What is your pet peeve of the day?

[travelover]

They can't filter out all replies containing "I don't know" because it could be an answer to "does it work" that says "works great but I don't know if it will last." And of all the "I don't know" answers, there are probably few that say only that.

Hey, it's MY pet peeve and I'll be peeved if I want to.

 

[jimbee]

Amazon has incredibly sophisticated algorithms that sort out all kinds of customer behavior and they can't weed out "I don't know" answers?

I don't know.

 

[travelover]

I don't know.

 

[folivier]

If Amazon's algorithm for reviews is as good as their search function then I understand.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Ordered a schlage door handle set from build.com. Couldn't get it to tighten and there was a random disc included not mentioned anywhere in parts list or instructions. Approx 3.5 inches diameyer. Couldn't call schlage yesterday bc they don't work the Sabbath. Was in hold 20 mins. Lady finally announced it was a manuf defect. That disc should be mounted. Instructed to return to retailer. Build.com I was 39in line for chat. Could not do online return bc I had not created an account. 15 mins on hold. Yes they will send me a new one. They "don't know" if I have to return the old one. They will "get back to me." Ugggggghhhhhh. I'll be waiting by the phone for sure ( eyeroll) Week 2 with no doorknob.

 

[splitwdw]

Yea, I've gotten those questions, too. But 1) I'd never respond with "I don't know" and 2) it is ridiculous for Amazon to post those answers. Amazon has incredibly sophisticated algorithms that sort out all kinds of customer behavior and they can't weed out "I don't know" answers?

I was asked what material were the Levelor mini aluminum blinds made out of, not once but twice. First time I replied aluminum, second time I replied macaroni. Both answers were posted on Amazon.
"Aluminum" was in the product name and description and the people used it in their question.

 

[statsman]

Our subscription with Sirius XM ends in 10 days. I will cancel a few days before to make sure it goes through. I'm certain I can get them to offer the usual year service at $5/mo (plus the whopping royalty fees), but it's a pain to continue with this yearly aggravation.

I have to wonder under the current environment if Sirius XM is losing customers. Our subscription was to end in four days, and rather than screw up and forget about it, I called this morning to cancel early.

I was put on hold due to "call volume". At that point, their automated system took over and offered the $60/yr Select plan (plus fees + taxes) that I usually had to spend a good deal of time on the phone before it got to that stage.

After repeating the terms of the offer, I accepted the plan. Refreshing our online account, the update (billing, subscription timeline) changed immediately. So, what *usually* is a pet peeve turned into some reasonable.

I really would like to cancel the service, but because the audio system in our 2015 Buick Enclave has so many frustrating "features" I end up going this route. If it weren't for the audio system's head unit being tied to the rear camera and possibly other car features, I would have it replaced with a 3rd party unit that would alleviate my frustrations. Every day that I think about this, it becomes my recurring pet peeve of the day. For *five* years!

 

[JoeWras]

I was asked what material were the Levelor mini aluminum blinds made out of, not once but twice. First time I replied aluminum, second time I replied macaroni. Both answers were posted on Amazon.
"Aluminum" was in the product name and description and the people used it in their question.

That explains some of the answers I've seen. I think it is less about people being wise guys, and more about frustration by the Emails, as in your case.

 

[splitwdw]

That explains some of the answers I've seen. I think it is less about people being wise guys, and more about frustration by the Emails, as in your case.

Yep, the first time you think, ok, maybe they missed "aluminum" or they are lazy or stupid so just be polite. Second time I was pissed, please don't waste my time. I haven't been asked any questions since so maybe I'm banned from reviews/questions...yay!

 

[braumeister]

Yep, the first time you think, ok, maybe they missed "aluminum" or they are lazy or stupid so just be polite. Second time I was pissed, please don't waste my time. I haven't been asked any questions since so maybe I'm banned from reviews/questions...yay!

Maybe they were from another country and didn't understand that you meant aluminium.

 

[JoeWras]

Maybe they were from another country and didn't understand that you meant aluminium.

Ha ha! That's one of my pet peeves! English speakers who think we need to all pronounce or call things the same world over. I enjoy the variety.

DW still talks about the time at the grocery store a gentleman kindly told her: "Excuse me, ma'am, I believe you have my trolley." I think he charmed her. Maybe I need to keep out an eye?

Much nicer than: "Yo, ya got my shopping cart."

 

[splitwdw]

Maybe they were from another country and didn't understand that you meant aluminium.

But wouldn't that come under the stupid category.

