Not that I was turned down, but the fact I was sent the notice in the first place. I received a notice in the mail, as did my neighbors, from our trash collection service, stating that if you qualified for reduced electric rates for low-income individuals by submitting our electric bill with the program noted on the bill, we could also receive reduced trash pickup rates. So, I sent in my electric bill with a note, as instructed in their letter, requesting that my trash pickup be reduced. I received a phone call today stating that I was turned down because I live in the town, not elsewhere in the county. The program applies to the rest of the county, but not in our town. My question is, why did they send out all these notices about the program to us in the town who do not qualify? I also want to know why all the other towns in the county are eligible, but ours is not, when all the trash goes to the same place. As the reduction in rates is only two dollars, it's not worth my energy to conduct further research.
I don't know how things work in the US, but here something like that would probably be due to the Town Council not buying into a service. Annoying that you got the letter when it isn't being offered though.
Organisations requiring me to update my safeguarding training whose websites then won't allow me to access said training even after a password reset...I had set aside today to complete the training before going to NZ for the best part of a month to visit my daughter!
I've had that one too @MrsBeaky. It was compounded by them wanting to send details of how to reset the password to an email address I didn't have access to as I was a volunteer not a member of staff.
I've had that one too @MrsBeaky. It was compounded by them wanting to send details of how to reset the password to an email address I didn't have access to as I was a volunteer not a member of staff.
My diocese has sent an email this week advising that they have had a data breach affecting all those who sent in their personal data for safeguarding checks within a certain period (I think this is mainly lay readers, church wardens and musicians). I don’t know how serious this is but I’m not impressed!
I had an email from my choir, informing me of a revamped website and inviting me to log in with a temporary password. (I checked the sender and was satisfied it was genuine. ) The password provided had an o, O and 0! Several attempts to log in failed, so I emailed the website manager. He replied that the new website has not yet gone live, and that the email must have been prematurely autogenerated, so I should ignore it. Sigh.
My diocese has sent an email this week advising that they have had a data breach affecting all those who sent in their personal data for safeguarding checks within a certain period (I think this is mainly lay readers, church wardens and musicians). I don’t know how serious this is but I’m not impressed!
If you’re in England it’s not just your diocese. At least ten dioceses which use the services of APCS for safeguarding management are affected. Church Times report.
Access Personal Checking Services is a major UK provider of Disclosure and Barring Service checks which claims to serve over 19,000 organisations across sectors such as healthcare, finance, and child safeguarding.
If I wanted to visit my mother I used to have a choice between travelling at 8.30, which was a Peak Fare time (£40) or 10.30 which was Off-Peak (£30).
Scotrail have now got rid of Peak Fares and are advertising this widely. Today I decided that as there are no more Peak Fares I'd visit Mum on the 8.30. Alas the 8.30 is now an Off-Peak (restricted) fare costing £40, whereas the 10.30 is an Off-Peak (unrestricted) fare costing £30.
I queried this with the guard, who confirmed it was a rebranding of Peak Fares, rather than having all fares at the former Off-Peak rates.
I did not receive my bill, which informed me that it was time to pay my earthquake insurance. (Mail here often goes to the wrong box, but usually people will bring it to the rightful owner.) I received a notice stating that unless I paid my overdue bill within five days of the date of the letter, my insurance would be canceled. The problem was that by the time I received the letter, I only had two days left. Knowing it might take a week for a check to go across the county to the office, I phoned them. They told me to mail them a check with a signed note attached, saying
to renew my insurance and my policy number. No, I could not pay over the phone by credit card; it must be by check. I did as told. I continued to check with my bank and noted that the check had not been cashed. Just as I was about to call, I received a letter with my returned check, stating that they would no longer accept payment by check through the mail, and I would need to meet with a local insurance agent. After six weeks without earthquake insurance, I met with a new local agent who was very helpful in assisting me with online payments from my bank. I wish I had known that to start, and been able to avoid that circus.
TICTH what is rather a silly thing: automated email replies, after booking an event, which breathlessly announce, "We can't wait to see you". Some churches which announce their Sunday services say the same.
TICTH what is rather a silly thing: automated email replies, after booking an event, which breathlessly announce, "We can't wait to see you". Some churches which announce their Sunday services say the same.
"Aye? Well tough, because you're going to have to."
TICTH what is rather a silly thing: automated email replies, after booking an event, which breathlessly announce, "We can't wait to see you". Some churches which announce their Sunday services say the same.
