What Irked You Today?

[uncle potts]

I'm tired of being stuck in the house, can't work(off due to knee replacement surgery), can't paint(too cold out side), and tv sucks!

[disabled modeler]

I'm tired of being stuck in the house, can't work(off due to knee replacement surgery), can't paint(too cold out side), and tv sucks!

I am in the same boat other than for the knee Paul...colder it gets the more pain and less i can do...TV is over rated spent months laying in a bed watching it...

[Tom Geiger]

What irks me? People who refuse to keep up with technology!

Debit card users aren't much faster than check writers. They have to swipe their card, punch in their pin number, wait for approval, wait for the receipt and finally sign the receipt. Then, if they don't have enough money, they have to fumble around for a credit card and start the process over. Then, they have the joyous task of gathering their receipts and trying to balance their account. Yeah, that's so much faster and more convenient. I hate writing checks and sure don't want the hassle of a debit card. So, I always carry cash for everything.

Um, no. You swipe your card and punch in the PIN. Nobody signs a receipt. That's only credit cards and some stores have done away with that under a certain dollar amount. Nobody balances their account anymore, just log into your account on-line and check it from time to time. There's your spend and correct balance right up to the minute! And on-line Bill Pay is great. I pay all my bills that way and never write a check or use a stamp. I even some bills on automatic pay each month so I don't even need to think about their due dates.

A cell phone is something I can't tolerate. At one time, I had to carry one with my work. Now that I'm disabled, I don't and haven't missed it a single time. I haven't carried one since '07. I could get a free one. But, I don't want it. To me, they're an unwanted hassle. You would be amazed how much more peaceful you life is when you don't have a cell phone ringing all of the time.

Cell phones are a God send. You have a phone with you at all times. Get stuck on the road? Call right from your car. My cell phone rarely rings because I don't talk a lot on the phone. And I have a Smart Phone where I get all my emails and have the Internet with me too. I'm on a job hunt right now and I never miss a message. That's worth a lot.

And I love Direct Deposit of Paychecks and ATMs. It makes life so much easier than the old days. I remember getting a paper check at work on Friday and having to get up early on Saturday morning or I wouldn't have cash for the weekend. I rarely have cash on me anymore. No need for it.

People with no computer access IRK ME! For NNL East, we used to print a 4 page flyer and mail it to the entire mailing list. Now we mail a quick postcard telling people to look at the website where we have all the info. And it's right up to date! Cost savings? Over $1000.

People with no GPS IRK ME! I get phone calls from people who want me to give them turn by turn directions from where ever they live! Um, here's the address... put it into your GPS.

(Note- for the odd 5 people who request it, I do print out the pages from the website and mail it out)

But my point... there is all this really cool technology to make your life easier. Take advantage! Unless you're Amish or something!

Edited January 13, 2014 by Tom Geiger

[Tom Geiger]

People who still pay at the grocery store with a paper check.

After reading this my first though was the people on line in front of you at McDonalds who have waited for 5 customers ahead of them to be taken care of. They get up to the cashier and they look at each other and say, "Gee what should we get?" Um, you had friggin 15 minutes to decide that already. Know what you want when you get there!

[Harry P.]

After reading this my first though was the people on line in front of you at McDonalds who have waited for 5 customers ahead of them to be taken care of. They get up to the cashier and they look at each other and say, "Gee what should we get?" Um, you had friggin 15 minutes to decide that already. Know what you want when you get there!

Yes!

[Harry P.]

I'm even older school, CASH!

Wow, that is old school. I stopped using cash years ago. So much easier and quicker to just swipe the debit card. I don't think I've paid for anything in actual cash for several years.

Of course, the downside is that since I use my debit card for 100% of all my purchases, and the debit card is actually my checking account, and since the bank sends me a checking account statement every month itemizing every single checking account transaction (which of course includes every debit card transaction), my statements tend to be many pages long!

[Rob Hall]

Wow, that is old school. I stopped using cash years ago. So much easier and quicker to just swipe the debit card. I don't think I've paid for anything in actual cash for several years.

