What is your pet peeve of the day?

[Blue Collar Guy]

Heck, I have been cutting them out of shirts for decades...hate when they sew them in where the whole shirt would be worn out but that tag would be hanging onto that collar even through a nuclear blast.... you know, all around the tag with tight stitches with 1,000 pound test thread....

I bought a Perry Ellis blue pin stripe suit. It is in my opinion very GQ. This was about 1995. I pay about a weeks pay for it. I get it all tailored at the suit store. I bring it home model it for the bride. It has a cloth tag on the sleeve with the name Perry Ellis. I think its supposed to be there. The bride says no. I get a scissors and remove the well sown on tag. Yup you guessed it. I cut the sleeve of the suit. Its right on a stripe too. I bring it back to the point of purchase ask the Taylor can he fix it? Yup, you guessed it,. "Nope" He tells me I need an old time Taylor that weaves. Thank goodness Im in a big city and we had such people. Cost me another $40 bucks to get it fixed. That tag had more thread on it than the rest of the suit was made of!

 

[Dash man]

The United States Postal Service! Express Scripts shipped my medication from Ohio on Aug 2, and I live in PA, the next state over. On Aug 4, DHL hands over the medication to the USPS. On Aug 5 it is sent to my local post office. Then sent to the next town over, then to the Philadelphia distribution center, and now it's in Roanoke, VA!!!! How incompetent can they be? Estimated delivery is now Aug 8, but who knows?

 

[braumeister]

These things even out.
ExpressScripts told me they would ship my meds on 8/4, so I was expecting it about 8/8.
Instead, it was in my mailbox on 8/3, a day before the scheduled ship date.

I think that makes up for your late delivery.

 

[Dash man]

These things even out.

ExpressScripts told me they would ship my meds on 8/4, so I was expecting it about 8/8.

Instead, it was in my mailbox on 8/3, a day before the scheduled ship date.



I think that makes up for your late delivery.

Not quite what I call even. This is a med I badly need!

 

[ERD50]

.... I happen to be reading a book called Thinking fast and slow. ...ls99

Excellent book, IMO. Though I think I started skimming a bit about half way through, IIRC, it seems he kept giving more and more examples, and by then I already 'got' the concept.

I've found myself doing the 'fast thinking' when I should be applying 'slow thinking', it's a very real trap. For those who have not read it, basically, he explains that if we are presented with information that seems to us to lead directly to a certain conclusion, we don't go into analytical (slow) thinking mode, we just quickly accept it and even defend it (the same as if someone said 2 + 2 = 4, you quickly recognize it as true, you don't dwell on the proof of it). But there are times where what appears to be true on the surface, is not true if we analyze it. So be wary of your "fast thinking" self, it can trip you up. At least that's what I got out of the book.

-ERD50

 

[Winemaker]

At least you are getting your medication. DW has a prescription that is on back order; she has been without for 25 days. It is an migraine headache med that she doesn't use very often, but when she needs it, she needs it. So I walk around here very softly.....

The pharmacy is going to substitute an injectable version.

 

[ls99]

Excellent book, IMO. Though I think I started skimming a bit about half way through, IIRC, it seems he kept giving more and more examples, and by then I already 'got' the concept.

I've found myself doing the 'fast thinking' when I should be applying 'slow thinking', it's a very real trap. For those who have not read it, basically, he explains that if we are presented with information that seems to us to lead directly to a certain conclusion, we don't go into analytical (slow) thinking mode, we just quickly accept it and even defend it (the same as if someone said 2 + 2 = 4, you quickly recognize it as true, you don't dwell on the proof of it). But there are times where what appears to be true on the surface, is not true if we analyze it. So be wary of your "fast thinking" self, it can trip you up. At least that's what I got out of the book.

-ERD50

Ditto on the fast thinking when should be applying analytics. Am about a third way through, and, with the scads of research shown, hopefully will be less prone to being bamboozled.

Author does show how easily we are manipulated into accepting falsehoods as true, or being "primed" for a particular conclusion... I find the book to be no easy reading.

BTW I discovered that my understanding of the word thinking was incomplete. The word think includes thoughts and ideas already present in the mind. I always thought it referred to the process of it.

 

[bclover]

lol, not sure if this has been mentioned, whew 127 pages but....

people who go to the ATM and have 12 different cards. Not sure if they are just bad at budgeting or what but standing there checking each and every card for god only knows what, while the line behind you is figuring out ways to stab you in the back and get away with the crime.

interestingly my bank has started to charge a fee if you check your balance at a cash machine

 

[easysurfer]

Totally frustrating experience helping sister get her doctor assigned as her PCP. Had to call her insurance company 3 times to make a supposedly simple change. Each time, on the phone, the customer service person verifies the doctor's information and says about 10-14 business days (they've been late on this too) for a new insurance card.

