I don't know who to consign to hell over this one, but here goes:
I was recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I need a CPAP machine and the doctor set up the vendor.
Today I heard from the vendor. Insurance denied my claim because I'm not covered for "durable medical supplies".
I called the insurance company. The woman said I needed an optional rider to be covered, and to get it I had to call the office of Labor Relations. She gave me a number which didn't work.
I looked up the correct number and called. I am awaiting a callback sometime in the next three business days.
TICTH a large electrical retail store (let’s call them “Scurry”) and a courier company (let’s call them “PDP”)
Our microwave is coming to the end of its life. It’s served us very well but last week I went of the the “Scurry” website to order a new one. (In case anyone is interested, it’s a 4 in 1 combination also including convection oven, grill and air fryer). I was offered next day delivery, but knowing that Mrs Spike was working from home on Tuesday this week, I opted for that date.
On Tuesday morning I got a text from “PDP” confirming the time slot that it would be delivered. However, when the courier arrived, he did that thing we used to do as kids by ringing the doorbell and running away. It too Mrs Spike maybe 30 seconds to answer (she was working remember) by which time he had disappeared. I received a text saying they had attempted to deliver but that nobody was in and that it would be delivered to a pick up point as well. I contacted “PDP” to explain that someone had been in all day, that it was inconvenient to go to the pick up shop and asked for it to be re-delivered. They agreed to deliver it Thursday (yesterday) and said that I’d receive a text before mid day to confirm the delivery slot, and I also received an email to that effect. About half an hour later I received notification that the parcel was ready to be collected from the pick up shop, so I called “PDP” to find what was going on. They were very apologetic and assured me they would get it sorted.
Sure enough, shortly after I received an email saying that the driver had been asked to collect it from the pick up shop and deliver it to me on Thursday as agreed.
By mid day on delivery day (yesterday) I’d heard nothing, so I called “PDP” to find out what was going on. I was told that because I 2 unable to collect it from the pick up shop it had been returned to “Scurry”. I asked why this was, especially as I had email confirmation that it would be redelivered, but was told quite bluntly that it wasn’t their responsibility and that I would have to contact “Scurry” directly to get it sorted.
Well, this is easier said than done, as they seem to go out of their way to prevent anyone from contacting them directly. It reminded me of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy where Arthur says “It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard’”. The phone number supplied just gives an option to go online, and the only way of contacting them seems to be one of those online chats where it takes half an hour to have a conversation that would take a few minutes on the phone. Instead, I called the number for placing an order and got through to a real person (funny how they’re happy to talk to somebody if they’re likely to be spending money). I explained that I was aware that I was in the wrong department but that I wanted to speak to someone directly. The person was actually quite helpful and transferred me to the relevant department - a department that doesn’t have a direct phone number.
I explained the predicament and was told that because it was being returned, they would have to wait until they receive it and then cancel the original order so that they could generate it as a new order and despatch it again. This will take up to 14 days.
I want to log an official complaint, but due to their policy of not wanting to interact directly with customers, there is no email address where I can contact them.
Spike, you have my sympathy and understanding. Mrs Sioni has recently retired from her job on a sewing machine help line. They arranged to collect sewing machines from users using “PDP” and return them too.
About two years ago, they switched to another courier because of problems like you mention, principally due to the drivers being given less time per drop.
The result was predictable, except to managers unable to see the nose in front of their face.
Said delivery forum is the same one that went silent on the agency on Friday afternoon when I was due to start training on Monday. TBH, given the t&cs, I think I dodged a bullet.
Were you looking to work as a courier? It’s a crap job. I did it during lockdown as I was unable to do my own job and being self employed couldn’t be furloughed. It’s hard work for abysmal pay and the conditions are shite. You have a limited amount of time for each drop (delivery) which means often having to park illegally. If you get a ticket, guess who has to pay? One £60 parking ticket takes a significant chunk out of your already low income. Most courier companies pay the driver a set amount per item, so if you are unable to successfully deliver a parcel (if nobody is home for example) you don’t get paid. This is why many couriers will leave a parcel in a “safe place” (i.e. on the doorstep in full view of everyone). On the plus side, I got plenty of exercise and lost a lot of weight.
