Bientot le week-end et nouvelles mesures de sécuritée.

Ouin bin il fait 29 degree dans le bureau et la ptite fan "roule au conton" comme va l expression. J n ose imaginer la temparature dans la manufacture. Demain je vais aller faire arranger mon aire climatiser sur la bete a un garage local et par la suite c est en route pour la metropole pour un autre week-end en delectable compagnie :)  Prob en profiter pour faire les marchés publics et me remplir la panse de chocolatines et croissants le matin venue. Comme quoi la metropole garde jalousement ses nombreuses boulangeries #$%#$@$%#$%#$%# !!! Je ne peu qu'espèrer que mère nature va coopérer avec une température plus comfortable que ces dernière semaines... Les "ice cap" de Tim font vraiment la job ces temps-ci.

Oh et un update pour ceux qui se demande pourquoi il ya maintenant un mot de passe sur mon blog...des recents developements on provoquer l apparition d'un cretin d envergure monumental avec un dont pour le harsèlement moral ainsi que menance en tout genre. Le dit residue d'ectoplasme, bachibouzouk analphabet comme dirait Hadoc emerde quelqu un qui est rapidement devenu chaud a mon coeur. Ainsi et par precaution pour tout les concernés j ai opté pour une sécurité additionelle pour mon forum jusqu ici un peu public...

Cheers

Bien bien

Bien bien, mon mini roman et ‘’quête pour la bête’’ enfin publié au vues de tous je vais enfin pouvoir passer à autre chose. Que se passe-t-il ses temps-ci par ici ? Mes colocs et moi avons réussi a terraformer la cour arrière en un endroit potable avec un ptit potager semi ombrager.  La faune local nous supporte d ailleur dans ce projet.  Par exemple la marmotte a sus déguster avec soins toutes les fleurs de zuchini et le bébé lièvre c est contenté  jusqu’ a présent de grignoter le persil du cote des fines herbe…. Installer un grillage mais les dommages  / encouragements dije  furent assez élever. Nous nous croisons les doigts pour une repousse de mis été. Reste le monstrueux rosier a l’avant mais ça est hors de mes cordes puisqu’ une permission est de mise pour les travaux de réfraction du dit arbuste !  LOL. La capitale possède un nombre incroyable de piste cyclable de qualité. Jusqu’ à présent je ne sais en profiter autant que j’aurai désiré, attabler à d’autres projets et encombrer de par les innombrables bancs de moustiques en soirée.  Plus proche un peu j’ai commencé à renouer avec la métropole avec l’aide d’une très charmante  demoiselle qui a sus me convaincre de revenir en terre québécoise plus souvent que je ne l’avais initialement prévus. Comme quoi la belle province se garde d’être ennuyeuse et dévoile ses attraits pour la saison.  Ci-joint, quelques photos  (post clean up automnal de l’an dernier) du ‘before and after’ de notre cour arrière.

chapter 10

June 15

It took 3 weeks for me to get back the money that was stolen from my account by TD Meloche.

June 25^th 

I have yet to receive that cancellation letter ….

chapter 9

 Friday

I called the bank again on Friday to press upon them my situation and after hearing my story, again, they placed me on hold and then transferred me to someone higher up in the dealings between the bank and the insurer. Again, told my story and again placed on hold. Then seeing she could t help me transferred me directly to TD insurance. Once there I explained, AGAIN what was going on and she then transferred me to yet another clerk since she did not do car insurance. Then very next clerk started off jolly enough but then after placing me on hold to call up my file and also check in with the manager I had spoken to yesterday came back sour and disgruntled. Seems the manager had time to actually do his job and that after reviewing the facts he might be able to expedite the return payment a little earlier. A full two weeks in the best of scenarios.  Course I still took the time to underlined their incompetence as to signing me up after blatantly refusing my application & more importantly stealing money from people who where not even approved customers. I then pushed a little further inquiring as how they would be preventing future fiascos of the sort inquiring, again, as to what EXACLY had happened. They said they did t know indirectly communicated it was t any of my business. Again I seeked reparation of some sort but to no avail aside from a crappy half concocted corporate apologies from the lowest of the lowest minion in their employ. I did not thank him for is stupendous effort but rather quite directly hung up after expressing once again my displeasure at their follow up service.

That night I got the screws for my double license plates with the sticker at the back & purchased gas at 1.29….. I managed to stop by the bank to try and sort off the mess I had inherited from TD Meloche Insurance. They tried everything they could short of entering fake amount into the transfer directory. It was nice actually having so many people behind the counter trying different things and giving advice as to possible venues. Ultimately even the supervisor could t do much but she still managed to block any further redraws from TD Meloche Insurance to no cost to my self. Here I would like to thank them for their efforts and dare I say, carrying for their customers thought this situation was not of their doing whatsoever. Thank you.

