The pet peeve thread

[CMRivdogs]

We do make use of our points, it’s Marriott, when we travel. I really haven’t checked the difference in cost between points and paying going rate I figure it’s about the same.

We’ve also used the Vacation Club here (Ford Colony) for family. Much easier than putting up in the house. My nieces had a girls weekend a couple of years ago and it was a good base. 
 

We’ve gotten to the point at our age we can’t justify adding any more and I’m not sure my grown son wants to take on the burden in the near future.

[chasfh]

Points for style in parking lots.

This is when you drive down a crowded parking lot row and you see a car pulling out and you think, cool, there’s a spot opening up. But just as they pull almost all the way out, they drive right back in, apparently so their car can be as straight as they can. They’re trying to rack up points for style.

[CMRivdogs]

8 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Points for style in parking lots.

This is when you drive down a crowded parking lot row and you see a car pulling out and you think, cool, there’s a spot opening up. But just as they pull almost all the way out, they drive right back in, apparently so their car can be as straight as they can. They’re trying to rack up points for style.

Or it could be some of us are not great about staying in the lines the first time. Rather that crowd a neighboring car and risking dings or scratches we try to get it right the second time

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, CMRivdogs said:

Or it could be some of us are not great about staying in the lines the first time. Rather that crowd a neighboring car and risking dings or scratches we try to get it right the second time

Oh, so you’re the guy! 😂

That can be mostly solved by swinging out wide in the parking lot row before going into a parking space.

Edited February 16 by chasfh

[chasfh]

You call a business's 800 number to discuss a specific issue you have with their product. Their AI bot asks you to go through a number of voice prompts that verify your information, account numbers, etc. You assume you tell them once and whomever you talk to will be given that info. Then you get to a live person and you have to tell them all this information all over again because they don't have it on their screen. This **** happens to me all the time, so it barely registers a rise out of me anymore.

Today was a new one. Instead of voice prompts verifying me and my account info, I went to a live person (with an Asian accent, which I always assume is someone offshore). They ask me all the verifying information, then ask me specifically what do I want to discuss. I tell them, checking account. They ask what the specific problem is. I tell them, assuming that matters in terms of whom they transfer me to. Then, after spending all that time explaining myself and my situation to them, they transfer me to someone who has no idea I'd even talked to anyone before them, and so I have to start all over explaining myself and my situation to them.

I sometimes wonder if they make it all this infuriating on purpose in order to frustrate people and limit the amount of calls they receive.

[oblong]

That’s exactly why. Gives you a chance to give up by not caring that much or figuring out the issue on your own. 

[LaceyLou]

Speaking of these 800 numbers....

I recently had to change cell phone providers, and had to be on a phone call in order to complete activation of a second line. Of course, during this call I was offered 'multi device protection.' I said no. The rep then continued to tout the advantages, and I said no again. He started to continue to try to convince me and I said, yet again, NO. 

Several days later, I got an email welcoming me to guess what? If you guessed the device protection plan, you're right. So I had to contact them again, and jump through all of the hoops to cancel a service I repeatedly said no to. UGH. 

I think we should start a pool, and those who guess correctly as to whether or not I'll be charged anyway will be the winners.

 

[CMRivdogs]

Our interned has been over 24 hours now. Yesterday they kept giving us time estimates...pushing everything back in three hour increments.

Today the have seemed to go into hibernation. I hate having a utility with no competition. The Cell companies 5 G services don't cut it either

[chasfh]

54 minutes ago, LaceyLou said:

Speaking of these 800 numbers....

I recently had to change cell phone providers, and had to be on a phone call in order to complete activation of a second line. Of course, during this call I was offered 'multi device protection.' I said no. The rep then continued to tout the advantages, and I said no again. He started to continue to try to convince me and I said, yet again, NO. 

Several days later, I got an email welcoming me to guess what? If you guessed the device protection plan, you're right. So I had to contact them again, and jump through all of the hoops to cancel a service I repeatedly said no to. UGH. 

I think we should start a pool, and those who guess correctly as to whether or not I'll be charged anyway will be the winners.

 

I wonder whether women have a harder time getting past these annoying pitches then men do, not necessarily because they’re weaker and more prone to giving in, but because they are perceived by the agent on the other end to be weaker and more prone to giving in, so the agents keep hammering them. When someone tries to pitch me on the thing they pitch you on, I say nope, no interest, thanks anyway, and generally, that’s that, they don’t keep pushing me.

[LaceyLou]

22 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I wonder whether women have a harder time getting past these annoying pitches then men do, not necessarily because they’re weaker and more prone to giving in, but because they are perceived by the agent on the other end to be weaker and more prone to giving in, so the agents keep hammering them. When someone tries to pitch me on the thing they pitch you on, I say nope, no interest, thanks anyway, and generally, that’s that, they don’t keep pushing me.

Unfortunately, based on studies I've seen this appears to be the case. While a lot of the 'Karens' of the world have been shown to be nasty people, I'm guessing a lot of them are fed up because of years of people who constantly keep repeating their pitches no matter how many times they say they're not interested. And yes, after a few times our frustration IS going to show.

[gehringer_2]

4 hours ago, chasfh said:

I sometimes wonder if they make it all this infuriating on purpose in order to frustrate people and limit the amount of calls they receive.

You needn't wonder.

[chasfh]

9 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

You needn't wonder.

I wonder whether they gets bonuses for increasing the percentage of customers hanging up during holds.

[CMRivdogs]

11 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I wonder whether they gets bonuses for increasing the percentage of customers hanging up during holds.

The businesses want most transactions done on line to ease the cost of having to hire bodies.

