#she said to do their online service. tried and it said no appointments available. tried nhs online. it said make an appointment with ur gp | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cazort · 4 months

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Ugh. Awful day. Six months ago my wife and I bought a washing machine and chose to buy a Speed Queen, which was much more expensive than most other brands, because it had a top-notch reputation and long warranty and we just didn't want to have to deal with breakdowns. This was a tough choice that we did not make lightly. Buying a house was a huge financial burden and my finances are now tighter than they've been in years, and the amount of money at stake matters. We were hoping to buy stability and leave us with one fewer thing to worry about during a stressful life transition.

Well a few days ago, it broke after 6 months, which is irritating enough, but the company has been hellish to deal with. They keep over-promising and under-delivering. Tuesday they said a local service company would reach out to schedule an appointment within 48 hours. Over 72 hours went by with no call. I called again today and the system said the wait time was 1 hour 6 minutes. This is literally the longest wait time I have ever had from any company. I put my number in the queue and they called me back...1 hour 50 minutes later.

The rep was barely helpful. She did not seem to understand the gravity or magnitude of the situation and spoke as if what happened to me was business-as-usual, rather than a rare, once-in-a-blue moon occurence that the company wanted to bend over backwards to fix. She tried calling the contractor and couldn't reach them. She did switch the ticket to a different contractor, who called me back later that afternoon, so now I have an appointment set up for next Thursday.

But I'm upset. I'm upset that I paid over twice the price for what I thought would be a premium product unlikely to break, and with a commitment to outstanding service, and instead I got a company that provides the longest hold times I have ever seen in my life, repeatedly makes promises it fails to deliver on, and reps that have no authority to escalate the issue or do anything to right the situation.

And I still don't know what is going to happen on Thursday. Will the contractor show up? Will they be able to fix it then and there, or will I have to wait days or weeks for a replacement part? Am I going to need to drag our laundry to the laundromat and incur additional costs doing so?

I have already filed a BBB complaint. I would like a partial rebate of the price I paid, because the value I have received is not worth what I paid for. I also am talking about my experience online.

Speed Queen has a top-tier reputation. They are a brand mainly used by laundromats, supposedly made to handle a heavy volume of use and last for many years. But the way they have treated me as a customer makes me feel like I've been cheated and would have done better buying a cheaper brand available at any box store.

I'm a reasonable person. I don't expect top-tier service if I buy a cheap, low-end product. I can even forgive mediocre service. But paying premium prices and then getting unspeakably bad service is just unconscionable to me.

If they had told me it might take a week to get contacted, I would be annoyed but it wouldn't be as bad as saying I would expect a call in a certain time frame and then have that call not come. And I might feel better if they did what most companies do, which is to at least apologize profusely and tell me they are really concerned with what is going on and escalate the situation. Like earlier this week I called my bank about something they messed up and the woman was like "Yeah you are right, the interface is actually really bad. I get why you are upset. We really need to improve that."

Like sometimes that's literally all it takes. Someone saying "Wow, we really messed up. I'm really sorry that sucks so much."

But no I didn't even get that.

And of course if this happens to me I'm gonna talk about it everywhere. So right now I am warning people about Speed Queen. They may have an amazing reputation but my experience with them so far has been awful.

#speed queen #washer #washing machine #home appliances #customer service

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thedamageofherdays · 3 years

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This week's [23-08-2021 - 29-08-2021] reading log is here! I read a lot again this week and I feel like it's a lovely variety of fics. Most fics are Stucky like usual, but there's at least one other ship. I am constantly amazed by the talent people have in this fandom! There was one fic I read on Tumblr that I can't seem to find unfortunately, but when I do I'll make sure to reblog and rec it 💕

Favourites are marked with a 🌻

When life gives you lemons by moonthejedi394 @moonythejedi394 [Stucky, 40k words, Mature] (12/15 chapters available)

Or 13 Terrible Things to Do With Lemons Other Than Making Lemonade

Steve Rogers is a home health nurse. He works for an agency, which assigned him to the aging Winifred Barnes, the one and only Silent Era Hollywood darling. As her needs increased, she requested the agency assign Steve to her full-time. She could pay for it, so she got it. Steve then moved in with her, becoming her caregiver; he cooked, he cleaned, he managed her medications, he made sure she was comfortable.

Winifred's children treated him less than ideally. He was the help, after all. And then Steve had the audacity to go and turn out to be eldest son James Barnes's soulmate. No one saw that coming.

The Masseur and the Assassin by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 17k words, Explicit]

Bucky Barnes needed a vacation from his job. What he found was a happy ending.

The Words Breathe by buckbarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

All Steve has to do is keep his promise. When he doesn’t, Bucky gets mouthy.

Soft by this_wayward_life @wayward-lives [Stucky, 2k words, Explicit]

The last time he'd seen Bucky he'd looked unhealthy, with pallid skin and greasy, lanky hair. Now, Bucky shone; his hair was thick and silky, his skin a deep bronze from spending so much time outside. He was softer, too; the hard muscle that used to cover him was now replaced by soft fat, his body still strong, but in a more mundane way. His thighs were thicker, his ass plumper, and when he'd pulled Steve into the river Steve had noticed the pudge on his stomach.

Seeing Bucky so happy, well-fed and shining, was a bit of a kick in the face. For all the years they'd known each other, he'd never seen Bucky so... care-free. Now that Bucky was putting on weight, his middle soft and his body malleable, it sent a bolt of arousal through Steve every time he noticed the curves of Bucky's body.

Or: Bucky put on a bit of weight in Wakanda, and Steve is Not Coping.

🌻 Revive Another Side of Me by dontcallmebree @iamthe-wo-manwhocan [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

Steve’s never lived in a world without Bucky, and he’s not living now. It takes them a while, much too long, to get that awaited rest, a little slice of peace after the dust has settled.Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are inseparable, history remembers. But they’re not men of the past quite yet.

🌻 imagine being loved by me by spacebuck @spacebuck [Stucky, 20k words, Explicit]

Just after 1am - a few hours after he posted today’s photo - he hears the tell-tale sound of a twitter message. Bucky grabs his phone, not checking who it’s from as he opens it because it’s probably one of his mutuals yelling at him as per usual. When he actually looks at his phone, though, it’s not Natasha

The ‘verified’ check stares back at him for a long moment before he can even bring himself to process the name on his screen. Steve Rogers is messaging him. Or, he reasons, a very good fake. The handle looks right though, not that Bucky knows. Not that Bucky has Captain’s America’s tweets set up as notifications, or that Bucky’s own display name is set to captain america’s bitch. Not at all.

Hey, the first message says. It’s Steve.

🌻 JB’s Complete Lube Services by dixons_mama @dixons-mama [Stucky, 3k words, Explicit]

People just didn’t approach Captain America and proposition him. Although, sometimes Steve wished they would; even the pinnacle of virtue and justice needed to get dicked down from time to time.

Or, the one where Steve has the hots for a mechanic and decides to be proactive in getting that dick.

If it had to be someone by rainbow_nerds [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

Bucky had known since he was a child that he didn’t have a choice in who he married, but he’d thought he had more time before the day arrived.

Miscalculations by christywantspizza @christywantspizza [Ransom Drysdale/Reader, 6k words, Explicit]

Ransom tries to get you to sleep with him by less than honorable means. You give him what he wants, just not how he wants it.

How to Seduce a Writer by obsessivereader [Stucky, 2k words, Teen]

What's a determined master strategist going to do when the oblivious writer he's trying to woo keeps missing all the clues?

He doesn’t think it’s because he hadn’t signaled his own interest to Bucky. He’s pretty much done everything short of hitting Bucky over the head with semaphore flags by this point. There’s no way Bucky could’ve missed them. Unless… There’d been that one link he’d stumbled upon when he’d googled ‘how to talk to a writer’. It’d been written by a writer, who’d been candid about how oblivious writers could be, and how someone could go about seducing one. An idea starts to form. It’s ridiculous, but at this point, he’s willing to go with ridiculous, since subtle wasn’t getting him anywhere.