So la bête is fully operational and I might add legal this side of the river, got my 2011 adidas on special and am holding hope I will be seeing the thieves return the stolen goods to my account some time this month. All that now remains is to pay up the combined 3 months for my first car insurance payment in  2 weeks.  All in all I think this nightmare might slowly be passing.

chapter 8

That night I did not have time to go to the bank in person in order to fill paperwork that would prevent TD meloche from taking anymore money out of my account by “mistake”. I instead made it a point to drop by my local branch the next night, Friday after work. Instead I finally went to pick up la bête from the body shop and drove out to the only service centre opened after 5 pm once a week and as would happen it was the very night my car graduated with high honors from the integrity check. Wheels Alignment, nearly perfect and well within required specs.  Did you know that in Ontario you not only need your plates and drivers license but also a cute little sticker to place on the license plate to prove you have indeed have paid your dues and are now allowed to drive on the road with said car ? I did not, and where I thought I would be paying 30$ for my plate and drive into the sunset I paid 130$ in dues so that I might be allowed to drive on the road until my birthday in 2012 if we don t blow up earth or something by then. That s a one time 30$ for the plates as advertised on the Ontario Official Website and an additional 74$ per year not so much advertised as simply not the official website. At least at first glance when one is inquiring on getting his car plated in Ontario. The balance of the total 130 was my dues for the remainder of the year. Figured I would be getting at least a glow in the dark sticker for that price, nope.

chapter 7

That week s Thursday, looking up my financial info over a coffee during a 5 min break while looking forward to picking up my car from the body shop that same night I noticed 200$ missing from my bank account. I immediately called my bank to inquire on the missing funds to discover TD Meloche Insurance had taken money out of my account. They recommended I call the insurance people right away to clear this up. I asked if they could do anything on their end and they told me in the worst case scenario they could open an investigation. Considering the last few days I took special care to take note of this worst case scenario option.

SO let me get this straight, you people, TD Meloche refused to insure me, then magically did somehow for 4 days, then realized you had made a mistake and cancelled the said policy only to take 200 dollars out of my account something like 2 weeks later. Am I the only one who thinks a blind fish in a fishbowl would do a better job than the people so many trust with their car and house insurance at this point? Non mais je rêve !!! Oh and FYI, that’s 50$ a day for a car policy. Pretty steep to say the least would t you say?

I called the TD Meloche Insurance during my break….. After having to wait for 5 min at my desk this miserable excuse for a cooperate minion comes on the line and starts telling me I won’t be able to get my money back until the 26 of may. Just for the record that was pretty much 3 weeks from then. Of course I ever so kindly reminded him that I should t have to wait 3 freakin weeks to get my money back since as I had no account with them, never agreed to anything with them and that to some measure what they had done could be considered stealing, dare I say fraud ? At that point I requested to speak to his manager. His manager was less than forthcoming and if I did t know better I would of guessed it was his time of the month or something. Within 10 sec of talking on the phone with him he began giving me the cooperate speech and confirmed his minion info saying they could t do anything about my stolen money. The reimbursement could only be approved by not next Monday but by the following one on the 16. Then a 10 day bank waiting time / transfer delay. At that point I have to admit I sort of lost it and began accusing them openly of stealing and topped it off with a generous ration of accusatory incompetence. They screwed up and 3 weeks was the best they could do? Not good enough. I told him as much in pretty much those terms. Course the manager who was already from the start a first class douch did not take kindly to my increasingly loud and shall we say insulting tone and so we shortly ended this most enlightening conversation with my solemn word I would be looking further into this matter via consumer protection and written means if I did not get reparation in a most expedient timeline.

chapter 6

The following Tuesday, I received an insurance policy not from my broker but from TD Meloche by mail. Included were my paperwork bundle, emergency contact card and user card in two envelopes to my name. HEEEeeeeee, as I recall I was plainly rejected on the grounds that my car was a rebuilt. So what gives? Called them moments later to ask them exactly that. I was placed on hold for 35 MINUTES before someone answered me. Somehow I ended it up in Quebec after exposing my situation to the receptionist. Now since this was a policy that was rejected and then a file that was seemingly erased in Ontario the Quebec side could not and would not deal with this. Hence they re-transferred me to Ontario which took by reckoning another 5 min. Once there I re- re-re explained my situation and also asked if it was company policy to make people wait for 35 min in the wrong province only to be re-directed and all of this for a supposedly none existing policy. The clerk apologized and apologized and after about 5 minutes of her asking me bloody questions on my account she admitted that I had been insured with them for 4 days the week I had initially applied. A slip up of some sort according to them. A big one I heart fully reminded her as I was rejected on two occasions.  She assured me they had sent a cancellation letter but just to be on the safe side, what with my trust of them at an all time high I decided to request they re-send me that policy cancellation letter.

