Old Ironmaker

I've had good service and crap service at most of the big box stores and surprisingly small mom and pops too. What I have learned is what the store policy is for each item. Like buying a $400.00 shallow well pump and brought it back to CTC the same day because it did not work, the motor was poached to be told that I needed to send it back to the manufacturer. I learned that day Mastercraft is not CTC anymore, it's an independent supplier !!!! IT must be true an 18 year old told me.It weighed around 25 pounds. Come on man, where's the store manager, not the acting manager the one that's picture is on the wall. She's off today, call her at home and get her in here because I'm not leaving until you call the OPP and I'll tell them why I'm not leaving. And who's going to pay the plumbers bill for install and removal? Please give me the receipt Sir. My wife buys me a ridiculously expensive watch from Facets Jewelers in Caledonia because I buy a $10.00 watch every year whether I need one or not. The stem breaks the second time I use it. Facets says they aren't a Fossil dealer and I need to send it to Texas for warranty work, shipping and insurance is on me. A year latter I get my watch back because it happened twice. Oh or I can drive 2 hours one way to some mall in TO and pick out a new watch, but the replacement is only the price of the same watch in the US and US funds, 40% less than the original was. So she spends $300.00 bucks and Fossil offers me $180.00 credit. I buy a Okuma trolling rod and reel at Caledonia Bait and Tackle. The first fish on is lost. Reel in the line and the knot at the connection of the lead core and flouro has let go. Along with the $12.00 Reef Runner I bought there along with the other $50.00 I spent and Featherstone Ted bought $75.00 worth of tackle. She tells me it's not her problem talk to Okuma here's their number. Are you kidding me, you are going to loose a first time customer over a lure you paid maybe $5.00 for wholesale? I guess so. Anyone from Caledonia listening? Find out the return policy before putting out a dime. I think that's one reason why many boxes are open at CTC that are on the shelf. I'm done ranting sorry.

Man like Bill said you need some type of sonar, you're fishing blind. I always hear "yea but what did they do before sonar?" Get skunked a lot, or fished the same spot year in and year out and never moved much, and got skunked a lot. Figure what you invest in a days outing and not catch a thing then ask yourself what would I pay for a shot at success? Use a $200.00 sonar 20 times it costs $10.00 a trip, 30 times and it's the cost of a dozen minnows. 40 times and now it doesn't owe you a thing. Don't forget get a portable and use it all year long. I had a portable long before I had a boat. It was like night and day knowing we were on the fish. I bet you can find a used portable or ice specific flasher cheap. Put an add here on the classified for portable fishfinder wanted. You may be surprised at how generous the folks here are. I gave a portable with the ice fishing set up away for free to someone on another site last winter. He came out here 5 times last summer asking me what he could do around the place. Great kid.

Very good work Sir. The first time I saw the electric drill auger set up was on WFN a few years ago and never got off my lazy but to make one up myself. Haven't needed one either because ice around here has been very rare the past few years or longer. I was concerned with the torque if the auger got hung up. Even a 18 volt can give you a jolt drilling through doug fir with a 1" bit. Keep the drill and batteries warm and you should be good for the day. I'll take 2. If they work I'll take 100. If the price is right. Then I'll take 1000. See you on Dragon's Den. A local guy hit it big with a gizmo that attached to a cordless to roll up the straps on big rig trailers. He got the investment from one of the Dragon's.

I was actually serious about the name tags. It works well in all the conferences I've attended over the years. See the name recognize it as someone you've spent many hours talking to or corresponding with over the years but never met in person. Are you reading this Mom? Send me a PM, I may be able to help in that way even if I don't attend if it's something you might want to do. Putting on the name tags is always optional. I don't think someone like Rob Ford would need one around Ontario at least.

Now that's the N.A.W. I have come to respect based on his helpful and interesting posts and a great Dad to that little guy.

Everyone at sometime in their lives have had relationships with other people and decided for one reason or another to end that relationship. Often once the dust has settled they realize the relationship wasn't as bad as it seemed and reconcile. Heck I had one guy at work that married the same woman 3 times. Add an "m" to end and you have mend. People change, I know I have, give bigredfisher a break, we all deserve a second chance. I will admit that 12 years ago I went through a personal tragedy that changed me. I was mad at the world and wanted to pick a fight with anyone or anything. I became a troller on another forum. I found it was easy, hide behind a screen and you could be anyone or anything one wishes, including a coward. I was a Jackass, idiot, douchbag number 1 with 5 stars. Now I'm so ashamed of my attitude then I want to vomit. I chucked my computer out the door 12 years ago when I came to my senses and realized I was wasting away my life fighting with everyone I knew. This past fall was the first time I joined a forum in 12 years. You guys gave me a second chance, please give bigredfisher that second chance as well. Please.

