Not Going To Happen 'Cause I'm Not Harry Potter (Impossible Patron Requests)

[QueenfaninCA]

I worked a day care once where the two year old teacher decided that she wanted a change of scenery. She and the four/five year old teacher decided that they would swap rooms for a year, with the directors OK.

Honestly, I would immediately pull my kid out of a day care that changes the primary caregiver for two-year olds without necessity. I can totally understand the mother who wanted to switch her kid back to the old teacher.

[LiveLoveLearn]

I worked a day care once where the two year old teacher decided that she wanted a change of scenery. She and the four/five year old teacher decided that they would swap rooms for a year, with the directors OK.

Honestly, I would immediately pull my kid out of a day care that changes the primary caregiver for two-year olds without necessity. I can totally understand the mother who wanted to switch her kid back to the old teacher.

I think this switch occured during normal staff placement times; that makes perfect sense to me.  Early education encompases quite a few ages and a lot of preschools switch teachers up so that they can continue to get experience with the different ages relating to early education.

[LadyJaneinMD]

I keep getting a bill for $0 from the hospital where I had surgery earlier this year.  According to the included statement my two insurance policies paid the entire charge, so I don't owe anything.  I've read that bill over very carefully, and it still says $0.  The last one included lab charges, and the charge was still for $0.  Makes me wonder if I should send them a check for $0 so they'll stop wasting money on printing statements.

My father used to get those bills for my brother's hospitalization!  15-page bills with large numbers, all totaling $0 at the end because of insurance payments.

My father used to laugh and say, 'I have FOUR children I can send over there to fix their computer system!'

(yes, we were all computer geeks)

[BoBeaney]

I've told this story before, but it's a 9/11 story and seemed semi appropriate for here.

Happened to a friend of mine who was staffing the reference desk at her library branch.

The phone rings on 9/12 and Crazy Woman starts in.

Crazy: My television doesn't work!
Friend: I'm sorry?
Crazy: My television stopped working yesterday morning!  I used to get (lists channels) and now I can only get one.  Why is my television not working?
Friend: Um, Ma'am, this is the library...
Crazy: My television set isn't working.
Friend: Do you have cable?
Crazy: No.  I have antenna on the roof.
Friend (takes deep breath): Okay, ma'am.  You know that two planes crashed into the World Trade Center yesterday and destroyed them, right?
Crazy: What does that have to do with my television?
Friend: Ma'am, there was a very powerful signal coming from the towers that transmitted television to antennas.
Crazy: When will they have it back up?
Friend: I don't know if they ever will, Ma'am.  The towers fell.  People are dead.
Crazy: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WATCH MY PROGRAMS?
Friend: Ma'am, I am sure that the families of the approximately 3000 people who died would be happy to trade problems. *click*

My grandmother had cable and on 9/11 called whomever she could get a hold of that the news was interrupting her "soaps". One of the people she called was another relative of mine, who worked for the city and was trying to evacuate her job because it was thought to be a possible target. Said relative was also her daughter and wasn't surprised about the call.

Some people...

[Squeaks]

I was just reading through past answers and coming to the realization that you were workers' comp, not straight health insurance. Which makes a HUGE difference.

  Exactly!  We're straight work comp, nothing else.  Although a lot of our claimants do seem to think we're their health insurance as well, given how many weird, completely-unrelated-to-their-industrial-injury bills we get (pregnancy tests for the claimant's girlfriend, prescriptions for birth control, they guy who submitted his cancer drug bills when his injury was an ankle sprain...)

