GRIPES

[facthunter]

I don't agree with the "chairman Dan" thing that certain Newspapers flog , but otherwise yes.. You can do away with a lot of this stuff with advantage to  everyone..  Nev

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, red750 said:

No medical required,

Yes and no. That medical I have to do is both for driving combination vehicles, and public passenger vehicles. Who would want their school kids being driven by someone with, say, narcolepsy, or uncontrolled diabetes? And don't the medicos advise us to have at least an annual check-up?

 

As a traffic accident investigator, it horrors me that some States do not require annual roadworthiness inspections for vehicles out of their manufacturer's warrant period. Even during that period safety of the vehicle can be compromised by failure of the operator to check the basics of tyres and lights.

 

How many people consider replacing seatbelts in vehicles over ten years old? The material in the belts degrades over time like any other petrochemically derived material.

[spacesailor]

ALSO

That ' carbon canister ' has to be renewed !.

Even With the annual inspection , those items , are Still are not checked .

How many inspectors remove wheels , to inspect ' brake pads ' !.

I wear mine down to a mil, or two. 

BUT , I do keep an eye on them , Every time I remove the wheels to Clean the ' inside ' of them .

spacesailor

 

[facthunter]

OME, the Vic government found it was not cost effective to have annual inspections. If a  car is found defective at any time It's canaried on the spot and has to be repaired and a full roadworthy done before going back on the road.  IF it was a problem it would show in the statistics and I suggest it doesn't..   Nev

[red750]

Road Worthy Certificates required for change of ownership. Dealers must supply RWC, but private sales can stipulate "Get your own RWC." ie., Price is excluding gvt fees and charges.

[onetrack]

Studies have shown that unroadworthy vehicles are involved in less than 1% of crashes. It's the nut holding the steering wheel, that causes 99% of crashes.

[spacesailor]

YOU MEAN , I DIDN'T HAVE TO , SPEND MONEY , & FIX MY WORNOUT BREAKS.

Oh , such is life .

Happy ignorant driver, never ckecked their break-disc,s . Until they didn't work .

spacesailor

[Jerry_Atrick]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

Studies have shown that unroadworthy vehicles are involved in less than 1% of crashes. It's the nut holding the steering wheel, that causes 99% of crashes.

And of those, how many were a contributing factor?

 

It is important to note it is illegal to knowingly drive a unroadworthy car in Victoria, and some people go to great lengths to prove that law is sometimes enforced:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11878855/Victoria-Police-pull-unroadworthy-Hyundai-Palisade-Sunshine-North-Melbourne.html

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Jerry_Atrick

[facthunter]

The system works. Stolen cars are the most highspeed chases and crashes. IF you drove a car with crook brakes in City traffic spacey, you won't last a day . You'd be in someone's Boot..  Nev

[old man emu]

There is some sage advice for those who write strongly worded emails. Before clicking <SEND>, go and cool off. 

 

When I opened my emails this afternoon, there was one from Transport for NSW. The writer explained that she had examined the record of my transactions last month which I did in person. Seems that although I did submit a medical report, it was the one for a person whose suitability to drive had been affected by a medical condition or other handicap. She told me that the suspension had been expunged from my driving record and the time to produce th correct medical had been extended to mid-May.

 

Her email had a phone number on it, so I rang and was able to speak to her. She was friendly and helpful. She explained that her main problem with what I had sent was that it did not contain the doctor's contact details nor Provider number. I explained that I did have the CASA medical which was done at the same time and was the old form of the stricter public vehicle driver's medical. I explained the inability to see a doctor in rural areas, and since she lived in a country town, she was well aware of the difficulty.

 

In the end she said to send her a copy of the CASA medical and they would look over it to see if they could accept it. I suppose that ince she has been so helpful, she might OK waiting until early June when I'll be in Sydney again and will be able to see the doctor if required.

 

We bitch about the anonymous Public Servant, but I'm finding lately that if you can establish communication with one of them who is handling your problem, a mutually acceptable result can be found. 

[spacesailor]

BUT there's the catch !.

Every time you ring the Bureaucrats phone, a Different person answers , And has No knowledge of what the previous half dozen clerks ,

have done, OR , had even Filed anything .

None helpful people, when dealing with , whilst Trying to keep my aged mothers pension from being stopped . Time after Time Again .

In the end it took the Head nursing Manager , to blow them away, with threats of those underlings being fired for '' incompetence '' ,

Her words . not mine, as I was at wits end with stacks of paperwork ,  ( she threatened the Social security ' manager ' . )

spacesailor

[old man emu]

An important thing to know when dealing with government departments is that contacting them by phone results in what Spacey has described. It is so easy for the department to lose anything that has been discussed by voice alone.