🌻 Pod Bless America by Deisderium @deisderium [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

Bucky can't believe his favorite podficcer recorded his newest fanfic AU of the show Commandos. He's even more surprised when the customer who busts him listening to fic while he's working in the office supply store turns out to be that podficcer.

* The guy—maybe bi_shield?—took his phone, looked down at the screen, and smiled. "Yeah, that one's mine," he said with no evidence of embarrassment. "It was a good one." He handed the phone back to Bucky.

"I wrote it," Bucky croaked.

take a bite by wearing_tearing [Stucky, 7k words, Mature]

"I’d never let anyone freeze to death.” Steve gives a big sigh and flutters his lashes. “All that blood gone to waste.”

Bucky’s lips turn down and his nose scrunches up a little. “I want to be grossed out, but…”

“But you get it.” Steve gives him a pointed look. “Vampires aren’t the only ones who can appreciate how juicy blood is.”

Or: Vampire Steve saves newly-turned werewolf Bucky from a snowstorm.

Leaving the Shield Behind by BuckyAboveEverything [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

“So, on one hand, we have Steve Rogers - hunk, genius, animal lover. Buys you waffles and overpriced coffee. 100% wholesome all-American boy.”

“And, on the other hand, we have Capsicle – twink, smart-ass, fanboy. Reads your stories and sends you fanart. Possibly a pervert or a serial killer.”

Bucky groaned.

“I am 100% certain I am 0% sure of what to do."

Bucky Barnes, full-time copywriter and free-time fanfic writer, struggles to choose between two equally-attractive suitors, only to find that he doesn’t have to after all.

* Based on a true story *

Cap's Book Corner by Neche [Stucky, 2k words, Teen]

Recluse Author Bucky Barns stumbles into fanboy Steve Rogers bookstore one day...

Cat Nap by galwednesday @galwednesday [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

Objectively, losing the Bucharest safehouse and its contents was the least of Bucky’s problems. The balding agent he’d seen directing the raid was apparently affiliated with SHIELD, which was a shadowy government agency that made representatives from other shadowy government agencies suddenly remember urgent appointments when Bucky tried to bribe, threaten, and otherwise shake them down for information on what the hell SHIELD might want with a former brainwashed assassin. Dodging SHIELD should be his number one priority.

Subjectively, he wanted his fucking cat back.

at any given moment by honeypuffed [Stucky, 1k words, Teen]

Steve and Bucky find out that everyone thinks they're sleeping together.

Brought to Brightness by eyres [Stucky, 10k words, Teen]

Army veteran Bucky Barnes has fallen in love with Steve, a guy he met online a few months after he returned from Afghanistan. Only problem is, he doesn't know Steve's last name or even what he looks like.

When his sister helps him send his story into MTV's Catfish, he's hoping they can help him meet Steve or, at least, let him move on with his life if Steve isn't real. Little does he know, Steve and Captain America have more in common than just a first name.

🌻 Nokken Wood by leveragehunters @leveragehunters [Stucky, 10k words, Teen]

When Sam's friend needs a house-sitter for his place in the country, Steve jumps at the chance. Six months rent-free to do nothing but draw and paint and wander the countryside, looking for inspiration? It was like a dream. But when he gets lost in a storm and nearly falls into a pond he starts to rethink the whole like a dream aspect of life in the country. And when a red-eyed, sharp-clawed, silver-fanged creature rises out of the darkness, Steve is one hundred percent certain the dream's morphed into a nightmare.

...until it gives him a cup of tea.

(Inspired partly by this prompt a supernatural creature is supposed to scare you but instead it gives you a cup of tea and a blanket because you're having a bad day and you keep coming back and partly by this painting.)

Professional Pride by galwednesday [Stucky, 700 words, Teen]

Bucky is having a very good day, until he turns around and finds himself face-to-face with Captain America.

“Oh shit,” he blurts before he can stop himself, and Captain America blinks at him. “Hey, hi, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Here, at New York’s Pride parade, surrounded by thousands of happy screaming people wearing rainbows and sometimes not much else. What is he doing here? Is he on guard duty or something? Was he just on a mission and happened to be passing by on his way back?

He’s in uniform but with the cowl loose around his neck, so when he rubs the back of his head it fluffs up his matted hair. “I, uh. I saw one of your–temporary tattoos?” Captain fucking America says, like it’s a question.

The A-bridged Guide to Trolling by galwednesday [Stucky, 1k words, Teen]

“I don’t have any money.”

Oh no, now the girl looked upset. Her eyes were huge and her lip was wobbling. Bucky tried to think fast despite the oh shit oh shit oh shit looping through his head.

“That’s okay,” Bucky said gently. “I don’t need money. We can figure out another kind of toll.”

The girl frowned at him. “Like what?”

Bucky scratched his head, trying to think of something a kid was certain to have on hand. “Do you know any jokes?”

(Fantasy AU in which Steve is a hedge witch with a green thumb, Bucky is a bridge troll who's new in town, and knock-knock jokes are a viable form of currency.)

It's a bittersweet ending (if you know what I mean) by relenafanel [Stucky, 1k words, Teen]

“I’ll see you around, Steve,” Bucky answers with a smirk, moving away from the counter with a wink.

Steve watches him go. Bucky’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans coated in something to give the appearance of leather. It’s impossible to not watch him go.

stuck on you by wearing_tearing [Stucky, 5k words, Teen]

“Bucky? You don’t look so hot.”

Bucky makes a tiny little sound in the back of his throat, only to start coughing. Of course he doesn’t look hot. He’s sick and he’s dying and Steve obviously isn’t attracted to him.

Decision-Making in Relationships (Paid Research Opportunity!) by castiowl [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

Clint looked thoughtfully at the flyer. “I guess your actual roommate wouldn’t be down with it?”

Bucky frowned. “Have you met Steve Rogers?”

no way out but through by hollimichele [Stucky, 9k words, Teen]

Steve never sees it coming.

you got blood on your hands (and i know it's mine) by nighimpossible [Stucky, 3k words, Teen]

Bucky refuses to see Steve after his deprogramming.

Like What You See by daisymondays [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

For all the time Bucky’s spent fantasizing about meeting Captain America, he’d never imagined it would be while posing nude in front of a drawing class.

🌻 A Real Boy by itsnotbleak [Stucky, 5k words, Teen]

It took the Winter Soldier three weeks to remember that human beings needed to sleep and eat.

It took Steve far too long to realise the Winter Soldier was sleeping in his bed.

Amapola by chaya [Stucky, 830 words, Teen]

Total fluff. Bucky's recovering nicely. Steve's oblivious. Sometimes it's best to set aside subtlety for action.

Knocking Boots With Sugar by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 4k words, Explicit]

In between summers at college, Steve Rogers wants a new adventure beyond his lonely life in Brooklyn. He ends up in West Texas working on a dude ranch where Bucky Barnes is a long-time employee. When Bucky offers to buy Steve a drink, they end up drunk on tequila and making out in public. For the rest of the summer, they're inseparable. As the summer draws to a close, Steve realizes he doesn't want to leave.

Rogers and Associate by roe87 @jro616 [Stucky, 7k words, Teen]

When they first meet, Bucky is a hooker and Steve is a cop. She's been arrested, but Steve lets her off.

Years pass and they maintain a casual friendship, seeing each other out on the streets most nights.

Though he later makes detective, Steve loses faith in the system and quits his job.

He wants to set up as a private investigator, and he asks Bucky if she'd be his assistant.

Just in time by rainbow_nerds [Stucky, 1k words, Mature]

Bucky knew the apartment he was renting was old fashioned, but walking in the front door and finding himself transported back to 1938 was not on the list of things he had prepared himself for.