Hopefully, this 3rd time is the charm, but I'm not holding my breath. Will believe the change when I see it .

 

[MRG]

DW called the bank to ask why she's not been receiving statements for the checking account. They immediately blamed our mailman! Why don't you call the post office? DW requested the missing ones apparently several months worth. The rep really didn't know how to get the back statements printed and sent out.

I'm predicting a new non national bank in our future. I'm not sure why big companies are failing at producing statements so much anymore. We finally left ATT over missing statements.

 

[braumeister]

Haven't received any kind of statement in the mail for years.
They send an email when it's ready and I download a pdf. Print if desired.
For checking, the statement automatically includes images of the front side of processed checks, back side if I want.

At some point you'll have to deal with this -- why not get started now?

 

[Meadbh]

All the information is online. When tax time is coming up, I download relevant PDFs and upload them to my accountant's secure portal. (I have an accountant because I have a corporation).

Who needs paper statements? People who cannot afford computers or who are not confident in their computer skills. They should pay for the cost of generating and mailing paper.

 

[Koolau]

Hope I haven't mentioned this one before: Just got back from a day trip with lots of Interstate driving. On a 3 lane Interstate, traffic is low to moderate at worst. I'm doing speed limit in far right lane so that faster traffic can zip by on my left. Occasionally, I have to pass a slower moving vehicle (primarily big rigs). So sure enough, I'm being overtaken on the left by a car moving 8 or 10 mph faster than me. No problem, except that I'm coming up on a truck that I need to pass. What happens. The faster car slows to my speed blocking me in and I have to cancel the cruise control to slow enough to get behind the car passing me. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN A TRIP? I honk, I motion, but the clown will not speed up or slow down to let me get around the truck. Then, once the clown is past the truck he accelerates back to his 8 to 10 over the speed limit, leaving me far behind as I hit the "resume." If this were isolated, I could accept it as some sort of anomaly, but it happens often enough I assume there must be some psychological reason people do it. I suspect some folks are simply afraid to pass a truck so they slow way down to do it rather than getting over to the far left lane or actually going faster to get it done quicker. Any one have a clue why folks do this - fairly consistently?

 

[meierlde]

Hope I haven't mentioned this one before: Just got back from a day trip with lots of Interstate driving. On a 3 lane Interstate, traffic is low to moderate at worst. I'm doing speed limit in far right lane so that faster traffic can zip by on my left. Occasionally, I have to pass a slower moving vehicle (primarily big rigs). So sure enough, I'm being overtaken on the left by a car moving 8 or 10 mph faster than me. No problem, except that I'm coming up on a truck that I need to pass. What happens. The faster car slows to my speed blocking me in and I have to cancel the cruise control to slow enough to get behind the car passing me. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN A TRIP? I honk, I motion, but the clown will not speed up or slow down to let me get around the truck. Then, once the clown is past the truck he accelerates back to his 8 to 10 over the speed limit, leaving me far behind as I hit the "resume." If this were isolated, I could accept it as some sort of anomaly, but it happens often enough I assume there must be some psychological reason people do it. I suspect some folks are simply afraid to pass a truck so they slow way down to do it rather than getting over to the far left lane or actually going faster to get it done quicker. Any one have a clue why folks do this - fairly consistently?

This is solvable on many new cars with adaptive cruise control. It has radar to see the vehicle in front and slows down to keep a safe distance, then once you move over it speeds back up again. So the automakers were listening to this one.

 

[pb4uski]

.....Who needs paper statements? People who cannot afford computers or who are not confident in their computer skills. They should pay for the cost of generating and mailing paper.

My mom's bank started charging $3/month for paper statements a couple years ago... she still asks me why she hasn't got a bank statement from her bank and I have to remember and explain that we turned it off because we didn't want to pay $3/month for a couple pieces of paper.

This is an account that she uses infrequently... her main bank account with a national bank sends her a statement each month for free.

 

[flintnational]

Yea!! After months of online searching, I finally found the classic car I have been looking for (My Grandfather had this model/color when I was a boy). And, it was at a good price!! (That was my first clue.)

The owner replied to my email and indicated he was "out of the country" for several months filming a popular TV show (That was my second clue). Just enough information that you could check the name and filming project online. Obviously its an internet scam. I did not come close to falling for the scam but I am disappointed the vehicle is not really available. It only cost me an email.

