Monday, 6th February, 2006

On The Inconsistencies Of Pet Insurance

cat insurance

OK, look. I know that I should have got in contact with George's insurers straight after he died and cancelled his policy, but FFS, you'd have thought that there'd be some kind of system in place to notice when a claims been made for "cremation", it's unlikely that the cat is going to get better.

I'm a little narked to be honest. On the whole, I've had no complaints with Sainsburys Petcare — they've always been really helpful and paid out for claims really quickly.

And it's not very expensive.

But how hard can it be to automatically cancel a policy after a cat dies? Should it really be up to the owner to inform them?

I suppose I've just learnt a little lesson — "Don't assume that people will do things. Sort it out yourself"

On The Inconsistencies Of Student Loans

money

In 1990, when I first went to university, the Government introduced Student Loans (Maggie Maggie Maggie! Out Out Out!). It wasn't a huge amount — about 480 quid if I remember rightly — nothing like what my students are borrowing these days.

When I went back to university in 1997, I took out another loan. This time for about £1,100.

Now, I'm rubbish at sorting things out — and every year, when the Deferrment Form comes through my letterbox, it goes straight on my pile of Things To Do™ — never to be looked at again.

As a result, I keep getting nasty phonecalls about this time each year, demanding a whopping great chunk of cash to pay for arrears.

However, becuase I've not been answering my phone recently, a friend of mine got called by them, trying to track me down. I've been putting off calling them for over a week, but decided I really ought to today.

(JoH, sorry. They'll stop calling you now )

I paid off the arrears, and then tried to set up a direct debit for the monthly payments, theorising that I probably earn more than the threshold these days. I was sent from department to department, each time having to give all sorts of bits of information to prove who I was.

Eventually, I got through to someone who said that I needed to leave it a week before I could set up the Direct Debit, but because the next payment was due on Wednesday, could I pay it with my card now?

I thought I'd better just check that what I was about to pay covered all of the loans I'd taken out, so I asked her to check up on the 1990 as well as the 1997 one.

After being on hold for five minutes, she came back...

"Um, you're actually in credit on that account"

How can I possibly be in credit with a loan company?!

"So what you're telling me, is that you've been hassling me for money, even calling my friends about it, when actually you owe me?!"

(...is what I should have said. I, being me — and therefore a Bit Crap™ — said "Oh. Cool.")

The theme for today, it would appear, is Companies Whose Departments Don't Talk To Each Other.

Battles With Bodily Functions

nosehair

Um, sorry about this I had this huge big thing I was going to write about, having just spent a good half-hour (a) trying to find a pair of tweezers, and then (b) struggling to find the nose-hair that I was convinced has been making the tip of my nose ticklish for the past week.

I remember thinking "Must find link to where I first ranted about nose-hair", but having done so, I've completely forgotten what I was going to write about.

I hate when that happens — and it happens a lot. When I was last down in London, I was talking to Kris about running out of good stories to tell, and somewhere within the conversation I rememeber saying "Aha! That's what I'll write about!".

The next morning, of course, I couldn't for the life of me remember what that thing was.

Really? Seems OK to me

Playing The Waiting Game

ebay dress

I am an impatient bugger sometimes.

This weekend was, on reflection, pretty much dominated by the arrival of a couple of packages from the Apple Store. Not only did my PVR come, but along with it was a stand for the PowerBook, a keyboard protector (because, let's face it, with my track record on spilling wine, I bloody need one — although actually, despite the blurb promising that it would feel like it wasn't there, I don't like it one bit), and iLife '06 — which actually, I've only installed iPhoto from.

Still, the speed of it, plus the ability to subscribe to Flickr (and other) RSS feeds is worth it

Consequently, I've been awfully butch these past couple of days — locked in AV-World (as opposed to CodeWorld), and not really swishing.

The only time I've worn a skirt was for a quickie before I went to bed last night

There are a couple of things I'm still waiting for though — but these are all trannie things

There's the tops and skirts I mentioned the other day, plus a bundle of stockings and a little jacket (if I remember rightly)

But also, I'm eargerly chomping at the bit for the day (very soon) when a ParcelForce van will pull up and dump the Parachute Dress™ that a friend has been making me (for over a year). Apparently, its even bigger than that one I got off Ebay — the skirt took over 20 yards of fabric (or something like that).

...

Pauline, expect a call

I know that feeling

I have a nose trimmer I even blogged about it once.