Gee now feel like the subjects of the post. I did miss it was worker's comp.  Your explanation of things makes a bit more sense now. I was honestly picturing the order coming in at 9:00 am and the employee trying to pick up their prescription that same day not being covered, and by the next day having an interruption in coverage that could cause things to be disallowed in the future, with no real way or time for them to do anything about it.  That did seem a bit harsh.  And while your industry may not see many combinations of legal and illegal, it does not seem that far fetched. For example, I could see an office legally employing their staff in office, but paying people under the table to do some data entry at home for instance.  It just seems there are a lot of jobs, that a combination is not that unlikely.  I have an ex that worked for under the table pay for about a month for the holidays in high school, the other employees were legal and normal, but they just paid him under for seasonal help.  Granted I am sure that would not likely be enough to get a place shut down. . .  it still happens.

Then again i guess in theory, if someone legit was injured on the job after the policy was can celled, I would think they could go after the boss anyway. 

[little bird]

I was honestly picturing the order coming in at 9:00 am and the employee trying to pick up their prescription that same day not being covered, and by the next day having an interruption in coverage that could cause things to be disallowed in the future, with no real way or time for them to do anything about it. 

That would be really awful.  I actually have no idea how health insurance cancellations work, all of the rules are so different!  We do continue to pay out for all claimants injured while the policy is in force and any employee afterwards could go after the employer.  My state is very employee-friendly, they could probably get a really nice settlement, way more than they'd get out of us for paying their medical bills!

I believe that, in the state I work with, any amount of under-the-table pay not reported with a 1099 form (usually used for freelancers, independant contractors, etc.) is enough to get an employer into legal trouble.  But again, that's not my line of work so I may be wrong. 

[Squeaks]

I believe that, in the state I work with, any amount of under-the-table pay not reported with a 1099 form (usually used for freelancers, independant contractors, etc.) is enough to get an employer into legal trouble.  But again, that's not my line of work so I may be wrong. 

Ohh I am sure they get in trouble.  I just suspect there is a point at which the trouble is more along the lines of stiff fees and penalties, before they get shut down completely. 

[2littlemonkeys]

I've told this story before, but it's a 9/11 story and seemed semi appropriate for here.

Happened to a friend of mine who was staffing the reference desk at her library branch.

The phone rings on 9/12 and Crazy Woman starts in.

Crazy: My television doesn't work!
Friend: I'm sorry?
Crazy: My television stopped working yesterday morning!  I used to get (lists channels) and now I can only get one.  Why is my television not working?
Friend: Um, Ma'am, this is the library...
Crazy: My television set isn't working.
Friend: Do you have cable?
Crazy: No.  I have antenna on the roof.
Friend (takes deep breath): Okay, ma'am.  You know that two planes crashed into the World Trade Center yesterday and destroyed them, right?
Crazy: What does that have to do with my television?
Friend: Ma'am, there was a very powerful signal coming from the towers that transmitted television to antennas.
Crazy: When will they have it back up?
Friend: I don't know if they ever will, Ma'am.  The towers fell.  People are dead.
Crazy: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WATCH MY PROGRAMS?
Friend: Ma'am, I am sure that the families of the approximately 3000 people who died would be happy to trade problems. *click*

My grandmother had cable and on 9/11 called whomever she could get a hold of that the news was interrupting her "soaps". One of the people she called was another relative of mine, who worked for the city and was trying to evacuate her job because it was thought to be a possible target. Said relative was also her daughter and wasn't surprised about the call.

Some people...

 

Going off on a tangent but my roommate in college at the time of the OK City bombings threw a full-on hissy fit because the coverage interrupted her favorite soap.  I was aghast, tried to tell her that people DIED but never quite got through to her.  She talked about it for WEEKS.  As in "poor me, the stupid news ruined my day..."  It was apalling.

[wordgirl]

People do sometimes have trouble getting their head around the enormity of a really big disaster.

I was scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh on the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001. My suitcase was actually packed and in my car while I was watching events unfold on TV.

It probably took a few hours for it to soak in that I wasn't going anywhere. I wasn't on the phone berating anyone, but it did take me a while to realize that the events on my TV were going to have an immediate impact on my life, and even though that impact was right, proper and understandable, I was still selfishly a little disappointed.