Of course, the downside is that since I use my debit card for 100% of all my purchases, and the debit card is actually my checking account, and since the bank sends me a checking account statement every month itemizing every single checking account transaction (which of course includes every debit card transaction), my statements tend to be many pages long!

Does your bank mail you a paper statement? I've gone paperless w/ all my accounts. I just pull the data into Quicken. I do get cash from the ATM every couple of weeks, to pay my yard service and for the occasional business that I encounter that is cash only (a burger joint near my office is like that). But I do use my debit card for pretty much every in-person transaction (online I use a credit card or Paypal).

[martinfan5]

What is this cash you people speak of ?

[Rob Hall]

After reading this my first though was the people on line in front of you at McDonalds who have waited for 5 customers ahead of them to be taken care of. They get up to the cashier and they look at each other and say, "Gee what should we get?" Um, you had friggin 15 minutes to decide that already. Know what you want when you get there!

Usually that is avoidable in the drive thru...I try and avoid fast food, but when I do get it, it's only through the drive thru.

[Agent G]

What irks me? People who refuse to keep up with technology!

But my point... there is all this really cool technology to make your life easier. Take advantage! Unless you're Amish or something!

I'm Jewish, so I'm taking all the advantages I can !

G

[Rob Hall]

(Note- for the odd 5 people who request it, I do print out the pages from the website and mail it out)

But my point... there is all this really cool technology to make your life easier. Take advantage! Unless you're Amish or something!

It's not just the Amish, though..there are many people that live in the past in more ways than one and avoid modern things..lots of them on the internet, though...which is surprising... I understand the annoyance, though..it's very irritating..it's not like the internet is something new, or cell phones are new, etc..all this technology has been around for quite a while and continues to evolve...I have no interest in dealing w/ the luddites.

[martinfan5]

It's not just the Amish, though..there are many people that live in the past in more ways than one and avoid modern things..lots of them on the internet, though...which is surprising... I understand the annoyance, though..it's very irritating..it's not like the internet is something new, or cell phones are new, etc..all this technology has been around for quite a while and continues to evolve...I have no interest in dealing w/ the luddites.

:lol:

[The70judgeman]

My job irked me today...well, EVERYDAY I'm there irks me. Making a BIG FAT 0 for extra income. ALL of it is gone, and then some, well before I get my paycheck. Missed out on about $2000.00+ of OT while I was a temp to hire(3 months)...was only allowed to work 40 hours per week at that time. As soon as I was hired on as an employee, the OT dumped out of course. Bored to death there, dread waking up to go there, can't stand a lot of the people there...I JUST HATE IT THERE!!! Can't depend on a regular schedule, so a part time job is kind of out of the question right now. I'm supposed to be on 2nd shift(2:30pm-1am or so), but it's so slow right now, people are laid-off or on vacation, so 2nd shift is working 1st shift hours...for now. Time for another drastic change. Gotta find a new regular full time job AND then find a 2nd part time job to make up the difference. Deep breath......rant over.

[Eshaver]

Gee, constant updates from Windows today . here I am desperate to get two magazine articles done for a magazine I write for an the computer was freezing up all day . yes, with a lot of VERY STOUT Black coffee, I got my stories done with pictures even ! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Harry P.]

I'm Jewish, so I'm taking all the advantages I can !

G

No fair... you guys get waaaay too many holidays!

[Agent G]

Harry I made OT claiming I worked on a special holiday last month.

Hannumasza

Hannukah Christmas and Kwanza.

G

[Tom Geiger]

I do get cash from the ATM every couple of weeks, to pay my yard service and for the occasional business that I encounter that is cash only (a burger joint near my office is like that).

And what about those last century businesses that are still cash only? I've been watching some of those bar and restaurant make over / fix shows and on one Restaurant Impossible, coming in to troubleshoot a failing restaurant, the first thing Robert Irvine saw was the "Cash Only" sign. He pulled it down and confidently told the owner, "This is your problem!"

And it was their problem. I know when we go out I wouldn't even think about whether a restaurant took credit or debit cards. It's just a given. And when I did run into one cash only establishment, we never went back. It's just too much trouble.

