You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[darockwilder]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

The shameless gall of some my in-laws right now...

So, my mother-in-law is a wonderful woman and helps out with watching her grandchildren all the time, ours included. She recently had a very serious health / infection scare and spent around seven weeks in the hospital, had to have multiple surgeries on her leg, etc. Was pretty dice-y for a while and still has a long way to recover.

She's only just got home from the hospital finally on Wednesday and our in-laws are already dropping off their kids for free babysitting. The woman is exhausted and can barely walk again yet but she's too nice to say to no to them.

I'm just flabbergasted that anyone could think it's in any way appropriate to even ask to drop off their kids in this situation. So now my wife is upset about this too and trying to help out, bring them over to our house instead (so we get to do the free babysitting for them on top of our own three kids). It's way too much, she should be in bed recovering for weeks still.

Your inlaws have learned that if you don't ask, you don't get. So they ask and continue to get. I've met these types, they see nothing wrong with it. "They could have said no if they didn't want to do it" is the typical response if you bring up the fact that maybe their request is unreasonable.

[DownInFlames]

Having to sit and wait for a warehouse to open from their lunch break is bull####. You're a warehouse. Your one job is to ship products.

Give them a lunch break, sure, but make it staggered so I don't have to time my day around you.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by Locke

Yup.



The short answer? They dont want to and they shouldnt have to.

In the past I'd just do all of this for my clients, and thats what they wanted and thats what I wanted.

Because giving non-accountants Carte Blanche to start monkeying around with their tax returns is a disaster waiting to happen.

The worst is my Corporate Clients. You want to know why? Because these people are very good at a certain selection of things, the things that make them money! They dont want to concern themselves with the books or the slips or the taxes or the GST or whatever, thats my job.

But CRA have effectively stepped in and decided to throw up barriers to prevent me from doing it.

And its frustrating as hell for the client, and its frustrating as hell for me. And when the client is upset who do you think they focus and direct that anger towards?

CRA is frustrating because their management is highly risk-averse, but I have none of the issues you mention. I have access, clients have access and I've never had CRA tell me I can't speak with them about anything as an Authorized Rep (level 2).


What I can't do unless Level 3 is change client particulars, and there's a reason for that, because to have Level 3 you MUST be a Legal Representative...not just "authorized"...ie a POA, Designated Guardian, Trustee, Executor etc.


I've dealt with CRA without issue that way, with minor exceptions along the way for 40+ years, and, while they are worse now than they were...the frustrations with access are largely mostly painful for elderly or somewhat incapacitated people, and the odd person that CRA decides "doesn't exist" (yes...I just had that).


I can bitch about 'em all day long and the vagaries and deficiences of Rep a Client, though somewhat improved...but the base problem is still management and their total aversion to any form of risk. They are terrified of a repetition of the hacks that happened at CERB.

[MoneyGuy]

I listen to one podcast and now more than 50 from that show are filling up my queue. I didn’t put them there; they just appeared. Automatic downloads are not turned on.

[puffnstuff]

I looked online, says they have the product in stock. I called, the person says yes we have that. I go in, pay for it, then head to their warehouse to pick it up. Guess what, its not in stock.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

I looked online, says they have the product in stock. I called, the person says yes we have that. I go in, pay for it, then head to their warehouse to pick it up. Guess what, its not in stock.

Ah yes...shades of working at Canadian Tire.

"It says you have 6 rotors in stock!"

We might have 1. If you're lucky. That inventory system is hilariously unreliable.

I remember when I was young and working on my own car, looking for stock. I know I came across as a jerk, but I always called ahead first, because I know better.

"Can you physically lay your eyes upon this product and confirm to me that it exists within our Mortal Plane and upon the shelves of your domain and not simply within the imagination of the spreadsheets of your notoriously unreliable inventory system? If so, I shall arrive forthwith and acquire them! But I'm betting not."

- "Yeah. No. These things dont exist."

I figured.

