Rant VIII: The Reckoning

Bubble181

Bubble181

Well, some of the obvious answers would be "first truck broke down", "first truck got backed up due to traffic (or whatever) and didn't make it, so it was taken off for a later delivery", "it was put on the wrong truck by mistake and was thus taken back to the hub for re-sorting" and "it's a two-piece shipment that's coming in two batches" (but you'd probably know if it was that last one).
I'll try to have a look tomorrow (I just turned off my work PC and I'm not turning it back on at 6PM :-P), not sure I'll be able to see a lot more though. I've noticed that happening far more often in the USA than here in EU, and I don't know why.
 
jwhouk

jwhouk

Want the kicker? It's a medical shipment. Replacement parts for my CPAP machine - tubing & a new mask.

EDIT: I've heard from third-party sources that F'edEx uses "private couriers" for the final mile delivery here in the Valley. What they do is essentially contract out to a small local delivery company who promises to deliver X number of packages a day. The problem is that the SLDC requires its drivers to use their own personal vehicles and asks them to make 50 drops in 10 hours - and the drops are scattered all over the Valley. And, unlike my employer, who uses routing software that allows for relatively quick transportation of little rugrats to and from schools, they have these people drop packages off at one place - say, corner of Broadway and Idaho in Apache Junction - then have them drive all the way over to a drop at Alma School and Thomas. And then, they have to deliver to a spot at Hibbert and 1st Avenue, then dart on back to N. 24th Street and Fox, then over to Recker and Guadalupe, and then back to the base - in that order. And God Forbid if they're in a little subdivision in a gated community - and the delivery instructions state "leave inside door, watch out for dog."
 
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jwhouk

jwhouk

UPDATE: The item arrived. And I do mean "item" - it was simply the nose piece of my CPAP mask.

The box was small and light enough that I suspect that it may have been left on the truck, but really.
 
Dirona

Dirona

I just got to send this work e-mail (yes, it's my day off).

To: Regional HR Person
Subject: I know you're on vacation, but this is urgent (sorry!)

Hi [HR person];

So, while I was on vacation last month, a letter was drafted and sent out to the congregants at one of the points I serve (A). This was originally spearheaded by the Chair of that Council, but [D] had to step away from that project when his wife became very ill (and she has since passed, earlier this week). I was neither consulted nor warned, but it is what it is. I will attach a near-final draft of the letter to this email that I was cc'd on accidentally. It's exclusively finance related.

In the local newspaper this week/month, a small article appeared. I suspect I know where it originated, but at this time I don't know for sure. The Chair of the Charge Council called me this morning to tell me about it, and to follow up on a request from the Chair of the Council at the 2nd point (B) to have a Charge Council meeting ASAP.

The copy reads:
"[my employer] in [suburb] Asking for Help
Perhaps you have used the services at [my employer] Church in [suburb] for a baptism, a wedding or a funeral, or enjoyed the delicious “Truckers” Breakfast, turkey suppers, Chicken BBQ or Strawberry Shortcake Supper held in July.
Maybe you had the fun of looking for treasures at their annual flea market, or were thankful to use the services of their give-away food program.
You may have felt the spirit of Christmas at the annual Community Outdoor Christmas Tree Lighting, with a visit from Santa, followed by hot chocolate and cookies.
[my employer] Church is a vital link in the lives of so many in this area, and now, due to this long-lasting pandemic, regular Sunday worship services and many of the church's other events have not been happening.
“This has the effect of putting our finances in a very worrisome state,” says church treasurer [E]. “Thank you for your continued support. If you have enjoyed any of the above, we now ask for your help.”
Donations can be mailed to [where I work] or make e-transfers to...."

Aside from being blindsided by this, and utterly livid, I am asking for help.

How should I proceed/handle this? What do I do?

Charge Council is currently intending to meet in-person at [where I work] on either the evening of July 20 or 27 (I know, because they asked if I was available).

