The shocking realisation today that I am (via my partner) a great-uncle several times... nooooo I'm too young

vexxxboy:

 

Behodar:

 

 

So the other 51 weeks are purely for the benefit of the staff?

 

 

thats the same thing that i wonder when companies come out and say new improved recipe, does that mean they are admitting the last one was terrible. 

 

Likewise "XXX Pure" beer.

So...all the beer you've sold before that was full of impurities then? What were they?

MikeAqua:

 

Restaurants/cafes etc that sell dishes, which are supposed to be (or claimed to be spicy), but aren't - not even close. 

 

Another related issue is businesses who when you ask for hot, give you mild or medium because you are European descent, therefore they think you can't handle it. 

 

Ditto giving Europeans knife and fork instead of chopsticks - without asking.

 

 

 

We get this a lot in Indian restaurants.

Growing up in the UK, we ate a lot of curry. When your order it there, they don't usually give you heat options - the heat is based on the dish. For example, if you order Chicken Korma, it's very unlikely that the next sentence will be "Mild, medium or hot?" because Korma is a mild dish, ergo if you wanted spicy hot curry they would expect you to order Vindaloo or Phall and would not then ask you if you wanted it mild.

This has led to several instances where SWMBO and I have ordered dishes "Indian hot, not Kiwi hot" only to swiftly be visited by the manager to make sure we are not mad - and when he realises we are clearly of British extraction the conversation usually ends up with something like "Oh that'll be fine then. Have you ever been to Manchester/Birmingham/London? My cousin/brother/uncle runs a restaurant there, where I worked for a few years!"

People who ring up and bumble around 2-3 minutes before eventually getting to what they originally rung up. Before ringing up, have a clear purpose of why you're ringing up and clearly articulate it so that those who answer the phone can provide a resolution based on the information rather than having to conduct the Spanish Inquisition via telephone.

Cold callers (charities and sellers) who start with a question, usually something like 'how are you today?' This is actually a ploy devised by well-paid psychologists, who create the scripts. Starting with a question is designed to put you on the defensive and let the caller control the conversation. So I never answer the question. Instead, I immediately respond with one of my own ('What can I do for you?'). This turns the tactic back on the caller and gives me control. Most are practised enough to cope with this, though it puts them at a disadvantage, but I have actually had a few beginners freeze up because there is nothing in the script to deal with this. It really bothers them.

Anyone else get annoyed with the way they seal toilet rolls ?  You get a new roll and you have to pick away at the glued down edge to find the start of it and end up ripping through multiple layers  ;-)

Mark:

 

Anyone else get annoyed with the way they seal toilet rolls ?  You get a new roll and you have to pick away at the glued down edge to find the start of it and end up ripping through multiple layers  ;-)

 

I started buying a different brand (Cotton Soft) for that sole reason.

MikeAqua:

 

Stu:

 

Potholes are a real issue!

 

 

Can be rather expensive if you hit one hard in your Golf-R and wreck the expensive alloy wheel - ask my mate!

 

I had to replace the 'top hat' on my Honda fit this week. Purely damage from bad roads. Several hundred dollars I could have paid the council to fix roads but instead went to improve he local economy ... hhmmm .I think I have a new way to improve the economy if i ever run for govt.

Rikkitic:

 

Cold callers (charities and sellers) who start with a question, usually something like 'how are you today?' This is actually a ploy devised by well-paid psychologists, who create the scripts. Starting with a question is designed to put you on the defensive and let the caller control the conversation. So I never answer the question. Instead, I immediately respond with one of my own ('What can I do for you?'). This turns the tactic back on the caller and gives me control. Most are practised enough to cope with this, though it puts them at a disadvantage, but I have actually had a few beginners freeze up because there is nothing in the script to deal with this. It really bothers them.

 

 

 

 

 

When you tell cold callers you are not buying what ever they are selling and they tell you they aren't selling anything - just have a special offer.  I usually ask if their parents know they lie for a living and hang up.

I take control at the "how are you today" with "Hithanksforcallingsorrynotinterestedbye" and hang up.

paulchinnz:

 

I take control at the "how are you today" with "Hithanksforcallingsorrynotinterestedbye" and hang up.

 

Have you tried the Yes game with the 'Hi, I'm from Microsoft and you have a virus.' folks?

• Answer yes to everything they say.
• Say nothing but yes
• You are allowed to vary tone and pitch but can say nothing but yes.
• High score = how long you can hold them on the line.

It often ends with them saying, "Are you making fun of me?" and of course I answer "YES!!!"

Stops them stealing from the vulnerable for a short time.

matisyahu:

 

People who ring up and bumble around 2-3 minutes before eventually getting to what they originally rung up. Before ringing up, have a clear purpose of why you're ringing up and clearly articulate it so that those who answer the phone can provide a resolution based on the information rather than having to conduct the Spanish Inquisition via telephone.

 

This is a big part of the reason I don't take phone calls from most people - it could almost always be an email or instant message.

TonyR1973:

 

matisyahu:

 

People who ring up and bumble around 2-3 minutes before eventually getting to what they originally rung up. Before ringing up, have a clear purpose of why you're ringing up and clearly articulate it so that those who answer the phone can provide a resolution based on the information rather than having to conduct the Spanish Inquisition via telephone.

 

 

This is a big part of the reason I don't take phone calls from most people - it could almost always be an email or instant message.

 

I usually answer "and how are you today?" with "Is there a purpose for this call or are you just wasting my time" and people get to the point.

Netflix asking me "Are you still there".

What's it got to do with them?