Toyota sucks

The utterly useless reply to my initial letter:

Good morning Melody,

thankyou for contacting the Toyota Customer Experience Centre.

The Toyota Yaris was introduced with several wheel and tyre options according to grade. Although Toyota strive to provide the best customer service possible, we are pleased to know that Castle Hill Toyota were able to satisfy your enquiry efficiently.

Regards

Craig Niven
Toyota Customer Experience Centre
Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited

My questions:

1. So why is it that Castle Hill Toyota can fix my problem?
2. What are you going to do about the dismal customer service and lack of product knowledge at Pennant Hills?
3. Doesn't it bother you that the email address to the Pennant Hills dealership doesn't work?
4. Where were you when they taught grammar lessons in primary school?
   
5. You're not planning to do anything about the fact that I'm still disgruntled are you?
   

Blue Mountains

The Three Sisters

Wentworth Falls

A letter to Toyota

Only because both email addresses to the dealership bounced and it is quite obvious they are uninterested in receiving feedback.

Hi there,

I had a very disappointing and unsatisfactory experience when I called Toyota Pennant Hills today.

At about 3.30pm on Tuesday, 24 March, I called the Toyota Pennant Hills on 1300 782 505 to request quotes for new tyres for my Toyota Yaris sedan.

The operator transferred my call to the service department where I had to repeat my enquiry.

Upon hearing my request, the person at the service department promptly transferred me to someone else, where I had to once again repeat my enquiry.

The person then asked what size my tyres were. I do not know the size of my tyres, but what I do know is that they are the standard Toyota Yaris sedan tyre size. Because of my lack of knowledge of tyre size, the person had to transfer me back to the service department, because he assured me, they would know the size of my tyres.

When I was transferred back to the service department, I once again had to repeat my enquiry and was once again asked about the size of my tyres.

I gave the same reply, indicating that I had made no alterations or requested specific tyres when I purchased my Yaris. The tyres came with the car. Stock standard.

However, the staff member insisted that I had to know the size of the tyres, and that he will not be able to help me at all because "there are a lot of tyre sizes out there".

Frustrated and surprised that a Toyota staff member would not know the tyre size of his company's product, I decided to end the call.

I have since been able to make the same enquiry to Castle Hill Toyota, who were very helpful and knowledgeable with their products. They were not only able to determine what my tyre size was, they were also able to provide me with a quote. I was only transferred once, and only had to repeat my question once.

I have also gone on to the Toyota Yaris website and found out the size of my tyres.

My phone experience with Toyota Pennant Hills has been highly disappointing. It is perhaps somewhat shocking to know that staff employed by Toyota Pennant Hills would be so unfamiliar with their own products, and be so reluctant to help potential customers.

Regards,
Melody

Pop! Goes my heart

To make up for what is obviously a lack of post, I give you this highly hilarious music video.

Machine Man

What a novel idea for a novel.

Max Barry, one of my favourite author/writers, has just started a real time story.

It comes in lots of little parts. It’s “real-time” because you read it as I write it. This isn’t a novel that’s been gathering dust in a drawer, pining for a publisher.

So basically, everyday, I get a new email in my inbox containing one part of the story - Machine Man. And it's really quite amazing because I know that the story was written "fresh" on that day.

I think this is an incredibly brave move.

Can you imagine starting a novel, and letting all your fans in on it, but without actually having a real good idea of where you're going with it?

No editors to correct your mistakes, no going back to change a plot line, no changing your mind period!

You start it, and you're committed. I shudder to even think about following in his footsteps.

And if you're curious, more hilarious FAQs to the idea here.

Machine Man was only started being written yesterday, so it's not too late to join the fun.

Get it sent to your inbox/feed reader.

Phones

Why do we have this irresistible urge to pick up the phone when it rings?

When I'm in someone's office and the phone rings, the conversation gets put on hold while the person answers the phone.

And just now, I had someone in my office and my phone rang. I halted (prematurely ended) the conversation and picked up the phone instead.

Why can't we just let the phone ring out?

