What's made you grumpy today?

[The Panda Nut]

The MIM(Morons In Management) decided to 'Streamline' the 'Accounts Payable' process.

We use a UK outfit called Spendesk, where we submit a pic of a receipt. It sure beats the hell out of filling out a weekly expense report, but it came with some early teething pains. The first bunch of cards issued to the field staff were debit cards, not credit cards. In the US, no hotel or rental car company will accept a debit card for payment. Secondly, it's run out of funds a couple of times. That really pissed off the field staff as we had to use our personal cards to cover hotels, meals, airfare, and rental cars, then wait to get reimbursed. A lot of folks on the other side of the world didn't realize that the US is a very big place. Chicago to LA is a 4.5 hour flight on a good day. Flying to Alaska or Hawaii is an easy 12 hour day, with like fees.

Anyway, things had smoothed out, until the MIM threw a wrench into it this week. We have certain categories for certain expenses. They changed that all around on Wednesday but never told anyone they were doing it. I had two receipts to submit yesterday and I was totally lost, so I posted the damn receipts wherever. We got an email later in the day telling us that they had moved everything around to make it more 'efficient' for the accounting staff. I got a separate email telling me I effed up and to resubmit.

Gloves came off. First, I hit Reply All on the first email with "I think the time to do these changes would have been better spent correcting the chaos that is known as the factory floor. The Field Staff is not the problem, Beaufort is the problem. Costs would drop if the Field Staff wasn't chasing warranty repairs all over the US and Mexico." Fart in church time and I don't care.

The reply to the AP person and the CFO was, "If you are going to rearrange the kitchen cabinets without telling me, don't be surprised if the box of corn flakes ends up back where I want it to be. Telling us you made the changes after the fact and expecting us to kowtow to your whims is utter bullshit."

I expect some phone calls today. Caller ID means they will be ignored.

I worked for Serco for a few years. Their accountancy was 'interesting'. They decided to introudce a new system for expenses. We too had to pay out in full and reclaim. As I was all over the UK and Ireland it used to be from some hundreds to a thousand pounds a month and it used to annoy me a lot being out of pocket and worrying if they would pay and when. The new system was so usless it used to take me around 6 hours to submit a claim, that annoyed me more. The system was slow and cumbersome in extremis. A paper claim would previously take 20 minutes to complete. I eventually blew when they told me I was being silly about it and "everyone else manages OK". As one of the few people with a functioning brain that went acrosss the entire business I could see where their "improved financial performance since we intgroduced the new system" was coming from. My local depot had three supervisors and a workshop supervisor and a manager. They were spending 90% of their time trying to make the system work, resulting in each having an in-tray of invoices at least a foot thick and some £100,000 of expenditure not being accounted for. at ay one time, and slowly growing worse by the week. As each delivery not and invoice had to be separately entered into their system at around 10 minutes a pop each could see their entire working week disappearing doing solely this. With 102 contarcts in my area thats quite a lot of money. Add in the time sourcing new suppliers as a lot of the existing ones who were no getting paid and who pulled the plug on endless gifting to our company. This, and the fact that the service had taken a big dip resulting in a ten fold increase in complaints and clients threatening no just default penalties but kicking them off the contracts altogether and you get the picture, but of course, expenditure was down. My point blank refusal to use my own money to prop them up went down like a lead baloon and they soon rejigged the structure reducing my responsibilities. When the threats started, as things stopped getting done because I would'nt fund up front expenses I used my untaken holiday as my notice period and left. One of my better decisions. I could write a book about the refuse industry management , corruption and the appaling accidents that they had. The problem with it is you wouldnt believe half of it its so outrageous, I wouldnt believe it if I hadn't been there.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I worked for Serco for a few years. Their accountancy was 'interesting'. They decided to introudce a new system for expenses. We too had to pay out in full and reclaim. As I was all over the UK and Ireland it used to be from some hundreds to a thousand pounds a month and it used to annoy me a lot being out of pocket and worrying if they would pay and when. The new system was so usless it used to take me around 6 hours to submit a claim, that annoyed me more. The system was slow and cumbersome in extremis. A paper claim would previously take 20 minutes to complete. I eventually blew when they told me I was being silly about it and "everyone else manages OK". As one of the few people with a functioning brain that went acrosss the entire business I could see where their "improved financial performance since we intgroduced the new system" was coming from. My local depot had three supervisors and a workshop supervisor and a manager. They were spending 90% of their time trying to make the system work, resulting in each having an in-tray of invoices at least a foot thick and some £100,000 of expenditure not being accounted for. at ay one time, and slowly growing worse by the week. As each delivery not and invoice had to be separately entered into their system at around 10 minutes a pop each could see their entire working week disappearing doing solely this. With 102 contarcts in my area thats quite a lot of money. Add in the time sourcing new suppliers as a lot of the existing ones who were no getting paid and who pulled the plug on endless gifting to our company. This, and the fact that the service had taken a big dip resulting in a ten fold increase in complaints and clients threatening no just default penalties but kicking them off the contracts altogether and you get the picture, but of course, expenditure was down. My point blank refusal to use my own money to prop them up went down like a lead baloon and they soon rejigged the structure reducing my responsibilities. When the threats started, as things stopped getting done because I would'nt fund up front expenses I used my untaken holiday as my notice period and left. One of my better decisions. I could write a book about the refuse industry management , corruption and the appaling accidents that they had. The problem with it is you wouldnt believe half of it its so outrageous, I wouldnt believe it if I hadn't been there.

