Gripe thread

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:43 am

I do pay for tickets actually, I'm just winding cunts up......

I do not, however, pay fines,,, I don't agree with them. why would I hand over my hard earned cash in trepidation? fuck that. Make 'em come and get it if they want it so bad*

*read: they wont

DBoy · Post by **DBoy** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:44 am

Direkt wrote:
lynt wrote:Melbourne needs to get it's shit together. I used to say Connex was fucked every bloody time I waited for 1 single train. Then I moved to Stockholm where the trains run every 2 bloody minutes, on time, clean and with plenty of room. They run 24 hours on the weekend, are patrolled by police constantly and I never have had 1 issue. I use it every day, multiple times as it's actually faster than walking.

The irony?

IT'S RUN BY CONNEX!

How hard can it be Melbourne? Serious-fucking-ly?
Yeah, I've heard about that mate.

Perhaps it's combinations of the infrastructure and Australian work ethic here?

Do you need to mention Lynt how much tax Sweden pays on Goods and Services?

Post by **lynt** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:45 am

That's the thing about Australia. When people pay for something and don't get what they expect, they (generally) don't kick up a fuss.

In Sweden, if people don't like something, they simply don't use it.

In France, if the people don't like something, they burn shit.

In India, they stop traffic, burn flags and take their shirts off.

In Australia, if people don't like something, they whinge, and whine, and pay the next day, and the next, and cry when they get busted for not paying, but in the end, still use it.

The only solution is follow the French, Swedes and Indians. Turn cars over, don't use anything. burn shit, take our shirts off and try to fuck the system. They need to get paid too, right?

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:46 am

Gliding High wrote:People who don't pay for their tix aren't my concern. My concern is getting what I paid for, and getting it now

I don't believe these to be mutually exclusive my friend.

Whilst there may not be much you can do about it, I don't think fare evaders are helping our plight.

Post by **lynt** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:47 am

DBoy wrote:
Direkt wrote:
lynt wrote:Melbourne needs to get it's shit together. I used to say Connex was fucked every bloody time I waited for 1 single train. Then I moved to Stockholm where the trains run every 2 bloody minutes, on time, clean and with plenty of room. They run 24 hours on the weekend, are patrolled by police constantly and I never have had 1 issue. I use it every day, multiple times as it's actually faster than walking.

The irony?

IT'S RUN BY CONNEX!

How hard can it be Melbourne? Serious-fucking-ly?
Yeah, I've heard about that mate.

Perhaps it's combinations of the infrastructure and Australian work ethic here?
Do you need to mention Lynt how much tax Sweden pays on Goods and Services?

GST is separate, actually.

But, the real fact lies in that a monthly ticket is AUD$160, but hey, it's worth every last cent. I've seen train drivers, both male and female, in their young twenties driving the subway, it's not just an old jaded man's job!

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:00 am

Direkt wrote:
Gliding High wrote:People who don't pay for their tix aren't my concern. My concern is getting what I paid for, and getting it now
I don't believe these to be mutually exclusive my friend.

Whilst there may not be much you can do about it, I don't think fare evaders are helping our plight.

and bending over every day and taking it "for the moral good" is?

lynt wrote:That's the thing about Australia. When people pay for something and don't get what they expect, they (generally) don't kick up a fuss.

In Sweden, if people don't like something, they simply don't use it.

In France, if the people don't like something, they burn shit.

In India, they stop traffic, burn flags and take their shirts off.

In Australia, if people don't like something, they whinge, and whine, and pay the next day, and the next, and cry when they get busted for not paying, but in the end, still use it.

The only solution is follow the French, Swedes and Indians. Turn cars over, don't use anything. burn shit, take our shirts off and try to fuck the system. They need to get paid too, right?

too right,

best response so far

Gliding High · Post by **Gliding High** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:09 am

Direkt wrote:
Gliding High wrote:People who don't pay for their tix aren't my concern. My concern is getting what I paid for, and getting it now
I don't believe these to be mutually exclusive my friend.

Whilst there may not be much you can do about it, I don't think fare evaders are helping our plight.