We often say that person to person contact is much more important, but the fact that we pick up phone calls even when someone is with us may prove that something else has priority.

You want something done?

Don't go into a person's office.

Call them instead.

The point of children

This is not a blog about why I don't want children. We've heard that all before.

This is simply me wondering why people do have children.

I'm not passing judgement on people who do, neither am I saying that it's wrong for people to have children (I am in fact rather grateful that my mother decided to have children). I'm just wondering what the point of it is.

Why do humans have this urge to spawn future generations?

I know God has said in the Bible that we should go forth and multiply, but surely that's not the only reason why people have children.

What is the difference between having children and buying a pet? It seems to be about raising someone/thing that is totally dependent on you. Is it merely an ego trip, to help you realise just how "dependable" you are?

I've heard people tell me they want children in order to raise them to know God. Plenty of orphans out there that you can adopt to do the same.

Maybe we merely want living, breathing "dolls" to manipulate and mould into the image that we want them to be?

The world seems to be overpopulated as it is. Why do we keep bringing more in?

I know this post sounds a little offensive to those who want or already have children. I'm not trying to offend. I'm simply trying to figure out the point of having children.

And at the moment, I cannot.

I need your help.

Why does God wait?

Walking to work this morning, I came across a sign outside the local church that said:

What does God want?

But for some reason (probably short-sightedness), I read it as

Why does God wait?

And suddenly, I started wondering.

As a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, I believe that Jesus (God) will one day return to Earth to renew it. Pain and suffering will disappear, and we will live with Jesus for all of eternity in what is essentially heaven.

However, the reason why that hasn't happened yet is because God is waiting for the good news of his salvation - that Jesus has died for our sins and all we have to do is accept Jesus as our Saviour in order to obtain eternal life - to be shared with all the world.

I believe that.

I also believe that as Christians, we have a responsibility to share this great news with everybody.

But I still wonder, why does God wait?

It's easy to say that he's waiting so that everybody will have a chance to hear of the good news.

And yet, for every day that he waits, a few million more babies are born, most of who probably have no opportunity to hear about the good news.

In waiting, we may eventually end up with even more people who need to hear the news than those who have actually heard it.

So why does God wait?

Change

How many times have you heard someone say "I hate change" or expressed some form of fear related to an anticipated change?

And then how many times have you heard people complain that they're "stuck in a rut"?

It just seems somehow ironic to me that people hate change, and yet feel stuck.

I suppose there is a desire to do something different, and yet possessing an irrational fear of the unknown.

Somehow reminds me of a quote I heard once - what people don't know, they fear. What they fear, they destroy.

And that is why we destroy everything that remotely reminds us of a change, and then mourn the demise of any glimmer of hope of having a different life.

I realise I am in the minority when I wonder why change is so scary. Honestly, I don't understand the fear of change. I crave change.

But I don't think this love for change is all about an inbuilt DNA to want something more, something different.

To me, it also has something to do with the fact that I know God is looking after me. And that if I am called to do His will, I have to be willing to go wherever he wants me to, knowing that eventually, it will all work out.

Slurp

Jervis Bay

Fire

Irony

Broken dreams

Survivor

Negotiation for amateurs

If you have need to talk someone from jumping, this technique seems to work.

The Lord gives, the Lord takes away...

Lake Eyre lies in Australia’s dead centre. Dead, somewhat because of its geographical position, but mainly due to drought that has ravaged the isolated, near desert region for years.

But yesterday, the area’s rivers, creeks and even Lake Eyre itself began filling up. And with it came the camels, pelicans, gulls and other wildlife, drawn to it by the rare scent of fresh water.

Water hasn’t reached the lake since the year 2000. So now, local farmers are rejoicing, and suddenly, life is returning to the area.

Australia has been pretty hard hit by natural disasters over the last month. Floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales and bushfires in Victoria. The loss of property, the loss of lives, the tragedy of it all.

Ironical that the same flood waters that destroyed towns up north is now causing one of the most barren area of Australia to explode into new life.