I don't carry a lot of cash. Just enough to buy a coffee or soda when I'm out. I find that you can put a lot of cash in your pocket, it disappears and you have no idea where it's gone. With a debit card you can review every dime you spent, by just logging in on-line.

[Harry P.]

I find that you can put a lot of cash in your pocket, it disappears and you have no idea where it's gone. With a debit card you can review every dime you spent, by just logging in on-line.

That's why I like using a debit card exclusively. Since every single purchase I make is recorded, it tends to make me more aware of my buying habits. And seeing all of my purchases listed makes me more responsible when it comes to buying. Like you say, a pocketful of cash has a habit of disappearing without you realizing how much you've spent... or what you spent it on. Using a debit card instead of cash makes every purchase more "official" and tends to make me a smarter purchaser. Works for me, at least.

And no more need to carry a big lump of cash around everywhere. I can't remember the last time I used an ATM for a cash withdrawal... seems so "20th Century!"

[High octane]

There's a good reason for "cash only" business, especially smaller businesses that don't want to account for every hot dog and bun that they buy, waste, or give away. Or coffee, sandwiches, etc. Kinda hard to operate a small business when you have to account for every penny spent or received. More time is spent on paperwork than the business itself.

I worked for one company that told me that they keep track of my time (hours) five different ways. I then asked them why my paycheck was screwed up???

[DonW]

I own an E46 BMW 328i from the year 2000. It's the newest BM I ever bought. I like the engine, the 60% stiffer bodyshell over the previous E36 model, the brakes and the general feel of the thing, if the styling is a bit bland compared to the older BMs. But when I bought it, an old racing acquaintance commented 'never thought you'd drive a Rover'! Of course it was built after the merge between BMW and Rover. It shows. The electric window on the passengers side goes down when you press down, and when you press up it keeps on going down. To get it to go back up you have to either pull it up while you press up, and risk losing your fingers, or sit there for a few minutes pressing down then up so the 'intelligent' mechanism sorts itself out - then when the window eventually does go up, it usually pops out of it's runners. I've cleaned and greased the mechanism but to no avail. This after only 130000 miles.

My 210000 mile 1994 530 Touring, made before Rover got involved, has never had a problem with it's electric windows.

But worse than this, yesterday I left the 328 in the lane at the back of our house and went in to fetch my wife to go into town. We got back to the car, I put the key in the door lock and turned it - and it plus the barrel just went round and round, then the barrel came right out. There is no lock on the passenger door, the boot lock doesn't release the central locking and the remote on the fob has never worked (I never use remote locking anyway). So the car was stuck in a shared lane, preventing neighbours from getting their cars in and out as well as blocking my other car in it's garage! I called a couple of friends in the trade, but they had no ideas so I called the RAC - after half an hour the patrolman succeeded in forcing the door open far enough with an airbag to insert a wire, but although he hooked an inside door catch and pulled it, the door wouldn't open. So if people (kids, maybe) are locked in the car they can't get out.

One of my friends said 'oh, you're not supposed to use the key much!' After the RAC man had left, I had one last attempt and re-inserted the barrel and the key, jiggled it all about and heard some bits of fine Rover engineering fall into the door bottom, as the door lock button popped up and I was in! As I opened the door all the windows wound themselves down. So the car is back in my garage, booked into my local independent BM specialist for repair. So that's what irked me yesterday, but it could have been worse!

Apologies for my going on at such length, I feel better now!

Edited January 14, 2014 by DonW

[Joe Handley]

And what about those last century businesses that are still cash only? I've been watching some of those bar and restaurant make over / fix shows and on one Restaurant Impossible, coming in to troubleshoot a failing restaurant, the first thing Robert Irvine saw was the "Cash Only" sign. He pulled it down and confidently told the owner, "This is your problem!"

And it was their problem. I know when we go out I wouldn't even think about whether a restaurant took credit or debit cards. It's just a given. And when I did run into one cash only establishment, we never went back. It's just too much trouble.

