What is your pet peeve of the day? -- 2021

[Pointby2]

Subscriptions to anything are so hard to cancel. Last year I got a great deal on a subscription to the Orange County Register. One year, Sunday delivery of a real paper with daily access to the electronic edition.

A year goes by, my subscription expires and they don't have my credit card or anything to charge. They call me every day for a week trying to get me to resubscribe, the deal is fine, but I don't want them to have my CC number because I KNOW that it will be hard to unsub.

Today I get an letter that my account is past due. "Please remit within ten days to avoid further collection efforts."
I haven't received a paper or had access to the electronic version since my year's subscription ended. What the hell?

 

[Chuckanut]

Subscriptions to anything are so hard to cancel. Last year I got a great deal on a subscription to the Orange County Register. One year, Sunday delivery of a real paper with daily access to the electronic edition.

A year goes by, my subscription expires and they don't have my credit card or anything to charge. They call me every day for a week trying to get me to resubscribe, the deal is fine, but I don't want them to have my CC number because I KNOW that it will be hard to unsub.

Today I get an letter that my account is past due. "Please remit within ten days to avoid further collection efforts."
I haven't received a paper or had access to the electronic version since my year's subscription ended. What the hell?

May I suggest getting a credit card from a bank that offers single use virtual cards to go along with the actual physical use card. I use the ENO virtual cards from Capital One. I give them the virtual number, and then make sure to lock it before anything renews. You can even schedule the lock down date in advance. Virtual numbers are usually limited to just one company, thus are useless to CC thieves.


I suppose they can still try to intimidate you, but at least they don't have your money.

 

[Walt34]

Subscriptions to anything are so hard to cancel.

I second Chuckanut's suggestion on the Capitol One virtual credit cards. I now have over a dozen of them, each valid at only one vendor. You can set the expiration date to the very near future so the subscription can't be renewed, or you can simply delete the card after the authorized charge is made. And Capital One will let you know if there is an attempt at an unauthorized charge so you'll know if a given vendor has a, um, "leaky" web site, as in leaks cc numbers.

Oh, and I love that effort a virtual arm-twisting to get you to renew: "to avoid further collection efforts." Really? They're gonna send it to the credit bureau if you don't renew? Send Guido after you?

Do let us know....

 

[razztazz]

Oh, and I love that effort a virtual arm-twisting to get you to renew: "to avoid further collection efforts." Really? They're gonna send it to the credit bureau if you don't renew? Send Guido after you?

I was running into that sort of phony mind game "threat" as far back as the 90's.

 

[Texas Proud]

Today I get an letter that my account is past due. "Please remit within ten days to avoid further collection efforts."
I haven't received a paper or had access to the electronic version since my year's subscription ended. What the hell?

That is to get the old senile people to pay for their magazine...



And another peeve with this is asking to renew in less than 6 months... my mom (who died in 2019) had a subscription out to 2022... and they STILL kept sending renewals to her...


She was also getting magazines she did NOT need... like Men's Health etc... even after I took over finances she found a way to do more...

 

[Badger]

That is to get the old senile people to pay for their magazine...



And another peeve with this is asking to renew in less than 6 months... my mom (who died in 2019) had a subscription out to 2022... and they STILL kept sending renewals to her...


She was also getting magazines she did NOT need... like Men's Health etc... even after I took over finances she found a way to do more...

Before my mother died when she was in memory care she was getting a number of magazines subscriptions that were unusual. I'm pretty sure she wanted the Better Homes and Garden and Ladies Home Journal but maybe not so much the Guns and Ammo and Soldier of Fortune.
Now that I posted this I will probably start getting "pop ups" to buy subscriptions to those.

Cheers!

 

[MichaelB]

May I suggest getting a credit card from a bank that offers single use virtual cards to go along with the actual physical use card. I use the ENO virtual cards from Capital One. I give them the virtual number, and then make sure to lock it before anything renews. You can even schedule the lock down date in advance. Virtual numbers are usually limited to just one company, thus are useless to CC thieves.


I suppose they can still try to intimidate you, but at least they don't have your money.

I did that with my mum’s newspaper subscription. Because the subscription had an automatic auto-renewal and no way to cancel without a phone call, when the offer period ended they simply continued delivering, then after 60 days turned the unpaid debt over to a collection agency.

 

[Walt34]

I did that with my mum’s newspaper subscription. Because the subscription had an automatic auto-renewal and no way to cancel without a phone call, when the offer period ended they simply continued delivering, then after 60 days turned the unpaid debt over to a collection agency.

Oh, that one just screams for a reply involving a photo of a bare butt and the suggestion to "kiss here".

 

[Pointby2]

I did that with my mum’s newspaper subscription. Because the subscription had an automatic auto-renewal and no way to cancel without a phone call, when the offer period ended they simply continued delivering, then after 60 days turned the unpaid debt over to a collection agency.

That's exactly what happened to us, doesn't matter that they don't have a payment method to bill, they just continue to send it and then threaten collections. Nice business strategy.

 

[Koolau]

"unethical business people" sounds redundant to me

I know what you're saying, but, honestly, I've found most (not all) business people to be in it for the long run. Being "unethical" is NOT a good way to stay in business for long. I guess that's why I always try to choose a business that's been around for a while - especially with family roots or at least long-term management.



