So if you have seen my bank postings in the past, you will know nothing has changed. I received a letter from the IRS last week stating I owe $600 in taxes for 2007 because I under reported my interest, as reported by Bank of America. Just like 2006, for 2007 the bank for fools treated two of my mother's accounts as mine. Since the bank fired all the premier bankers (another stupid act on their part), I am forced to deal with the local branch of idiots.
A week ago Saturday I was giving the bank the benefit of the doubt and went to talk to my bank. I approached the desk and a woman asked what I needed help with. I said I needed the bank to fix their mistake and she pointed to the guy at the other desk and said he will be right with me. He turned around and gave her the stare of death. Then she went back to her desk and looked like she was playing on the Internet. 10 minutes later she walked behind the teller area and the other fellow came over and said he will be another 15-20 minutes with his customer. I asked who the woman was and he said the manager. I said shouldn't she have helped me. He replied she was in meetings all day and was busy. Do I wear a stupid sign around my neck? Meetings all morning on a Saturday? I don't think so.
Five minutes later, after I had waited 15 minutes, she came back and asked what I needed help with. I explained the issue and she said we need to talk with the tax people. DUH! She then went to her desk and called the number and of course no one was there on a Saturday. She gave me number to call on Monday.
I called the number and said I needed to get my 2007 1099 fixed. She went on about how I need to go to option whatever on the Links program and I said I have no idea what she is talking about. She asked if I was from a branch. I said, No I am a customer. Oh, what state are your in. I said California and she said she was in Kansas City and could not help me. So why did the manager of the branch give me her number? DUH! She transferred me to the California department.
When that lady answered the first thing she said was I need to go to my branch. Definately not what I wanted to hear. Now I lost it and started angrily explaining I had been there and they were a bunch of idiots who get everything wrong they do for me. I said this is the bank's mistake and I want it fixed. Then she appoligized and said she would help me. So why didn't she say that to begin with instead of saying I needed to go to my branch? DUH! She took my information and "placed an order".
The next day some other guy calls me and asks if there were two accounts or one. I said two and that I gave them to the other person yesterday. Oh, I have both accounts. DUH!. Then he calls back 5 minutes later and says he needs to send my mom a W9. I said, you realize this is the bank's mistake and her name is on the account. DUH!. He said he still needs to send her the W9.
My next CD with B/A matures in 3 weeks. It will be removed immediately from the Bank of Fools.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Non-thinkers are all around us
As most people are aware. especially those that know me well, I have an issue with Non-thinkers. I used to call them stupid people but I realize that is a little harsh and many non-thinkers can actually be smart, they just don't know how to apply the knowledge they have.
Where I work we are lucky to have a subtenant, Buddy Ben, who decided he did not have to pay rent. Ben kept giving us promise and after promise and we could "stanz it no more". We took him to court and got an immediate judgment without even having a trail. Anyway, Buddy Ben in his haste backed his truck right into the rear of my Infiniti G35 Coupe. If it weren't for another person in the car he probably would not have even told me. Ben scraped by bumber real good and his trailer hitch put a hole right through it. In his case I shall refer to him as a stupid person as he gets no respect and fits the title. I made an insurance claim with my carrier, Mercury, and filed a claim against his insurance carrier, Farmers.
I went to what I thought was a good body shop recommended by Mercury and got a quote, submitted it to Farmers and was told Farmers accepted everything. Then before I even took my car in to the shop Farmers has already paid the body shop. I guess they figure I no longer had a choice where to take it - "non-thinkers". So I took my car to the shop on Monday and was told it would take 3-4 days. On thursday, day 4, I called the shop to see when the car would be done. This is how the conversation went.
"Is my car done, I was told it would be 3-4 days and this is day 4"
"Oh, we were going to call you. There is a little problem"
"But you didn't call me, I called you. What is the problem and status?"
"We have not even begun the work yet because Farmers has not approved the cost."
"WHAT? The car is to be done today. What do you mean Farmers did not approve the cost? They already paid you"
"They did? Hang on" NON-THINKER!
Person 2 gets on the phone.
"We did get the check last week from Farmers".
"I know you did, so how can you say Farmers did not approve the estimate when they already paid it?"
