$82K+ to Bring Brenda Martin Back to Canada
Posted on May 9, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Tax Dollars Wasted | Leave a Comment |
CBC News reported that it cost Canadian taxpayers $82,727 to bring Brenda Martin, convicted in Mexico for her participation in a money-laundering scheme, back to Canada in a chartered jet on Thursday, May 1st.
Apparently Corrections Canada decision to charter a jet, as opposed to using an RCMP aircraft or commercial flight, was based on availability, security concerns and location of the prisoner.
Well, let’s see… Read more
The Travel Rants are at Roamsters
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Travel Rants | Leave a Comment |
I’m not ranting about travel here at Rosology, because we already have a good collection of travel rants on our travel blog at Roamsters.com.
Recent rants include:
- The Jerk in Seat 12F
- Itinerary Change Frustrations with Air Canada
- How the Uninformed Cause Delays at Airport Security
- Air Canada: We Want an Apology
- Go Through Customs? But I Didn’t Leave the Country!!
- $8.50 for a Bottle of WATER?
- Discount Car and Truck Rentals: How NOT to Respond to Your Customers
- A Room with a View at the Banff Park Lodge
- Airport Security Broke My Laptop!
- Try Harder Avis
Enjoy… and feel free to share your own rants about traveling and terrible travelers.
Penticton’s Bad Drivers
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Bad Drivers | 2 Comments |
An edited version of this piece was originally published in late October 2007 as a ”Letter of the Day” in the Penticton Herald.
This is the original unedited version…
I witnessed an incident on October 26th which sufficiently proves to me that the majority of Penticton drivers are either driving without a licence or are no longer qualified to hold a licence.
While waiting to make a left turn at a traffic signal that usually flashes green but was at the time disabled by a power outage, not one of more than 20 drivers stopped as required by law.
One can spot dozens of infractions perpetrated by ignorant and arrogant drivers in mere minutes, and the number of dangerous situations is on the increase. Here are a few questions I’d like to ask those drivers.
My New Chair Has an Upholstery Tumor
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Piss Poor Products | 1 Comment |
On December 28th, 2007, I ordered a chair (shown here in the picture to the left) from Kennedy Galleries in Toronto and paid a deposit of $350.00
On April 21st, 2008, I was informed that the chair was at the store, ready for delivery and so I paid the outstanding balance of $1006.00.
Following several inquiries about the delivery status and muck-ups with the cartage company (it helps when the shipping company is given the customer’s correct phone number) the chair finally arrived yesterday — May 7th, 2008.
And get this… it’s gotta go back. Read more
Shaw’s 24/7/365 Support… Hardly
Posted on April 26, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Customer Diservice | Leave a Comment |
So, when I got up at 5AM this morning and discovered that I had no Internet connection, I did the standard checks to make sure that the problem wasn’t on my end — ie. I rebooted both my computer and the modem.
After that didn’t resolve the problem, I phoned Shaw.
After hearing how I could buy access to last night’s sports event and that folks in Merritt and Trail could experience some problems with connectivity (but their technical staff was working on the problem) I then went through four different “press 1, 2 or 3″ choices at which point the phone on their end started to ring.
The phone rang and rang and rang some more. I let it ring for 15 minutes before the automated system finally hung up on me.
I did that 3 times and NEVER reached Shaw’s technical support staff.
So much for Shaw’s statement about their “24/7/365 customer service commitment” or the fact that Technical Support (24/7/365) is posted in bold right beside the technical support telephone number on their site.
BOO Shaw… you let me down yet AGAIN!!!
Wasting Energy: How Penticton Celebrates Earth Day
Posted on April 22, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Eco Terrorists | Leave a Comment |
It is Earth Day and I am appalled and disgusted by the complete lack of regard that the both the City of Penticton and a local baseball league has for both the environment and city taxpayers.
AGAIN tonight, the baseball diamond lights are on at Nkwala School while no one is playing. And if the past 2 weeks are any indicator, the lights will be on until 10:30PM — a total waste of precious energy and taxpayer dollars. That’s right… this town spends Earth Day adding to the problem of global warming.