🌻 You Like What's in My Head by dontcallmebree [Stucky, 15k words, Explicit] (with art by @kocuria)

Bucky can’t decide if Steve’s a tough nut to crack or incredibly easy. The timbre of his voice, a low and almost amused, “Sure, kid,” when Bucky asks for a drink feels like something gripping him on the back of his neck.

He thinks this might be one of those moments in life he’ll pinpoint in the future and either curse at for dooming himself, or remember fondly with pride.

He’s right. Bucky Barnes blunders through falling in love with Commander Rogers and tries to find a deeper meaning behind the expensive gifts and thorough fucking.

Can I Sit Here? by BuckyFrickenBarnes [Stucky, 962 words, General]

Bucky has unusual methods for getting rid of his writer's block.

Or, Bucky needs that table.

Workplace Romance by BuckyFricken Barnes [Stucky, 1k words, General]

Bucky is under the impression that his boss hates him.

Or,

Steve needs to get better at dealing with his feelings.

🌻 1-800-MAYTAG by Miss Plum @misspluckyplum [Stucky, 1k words, Explicit]

Bucky just wants to get some housework done. It gets out of hand fast. Silly little fluff and smut romp with snarky stucky boys.

Eyes of the Forest by Lordelannette [Stucky, 7k words, Explicit] (2/8 chapters available)

When Omega Bucky Barnes comes to Eagle Lake, it was in search of wolves, a creature that had not been seen in the area for decades.

What he finds instead is Steve Rogers, a handsome, though quiet Alpha who seems to be everywhere in the forest.

#r's reading log #my reading log #fic rec #stucky #stucky fic rec #fic recs #stevebucky #long post

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angryschnauzer · 4 years

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Who wants a Schnauz family update? No-one? Ha, tough, you’re getting one.

So Little Dude had his scan/ultrasound on his Kidneys and Bladder. The infection has gone, no scarring to his kidneys. However as his symptoms continue we are still going for futher tests.

Anyway, so he starts school on 8th Sept, has a blast. His scan was on the 9th so he was only in school that morning. In school on Thurs 10th, but was very tired that afternoon, and in the evening develops a very snotty nose, and is showing signs of a cold.

Friday morning i know he’s a bundle of snot and looking quite run down, so decide to keep him off school and let him rest (he’s only 5, and going from 6 months of sitting on his butt to 7 hours of running around, plus mixing with 60 other kids, he’s going to no doubt pick up the usual cold bugs). Because of his ongoing health issues i ring his doctors office, but end up speaking to a triage nurse as no doctors telephone slots available. I confirm he shows no signs on Covid. We haven’t been in contact with anyone (knowingly) with Covid. Both my husband and I work from home. And you know what the nurse says to me?

“Well although he’s not showing any signs or symptoms, get a test and i’ll put it in his notes”

NO. You guys don’t understand what’s going on in the UK at the moment. Firstly, because everyone EXCEPT the government knew that the return to school would spike all the normal colds, coughs, and general snottyness of children mixing together, some of which will show as signs of Covid, there will be a spike in requests for tests. But they didn’t prepare for it. Its not the NHS that are doing the testing, it’s been subcontracted out to a private company (whose major shareholders are Conservative MP’s). So now we were put in the situation where because someone at the NHS has marked it down on Little Dude’s notes that we were going to get a test, unless we wanted to isolate for 14 days, we needed tests. All of us. Little Dude has signs of ADHD and we need him to be in a educational setting to help him with this. I couldn’t despatch any orders during this time.

Should someone report us for breaking isolation protocols, its a £2000 fine PER PERSON.

We tried for 3 days straight applying online through the ‘world renowned’ system to book a test. We would get one come up and you’d click book, then... nothing. It was only because my husband has got his head screwed on that he realised we should get a confirmation email or text, and he spent another 45 minutes on the phone to their helpdesk only to discover that if you don’t get a email/text, then ‘someone else got your slot and you need to try again’.

Then the only tests that came up were hundreds of miles away or on a small island that needed a ferry to get to. Trips which we wouldn’t be allowed to get out of the car for at all, with a sick child in tow.

After literally 72 hours of trying, we finally got ‘test at home’ kits. They arrived Monday night. Which was around the time that Little Dude was fully recovered from his cold. Like, completely better. Bouncing off the walls. Not a booger in sight.

It takes until FRIDAY to get our results back, which are all negative unsurprisingly. In fact Little Dude’s result came in at 7am... however mine and hubs didn’t get sent until late afternoon, so LD missed yet another day of school.

All this because a NHS staff member openly acknowledged that none of us showed signs of Covid, but she told us to get tests anyway, knowing that if we said no we would have to isolate for 2 weeks. Tests that could be used by key workers, Hospital staff, teachers, emergency services workers, casual workers that are paid cash day by day off the books.

I am so fucking angry, the NHS has been nothing but utter shit for us for so many years, it couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery, and all it does is add more stress to our lives. I can only thank that we have the space on the credit card to move Little Dude’s care to private hospitals, but at £500 per appointment, we’re going to be in for a massive bill at the end of this.

In other news my foot has now healed and i am actively avoiding treading on and twisting my ankle on any crabapples on my driveway.

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puppyexpressions · 4 years

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What to do if Your Dog Needs Vet Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Nothing about the world right now feels like business as usual, and unfortunately, this is true about accessing vet care for our dogs. This week my 3-year-old Newfoundland started acting strange, she was grumpy, and asked to go outside to go potty, again, and again. I knew immediately she had a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). In a panic, I called our local vet and was relieved that they were open and could get her in for an appointment the same day, but it was an appointment, unlike any vet appointment I’ve ever taken a dog to.

Is vet care an essential service?

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses not deemed “essential services” have temporarily closed. The American Veterinary Medical Association is actively working to “urge lawmakers and state executives to protect and preserve public health and ensure that veterinary practices are clearly stated to be “essential businesses” and thereby allowed to continue to provide critical services in our communities.”

But not all vet clinics have been able to stay open. Veterinary specialist clinics and some general practice vets are closing or significantly reducing hours for the safety of staff and patients. Even if your dog doesn’t need immediate veterinary care it’s a good idea to follow your local vet clinics and emergency hospitals on social media. Many clinics are posting changes in hours as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve in your local area.

How to take your dog to the vet during COVID-19 shutdowns

COVID-19 has shifted what vet visits look like for staff, dog parents and most of all for dogs. Like many other guardians, I’ve worked hard to make going to the vet a fun experience for my dogs. We go for short visits to say “hi” to clinic staff, get weighed and eat treats and leave. I always opt my dogs out of “tech appointments” for vaccines where techs will take a dog quickly to the back and instead say we need to be seen in an exam room. We use high-value treats during visits and I work hard to make sure every time my dogs go to the vet, they get treats, toys, play games and have fun. COVID-19 is changing all that.

Dr. Kimberly Hammer Medical Director of NorthStar VETS Emergency, Trauma and Specialty Center is encouraging dog owners to “call or check online to make sure they understand the protocol put in place by the hospital they are visiting.”

My vet clinic’s new policies (which mirrors protocols being used by clinics across the country) involves dogs being met at the curb or in a parking lot by a vet staff member gloved and masked who then will take the dog into the clinic. Guardians are expected to stay in their cars away from our dogs and await a phone call from the vet after the exam takes place. Guardians and the vet will discuss a treatment plan by phone and then your dog will be returned to you by the masked and gloved vet assistant.

These new COVID-19 practices are efficient, and the safest option for us as guardians as well as the vet staff, but they are stressful for dogs. These protocols are like sending a sick toddler alone to meet with the pediatrician. Dr. Hammer advises guardians to “let us know if they think their pet may experience anxiety or fear. If we’ve seen the pet before, we can often prescribe something to help.” Beyond that guardians have to trust vet providers and hope for the best.

