which allowed me to log on and subscribe - the first charge is scheduled to be $7.19 for the first month of service beginning in January.

Fast forward four hours when I received six emails from SiriusXM within a period of 15 minutes. The first five were confirmations of consolidating my account, changing passwords, etc. But number six was an eye-opener.

The final email was to confirm the transactions to my account earlier in the day. It listed the purchase of seven (7) separate one year subscriptions for two vehicles - three concurrent subscriptions for one vehicle and four for another. The total amount owed: $1,963.27. A far cry from the $7.19 bill I was expecting.

Another call to CS who said it was obviously a mistake and it would be corrected. Logging into my account this morning shows only the $7.19 amount, but I'm going to monitor the charges carefully.

 

[MichaelB]

They misspelled "Wahoo"? Seems pretty straightforward to me.

That kind of back office systems support is the definition of "FUBAR"

 

[ERD50]

They misspelled "Wahoo"? Seems pretty straightforward to me. ...

Probably the Texas accent!


-ERD50

 

[splitwdw]

Bizarre billing errors.

DW loves SirusXM radio. We've never subscribed to the service but she really enjoyed the occasional free trials whenever they were offered. As a Christmas gift I attempted to go online yesterday to subscribe to the most basic service they offer. No luck in doing it on line, even with the assistance of a CS rep using the chat feature.

After contacting them by phone I learned the problem was due to multiple accounts and inconsistent spelling of my last name. The CS rep corrected the problem and consolidated all the accounts which allowed me to log on and subscribe - the first charge is scheduled to be $7.19 for the first month of service beginning in January.

Fast forward four hours when I received six emails from SiriusXM within a period of 15 minutes. The first five were confirmations of consolidating my account, changing passwords, etc. But number six was an eye-opener.

The final email was to confirm the transactions to my account earlier in the day. It listed the purchase of seven (7) separate one year subscriptions for two vehicles - three concurrent subscriptions for one vehicle and four for another. The total amount owed: $1,963.27. A far cry from the $7.19 bill I was expecting.

Another call to CS who said it was obviously a mistake and it would be corrected. Logging into my account this morning shows only the $7.19 amount, but I'm going to monitor the charges carefully.

I miss my satellite radio but couldn't take all the billing errors and repeated phone calls to fix. I canceled this year. I also hate getting a bill when the account is past due. If your subscription ends in January the bill doesn't show up until February. Could never get my online account to work.

 

[John Galt III]

Customer (Dis)Service people who are clueless and don't even know how to use their own website. Eg, the 2 different Capital Blue agents today who could not find a certain medical facility in their network until I pointed out how I used THEIR freaking website to find it. The guy finally said "Oh, you're right, it is in network. I was using a different search method which wasn't finding it".

 

[razztazz]

Customer (Dis)Service people who are clueless and don't even know how to use their own website

In most cases this kind of thing is a management/supervisory failure. Don't have the resources or want to take the time to properly train the person who actually has to --help the customer.-- Management just wants to move 'em in / move 'em out / move 'em along. It's almost never the the fault of the wienie on the phone. They're just as much a victim of the process as the customer. Management doesn't care about them any more than they care about the customer.

 

[MRG]

They misspelled "Wahoo"? Seems pretty straightforward to me.

That kind of back office systems support is the definition of "FUBAR"

I used to spell those kind of back office systems as "Paycheck". It's very sad how customers are impacted because of inadequate systems, people, education.