@Spike file under desperate times. TBH I'm quite glad they ghosted me as I can spend the rest of my days thinking they are a cunch of bunts.
You would know - how onerous is the paperwork for being self-employed? I'm pondering - as far as anything counts as a plan - setting up as a handyman doing odd jobs but I'm antsy about the paperwork responsibilities and not having any qualifications in that line.
I have a Wee Treasure who comes and does 3 hours a month. I pay him in cash. What his relation with the formal structures of employment and taxation are, I do not enquire. He also does one-offs, like deep cleans, and painting the summerhouse. He seems to have an extensive clientele.
His qualifications afaics are experience, reliability and thoroughness.
I have a Wee Treasure who comes and does 3 hours a month. I pay him in cash. What his relation with the formal structures of employment and taxation are, I do not enquire. He also does one-offs, like deep cleans, and painting the summerhouse. He seems to have an extensive clientele.
His qualifications afaics are experience, reliability and thoroughness.
I'm just looking for something to cover my arse relative to saying "yes, I can look at that" - great to learn from your mistakes, but I'd rather not learn from fucking up a customer's property if I can help it.
I'm talking doing the fixing jobs too small for the bigger firms, not cleaning.
If you get yourself CRB checked, you can preferentially offer these services to people with disabilities or who are otherwise vulnerable - where you may be doing jobs that are very simple, such as change a light bulb, for someone who can not do things at height. These people network !
My grandmother had a handyman for a few years who would do such things, and also drove her for a her big weekly supermarket shop. When he was ill in hospital, a stream of elderly ladies came to visit him and provide biscuits.
I have a Wee Treasure who comes and does 3 hours a month. I pay him in cash. What his relation with the formal structures of employment and taxation are, I do not enquire. He also does one-offs, like deep cleans, and painting the summerhouse. He seems to have an extensive clientele.
His qualifications afaics are experience, reliability and thoroughness.
I'm just looking for something to cover my arse relative to saying "yes, I can look at that" - great to learn from your mistakes, but I'd rather not learn from fucking up a customer's property if I can help it.
If you want to “cover your arse” then I think you mean Public Liability Insurance. Like every kind of insurance it looks expensive until you haven’t got it. A friend who does stained glass craft has it “just in case”. There are plenty of guides to working on your own, and some might even be good.
My aged mother had a handyman for many years. Lovely chap. I learned he was doing more than fixing handrails and changing light bulbs. CRB checking be blowed!
WT does things like change bulb, fix blinds, assemble IKEA furniture and any other odd or end. But these are occasional, whereas there's always cleaning.
He's always been, I suspect, one of the Unskilled Casual, so accustomed to short term and insecure employments. But he's also hard working and obliging, and word of mouth does the rest.
Waited three days for a call back from the Office of Labor Relations, finally did what I should have done first, emailed. And got a reply pretty quickly that they don't handle library retirees and I have to contact my former employer.
Of course I had no idea of what number to call, but after giong through the public information number and identifying myself as a retiree, they gave me the correct number to call.
So now I've called an I'm waiting to see if they can change my insurance to add the optional rider now.
I have a sick feeling the answer will be no. Again, not sure who to consign to hell for this. American insurance companies I guess.
Really minor, but irritating. When I say "new line" using my dictation software it sometimes goes to a new line, but sometimes types the words "knew line" and keeps going. Now I've had a pop-up suggestion that I should try saying "new line." I AM saying "new line"!
Is there an accent in which "new" and "knew" sound different? Or is my software just winding me up for its own twisted pleasure?
Really minor, but irritating. When I say "new line" using my dictation software it sometimes goes to a new line, but sometimes types the words "knew line" and keeps going. Now I've had a pop-up suggestion that I should try saying "new line." I AM saying "new line"!