Vet clinics are facing shortages

Like human medical providers, vet clinics across the country are seeing the of shortages and concerns about shortages of medical equipment, according to Dr. Hammer. “We are finding that certain items such as masks, rubbing alcohol, surgical gowns are becoming in short supply though we have not run out of anything yet.”

She assured dog guardians that vet clinics are conserving supplies as much as possible and reusing supplies when it is safe to do so. These times call for very hard decisions to be made and some high levels of care that guardians may be used to being an option at vet clinics or emergency hospitals though may no longer be available “We donated our ventilator to the local children’s hospital to use” Dr. Hammer said.

Seek help

I’m not going to lie, watching a gloved technician lead my dog away in the clinic without me was hard, especially as my dog tried to get back into the car and back to me. I was upset, not at the clinic staff or the vets, but frustrated that this was the safest option for me and the vet staff.

While we all hope our dogs won’t need unexpected vet care while the pandemic is happening if they do Dr. Hammer encourages guardians “Don’t hesitate to come in if you think you have an emergency. We are here and want to help.Most of all, bear with us! It’s all new to us too and all of us together are just trying to help care for your pet’s health while staying healthy ourselves during this crisis.”

As stressful as the COVID-19 outbreak is it’s important to remember all of the people on the front lines working hard, including vets, vet technicians, and vet clinic staff. Hopefully, our social distancing will pay off and we can return to life and normal less stressful vet visits soon.

#vet care #caronavirus

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lapeaudelamemoire · 4 years

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Good morning from two days ago and guess what?

I didn't get to the supermarket yesterday (I checked the convenience stores first to see if they sold the SIM cards since a) I would have gone there first for a SIM card and b) because they're much closer to me than any supermarket) because the first two Kmarts lied to me about its stock for clothes hangers - which I can't get cheaply in the city because Target doesn't sell them in a pack of 30 any more, and no Kmarts are in the city, and I can't go to Kmart on my own easily on public transport + the fact that delivery cost equals the price of the hangers themselves - I was meeting friend, who drove me, so we went on a wild hanger chase and then we had a dinner appointment with Japanese restaurant owner. Well, by the time all this was done, because of the supermarkets' new, reduced trading hours, they were shut when we got there. The supermarket technically closest to me that my friend also drove me to because there's no direct public transport to it from mine.

I know I complain a lot about Australia lacking convenience but this is the kind of thing I mean. You call hotlines or admin or helplines and the wait could be all day or to no avail even after that. (The telco that is charging me $40/mth with no notices at all anywhere on email or phone literally won't let me speak to a customer service person for mobile enquiries and tells me to go on the app or website and hangs up on me immediately after that.) You try to call a chain store and there is the one main line that doesn't discriminate between stores or they just don't pick up. You check stock online and it's just not accurate. At the second Kmart we went to that said clearly on the website the thing was in stock it was nowhere to be found and the customer service employee just said 'Well that count doesn't account for XYZ' and maybe she was just very tired, so fine. That being said, places here don't seem to have a habit of checking stock across their branches either, and some actually can't. At the last Kmart an employee we asked - she was lovely and stopped on her way to help me - said she doesn't even check the app for stock any more it's so unreliable. (Thankfully another very nice employee looked and found some in the back.)

Maybe white people have such a habit of wanting to speak to the manager because things are so inefficient? Idk.

Shops also have very bad website cataloguing, btw. I have given up on trying to buy contact lens cases online bc when I search for them, all I get is 'contact lens solution' on chemist and optometrists' websites. Where do I buy them? I don't know. -ends up going to multiple shops to ask- 'Ah so you have it in-store, you just don't have it up on your website?' 'Yeah, some of our products aren't on the site.'

This is completely ridiculous to me, someone from Singapore, who can go to 1 neighbourhood shopping centre, or take the MRT which will almost certainly be within steps of said shopping centre, to go to the next neighbourhood where there will be a cluster of 3 very large neighbourhood shopping centres, and get everything or near-everything on that one go. This branch doesn't have the thing? They can get it delivered to them from another branch so you don't have to go down there yourself.

So - calling the phone line for help/service/whatever reason? Practically useless. Check for or do things online? Also impractical. Go to the store? Most straightforward but also tends to involve running to other, more stores afterwards because it's only marginally less pointless.

Australia is like. A really bad series of redirections. In fact, the automated voice menu that forces you to listen to it tell you to save time by going online or doing something other than what you're doing right now presumably for a reason like having tried the online option first already in this day and age for most of us, while it wastes your time telling you that, only to make you spend even more time going through hearing it list option after option menu after menu as it descends into even more layers of redirection, redirection endlessly on the phone where you are forever on hold, waiting to speak to a human person because you haven't even throughout the whole half an hour or 4 hours of being on this call spoken to another human being - and then it disconnects and the automated phone software hangs up on you. You call back again. Hi! the automated voice you've been listening to repeat the same thing over and over again for the last god-knows-how-long greets you again just as chirpily. Please select your options, as it reels off menu #1, before menu #2, and then menu #3...

Yep. That perfectly encapsulates living here.

The country where I get texts to which I am supposed to reply with a confirmation or a nay to scheduled meetings for a home inspection or evaluation and then never hear from again or have anyone turn up at the agreed time, and no one to call to ask and no way to call to ask on a no-reply platform.

Yup. 'Straya.

#reasons i am increasingly sceptical of wanting to live in western countries #me #personal

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mentalillnessmouse · 5 years

Note

(p1) Hi, I'm writing because I feel there is no hope for me. I'm 30, I live at home where I get verbally mistreated (it was physical when I was younger.) I'm morbidly obese, agoraphobic, I literally didn't leave the house for a 2 year period and still rarely do. I have 0 friends and never had any except a few online ones who ditched me years ago. I was bullied constantly. I have self-harm marks all over my arms. I've NEVER had a job, or finished high school. I still almost never leave the house.

(p2) I’ve asked for help to learn to drive, but they tell me I can’t. I guess because they call me autistic and tell me I am not very smart and make jokes about me having ADHD. I took those comments seriously and they told me I was “looking for problems.” WHAT? I made the mistake of speaking with a few psychiatrists about it who shut me down because, in their words, I didn’t “look” like I had those issues. And that my parents had hard jobs so it made sense they would lash out at me.

(p3) I deal with other issues too like menorrhagia. A doctor had me do an ultrasound (this was like my 3rd one since ‘06) and sent me to a specialist because they saw something. The specialist said she didn’t think anything was there and wasn’t going to actually examine me. I gave up. I’m afraid to speak up for myself, I genuinely don’t understand how to live, make friends, talk to people. I feel like I just have TOO MANY issues. And at my age I don’t see why anyone would bother with me anymore.

(p4) I have an appt with a psych at the same place as the others because I have my city’s free insurance and nowhere else to go. I don’t know if I can do it again after this? I just wanted somewhere to reach out at least one more time :( I’ve reached out to others (like extended family) who will talk to me for a bit then ignore? I can’t help but to feel damaged or like I’m doing something wrong I can’t figure out. I feel like a weak loser and I didn’t try good enough.I’m sorry this is so long

Hello Anon,

I’m mod Bee and I’ll do my best to help you out, but I received help myself from the other mods to write you back. So this is a communal effort!

Thank you for reaching out, and I’m sorry you’re going though such a difficult and distressing situation. You sound strong and tenacious, and I’m proud of you for the way you keep trying to improve your life.

We have some suggestions that we hope can be of help. They’ll concerne:

finding online communities/groups to hang out with

finding a professional that suits your needs

looking for courses you can join

thinking about possible job options

Just an head up: this is going to be long, and it will contain tons of links. I’ll highlight one - that I think it’s most useful - for each section, but I suggest you to go through them all.

1. finding online communities/groups to hang out with

Having friends is important for our mental health, but it can get difficult to make new ones, especially when we’ve been burned before.

