572 – The Easter Bunny / Puppy Visited!

Yep, The Easter Puppy visited us last week, and he was happy as ever!

(click on picture to ‘embiggen’)

He’s just so adorable… my wife dotes on him like a grandchild. *chuckling*

He was looking at her asking “Grandma, throw the ball… throw the ball!”

We all had a wonderful Easter, with the whole family over.

Other than that, the weather FINALLY is warming up, and it should be in the 60’s later this week.

All that, and in 23 days, I’ll be on vacation heading to an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I can’t wait… I really need to get away.

Hopefully, before I go, I’ll be able to take the Vette out of storage and bring her home.

Here’s something funny for my 2 dear friends in Australia, Peter and Merle:

On Thursday, 24th  January 2002 , Derek Guille broadcast this story  on his
afternoon program on ABC radio. 

In March 1999 a man  living in Kandos (near Mudgee in NSW, Australia  ) received a bill for his as yet unused gas line  stating that he owed $0.00.

He ignored it and threw  it away.  In April he received another bill  and threw that one away too.

The following month the  gas company sent him a very nasty note stating  that they were going to cancel his gas  line if he didn't send them $0..00 by return  mail.

He called them, talked  to them, and they said it was a computer error  and they would take care of it.

The following month he  decided that it was about time that he tried out  the
troublesome gas line figuring that if there  was usage on the account it would put an end to  this ridiculous predicament.

However, when he went to  use the gas, it had been cut off. 

He called the gas  company who apologised for the computer error  once again and said that they would take care of  it.  The next day he got a bill for $0.00
stating that payment was now overdue. 

Assuming that having  spoken to them the previous day the latest bill  was yet
another mistake, he ignored it, trusting  that the company would be as good as their word  and sort the problem out.

The next month he got a  bill for $0.00. This bill also stated that he  had 10 days to pay his account or the company  would have to take steps to recover the debt. 

Finally, giving in, he  thought he would beat the gas company at their  own game and mailed them a cheque for $0.00.   The computer duly processed his account  and returned a statement to the effect that he  now owed the gas company nothing at all. 

A week later, the  manager of the Mudgee branch of the Westpac  Banking Corporation called our hapless friend  and asked him what he was doing writing cheque  for $0.00.

After a lengthy  explanation the bank manager replied that the  $0.00 cheque had caused their cheque processing  software to fail.  The bank could therefore  not process ANY cheques they had received from  ANY of their customers that day because the  cheque for $0.00 had caused the computer to  crash.

The following month the  man received a letter from the gas company  claiming that his cheque had bounced and that he  now owed them $0.00 and unless he sent a cheque  by return mail they would take immediate steps  to recover the debt.

At this point, the man  decided to file a debt harassment claim against  the gas
company.  It took him nearly two  hours to convince the clerks at the local
courthouse that he was not joking. 

They subsequently helped  him in the drafting of statements which were  considered substantive evidence of the  aggravation and difficulties he had been forced  to endure during this debacle.

The matter was heard in  the Magistrate's Court in Mudgee and the outcome  was this:

The gas company was  ordered to:

[1]  Immediately  rectify their computerised accounts system or  Show cause, within 10 days, why the matter  should not be referred to a higher court for  consideration under Company Law. 

[2]  Pay the bank  dishonour fees incurred by the man. 

[3]  Pay the bank  dishonour fees incurred by all the Westpac  clients whose cheques had been bounced on the  day our friend's had been processed. 

[4]  Pay the  claimant's court costs; and

[5]  Pay the  claimant a total of $1500 per month for the 5  month period March to July inclusive as  compensation for the aggravation they had caused  their client to suffer.

And all this over $0.00. 

This story can also be  viewed on the ABC website.

Who employs these  idiots??

Remember, these "people"  walk among us and breathe the same air we do.   What is worse , they breed ! 

This is a true  story.