Yes, I've seen this on church websites. Maybe it's just me being cynical, but it has a slight air of desperation about it...
Is now the time to ask what happened to "Back to Church Sunday"?
No. What a waste of time and effort that was, and we did try...
On Our Place's website (we employ A Church Near You - the C of E's useful template), I've put a note on the BTCS entry that we regard every Sunday as *Come to Church Sunday*...
The main problem I have with it is this. If someone left a church because it was boring and unresistant to change, and returned years later to find it exactly the same, they'll hardly be thrilled.
Conversely, if someone left a church in their youth and has rosy memories of "All things bright and beautiful", and then returns to find that everything has changed in their absence, they won't be thrilled either!
I think it's aimed squarely at those who just got out of the habit and with a nudge would get back into it again. It's no longer as big a pool to fish in as it once was (even for my parents' generation regular churchgoing was the exception rather than the rule) but it still suits some, and giving people a prompt to invite those people back is no bad thing.
I think it's aimed squarely at those who just got out of the habit and with a nudge would get back into it again. It's no longer as big a pool to fish in as it once was (even for my parents' generation regular churchgoing was the exception rather than the rule) but it still suits some, and giving people a prompt to invite those people back is no bad thing.
I hear what you say, and I take your point - but, for various reasons, I would hesitate to invite anyone to a service at Our Place, even if it were a person who had been to church in the past, and somehow lost the habit...
I'll add to that the speeding driver who swept past me and other cars on the main Brecon Beacons yesterday, nearly colliding with oncoming traffic - so dangerous and I caught up with him at the roundabout 5 miles further on anyway!
I think it's aimed squarely at those who just got out of the habit and with a nudge would get back into it again. It's no longer as big a pool to fish in as it once was (even for my parents' generation regular churchgoing was the exception rather than the rule) but it still suits some, and giving people a prompt to invite those people back is no bad thing.
I hear what you say, and I take your point - but, for various reasons, I would hesitate to invite anyone to a service at Our Place, even if it were a person who had been to church in the past, and somehow lost the habit...
Well yes, I might well agree in our case too, but I haven't felt like that everywhere I've worshipped.
I think it's aimed squarely at those who just got out of the habit and with a nudge would get back into it again. It's no longer as big a pool to fish in as it once was (even for my parents' generation regular churchgoing was the exception rather than the rule) but it still suits some, and giving people a prompt to invite those people back is no bad thing.
I hear what you say, and I take your point - but, for various reasons, I would hesitate to invite anyone to a service at Our Place, even if it were a person who had been to church in the past, and somehow lost the habit...
How sad that is - and how true of too many places.
I met a Karen last evening. She yelled at me, "The rules are you always pick up after your dog." I replied, I do." She said, "No, you don't. I saw you." (I always pick up after my dog; I carry poop bags all the time.) I just kept walking, and her little dog jumped out of her open car door and ran across the street over to my dog. This dog weighed about 3 pounds, wringing wet, and was wearing a tiny pink doggie dress. I said, "The rules are that your dog must be on a leash," as I continued to walk away. She said, "She is a service dog, so she does not require a leash." The whole thing was just strange.
Microsoft Authenticator, combined with my own technical ineptitude.
I am just about to start a part-time course (it starts a week tomorrow) and all the learning materials have to be accessed via the email the college has given me. I stupidly clicked on “skip setup” when installing Authenticator (apparently this is the IT unforgivable sin) and now it won’t let me create a password unless I enter a code into the app, which I can’t enter as I don’t have a password to access it.
There is a process for having a code sent to your phone via text every time you log in, which I could live with, but it won’t let me do that either.
I am really hoping their IT person can assist tomorrow (I’m working the rest of the week). If not, I’m not sure what happens…will I have to abandon the course??
I expect all these systems are necessary in some way, but I don’t understand them, and I’m increasingly worried that I’ll make a similar mistake at some point with something even more important (like my own email or bank account).
TICTH Boots in Linlithgow for being closed when I wanted to go in and get a new toothbrush. It's a really rather rubbish wee shop generally; they're badly stocked and close at the time I most often take my lunch break, but are open until 5:30 so I can usually catch them on the way home. Just my luck they were closed today for something-or-other - I can't remember what it said on the notice - but I was rather cross.
Today I consign to hell the absolute b*****d who has hacked my credit card and used it in Thailand.
Thank God, we just checked our account to clear it before travelling and discovered it. Grateful too for the excellent fraud team we just spoke with.