Help, referrals, anything is extremely welcome. I'm out of my depth here.

Thank you,
[Rev Dirona]
~~~~~

I mean, I'm glad that if I'm going to be out of a job it won't be because of anything I did or didn't do, but it still sucks. Because I have heard plenty of horror stories of how clergy can get run out of congregations and communities, but this is still not good.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Dirona said:
our finances [are] in a very worrisome state,” says church treasurer [E].
Click to expand...
Are they, though? I mean, the pandemic has hit parishes everywhere really hard, but is there the possibility that this is just [E] using the current atmosphere to remind the congregation to donate?

--Patrick
 
Dirona

Dirona

PatrThom said:
Are they, though? I mean, the pandemic has hit parishes everywhere really hard, but is there the possibility that this is just [E] using the current atmosphere to remind the congregation to donate?

--Patrick
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As far as I know, it's bad.

Like, permanently closing bad. A year ago they cut my hours to 50% (from 100%), and they're still struggling.
 
jwhouk

jwhouk

Here we go again.

This time, it's a rain gauge - yes, we do use those here in Arizona, and it's probably going to be more important now that I have to monitor water usage - that is coming from Texas.

I got an e-mail on Wednesday saying that said package had been picked up in Arlington and was headed to Phoenix. Today, I get an updated status that says it's arrived in Phoenix, along with this: "Scheduled Delivery: Saturday July 10, 2021 by the end of the day."

I'm gonna bet right now that I don't see it until Tuesday the 13th.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

I stumbled into the possibility of finally moving out of my parents' place. Through a mutual friend, I met a woman who is looking for a roommate. But I just don't know if it's the ideal situation for me.

I met her the other night, having dinner with her and a small group of mutual friends. She's seems nice enough, though I don't really know her that well yet. She also has two cats, who are super friendly, especially a playful little kitten she just got recently.

The room I'd be moving into is a little smaller than where I am now (it's about as wide but a few feet shorter), and I'd have to figure how to fit a computer desk, bookshelves, and my bed into it. Actually, I'd need a larger desk, maybe a corner desk, to fit both of my computers (my gaming rig and my work computer for working from home).

It's also in Sackville, which is about a 20+ minute drive away from Halifax. And since I'd be moved out, I wouldn't have access to a car anymore since the one I often use is Dad's car. Plus, should the office be opened back up for everyone, commuting to Dartmouth wouldn't be as easy, especially without a car. The area isn't bad, though, as it's handy to some restaurants and the Superstore (big chain of Canadian grocery stores).

The cost would be about $700 a month, which also doesn't include food and other things like my cell phone bill and various subscriptions like Netflix, Disney+, etc. To compared, I'm only paying $300 a month not including other things as mentioned before. And with the time I've missed with work lately, skipping shifts due to depression, my paycheques haven't been that great. I don't know if I could even afford it, honestly. I've never done a budget and don't even know how. And with my ADHD, I fully admit that I can be impulsive with my spending sometimes.

And I think about it all and I just...don't know. I can't think of any pros aside from moving out of my parents place. I don't particularly like the area, and I don't think it's handy to any long bike trails as there are around here (or especially to somewhere like my yoga rock). And I just...I don't know.
 
drifter

drifter

Definitely think it's a good idea to get your budget squared away. Mint is a free budget app, heard good things about it. YNAB (You Need A Budget) is very popular, but has a monthly fee. It does have a free trial though.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

ThatNickGuy said:
I stumbled into the possibility of finally moving out of my parents' place. Through a mutual friend, I met a woman who is looking for a roommate. But I just don't know if it's the ideal situation for me.