Is there an accent in which "new" and "knew" sound different? Or is my software just winding me up for its own twisted pleasure?
I can't - sorry, cannae- resist posting this (again...)
Do "new" and "knew" sound different in an American accent? The softwear also thinks good Scottish names such as Jean, Jessie and Elsie are spelled Gene, Jesse and LZ.
Really minor, but irritating. When I say "new line" using my dictation software it sometimes goes to a new line, but sometimes types the words "knew line" and keeps going. Now I've had a pop-up suggestion that I should try saying "new line." I AM saying "new line"!
Is there an accent in which "new" and "knew" sound different? Or is my software just winding me up for its own twisted pleasure?
I can't - sorry, cannae- resist posting this (again...)
My best friend at school had a bad stammer, and I remember worrying how she would get on when we all had to read a passage in German as part of our end-of-year tests. She read it beautifully.
There was also a chap in a choir I sang in who stammered terribly in speech, but had a lovely singing voice.
The day after my previous post, I received an email from “Scurry” telling me that a refund had been processed and my order had been cancelled. Confused, I called them again via the sales department. This time the person I spoke to gave me a direct number for customer “service” (a number that I had previously been told didn’t exist). They assured me that it was just a standard email that gets sent out, that my order was being “processed” and that I would hear from them within 48 hours.
Four days later I had heard nothing, so called again to find out what was going on. I was told that there had been a delay. I said that I wanted to log an official complaint and speak to a manager. I was told it was “not possible” to speak to a manager because you apparently have to book a slot to do this and they didn’t have any slots available. He did agree to raise a complaint and promised that somebody would be in contact within 48 hours.
Two days later, I phoned again. I was told that it was being processed and that I would receive notification of despatch within 48 hours (do you see a pattern developing here?)
Six days passed and I’d still heard nothing so phoned again. The person I spoke to apologised and said he understood my frustration (I bet he didn’t understand at all). He promised to raise it as “urgent” and said that I would hear back within (yes you’ve guessed it) 48 hours. He also promised that a manager would call to discuss this “sometime on Saturday”.
48 hours came and went and I’d still not heard anything, so I thought “bollocks to this” and did what I should have done originally. I ordered it from somewhere else who delivered the following morning.
To the outer circle of Hell with a well regarded posh purveyor of fine foods who have sent us their Christmas 2026 catalogue. I ask you! Is this the first Christmas (2026) catalogue for a shipmate? Do I win a prize?
True, but 2027 summer holidays have been advertised for some time, as have some theatre performances. Indeed I booked a couple of months ago for a piano recital in April.
Right, there isn’t an outright TITCH thread so here goes at Parcel Force.
Elder daughter sent me a food parcel (Cornish stuff) due for delivery on SATURDAY for Father’s Day. After she called them every day to make sure it was delivered it finally showed up TODAY,, Tuesday.
No communication about when they are going to deliver, just responses to daughter when she calls. “Oh,it will be fine if you put it straight in the fridge.
Useless I tell you. I’m sure a neighbour would have been in unless they tried next door who have blanked us ever since their damn cat got in the way of our watering hose two years ago.
My phone company techy people who do not seem to be able to write a filter that says if a person has applied for fibre then they do not need to move to another company so they send out emails saying they are sending me over to another company.
I applied for fibre five months ago, its not my fault Openreach have not installed it yet.
People who answer the question they want to answer, not the one you ask.
I message someone yesterday who works in construction and asked - clearly - if they knew of any local firms that might take on unskilled labour, and mentioned a couple of reasons why I was looking for that.
I got a message back saying that they offered posts like Assistant Section Manager where I could train on the job at company expense.
Did I at any point say that I was looking for management roles? I'd rather shave my scrotum with a cheesegrater dipped in lemon juice than be in any form of management!
I did use some of that phrasing in my reply, though not the bit about dangly bits.
