Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts

Thursday, 27 November 2008

One more for my list

So, I have one more company to add to my list of
Companies that have made me so cranky I want to do something irrational

The TV ratings company. The guy just turned up to install our "black box" so we could contribute to the TV ratings. This was the 4th appointment. The first one he called the next day to say he had "car troubles" which I thought was a bit odd to be calling the day after you didnt turn up, surely he knew at the time that he wasnt going to make it. I also found it a bit odd since when they made the appointment they asked if they could give him my phone number so that he can call if he cant make it "because of car troubles or anything like that" hmmm, sounds suspicious. Anyway, second appointment.... just didnt turn up, 2 days later I called them and complained, we made another appointment... aparently they double booked half that week so they rang to change that appointment.... 4th appointment... he turns up 30 minutes late but they said to allow 30 minutes on top of the appointment time before I called them to report him. It had been raining, he tromped his grotty shoes through my house. My kids do it all the time, but really, he's a grown up. oh yeah, even though they had asked us about our HDR and I even asked about it some more and they said it would be fine they guy said HDRs arent compatible with their black boxes, we are on the list for when they get ones that are.

Telstra. They cut off our phone (that bit was our fault, it helps to pay bills on time) I called to get it reconnected, they put me through all the automated voice thing only to get to the point where I get put through to a real person and they told me that due to blah blah blah they arent dealing with the commoners today so I should call back on the next business day. I have been calling every day and cant get anyone. finally I got through yesterday and they said they fixed it and guess what... it isnt... and today I am back to the "it is beneath us to speak to you so call back another day" message. UUUGGGGGHHHHHH. FED UP!
Ergon. 10 hours, no power, hottest minimum on record for november. nuf said... actually, I am cranky that they refuse to admit that it was 10 hours, they told the paper it was less than half that.
I am sure there is some other company, I will probably have someone remind me in the comments (probably that grannysaurus, after all she hears most of the whinging)
Update: While I have been doing this post I have been on hold to telstra. Guess how I got through... I lied to their machine and told it I wanted to pay my bill, I figured they would take my call then... and I told the operator that I wanted to see if my payment had been processed because my phone wasnt back on yet. Was that naughty? The receipt for yesterdays transaction wasnt recognised by their machine so they didnt reconnect my phone. They guy I talked to today must have had his headset mic up around his eyebrows he was so quiet. Still cranky but I should have a phone in 4 hours.
Still on the bright side... um... okay, I'm having trouble finding it today... My boys have been pretty well behaved. Very happy about that. The rain we are having is freaking them out, not actually the rain, more the thunder... it's so cute, I am getting heaps of cuddles, I love cuddles.
Now as for that "something irrational" I might just go and eat some chocolate... that is so incredibly irrational of me... isnt it? Actually it probably is with all the pimples I have right now and we all know how I feel about them but I stand by some research that I heard about somewhere that chocolate doesn't cause pimples. IT DOESN'T, scientists say so, so I WILL BELIEVE IT!!!

Monday, 24 November 2008

Still saving the planet

I know some people were really worried over this post about me giving up on saving the planet. I would like to inform you that I have done my bit to make up for using planet killing dishwasher tablets. We went 10 hours without using any electricity. I'm not talking about no TV or cooking on the BBQ, I'm talking about not a scrap of power to our entire house. Fridges -OFF, TV- OFF, computers- OFF, the lot, not standby, OFF. We didnt even use our car!

It was not by choice of course but I do think that I have paid the price to our planet. Our power went out at about 2pm, just as we were going for nap time. The boys got to sleep, I couldnt. I called my sister to see if we could come and use her carbon emissions pool and airconditioner. So as soon as the boys woke up we disengaged the garage roller-door motor...

DISENGAGED the garage...

DISENGAGED the...

oh forget it we called grannysaurus to see if Wolf could drive the ute over and pick up her car so we could all get to Chimera's. We had a great time, we swam, sat in the nice cool air con, worried about our fridge full of leftovers getting wasted, ate dinner (some of the leftovers that I had thought to bring with us) and then felt we had imposed long enough. I kept ringing the faults line to try and get an idea about when our power would be back on but they were giving me no hope.

The boys were excited by using torches but a bit freaked out by all the darkness. we eventually got them to sleep and it got hotter and hotter and hotter and Wolf went and pitched the tent in the black backyard. He left the fly off and it was heaps cooler but not big enough for us all so we moved the boys out there (who really were not going back to sleep after we moved them into a super exciting tent) and I stayed inside and did sudoku's by candle light and had some alone time. I have been craving some alone time lately so I guess that was as good as I can expect for now.

MIDNIGHT the power came back on, 1am the tarriffed power (aircon) came back on and we all slept happily for the next 6 hours.

Some things I have learnt from this...

I am so glad I put together a decent Cyclone Kit last season and knew where it was.

I do not cope well with heat.

Wolf does not cope well with heat.

Kids do not cope well with heat.

It was still 33C in our kitchen at 10:30 last night.

There is no breeze going through our house at all at night.

Rich suburbs get their power back on first and derro suburbs like us have to wait (we have a great area in a generally derro suburb).

Candles give off a lot of heat.

I am really tired today.

I wanted to put a photo with this but I am too tired to bother.

I am thankful for the huge chunk of "creeping ice" in my fridge that kept my milk and leftovers nicely chilled for 10 hours.

My kids are finally asleep so I am going to go do the same.