I met her the other night, having dinner with her and a small group of mutual friends. She's seems nice enough, though I don't really know her that well yet. She also has two cats, who are super friendly, especially a playful little kitten she just got recently.

The room I'd be moving into is a little smaller than where I am now (it's about as wide but a few feet shorter), and I'd have to figure how to fit a computer desk, bookshelves, and my bed into it. Actually, I'd need a larger desk, maybe a corner desk, to fit both of my computers (my gaming rig and my work computer for working from home).

It's also in Sackville, which is about a 20+ minute drive away from Halifax. And since I'd be moved out, I wouldn't have access to a car anymore since the one I often use is Dad's car. Plus, should the office be opened back up for everyone, commuting to Dartmouth wouldn't be as easy, especially without a car. The area isn't bad, though, as it's handy to some restaurants and the Superstore (big chain of Canadian grocery stores).

The cost would be about $700 a month, which also doesn't include food and other things like my cell phone bill and various subscriptions like Netflix, Disney+, etc. To compared, I'm only paying $300 a month not including other things as mentioned before. And with the time I've missed with work lately, skipping shifts due to depression, my paycheques haven't been that great. I don't know if I could even afford it, honestly. I've never done a budget and don't even know how. And with my ADHD, I fully admit that I can be impulsive with my spending sometimes.

And I think about it all and I just...don't know. I can't think of any pros aside from moving out of my parents place. I don't particularly like the area, and I don't think it's handy to any long bike trails as there are around here (or especially to somewhere like my yoga rock). And I just...I don't know.
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I have no idea what the going rates are in your area, and especially not in mapledollars, but $700/month for that sort of scenario feels a bit on the higher side. It might not be, especially if utilities are included, but it's still best to maybe shop around a little to get a feel for how it compares.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Ravenpoe said:
I have no idea what the going rates are in your area, and especially not in mapledollars, but $700/month for that sort of scenario feels a bit on the higher side. It might not be, especially if utilities are included, but it's still best to maybe shop around a little to get a feel for how it compares.
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Yeah, I should mention that's $700 including everything. Power is included in the rent, so there's no additional costs there. But it did feel kind of high, honestly. She was being upfront and honest about the cost of the apartment in general, though, and it would be about half.
 
Squidleybits

Squidleybits

It’s been ages since I’ve rented locally, but that seems super high for a room. Sackville is cool, but transit can be rough getting anywhere other than downtown. Transit here in general is rough to get to Burnside/DC.

If you have any concerns, I would wait for a better opportunity.

As far as budgets go, I would be happy to share standard utility rates etc. locally if that would be helpful?
 
Tiger Tsang

Tiger Tsang

Parents, whatever grief they occasionally give you, will be, at least somewhat, understanding about depression issues.
A roommate will want your share of the rent/bills.
And 700 does sound expensive.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

So, update: after talking about it with her over texts, I'm not moving in. She said she has an female friend that is anxious to move in. So I told her it might be best to go with that, since I'm being so hesitant.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Handy tip: to reduce wait times when you're calling into a call center, don't waste several minutes complaining about said wait times. We know. Believe me, WE KNOW. Literally everyone else is complaining, too. Just get right to the point of calling.

I've had customers rant for 5, 10, 20, 30+ minutes about the wait times. If everyone stopped wasting time complaining about it to the person who had no control, wait times would not be as bad.