But so many people do this! And it drives me nuts!
Is it an ND thing that you can't filter others doing this, or does everyone do it? Why?
@Sandemaniac, as you know, recruitment agencies don’t serve people who are looking to work, they exist to serve firms looking to hire people. They get a tidy commission from every successful hire and possibly even a fee for simply having the position on their books. In any case, I’m sure it’s a good number.
On other matters, I spent a memorable summer working on a building site. I simply walked around town looking for these, and asking to see the manager if they had any vacancies. I was lucky: I was young and fit, and there was a site five minutes away from home. I did need to build up my strength and stamina, but I was young. Worked 45 hours a week, basic of £38pw, but with stage completion bonuses I never got less than £60 and on one occasion just over £100 a week. That was the memorable summer of ‘76.
@sionisais - this wasn't even an agency, this was someone I vaguely know through a previous workplace! The question was very ckear as well - instead of answering that, they've extrapolated from the justifying clause. Maybe I should give up explaining?
I know a couple of other people who I've given up complaining about things to because they answer the question they want to, and generally that means arguing that I should do the very thing that someone has pissed me off about by assuming I have the skills when I don't!
I just want a fucking job that doesn't bore me titless or give me breakdowns!
I may have to prowl the streets looking for builder's signs...
@Sandemaniac don’t give up explaining. You were clear and I’m prone to misunderstanding.
At least on a building site your task is well defined and you see results. You are working with people, quite varied if my experience from a very long time ago is anything to go by.
@Sandemaniac don’t give up explaining. You were clear and I’m prone to misunderstanding.
At least on a building site your task is well defined and you see results. You are working with people, quite varied if my experience from a very long time ago is anything to go by.
Yes, the clear task and results are important to me. In my last two roles, I did my One Job at the end of which everything was passed on to the next people in the chain who did their One Job at the end of which..... it was beyond frustrating!
I did have a reply from the person concerned today admitting that they did not think about what I asked but went straight into classic construction industry career change options, and apologised, which makes me feel better, if a bit guilty for biting their head off.
@Sandemaniac, as you know, recruitment agencies don’t serve people who are looking to work, they exist to serve firms looking to hire people. They get a tidy commission from every successful hire and possibly even a fee for simply having the position on their books.
Oh wow, that takes me back to the early 90s when I was looking for work having been made redundant. Several recruitment consultancies sent me on wild goose chases for interviews for jobs that were totally unsuitable. There’s one in particular that I remember.
I worked in computer software. The interview was with a computer manufacturer and the agency told me that they were looking for someone specifically with experience in giving technical support for a particular software package.
Well, I went for the interview. It was on an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t have a car at the time, and it was a half hour walk from the nearest station and not on any bus routes.
Wishing the first couple of minutes it became clear that I wasn’t suitable for the job, or the job for me. My background was in software, but what this company was looking for was a bench engineer, something I had no experience of whatsoever.
Not only had the agency totally misled me about the nature of the job, they had told the potential employer that I was an experienced engineer with in depth knowledge of electronics (which I certainly was not). The guy interviewing me was really annoyed with the agency for wasting his time, and was very apologetic to me for having wasted my time, and he insisted on paying for a taxi to take me back to the station.
Presumably, the agency still received commission for sending to a completely pointless interview. I can’t see any other reason why they would have lied to both me and the potential employer.
@Sandemaniac, as you know, recruitment agencies don’t serve people who are looking to work, they exist to serve firms looking to hire people. They get a tidy commission from every successful hire and possibly even a fee for simply having the position on their books.
Oh wow, that takes me back to the early 90s when I was looking for work having been made redundant. Several recruitment consultancies sent me on wild goose chases for interviews for jobs that were totally unsuitable. There’s one in particular that I remember.
I worked in computer software. The interview was with a computer manufacturer and the agency told me that they were looking for someone specifically with experience in giving technical support for a particular software package.
Well, I went for the interview. It was on an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t have a car at the time, and it was a half hour walk from the nearest station and not on any bus routes.
