Ballard said he needs a Canadian license to land a job with Air India that would help offset the pension he lost during United’s bankruptcy. While India allows pilots to fly until age 65, authorities there are balking at certifying U.S.-licensed pilots who are no longer eligible to fly for their home airlines.
canada
Canadian Book Buyers Are Angry Over Dollar Parity
By 9.24.07
Canadian book buyers are mad! After decades of higher book prices being explained away by the weak Canadian dollar, book buyers suddenly find themselves paying “more” money for the same book.
U.S. Dollar = Canadian Dollar For First Time Since 1976
By 9.20.07
According to the Associated Press the U.S. Dollar and the Canadian Dollar have reached parity for the first time since 1976, although Google is currently claiming that the ratio is 1 Canadian dollar = 0.987069 U.S. dollars. Fun!
If You Buy Expensive Electronics, Be Careful. You Might Be Being Followed…
By 8.27.07
Hey there, he’s a tip from our good friends up in Canada: If you’re buying expensive electronics don’t assume you’re not being followed to your next destination!
ShopLego.com Gives Customer "A New Hope"
By 6.11.07
ShopLego is super nice about sending you out new Legos for free when your mail truck plunges into a gorge, writes Anne:
Bad Translation Software Called Couch "Nigger-Brown"
By 4.20.07
A couch labeled as “nigger-brown” got its offensive name from a bad translation program, according to the furniture’s supplier.
Packaging Label Describes Sofa Color As "Nigger-brown"
By 4.7.07
Doris Moore’s seven year-old daughter did not understand a racial slur affixed to the packaging label of a newly delivered sofa. The sofa was purchased as part of a set that included a loveseat and chair. All three items bore the offensive label. The Toronto Star recounts the heart-wrenching discovery:
“She’s very curious and she started reading the labels,” Moore explained. “She said, `Mommy, what is nig … ger brown?’ I went over and just couldn’t believe my eyes.”
After explaining the slur’s meaning to her daughter, Doris tried to pry a well-deserved explanation from Vanaik Furniture and Mattress, the store that sold the seating set. Despite three messages, the store refused to return her calls.
Canadian Best Buy Says Goodbye To Mail-In Rebates
By 4.4.07
Best Buy said consumers can expect to see prices remain low because the consumer electronics industry is so highly competitive. Instead of seeing fewer discounts, it could mean both retailers and suppliers take a hit on their bottom line. “I think you’re going to see us eat a little bit of it and the vendors eat a little bit of it,” Lotman said.
Avoid Outsourced CSRs By Asking For Someone Who Works At AT&T
By 3.21.07
The company is outsourcing customer service jobs on the sly, and have been for at least a few months. Not to India, because that would be obvious, but to Canada. Alberta- to be specific. The newbies are working with a company called Convergys. These people seem to be going through a real crash course, and seem to know only how to read the sample scripting our computer system spits out. We’ve been having problems with them screwing up orders left and right, misquoting (or not quoting) rates and fees, and generally mucking up everything they touch. The bad part for customers, aside from not knowing exactly what they’re going to be paying every time, is that it seems like they’re not as ready to credit accounts when it they need to. I’m not sure they have the authority to give more than a few bucks back, which doesn’t always cut it.
More Footage Of Scuzzy Optician Attacking Reporter
By 2.15.07
The power of submitting complaints to investigative reporters. Sometimes the journalist will gadfly the offender into making a complete ass of himself on international television. — BEN POPKEN
VIDEO: Counterfeit Glasses Dealer Attacks Reporter And Throws Snowballs
By 2.8.07
First Adam Plimer opens the door really quickly, hitting 75-year-old investigative reporter Peter Silverman in the head. Plimer screams, “Oh, I’m sorry, did I hit you?” Silverman puts his dukes up. Plimer dares Silverman to hit him in the face and shouts, “Go on, get the fuck out of here, I’m sick of you.” Seeing Plimer’s violence, Silverman tries to keep him in the store. Plimer breaks out and throws snowballs at the camera crew and a TCC inspector, yelling, “Get the fuck out of here.” The cops arrive. Plimer opens the door to shout the same obscenities at them. Then a sort of Canadian SWAT team arrives in riot gear. Eventually, they arrest Plimer.
A Canadian Guy With A Closet Full of Unsold PS3s: A Cautionary Tale
By 2.5.07
Derek O’Brien wanted to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. What better way to do it, he thought, than by buying PS3s and selling them for a profit on Ebay. Whoops.
Beware The Canadian Spy Coins
By 1.11.07
- In a U.S. government warning high on the creepiness scale, the Defense Department cautioned its American contractors over what it described as a new espionage threat: Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside.
Best Buy Canada: Still A Bunch Of Bozos
By 10.20.06
Up in Canuckville, Best Buy is an amazing institution. No, we’re just kidding: crossing the border does not actually take you to another dimension. It’s still one of the worst companies in the world.
Out Damned Spot! Help A Reader Clean His Citibank Credit
By 9.13.06
Ben — a man with perfect credit — needs help. Not Ben Popken, editor of this Mickey Mouse pajama publication. Ben A. — one of our most prolific tipsters.
Reader Stumbles In Quest For United’s Executive Customer Support
By 8.2.06
Using tips gleaned from our posts on reaching executive customer support, reader Ben tried to rectify a muggled United voucher. When they were issued, the gate rep said they were valid for Canada. Months later when he tried to use them to fly to Toronto, the ticket agent said there was no way the voucher was good for destinations outside the US.
Westjet Delays, Pays Happy Traveler
By 6.20.06
7.50 worth of complimentary drinks at the airport bar. That’s the way customer service is handled in Ireland.
