Davenport-Campbell Heating and Air Conditioning is quick to take your money but slow to give you service.

I spent $28,559.58 and paid in full to have Davenport-Campbell Heating and Air Conditioning of Markham install a water radiator system in my 1700 sq ft house, which they finished on or about October 2, 2007.
Due to improper installation admitted by Davenport-Campbell, my first Hydro bill was $3,233.00.

My wife called this to the attention of Bill Stephens, our contact person at Davenport-Campbell, but 5 months later I still have not received satisfaction in correcting the problem.

Davenport-Campbell improperly installed a part that allowed the hot water boiler to run full blast 24 hours a day. The estimated use for this house by Hydro One was 115 kWh a day, and the actual first reading showed 674 kWh a day.
Davenport-Campbell also installed two over sized radiators of 6 feet each in the garage with no valves to adjust the temperature, which heated the entire double car garage to the temperature of a sauna with no way to turn it down.
On January 29 and 30, 2008, my wife called our contact Bill Stephens from Davenport-Campbell, but received no return call. After calling on January 31, 2008, Bill called to say he would send a technician on February 6 at 1 pm. The technician never arrived and didn't even telephone.

On February 7, 2008, my wife called Bill to say the technician never showed up. She didn't receive an apology. Bill said that he would send Cliff the technician on February 13. The technician arrived but left without offering a solution.
After calling Bill Stephens again, my wife was told that he, Cliff the technician, and a representative from the boiler manufacturer would come up on Tuesday March 4, 2008. When my wife called on March 3, 2008, she left a message to get a time of arrival, but Bill did not return the call. My wife finally called Andrew Bowker, Vice President, who said he would page Bill Stephens and have him call. Bill never called, and never showed up with anyone on March 4, 2008. In fact Bill did not call again until June 2008.

In frustration, my wife called Andrew Bowker, Vice President who said to put her complaints in a letter.
After writing the letter to Andrew in April 2008, my wife called him several times in May 2008, and was always put off until finally on May 29, 2008 when my wife reached Andrew he hung up on her two times. Then my wife called Bill Stephens, who also hung up on her.

Davenport-Campbell boasts that it offers a 2 year labour warranty. As far as I’m concerned it might as well be 10 years since they don’t seem to honour it. So if you’re looking for heating and air conditioning, I suggest you avoid Davenport-Campbell.
A frustrated and disgruntled customer,

Rick Okada

A 15% CHILD TAX

I know I rant a lot about inconsiderate parents and their everyday travels. Well, today is no different. I was having dinner with a friend and at a table nearby sat three couples and about five children aging anywhere from 3 - 14.

Well, the 3 year-old couldn't sit still, so the 7 year-old decided to chase her around the restaurant in the typical I'm going to disturb everyone's evening manner. When the waiter returned with out drinks I basically asked him if we could be moved because of the inconsiderate parents that sat nearby.

The waiter of course appeased us and moved us right away - far from the table of inconsiderate fucking parents.

This is when I thought of the 15% child tax. There will be two types of restaurants - kid friendly and non- kid friendly. The kid friendly ones are like Chuck E Cheese. They let the kids be kids. The non - kid friendly ones are every other restaurant. Then when you bring your kids into these restaurant, there is a minimum of a 15% child tax. If you drink alcohol you pay and alcohol tax, now you should pay a kid tax. The thing is it a minimum of 15%. but any children you have the number more than three, there is another 5% tax for each child. - Five children - 25% tax. The servers certainly deserve it, and it will deter parents who have obviously earned a free pass from any social grace because they have a child to determine if they want to spend the money and eat there. - Everybody wins.

Everyone.

A LIFE OF IRONY

I'm the kind of guy that notices the irony in life, like vegetarian smokers, or Gay Republicans. Well today I noticed quite the ironic slice of life. I was sitting at my local Second Cup doing some writing, as I'm known to do early in the morning, and in walks a regular. She was middle to upper aged (60), quite overweight (300 lbs maybe on her 5'2" frame) and certainly was a slow walker who seemed to get into everyone's way.

The ironic part of it all was, she was wearing a leopard skin coat. Now, I don't know if it was real leopard skin (well she certainly didn't catch it herself if it was) But here we have, one of the most svelte, majestic, quick, beautiful creatures on the planet that lives in a warm climate and it was killed to cover up one of the most disgusting creatures on the planet because she was cold.

Irony, yes. In the saddest form.

M

NEW TERM: IKAGGERS

n. (eye-kag-erz): Stands for I-Know-A-Guy. Someone who knows people who can do stuff for us, that is not in our inner circle of influence.

There are three types of IKAGGERS. The example given is a nightclub setting.

Type 1. I know the door man. We can surpass the line.
Type 2. I know the manager. He can get us in free.
Type 3. I know the owner. He'll comp us all night.


Example:
Person 1. "You need tickets to the U2 concert, I know a guy."
Person 2. "You're an IKAGGER."

NEW TERM : MALLIGAGGER

noun: (mawl-E-gag-erz): Someone who wanders around a mall with no specific purpose and does nothing but get in the way of people trying to get somewhere.