"The estimate was for Mercury and since we are an authroized Mercury repair facility Farmers is not entitled to the discount. We have this problem all the time. Farmers also subtracts the cost of the little parts from what they want to pay. We are waiting for a Farmers representative to come out and inspect the car."
"Inspect it for what? They already approved the work, hence the check. This is unacceptable and you need to get Farmers on the line now to resolve this. Why didn't you call me the day I brought it in instead of me having to call you they day it was to be finished?"
Now an intelligent person might ask, if the quote was for Mercury and not Farmers, and they were told I would be going through Farmers, why did they not call Farmers and resolve this when they got the check and before I took in the car? Reason - they are Non-thinkers.
I called Farmers myself:
"I want to find out what the issue is on my car. I am the innocent party and expect my car to be repaired well and in a timely manner."
"I'm sorry sir, but we (Farmers) is waiting for the body shop to send us the revised quote."
"What? The body shop tells me they sent you the quote and they are waiting on Farmers to send someone out to inspect the car."
"We do not need to inspect the car."
"This is unacceptable. I need my car and it has been in the shop for 4 days and they have not even started the work. You (Farmers) need to call them right now and resolve this." NON-THINKERS
End result, my car will be in the shop for at least another week with a bunch of Non-thinkers in charge. I bet I end up with a Pinto when I get it back.
So I now add to the list of companies that hire non-thinkers insurance companies and auto body shops. Leading the list is still banks and cell phone carriers. Case in point, I got a letter from the IRS this week saying I owe $600 in taxes for 2007. Just like 2006, good old Bank of America screwed up on my 1099 and used my social security number for interest that belonged to my mother. Now I have to deal with the IRS too.
Where I work we are lucky to have a subtenant, Buddy Ben, who decided he did not have to pay rent. Ben kept giving us promise and after promise and we could "stanz it no more". We took him to court and got an immediate judgment without even having a trail. Anyway, Buddy Ben in his haste backed his truck right into the rear of my Infiniti G35 Coupe. If it weren't for another person in the car he probably would not have even told me. Ben scraped by bumber real good and his trailer hitch put a hole right through it. In his case I shall refer to him as a stupid person as he gets no respect and fits the title. I made an insurance claim with my carrier, Mercury, and filed a claim against his insurance carrier, Farmers.
I went to what I thought was a good body shop recommended by Mercury and got a quote, submitted it to Farmers and was told Farmers accepted everything. Then before I even took my car in to the shop Farmers has already paid the body shop. I guess they figure I no longer had a choice where to take it - "non-thinkers". So I took my car to the shop on Monday and was told it would take 3-4 days. On thursday, day 4, I called the shop to see when the car would be done. This is how the conversation went.
"Is my car done, I was told it would be 3-4 days and this is day 4"
"Oh, we were going to call you. There is a little problem"
"But you didn't call me, I called you. What is the problem and status?"
"We have not even begun the work yet because Farmers has not approved the cost."
"WHAT? The car is to be done today. What do you mean Farmers did not approve the cost? They already paid you"
"They did? Hang on" NON-THINKER!
Person 2 gets on the phone.
"We did get the check last week from Farmers".
"I know you did, so how can you say Farmers did not approve the estimate when they already paid it?"
"The estimate was for Mercury and since we are an authroized Mercury repair facility Farmers is not entitled to the discount. We have this problem all the time. Farmers also subtracts the cost of the little parts from what they want to pay. We are waiting for a Farmers representative to come out and inspect the car."
"Inspect it for what? They already approved the work, hence the check. This is unacceptable and you need to get Farmers on the line now to resolve this. Why didn't you call me the day I brought it in instead of me having to call you they day it was to be finished?"
Now an intelligent person might ask, if the quote was for Mercury and not Farmers, and they were told I would be going through Farmers, why did they not call Farmers and resolve this when they got the check and before I took in the car? Reason - they are Non-thinkers.
I called Farmers myself:
"I want to find out what the issue is on my car. I am the innocent party and expect my car to be repaired well and in a timely manner."
"I'm sorry sir, but we (Farmers) is waiting for the body shop to send us the revised quote."
"What? The body shop tells me they sent you the quote and they are waiting on Farmers to send someone out to inspect the car."