Yes, of course.
But what are THEY (Connex) going to do about it?
I'm sure if they provided a service like Stockholm's, then people would be more than happy to pay on a whole.
When I lived in Sweden for a short while, I too travelled on their system every day (Mostly from Solna to Nacka to work in the climbing gym), and this involved a couple of trains and a bus. Never had a problem.
Something is lacking here, and it is not the Australian work ethic, or anything similar. It is simply a lack of trains and services on our transport grid. The solution is simple: Connex needs to have a good hard look at itself, stop bitching about the heat and people evading fares, and make our system somthing that at least has some semblance to ANY modern European city I can think of.
Quite simply, they need to invest the time and money - to gain back some respect, in turn earn a real profit - and gain the praise from the majority of its users to back up any issues it may have to argue.
When they make their system worthwhile, I'll be happy to pay triple what I pay now.
Until then, I'm stuck running the gauntlet from Essendon to Hawthorn most days - and it fuckin sux, and there's nothing, repeat NOTHING, I can do about it.

Anyway, I'm doing Uni via the net this year. Thank fuck

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:11 am

deviant wrote:
Direkt wrote:
Gliding High wrote:People who don't pay for their tix aren't my concern. My concern is getting what I paid for, and getting it now
I don't believe these to be mutually exclusive my friend.

Whilst there may not be much you can do about it, I don't think fare evaders are helping our plight.
and bending over every day and taking it "for the moral good" is?

Give it a rest mate.

If you haven't picked up what I've been putting down yet, you never will.

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:14 am

laying down more like it

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:17 am

at this page...

public transport alwasy brings out the factions eh?

lynt is right.
its fucking dismal. the way it is now, IT SHOULD BE FREE.
but nobody gets upset do they?
in france, kid gets shot by cops, and the whole city erupts in protest for days.
in northcote, kid gets shot by cops, and everyone pats cops on the back!!!!!!!!!

i pay for my tickets now, but it stings.
espeically when they put them up every few months and the system DOES NOT IMPROVE..

direkt > lighten up dude!

Gliding High · Post by **Gliding High** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:20 am

Direkt wrote: Give it a rest mate.

If you haven't picked up what I've been putting down yet, you never will.

Nah, addmittedly, I don't get ya.
But, I'm happy to leave it at that.
You do definately need to lighten up tho

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:21 am

yeah! mr grumpy pants

Post by **lynt** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:25 am

Connex aren't short of cash. They got fined over $10 Million last year because of shit service, no drama, but I'm sure it stung somewhat.

It's all good to speculate about what the fuck is going on. But as we know, the bottom line is, the majority doesn't have a choice when it comes to transport and rely on Connex every day, and, every day the majority cop it in the arse. When will enough, be enough?

same o · Post by **same o** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:34 am

lynt wrote:the majority doesn't have a choice when it comes to transport and rely on Connex every day, and, every day the majority cop it in the arse. When will enough, be enough?

ohh look at me i no longer have to ride on connex la di da..

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:39 am

^^ oh no, but he does (see above post)

trams are generally more reliable (just), but the ticketing system is confusing and the ease at which one can evade payment is a rort.....

same o · Post by **same o** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:40 am

lol fail

Hatsudai · Post by **Hatsudai** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:45 am

Gripe:

10:00 and have done no work and not feeling like being productive at all today

and

its raining

and

I can't go for a ride

mrj · Post by **mrj** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:47 am

whoa can of worms in here innit

but seriously, i can see how people don't think fare evading is much of a statement, but hey I'm not really doing it because its a statement.

If I pay for a ticket it has practically zero effect on the quality of the service. The money is taken and quite literally wasted on bullshit projects that are never delivered, or delivered poorly. Things like the super stops whose effect has really only been to increase traffic congestion in the city. Things like the myki card. Things like paying for bullshit gestapo metcops who inflict intimidation and sometimes violence on innocent commuters. If thats the way the money is to be used I refuse to hand it over.

Next state government election I will definitley be casting my vote mainly according to public transport policy. I believe the current minister is quite possibly the most inept and out of touch individiual in Australian politics.