However my replacement card will not arrive until after we set out for NZ 🤬
My debit card was hacked, a couple of years ago, and the bank very quickly sussed out that it was not I who was using the Co-Op in Kent, and, a few minutes' later, trying to book taxis, cinema tickets, and a table-for-two at a restaurant in Leicester...
It took a few days for a new card to arrive, but I have another card (with another bank) for dire emergency use. I was impressed with the speed of my bank's response, and felt just a little sorry for the malefactor, who may well not have had such a good evening out as he had hoped. I lost no £££, of course...
Today I consign to hell the absolute b*****d who has hacked my credit card and used it in Thailand.
Thank God, we just checked our account to clear it before travelling and discovered it. Grateful too for the excellent fraud team we just spoke with.
However my replacement card will not arrive until after we set out for NZ 🤬
I'm really sorry to hear about this, Mrs Beaky. Ghastly and disgusting. - Could you use or get another credit card, perhaps a pre-paid one?
There's a very hot part of Hell reserved for the b*****ds who hack/steal bank cards. Having said that, the banks (well mine anyway) seem to be quite good at sussing them out; I've had my debit card replaced twice because they suspected dodgy activity on it, of which I was completely unaware. It was a nuisance to have to re-set the card number for online retailers, but better than actually having someone empty my account!
Today I consign to hell the absolute b*****d who has hacked my credit card and used it in Thailand.
Thank God, we just checked our account to clear it before travelling and discovered it. Grateful too for the excellent fraud team we just spoke with.
However my replacement card will not arrive until after we set out for NZ 🤬
I'm really sorry to hear about this, Mrs Beaky. Ghastly and disgusting. - Could you use or get another credit card, perhaps a pre-paid one?
<votive>
Thank you.
We do have another card we can use so on a practical level we should be OK
I was just really stressed by the knowledge that someone had managed o do it as we are really careful online.
Hey ho, life in the 21st century!
Yeah, happened to me too a little while ago. One thing that was remarkably convenient was that the new card appeared almost immediately in my Google wallet and could be used while waiting for the physical card.
TICTH rudeness and disability discrimination.
One of my choir friends R had a hip replacement which went wrong, which means she has difficulty with stairs. Our rehearsals use a hall which includes raked seating. R apologised to someone for holding her up as she climbed the stairs.
“ Yes, you are” came the retort.
TICTH rudeness and disability discrimination.
One of my choir friends R had a hip replacement which went wrong, which means she has difficulty with stairs. Our rehearsals use a hall which includes raked seating. R apologised to someone for holding her up as she climbed the stairs.
“ Yes, you are” came the retort.
Something similar happened to me whilst I was trying to negotiate a busy aisle in Tesco - a rude woman told me to hurry up, and go one way or the other. Even using the trolley as a walking-aid, I'm rather slow, and my crutches are fully visible resting in the said trolley
She received a blistering retort from me, ending with the pious hope that she would never become an old cripple...
TICTH rudeness and disability discrimination.
One of my choir friends R had a hip replacement which went wrong, which means she has difficulty with stairs. Our rehearsals use a hall which includes raked seating. R apologised to someone for holding her up as she climbed the stairs.
“ Yes, you are” came the retort.
Something similar happened to me whilst I was trying to negotiate a busy aisle in Tesco - a rude woman told me to hurry up, and go one way or the other. Even using the trolley as a walking-aid, I'm rather slow, and my crutches are fully visible resting in the said trolley
She received a blistering retort from me, ending with the pious hope that she would never become an old cripple...
I remember a picture book that showed Queen Boadicea's chariot with knives sticking out from the wheel hubs... I am sure the Ship's engineers could help you with a set that could be attached to the trolley.
Bummer. I just received my COVID shot at the medical clinic yesterday, and came home to find out I had been exposed to COVID on Sunday. This morning I have a sore throat, and on Monday I felt sick to my stomach. Waiting for the test kit. I had a dentist appointment on Friday, and an appointment with the heart doctor on Monday. I need to cancel. It was a long wait to get both appointments.
Comments
Really annoying!
Access Personal Checking Services is a major UK provider of Disclosure and Barring Service checks which claims to serve over 19,000 organisations across sectors such as healthcare, finance, and child safeguarding.
If I wanted to visit my mother I used to have a choice between travelling at 8.30, which was a Peak Fare time (£40) or 10.30 which was Off-Peak (£30).