FN

 

[ERD50]

Yea!! After months of online searching, I finally found the classic car I have been looking for (My Grandfather had this model/color when I was a boy). And, it was at a good price!! (That was my first clue.)

The owner replied to my email and indicated he was "out of the country" for several months filming a popular TV show (That was my second clue). Just enough information that you could check the name and filming project online. Obviously its an internet scam. I did not come close to falling for the scam but I am disappointed the vehicle is not really available. It only cost me an email.

FN

Why "obvious"? Did he ask for money up-front? Otherwise, well, some people do go out of the country for months. Can't he still give some info on the car, and when it could be shown?

-ERD50

 

[flintnational]

Why "obvious"? Did he ask for money up-front? Otherwise, well, some people do go out of the country for months. Can't he still give some info on the car, and when it could be shown?

-ERD50

I was suspect of the price. It was about half what similar vehicles are selling for. Originally I thought it might be a typo. When he confirmed the price and threw in that he was out of the country, it began to look like a scam. I asked to have a local rep inspect the car. We are on different coasts. I'm waiting on his response. But I am betting on the scam angle

 

[HFWR]

Hope I haven't mentioned this one before: Just got back from a day trip with lots of Interstate driving. On a 3 lane Interstate, traffic is low to moderate at worst. I'm doing speed limit in far right lane so that faster traffic can zip by on my left. Occasionally, I have to pass a slower moving vehicle (primarily big rigs). So sure enough, I'm being overtaken on the left by a car moving 8 or 10 mph faster than me. No problem, except that I'm coming up on a truck that I need to pass. What happens. The faster car slows to my speed blocking me in and I have to cancel the cruise control to slow enough to get behind the car passing me. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN A TRIP? I honk, I motion, but the clown will not speed up or slow down to let me get around the truck. Then, once the clown is past the truck he accelerates back to his 8 to 10 over the speed limit, leaving me far behind as I hit the "resume." If this were isolated, I could accept it as some sort of anomaly, but it happens often enough I assume there must be some psychological reason people do it. I suspect some folks are simply afraid to pass a truck so they slow way down to do it rather than getting over to the far left lane or actually going faster to get it done quicker. Any one have a clue why folks do this - fairly consistently?

People are a$$holes?

 

[splitwdw]

Hope I haven't mentioned this one before: Just got back from a day trip with lots of Interstate driving. On a 3 lane Interstate, traffic is low to moderate at worst. I'm doing speed limit in far right lane so that faster traffic can zip by on my left. Occasionally, I have to pass a slower moving vehicle (primarily big rigs). So sure enough, I'm being overtaken on the left by a car moving 8 or 10 mph faster than me. No problem, except that I'm coming up on a truck that I need to pass. What happens. The faster car slows to my speed blocking me in and I have to cancel the cruise control to slow enough to get behind the car passing me. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN A TRIP? I honk, I motion, but the clown will not speed up or slow down to let me get around the truck. Then, once the clown is past the truck he accelerates back to his 8 to 10 over the speed limit, leaving me far behind as I hit the "resume." If this were isolated, I could accept it as some sort of anomaly, but it happens often enough I assume there must be some psychological reason people do it. I suspect some folks are simply afraid to pass a truck so they slow way down to do it rather than getting over to the far left lane or actually going faster to get it done quicker. Any one have a clue why folks do this - fairly consistently?

Are you sure it's not you? When we are on the interstate and my husband is driving, he waits until he's right behind the vehicle he wants to pass. He doesn't seem to realize how fast he's coming up on a vehicle and never seems to watch the cars behind him. When I'm the driver (more and more he's turning the driving over to me), I'm watching the road all the time. I watch the cars around me to judge their speed. If I'm coming up on a vehicle to pass, I keep an eye on the vehicles behind me and I don't wait until I'm right behind the slower vehicle. My husband is always stuck behind a slower vehicle. Since he's illness, I can see his hands tightening on the steering wheel. He seems uncomfortable driving. I don't mind driving (I love to drive and do not use cruise control) and my driving doesn't bother him, now he naps while I drive.

 

[samclem]

Occasionally, I have to pass a slower moving vehicle (primarily big rigs). So sure enough, I'm being overtaken on the left by a car moving 8 or 10 mph faster than me. No problem, except that I'm coming up on a truck that I need to pass. What happens. The faster car slows to my speed blocking me in and I have to cancel the cruise control to slow enough to get behind the car passing me. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN A TRIP? I honk, I motion, but the clown will not speed up or slow down to let me get around the truck.

