Misstress Minnie

I just love this old lady

45 mins later

Last week I received a notice in the mail from Rogers. At first I thought it was a bill. Years ago they took over my long distance account. Then when I moved, I called in my change of address. That's when the bills stopped. So every couple of months I paid by Internet and would either call, write or email them my new address. Nothing.

So I finally stopped paying. I would pay when I received my bill.

Nothing. No bill.

Once day in January a customer rep calls. I tell her why I haven't paid. She checks. No one changed my address. She says that it will be fixed asap and a new bill will be sent. Meanwhile I paid the past due amount online.

No bill shows up. I email them twice and still no bill.

So then the notice comes in. I call the general enquiry number to reach automated hell. no humans here and no way to be put through to customer service.

I finally go online and look for the number for long distance service. No number.

I randomly try a number. I actually get through to a human who puts me through to another human. A rather rude one. When I try to explain to him that I am not going to pay the amount due until I see the bill he tells me that's my choice. In the snottiest tone you ever heard. I ask him if he would and he tells me certainly. He says I entered into the agreement and I am the one breaking the agreement. He then tells me that I have been receiving my bills all along. He suggests I go to the post office and ask them why they won't deliver my mail. I get my mail buddy. I even got a reminder notice but no bill! He argues with me and I can tel he wants to say something really nasty. I tell him I want to talk to a supervisor and he says No I can't. EXCUSE ME?

Finally he transfers me to the accounts receivable who looks at my account and it took him 15 seconds to find they had accidentally put a hold on my bills to transfer the change of address and forgot to take it off. He apologises to me for everything. From the rude rep to the screw up. He will send the bill ASAP and not to worry about paying till I have it. Thank you Sir.

I will be sending a letter to Rogers when I receive my bill. I want the account closed and I will be telling them all about what I went through.

I don't need this crap.

Update: Received 3 automated messages today, since I called, telling me to pay my bill!!

I Wish I lived in London Ontario right now

City plans network of shelters for cats

Sat, September 20, 2008

Roaming packs of cats in London could soon find welcome signs -- shelters and food -- at up to seven sites to be chosen by city hall.

Officials want to use tax dollars to help animal activists save cats that would otherwise roam and breed, their proposal to be reviewed Monday by politicians on the city's environment and transportation committee.

Such cats, called feral because they're born in the wild and can't be tamed, have overrun some North American cities, a problem the city's environment chief hopes to avoid here.

"The key part is finding neighbours who want to be a willing host," Jay Stanford said yesterday.

Stanford has found three property owners who already use their yard to feed colonies of feral cats (he won't disclose where unless council adopts the one-year pilot project).

The goal is to find as many as four more homes, then pay to build better shelters, buy food and trap the cats so they can be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and returned to the colony. Giving better shelter and food may draw more feral cats to a neighbourhood, he acknowledged, and some Londoners may oppose the move.

"If we get opposition in an area, we'll try to wind down the operation and move it," he said.

But in the long run, the program may reduce the number of feral cats, he said. Its effectiveness will be measured by marking captured cats and monitoring them.

The proposal is drawing cheers from an animal activist who lobbied against euthanasia -- in 2006, the latest year for which figures were available, more than 1,500 cats were put down at the city pound and humane society.

"I'm very excited," said Dianne Fortney, who for seven years has rescued about 100 cats through her organization, Animal Outreach.

Both Stanford and Fortney say euthanasia doesn't reduce the number of feral cats -- the population grows to whatever level of food is available.

"Trap and kill is certainly not humane and it's completely ineffective," said Fortney, who co-chairs London's animal welfare advisory committee.

Spaying and neutering the cats instead has been done for years by activists, but their work will be made easier by the city's financial backing, she said.

"Londoners will be very proud."

Stanford estimates the one-year program would cost between $7,750 and $17,000.

He doesn't know how many feral cats roam city streets, nor does he believe the numbers are a pressing threat -- yet. "I don't believe it's a problem in London now, but I don't want it to become one."

Many problems people associate with feral cats disappear after spaying and neutering, Fortney said. Fixed cats typically won't fight, howl or mark territory with urine, she said.

While some claim feral cats reduce the population of songbirds, she thinks the effect is exaggerated, especially when the cats are given food.

What is new here

Lots of things have been going on this month. First of all, I have picked up 4 more cleaning hours. That's good because in the end of August I lost 2 at another job. So I am actually ahead. I also have a partner and that makes a big difference.

The London Free Press have been treating us Carriers like dirt. So I have decided that after Christmas I will be leaving. My quit date is the first of February. This gives me time to get some more hours at my other jobs or if I have to, to pick up hours elsewhere.

I have decided to structure my life better. This means less time paying online and more home time. While I love the Internet, a part of me misses the time I had before I had a computer. Maybe it's time to find this again. No way am I going cold turkey but I do pan on only spending a certain amount each day online.

We wil see how all of this goes.

We are back

In a sad moment I deleted my old blog. I needed time to clear my head. I am now back with the cats.

Part of the reason I deleted it was because of the new "Anti cruelty" laws coming into effect in Ontario. The new laws while looking good give total control to the SPCA. Our SPCA has a euthanize first ask questions later policy. Cats are rounded up and if they show any fear or aggression to being rounded up, (we all know that most cats will) they are immediatly euthanized as unadoptable animals. only cats with personaities like a very docile dog are saved. Can you tell the SPCA doesn't really know or understand cats? Yet they are the ones in charge.

This was one of the reasons I wanted to erase my traces of the cats off the net. I realize that this was a little irrational. :) So as I said, we are back.