 

If you want to get a response, and have anything sorted by that response, you need to put things in writing. Nowadays that means using emails. That creates a permanent record that you have contacted the department, both in your personal records and in the department's. When you get a reply to your email that contains the name of the sender, then you can simply keep up the correspondence with that person who will know about your matter and  then you will not have to tell your story a thousand times to a thousand different people. Putting things in writing also gets around the major problem of accent and comprehension of English and the way Australians use that language.

[Old Koreelah]

We’ve had our share of problems with beaurocracy, but have also been pleasantly surprised by some of the polite, efficient public servants we have contacted. It helps to have all your paperwork ready and be patient and polite.

[spacesailor]

I too , ' like a duck to water ' , took to ' faxing ' All my correspondence to the BURAUECRATS .

As I immediately got a receipt of them receiving it .

Perhaps thats one reason why our " Fax phone's " weren't allowed to use No Bloody N  ( NBN ) .

( At it ' snail like speed ) .

spacesailor

[Jerry_Atrick]

1. Permanent employment. First world problem, but with all the nouveaux management, I am rotting away. At least when I was an independent, there was a little pressure applied. Don't get me wrong, this is one of the better places I have worded where everyone (in our team) does support each other; no agendas, and all of that.. a real small boutique branch working as a small company taking on the might of the British and European financial markets.. but at the same time, stifling.
2. Builders - or lack thereof. I am literally the conclusion of some building work from returning to Aius - while the labour market is in my favour. No doubt, by the time we get a builder in and they do the job, the ar$e will have fallen out of the market. The AUD has taken a 7c hit against the pound int he last couple of weeks,
3. Time (or lack thereof) - Enuff said,,

OK.. In London; No Wolfie about, so with the team had a couple of Oyster Bays - NZ wine.. No wonder I am in a whine...

 

 

[old man emu]

It is amazing that the Government says that the unemployment rate is low, while at the same time no one can get anyone to do any work. 

[red750]

And yet they are complaining about the increase in people claiming Jobseeker.

[facthunter]

Al the tradies. electricians mechanics I know are booked out. That's why you can't get somebody to do some small job. Nev

[Bruce Tuncks]

It's the bureacracy that MAKE you employ tradies even if you could do the job yourself.  This is especially hurtful to those who have better than tradies qualifications, such as engineering degrees.

But the world is built around stupid regulations enforced by stupid bullies.

There was a buildings inspector around here who denied a shed footing because it was square, not round! Even though it was heavier, he foolishly thought that his " approval " meant that he liked it!

[willedoo]

The last time I was involved with building inspectors was in 1996. Back then the local council did the building inspections, but these days they make you get a private engineer. When council did it, the best way to get around the inspectors was to overbuild but always leave some small detail for them to pick. It made them happy.

 

Edit: by overbuild, I mean on tie-down, bracing etc..

Edited April 26, 2023 by willedoo

[facthunter]

 Give some one a cap or shirt with "Official" on it and they turn into a POS. Have they ALL got Relevance Deprivation Syndrome? Nev

[facthunter]

When building where I am now I put in heavier than needed exposed beams for the looks of it and the engineer from Shy  Cancel said "that Beam is too big" and I said yes but inside it is the exact  sized one you want. %$@*%%! Rock Apes/ Oxygen thieves. Wouldn't work in a tub of yeast.  Nev

[willedoo]

I recon the council building inspectors thought they should know more than an owner builder. For their ego, and an easier experience with them, best to let them think that. Hence the bait of leaving some small thing not completed on purpose so they can feel good about themselves by educating you.

 

When I built my place, the council had a public enquiries desk in their building department. Builders and owner builders were able to go to that office and discuss issues with the council building inspectors. Most times I went in there I seemed to always strike the same bloke who was very anti and a real pain in the rear end. When it came time to book a final inspection by phone, I asked the receptionist who would be doing it. Just my luck, it was the anti bloke and I was expecting the inspector from hell.

 

I got a real surprise when he showed up for the inspection. He was great; really friendly, easy going and relaxed, not a bad bloke at all. I think he just hated being in the office and really liked getting out in the field where he could be himself. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover.

[facthunter]

Sometimes though you have to ask yourself What kind of people take these jobs? IF they were any good they'd be out there building Houses and making more money.  Nev

[willedoo]

Those who can't do it inspect instead. I remember the contempt the local trawling fleet had for the fishing inspectors. They said quite a lot of them were unsuccessful former fishermen who couldn't make a go of it, so became fishing inspectors.

 

I also remember one bloke we tried to teach to operate a dozer. He claimed he'd formerly owned his own bobcat business and that he was a very good bobcat operator. After six months on the job training, he was no better than on day one. He was the worst operator I'd ever come across; absolutely woeful. He went home, got his ticket, then got a job training and ticketing operators. Operating tickets don't even make good toilet paper; their only purpose is to satisfy insurance issues.