Yes I'm in, plus my wife will be happy that I give her more space for her stuff. Exactly what do you need most? Also where to send it?

Thanks, now that's information that I never knew. So Okumas pal could have asked for the patient ombudsman to intervene in this situation. As could have I for my father.

And that means? Not trying to be funny just trying to learn. Remember your not talking to piers in hospital administration.

None, Windows8 is specifically designed for touch screen if I've been told correctly. Email complaints go straight into the recycle bin. Talk your way to an executive in customer service. They will give you so much run around to encourage you to give up on the whole thing. Diligence and a Pit Bull like grasp is the only way to get to the VP level where they are the only people to really be able to get you satisfaction. Lower level customer service people never want you to get to that level because it shows they can't do their jobs. INSIST. I had a problem with Bell that took me 1 week to get to the VP of customer services. I called at least 10 times a day. When they realized free long distance for a year wasn't going to cut it the climbing to the top went quickly. Insist on getting real names and the names of their supervisors and phone extension numbers. When they say we will get back to you ask when, when they don't call the supervisor, and so on and so on. Each level of service is able to only offer so much. If your serious about getting satisfaction you will get it if your not being unreasonable about compensation. I saved $1700.00 on a bogus phone bill. Then I received free long distance for Canada and US for as long as I keep this number and stay with Bell.

I believe you can discharge yourself but have no say as to when they discharge you. When they discharged my father from emergency after a stroke (TIF mini stroke ) I wrote out a note saying I didn't agree and held that emergency not yet 25 year old Dr. responsible, she wouldn't sign it, I had it witnessed by another patients family member. I bet that kid Dr. didn't sleep much. He was back the next day with a second stroke. Then they admitted him. Same Dr. sent him upstairs asap. I guess it's called gaining experience, but it's at the risk of a life in medicine.

Afrax, you said " One of the engineers that was working the night shift mentioned mismanagement over a long period of time in ensuring the piping was up to date and could withstand emergencies such as this." I've seen lines in the plant split by ice that were schedule 80. That's thick. I don't know of any commercial water supply lines that will withstand a freeze. Not all split your just lucky if they don't. Only heat tracing will protect any water line. Pex line is less likely to split as they give a bit, but they will. Some contingency should have been put in place to assume the lines will split once heat was restored or once it was obvious a freeze would have occurred the system should have been drained and isolated. Simply by opening one valve to drain to sewer may have saved the system from freezing. Too simple to plan ahead. The first thing we do here in the country is drain my system once the heat has been off and the fireplace can't keep the outside wall in the kitchen warm enough. We don't have water without Hydro anyway so now I close 1 valve and open 1 valve as soon as power is lost or heat can't keep up, like Mondays freeze. You may be able to do this in your condo as well unless your line feeds downstream to others. Now that I'm retired I do mentor those in failure analysis. FEMA. I'm available occasionally unless I'm fishing. Almost forgot this is a fishing forum.

Don't want to hijack this thread any farther than it has been, is she doing better Irish?

Pikeslayer, if you enjoyed that your sick man, just a sick puppy. Glad to hear about the date, that numbs the pain. She got to know you well while you were laying there, maybe it wasn't your mind she was after, good going.

NightCrawler, You say people wouldn't invest unless there was a return to be had. As someone once said " there's a sucker born everyday". The local paper reported last fall there was a nice rural couple that bought a solar system for $60000.00 from a door to door salesman in Dunnville. After the system was built they told Haldimand Hydro they were ready to send the power into the grid. Haldimand Hydro said thanks but no thanks. The infrastructure was a maximum capacity. Do your homework folks, this working family has to wait until they build a new sub station before they start to see any ROI and are paying interest on a loan. There are no plans for Haldimand Hydro to build any more capacity for there system in Dunnville, they don't need anymore electricity.