Like, I get it. It's frustrating and you want to air out your grievances. But complaining about it is literally a waste of everyone's time. It's wasting my time, your time, and the time of the next person in the queue. Just stop.

You're also complaining to the person lowest on the chain. We have no control over wait times. The company is well aware if there is high call volume. It's monitored closely by HR. Save your breath yelling at the lowly peon and, I don't know, complain to the company social media.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

ThatNickGuy said:
Handy tip: to reduce wait times when you're calling into a call center, don't waste several minutes complaining about said wait times. We know. Believe me, WE KNOW. Literally everyone else is complaining, too. Just get right to the point of calling.

I've had customers rant for 5, 10, 20, 30+ minutes about the wait times. If everyone stopped wasting time complaining about it to the person who had no control, wait times would not be as bad.

Like, I get it. It's frustrating and you want to air out your grievances. But complaining about it is literally a waste of everyone's time. It's wasting my time, your time, and the time of the next person in the queue. Just stop.

You're also complaining to the person lowest on the chain. We have no control over wait times. The company is well aware if there is high call volume. It's monitored closely by HR. Save your breath yelling at the lowly peon and, I don't know, complain to the company social media.
Click to expand...
Even worse are the absolute idiots who say (or e-mail) something like "I hung up after 10 minutes on hold because it was too long"
Yeah, congratulations, and if you call back, you'll be right back at the end of the queue. You're making it worse for yourself. And e-mails almost universally have a slower response time SLA than phone calls, so you're not getting help any faster that way. If you're waiting, that's probably because we're busy.
 
Adam

Adam

My only bugaboo here is the companies that preamble their calls with "We are experiencing a larger than normal call volume." - No you aren't because it's been 6 months of this message. You are experiencing a lower than appropriate staffing volume.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Adam said:
My only bugaboo here is the companies that preamble their calls with "We are experiencing a larger than normal call volume." - No you aren't because it's been 6 months of this message. You are experiencing a lower than appropriate staffing volume.
Click to expand...
From my personal experience, that's actually true because there ARE times when it's nowhere near as busy. Sometimes there's no queue at all and I'm waiting for a call. If it gets that dead, they'll send some of us home.
 
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Bubble181

Bubble181

That can really depend, both on time of day and of year.
If you call ten times, but every time between 2PM and 3PM, well, you may always end up at the busiest time of day (for some types of companies). If you call ten times, but every time in the middle of Christmas season, than you might end up in the busiest time of year (for some types of companies). And the other way around, of course.

It IS absolutely true that hardly any company will ever employ enough people to keep waiting times down on their very busiest peaks, but that's only common sense. I've worked in several types of industry now, in several types of call center/dispatch/support desk/whatever, and the volume difference isn't just double or treble. I've had weeks where we got 100 calls amongst all of us and weeks where I handled over 100 calls on my own every day. It would be madness to permanently have 10 people around when 2 will do just fine for 80% of the time.
Of course, there's a bit more leeway there if you're talking low-level CS or something where 2 hours of training may be enough to let you do 75% of the job. In a more technical environment where you need 2 weeks of training to be a bare minimum of competent, you can't hire some extra people for 2 months over summer or whatever.
 
Celt Z

Celt Z

ThatNickGuy said:
Handy tip: to reduce wait times when you're calling into a call center, don't waste several minutes complaining about said wait times. We know. Believe me, WE KNOW. Literally everyone else is complaining, too. Just get right to the point of calling.