Oh dear.... do you say you think you have tested positive for covid again......

 

[The Panda Nut]

Just went to pay my broadband. I previously canclled the direct debit for this because they started getting erratic, not taking money one month and then taking two or more lots when they felt like it. Then they took the wrong amount after I rengotiated a cheaper deal, at renewal. So action was taken and I have been paying them nonthly. The payment system has been OK for some while but this month I cannot pay on line as it does not work. AFter 20 or more attempts over 48 hours failed, I had to ring up and deal with it. Suffice to say I wasn't amused and told them so, but I have given up fighting and done a new direct debit, but not before making it plain that if they cock up I shall accept it as a signal that the contract is ended. I can now get cheaper broadband from my mobile supplier, around half the cost to be precise, so I suspect its a matter of time only before we make the switch and then we will also get rid of the land line altogether. We can use an old mobile phone to field the signal and acts as a router or bluetooth it to a wireless modem It would have hte advantage of being connected through the phones battery in the event of power cuts too - if we cant think of a better way. These broad band and land line providers are on thin ice behaving as they do with costs so much lower on mobile lines. Now whats the betting they take a payment from my bank for the amount I just paid them?

 

[StevenRB45]

Chose to watch latest car crash detectives last night and oof hard watch for me.

I've got no problems with people killing themselves with stupidity generally which they mainly fall into. But this one no..

All I'll say is we've been fortunate enough not to need the hard shoulder with the lad on board, we've always pulled off at the next junction if there was a need.

This will absolutely encourage me to not be on the hard shoulder unless the car can not physically move. Although at the same time...the bloke who caused the accident could have caused 100 different accidents on his way.. unfortunately his luck ran out there..rather than say next to an empty field..or some trees.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Chose to watch latest car crash detectives last night and oof hard watch for me.

I've got no problems with people killing themselves with stupidity generally which they mainly fall into. But this one no..

All I'll say is we've been fortunate enough not to need the hard shoulder with the lad on board, we've always pulled off at the next junction if there was a need.

This will absolutely encourage me to not be on the hard shoulder unless the car can not physically move. Although at the same time...the bloke who caused the accident could have caused 100 different accidents on his way.. unfortunately his luck ran out there..rather than say next to an empty field..or some trees.

Any Tv program based on real life events and that begins with
“We have two children we’re doing cpr on” is going to have a massive impact on anyone who is a parent especially if those children are a similar age to your own.

A very hard watch indeed, there are some things that just don’t need to be put on TV for general “entertainment” and this program covering the deaths of a 3 and 4 year old didn’t need to be made. There is arguably no educational value to it and certainly no entertainment

 

[StevenRB45]

If anything my main takeaway was traffic policing is dead...he was on the road multiple hours for most of which he was all over the road.

One police car stopping him would have ended it.

 

[portland_bill]

Parcelfarce.
Delivery instruction is to leave in a designated safe place. Instruction ignored. Card left, saying redelivery tomorrow. Won't be in then either.
Phone number on card is an automated service, can choose, leave with neighbour, redeliver, leave at local post office, collect from depot. Leave in safe place, not an option. Royal Mail will. Same company.
Online system gives same options.
Eventually found the contact form. Meanwhile, set redelivery for Monday, next time I will be here at their usual ime.