Until then I'm voting with my cash.

Feigan · Post by **Feigan** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:50 am

Defo can of worms.

I sit with Direkt

Pay up or walk/ride/hop/skate/surf - whatever.

you no pay you no play.

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:55 am

I actually find the met-cop thing hard to comprehend....... how is it OK to treat people like that? my god, I even feel under scrutiny and guilty when I have a fucking ticket.

I like to play the "oh I lost mine"..... or the search every pocket to no avail routine, wait 'til they're about the feast on my carcas then pull out a ticket going "oh, here it is!"

gives me lulz every time.

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:05 pm

My old housemate is on a payment plan $20 per week. And any extra offences just gets added to the bill and he continues to pay $20 per week fro public transport forever.

almax · Post by **almax** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:22 pm

deviant wrote:I actually find the met-cop thing hard to comprehend....... how is it OK to treat people like that? my god, I even feel under scrutiny and guilty when I have a fucking ticket.

I like to play the "oh I lost mine"..... or the search every pocket to no avail routine, wait 'til they're about the feast on my carcas then pull out a ticket going "oh, here it is!"

gives me lulz every time.

lol, im gonna try that, sounds like good times, wasting their time, getting them all edgy. I usually pretend to be asleep with my headphones and sunnies on, good times watching them try to be polite and touch you gently, then harder and harder till you flip out upon "wakin up"

if you were a girl you could really embarrass them and say really loudly, "next time dont touch me on the breast you pervert"

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:31 pm

^^^ HAHAHAHAHA great game, will try

deejaypcp · Post by **deejaypcp** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:45 pm

I might start suggesting they stop trying to touch my balls. That'd be a fuckin cak.

a few more spokes in the wheel: First thing new years day - Ticket price increased to $3.70 for a 2 hour adult ticket. I got on a train from footscray to parliament, there was rubbish everywhere and the smell of a closed bar.
I also bought tickets a couple of times late last year when travel was free. Why? Nothing to tell me it was free, this is at Footscray Station where they employ about 5 staff full-time.
Every time I want to go somewhere and have to change trains I have no idea which platform I'm supposed to go to for the connection. Half the time the droogs at the exits don't know either.
The amount of times i've sat in trains when they've been delayed between stops with no explanation is ridiculous.
These are pretty simple things for Connex to do and would make a little more happy with my 3.70 spent.
Like I said earlier I usually buy tickets. But I'm not paying their goddam fines.
Witty-Psuedonym, did you find out what type of record your friend got for not paying the fine?

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:00 pm

will probably see him on the weekend pcp...so I'll try and find out.

deejaypcp · Post by **deejaypcp** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:13 pm

cheers:)

Caleidoscope · Post by **Caleidoscope** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:15 pm

Sick of supervisors who do shit all breathing down your neck about your own work

GRIPE GRIEPEPRGIPIREP

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:40 pm

the supervisors (or rather the new ones) here are fucked..... they micro-manage the shitter out of you until you eventually snap

I snapped a while back

wasn't pretty

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:21 pm

deviant wrote:the supervisors (or rather the new ones) here are fucked..... they micro-manage the shitter out of you until you eventually snap

I snapped a while back

wasn't pretty

I supervise. It's all in the personality. I get away with a pretty laid back approach but go for the kill when its called for.

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:00 pm

I got hauled over hot coals for being late a few months ago.... rang in to advise before the start time and all... I am rarely ever late. I told them they had no place asking me what happened or why I was late.... they didn't like that and began "counselling" me etc etc.... I snapped.

generally still happening (to most people here)... I just ignore it now.. I mean grilling a 8year long-standing staff member in their 40s for not giving enough notice about a dentist appt then grilling him on whether he should come back to work straight after the dentist if it finished early etc etc etc..... ffs!! it should go like this...