Wishing the first couple of minutes it became clear that I wasn’t suitable for the job, or the job for me. My background was in software, but what this company was looking for was a bench engineer, something I had no experience of whatsoever.
Not only had the agency totally misled me about the nature of the job, they had told the potential employer that I was an experienced engineer with in depth knowledge of electronics (which I certainly was not). The guy interviewing me was really annoyed with the agency for wasting his time, and was very apologetic to me for having wasted my time, and he insisted on paying for a taxi to take me back to the station.
Presumably, the agency still received commission for sending to a completely pointless interview. I can’t see any other reason why they would have lied to both me and the potential employer.
I have a family member who has managed to get a few quite senior positions which on paper she wasn't qualified for but because they were management positions with vague people and management skill requirements she was able to persuade them she'd be good at it. That doesn't translate at all to technical fields which have very specific skill sets but I don't think recruitment agencies realise this. They seem to think that if you can configure a Linux web server you must also be able to use industrial chemical engineering kit. It's all sciency stuff isn't it?
Comments
Outside medicine it is used for “beyond all recognition”.
Ah yes - I'd forgotten that one!
I was recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I need a CPAP machine and the doctor set up the vendor.
Today I heard from the vendor. Insurance denied my claim because I'm not covered for "durable medical supplies".
I called the insurance company. The woman said I needed an optional rider to be covered, and to get it I had to call the office of Labor Relations. She gave me a number which didn't work.
I looked up the correct number and called. I am awaiting a callback sometime in the next three business days.
ARGH!
Our microwave is coming to the end of its life. It’s served us very well but last week I went of the the “Scurry” website to order a new one. (In case anyone is interested, it’s a 4 in 1 combination also including convection oven, grill and air fryer). I was offered next day delivery, but knowing that Mrs Spike was working from home on Tuesday this week, I opted for that date.
On Tuesday morning I got a text from “PDP” confirming the time slot that it would be delivered. However, when the courier arrived, he did that thing we used to do as kids by ringing the doorbell and running away. It too Mrs Spike maybe 30 seconds to answer (she was working remember) by which time he had disappeared. I received a text saying they had attempted to deliver but that nobody was in and that it would be delivered to a pick up point as well. I contacted “PDP” to explain that someone had been in all day, that it was inconvenient to go to the pick up shop and asked for it to be re-delivered. They agreed to deliver it Thursday (yesterday) and said that I’d receive a text before mid day to confirm the delivery slot, and I also received an email to that effect. About half an hour later I received notification that the parcel was ready to be collected from the pick up shop, so I called “PDP” to find what was going on. They were very apologetic and assured me they would get it sorted.
Sure enough, shortly after I received an email saying that the driver had been asked to collect it from the pick up shop and deliver it to me on Thursday as agreed.
By mid day on delivery day (yesterday) I’d heard nothing, so I called “PDP” to find out what was going on. I was told that because I 2 unable to collect it from the pick up shop it had been returned to “Scurry”. I asked why this was, especially as I had email confirmation that it would be redelivered, but was told quite bluntly that it wasn’t their responsibility and that I would have to contact “Scurry” directly to get it sorted.
Well, this is easier said than done, as they seem to go out of their way to prevent anyone from contacting them directly. It reminded me of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy where Arthur says “It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard’”. The phone number supplied just gives an option to go online, and the only way of contacting them seems to be one of those online chats where it takes half an hour to have a conversation that would take a few minutes on the phone. Instead, I called the number for placing an order and got through to a real person (funny how they’re happy to talk to somebody if they’re likely to be spending money). I explained that I was aware that I was in the wrong department but that I wanted to speak to someone directly. The person was actually quite helpful and transferred me to the relevant department - a department that doesn’t have a direct phone number.
I explained the predicament and was told that because it was being returned, they would have to wait until they receive it and then cancel the original order so that they could generate it as a new order and despatch it again. This will take up to 14 days.