Online communities, forums, and groups, can be good places to start looking for friends again. You can approach them with as much caution as you need, and find those people you relate with the most.

If you like games, and rpgs in particular, there are online options that allow you to connect with other others all over the world. Activities like Dungeon&Dragons are based around players’ interactions, so you’d get to know people without putting the stress on forging new friendships. The article 10 Best Online Chat Rooms & Games suggests other equally fitting games.

Forums and groups where you can share your experience and fears are another important tool you can use. I’ve looked into active ones and found Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Forum, r/Agoraphobia/ (on reddit), bus (a self-harm support forum), Mental health support group and discussion community, Online Support Groups by Turn2Me, PsychForums (Psychology and Mental Health Forums), and the ReachOut app.

Trying with pen pals - a one on one exchange - could also be a good idea: InterPals and PenPalWorld are only two of the many websites dedicated to this purpose. Here’s some tips on how it works.

Finally, there are apps with the specific purpose of finding new friends, like Bumble BFF. Try to see if you there’s one of your liking in this list.

2. finding a professional that suits your needs

We usually recommend what it’s colloquially called “psychiatrist/therapist shopping”, the act of choosing a professional after inquiring what we need to know of their line of work, based on our own wishes, and asking this to more than one.

It’s difficult when insurance covers just a little portion of professionals, but not impossible.

Can’t afford therapy? No insurance? Need low cost options? Here is a great list of ways to get help when money or insurance is an issue.

Therapy For Every Budget: How To Access It

9 Ways to Get Free or Cheap Therapy When You Don’t Have Health Insurance

Dial 211 for Essential Community Services: if you call 211, you can ask about free therapy options in your area, or how to work with you insurance to afford other professionals.

If none of these options work out, and you have to stick with the professional your insurance provides, there are measures you can take that might help making the sessions successful. Check out 21 Tips for getting the most out of each therapy session and How to Talk to Your Doctors When They Don’t Listen.

If your new psychiatrist tries to dismiss you without hearing everything that you have to say, insist that they write on your record exactly what they did and why, and that you absolutely want a copy of it before you exit their room. It’s your right to have both your requests accomplished. I know it’s not easy to have them respected: you’ll probably have to stand your ground and that can be difficult, but I think it’s important for you and fundamental for what you can get out of this session. This is a post with links to various module you can complete to help you assert yourself, which I suggest you to start before going to your appointment, if you can. It can be useful to face your family, too.

Does your insurance cover a different specialist for the gynecological problem your doctor wanted you to check out? Is there any free or low-cost clinic near you, like Planned Parenthood or Free Clinic? You can inquire about their services through email.

3. looking for courses you can join

Online courses can be helpful for a number of things, like keeping busy, learning new stuff, feeling accomplished, and possibly getting some qualifications.

There are some free options that end with a proper certificate, but not all are accredited, meaning that they’re not automatically accepted by employers (they can choose to consider them valid or not). Still, there are no downsides in joining such a course, seeing that it doesn’t cost anything but your time.

Not accredited certificates/no certificates:

Alison’s Diploma Courses and Certificate Courses

FutureLearn doesn’t grant you certificates with their free courses, but it still provides learning access

edX’s Courses

Udemi, not free but it offers up to 90% discounts generally once a month

Learn how to code, a masterpost that lists different courses to learn coding

Free Online Language Courses, a masterpost that lists different courses to learn languages

24 Invaluable Skills To Learn For Free

Accredited certificates

coursera offers some free courses, and/or the possibility to apply for financial aid

Online Degree require no tuition, no applications, and no interviews, and has worked so participating Universities around the country will consider the courses for credit, potentially finishing up to an entire freshman year of college

edX’s Professional Certificate Programs are not free, but edX offers up to a 90% discount to those who prove they cannot pay a full price.

University Of The People is tuition-free, which means there is no charge for teaching or instruction, only initial fees (around 160$) for each course. You can also apply for scholarships.

on StudyPortal - Scholarships, you can find a huge number of scholarships available in your country, and here you can find the easiest scholarships to apply to. There are also scholarships for online courses.

There’s also the possibility of completing high school through virtual courses, and if they’re organized by your State’s public school system, they should be free. You can find more info on this here.

4. thinking about possible job options

Working towards finding a job is important for our own self-worth and feeling like a valuable member of society, and of course it can also help with looking for better therapy.

It can be tricky when mental and physical illnesses are at play, though. That’s why I’d like to give you some online options here, too, that don’t ask for any particular prerequisite, and would give you enough free time to focus to get better. Jobs like data entry or app testing are doable from home, and may not pay much, but they’d allow you to start building some savings.

5 Online Jobs That Require Little or No Experience

No Experience? Start One of These Online Jobs

Best Data Entry Jobs From Home

10 (Legit) Data Entry Jobs from Home

Work At Home Data Entry on Indeed.com

FlexJobs

Glassdoor

Whatever you choose, creating a strong resume is always a good step. I’m giving you some resources on how to do that:

How to Create a Professional Resume

How To Make A Resume 101

Help Everyone Find A Job In Their Field

And between checking out all these options we gave you, please try to do some of this Workout For Daily Life, because focusing on a screen for too long can cause so many aches!

You’re not a loser, you’re strong and you keep fighting for yourself, which is admirable. I hope these resources can be of help, and please do send another ask if you need anything else.

Take care,

mod Bee

#ask MIM #seeking help #online jobs #online courses #agoraphobia #self harm #mod Bee #Anonymous

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antoine-roquentin · 6 years

Link

One of the largest Jewish charities in the U.S. has been secretly funding a shadowy online blacklist targeting college students who criticize Israel.

For three years, a website called Canary Mission has spread fear among undergraduate activists, posting more than a thousand political dossiers on student supporters of Palestinian rights. The dossiers are meant to harm students’ job prospects, and have been used in interrogations by Israeli security officials.

At the same time, the website has gone to great lengths to hide the digital and financial trail connecting it to its donors and staff. Registered through a secrecy service, the site is untraceable.

Now, for the first time, the Forward has definitively identified a major donor to Canary Mission. It is a foundation controlled by the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, a major Jewish charity with an annual budget of over $100 million.

The federation’s support of Canary Mission connects the American Jewish establishment itself to a website that is facing increasing criticism from young Jews.

Canary Mission has been controversial since it appeared in mid-2015, drawing comparisons to a McCarthyite blacklist. While some of those listed on the site are prominent activists, others are students who attended a single event, or even student government representatives suspected of voting for resolutions that are critical of Israel.

In recent months, it been the subject of growing backlash from pro-Israel Jewish students and local Hillel professionals, who say it is damaging to their own work.

Mainstream American Jewish leaders have claimed not to know who funds Canary Mission. As it turns out, a big chunk of the money came from within their own ranks.

In late 2016 or early 2017, the Helen Diller Family Foundation earmarked $100,000 for Canary Mission. It made the donation to the Central Fund of Israel, a New York-based charity that serves as a conduit for U.S. taxpayers seeking to make tax-exempt donations to right-wing and extremist groups in Israel. In its tax filings, the Diller Foundation listed the purpose of the grant as “CANARY MISSION FOR MEGAMOT SHALOM.”

That phrase, which may have been mistakenly included in the public document, appears to indicate that the grant to the Central Fund of Israel was intended for Canary Mission via Megamot Shalom, a hitherto-unknown Israeli charity.

Megamot Shalom appears to be an Israeli public benefit corporation that operates or operated Canary Mission. Jonathan Bash, who the Forward previously identified as the person who operates Canary Mission, signed the charity’s 2016 financial reports.

Though it does fund a number right-wing causes, the Diller Foundation is known mostly as a provider of well-regarded Jewish teen programming. It runs a yearlong Jewish leadership program for teenagers from around the world, and sponsors the Diller Tikkun Olam awards, which honor young Jewish volunteer workers with $36,000 cash prizes.

