Random Rants Q': I protest against subtitles

[GenMarshall]

Got the vaccine (Pfizer’s variant) and my left arm feels like someone punched it and an achey sensation like I wanna stretch (but I don’t want to cause I don’t want to do a full body stretch and give myself a Charlie Horse).

 

[Takhisis]

A circuit in my apartment has gone haywire and it randomly trips for no reason, killing our internet while we're in the middle of work calls and such. I thought at first it was my monitor that was doing it - it's been through a bunch of moves and has been acting flaky lately - but I took it off the circuit and the breaker still tripped so I called in maintenance. I moved almost everything off that circuit after that but my our internet has to be on that circuit due to where the access point is located. Kind of frustrating.

I recommend extension cords.

 

[Cutlass]

A circuit in my apartment has gone haywire and it randomly trips for no reason, killing our internet while we're in the middle of work calls and such. I thought at first it was my monitor that was doing it - it's been through a bunch of moves and has been acting flaky lately - but I took it off the circuit and the breaker still tripped so I called in maintenance. I moved almost everything off that circuit after that but my our internet has to be on that circuit due to where the access point is located. Kind of frustrating.

The breaker itself can deteriorate with time. If you have access to the box, try replacing the breaker.

(it is easy, not dangerous, and you do not have to shut off the mains)

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I recommend extension cords.

That's the solution I'm going with until tomorrow.

The breaker itself can deteriorate with time. If you have access to the box, try replacing the breaker.

(it is easy, not dangerous, and you do not have to shut off the mains)

The landlord is sending a maintenance person to fix it tomorrow.


I had an odd grubhub experience. I ordered food, guy shows up an hour late and asks if I'll meet him a couple of blocks away from my apartment for the pick up. I politely said no, I have got a dog and a baby that I'm tending to and it's too much of a hassle to meet up, just bring it to my door. The guy flat out refused too, then hung up. A good five minutes pass and I finally go out looking for my food, only to run into the dude's mom who lives in the complex. The delivery driver is one of my neighbor kids and when he decided he didn't want to finish the delivery, he went and got his mom to finish the drop off.

So I grab the food and I'm trying to one hand the food and the dog with the baby in the other arm and it's going about as well as you'd expect when he decides to puke all over me before I can walk the two blocks back. There was a bunch of other first world type problems that popped up all day as well, this was just the end cap.

Because my neighborhood is big apartment blocks and not single-home tracts, there's a 50/50 chance any given delivery driver will give up and force you to go find them. Many don't even make an attempt - and it stings when you've given them a hefty pre-delivery tip.

 

[choxorn]

I had an odd grubhub experience. I ordered food, guy shows up an hour late and asks if I'll meet him a couple of blocks away from my apartment for the pick up.

...

Because my neighborhood is big apartment blocks and not single-home tracts, there's a 50/50 chance any given delivery driver will give up and force you to go find them. Many don't even make an attempt - and it stings when you've given them a hefty pre-delivery tip.

That's not how that works, that's not how any of that works! What the hell kind of delivery driver doesn't at least try to find the right building?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

That's not how that works, that's not how any of that works! What the hell kind of delivery driver doesn't at least try to find the right building?

Some drivers don't even try. I remember a few years ago when I lived in a different part of town, the guy phoned and said he was in front of my door and why wasn't I answering?

I told him I hadn't answered because he hadn't buzzed my suite.

He insisted I lived in a house (I didn't), and I asked him where he was. When he told me, I informed him that never mind the wrong building - he wasn't even on the right street.

He decided to argue about it, and when he finally did show up 10 minutes later, I told him that when a customer tells him where they live, the right thing to do is believe them. Obviously he did not get a tip of any kind, and I made a complaint to the restaurant.

Nowadays... there are two restaurants I order from that don't go through Skip the Dishes. I order from them so often that they're familiar with my orders and very apologetic when a screwup happens with delivery (I still have a $20 credit coming from one of them). As for Skip, the customer service chat line usually works things out, though it's insane how I had to fight with one of them one night, because they couldn't do basic math when it came to my McDonalds order. You'd think they could count to 2, right? As in I order 2 cookies (along with a few other things) and they send 2 cookies?

Nope. And they have no idea how to calculate 5% GST, either, and understand that when you're doing a refund/Skip credit, you have to include the GST, since the customer prepaid that as well.

Whatever this "grubhub" outfit is, it sounds like a very shoddily-run business.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

That's not how that works, that's not how any of that works! What the hell kind of delivery driver doesn't at least try to find the right building?

Right?

Some drivers don't even try.

To be fair, the apartment complexes around me are enormous and built somewhat like mazes, so I understand it when drivers truly get lost in spite of the directions I leave on the apps for them. That said, a huge chunk of them don't even try as @Valka D'Ur says and it's infuriating. I cannot imagine how much of a drag it must be for my disabled neighbors to have to deal with.

Whatever this "grubhub" outfit is, it sounds like a very shoddily-run business.

Grubhub is a American app that connects restaurants with delivery drivers and an online ordering system so they don't have to do all that themselves. The app isn't really at fault for the drivers, and the quality of their drivers isn't noticeably worse than say the drivers for Domino's that serves my neighborhood. That said, this app in particular did not give me a mechanism to provide feedback on the driver.


Rave: The kung pao beef was delicious and worth the wait/hassle.

 

[Cutlass]

I wouldn't pay in advance on that. Cash only. They don't show up, they don't get paid.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I wouldn't pay in advance on that. Cash only. They don't show up, they don't get paid.

I don't feel comfortable completely stiffing delivery people on tips because of how little they make to begin with.