And I cannot help but recall a verse found in the book of Job 1:21 where it says, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

The mysteries of God and suffering may never be explained, but perhaps Lake Eyre is a reminder that He hasn’t forsaken us.

Photo gallery of the lake filling up.

News article.

People and the media

How is it that people can be so wary and suspicious of the media, and yet be so proud and delighted when they are featured in the very same media?

Valentines

This is what happens when you do not want to support the commercialisation surrounding Valentine's Day and yet feel like you ought to do something special for that someone.

Find scrap yarn you have lying around and make little hearts.


D had been overseas for work for the last eight days, so I decided to make eight little hearts to represent every day he was away.

Attached little notes, ala fortune cookie style, for each day.


And then strung them all up and hung them by his bedroom window.


What did the notes say, you wonder?

You will never know....

Heart pattern from here (only available as a Ravelry download).

Fortune cookie template from here.

Victorian bushfire appeal

The craft community has banded together to raise funds for the Victorian bushfire appeal.

They've donated (really gorgeous) items for you to purchase.

Free shipping. And sales from all items will be donated to the Australian Red Cross every Friday.

Have a look.

Quote

The big lie, the glamorous career. By the time we hit our thirties we find out that a job, even when it is fun, is just a job. Terribly useful when it comes to paying for holidays, shoes, the rent, food, that sort of thing, but it's not really the stuff of soul. In the back of our minds is this nagging question: when we decided to throw our lot in with careers and to hell with everything else, did we lose something?

It's my party and I'll knit if I want to! by Sharon Aris

Is it a worry then, that I realised this about my job before I turned 27?

Victoria bushfires

I suppose I'm pretty lucky to be living in Sydney, away from the devastating bushfires in Sydney. It's been raining here for the last three days, for crying out loud.

But you can't live in Australia and not be somewhat impacted by the bushfires.

I don't have family or friends immediately affected, but you really cannot escape watching, reading or even hearing about it from somewhere or someone.

It's bad. It's really bad.

Almost 200 people dead so far, and more than 700 homes destroyed. Whole towns/suburbs wiped out.

What really baffles me is the realisation that some of these fires were actually deliberately lit.

Yes, arson. An entire town population decimated because some idiot decided it may be fun to light a fire. I mean, honestly? What were they thinking?

It feels to me that committing arson like this is far worse than being a serial killer.

I cannot understand it. I simply can't.

And I suppose all those affected by the bushfires cannot even understand why them. Why such a terrible thing could happen to them.

Is this a time to start blaming God?

As a Christian, the natural answer is "no", but it's normal for people to start wondering, "Why God? Where were you?".

I don't have the answers, but things like these are true indications to me that there has got to be something better, something more than this life.

I have had my own personal tragedies, deaths of loved ones that I've had to handle, so I'm not trying to be flippant about the issue.

All I'm trying to say is that the Bible teaches me that this is not a perfect world, and it isn't so not because God allowed it so, but because we made it so.

And despite it all, there is still a saving grace. It's not only about the fact that Jesus died to save us from all our sins - having a faith in God does make things better.

During times of despair, it's the knowledge that God is still looking after me, the knowledge that there is something better in store for me, knowing that my purpose in life is not about me but about serving others, these are the things that help.

It's not about asking "why me?", it's about continuing to stay focused on God.

Perhaps it doesn't really help when you're in the midst of tragedy, but that's when others come in. Others who are similarly touched by the beauty of God (Christian or not), who will be there to help, support and rebuild.

I can only imagine how terrible it is to lose everything you own, have, love. And even in my imagination, I can feel how horrible that would be. But when you have lost everything, at the end of the day, the only thing you can do is trust.

Grieve, but also trust.

NZ prisoners escape

Those living in Oz will probably have watched this ad nauseum but others may not have been quite so lucky to have had the pleasure.

So here's a look at what's happening in New Zealand.



And in the words of those at my favourite TV show, "because they fell into each other, they will be rewarded for foiling an escape attempt" (or something along those lines).