"I have a dentist appointment at 2:30 on friday"
----
"Ok, don't forget to apply for the sick leave with HR"
----
"no worries"

CASE MOTHERFUCKIN CLOSED

FoundationStepper · Post by **FoundationStepper** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:21 pm

I had a stupid manager like that at CoM. he got laid off in the restructure

Post by **huge** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:25 pm

i love not having a boss in the building huhu.

me - *look around for someone to tell im going to the dentist*
me - ....
me - go to dentist
them - no idea id gone anywhere

nic · Post by **nic** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:04 am

last night i was working late n had a spliff with my boss on teh roof - somehow managed to black out and fall over into a massive algae covered puddle flat on my back, out for 20 seconds.

woke up inside freezing and really dirty, wet and confused.

that never happened before bit scary / lol, now im teh office lightweight - even got teased by the IT dude lol.

spin · Post by **spin** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:38 am

nic wrote:last night i was working late n had a spliff with my boss on teh roof - somehow managed to black out and fall over into a massive algae covered puddle flat on my back, out for 20 seconds. woke up inside freezing and really dirty, wet and confused.

that never happened before bit scary / lol, now im teh office lightweight - even got teased by the IT dude lol.

wow, rock n roll... you have turned pro!

nic · Post by **nic** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:53 am

retzie · Post by **retzie** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:34 am

^^ Fuck! Pretty full-on reaction..... Did you wake up with your pants on??

GOTD: the job I would rather not get seems quite keen on me

. I feel like I'm being really precious, but 3 years of my life in fucking Iowa?? Urgh, career vs life decisions I really don't want to have to make...

Not to mention the pay. I'm clearly not in this for the money, but fucking hell, I'm only worth $40K?? Get fucked - I could earn more in admin in Melbourne

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:20 am

you could earn more in a call centre..... don't take that shit... fucking pathetic

menace · Post by **menace** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:27 am

nic wrote:last night i was working late n had a spliff with my boss on teh roof - somehow managed to black out and fall over into a massive algae covered puddle flat on my back, out for 20 seconds. woke up inside freezing and really dirty, wet and confused.

that never happened before bit scary / lol, now im teh office lightweight - even got teased by the IT dude lol.

told you drugs are bad

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:28 am

call the cops!

retzie · Post by **retzie** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:37 am

deviant wrote:you could earn more in a call centre..... don't take that shit... fucking pathetic

Unfortunately, current wage isn't that much higher

. $40K is dead bottom of the bottom of the acceptable range, but it tops out around $53K anyway.

Woo. Paid fuck all to live somewhere shit

If I got to live somewhere good, money wouldn't be an issue at all, but fuck.....

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:13 am

do they even do mafs in cool places retz?

scurry nic. at least you fell in teh algae and not over teh edge.

gotd: awful dreams making me worry about friends.

nic · Post by **nic** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:33 am

i dreamt about touching you

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:42 am

not a gripe...surely.

nic · Post by **nic** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:43 am

a boing up tbh
fuel my dreams

nic · Post by **nic** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:44 am

FULE MAH DRAHSM

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:50 am

retzie · Post by **retzie** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:17 am

witty_pseudonym wrote:do they even do mafs in cool places retz?

Hell yes, and have most definitely applied there too. C'mon Austin, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Berkeley, LA.....

Not enough jobs for the number of researchers, so too much competition innit

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:24 am

I have a friend doing her PhD at Stanford atm. Sounds pretty amazing.
You'll get there lady. all about progression. Sacrifices might need to be made for the bigger picture!
Iowa can't be too bad. They have Albert the bull!

AND

THE WORLDS LARGEST STRAWBERRY!!!! Envy of Australia tbh.

J Gal · Post by **J Gal** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:57 am

GOTD: stupid stomach bug over being stuck at home... bah boring.

Blaxter · Post by **Blaxter** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:09 pm

Not really a gripe but on the Metcop tip - I got hassled today cause my ticket didn't swipe at my station and couldn't get out at Flinders. A met link dude swiped me through when I explaiend and then a Metcop steps forward and askes to see my ticket, afeter aq few minutes he conceded they were haviong problmes at Morleand and swiped my ticket through with no fine or other hassle. Cost me three minutes that I couldn't afford cause being late is worse than not coming into work at all. But at least he had some comnmon sense and didn't get all up in his false power trip.