 

[s130]

A very hard watch indeed, there are some things that just don’t need to be put on TV for general “entertainment” and this program covering the deaths of a 3 and 4 year old didn’t need to be made. There is arguably no educational value to it and certainly no entertainment

Indeed. Don't have kids but worked for St. John's Ambulance when I was younger and was/am sort of thankful that I was never confronted with any serious life threatening situations.

Whilst not in the same catergory I tend not to watch wild life programs any more. Too much prey killing, hunting, etc. and just when you thought it was a good program you have to turn off because the killing starts. I know it happens in the wild, have seen it in the wild but this prey killing seems to be a common trend these days.

Yes I go down the supermarket to get my food and wild animals have to do what they do for food but do these programs really have to show again and again and again one animal killing another.

 

[StevenRB45]

Whilst not in the same catergory I tend not to watch wild life programs any more. Too much prey killing, hunting, etc. and just when you thought it was a good program you have to turn off because the killing starts. I know it happens in the wild, have seen it in the wild but this prey killing seems to be a common trend these days.

For me it's mainly there's only so many times you can see the same thing before it stops being educational and becomes something else.

Surely there must be effectively a "definitive" lion hunt film or name another animal that appears in every thing like life on earth. Sharks or killer whales etc etc. it feels like they go "yes we've got 800 hunt films but none of them are in 8k! Until now let's do it".

I feel like you see fewer things on covering less famous things these days. Fairly sure at times in the past I saw films on say a year in the life of a fox...or a corn crake or an owl or something like that. Rather than the big dramatic cinematic set pieces it was made up of just it going about it's business largely. Probably not for those with short attention spans though. Also requires a film crew to follow a particular animal for a year which hopefully won't die or move in that year...

Edit: some googling would suggest I used to watch "Survival" which finished in 2001..also stuff from when the BBC natural history unit didn't just do massive documentary series every few years.

Anywho..my grump for the day.

Booked my lad into his favourite swimming pool this afternoon. He's not sounding happy, done his temperature..39.2, balls nurofen administered we'll see how he goes.

 

[portland_bill]

Too much prey killing, hunting, etc.

Last night, I wished there was a bit more prey killing. Cat brought in a mouse, let it go, as usual, and lost it. This morning, no evidence of a catch, none of the traps have caught it, so it's still there somewhere. Hopefully later today it'll appear, in a trap, and I can release it safely. Cat has lost interest/forgotten.

 

[The Panda Nut]

For me it's mainly there's only so many times you can see the same thing before it stops being educational and becomes something else.

Surely there must be effectively a "definitive" lion hunt film or name another animal that appears in every thing like life on earth. Sharks or killer whales etc etc. it feels like they go "yes we've got 800 hunt films but none of them are in 8k! Until now let's do it".

I feel like you see fewer things on covering less famous things these days. Fairly sure at times in the past I saw films on say a year in the life of a fox...or a corn crake or an owl or something like that. Rather than the big dramatic cinematic set pieces it was made up of just it going about it's business largely. Probably not for those with short attention spans though. Also requires a film crew to follow a particular animal for a year which hopefully won't die or move in that year...

Edit: some googling would suggest I used to watch "Survival" which finished in 2001..also stuff from when the BBC natural history unit didn't just do massive documentary series every few years.

Anywho..my grump for the day.

Booked my lad into his favourite swimming pool this afternoon. He's not sounding happy, done his temperature..39.2, balls nurofen administered we'll see how he goes.

Me wonders what you would make of the Karma Sutra.... I think theres more than one way of skinning a cat, but agree there are limits!

 

[s130]

Hopefully later today it'll appear, in a trap, and I can release it safely.

Good for you.

The place I moved to in March last year was built in the 1980s around old farm buildings so yes in a green belt but not way out in the country. At one point in time (2000 ish) during additional work converting two garages/barn into a bathroom and two bedrooms the builder left the soil pipe being installed open resulting in a very large rat infestation. Thankfull all before we bought the place but the evidence remains.

However those field? mice still seems to find their way in. I have a humane cage trap and I've wired a microswitch with longish lead to 2xAAA battery pack and two LEDs. The wire comes out of the loft hatch to a picture hook on the wall. Mouse in = LEDs on. Checked at least twice a day.