chapter 5

That day,  the moment I came back into the office I called Subaru to inquire as to the why I did t get what had I requested !!!!?????!!! Obviously they did not do the integrity check. Upon further investigation I discovered that though they did do the safety and emission test they did not do the integrity check. Actually they don t even offer the integrity check.  I had assumed both where the one and the same since no mention of a second test of that nature was required, again on checklist. Further more when I requested it from the dealership he immediately corrected me by calling it a safety check (see flashback).  Once again, this turned into an interesting discussion with my Subaru dealership as to the question of what I had requested and what was actually done. Luckily for all parties I needed the safety check as well as the integrity check so their work was not wasted. Still I made it a point to remind them of what I had requested and that it might be prudent for their people to be aware of the proper terminology instead of changing the names to fit their offered service.

The next day I located a “designated” body shop where they could do the integrity check for my car as suggested by the licensing office. Located past Orleans they where kind enough to offer me a ride from the garage to the local bus terminus and where even opened on Saturdays. Made an appointment for the upcoming Saturday. Friday, at people s behalf I continued to shop around for a body shop or really anyone who could do it. The best recommended garage was very keen on doing the job no fuss and way cheaper only until I called back to confirm the appointment and double check it was for the integrity check and not safety. Seems not a great many places in this town offer this service… Yet everyone agrees to bluntly confuse them both as the one and the same until you take the time to check up on their actual work. Finally at lunch I found a place even closer than the all the previously contacted ones and 40$ cheaper. Set up an appointment for the following Wednesday for a Thursday pick up.

Chapter 4, The Following Week...

The following week,

I got my insurance paperwork in order by Wednesday afternoon. The broker was even kind enough to fax me a copy so that I might be able to take my vehicle on the road the same day. The next day, my Boss offered and took me to the licensing office near work during work hours mind you. Previously I had made sure all my paperwork was in order and even went through the Ontario Car Licensing checklist via their own website. After waiting in line for about 5 min I walk up to the clerk all smiles with my paperwork in hands.

“I m sorry sir but I m in training and I can t help you. Please go back in line and wait for the next qualified clerk.”

So I went back in line and waited another 5, 8 min while my boss was waiting in the parking lot in his own car. Finally my turn, I walk up to the so called qualified clerk, hands out my safety, emission and insurance paperwork. She then looks at me while holding on to my ownership paperwork and requested my integrity check paperwork.

 ------- Flash back to my Subaru Dealership Inspections and Qualifications ------

“touloulou touloulou touloulou touloulou”

“Afternoon, I would like to make an appointment for an integrity check and emission if you guys also offer it. I just moved from out of province and need to bring my car up to code your Ontario Car Legislations”

“No problem sir, we can do both the safety test & the emission test but this last one will have to be done off location.”

So you can do the integrity check or what you call the safety check by mid next week? Oh and while you are at it could you also take a look at my breaks and co. ? ….”

Of course sir, how does Thursday sound?

------ End Flash back ---------------------------------

Imagine my pleasant surprise when the clerk informed me it would cost a min of 500 dollars to get the integrity check done on my car and that until it was done I could not get my car registered in Ontario. Of course this verification was already done in Quebec years ago as is required for all rebuilt cars. I told her as much but she plainly refused to hear any of it claiming Ontario had different norms than Quebec when it came to licensing cars on the road. Ya cause across the river yonder we often still use horse drawn carriages to get to work and at church on time. Hence we are bound to have different norms, obviously!!  So after yet another heated verbal exchange where I requested the validity of charging me 500 dollars for something I already had I left slamming the door out of my way as I left. My Boss simple could t believe it but then remembered a similar situation where he had to replace a new tire in case it was damaged due to a bump on the related mechanics. A 800 dolard deal as I recall just to be up to code with Ontario norms.

chapter 3, April 20, 21st

April 20^th,

I Called TD Meloche car insurance to insure “la Bete”.

Spent 55 minutes with a rare incompetent individual trying to get a quote and ultimately a policy with them. La goutte qui a fait deborde le vase a 50 min dans la conversation et je cite; Can I please have your name sir” . Keep in mind that at that point he had all my contact information, my bank info, everything about my car he requested as well as my grandmother secret gravy recipe.