The president of its board, real estate developer Jaclyn Safier, sits on the board of visitors of the University of California, Berkeley, and is a distinguished director of a foundation that supports the University of California, San Francisco. Another board member, Richard Rosenberg, is the former chairman and chief executive of Bank of America.

The Diller Foundation is organized as a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, an arrangement that confers certain regulatory benefits. The San Francisco federation, according to its website, appoints the majority of members of the boards of directors of its supporting foundations. The Diller Foundation says in its tax returns that it operates by “conducting or supporting activities for the benefit of” the San Francisco federation. Two federation staff members sat on the Diller Foundation’s board during its 2016 fiscal year, including the federation’s number two executive, chief philanthropic officer Joy Sisisky.

The federation is among the largest and most influential in the U.S., with net assets of more than $800 million and two seats on the board of the Jewish Federations of North America. Neither the Diller Foundation nor the San Francisco federation responded to multiple requests for comment.

Megamot Shalom’s listed address is a padlocked building in a rundown commercial strip in Beit Shemesh, a fast-growing city just west of Jerusalem. There are scuff marks and footprints on the white front door, as though someone has recently tried to kick their way in.

The building’s vestibule is littered with pigeon droppings and random office furniture. A window upstairs is wide open. If the building isn’t abandoned, it has at least seen far busier days.

According to filings with Israel’s charities registry, Megamot Shalom was set up in July 2016, just over a year after Canary Mission’s website appeared online. Its mission, according to the filings, is to “ensure the national image and strength of the state of Israel via the use of information disseminated by technological means.”

The public filings don’t mention Canary Mission by name, though they do say that the organization paid freelancers for editing website content and a consultant for data security. Among Megamot Shalom’s only reported assets are computers worth around $5,000.

Megamot Shalom’s publicly available financial reports bear two signatures. One signature is illegible in English and Hebrew. The other is the signature of Jonathan Bash, a British-born Jerusalem resident who two people, granted anonymity to speak about private conversations, told the Forward identified himself to them as the person who operates Canary Mission, as the Forward first reported in August.

Bash is identified in the filing as a “member of the directorate” of Megamot Shalom. When the Forward emailed him for comment in late September, two of his email accounts bounced back auto responses saying he was on an extended vacation.

Megamot Shalom has virtually no online footprint. What does exist on the Internet was scrubbed after the Forward began asking questions about the organization. An Israel-based writer named Zahava Raymond previously identified herself on LinkedIn as a “writer-researcher” for Megamot Shalom, but removed the organization’s name from her profile after the Forward sent her a query over Facebook. Raymond previously worked for Honest Reporting and NGO Monitor, pro-Israel advocacy groups.

Megamot Shalom received roughly $165,000 in the last six months of 2016, according to its financial report. It has not yet filed its financial report for 2017, which was due at the end of August. It’s not clear whether the donation from the Diller Foundation is reflected in the 2016 filings, or if it came in the 2017 calendar year.

In recent months, Canary Mission’s activities have grown more aggressive. Last spring, two men in canary masks paraded around a Washington, D.C. campus, in a weird display meant to frighten student government representatives. On the Israeli border, Canary Mission is being used as an intelligence source on thousands of students and academics.

One young Jewish student profiled on the site told the Forward that he has been afraid to talk to pro-Israel students on campus since his profile went up, for fear that they would report him to Canary Mission.

Meanwhile, the site appears to be specifically targeting the growing ranks of its student critics. In three separate instances since the spring, Canary Mission appears to have posted dossiers or reports on its site targeting people who had criticized it weeks earlier.

In June, Canary Mission posted dossiers on 14 students associated with the chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of California, Davis. The SJP chapter at Davis had not been particularly active since 2015, when the student government there passed a nonbinding divestment resolution. But less than a month earlier, on May 24, the student Senate at Davis had passed resolution condemning Canary Mission by name.

The resolution said that Canary Mission, along with other blacklists, “threaten the security of student activists, as well as create a toxic atmosphere of fear and paranoia among fellow students, thus infringing upon students’ ability to freely express their opinions.”

“We had known this would definitely put us on their radar,” said the chapter’s president, Khadeja Ibrahim. Ibrahim said that Canary Mission had posted dossiers on a handful of core SJP activists at Davis, plus others who had just shown up at a single rally.

Also in early June, Canary Mission posted a report on a University of Michigan divestment vote that had taken place seven months earlier. The report included dossiers on some 40 Michigan students, including student government representatives accused of voting in favor of the resolution, which was passed by secret ballot. The report came just weeks after two pro-Israel Jewish students at Michigan published a widely read op-ed attacking Canary Mission for its role on Michigan’s campus, calling it “counterproductive” and “morally reprehensible.”

And in late August, a report by Canary Mission on a divestment vote at George Washington University featured two Jewish students who had condemned Canary Mission in interviews published in the Forward, one just weeks before. The report highlights Abby Brook, who was quoted in an August story in the Forward saying that she was frightened by two men who showed up at the GW campus in canary costumes. It also highlights Kei Pritsker, who spoke to the Forward in October 2017 about being profiled by Canary Mission. The new report accuses Pritsker of, among other things, having “nodded” in agreement with “anti-Israel and anti-Semitic” statements, and links to a year-old video of a protest against AIPAC in which he appears in the background.

“The tactics of the organization are troubling, both from a moral standpoint, but have also proven to be ineffective and counterproductive,” said Tilly Shames, who runs the campus Hillel at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in an interview with the Forward this summer.

Shames said that Canary Mission’s publication of dossiers on students on her campus had led to greater support for the targeted students and their beliefs, and had spread mistrust of pro-Israel students, who were suspected of spying for Canary Mission.

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mrsbaako-blog · 5 years

Text

The story of RBS, a missing bank statement and so my husband’s possible deportation.

A story for you folks - a day in the life of yours truly, wife of a Ghanaian Immigrant applying for my husband Adie's final UK Visa. We are seriously at risk of having Adie's application rejected because of one missing bank statement. RBS are unable to help us! Please read on……

I had a lovely reaffirming start to my day - Celia, a local accountant helped me by providing the necessary evidence for Adie's final Visa application. After this Visa he can apply for a UK passport - so in 2 & 1/2 short years we will be able to go to Torremolinos together at last 😜. She turned out to be from Shetland, we know many people in common and her Uncle was a fiddle player. Fiddles duly brought out, tuned up and played, the lovely Celia refused payment for helping us with this 5 minute task - a massive gesture as other accountants were quoting us £400 + VAT.

I left her house with a warm glow, faith in humanity restored, it being the 1st of February and all. Self employed friends will no doubt be able to guess why 1st Feb is a day of lightness and joy…….for the uninitiated, tax returns submitted on time and tax paid by 31st January deadline.

Next task, for Adie's Visa the Home Office require original bank statements evidencing income. I have 6 years worth of statements filed for 3 separate accounts and only one missing statement. As luck would have it, the missing statement is required for the Visa Application. But that's ok, as I only need my local branch to stamp a downloaded printed PDF of the statement to meet Home Office requirements.

I enter RBS Dalkeith Branch full of the joys of new friendship, Shetland catch up and tunes - still happy. You'll be sensing the impending doom.....

It was a case of computer says no.

I'm going to spare you all the sordid details, but in brief, here is what happened.

The Cashier said he could not stamp my online printed PDF statement.

"Then can you give me a letter of confirmation on headed paper from the branch, confirming my printed online PDF statement?" I naively ask.

"Not possible, we can only certify statements issued within the last 6 months ".

I ask to speak to the manager. The manager is on the phone. The Cashier and I go round in circles. I ask to speak to the manager again. The manager sends a verbal message that I have to order a new statement.

I accept this and the cashier orders it. "That will be posted to you within 5-7 working days" he says. This is no good to us. It's the 1st of February and we must submit by 7th of this month.

