pmccarthy

Rock around the clock tonight.

I have been thinking about how our world has turned to crap. Thirty years ago, I could ring Qantas Help or Westpac help and get straight through. Now we have technology and the internet and no one in business cares what the customer thinks. Its after 4pm, I'm reaching for the Shiraz.

How I spent an hour of my time today: This chat may be recorded. By using this chat, you agree to its terms of use. To read our privacy statement, type 'Learn about privacy'. Connecting you with Red - Westpac's Virtual Assistant Hi Peter, I'm here to help with general banking questions. I provide generic, factual information only and don’t take into account any personal information you tell us or have previously told us. Feel free to pick a topic from the list below, or ask me your question in a short, simple sentence: 1:28 PM Message says my card has been blocked 1:28 PM Are you able to confirm the type of card you're having issues with? 1:28 PM Credit Card issue 1:28 PM Have you received a fraud notification that your card's been suspended? 1:28 PM Yes 1:28 PM This activity sounds concerning. You may need to chat to our Card Fraud team. 1:28 PM Our Card Fraud team can only support enquiries where you have not supplied your card details to a business. Have you provided your card details to this business before? 1:28 PM Yes 1:28 PM If you've provided your details to a business in the past, any charges you receive that you don't recognise or may not agree with need to be resolved via a dispute. 1:29 PM If there's an issue or something you'd like to dispute, first contact the merchant to check if they're able to help. If you're unable to resolve the issue with the merchant, you can dispute the card transaction online within 150 days of the payment being processed. 1:29 PM Select the transaction in your transaction list and then select the 'Report the transaction' button. Complete the form and we'll investigate for you. 1:29 PM Were you able to dispute the transaction? 1:29 PM No 1:31 PM I'll need to transfer you to a banker to help with you with your transaction dispute/query. 1:31 PM Our chat bankers can help you with most general enquiries on your accounts. 1:31 PM Please let me know if your enquiry relates to Personal or Business Banking and I'll check if there's a banker that's available to help. Personal Banking 1:31 PM Personal Banking 1:31 PM Thanks Peter, I'll connect you to the next available banker. You can come back to your conversation anytime. The banker provides factual information only, and no product advice. Please let them know if you're not ok to proceed on this basis. There'll be a short survey at the end of this conversation. You can minimise this chat and one of our bankers will get back to you as soon as possible. We apologise that our wait times are longer than normal and thank you for your patience. Please feel free to message us your enquiry below and the next available banker will be with you as soon as possible. 1:31 PM I have received a notification that my card has been blocked. But there is no transaction on my account that I can query. 1:33 PM We apologise that our wait times are longer than normal and thank you for your patience. Please feel free to message us your enquiry below and the next available banker will be with you as soon as possible. Hi there, Peter! Thank you for contacting Westpac Virtual Banking and thank you for your patience while waiting. My name is Rejie, I'm here to help, and I hope I can make your day a little better. Please allow me to assist you. 1:36 PM Hello 1:38 PM I have received a notification that my card has been blocked. But there is no transaction on my account that I can query. 1:38 PM Hello Rejie are you there? 1:39 PM Hello? 1:41 PM I understand that seeing your card blocked without any visible transaction can be confusing. Let me take a closer look at what’s triggered this and help get everything sorted for you. 1:42 PM Can you please provide the last four digits of the card? 1:48 PM **** 1:50 PM I can confirm that your card ending in**** has been temporarily restricted due to a transaction from Amazon Prime Membership for $0. 1:51 PM And you need to speak with the card fraud team to lift the restriction on your card. 1:52 PM how do i speak to them? 1:52 PM I can transfer you directly to them. 1:54 PM Shall I go ahead and transfer you over to them? 1:54 PM Please do 1:54 PM Okay, please allow me to leave a note first on your account. 1:54 PM Transferring you now. 1:59 PM Sorry our wait times are longer than expected. You will be connected to an agent shortly. Welcome to live chat with Gianell from card fraud. Can I please start with your full name and date of birth? 2:05 PM **** 2:05 PM Reading back on chat. 2:07 PM Last 4 digits of card? 2:11 PM **** 2:11 PM Let me check. 2:14 PM 2:05 PM Reading back on chat. 2:07 PM Last 4 digits of card? 2:11 PM **** 2:11 PM Let me check. 2:14 PM Card blocked due to alerted transaction. 2:20 PM So what are you doing to unblock it? 2:20 PM AMAZON PRIME MEMBERSHIP $0. 2:20 PM Did you try to use it? 2:20 PM No 2:20 PM I do subscribe to Amazon Prime so they have my card number. 2:21 PM I see, please give me a moment to lift block. 2:22 PM Done. 2:23 PM Have I answered all your questions today? 2:23 PM Yes

If the new system reduces fees to the large, politically connected accounting firms, it will never happen.

The main problem with a screen is having to look over at it and move your finger to make something happen. It is very distracting. Not like knobs and buttons that can be found by feel.

Talking about perceptions, my perception is that the federal government is the worst we have had in my lifetime. And that includes Whitlam, who I had voted for. Each of us has our perception based on what we see and read; we draw our own conclusions based on experience. I don't mind people having an opposite perception, it just means that I disagree with them. I don't have to shout at them or be rude.

Nobody is just shocked anymore, they are always shell shocked. Which is a different thing entirely.

I think this about cars. I had a 1927 Chev in 1977 and it was ancient. I felt very brave when I drove it from Ballarat to Broken Hill and back for a rally. Equivalent now would be a 1976 Kingswood, which would still suit me as a daily driver.

Come and knock on my door we've been waiting for you.

I read a book once about trucking. It said corrugations and bull dust only appeared with pneumatic tyres. When trucks had solids, up to the 1920s, it wasn’t a problem.

Ditto, looks great, you deserve it.

There is a type of soft rubbery material that reverts to black crude oil over time and blackens your hand. I threw out a set of screwdrivers like that. Yesterday I spent a few hours replacing the foam surrounds around the speaker cones in my 30-year-old stereo, which had turned to black grease. And I have a pair of binoculars that have gone like that, I am reluctant to throw them out but they are black and sticky.

A friend just came back from the USA, says that ordinary people are just getting on with their lives and seem unaffected by it all.

What is that supposed to mean?🧐

New research also shows that they were making complex copper alloys, deliberately adding trace elements to adjust the properties such as strength and hardness.