Some observations:
- I think cruise control is a big part of the problem. People set it and, for whatever reason, just don't want to unset it. I think this is why you see many cars directly pacing each other, side-by-side, on the freeway, or passing each other with only a tiny bit of overtake. It is not the safest way to travel. The person passing should do it deliberately and get out of the other driver's blind spot, also clearing the way for other vehicles to overtake the slow one.
- If I'm in that middle lane and I see someone ahead in the right lane coming up on a slower truck, I know see he's either going to put on his brakes or come into my lane. I expect him to signal and come into my lane. If that doesn't happen early, then I have to make a choice: slow down (so he can get in my lane before he hits the truck--but he should have done this earlier so I wouldn't have to slow down) or maintain speed/speed up (and hope he stays in his lane until I get past him). I suspect the drivers you see are choosing to reduce their speed rather than trust that you won't change lanes into them.

What the other driver (coming up on the truck) should do:
1) Well in advance, check to see if the next lane is clear. When it is
2) Signal for the lane change, accelerate enough to generate significant overtake
3) Look again and change lanes
4) After passing the truck and giving him safe buffer distance, signal, look, and change lanes back to the right.

If a truck comes into my lane while I'm beside him, it is a bad thing for me. A tractor-trailer has a total length of about 75 feet. A typical car is about 12 feet long. If a driver overtakes a truck with just 5 MPH of overtake, he'll have some part of his sheet metal beside the truck for about 14 seconds--that's a long time. I prefer to overtake slightly faster to reduce the amount of time I'm beside that truck. And I get over early to reduce the chances I'll get boxed in or that anyone will perceive that I'm about to become a conflict for them.

Re "Honking and motioning"--not advisable

 

[Nemo2]

I speed up to pass transports.........I probably spend up to a third of my driving time looking in the rear view and side view mirrors...my eyes are constantly moving.

Cruise control.....had never thought of it before, but it just occurred to me that I have never in my life used it.

 

[splitwdw]

Koolau, Sorry, just realized this is the "pet peeve" thread.

 

[Texas Proud]

Hope I haven't mentioned this one before: Just got back from a day trip with lots of Interstate driving. On a 3 lane Interstate, traffic is low to moderate at worst. I'm doing speed limit in far right lane so that faster traffic can zip by on my left. Occasionally, I have to pass a slower moving vehicle (primarily big rigs). So sure enough, I'm being overtaken on the left by a car moving 8 or 10 mph faster than me. No problem, except that I'm coming up on a truck that I need to pass. What happens. The faster car slows to my speed blocking me in and I have to cancel the cruise control to slow enough to get behind the car passing me. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN A TRIP? I honk, I motion, but the clown will not speed up or slow down to let me get around the truck. Then, once the clown is past the truck he accelerates back to his 8 to 10 over the speed limit, leaving me far behind as I hit the "resume." If this were isolated, I could accept it as some sort of anomaly, but it happens often enough I assume there must be some psychological reason people do it. I suspect some folks are simply afraid to pass a truck so they slow way down to do it rather than getting over to the far left lane or actually going faster to get it done quicker. Any one have a clue why folks do this - fairly consistently?

I see you have gotten a number of responses on this... but I will add to your peeve...


When an 18 wheeler decides to pass another 18 wheeler and cuts in front of much faster moving cars... and then proceeds to pass at about 1 mph faster than the slow one...


As to changing speed.... I think it is a bias to travel close to the same speed.... IOW, you do not notice how fast you are going if everybody else is going that speed... but when you come up on your situation, you notice and slow down.... once past the truck the reference vehicle is not in 'sight' and you are good to get back to speeding...

 

[folivier]

Can't let this one go.
When driving my motorhome or pulling a big trailer I usually am going 10 mph or more BELOW the posted speed limit. So I will stay in the right lane to not hold up faster traffic. However when I am at an on ramp and there is someone attempting to merge I WILL NOT move over into the left lane if there are vehicles coming up who are going much faster than me. Here is what happens: Once I'm in the left lane the faster cars will usually go around the right side of me which puts the merger in a dangerous situation since he's not going the speed limit right away. Then I get stuck in the left lane going slower than the traffic and have a hard time getting back over. And have a bunch of PO'ed drivers going around my right side. So basically if I don't pull over for you to merge get over it, especially since it's not my job to let you in! It's your job to safely enter the traffic flow.
IOW don't expect that someone will get out of your way to let you merge.