[monkey brewery]

I was at the kiddos Iron Ring ceremony today, and I have never seen a more pathetic parade of limp dick handshakes in my entire life, male female, all ethnicities. Student after student offering up their wet noodle for 2 hours. I wanted to scream.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by monkey brewery

I was at the kiddos Iron Ring ceremony today, and I have never seen a more pathetic parade of limp dick handshakes in my entire life, male female, all ethnicities. Student after student offering up their wet noodle for 2 hours. I wanted to scream.

They're told to do that, dude. Otherwise the old people who have to shake 2000 hands can get injured if everyone is given'r.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

Having to sit and wait for a warehouse to open from their lunch break is bull####. You're a warehouse. Your one job is to ship products.

Give them a lunch break, sure, but make it staggered so I don't have to time my day around you.

How big of a warehouse? I worked at a huge company and it was obviously staggered, but we worked with a lot of small to mid size warehouses and lunch shutdowns were very standard.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Sliver

They're told to do that, dude. Otherwise the old people who have to shake 2000 hands can get injured if everyone is given'r.

I told them to exchange the handshake for a good old 'hop and chest bump' but nobody listens!

[Geraldsh]

Originally Posted by monkey brewery

I was at the kiddos Iron Ring ceremony today, and I have never seen a more pathetic parade of limp dick handshakes in my entire life, male female, all ethnicities. Student after student offering up their wet noodle for 2 hours. I wanted to scream.

You’re still doing handshakes? That’s so pre-Covid, a brief head nod should be sufficient.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Geraldsh

You’re still doing handshakes? That’s so pre-Covid, a brief head nod should be sufficient.

I thought they just threw the rings into the crowd and the students went at them like 'Hungry Hungry Hippos!''

[Sr. Mints]

I take it they opened up iron ring ceremonies to family/friends? I remember it was some private, secretive cult thing (I assume with naked twister and jello shots) when my friends graduated in the early 2000s.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I take it they opened up iron ring ceremonies to family/friends? I remember it was some private, secretive cult thing (I assume with naked twister and jello shots) when my friends graduated in the early 2000s.

I think they work the iron rings into the jello shots and then...well...the engineers must...'retrieve them.' *shudder*

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I take it they opened up iron ring ceremonies to family/friends? I remember it was some private, secretive cult thing (I assume with naked twister and jello shots) when my friends graduated in the early 2000s.

Having done the ceremony before I probably wouldn't bother going if my kids invited me to the ceremony. It is boring as hell. I would just tell them to go and we can meet up for dinner and drinks afterwards.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I take it they opened up iron ring ceremonies to family/friends? I remember it was some private, secretive cult thing (I assume with naked twister and jello shots) when my friends graduated in the early 2000s.

Presumably the OP is an engineer.

No, the ceremony was definitely not as fun as you described.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I take it they opened up iron ring ceremonies to family/friends? I remember it was some private, secretive cult thing (I assume with naked twister and jello shots) when my friends graduated in the early 2000s.

You could always invite 1 or 2 people. Can’t remember the exact number. I suspect 2 because my parents were there.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Weitz

You could always invite 1 or 2 people. Can’t remember the exact number. I suspect 2 because my parents were there.

It was only 1 when I graduated, but also open to any other engineer wearing their ring. So lots of people had additional relatives either presenting them their ring or in attendance.

My grandpa (now deceased) giving me my ring was easily the highlight of an otherwise extremely boring day.

[Whynotnow]

Originally Posted by Weitz

You could always invite 1 or 2 people. Can’t remember the exact number. I suspect 2 because my parents were there.

Not always, back in my day there were absolutely no guests allowed and you weren’t even supposed to talk about the ceremony.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

It was only 1 when I graduated, but also open to any other engineer wearing their ring. So lots of people had additional relatives either presenting them their ring or in attendance.

My grandpa (now deceased) giving me my ring was easily the highlight of an otherwise extremely boring day.

Same for me on the second paragraph there. Otherwise forgettable.