[sbagirl]

My boss used to travel from PA to TX on a regular basis for business.  He liked to take a specific non-stop flight out and another one back, both on Airline A (he really preferred that airline and also hates it when he has to make connecting flights so non-stop is always the first choice).  At some point, when I went to book his next trip, I discovered that Airline A had discontinued  its non-stop flight to TX and the only other option was Airline B, which did not have a non-stop flight.  When I told him this, we had this conversation:

Me:   Airline A no longer flies non-stop to destination in TX.  Here are the other flight options.  What do you prefer?
Boss:   I want the flights I always take.
Me:   I know that, but Airline A no longer flies there.  Here are your other options.
Boss:   I don’t want them; I want my usual non-stop flights on Airline A.
Me:   I understand that, but those flights no longer exist, they are no longer on the schedule, they simply AREN’T anymore.
Boss:   But I want them.  What am I supposed to do?
Me:   I don't know - learn to fly a plane and get your license by next week?  Here are your options.
Boss:   Forget it – I don’t like any of the choices so I’ll just drive.
Me:   You’re going to drive all the way from PA to TX and back again just because you can’t get the non-stop flights you want?
Boss:   Yes.

He then left for the day.  I called the travel agent back and told her what flights to book.  The next morning, he came in and rather grumpily said “I decided not to drive; I guess I’ll take such & such flights.”

I smiled, handed him the itinerary and said “I knew you would so I booked the flights yesterday.  Here’s your itinerary.”

Can you tell we’ve worked together WAAAAAY too long?   

[wazzer]

I worked a day care once where the two year old teacher decided that she wanted a change of scenery. She and the four/five year old teacher decided that they would swap rooms for a year, with the directors OK.

Honestly, I would immediately pull my kid out of a day care that changes the primary caregiver for two-year olds without necessity. I can totally understand the mother who wanted to switch her kid back to the old teacher.

If the teacher wants to move to a new room, she's going to move or quit.   The daycare probably wanted to retain an experienced teacher.

[artk2002]

I worked a day care once where the two year old teacher decided that she wanted a change of scenery. She and the four/five year old teacher decided that they would swap rooms for a year, with the directors OK.

Honestly, I would immediately pull my kid out of a day care that changes the primary caregiver for two-year olds without necessity. I can totally understand the mother who wanted to switch her kid back to the old teacher.

It was done out of necessity.  It's just that the mother didn't think that it was necessary.  Schools switch teachers around between terms all of the time -- I would probably laugh at a parent who thought that they were entitled to have a particular teacher for their child.  Especially in this case -- it's a 2yo -- after three weeks the kid will have forgotten "Miss Susie."

[keelhaulrose]

I worked a day care once where the two year old teacher decided that she wanted a change of scenery. She and the four/five year old teacher decided that they would swap rooms for a year, with the directors OK.

Honestly, I would immediately pull my kid out of a day care that changes the primary caregiver for two-year olds without necessity. I can totally understand the mother who wanted to switch her kid back to the old teacher.

There was a notice that went home two weeks before saying they were switching, then they'd switch for a couple hours a day, then a couple more, and over a two week period they transitioned to each others rooms. Their assistants remained in the old rooms, so there was a bit of consistency.

And a lot of day cares have high turnover rates, so many of them will switch teachers rooms for a while to give them something a little different and keep them from getting too frustrated and possibly quitting. I understand completely how constantly having to potty train 16 toddlers would wear on someone, and how changing gears for a year might be just what the teacher needed.

[merryns]

Sometimes I wonder how these people get to their positions of authority.

The Dilbert principle.

[merryns]

Very simple.  They have risen to their level of incompetency; also known as "The Peter Principle."

The Peter Principle is obsolete. We now live in a Dilbert Principle world where the competent people are held on to and consequently held back and the incompetent people are given good references and promotions to get rid of them. So we have pointy-haired bosses who were never any good at anything.