I've had customers rant for 5, 10, 20, 30+ minutes about the wait times. If everyone stopped wasting time complaining about it to the person who had no control, wait times would not be as bad.

Like, I get it. It's frustrating and you want to air out your grievances. But complaining about it is literally a waste of everyone's time. It's wasting my time, your time, and the time of the next person in the queue. Just stop.

You're also complaining to the person lowest on the chain. We have no control over wait times. The company is well aware if there is high call volume. It's monitored closely by HR. Save your breath yelling at the lowly peon and, I don't know, complain to the company social media.
Click to expand...
At my last job, when I sometimes had to work the phones, there would be this guy who would call in, insist on being transferred to me (because my main job was exec admin), and then keep me hostage on the phone for 10+minutes. Whatever grievance or rant he needed to go for whatever reason, he'd bring my day to a screeching halt. And he didn't talk TO me, he would talk AT me; I rarely could get in more than 1 word at a time. The only thing that helped is one of my bosses' office was right next to my desk, and could tell when this guy was calling, so whenever he could he would tell me transfer this guy to him. But I was also informed that annoying at it was, this guy was a important client and I had to humor him for the sake of business. :censored:
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Thanks to Facebook Memories, I realized I've been at my current job for three years as of today. Cripes. Sometimes it doesn't feel like that long ago. And I'm not even sure it's a good job half the time. It's a call center for a telecommunications company. I might have mentioned which one on here, but I'll not name it just in case.

Good money, good benefits (I had 3 weeks of paid vacation this year), decent company, but it is absolutely mentally and emotionally draining. Even before I started working there, I referred to call center work as "soul sucking" and I stand by that.

Oddly enough, the last counselor I spoke to hinted that the drop in my mental health seems to correlate with starting this job. Which...I don't know, might be more true than I'm willing to admit. It's not the source of all my depression and anxiety, but it is some of it.

But since I started working there, I gained all the weight back (and then some) I lost from the keto diet I was on at the time. When I started, I was more active, doing yoga, biking, meditating. And I'm barely doing...any of that these days. I find I don't feel like being social outside of work because by the time I'm done being yelled at all day by customers, I'm not in the mood to interact with human beings at all. The vast majority of my interactions with another human being in my life...is with customers. In some ways, I feel trapped in this job now because...there really isn't anything better out there for me with my skill set, or lack there of.

Still...it IS good money and good benefits. Been able to work full time from home. It's helped allow me to pay off my student loan and make me consider buying a small house for myself. Financially, I'm in a better place than I've probably ever been. I have a decent amount in my savings (though that's taken a small hit recently thanks to veterinarian bills).

So...mixed feelings.
 
Celt Z

Celt Z

ThatNickGuy said:
Thanks to Facebook Memories, I realized I've been at my current job for three years as of today. Cripes. Sometimes it doesn't feel like that long ago. And I'm not even sure it's a good job half the time. It's a call center for a telecommunications company. I might have mentioned which one on here, but I'll not name it just in case.

Good money, good benefits (I had 3 weeks of paid vacation this year), decent company, but it is absolutely mentally and emotionally draining. Even before I started working there, I referred to call center work as "soul sucking" and I stand by that.

Oddly enough, the last counselor I spoke to hinted that the drop in my mental health seems to correlate with starting this job. Which...I don't know, might be more true than I'm willing to admit. It's not the source of all my depression and anxiety, but it is some of it.

