Before I start, let’s get this pic out of the way:

Read today in the state tabloid (and it is a tabloid these days) that the Office of Fair Scamming Trading is going to allow door to door sales critters to knock on doors until 8pm. Why? Because businesses are whining that the Do Not Call register (which doesn’t work anyway, yes I’m looking at you, 02 8xxx xxxx spammers) is hampering their efforts to get in our face.

Hey Marketards. Listen. If we want to buy something, if we want to consider buying something, we’ll do our own research and make the call. Want to rule yourself out of that process, fine, send your door to door critters and start your badgering. Be sure to tell us your company name when the door is closing so we know not to conduct business with you.

Our home is sanctuary. It’s where we spend time relaxing, letting the world go on without us. I’m sure we’re not the only ones.

Don’t. Just, don’t.

Tags: Marketards

You remember a while back I had a bit of a rant about one telemarketing company that kept on calling our landline even though all of our numbers are on the Do Not Call register? Well seems like the register is causing more of these cockbite spammers to get starving enough to try to get around the restrictions.

We're now getting about one call every couple of days, always with a Sydney caller ID but different company-like premium numbers ie. ones that end in 00 or 11. They hang up as soon as you or the answering machine picks up. I'm guessing the idea is that if you call them back you're somehow giving them tacit consent to call you. It's pissing me off. Not hugely but just enough to (once again) wish that s[p|c]ammers and telemarketroids (is there really much of a difference?) be the first up against the wall and shot in a revolution. In the knees.

Seems I'm not the only one. There's a really handy site that helps you gain more info about these bottomfeeders: whocallsme. Turns out every single 02 number we've had of late has been on this database. Ah well, it keeps the answering machine amused...

a special circle...

Tags: spammers, diaf

Dear company at 02 8023 0000,

You're beginning to piss me off. Telecommunications Ombudsman/Direct Marketing Assoc./Do Not Call Register complaint kinda piss me off. Leave a message or actually talk when I answer so you can try to convince me you're not trying to sell anything, you're "only doing market research". Better yet:

Stop. Fucking. Calling. Me.

kthnxbye.


P.S. Explanation for those interested, about once a day for the last week or so this number has been calling my mobile and either hanging up when I do answer or not leaving a message when it goes to voicemail. (And before you ask, yes, pretty sure I'm current with all my bills.) Finally got jack of this the other day so decided to call back (with withheld caller ID) - got a recorded message "Thank you for calling our customer relations department. If you have been called by this number we'll call again soon. If you do not want to receive any further calls, please press 1 and leave your full name and number." No company name, nothing. Uh, so you keep calling, you hang up when I answer, you don't leave messages when I don't and I'm supposed to leave you my details? I think not. Oh and I'll bet I probably got charged a premium rate for that call... going to be eyeing the next bill for that one.

P.P.S. Why am I blogging such a trivial annoyance? So that the number 028023000, (02) 8023 0000, and any other variant I can think of gets Googled in case others are trying to figure out who this number is. Hey if you do know who it is, I'd love to hear from you.

So let's say you're the Premier (equivalent to Governor for those of you who drive on the wrong side of the road) of Queensland. Let's also say that you really don't like having to deal with all those pesky little local government bodies - especially when they won't let you have your way. What do you do? Why force a "reform" and tell vastly different councils that they have to amalgamate into one "super council."

Let's say the people don't want that.

Let's say some councillors - publicly elected representatives of said people - vocally oppose the move.

Let's say that protest rallies are held, formal objections are sent in by the thousand, but the Premier ignores all this.

Let's say that councillors start making plans to hold a referendum on the issue to let the people be heard, but the Premier threatens to sack any that use local government funds to hold same.

Now, let's say that the Prime Minister weighs in on the issue, offering Federal funds for a referendum should the councils want to proceed (the PM and the Premier are on opposing political parties so this could be viewed as a stunt, but still...)

Let's then say that the Premier and his cohorts then ram the reform legislation through parliament using their majority numbers, making it law. Oh, lets also add an amendment saying that any councillor holding any referendum on the issue, regardless of circumstance or funding source will be immediately sacked.

Does that sound like dictatorship to you? It does to me.

It's not the first time he's done this either. Do some searches on "Traveston Dam", and the Queensland water grid.

Mr. Beattie, I'm sorry but I think you just sealed your political fate.

This weekend I was browsing through the local hardware store junkmail and came across an item we'd be interested in. It's one of those marquee roof type tent setups that protect a car from the sun, bird droppings, bat droppings (and believe me, the birds and bats in this area drop some pretty impressive paint-corroding cluster bombs.) So, said junkmail had a pic of one of these canopies, complete with car parked under it so you knew what it did. All for the bargain price of $129.

You know what caught my eye? In the asterisk conditions it said - I kid you not - "car not included."

Car not included?!

Car not included?!?!

That rates right up there with the ad for work trestle with a pic of two said trestles and a plank of wood resting on them so you knew what you could use them for. The asterisk caption? You guessed it: "plank not included."

Have we really devolved to the point where we're a "serving suggestion" generation and really can't tell what is actually for sale? Guess we have.

Some times you've just gotta shake your head ruefully and chuckle.

Why is it that there are more and more 'me first' people in this world?

One classic example I encountered today was when we went grocery shopping earlier today. There he was, the 'shopping is women's work' type. Sitting in a car in the car park, windows up, engine on, air con. on. Just waiting. It was ooh about 26° C at the time. And I should tell you that 26° in a seaside town is not like 26° in a city (like that would've been an excuse.) 26° in a seaside town is delicious, the air is so moist, so refreshing, you almost feel like you're swimming in the air. Yet here was mister 'shopping is women's work' busy warming up the atmosphere. I'm not sure what offends me more: the 'shopping/washing/whatever is women's work' type or the flagrant selfishness of sitting in a car with the air con. going just because you can't be arsed to get out and enjoy the air. I think it's the former, but the latter is a close second.

[begin side-rant]
I just don't understand why men (and yes, I'd like to think I'm generalising horribly here) are so shop-phobic. Real men shop, real men actually go into supermarkets (with or without their partners) and enjoy the experience. Real men do actually go in to clothing stores with their fair lady, and do not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable, offering their opinions when asked and keeping their gab shut when not. It's laughable when you walk past a women's clothing store and you see several guys loitering outside just waiting, trying to avoid eye contact, like a bunch of horses tied up outside the saloon. Just laughable. Real men actually take an equal part in a relationship!
[end side-rant]

I can understand if you have a newborn baby, a frail elderly person, or even maybe a dog in the car but the majority of these types just couldn't give a frack. Males aren't the only ones of the species that do this; soccer mums are another classic offender. Huge 4WD town buggy (because everyone else has them dahhhling!) sitting, waiting, pumping out heat and pollution while in the supermarket carpark or waiting to pick up their Dear Little Munchkins (Monsters) from schoolie woolie.

Hmm, maybe I'm turning into a cranky old bastard after all.