I want to log an official complaint, but due to their policy of not wanting to interact directly with customers, there is no email address where I can contact them.
About two years ago, they switched to another courier because of problems like you mention, principally due to the drivers being given less time per drop.
The result was predictable, except to managers unable to see the nose in front of their face.
You would know - how onerous is the paperwork for being self-employed? I'm pondering - as far as anything counts as a plan - setting up as a handyman doing odd jobs but I'm antsy about the paperwork responsibilities and not having any qualifications in that line.
His qualifications afaics are experience, reliability and thoroughness.
I'm just looking for something to cover my arse relative to saying "yes, I can look at that" - great to learn from your mistakes, but I'd rather not learn from fucking up a customer's property if I can help it.
If you get yourself CRB checked, you can preferentially offer these services to people with disabilities or who are otherwise vulnerable - where you may be doing jobs that are very simple, such as change a light bulb, for someone who can not do things at height. These people network !
My grandmother had a handyman for a few years who would do such things, and also drove her for a her big weekly supermarket shop. When he was ill in hospital, a stream of elderly ladies came to visit him and provide biscuits.
If you want to “cover your arse” then I think you mean Public Liability Insurance. Like every kind of insurance it looks expensive until you haven’t got it. A friend who does stained glass craft has it “just in case”. There are plenty of guides to working on your own, and some might even be good.
He's always been, I suspect, one of the Unskilled Casual, so accustomed to short term and insecure employments. But he's also hard working and obliging, and word of mouth does the rest.
Waited three days for a call back from the Office of Labor Relations, finally did what I should have done first, emailed. And got a reply pretty quickly that they don't handle library retirees and I have to contact my former employer.
Of course I had no idea of what number to call, but after giong through the public information number and identifying myself as a retiree, they gave me the correct number to call.
So now I've called an I'm waiting to see if they can change my insurance to add the optional rider now.
I have a sick feeling the answer will be no. Again, not sure who to consign to hell for this. American insurance companies I guess.
Is there an accent in which "new" and "knew" sound different? Or is my software just winding me up for its own twisted pleasure?
Software is just one of the methods They use.
I can't - sorry, cannae- resist posting this (again...)
https://youtu.be/BOUTfUmI8vs?si=GzLo0Wool-yPLNww
Do "new" and "knew" sound different in an American accent? The softwear also thinks good Scottish names such as Jean, Jessie and Elsie are spelled Gene, Jesse and LZ.
MMM
I knew (or should that be "new"?) that's what that link would be! 😂
https://stamma.org/your-voice/technology-what-goes-around-comes-around
(I hope this link is in order. Apologies to hosts if it isn't)
There was also a chap in a choir I sang in who stammered terribly in speech, but had a lovely singing voice.
The day after my previous post, I received an email from “Scurry” telling me that a refund had been processed and my order had been cancelled. Confused, I called them again via the sales department. This time the person I spoke to gave me a direct number for customer “service” (a number that I had previously been told didn’t exist). They assured me that it was just a standard email that gets sent out, that my order was being “processed” and that I would hear from them within 48 hours.
Four days later I had heard nothing, so called again to find out what was going on. I was told that there had been a delay. I said that I wanted to log an official complaint and speak to a manager. I was told it was “not possible” to speak to a manager because you apparently have to book a slot to do this and they didn’t have any slots available. He did agree to raise a complaint and promised that somebody would be in contact within 48 hours.
Two days later, I phoned again. I was told that it was being processed and that I would receive notification of despatch within 48 hours (do you see a pattern developing here?)
Six days passed and I’d still heard nothing so phoned again. The person I spoke to apologised and said he understood my frustration (I bet he didn’t understand at all). He promised to raise it as “urgent” and said that I would hear back within (yes you’ve guessed it) 48 hours. He also promised that a manager would call to discuss this “sometime on Saturday”.
48 hours came and went and I’d still not heard anything, so I thought “bollocks to this” and did what I should have done originally. I ordered it from somewhere else who delivered the following morning.