From that point on things deteriorated. There was an ever growing queue as the Cashier tried his poor best to help me whilst his colleague at the next desk tried and failed to keep up with demand. The queue extended out of the front door.... There were other staff around (doing not a lot as far as I could see, when and if dared look up toward the queue) but my problem, it seemed, was not within their remit.

I stood there for around 40 minutes, publicly humiliated. At no point was I offered an apology or a more private space to deal with this clearly very personal and distressing situation. We are genuinely facing the prospect that without the original Bank Statement or a verified copy, Adie's Visa application will not meet requirements and he will be deported. Home Office requirements are very clear and you simply must meet them. I was armed with a letter from my Immigration Lawyer explaining what was required, but to no avail. I did explain all of this to the cashier. Repeatedly. I asked him to tell the Manager. I have no way of knowing if he did or not, because at no point did anyone more senior come to talk to me.

After a 3rd attempt to speak to management and appeal for discretionary action, the Cashier returned saying that the Manager would not see me, would not verify a statement and that I could not book an appointment with the manager. So holding in a flood of tears, I left.

I was handed a complaints leaflet on my way out.

After a restorative bowl of soup (I am a Scot after all, there's nothing a hearty plate o soup'll no sort), I plucked up the courage to phone the complaints line. Would you believe it - it's just RBS's standard phone line. I thought they had given me a direct contact to Complaints. Aye Right.

I call and explain. A very pleasant soul tells me he can order me a replacement statement that will arrive in 3-5 working days.

"3-5 days", I exclaim! "My branch didn't tell me that."

I order. It's still risky, it doesn't guarantee delivery in time. But it's an improvement and I'll take it.

"Is there any way to pay for a faster service?" I am a fool to ask. Of course there isn't.

I ask to be put through to complaints. Another stupid question. I don't get to call them, they e-mail me back in the next 5 working days. I stand my ground - I am not available next week, it has to be now.

I WIN! He agrees to put me through. Amy 1 - RBS roughly 53,546748. Still, it feels good.

I am transferred to complaints. I speak to a kind human being. He did answer the phone as “Ben from Natwest”, which I wasn’t overly worried about, as I have no idea who owns RBS. I know they and Ulster Bank are as one, so why not Natwest? I told him the story.

I opened with “I went to my RBS Branch in Dalkeith today because……..” and told him the whole story.

He listened sympathetically, he apologised. Then he said “I work for Natwest, I’ll need to put you through to RBS”

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I mentioned my opening statement about RBS. I can’t even remember what he said in reply.

After an hour on the phone I reach RBS complaints. I may as well be back in the Dalkeith Branch. I am asked if I am making one or two complaints - I explain that I haven’t made a complaint before, so I really don’t know how best to proceed, so please can the advise me. He advises two. I agree.

Complaint number 1 is that the RBS Dalkeith Branch won’t verify the statement. This complaint is rejected because statement verification is discretionary to the branch (now they tell me). I have a mini-meltdown when he asks me if I am “happy for the grounds on which this complaint is rejected”. I explain that I am not “HAPPY”. After some protracted discussion around semantics we revert to one complaint. Now I understand why he wanted me to go for two.

I recite the rest of my woes. At one point he says “we’ll credit your account with £30 compensation today”. I say he’d better not, that I am totally insulted that my married life with my husband when in jeopardy could possibly be compensated with £30. I started crying at that point.

My complaint is in the system. I will be allowed to take it to the financial ombudsman. I expect this is far too trivial a matter for them, but hey it’s worth a shot. I am leaving RBS, but before that I would love this story to be spread far and wide.

We still have no guarantee that we will receive the missing statement in time to submit with Adie’s Visa application. Please do a dance, say a prayer, keep us in your thoughts.

And share this post if you know anyone that could help us get a single original or verified bank statement from RBS by Wednesday next week. Or share it so that no-one else need go through this and RBS might just get the message and change their ways.

My day hasn't all been bad, thanks to the Celia’s of this world.

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childfreeisthewaytobe · 6 years

Text

08.08-08.11.2010

The day I found out I was pregnant, I was at my family reunion. It was a blistering 100 degrees outside and I was feeling absolutely 100% fine until my dad tried to hand me a fresh grilled hot dog. I saw it and immediately felt sick. I objected and probably told him I just wasn't ready to eat yet, but I immediately knew. Immediately. It was unlike any other sick I had ever felt. Unlike any other nausea.

I left the reunion a real short time after to buy some pregnancy tests at Walgreens. I got home and took one right away.

Positive.

Oh my god. What did I do? What the fuck did I do? What did WE do?!

I called my boyfriend. No answer. Called again. No answer. Chirped several times (good old Nextel), and texted. No reply. I knew he was sleeping. He'd spent the whole day running callbacks as a part time firefighter (if you could even call it that) and he was dead to the world, but I needed to talk to him so I got in my car and drove all the way there, calling, chirping, and texting the entire time, nonstop, wondering how the fuck I put myself in such a dumb position.

When I got to his house I banged on the front door so hard I bet his parents thought I was being chased and/or murdered. His mother came to the door and I blew past her like a bull in a China shop up to his room.

I threw the door open and shook him awake harder than anyone should really ever be shaken awake, but in all of my time before getting there, I wondered what a mistake we made and how I couldn't even get him to answer all of these calls and messages. How could I make him grow up and be a father? The firehouse was his stupid life and I didn't ever want to compete.

The bastard was awake. I made up a story about a fake fight with my family to get his mom to leave so I could unleash the horrible news.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence.

Me: "What the fuck are we gonna do?"

Him: "I'm going to get another job and take care of you."

While it's typically every mother-to-be's dream to hear that sort of thing when some dudes straight bounce, that was literally the last thing I wanted him to say. I wanted him to tell me he didn't want to have a baby. I wanted him to cry.

I shook my head with vigorous force.

"No. No. No you're not. I don't want this."

I had decided before he even knew the possibility existed. Regardless of his reaction, he didn't get a say. There was no choice for the boy because he was there or because it was his too or whatever. No no no. No.

I spent the night that night and when we woke up the next morning, he reminded me of our beach plans we made with friends the day before and asked me if we could still go. It was right then that I knew I wouldn't be able to rely on him in the way that I would need to if I ever really entertained the idea of going through with the pregnancy. The beach?

I had to go home. I had to tell my parents. I needed them and I needed the truth out of me. I jumped out of his bed and we drove to my house. Me in my car and him in his. When we got there, we went up to my room and I told him to stay there. I wanted to tell them myself and just be away from him.

I went downstairs to the family room where my parents were sitting on their computers.

"I need to talk to you, " I told them with a shaky voice.

They knew. Come on. They had to.

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh no" my mom blurted out.

"... And we're not keeping it."

Her voice fell. "Oh no."

I didn't tell them so I could feel less guilty or get their blessing. I didn't feel guilty and I didn't need anyone's blessing, thank god. I was 22 and knew all I needed was whatever it was going to cost and my own consent.

My dad silently got up and walked upstairs. My mom and I sat in silence while we listed to his footsteps in the hallway above us and knew he was going to retrieve my boyfriend from my room. Or worse.

They both came downstairs and we waited for their words. I can't even tell you what was said to make me cry. I believe in my heart that I pretended to be upset and unsure of my decision but really I had no remorse and knew I needed to get on the phone and call anyone who could help me end this thing.

We fell silent until like in my family's notorious fashion, we left the room quietly, one by one. When my boyfriend left, I jumped online to search for an abortion, praying to fucking god that I wasn't too far along for a doctor to even want to do it. The literal last thing on earth I wanted was a forced pregnancy.

This would be the first time I ever had an experience with Planned Parenthood, but I feel the need to mention that, hey! They offer way more than abortion services!

I learned that 8-12 weeks was the cutoff for an abortion, but I wouldn't know where I was until my appointment, so I took the very first available time they could see me which was 2 days later; Wednesday, August 11th.