I don't carry a lot of cash. Just enough to buy a coffee or soda when I'm out. I find that you can put a lot of cash in your pocket, it disappears and you have no idea where it's gone. With a debit card you can review every dime you spent, by just logging in on-line.

I had a customer tell me last week that he was in a store that wouldn't take cash or check, debit or credit only?! After he found out, the told the owner or manager that the store lost his sale because of that policy the walked out leaving everything behind.

[Harry P.]

I had a customer tell me last week that he was in a store that wouldn't take cash or check...

Isn't it illegal for a store to refuse to take cash?

Doesn't it say "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" on money?

[Guest]

What irks me? People who refuse to keep up with technology!

Um, no. You swipe your card and punch in the PIN. Nobody signs a receipt. That's only credit cards and some stores have done away with that under a certain dollar amount. Nobody balances their account anymore, just log into your account on-line and check it from time to time. There's your spend and correct balance right up to the minute! And on-line Bill Pay is great. I pay all my bills that way and never write a check or use a stamp. I even some bills on automatic pay each month so I don't even need to think about their due dates.

You still have to wait for the machine to print out the receipt and it still isn't as fast as a cash transaction. If I want to know my balance, all I have to do is open up my billfold. Plus, no one can hack into it from their computer.

Cell phones are a God send. You have a phone with you at all times. Get stuck on the road? Call right from your car. My cell phone rarely rings because I don't talk a lot on the phone. And I have a Smart Phone where I get all my emails and have the Internet with me too. I'm on a job hunt right now and I never miss a message. That's worth a lot.

Maybe to you and a lot of other people. But, to me, it was a burden and an annoyance. When I had mine, it rang all of the time. When I got home, I turned it off because that was the only way I could have any peace. Luckily,not many people had the presence of mind to call my home phone. In my 30+ years of driving, I've only had one breakdown that I wasn't able to make it home on my own. I could have made it then had I been able to work on the car. People today are so dependent on cell phones and technology that if you snatched their cell phone out of their hand, they wouldn't know what to do because they couldn't "Google" it. Any time you go out, you'll see people walking around like mindless zombies looking down at their phones because they're so afraid that they're going to miss out on something.

And I love Direct Deposit of Paychecks and ATMs. It makes life so much easier than the old days. I remember getting a paper check at work on Friday and having to get up early on Saturday morning or I wouldn't have cash for the weekend. I rarely have cash on me anymore. No need for it.

People with no computer access IRK ME! For NNL East, we used to print a 4 page flyer and mail it to the entire mailing list. Now we mail a quick postcard telling people to look at the website where we have all the info. And it's right up to date! Cost savings? Over $1000.

People with no GPS IRK ME! I get phone calls from people who want me to give them turn by turn directions from where ever they live! Um, here's the address... put it into your GPS.

GPS is a good thing for the times when you don't know where you're going. But, only if it's a good one. Some of them are useless. We had one that didn't recognize a newer road that had been built for over two years! It was supposed to have been a top of the line GPS at the time. It gave bad directions many times and was always "re calculating". They'll get you there sometimes. But, not every time. Ours was terrible on home addresses especially if the address was in a rural area. The GPS in my wife's '13 Edge is the best I've seen yet. It's always right on the money. We were on our way home and got an alert of an accident on the interstate we were on. It gave us an optional route around it. I thought that was pretty cool.

(Note- for the odd 5 people who request it, I do print out the pages from the website and mail it out)

But my point... there is all this really cool technology to make your life easier. Take advantage! Unless you're Amish or something!

Every day, the Amish prove that you can survive just fine without what most of us consider the bare necessities.

[Casey]

Isn't it illegal for a store to refuse to take cash?

Doesn't it say "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" on money?

On bills, yes, but not coins AFAIK. Maybe it was Todd Gack?

[Rob Hall]

Every day, the Amish prove that you can survive just fine without what most of us consider the bare necessities.

True, but that would be a pretty miserable existence..I wouldn't want to live like it was 1699...(or 1999 for that matter).

Edited January 14, 2014 by Rob Hall