Scotrail have now got rid of Peak Fares and are advertising this widely. Today I decided that as there are no more Peak Fares I'd visit Mum on the 8.30. Alas the 8.30 is now an Off-Peak (restricted) fare costing £40, whereas the 10.30 is an Off-Peak (unrestricted) fare costing £30.
I queried this with the guard, who confirmed it was a rebranding of Peak Fares, rather than having all fares at the former Off-Peak rates.
Does Scotrail think we are stupid?
to renew my insurance and my policy number. No, I could not pay over the phone by credit card; it must be by check. I did as told. I continued to check with my bank and noted that the check had not been cashed. Just as I was about to call, I received a letter with my returned check, stating that they would no longer accept payment by check through the mail, and I would need to meet with a local insurance agent. After six weeks without earthquake insurance, I met with a new local agent who was very helpful in assisting me with online payments from my bank. I wish I had known that to start, and been able to avoid that circus.
"Aye? Well tough, because you're going to have to."
Yes, I've seen this on church websites. Maybe it's just me being cynical, but it has a slight air of desperation about it...
No. What a waste of time and effort that was, and we did try...
On Our Place's website (we employ A Church Near You - the C of E's useful template), I've put a note on the BTCS entry that we regard every Sunday as *Come to Church Sunday*...
FWIW.
It still exists: https://backtochurch.com.
The main problem I have with it is this. If someone left a church because it was boring and unresistant to change, and returned years later to find it exactly the same, they'll hardly be thrilled.
Conversely, if someone left a church in their youth and has rosy memories of "All things bright and beautiful", and then returns to find that everything has changed in their absence, they won't be thrilled either!
I hear what you say, and I take your point - but, for various reasons, I would hesitate to invite anyone to a service at Our Place, even if it were a person who had been to church in the past, and somehow lost the habit...
Well yes, I might well agree in our case too, but I haven't felt like that everywhere I've worshipped.
How sad that is - and how true of too many places.
I will add the idiots on e-scooters who have just much the same to me.
They followed it up by harrassing me and every pedestrian by speeding up, then coming back to circle us or tailgate us.
I am just about to start a part-time course (it starts a week tomorrow) and all the learning materials have to be accessed via the email the college has given me. I stupidly clicked on “skip setup” when installing Authenticator (apparently this is the IT unforgivable sin) and now it won’t let me create a password unless I enter a code into the app, which I can’t enter as I don’t have a password to access it.
There is a process for having a code sent to your phone via text every time you log in, which I could live with, but it won’t let me do that either.
I am really hoping their IT person can assist tomorrow (I’m working the rest of the week). If not, I’m not sure what happens…will I have to abandon the course??
I expect all these systems are necessary in some way, but I don’t understand them, and I’m increasingly worried that I’ll make a similar mistake at some point with something even more important (like my own email or bank account).
When I taught 5 and 6 year olds there was a picture book called "Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing," I tend to agree with the title.
I've known some choirs where that would be by no means certain
Thank God, we just checked our account to clear it before travelling and discovered it. Grateful too for the excellent fraud team we just spoke with.
However my replacement card will not arrive until after we set out for NZ 🤬
It took a few days for a new card to arrive, but I have another card (with another bank) for dire emergency use. I was impressed with the speed of my bank's response, and felt just a little sorry for the malefactor, who may well not have had such a good evening out as he had hoped. I lost no £££, of course...
I'm really sorry to hear about this, Mrs Beaky. Ghastly and disgusting. - Could you use or get another credit card, perhaps a pre-paid one?
<votive>
Thank you.
We do have another card we can use so on a practical level we should be OK
I was just really stressed by the knowledge that someone had managed o do it as we are really careful online.
Hey ho, life in the 21st century!
One of my choir friends R had a hip replacement which went wrong, which means she has difficulty with stairs. Our rehearsals use a hall which includes raked seating. R apologised to someone for holding her up as she climbed the stairs.
“ Yes, you are” came the retort.
Something similar happened to me whilst I was trying to negotiate a busy aisle in Tesco - a rude woman told me to hurry up, and go one way or the other. Even using the trolley as a walking-aid, I'm rather slow, and my crutches are fully visible resting in the said trolley
She received a blistering retort from me, ending with the pious hope that she would never become an old cripple...
I remember a picture book that showed Queen Boadicea's chariot with knives sticking out from the wheel hubs... I am sure the Ship's engineers could help you with a set that could be attached to the trolley.