"I was late because of all the malligaggers."

(pl) - malligaggers

I REALLY HATE (certain) PARENTS WITH SMALL CHILDREN

Really. Even though a few blogs have been about them, I really don't hate all of them. Just most of them. Here's why. I'm at a local burger joint getting my lunch today. They have Turkey Burger specials and I thought I would grab one with a medium drink and it would cost me less then a fin. Sweet.

Well, it turns out that a few (3) parents - parents of three year-old girls were sitting enjoying their lunch as well. Well, no one else in the restaurant could enjoy their lunch because these kids were running around causing a ruckous, getting in people's way, making the joint quite intolerable.

I've made a new term for these kinds of people. - Incomparent. basically an incompetent parent. Please use at your own discretion, but I want this to stick.

According to Dangerousdecibels.org "A typical conversation occurs at 60 dB". well, Ironically at 61 dB is the correct amount of sound pressure you need for your child to listen to you. Not the 20 dB it takes to whisper because you think children are capable of adult decorum.

LISTEN UP INCOMPARENTS. Take care of your little demons. Have a fucking backbone to your child. Or guess what? My yelling at you can reach a nice 120 dB on a bad day.

It ruined my Turkey Burger eating experience and if you know me, that's hard to do.

GROCERY STORE CHECKOUTS

I know I'm one to rant over the littlest things, well this is no exception. I'm buying some groceries so I can make dinner for my beloved and there are two people ahead of me. Well, my arms are full and I think I have something large and frozen like a turkey or a carton of ice cream or a Jewish woman.

Now the etiqutte for the conveyor belt is to place your items on the belt and have that plastic, peace-keeping divider between your items and the items the other person's items. This is imperitive if you don't want to pay for the person behind you's items. The thing is, people don't put their items down until the person has placed that plastic UN device that indicates world peace and unthoughtful people just sit and wait until the transaction of the last person is completely finished before the cashier does it themselves - thus leaving a vast expanse of converyor belt unused.

I find this inconsiderate. I can promise, nay GUARANTEE that the person in front of me will not pay for any of my groceries, whatsoever, and I can GUARANTEE that I won't pay for your groceries - EVER. So what's the lallygagging around the conveyor belt. Put you items down, make the person in front of you move the UN divider, so people can buy their groceries in the swiftest way possible and get home to make dinner for their beloved.

If this doesn't bug you, then you are the one who is doing it. Stop it.

BABY CARRIAGES AND PARENTS

Why are baby carriages the size of SUV's now? I can understand how there could be extra room at the bottom of the carriage to put some articles in import - but they are FUCKING HUGE!

Think about someone else for a change when you walk through a mall, or take a bus or are standing in front of a coffee shop because you have to fix your child so they don't get chilly in their Lululemon baby clothes, but the world has to stop because you've decided to cause the entrance way to be backed up.

Then the fucking attitude you give the people who are trying to skooch by you because they are late or they want to get out or the fact that they just don't care to wait for your pretentious ass so the entire store can notice you.

Look, I didn't ask for you to fuck and spawn. I didn't ask for you to choke up our sidewalks with your SUC's "Sport Utility Carriages" then our roads and highways with the SUV's and Minivans because no other vehicle is big enough to hold your monster baby haulers.

So instead of destroying a person's fine day, have some iota of thought, get the fuck out of way, I got work to do and places to go, come out after 9 am and get in after 5 pm, just stay out of everyone's way. Please. - and's that's more courtesy than I ever got from you.

EVERY LITTLE MINUTIA YOUR CHILD/GRANDCHILD DOES

Alright, I realize that I am at an age when the people I consider friends are starting to have babies and I myself don't have one. I don't know if this is just the last ten or so years that this has become a problem nay epidemic, but it's got to stop.

WE DON'T CARE ABOUT EVERY LITTLE THING YOUR CHILD DOES THAT YOU THINK IS ADORABLE.

Every kid takes a shit, or calls the macaroni 'Dada' or thinks the picture in the den is scary. EVERY KID!

David Cross has a bit in his routine about this, and I whole heartily agree. We live in an age where pictures are digital and technology has made documenting this era virtually effortless. But I don't need to see daily snapshots of a kid - so that if I put them in a flip book I can see the child age or gradually gain weight.

With the constant bombardment of pictures, this kills any special moment people will have and to reflect on. Remember Billy's fist birthday - How can I forget - the pictures are sandwiched between the day before Billy's first bithday and the day after.

All kids dress up or pull the cat's tale, fart or eat the kitty litter. They are not stars in your little freak show. Leave them alone, they are going to grow up to be assholes from all the constant attention, gifts, pictures and babytalk.

When the kid writes their first symphony at age three - I'll listen to the hoopla. Until then, keep them as a footnote until they actually develop a personality and can be clever on purpose.

As well, let's think of what this does for the child. Constant flashes of light in their underdeveloped eyes on a constant basis is definately doing something to their rods and cones.

I look at all the kids out there that have developed seizures, or lazy eyes or ADD - Think about what you're doing to the kid. If you're unsure if this is a problem with your child, I'm sure you have pictures documenting their development through their entire life time.