The mouse, fully stuffed with his/her cheese packed lunch, is then walked 1/2 mile down the lane and released.

I suspect I'll have a job for life as I'm told that they can get in through the smallest of gaps (pencil size in some cases), under roof tiles, etc. Some can even come in though mortar gaps in the foundations below ground level and then climb the cavity.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Good for you.

The place I moved to in March last year was built in the 1980s around old farm buildings so yes in a green belt but not way out in the country. At one point in time (2000 ish) during additional work converting two garages/barn into a bathroom and two bedrooms the builder left the soil pipe being installed open resulting in a very large rat infestation. Thankfull all before we bought the place but the evidence remains.

However those field? mice still seems to find their way in. I have a humane cage trap and I've wired a microswitch with longish lead to 2xAAA battery pack and two LEDs. The wire comes out of the loft hatch to a picture hook on the wall. Mouse in = LEDs on. Checked at least twice a day.

The mouse, fully stuffed with his/her cheese packed lunch, is then walked 1/2 mile down the lane and released.

I suspect I'll have a job for life as I'm told that they can get in through the smallest of gaps (pencil size in some cases), under roof tiles, etc. Some can even come in though mortar gaps in the foundations below ground level and then climb the cavity.

I have same issues, and Im well past being humane. I hate rodents and want them out and not coing back. Its a big ongoing cost keeping these things at bay. They are supposed to be wild life. I just want them to b***** off and be wild in the the wild and away from me, I want a machine gun! Im in the grumpy thread and these things definitely MAKE ME GRUMPY.

 

[StevenRB45]

Me wonders what you would make of the Karma Sutra.... I think theres more than one way of skinning a cat, but agree there are limits!

Perhaps the Karma Sutra falls under "something else".. however i'd imagine for most people it's not in the same category as a wildebeest being gutted from 12 angles in 4k..

At least I'd imagine so..

 

[The Panda Nut]

Perhaps the Karma Sutra falls under "something else".. however i'd imagine for most people it's not in the same category as a wildebeest being gutted from 12 angles in 4k..

At least I'd imagine so..

Is it about ways to skin a cat or is it another kind of cat they are referring to.... I cant remember.

I had to go collect Richard-oodle dandy my american sone from a local station today. It was on my route home from London so twice a week for nearly 20 years. Today I needed sat nav to get there. Clearly I cant remember anything these days.

 

[StevenRB45]

Is it about ways to skin a cat or is it another kind of cat....

Different sort of wildlife...

 

[s130]

I have same issues, and Im well past being humane. I hate rodents and want them out and not coing back. Its a big ongoing cost keeping these things at bay. They are supposed to be wild life. I just want them to b***** off and be wild in the the wild and away from me, I want a machine gun! Im in the grumpy thread and these things definitely MAKE ME GRUMPY.

Well unlike rats or other large animals like squirrels the mice will be very difficult to get rid off. At least with a humane catch and release the owls and other birds of prey won't go hungry.

Have you tried those ultrasonic repellers? My problem being a large bungalow my loft spaces amount to around 275 square metres so I would need a multitude of devices. On top of that we have house rabbits who may be seriously upset by the sounds. I guess the same would go for cats and dogs as well.

Another problem is my neighbour has hens and ducks and moles. I don't think she is carefull with the feed so this attracts unwanted visitors.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I have a mains ultrasonic device which I can, or at least could hear, and cant stand. I have just bought a battery powered one and must power it up and use it. I am amongst other things a trained pest control gizmo, so I have placed traps and boxes to try and get the ones that are coming in. They are very difficult to eliminate once in. If you have a problem it wil recur as they can smell the entry points used so its a viscious circle. Im thinking of spraying the building with blrach and disinfectant to see if that will help.I was thinking of a cat and giving it the roof as its residence... I dont think that would work too well though. Im currently concentrating on culling the ones that reside in the garden near the house and under the shed in the hpoe it will break the cycle. I have decided a howitzer may be better than a machine gun

 

[s130]

This forum is bad for timing. On the way to bed last night the LEDs came on and I had to escourt another mouse down the lane in my dressing gown.

 

[bugsymike]

This forum is bad for timing. On the way to bed last night the LEDs came on and I had to escourt another mouse down the lane in my dressing gown.

One must ask, "Why the mouse in dressing gown"?