The health care system in Hamilton has served my wife and myself well. I couldn't complain until just recently. I had a cystoscopy to remove a bladder tumor in November of 2011. Part of the follow up is a cystoscopy every 6 months for 2 years then annually for life. A cystoscopy is when the surgeon takes a 1/2 inch piece of ABS pipe and cuts the end off with a hack saw and doesn't smooth out the burr. Then he jams it down inside your penis and moves it around for 5 minutes. This is done while your wide awake. Oh yea, there's a topical ointment applied to numb the pain. There is no numbing that pain I can tell you. After I was able to get off the table the first time I said " the next time you do this I will be put under, they put you under for a colonoscopy and I've had one without a General and that doesn't hurt at all ". He told me that when they set up the new Urology Clinic at St. Joseph's in Hamilton they didn't budget for an anesthesiologist. So for 2 years I counted the days until the next torture session because hey, a Doctor would never lie to you. This past December I received a letter from the McMaster Urology Clinic at St. Joseph's Hospital saying Dr. Paul Whalen would no longer be associated with the clinic. I was told by my family Dr's office to find myself a urologist that provides a General, another too long story. I was willing to drive to Ottawa. I found a Urologist that does provides General for this exact procedure. He is part of the group of Urologists at McMaster University Urology Clinic at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton Ontario Canada. If Paul Whalen want's to sue me I say go ahead, I dare you to, make my day. In fact I haven't been to Victoria for years, maybe I should sue for pain and suffering plus emotional distress, which all of which is absolutly true. All I would need to do to be awarded damages is have the Judge undergo the procedure himself, it would be my luck to get a woman judge.

My company sent me to Buffalo for an MRI 2 days after I tore my good knee up then made arrangements for the surgery the next Saturday to get me back on the job asap. Was looking at a year through OHIP plus recovery. Then they hired a private therapist and received daily sessions at the plant hospital. I asked for more money if they thought I was that valuable, they gave me my own parking space.

Did you get up there Landry, how did you fare?

It's human nature to place blame. Cavewoman blamed cavemen for not bagging dinner, cavemen blamed the guy in the next cave for having a sharper spear. T Bone posted some great thoughts, top 10 post for sure. Some were hit badly by this storm, it didn't effect us in the least. Only luck I suppose. They suffer these types of outages regularly in the coastal states in the US. They are still recovering and some displaced from there homes due to Super Storm Sandy over a year latter. We were in the Keys in January 07 and saw front yards full of garbage and furniture and there were telephone linesmen from the north staying at the fish camp we were at still working at restoring services. That was 15 months after the hurricane hit them. The locals say you never get used to it just more prepared. One suggestion would be to have a back up system for that condo complex. It will never happen due to the many thousands in costs. Next month we will have forgotten about this until the next time it happens. Otherwise I would have added more insulation to that wall where my water line froze Monday, it freezes every year! There I know where the blame lays, cold weather not me.

I scrunched the numbers for solar about 10 years ago and would never see a return on investment and performance was hit and miss, especially in this winter when needed most. We haven't had any real sunlight here in weeks. Generac Natural Gas at 14KW was $2800.00 and $500.00 install by a friend then and now anywhere between $3400.00 for 8K to $4000.00 for 14KW system. No fuss no muss, always have fuel as we have NG and no leaving the warm home to refill battling 60K winds, not me, no way. You have propane, I'd forget solar Cliff.

Check your inbox Rich. Let's go before I head south.

Thanks all. You never know I'll get myself an Ontario Passport and may venture away from Erie. Are there name tags? Then I can come disguised as someone nice. Maybe Christopher. I'll need to grow some more hair though.

Big Cliff, the winters in St. Pete's area are getting cooler every year. It hit and miss really like everything else south in January, February . I would check out further south towards Port Charlotte. Rates are better as well. You are pretty much guaranteed good weather in the Keys at that time of the winter however rental rates are nut down there without long term planning, up to $300.00 or more a night for a small cabin, great fishing though, have you ever been? It's different now with all the McDonald's and Wal-Mart's, they've spoiled the Conch Republic, too tourist trap for me now. My cousin has a rental home, 2 bedroom and pool in Port Charlotte but are booked throughout the winter he said. Maybe open for a week but not 3, I'll check if you wish. PM me with your budget and I'll call him up, he's in Hamilton and I can attest it's a nice clean home with good value and fantastic fishing. We had a place in Charlotte Harbor but sold just before the real estate crash, great fishing, everywhere there is good fishing and everything you would ever want to catch.

Numbers are very important to us all, we live and die by them. But remember the difference of 2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers is about $2.50 over 62 miles. I don't know about you folks but I know guys that will stop twice for a $2.00 coffee in that time, or smoke that much or more in cigarettes in an hours drive. V8 over a V6 in my opinion for all the pro reasons stated above. I really like Grimsbylanders point, beyond the pulling power, stopping power and safety to me is more important than saving a few pennies on fuel. Penny wise pound foolish.

Thanks Misfish, sounds like a very worthy cause. Who knows might actually get out of the county this winter.