 

[Chuckanut]

I was asked what material were the Levelor mini aluminum blinds made out of, not once but twice. First time I replied aluminum, second time I replied macaroni. Both answers were posted on Amazon.
"Aluminum" was in the product name and description and the people used it in their question.

Thanks for an interesting story.

By the way maybe you can help me with a history quiz I am taking. Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

 

[Nemo2]

By the way maybe you can help me with a history quiz I am taking. Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

That's a gimmee....it's the Unknown Soldier.

 

[Boho]

Success with clichés. In one of Neil Sedaka's mini concerts a week or two ago, he had two clichés in the first two lines. His song choices for today's concert were Heart of Stone, Bringing Me Back to Life, and Super Hottie.

I also wish he wouldn't say "thank you" after each song, as if he's hearing applause.

 

[14thMed]

Unprecedented! I’m going to throw my drink at the TV the next time I hear it.

 

[Gumby]

Unprecedented! I’m going to throw my drink at the TV the next time I hear it.

I bet it will be the first time you've ever done that.

 

[Boho]

Fonts that over-do sans-serif. When "Mentally Ill" looks like "Mentally Three" then you're using the wrong font. Why does anyone think it's acceptable to eliminate the horizontal lines of a capital I?

 

[braumeister]

Last month I moaned about copywriters going over the top with a pair of socks that boasted "tuned dampeners in the forefoot and heel and dynamic linkage in the midfoot ..."

Today I got an ad for a T-shirt, and one of the "features" they listed was:

Convenient openings for head, neck, arms

I suppose I should be glad they didn't get too creative this time, but

 

[ERD50]

Fonts that over-do sans-serif. When "Mentally Ill" looks like "Mentally Three" then you're using the wrong font. Why does anyone think it's acceptable to eliminate the horizontal lines of a capital I?

It goes the other way too. A few years back, The Chicago Tribune changed their font (at least for the print edition, which I don't get anymore). When a word had two lower case "t"s together (like "better" or Everett" ), the horizontals of the "t"s (I assume that is a serif), overlapped and it looked like the symbol for "Pi" (π). Very odd looking. No one noticed this?

Another pet peeve, I couldn't recall how to type a Pi symbol, had to copy/paste. I know how to do degrees: ° (on my system "start" and oo) . Hmmm, "start" and PP gives ¶ (paragraph).

edit/add: OK, this will set the conspiracy theorists going: After submitting this, I turn to my email, and I just received:

Tales Of �������� (Was "Tales of Type", some chars not recognized)

https://tedium.co/2020/08/07/digita...m_campaign=Tedium_08_07_2020&utm_medium=email

Today in Tedium: Typography has been one of the key ways that the computer has distinguished itself from more traditional physical forms. Here’s what I mean: In the 1930s or 1940s, if you wanted to change a font on a newspaper or magazine, you had to use a completely different set of blocks of metal type, and that process of switching blocks took time. Now, it’s a matter of literally selecting an item in a menu or changing a line of your CSS code. ....

do-do do-do do-do do-do(Twilight Zone theme)

-ERD50

 

[Boho]

I almost put this in the vitamin D thread but I think this is better. The version of this almond milk that's on the manufacturer's website has 25% vitamin D. Walmart shows the same, but they sent me a version with slightly different packaging and zero vitamin D. Amazon also has the zero vitamin D version but at least they say so in their listing. So now I have to be home for Fedex on Monday.

27 of them...

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

When a word had two lower case "t"s together (like "better" or Everett" ), the horizontals of the "t"s (I assume that is a serif)

I believe that is an example of "kerning."

Serifs are the small, dangly things on the ends of the strokes of a letter.

 

[ERD50]

I believe that is an example of "kerning."

Serifs are the small, dangly things on the ends of the strokes of a letter.

Might be a combination, I'll see if I can find an example, but if the serifs on the 't' are large, that could cause them to blend?

OK, here you go (from their 'digital print' version), you can see that the 't' doesn't touch other letters, but touches (or comes extremely close to) an adjacent 't' ("better"), looks like a Pi symbol to my eye:



-ERD50

 

[JoeWras]

Unprecedented! I’m going to throw my drink at the TV the next time I hear it.

Out of an abundance of caution, I recommend you don't throw anything.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

The combination "tt" is often kerned closer together: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerning#Kerning_values

When I write "tt" in cursive, I use a single stroke to cross both t's. Do you cross them individually? I imagine that the kerning is meant to imitate the look of crossing them both with the same stroke, but that is just my speculation.