55 min in I bluntly told him I would have to finish this interview at a later time since I was assured in the first 5 min this would only take 20 to 30 min at most and 55 min in I was still no closer to getting anything done right. Did manage to squizz out of him an estimate for a policy, 1800 a year. Welcome to Ontario licensing people. Insurance rates are off the scale & plates are only 20 – 30 bucks. Wow ! … So innocent, “sight”

April 21st

The next day, I decided to call TD Meloche back and finish what I had started the previous night during my lunch break. The lady on the phone was very good and 30 min later I had my quote, policy number in hand and things where looking up until … I mentioned I had a re-built car. By which point “an over the top” sight was hear from her end of the line and I felt the grounds of my enterprise crumble to dust. True enough, it took her 5 sec to reject my application, another 5 to erase my policy and file and though I argued that the car had been through a safety and emission check at my local Subaru Dealership, passing with flying colors after a few repairs I was politely informed they would not, never, ever grant my car with an insurance policy. Somehow got the feeling I was standing at one end of a 10 foot pole with her at the other end weaving for me to scram.

Afterwards, I spend the better part of my afternoon between calls looking up other insurance companies in the vain hopes that I might get insured for the Easter Week-end and drive back to my folks. Desjardins was glad to oblige, only they requested an emission test, safety check, integrity check, motor history, letter from my previous insurer and a vehicle health what ever that might be. K, the emission and safety I had in hand and letter was easy enough to get. But the motor history… and health thingy. REALLY !???? Like my own Dealership Inspection was t good enough for the mighty Desjardins!

….“Haaa but I remember many years ago when my darlin motor was but 2 years of age, twas the year it burped after it was fed substandard gasoline” The poor lad”. Maybe I could also include it s first art project or when it had it s first wisdom casket removed! 3%^#$%T#$WTW$%!!!

The Cooporators where about to transfer me to their version of SVU (Special Vehicle Unit, lol) when I moved on to the next. Belaire was expensive to say the least. I even entertained the idea of CAA but had to be resuscitated after seeing the yearly 3 thousands dineroes to be part of the team. Finally my Boss suggested his own insurance broker. Sounded good so I called them. Of course being a stone throw on the wrong side of the river they could t help me but as it was they had recently opened an Ontario office. In fact it was so new, the phones line could t be transferred. I took the number down and gave them a call forthwith. At that point I had pretty much given up on any pretence of actually doing any work and people where to starting to conglomerate around my neck of the office to observe my “progress”. Took me a couple of minutes but got my basic info across and though I could t get a quote on the spot, computers where not even pluged in yet, I was promised I quote for the following mid week. Hence did not make it for Easter but progress!

chapter 2, April 7th

April: 7th

I called the Subaru Dealership in order to get a quote for the repairs, maintenance I estimated I might need for her after a winter spent under the white blanket.  I also requested an integrity check as well as emission test as required by the Ontario Gov for licensing vehicles in this province. Concerned about her general health I also requested special attention be brought to the brake pads, an overdue change of oil and battery & alternator verification for good measure. This was combined to a 20 point inspection with the brakes inspection and cleaning of the pads on the house, as part or the overall inspection.

The integrity check or rather the safety check as the Subaru representative was quick to correct me over the phone would be about 100.00$, the emission test another 49.99$ and the battery alternator test also 49.99$. Brought her in April 13^th early evening. At this point I must admit it nearly broke my heart to hear her scrape her way down the street to my local dealership. The tires where so low she felt like a wobbly partner. She sounded and screeched like a wounded and very heavy cat with troubled breathing. Kinda reminded me of how I felt when we got our sick kitten from the farm a few months back. The next day I got a full estimate from the Dealership, the 4 routers had to be replaced due to corrosion, one bearing also needed to be replaced, a seized donut shaped valve was frozen into place in the exhaust system, a support bracket for the exhaust was coming apart and the air filter was stuffed to a near chocking level. As I said, I had expected the worst thought the complete replacement of all 4 routers was a surprise. The bearing replacement I was strangely enough reassured with as I was beginning to imagine I was hearing noises no one else seemed to hear. I had also suspected something was wrong with the exhaust system or intake. What with the off key breathing she had begun making. Again no surprise where the air filter and exhaust were concerned.. As for the battery… well it was nearly dead and pretty much useless for all concerned and had to be changed. Oh well. I’ll spare you the total financial details but suffice to say I was glad my tax return came in early this year thought nothing could of prepared me for the upcoming expenditures and headaches that would soon follow in this seemingly simple enterprise.

chapter 1

The following tale of heartache and misfortune took place in the spring of 2011 and depicts our hero s quest at resurrecting his faithful Subaru steed nicknamed “la Bete” from a lengthy winter slumber while and seeking admittance for her to Ontario roads. It spans over several blog entries laid out here in chronological order.

Early April, 

Finally, I managed to secure the required funds to wake up “la Bete” from her winter slumber and take her for well-deserved tune up at my local Subaru Dealership. I knew my Quebec licenses where going to expire in little less than two months time so I decided to go all out and get her up to date with local norms. Figured it would be a charmed to get her licensed once the mechanical inspection was out of the way. Obviously I was oblivious to what was looming ahead.