The restaurant is being harassed with bills from RE:SOUND.
They claim to represent artists and send out invoices - dating back to 2003 - that attempt to collect royalties on background music played in your establishment. Now the simple fact is is that background music will help artist sales - if it's good, and if it's lousy, well, the business might not be around long enough to pay ....
Exposure helps artists. It's that simple. Free exposure, like that done by restaurants and shops that play background music - is terrific. Or was terrific, until RE:SOUND started billing....I'd be curious to know what percentage of the collected earnings actually go to the artists getting the exposure (as RE:SOUND has no knowledge of what music you're playing, how can they attribute royalties correctly?). But those questions are really irrelevant, what is important is that they collect money, and like the complacent Canadians we are nothing will be done about it ...
Link: RE:SOUND
Media: Calgary Sun, CBC
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The Women in Need have extended their hours.
Now this, while possibly good for a very few clients, is an absolutely lousy thing for staff. Speaking to them you detect a distinct lack of enthusiasm, but the decision came from head office (where the hours won't be extended in the least) and so they buckle down and live with it. Most of them buckled down to live with it, a few resigned in protest, the final straw that broke the employees back, but it's the way of the world.
Personally, considering the wages they're paid and the "necessity" of having a thrift shop open on Sunday, I won't be availing myself of their new and improved hours (I would if it was the people in Head Office working them, that then would be then worthwhile), and I'd recommend you don't either. There are much better deals to be had on the weekends, flea markets, garage & estate sales, let the employees have a life.
And maybe let Head Office know what a lousy policy it is.
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A helpful reminder from the Domain Registry of Canada that for only 10 times what I'm currently paying I can renew my domains with them. Every few months I get one, structured to look like a bill (with a bold disclaimer in the center of the page stating that, in fact, it's not a bill, formerly the disclaimer was in tiny print on the bottom of the page but enough people were confused, as was the intent, and obviously enough complained that they gave the disclaimer more prominence.).
Given they're abysmal rates and appalling marketing structure ("Hey, lets send out bogus invoices with lots of small print and try to get people to switch their domains to us...") I wonder how many suckers fall for it? Probably they're not targeting webmasters, rather individuals who've purchased a domain and might fail to notice the many irregularities in their helpful billing reminders and so inadvertently switch registrars.
But really, what a crummy way to do business.
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Telus and Scumbag landlords on the same day.
My previous landlord, I'd had my reservations. He'd been a little odd, bought the house as an infill, let me stay on a month-to-month basis, but there was something dodgy about him....
Still, you shouldn't be judgmental, and so when the eviction notice came I moved out, all out, and called him on March 1st and left a message to advise him of my new address and let him know if there were any problems with the way the place was left he could call me and I'd fix them.
No returned call.
And so on March 19th, having checked the landlord-tenant act for Alberta and discovered I'm 9 days past due on my Damage Deposit I call and leave a message with a secretary, I explain I'm inquiring about the status of my damage deposit, leave my phone number and address again.
I've never had a problem getting a damage deposit before, but I'm having suspicions that this may be the first time. It's a cool $1000.00, which, while not the end of the world, is a little bit much to be thrown away for nothing. Or to be squandered on drugs by a sleazebag landlord.
Wednesday, March 24th, no returned call, no message on my machine, no cheque in the mail. I call the landlord again, he answers by accident. Curt, he tells me that he paid my electricity bill. This seems odd, why should he pay my bills? It was an old one he explains, he'll show me the receipt ... and then tells me about a mattress on the side of the house, I should have it moved.
It's not my mattress, I explain, It was left by the previous downstairs tenants.
His final argument?
"Are you sure you paid us the damage deposit...didn't you just get it back from the previous landlord?"
Now this is funny, because when I first met them, the first day they took over the property, in front of me they called their lawyer and demanded the damage deposit be transferred over to them. In front of me. They spoke to their lawyers, confirmed the word of the law, then threatened legal action if the damage deposit wasn't transferred over within 24 hours.
And now the halfwit is trying to make me doubt they even have my damage deposit.
He relents, he's a busy guy but he'll meet with me on Saturday to discuss it.
Now really, there's nothing to discuss. When I finish the conversation I call Enmax to check to see if there have been any inexplicable payments on my account, there are none. If there were it would by implication have him opening my mail, which would be a separate trial, but equally damning.
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