"We do not need to inspect the car."
"This is unacceptable. I need my car and it has been in the shop for 4 days and they have not even started the work. You (Farmers) need to call them right now and resolve this." NON-THINKERS
End result, my car will be in the shop for at least another week with a bunch of Non-thinkers in charge. I bet I end up with a Pinto when I get it back.
So I now add to the list of companies that hire non-thinkers insurance companies and auto body shops. Leading the list is still banks and cell phone carriers. Case in point, I got a letter from the IRS this week saying I owe $600 in taxes for 2007. Just like 2006, good old Bank of America screwed up on my 1099 and used my social security number for interest that belonged to my mother. Now I have to deal with the IRS too.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Big Surprise
So why the look of surprise and shock on my lovely wife's face? About March, Sue and I decided to book a cruise to New England to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. A few weeks later my daughter Katy approached me with a desire and idea of surprising Sue with a special gift. While we were on our cruise we would have our kitchen completely remodeled. Being the tighwad I am and having a job that is uncertain, I thought for quite a while about this. Then as I looked at the 25 year old cabinets, the floor peeling up, and the walls a mess I decided to do it. I figure I am either the bravest husband in the world of the stupidest to remodel a kitchen in secrecy from my wife, especially a dear wife that is practically a professional chef. With a lot of faith and a tremondous amount of help from Katy, Brenda, Steven, and Mike we set out on the project.
I had one week to get eveything done but with some planning and thinking I scheduled my annual visit to the New York office to add 3 days. We found a cabinet place that for a reasonable price would sell, install, an demolish the old cabinets. We picked out the style (from a limited choice) but felt confident Sue would like them. Then under pretence took Sue to a granite yard to get her thoughts on what she liked. We spent a lot of time at Home Depot deciding on the floor tile, sink, drink cooler, and other things. All this without Sue knowing about it. We even made a trip to Living Spaces to find the table unit. Sue wanted a high table and chairs so we could have a bar area at the counter. We visited a lamp store and surprisingly decided within 5 minutes of what we wanted, and they were even on sale.
As we got closer we needed to decide on the granite. Katy was able to borrow a cabinet door and we revisted the granite yard. We held the door up to our first choice and it did not match well. The granite we picked out was on Sue's list, maybe #2 or #3. When we held up the cabinet Katy and I knew almost immediately that was the one. We bought a big slab and some left over pieces from another job. It was stored at the yard and Brenda arranged for the installer.
After much deliberation, we decided on the floor tile. We knew how much we needed and the store in Simi Valley (where Brenda lives) did not have enough. We bought what they had and stored it at Brenda's house. When we bought the table there was another Home Depot next door and of course they did not have enough either so we bought all they did have. Then we went to the Home Depot by my house and again they were short. We bought all they had and visited the next Home Depot close to my house. They had the balance of what we needed. We felt the tile went very well with the granite and cabinets. We wanted a darker color since the cabinets and granite was lighter.
I left the paint color up to Brenda, Katy , and Steven. While we were off cruising the kids and BJ, our contractor, worked night and day getting it done. The demolishion happened the day we left. I cannot express the love and thanks to Katy, Brenda Steven, Mike and Danior, for all they did and the time they put forth. I am informed how much work Steven and Mike did working hard until the early morning hours. While we were cruising they were working so hard while we were relaxing and having fun. About five times Sue said on the cruise I looked like I was not having fun. Sue was totally unaware of my worry about what was taking place at home.
After much deliberation, we decided on the floor tile. We knew how much we needed and the store in Simi Valley (where Brenda lives) did not have enough. We bought what they had and stored it at Brenda's house. When we bought the table there was another Home Depot next door and of course they did not have enough either so we bought all they did have. Then we went to the Home Depot by my house and again they were short. We bought all they had and visited the next Home Depot close to my house. They had the balance of what we needed. We felt the tile went very well with the granite and cabinets. We wanted a darker color since the cabinets and granite was lighter.