[gehringer_2]

22 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I wonder whether they gets bonuses for increasing the percentage of customers hanging up during holds.

I'm a little sympathetic to the people on the other end, they probably get paid based on what they sell you, and that really is the problem - it's the perverse incentive to put sales pressure on people from whom the customer only wants service.

I've sometimes just said to them, "I know you have a job to do but I'm not buying today" and they will just drop to a pro forma recitation of their required script and then we can move on.

Oddly enough, I've had a couple of pretty decent interactions recently with people at AT&T, who used to be as bad as bad could be. One day an obviously Asian fellow I talked to would at every setback tell me that "we shall most assuredly solve your problem for you!" and he eventually did.

[CMRivdogs]

Combining the on line customer service discussion with our internet issues. I complained to the local cable monopoly over FB last night with a terse but somewhat polite complaint about their lack of updates on the issue. It wasn't a post in the comment section but a direct message. 

I got a response, and someone walked us thru the process of getting the service back on line.  At least they have someone watching social media if not their actual website. 
 

[oblong]

28 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Combining the on line customer service discussion with our internet issues. I complained to the local cable monopoly over FB last night with a terse but somewhat polite complaint about their lack of updates on the issue. It wasn't a post in the comment section but a direct message. 

I got a response, and someone walked us thru the process of getting the service back on line.  At least they have someone watching social media if not their actual website. 
 

Hulu did that with me when they had the rights to a Red Wing game.  I could not find it on my TV app. On my phone yes.... but not the TV.  They were sending me messages via twitter.   Then it got to the point where I could find it on the Samsung version of the App but not the app that's used through the xfinity box.  Weird. 

 

[CMRivdogs]

Now really a peeve but I’ve fallen prey to online weather prognosticators and TV meteorologists predicting snow Armageddon the next couple of days.

Forecasts of up to a foot of snow. So we made the executive decision to head to the airport (about 40 miles away a day early. Dropped the dog off early) and bunker down

It looks like the new forecast is for about 6 inches of snow, roads are mostly wet, they’ve been pretreated and no issues other than being out one night’s hotel bill and an extra day of dog boarding. 
 

Now if we would have waited, the forecasters’ predictions would have turned out correct 

[CMRivdogs]

I utilize our local Y for workouts, the price is right especially with the AARP and Medicare discounts. I like it, it's convenient and mostly friendly. Most of my regiem is on the treadmill and Nustep elliptical machines. Lately the Nusteps have been taken over by women of a certain age whose exercise barely registers on the machine. They'll sit there and gab for up to 45 minutes at a time while others have to make do with other machines. Frustrating because there is really nothing you can do without making yourself look like a jerk. 

[chasfh]

17 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

I utilize our local Y for workouts, the price is right especially with the AARP and Medicare discounts. I like it, it's convenient and mostly friendly. Most of my regiem is on the treadmill and Nustep elliptical machines. Lately the Nusteps have been taken over by women of a certain age whose exercise barely registers on the machine. They'll sit there and gab for up to 45 minutes at a time while others have to make do with other machines. Frustrating because there is really nothing you can do without making yourself look like a jerk. 

I started working out at gyms in 1987. In 2002 we bought a home and got our own equipment so I canceled the gym memberships, but long story short, I stopped doing legs and I ended up with knee surgeries as a result.

I've started going back to gyms in the past year specifically to do legs, and I have noticed two changes:

1. People had always hogged machines by laying on them in between sets to prevent anyone else using them, but now they have something to keep them on the machine even longer: looking at the phone. They will sit there for five or even ten minutes in between sets. There is a series of five machines I rotate around when I go, and more than once ,when I first get there I have seen someone on a machine I eventually want, I do complete series of three sets on all four of the other machines, and the fifth machine still has the same person staring at the same phone. At no time do I glance over and see them actually using the machine. Every time, on the phone, in between sets. Maddening on a few levels.
2. But, also, I have found that when I do approach someone I have seen on a machine I have worked around and I need that last machine before I go home, and I ask them this exact question: "Do you think you'll be much longer?", I have never once gotten anything less than a cordial reply and an offer either to wait just one more set OK?, or even allow me to work in. People seem much cooler about sharing machines with others now, and they're normally very good about wiping down. Back when I went the gyms before, people would get super agitated if you approached them and bark at you that they'll be off the machine when they're goddamn good and ready.

[Deleterious]

Pretty sure I mentioned this before.

Anyone that tells me they sear meat to seal in the juices.  

[oblong]

then they cook it well done

and use steak sauce

 

[LaceyLou]

There's a woman at work who has an irrational hatred of one of our young coworkers. Why? Because she's young and thin, and gets more advanced assignments because she has education and took the time to become certified. Maybe she's jealous? 

Not sure exactly what to call this peeve.... 

[oblong]

She's mad because she wants to be mad for one reason but knows deep down she can't. Then that adds to it.

 

[Edman85]

On 3/5/2025 at 8:10 AM, Deleterious said:

Pretty sure I mentioned this before.

Anyone that tells me they sear meat to seal in the juices.  

https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/myth-searing-steaks-seals-juices/

Just a bit more to pile on...

I sous vide mine around 135 deg and give it a 60-90 second sear in the cast iron skillet to get a nice, flavorful crust.

[Deleterious]

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/myth-searing-steaks-seals-juices/

Just a bit more to pile on...

I sous vide mine around 135 deg and give it a 60-90 second sear in the cast iron skillet to get a nice, flavorful crust.

Yep.  I'm fine if someone puts a sear on for taste.  Just don't tell me it seals or locks in the juices.