 

[Samson]

I don't feel comfortable completely stiffing delivery people on tips because of how little they make to begin with.

I know what you mean, and I know that tipping is different over there, but:

1. They make so little as base because they generally get good tips. If they did not, the "gig economy" companies like deliveroo would actually have to pay their staff properly. The tipping is effectively subsidising these companies.
2. By paying cash on delivery you are not stiffing anyone who actually does their job.
3. By paying cash rather than electronically it may mean they do not pay tax on it, which I feel they totally should not have to, as it is a gift and gifts are not taxed (in the UK anyway).

 

[Birdjaguar]

I know what you mean, and I know that tipping is different over there, but:

1. They make so little as base because they generally get good tips. If they did not, the "gig economy" companies like deliveroo would actually have to pay their staff properly. The tipping is effectively subsidising these companies.

1. Ues, but....Not tipping is unlikely to make a company change its ways and pay more. By tipping you actually put money in the pocket of someone who needs it.

 

[choxorn]

I don't feel comfortable completely stiffing delivery people on tips because of how little they make to begin with.

I also know that some delivery services in some places have been doing only no-contact delivery since the pandemic started, which make it kinda impossible to give a cash tip.

But yeah, the part about how you have to pay the tip in advance on Grubhub or DoorDash or whatever other app you're using kinda sucks, that's not how tips are supposed to work.

 

[Cutlass]

I don't feel comfortable completely stiffing delivery people on tips because of how little they make to begin with.

You aren't stiffing them if they don't show up. They are stiffing you.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I don't feel comfortable completely stiffing delivery people on tips because of how little they make to begin with.

A tip is a gift. I tip more if they do a better job, or in inclement weather.

If they don't show up for 2 hours (like what happened with the last Chinese food order - I was finally given $20 discount if I'd still take it, plus $20 off my next order), they are not getting a tip.

If they argue about my address (as opposed to being merely slightly confused about where to find me - possible since the building is shaped like a propeller and I've seen plenty of drivers wandering around lost) they don't get a tip.

If they're merely a little confused but are polite about it, they'll get a tip provided they're prompt once they become un-lost. After all, new drivers to the building are sometimes confused as to the fact that the back door has no intercom.

 

[The_J]

My mom is right now on the way to the hospital, suspected lung embolism.
The rapid covid test was negative.

 

[Sofista]

Stay strong, J.

 

[The_J]

Seems my mom is stable in hospital. They're giving her heparin and monitoring everything, but no idea yet what'll happen.
If the blood clot itself dissolves, then everything should be fine again, I guess.
Well... fingers crossed.

 

[shadowplay]

(dude hug)

 

[Sommerswerd]

That's the solution I'm going with until tomorrow.

The landlord is sending a maintenance person to fix it tomorrow.


I had an odd grubhub experience. I ordered food, guy shows up an hour late and asks if I'll meet him a couple of blocks away from my apartment for the pick up. I politely said no, I have got a dog and a baby that I'm tending to and it's too much of a hassle to meet up, just bring it to my door. The guy flat out refused too, then hung up. A good five minutes pass and I finally go out looking for my food, only to run into the dude's mom who lives in the complex. The delivery driver is one of my neighbor kids and when he decided he didn't want to finish the delivery, he went and got his mom to finish the drop off.

So I grab the food and I'm trying to one hand the food and the dog with the baby in the other arm and it's going about as well as you'd expect when he decides to puke all over me before I can walk the two blocks back. There was a bunch of other first world type problems that popped up all day as well, this was just the end cap.

Because my neighborhood is big apartment blocks and not single-home tracts, there's a 50/50 chance any given delivery driver will give up and force you to go find them. Many don't even make an attempt - and it stings when you've given them a hefty pre-delivery tip.

I've had mostly great experiences with Grubhub and I use them all the time, however I live in a house. I had no idea that they were that unreliable delivering to apartments. For me the issue is not usually the drivers, but the restaurant... usually missing items. One time I had a restaurant tell a driver flat out that they didn't make the order because they "didn't have any more to-go containers"... this was after the driver driving all the way there and me waiting nearly 2 hours. The worst part was that by the time they told the driver that they weren't filling the order, it was too late in the night for me to order from anywhere else, so I ended up just reheating a bunch of mix-matched leftovers and cooking something. Whatever, at least I had food.

I wouldn't pay in advance on that. Cash only. They don't show up, they don't get paid.

I don't think Grubhub offers that. I think you have to pay in advance.

You aren't stiffing them if they don't show up. They are stiffing you.

You get a full refund if they don't deliver... but as in my story above, that doesn't replace your lost time, and it is little consolation if by the time they flake out, all the restaurants are closed.

 

[choxorn]

I've had mostly great experiences with Grubhub and I use them all the time, however I live in a house. I had no idea that they were that unreliable delivering to apartments. For me the issue is not usually the drivers, but the restaurant... usually missing items. One time I had a restaurant tell a driver flat out that they didn't make the order because they "didn't have any more to-go containers"... this was after the driver driving all the way there and me waiting nearly 2 hours. The worst part was that by the time they told the driver that they weren't filling the order, it was too late in the night for me to order from anywhere else, so I ended up just reheating a bunch of mix-matched leftovers and cooking something. Whatever, at least I had food.

Yeah, basically this, and same with the other apps- the drivers I almost never have a problem with, but sometimes the restaurants don't deliver me something I ordered or even the entire order vanishes into the ether.

I've also been given slightly wrong orders a few times, a recent example being when I ordered a medium pizza and got a small one.