The Brick and HSBC will try and screw you out of your money.

The Brick, I wonder if their store's windows are brickproof... oh the poetic justice...

Almost three years ago, my wife purchased a washer/dryer/freezer combo from The Brick (Kirkland) with an interest free promotion of 36 equal interest free payments.

The payments were supposed to be 46$/month X 36 months for a total of 1656$ and change.

Initially the payments were made, 46$/month, we never missed a payment.

At a certain point the payments went up to 60$/month as they added a 14$ monthly "Variable Credit" adjustment, my wife didn't notice and continued paying 46$/month as prescribed by the initial contract.

After a year or so, the payments went up to 74$/month, and eventually to 120$/month, which attracted her attention, lookie here lads and lasses, this might save you lots of money...

What they did is that HSBC (the credit company) that finances The Brick, added a "purchase" of something called "Privacy Protection Plan" to the contract, a "purchase" no one signed for nor wanted, the cost? 14$/month but that's not all.

The interest free promotion DOES NOT apply to the "Privacy Protection Plan" so they were charging 29.90% interest on 14$/month, and since we never paid a penny on that, the interest has been racking up for almost three years :yikes: BUT MY WIFE NOTICED SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND CALLED THEM.

Initially they claimed they had a contract stipulating she had signed for PPP, but when she asked to see it, of course, they couldn't find it.

So they had to reimburse the PPP.

BUT...

They didn't reimburse THE CREDIT on it (a whopping 234$!!!).

Of course we would only pay the 46$ monthly payments as stated in the initial 36 month interest free contract, but they wanted more so they started calling us.

8AM Saturday.
6:30PM Sunday.
a few other times when we weren't home, we noticed this weird 1-877 number on our caller ID...

Eventually I got a hold of the phone and since I sound like a girl on the phone (singing glam rock for 15 years will do that...) they thought I was my wife and I let them.

I argued with the phone operator for a little over half an hour.

He threatened to TAKE AWAY PART OF MY PAYCHECK, seize MY HOUSE, MY CAR, (oh noes) and ruin my credit (REALLY? OVER 200$? Are they THAT Desperate for credit money?) until eventually after a half hour he realized that HEY, something's wrong here.

He initially admitted that they wrongfully billed her the PPP that she didn't sign up for but he didn't see anything wrong with billing her interest on that.

Until he realized that it was, and apologized.

He gave me a phone number to call tomorrow, I will speak to a supervisor and explain to them that we will not do business with The Brick, nor HSBC, ever again.

Also that we will not pay for interest on something WE DID NOT PURCHASE.

So beware boys and girls, The Brick and HSBC are out to fuck you up the ass with no lube.

Are you gonna bend over and take it?

I didn't think so...

I will not vote for clowns.

ARGH!!!!

Earlier this month the provincial elections were also triggered here in Quebec and frankly, I've been doing what I can to ignore them.

Maybe if I don't look they'll go away?

Maybe if I don't look, the TV channels that I watch the news on will stop broadcasting news about La Castafiore and start talking about real stuff. After all, I think we can all agree that all three major political party leaders are bullshitting us on well, pretty much everything.

In fact, I suspect that those three haven't spoken any truth in a very long time.

Last week I wrote to the ADQ which admittedly used to be my least detested party, all I wanted to know was who they were going to appoint as cannon fodder in the Vaudreuil district (where I'm supposed to vote).

They didn't reply but this week-end I noticed they followed in the PLQ and PQ's footsteps and started posting signs.

Signs to the effigy of the following lady: Behold, Lucie Boudreau (poor girl, I hope she doesn't come knocking door to door one of these evenings...)

Lucie Boudreau (ADQ): Cannon fodder.

She looks harmless enough. Unfortunately for her she'll be lucky to get 1% of votes for in Vaudreuil the mentality of the voters is a bit "retro" and they're unlikely to vote for a newcomer.

This brings me to my point; this morning at the train station, the PQ's candidate himself was handing out cardboard inserts of his face with a Vote For Me sign on it. I declined to take one but I noticed a bunch of people had carried theirs into the train and when I got off the train at the second to last stop, it was littered with pictures of that guy.

Claude Turcotte (PQ): handing out cardboard paper in an effort to litter the train.

Nice.

I think was that on her photo Lucie Boudreau looks a bit overwhelmed. She looks like she's shrugging, throwing her hands up in the air with a suspicious look of "Hey, sorry, it's not my fault".

Look familiar?

Some guy that is showing the same expression as Lucie Boudreau...

The only candidate I've not seen yet except on the posters is the PLQ candidate Yvon Marcoux which is ironic. I haven't seen him around. EVER. Even though he was our elected representative for the last 10 years, we've never seen him.

Yvon Marcoux (PLQ): ghost...

Never at an inauguration.

Never at a family event.

Never at a sporting event, after all, we host one of the largest softball tournaments in Canada.

He just shows up, once every election and plasters his face on telephone poles.

So once again, as in the case of the federal elections last month, I will not go vote for I don't vote for clowns.

Krusty The Clown: Beloved Simpsons character.

Having said that, I might change my mind.

No. I doubt I will...

Autopsy of a vasectomy

I've not posted in a while, not for lack of material because frankly with the American elections, the Canadian elections, the now official Provincial elections and other stuff I could've posted 11 times or so.

Mostly it was for lack of will.

But last week I finally had a vasectomy which I had been procrastinating on for at least 6 months.

It went something like this:

My appointment at the doctor's office was for 13:30, I showed up 10 minutes early with my wife. I drove there she would later drive me back. I brought as recommended:

An ice pack (frozen peas)
Underwear with testicular support (briefs)
Courage...

Ah yes; 260$ cash only please.

The procedure went unexpectedly well, in fact I was in and out in about 12 minutes. The surgeon kept on reassuring me that everything was going well and not to worry (ok, right).

On the ceiling above my head, they had placed two photos, one photo of two penguins on an ice bank, and one photo of a moose in the middle of a small lake, surrounded by a couple loons and some mountains in the background.

As the surgeon was blotting my testicles down with iodine fluid I resolved to concentrate on the moose. I figured I would imagine myself there with it, on the lake's banks, with perhaps a fishing rod, some tackle, maybe a sandwich, and a beer...

In fact the only thing I felt after some palpating was a cold needle into my scrotum, and barely, it didn't really hurt, it felt as if someone had poked me with something cold.

Then nothing except some weight shifting around as the surgeon first extracted my left vas deferens from the scrotum, clamped it, cut it, cauterized it with a laser, then tucked it back in.

He then proceeded to the other one and it went just as smoothly.

Honestly the only discomfort I felt was at the smell because when they cauterize the vas deferens it makes a funky smell like singed hair. (yuck!)

Also as he was pulling the vas deferens from the scrotum I did feel some pulling but it was not a sharp pain. It was a weird sensation of organs shifting around.

I suppose it's normal as the testicles are sort of interconnected with, well, everything from nerve endings to your teeth...

Once he was done the surgeon said: "Off you go, no bathing for 3-4 days but you can take a shower tonight, and you can change the bandage, it's just a band aid." He then left the room.

I thanked him, pulled up my pants and left the room as well.

On the way home I had the bag of frozen peas on my testicles for the prescribed 10 minutes every half hour.

Holding any pee is complicated at first as it's painful but that resorbed itself after two days.

So to recap everything went well and for now I have no regrets.

The only pain left is when I touch my testicles too hard. They're sensitive, I suppose that will subside (I hope).

Also I've tested and everything is "fully functional".

Until next time...