Grumpy old buggers thread

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Well I am on the job market again. A couple of pet peeves have returned.
1: Jobs that emblazon the fact that you can get so many thousands of dollars in salary sacrificing per year - yet they do not advertise what the base pay actually is.

Pet peeve Number 2: Applying for a job where they ask you what your salary expectations are. Does the job go to the lowest bidder?

3: Reading the screen of text associated with the role and then needing to click on a separate link to read through the position description. Then having to scroll down screens full of really interesting position descriptions only to learn at the very bottom of the document that it is some form of "Affirmative Action" role. Particularly when it is a measure that I do not comply with. Why not put the fact that it is an Affirmative Action role within the job title and within the first screen of guff about the job - before having to go to the linked position description. Then potential applicants can scan through recruitment company's list of jobs and go "nope, that is not me ... scroll down to the next job on the results list" .

4: Designated "contact people" who must plan their holidays during the exact time before the job closes. Subsequently, reaching out to make contact with the "contact person" only to get an automatic out of office notification - with a return to work date after the job closes.

Going back to Pet Peeve 1: Once upon a time it was commonly felt that if a potential applicant had the sheer audacity to contact a human resources manager, or contact person, for a role and you asked what the pay rate was - your application would be scrapped. This was because the employer considered such people as being too mercenary and that such values supposedly did not fit in with the company's ethos. I just sent out two such emails - this might have been the kiss of death for the applications.

In your experience is having the audacity to ask what pay is associated with a role before you apply now acceptable and does not come with any negative payback? Or have old trends ran true? With the subsequent action of goodbye application.

Kind regards
Lionel

[JDNSW]

Some of you may remember my post here about the ambulance getting lost finding me back at the end of January. I went and saw the ambulance people in town, and had a reasonable discussion about it. After some thought, I decided that the main reason they got lost was inadequate signage on the road, which is owned and maintained by National Parks. So I tried to call them.

After trying unsuccessfully to phone anyone in NPWS who was prepared to talk to me for a couple of days, I emailed a letter to the Minister responsible a letter detailing the incident and what I thought was wrong with the signage on February 24th.

This morning I got an emailed response. The key bit is "The trail features well-maintained signage from Mendooran Road to the eastern edge of the reserve, with clear and accurate positioned directional signs".

It seems to me that the simple fact that the ambulance got lost demonstrates that this statement is just plain wrong. But at least they gave me a local phone number and an email address. I tried the phone number and "we can't take your call at this time". So I sent a two page email to the email address detailing exactly the problems with the signage. And got an automatic "Out of office" response.

By this time the steam out my ears was fogging up my glasses. So I rang the local member (not mine, he doesn't answer his phone either, but the one covering the area in question - my boundary is the electorate boundary). They know me and allowed me to let off a bit of steam.

Then I compiled and sent a new complaint to the Minister. Shortly thereafter I got a response from the local NPWS office, but basically saying they would talk to me when they have time.

[V8Ian]

That sound like a fob off, John. Can you erect a sign yourself?

[JDNSW]

Actually needs about three signs - I am already thinking about how to do it. I have a bunch of bits of stainless steel about 20x50cm and 2.5mm thick. I think a coat of etch primer, and a couple of coats of gloss white, get some stencils and put directions in gloss black, on these, cut to a point on one end. Still thinking about how to attach them to NPWS posts.

Should be a lot more readable than their light grey on dark grey signs, as well as being twice the size.

[cuppabillytea]

They should realise that you're not someone who's going to give up John, and just fix the problem.

[JDNSW]

I just got a long phone call from someone at National Parks.

Basically, their position is that the signage meets the standards of National Parks signage and meets the requirements of the RFS (which I rather doubt), so there is nothing wrong with it.

[Tins]

Bureaucratic KYA. I wonder if approaching the Ambulance service would do you more good. Surely it's in their interest to have clearly readable signage, not only at your place.

[Tombie]

Went to Adelaide on Thursday to pick up some Explosives (powder/primers).

Took the bride with me and we made a bit of a day of it.

Stop on O’Connell street, find a park, last space, side of the road, yellow line directly behind my bumper.

Walk across road to Italian restaurant and we order some lunch and sit outside to enjoy.

A small sedan pulls up behind me, proceeds to hit my tow hitch getting too close. Reverses back, goes forward again and hits my D4 a second time.

I wander across the road to find out what’s going on and encounter a woman in her late 60s getting out of her car which is parked outside the marked/signposted area and almost has its boot in the intersection.

Me: “Excuse me, do you realise you just hit my car twice?”
Her: “I did not” - in an American accent.slowly climbing from her vehicle.
Me: “I’m afraid you did, both times. Your number plate has been crushed in and there is paint on my tow bar.”
Her: “Rubbish”
Me: “See there” (points to rear dash camera), “I have it all on video”
Her: “I did not”
Me: “I’m afraid you did, are you aware you cannot park here? You’re outside the line.”
Her: proceeds to point at clearly marked sign with arrow pointing away from her vehicle and arguing, “see there’s the sign, 1 hour parking”
Me: “yes, on this side of the sign…”

Well at that point she retorts with “Why don’t you just **** (rhymes with small feathered bird that swims a lot) off.”

By now I’ve had it, grumpy mode (and blatantly rude mode) kicks in…

Me: “Well **** you, you old ****. I’ll call the cops shall I?”

2 nurses heard my less than polite response and came at me with “you cannot speak to somebody like that”

Me: “You obviously didn’t hear her, I suggest keeping out of it”

Meanwhile, old bitch hops back in and takes off, narrowly missing my vehicle and nearly causing a crash with oncoming traffic.

I inspected my vehicle further and satisfied all that happened was her car sustaining damage - I walked back and enjoyed lunch.

Spotted her vehicle parked around the corner - illegally

[3toes]

Never seen it in Australia however in the UK you will see road signs with black text on a yellow background rather than the standard black text on a white background. These signs are put up by the AA and RAC where they believe that the official signage is not sufficient

[3toes]

Was with a friend who commented that you do not see nay BMW X5 or equivalent Mercedes of the same vintage pad my 2011 Range Rover which is still common. Had never noticed this before but this started me looking for these vehicles and to my surprise they were right. Not a scientific exercise just observing traffic when out and about. Have lived through the traumatic experience of owning a BMW X5 of this vintage can understand why they would be in short supply. The bigger question that arises is if the Land Rover product is do unreliable why are there still lots around yet the competitors have disappeared?