I left the paint color up to Brenda, Katy , and Steven. While we were off cruising the kids and BJ, our contractor, worked night and day getting it done. The demolishion happened the day we left. I cannot express the love and thanks to Katy, Brenda Steven, Mike and Danior, for all they did and the time they put forth. I am informed how much work Steven and Mike did working hard until the early morning hours. While we were cruising they were working so hard while we were relaxing and having fun. About five times Sue said on the cruise I looked like I was not having fun. Sue was totally unaware of my worry about what was taking place at home.
When we got home, before we entered the house I told Sue I had bought a special anniversary gift but it did not arrive in time for our anniversary or for our cruise. I walked her in with her eyes closed, told her how much we all love her, and let her open her eyes. She gasped for air and was totally speechless. Compared to what we had before, the project ended up just beautiful. I am still looking for the before pictures I took.
We love you Sue. Happy anniversary.
During the planning, there we many instances of little fibs in order to keep the surprise. I hereby make a total confession including:
1) answers to why Brenda and Katy called
2) fibbing about seeing a big lizard near our backyard storage space. We had items stored in the shed and knowing Sue's fear of lizards if she beleived there was one there she would not go near it.
3) explantions on why I was late coming home from work.
4) explanations on why I needed her car and used her gas
5) explanations on why I visited Brenda's home
6) explanations on why I had to borrow the company delivery van
7) explanation on why I cashed in credit card points for a check
8) statements about "someday" we might be able to remodel the kitchen.
just to name a few
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Our Cruise
To celebrate our 30th anniversary we took a New England cruise with our normal cruise line, Princess. We left August 22 out of the Brooklyn port. Boy is Brooklyn a scummy city. We actually flew into New York a few days earlier so 1) I could visit the office in Holbrook (Long Island) and 2) to allow more time for our secret project (post to follow). We were a little worried as hurricane Bill was approaching the New England area.
Because of the hurricane, instead of setting sail at 5:00 pm, we stayed in New york for the night and set sail in the morning for Boston. We were scheduled to first visit Newport, Rhode Island but we had to skip that port to let the hurricane get in front of us. When we did set sale it was a pretty rough ride. All over the ship were roped off "Sanitation Areas", a.k.a. barf zones.
In Boston we took a tour of the historic sites including the Old North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea), the old Trinity Church where the Boston Tea Party was started, and various other sites of the city. We really enjoyed our excursion.
Because of the hurricane, instead of setting sail at 5:00 pm, we stayed in New york for the night and set sail in the morning for Boston. We were scheduled to first visit Newport, Rhode Island but we had to skip that port to let the hurricane get in front of us. When we did set sale it was a pretty rough ride. All over the ship were roped off "Sanitation Areas", a.k.a. barf zones.
In Boston we took a tour of the historic sites including the Old North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea), the old Trinity Church where the Boston Tea Party was started, and various other sites of the city. We really enjoyed our excursion.
We set sail that evening for Bar Harbor, Maine, or as they call it Baa-Habaa. Here we took an excursion into Acadia National Park, and saw the location where one day earlier some people died being washed out by high hurricane waves. We went to the top of the mountain with a nice view of the harbor.
I find as I get older I am becoming more aggrevated with stupid people and stupid questions. At the top of the mountain one elderly lady asked if that was our cruise ship down there. Duh.....I am ashamed but the only thing that came to my mind was to say "did you see any other Princess cruise ships in the harbor when we left."
We set sail that evening for the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. Here is where the hurricane ended up and we were blessed with the remnant storm. Not too bad, just a little rain. The Bay of Fundy has the largest tide swings in the world, about 30 feet. When we were there, we passed through a nice village called St. Martins and when we hit the beach the tide was out. We were basically on the bottom of the ocean floor.
Then we set sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were on a photographers tour which was a dud. No professional photographer and we just went to the standard tourist sites with 5,000 other people. We still had a nice time.
We were at sea all the next day one way back to Brooklyn. We had to wait about 5 hours in the airport for our long flight home. During the cruise, Sue kept saying I did not look like I was having fun. Little did she know why (I was all stressed out about what was happening back at home). The best thing about cruising is just being together 24/7. The food is great (and lots of it) and the entertainment, well its a cruise ship. Our waiter really like Sue and I think he was hitting on her. He is lucky I did not deck him.
This was our 6th cruise and we came home to an incredible surprise for Sue.
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