But you're absolutely right - that's ridiculously early!
Elder daughter sent me a food parcel (Cornish stuff) due for delivery on SATURDAY for Father’s Day. After she called them every day to make sure it was delivered it finally showed up TODAY,, Tuesday.
No communication about when they are going to deliver, just responses to daughter when she calls. “Oh,it will be fine if you put it straight in the fridge.
Useless I tell you. I’m sure a neighbour would have been in unless they tried next door who have blanked us ever since their damn cat got in the way of our watering hose two years ago.
I applied for fibre five months ago, its not my fault Openreach have not installed it yet.
I message someone yesterday who works in construction and asked - clearly - if they knew of any local firms that might take on unskilled labour, and mentioned a couple of reasons why I was looking for that.
I got a message back saying that they offered posts like Assistant Section Manager where I could train on the job at company expense.
Did I at any point say that I was looking for management roles? I'd rather shave my scrotum with a cheesegrater dipped in lemon juice than be in any form of management!
I did use some of that phrasing in my reply, though not the bit about dangly bits.
But so many people do this! And it drives me nuts!
Is it an ND thing that you can't filter others doing this, or does everyone do it? Why?
On other matters, I spent a memorable summer working on a building site. I simply walked around town looking for these, and asking to see the manager if they had any vacancies. I was lucky: I was young and fit, and there was a site five minutes away from home. I did need to build up my strength and stamina, but I was young. Worked 45 hours a week, basic of £38pw, but with stage completion bonuses I never got less than £60 and on one occasion just over £100 a week. That was the memorable summer of ‘76.
Good luck and 🙏🙏🙏
I know a couple of other people who I've given up complaining about things to because they answer the question they want to, and generally that means arguing that I should do the very thing that someone has pissed me off about by assuming I have the skills when I don't!
I just want a fucking job that doesn't bore me titless or give me breakdowns!
I may have to prowl the streets looking for builder's signs...
At least on a building site your task is well defined and you see results. You are working with people, quite varied if my experience from a very long time ago is anything to go by.
Yes, the clear task and results are important to me. In my last two roles, I did my One Job at the end of which everything was passed on to the next people in the chain who did their One Job at the end of which..... it was beyond frustrating!
I did have a reply from the person concerned today admitting that they did not think about what I asked but went straight into classic construction industry career change options, and apologised, which makes me feel better, if a bit guilty for biting their head off.
Oh wow, that takes me back to the early 90s when I was looking for work having been made redundant. Several recruitment consultancies sent me on wild goose chases for interviews for jobs that were totally unsuitable. There’s one in particular that I remember.
I worked in computer software. The interview was with a computer manufacturer and the agency told me that they were looking for someone specifically with experience in giving technical support for a particular software package.
Well, I went for the interview. It was on an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t have a car at the time, and it was a half hour walk from the nearest station and not on any bus routes.
Wishing the first couple of minutes it became clear that I wasn’t suitable for the job, or the job for me. My background was in software, but what this company was looking for was a bench engineer, something I had no experience of whatsoever.
Not only had the agency totally misled me about the nature of the job, they had told the potential employer that I was an experienced engineer with in depth knowledge of electronics (which I certainly was not). The guy interviewing me was really annoyed with the agency for wasting his time, and was very apologetic to me for having wasted my time, and he insisted on paying for a taxi to take me back to the station.
Presumably, the agency still received commission for sending to a completely pointless interview. I can’t see any other reason why they would have lied to both me and the potential employer.
I have a family member who has managed to get a few quite senior positions which on paper she wasn't qualified for but because they were management positions with vague people and management skill requirements she was able to persuade them she'd be good at it. That doesn't translate at all to technical fields which have very specific skill sets but I don't think recruitment agencies realise this. They seem to think that if you can configure a Linux web server you must also be able to use industrial chemical engineering kit. It's all sciency stuff isn't it?