In the 3 days that I spent aware of my condition, I only knew I wanted it OUT. I was constantly ill. I couldn't even think about food, much less eat any. I was so irritable and tired. I did not feel like I was glowing or beautiful or sacred. I wanted to kill the baby myself just to feel better. I did not have one single iota of a maternal attachment to my baby. I could only think that every minute that passed was one minute closer to feeling better.

The morning of my procedure was torture. The nausea was always the worst in the morning and naturally we had to be at the facility as early as we could literally to secure a spot. I didn't understand why since we had an appointment but I would soon learn that the appointment came with a "before" interview that was apparently required by Planned Parenthood or the state or whoever. Each patient's interview was sometime before the actual procedure and they all seemed random.

I sat in the waiting room with my boyfriend in silence and observed the room around me. The nonchalant atmosphere affected me more than I thought it would, not because of how sad it was that we were all there to end our pregnancies, but because of how normal it seemed for some of them to be there. I did not regret my decision but I certainly wasn't able to smile or mess around on my phone or close my eyes and take a nap while we waited.

When my name was called, I thought it was because it was "my turn," but I was wrong. I was pulled into a small office by myself; he was not allowed to come with me. I was sat across a nurse lady with a warm smile who asked me questions I never even considered like "are you here with anyone?" and "are you here on your own accord?" and "do you have a support system at home?"

I immediately understood that some girls that come through there maybe didn't make the choice to end their pregnancies based on their circumstances. I only knew what I felt in that moment and that was that my decision was 1000% my own. I made sure to mention that out loud and asked about the others in the waiting room. She said that I was right but also that she had seen a few of the girls more than once. She called them "frequent flyers."

The interview was all of 10 minutes. We paid the $500 and then I was back out in the waiting room.

Finally, my name was called for real. I got up and followed the nurse into the office. I climbed up on the bench and waited for the anesthesiologist and my surgeon, I guess you could call her. I was thankful they were both women.

It only took me 7 or 8 seconds to fall asleep, but I'll never forget still hearing the sound of the vacuum and the pressure of it being moved in and out and around my uterus to make sure it... "got everything." I feel like I REALLY fell asleep only after the procedure was over.

I woke up in a recliner and a diaper in a room with 5 other girls in my exact position. There was nothing glamorous about it. It was a bright room and I was sitting there with no pants and a diaper on. I looked around the room and immediately started crying. It was awful to see and hear and feel. I hated being there and getting myself there and everything about everything. The other girls talked calmly to me, trying to relax me and calm me down with their "it'll be okay's" and other soft hushings I can't even recall. I just remember wondering how they were so alright. It seemed normal to them and I hated them too.

I woke up enough to ask the nurse to tell my boyfriend to come get me. He walked back and helped me get dressed and gather my stuff. I walked out with him and never ever looked back.

He left me sitting in the foyer while he picked up the car and parked it right in front to come back inside and help me. The good thing about him in that moment was that he had had extensive medical training through all of his firefighter training so he was pretty attentive and knowledgeable about how to take care of me after waking up. It was a quiet ride home if I remember correctly. I may have told him a few things but probably nothing like I left here.

When we got back to his house, I was pretty awake and knew I was going to have to pull it together a little bit if I was going to hide the fact that I had just woken up from surgery from his parents.

When we walked in, his dad immediately offered us grilled hot dogs and I realized I was hungrier than I had ever been in my life. It hadn't hit me until I was faced with the idea of food. My boyfriend looked at me as if to let me decide for us both. I nodded and ate 2.

It started, and ended with grilled hot dogs.

And an epic, epic nap.

I woke up to the sound of my idiot boyfriend listening to fire tones and calls on literally every device he owned as if I didn't just go through one of the most traumatic experiences of my life.

Man was I pissed.

And glad I didn't decide to go through with having a baby with him.

#shout your abortion #child free #childfree

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karadin · 6 years

Text

Trump closing social security offices across the country

For the elderly and disabled who complain about poor Social Security assistance now, these might be the good old days.

President Trump’s proposed fiscal 2019 Social Security Administration (SSA) budget would cut staffing, a recipe for long waits in agency offices and on the telephone for those trying to navigate the often-difficult world of old-age, disability, survivor and Medicare benefits. Retirement and survivor benefits would not be hit.

Declining service is nothing new, but under Trump, there would be fewer federal employees to deal with an increasing number of people of retirement age. His budget request calls for almost 1,000 fewer full-time-equivalent work years in 2019 than this year. A full-time-equivalent work year is the amount of work a person toiling full time would do in one year. The amount of overtime allowed staffers to keep up with demand would be less than a third of that in 2017 and just over half the 2018 estimate.

About 10,000 baby boomers hit retirement age every day.

The increase in workloads coupled with a decrease in staffing led to a 627-day wait for disability applicants’ hearings in 2017. The three-minute telephone wait that callers had for SSA’s 800 number in 2010 was six times longer last year. Despite SSA attempts to direct traffic to its website, there were 2 million more field office visits in 2016 than 2015. “More than 16,000 visitors were forced to wait more than hour for service each day in August 2017,” the committee said.

Promising to become “more efficient and effective” for the 71 million people who receive monthly benefits,Sure, there will be support, but at what level? The support was too low even before Trump’s proposed 2019 cuts.

At a Senate briefing last month, Julian Blair, a 70-year-old Silver Spring resident, spoke about the hardships that service cuts cause.

“I accompany a 92-year-old neighbor to the Social Security,” Blair said. “He’s not computer literate … so I’m going with him. We had to go three times before he could get the service he needs because the lines were so long, and he’s disabled he can’t stand there all day. There was no seats for him.”

He went on to talk about how his daughter “almost gave up and cried because she just could not get the service in a timely manner” for her son’s survivor benefit after his father died. “That’s a shame that should not happen.”

“I have a brother that worked 34 years, became disabled,” Blair added. “It took him two and a half years (to get a claim processed).

What happens in that two and a half years? Savings gone, unemployment gone. So real people, this affects for real people.

“But it’s … more than just services. To us, it’s a continued effort to dismantle Social Security.”

The administration wants to push more recipients to the Internet, saying “most Social Security services do not require a visit to an office” and noting the many things that can be done online. But many elderly, like Blair’s 92-year-old neighbor, don’t do business online. And the availability of Web-based services hasn’t prevented long lines at Social Security offices.

Sue Bird, 66, of Wellington, Nev., told of driving 80 miles to a Social Security office in Reno. When she arrived for a 10 a.m. appointment, she estimated 20 to 30 people were standing outside, waiting to get in. Once she got in, she saw almost 150 waiting inside.

“The room was packed with people,” she said by telephone. “I was shocked.”

Blair doesn’t blame the employees.

“It’s not anyone’s fault who’s working there,” he said. “It’s just busy.”

He’s right. The blame is not on Social Security employees. But it is somebody’s fault. The staffers are too busy, and the waits are too long, because elected leaders aren’t providing enough money for the service the elderly and disabled deserve.

Declaring the Social Security Administration to be “in a dire state,” Witold Skwierczynski, president of the National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals, Council 220, of the American Federation of Government Employees, said “the FY19 budget request would cause further deterioration of service. More calls on the 800 number will result in busy signals and those who got through would have lengthy wait times. It will take longer to get appointments in field offices and walk in customers will wait longer for service and, in many cases, be sent home without obtaining service. SSA processing time for claims and appeals will increase.”

That’s not all that will increase. Expect a rise in staff strain.

“Employees stress levels will increase, and service will suffer,” Skwierczynski added, “since SSA employees will be forced to use short cuts to process claims that will likely disadvantage the public.”

[Trump plan to eliminate programs leaves questions; budget also hits federal unions]

[Is Trump joking about ‘strengthening the federal workforce’?]

[OPM launched surprise hit on certain federal retirees, then tried to stop watchdog’s report]

#trump administration #social security #elderly #disabled #impeach trump

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