But since I started working there, I gained all the weight back (and then some) I lost from the keto diet I was on at the time. When I started, I was more active, doing yoga, biking, meditating. And I'm barely doing...any of that these days. I find I don't feel like being social outside of work because by the time I'm done being yelled at all day by customers, I'm not in the mood to interact with human beings at all. The vast majority of my interactions with another human being in my life...is with customers. In some ways, I feel trapped in this job now because...there really isn't anything better out there for me with my skill set, or lack there of.

Still...it IS good money and good benefits. Been able to work full time from home. It's helped allow me to pay off my student loan and make me consider buying a small house for myself. Financially, I'm in a better place than I've probably ever been. I have a decent amount in my savings (though that's taken a small hit recently thanks to veterinarian bills).

So...mixed feelings.
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The good news is that you don't have to stay with this job forever. It's not your dream career; if something better comes along, nothing will be holding you back from taking the opportunity. In the meantime, it's at least offering you financial stability, which can also help your opportunities in the long run.

But as a side note, the activities you love (yoga, biking, meditating) are not only things you can do solo, BUT can help you get away from the stress of dealing with people all day. I don't know if it will work for you, but I found that making a schedule for my exercise helps me make sure I do take the time for myself. In the past, even when I was working full time, I used the gym schedule to make sure I at least got to a few classes a week. Now I make a deal with myself that in order to stay in shape for running, which used to be an activity I hated in the past, I need to hit my 3x's a week goal. Even if there's a day I can't do it, it motivates me to make sure I make up for it a different day. I mean, start small, like "I'm going to yoga on Tuesday, and meditate on Thursday", or whatever, and just build from there.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

Can't say I don't know the feeling of a golden (or gilded) cage. Some people instinctively know what they want to be and can get there and have a life full of self-fulfillment and a sense of achievement and whatever. Other people know what they want to do, but for some reason - often out of their own control - can't actually do that. Whether it's wanting to be a pro soccer player but having talent but getting injured, or there simply being too many other people after the same job, or personal mental health, or whatever. A job that provides financial stability is a good thing, but it can make you feel trapped, unable to move because of the dangers of losing that stability - even if it's the type of stability that results in a slow downward spiral.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong at work today, did.

I designed a project (months ago).
I coded the program for the control processor (months ago).

Sometime after that, sales ordered the wrong parts
Sometime after that, the FNG in my department "configured" the gear but did it wrong and didn't test anything. If he had, he might have realized there were wrong parts.
Last week, the installers put half the equipment in the wrong rooms, and also did not bother to notice that some of the gear's models did not match what was on the design.

Today I show up and SURPRISE nothing works and everything's sucky and we look like a bunch of idiots in front of the client.
I call my boss about it, who is also my best friend of 25 years. And he feeds me bullshit lines about why it happened and why it's going to keep happening.

I̘̺̳̥ ̨̛̫̫̫̗͝Á̝͉͚̖͙̖̪̟̫͟M̗͖̯͓̟̹̫͘ ͏̘͖̻̀G̴͙̮̭̜̺͟O̷̹͙͡͠I̻̣̦͍͈̲͈̱̥Ǹ̷̯̣̻͖̖̯͙͠Ģ̠͙̜̝̲̫͎̼͞ ̵̷̯̼̯Ṭ͇̩̖̥̦̞̝̯͜͢O͍̪̗͞ ̧̡͔͈̜̱̦̻H͙͢A̵̘̜̼V͕͓̮͟͡E̛̲̖͜ ̹͔̫͓̞͉̲̺͝S̨͈̙̱Ơ̺͡ ̛ͅͅḾ͓͔͎̤̣Ų̗̫̹̰̘͕͖Ç̟̞̘̬͎̖H҉̱̞͎̻̪ ̫̬̝̭͇͙̞̬̪͘T̘̪̕Ǫ̴͉̲ ̵̧͍̫͎̪̜̩̘S̨̗̩͢ͅA͍̲̙̬̤̼͔͔̹Y̛̺̻ ̶̨̱͓̥̙̣̪̮͚̝D̛̼͎̙͞U̶̧͔͖̩̱͉͇R͏̻̩́I̴̷͓̮̻̼̼̪͔̺N̵̘̘G̴̡̣̙̦̟̦͚̝ͅ ̺̙̮̠̰͚̗̰̀T̥͔̤̀H̶̸̗̲͙͝ͅI҉̠͔̝̮̰Ṣ̴̤̩ ̀҉̭̫̪͙̳̞W̧̭͓͈̣̣̹̣͇͠E̱̣̪͟͡E̱̦̹̹K̴̤̠̤͕̩̗͙̙͚͞'̫͎̗͍̰Ś͕̝͓̘ ̶̺͔̘͕̘ͅD̬̣͈̖͜E͏̰̟̲̹͍P̮̣A̮̯̤̝R͉͓ͅT̛͙̯͖͚M̷̦̫͢E͏̷̷̹͈͍̱͇͎̭N҉̘̹͍̯̱̬̭̪̫T̘͔͖A̛̦̫͡L̷̥͍̗͍͘ ̟͓͚͇̟̗̲͈͢M҉͓̲̳ͅE̗E̶͚̞͎͇͈̩͓͖Ṭ̡̡̪͠I̜̩͍͈̹̤͔̩N̼̺͓̜͡G̵̡̼̲͞ ̱͟O̺͍̻͜͝N̵̘̟ ̷̻̥̞̖W̻̭͉̠̦̺̻͉Ȩ̜D̳N̺͓̞̘͈E̵̴̻̬̤S̛̪̣̠̮̫D̮͎̞͔̲̥͚ͅÀ̶̫̫̝̲͓̪̺̕ͅY͝҉̢͚͍̳̼̫̝̺.̛͘͏̝̤
 
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