I am particularly disgusted because I spoke at length this morning with a Penticton Parks Board representative about the fact that these HUMUNGOUS lamp standards burn for hours on end almost every night while NO ONE uses the park.
On hearing my complaint, the rep expressed dismay as the lights are on a computerized schedule based on the local baseball league’s stated schedule and the lights must be physically turned on at the field. He assured me that he would speak with someone from the league today about co-ordinating their schedule more accurately.
Well, apparently the message didn’t get through. Here is a picture of the empty field tonight… Read more
100 Cars Keyed in Port Coquitlam
Posted on March 25, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Dastardly Deeds | 1 Comment |
Ed told me about the CBC news story he heard yesterday about 100 cars being keyed in the Silver City cinema parking lot as well a surrounding residential neighbourhood, in British Columbia.
OK, tell me. What the hell is wrong with people who would do such a thing?
What pleasure could anyone get from vandalizing someone else’s property, or causing them the hassle of having to have their cars repaired and having to pay hundreds of dollars in insurance deductibles?
Are they freaks that don’t know right from wrong? Did their parents not spank them enough? Is it our crazy Canadian juvenile system which hardly gives kids a slap on the wrist for murder?
Please tell me… ’cause I can’t figure out such perversity.
Thanks a Pantful!
Posted on March 12, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Customer Diservice | Leave a Comment |
To say that I like my food is an understatement. Therefore, when I learned that I was to have nothing to eat after midnight on the night before surgery, I worked out a meal plan for maximum dining pleasure.
Today’s plan included a nice big pancake breakfast, follwed by Pho for lunch, Vietnamese vermicelli for dinner and a tasty little snack of Mac ‘n Cheese at around 11pm. Not exactly the healthiest choices to be sure — but anyone who has spent any time in a hospital knows that the dining options don’t exactly include your favorite comfort foods — and I was determined to ‘load up’.
Imagine my chagrin therefore when the nurse from the surgeon’s office called this morning to tell me that the doctor had forgotten to tell me that I wasn’t supposed to eat today - at all. (Fortunately, she called after I’d already had breakfast, so all was not lost.)
Adding insult to injury, the nurse also told me to take Peglyte, which, put nicely, is a very mean form of intestinal Drano.
“Bummer” I responded.
Sadly, she didn’t get the joke. 
Customer Service Hertz at Toronto International
Posted on January 7, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Customer Diservice | Leave a Comment |
This entry was originally posted on the Roamsters blog at http://roamsters.com/customer-service-hertz-at-yyz/
We rented a car over Christmas from Hertz at the Kipling and Dundas Street kiosk in Toronto.
The folks at that location were excellent… friendly, fast and helpful. We received an upgrade to a PT Cruiser for no extra charge, and when I remarked that the car was a tad dirty and somewhat odorous, the car jockey ran in and returned immediately with a $15.00 voucher to use for either a car wash or as a credit toward the rental.
The Hertz customer service experience at the Toronto International airport Hertz location on January 3rd was quite another story.
- My cheerful “Good Morning” greeting was not returned in kind. There was no “Good Morning” or “Happy New Year”… nada.
- The agent literally barked at me. “You returning the car?”, “Did you fill up?” and “What’s the mileage?”.
- The desk clerk processed the paperwork which I signed. After slapping another piece of paper on the counter, he appeared to continue working on our file.
- After a lengthy pause he regarded me with a look that said ‘What the he** do you want?”, so I asked if we were done. “Ya.”
No “Thanks for your business” or “Have a nice day”. Just “Ya.”
My response to his extremely poor manners? “You’re welcome… NOT! Next time we’ll rent from Budget!” loud enough for the agents at the Budget car rental counter to hear.
Technorati Tags: Hertz, Budget, car rental
Tractor Trailer Driver Lies to his Insurance Company…
Posted on September 10, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner
Filed Under Bad Drivers | 4 Comments |
I am absolutely livid.
On August 31st, a Sager Transport tractor trailer driver made an unsafe right turn on North Queen Street in Toronto and rammed into my rental car. The damage was considerable and the vehicle was no longer driveable. (See the full set of pictures in larger detail.)
That’s not what I’m livid about however…