Our family business is still going strong after 3 generations and 75 years. Integrity, value, service, empathy and consistency are all terms I would ascribe to the business. YMMV

 

[Koolau]

In the 60s there was an independent take out pizza place called Pizza King, 2 blocks from my house. After many, many years the look a like son took over from the father, I don't know who runs it now, but almost 60 years later it is still in business.

Yep - there are several Pizza Kings still in business in the area I hail from. Very long term businesses, indeed. A good product with good service at a fair price. How can you lose.

A local guy (back home) started a Pizza King franchise and then went totally independent - creating his own recipes (like PK but BETTER.) He franchised several dozen stores, using his recipes and created his own central commissary. That was 60 years ago and his son now owns the business. It sorta proves the adage "god product, good service, good value."

 

[Koolau]

Fresher the better. Cold pizza is almost never good IMO. Good thing I never have leftovers. I eat a large in one sitting.

Heh, heh, it's been a while since you were a college student. Back in the day, cold, left-over pizza was THE preferred breakfast of college students at my university. YMMV

 

[WWDog]

Heh, heh, it's been a while since you were a college student. Back in the day, cold, left-over pizza was THE preferred breakfast of college students at my university. YMMV

Along with warm beer from last night.

 

[aaronc879]

Along with warm beer from last night.

Yuck! Beer isn't very good in general but if I am going to drink it it needs to be really cold. That means drinking it fast. No need to have cold pizza even in college. That is what a microwave is for IMO.

 

[disneysteve]

OMG people who don’t turn their phone off at funerals and memorial services. We were at a service tonight. This one guy’s phone rings and it takes him a minute to get it out of his jacket pocket and silence it. Did he turn it off? Nope. It rang 3 more times during the service. People were ready to strangle him.

 

[folivier]

Back in the early 70's, what's a microwave? Think they had just started to be available, certainly not on a college kid's budget.

 

[W2R]

Heh, heh, it's been a while since you were a college student. Back in the day, cold, left-over pizza was THE preferred breakfast of college students at my university. YMMV

I love cold pizza!!

In recent years, Frank has been bringing take-out from nearby restaurants for our lunch. Usually it's too early for me so I just tell him to put it in the frig. Then I eat whatever-it-is a couple of hours later, without microwaving.

Maybe it's because our weather here tends to be a bit on the warm side, but honestly I think cold food is pretty good.

Back in the early 70's, what's a microwave? Think they had just started to be available, certainly not on a college kid's budget.

I think my late ex and I got our first microwave around 1980 or so. I don't think they had them back in the early 70's! Or if they did, they were costly.

 

[W2R]

Yuck! Beer isn't very good in general [...]

This is your body telling you to stop drinking because it's not good for you!

About 20 years ago Frank casually said, "I've never known of anything good that came from drinking." I thought about it for several days, and decided that by gosh he was right (IMO). Nothing good DOES come from drinking, at least in my world, and the heck with peer pressure. Therefore I haven't drunk anything alcoholic since then.

 

[ls99]

Got a christmas card thanking Mrs. ls99 for her support in the past year.
She died in 2017!

 

[MichaelB]

Got a christmas card thanking Mrs. ls99 for her support in the past year.
She died in 2017!

That really is irritating, and it generates lots of ill will. One wonders why businesses don’t make a greater effort to keep their lists updated.

The same thought applies to Facebook. There is nothing worse than a FB prompt to “wish someone a happy birthday” or “friend suggestion” for someone who passed away.

 

[Winemaker]

Got a christmas card thanking Mrs. ls99 for her support in the past year.
She died in 2017!

She may still be working miracles in ways you'll never know.

 

[John Galt III]

That really is irritating, and it generates lots of ill will. One wonders why businesses don’t make a greater effort to keep their lists updated.

The same thought applies to Facebook. There is nothing worse than a FB prompt to “wish someone a happy birthday” or “friend suggestion” for someone who passed away.

I spent 4 hours researching which of my doctors would be in network if I were to change to a new insurance co. I found my urologist was in network at some and not others, according to the insurance cos I called. When I called the actual urology offices, one of them told me he had retired 5 years ago! And he was still listed online with several different practices. Maybe he tried to take his name off, but it sure didn't work, lol. Another peeve is that insurance companies are often '80 percent sure' something is covered, but tell you just have to try it and see. OMG.

 

[MarieIG]

- An avalanche in the freezer;

- Texts from an old pharmacy's new third-party vendor with an annexed agreement of many pages (including, but not limited to hold harmless and indemnification clauses) - I was not a fan. I'll see if I can pick up the script directly tomorrow.

 

[CardsFan]

This is your body telling you to stop drinking because it's not good for you!

About 20 years ago Frank casually said, "I've never known of anything good that came from drinking." I thought about it for several days, and decided that by gosh he was right (IMO). Nothing good DOES come from drinking, at least in my world, and the heck with peer pressure. Therefore I haven't drunk anything alcoholic since then.

But, to quote a Tee shirt I saw, "Alcohol: Because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad"

 

[Gumby]

The young wife and I split a bottle of the "nectar of gods" every night with dinner. I am of the firm belief that it keeps me healthy and happy. But that's the greatest thing about retirement - we are all free to live life our own way, with no one to tell us otherwise.