An Intriguing Tale Of Being An Owner

These people had been ripping the tax payers’ money for the longest time – according to what I’ve just read on Nova News today.   And guess who agreed to back up all the loans from these people ?  the town – several municipal too – but from what I understand – the town councils signed off on the loan and guaranteed it because our CAO Jeff Gushue did his research and recommended that they can do it?  So what’s up with the CAO?   The CAO is the Chief Administrator Officer of this town and he had been in his position since 2004 – his duty is to provide the town with the right guidance and advice based on best practices. He is said to be working with both the Provincial and Federal Government to help this town grow.

So the now defunct SWSDA owes the Royal bank like more than half a million dollars and I asked the town – who’s going to fork out the money – and I was told the taxpayers -!!!!! WHAT THE HELL RIGHT?  did anyone consult the town – with regards to being guarantor for SWSDA?  I’m sure if the taxpayers know about who’s going to be paying for the loan – they won’t be very happppyyyy!

We’ve always known that parking is a pain for anyone who wants to shop downtown – since it’s only a 2 hr parking – so if you are doing more than banking and getting lunch – you are in trouble and will be fine like $5 if I am not wrong.  So a lot of people don’t want to shop downtown not only because of all the people hanging around the front of downtown stores and dog poop – it’s also because of getting ticketed for parking while you shop.  I don’t think that is good business sense since the town is promoting downtown shopping yet – they make it such a ridiculous rule for those who wants to spend their money downtown.   I think parking downtown when you are shopping shouldn’t be limited to those 2 hrs for genuine customers – but what about those who works in town and just want free parking?  I really don’t think that those who works downtown does that – and if they do  – well then they should be ticketed and not the customers.

A customer came in to pick up their PS3 machines that they had left with us 2 months ago – to be repaired or try to be repaired.   Long story short – they didn’t really come in to pick up their machine  – they wanted to sell the parts to PB – only after keeping it here and taking our space for 2 months and expect us to keep it that long for them.  When PB told them – he didn’t need anything for parts – they left with the 2 PS3 without even offering anything to PB for looking at their stuff to be repaired nor storing for them for 2 months.  Not like we would charge them – but it would be nice – as a common courtesy – it was a good thing that PB didn’t attempt to repair the machines for them – else – it would be a total lost.

Pivotal payments – accept cash, credit cards, debit cards and supplier for POS systems and transfer money from your sales to your bank but are crooks once you start using them.  Not only are their charges higher – the claimed that we’ve signed a contract with them when we have no idea what they were talking about – and took money outta our bank accounts without informing us.

So if you are planning to change to Pivotal please don’t – because to stop using them – they charge you as much as $600 in our case and more in other business cases that we’ve found on the net.  This is not the last time Pivotal is going to hear from us – and they are using a stalling tactic – to not send us the so called “contract” that we had signed.

Last week was definitely a tough week for us – not only was I down with pain in my mouth – the kid had some kind of rash that had us running to school and then to the family doctor and then the pediatrician.  The next day – we lost our internet – due to a blown power supply and then later in the day – we lost power for the whole evening – darn!

The next day we came back to work – and we found more things not working from the scanner – to the tv and then on Saturday the security company called to say that our back up battery for our security system was running low- and lo and behold the transformer on the security system also got busted.   So we went without any security for the weekend – and boy ! was i worried – came Monday – I insisted that the security guy come immediately even though he wasn’t in town.

Of course, we found that our own security cameras wasn’t working no more.  *slap forehead* – so yes! what a crazy week!  I hope we recover from all the bad luck we have had been having !!!!!

So I guess the NDPs are jerks and trying to jerk around with this town?  that was the general consensus of the town people now.  I listened to how Percy Paris answered to Churchillès question about the $3million funding for the ferry – and Paris said he knows nothing of it – now how ridiculous is that!  It was all over the news here – and printed too I think at some point.   I hope it is not only now that people realized that the provincial government never had any intention to do anything for this town – due to political reasons.  Even the blind can see that!   they had been jerking us around for years now.   It is really sad that the NDP government insist that it has not affected this town – and any other – they know and I don’t know what their intentions are.

People who ripped us off – thinks that we had forgotten or something to the effect whenever – they come into our store years later.  I loathe people like that – they have no decency – at all.  Even years after you’ve ripped us off – we will still have your records on our computer – and even if our computer dies here – we still have a back up copy.  So if you think we are going to forget – years down the road – very unlikely.  When you ripped us off – you are just stealing from us – so how can we forget right?   When you ripped us off – you are robbing my child of a good education – because most likely it is money that we can put away for her college.

I received a call yesterday from a guy and he wanted help with his Window XP – he was very polite about it – but he wanted my tech support over the phone.  Firstly, we haven’t sold a WinXP for ages and secondly, I don’t even know who he was.  But to think that you would call a computer store – for tech support over the phone – is just too funny.  We are no call center here – and how am I to help over the phone – I mean it is one thing to pick my brain about a problem but it’s definitely another story to ask for tech support over the phone.

Some of the town councilors wants to see smokers stopped around the elementary school area in the central of town – but what about the south end of town – where my kid used to go?  Parents who are sending their kids to school or picking them up from school are smoking away happily – without a care for other parents or kids.  I think instead of shooing smokers off the high school grounds – they should just designate a place for them to smoke.  You can’t stop them – but at least you can have them all in one corner with a can – for them to stub their cigarette butts away.

No one should be smoking around any schools be it elementary or high school – in my humble opinion – but if the high school kids are smoking – then make them go somewhere – away from everyone – so they cannot be seen – and they don’t pollute the air for the others who are not smoking.  So inconsiderate right?

We just learned that there isn’t going to be any funds coming into town for the new RDA that the town wants to set up – headed and requested by our new MLA.   The Economic Development Minister was invited to town last month to chat about the progress and improvement to this town and he had said he will go back and consider the $100K that was requested – but the answer was no.  Another hit for this town that’s for sure but on the other hand – can you blame the government for not supporting an RDA – after what the last one did.  No ferry, no RDA – cut on the education funding – what else is next?   Is this town dying?  are we in deep trouble?

How many of you have the strangest employee?  I think we do – I had been meaning to pen this down for years and keep forgetting to do it.  Why do I have the strangest employee?  well – after you’ve read my story – you tell me if I do.  Many years ago – after my kid was just born – one of my employee asked me – what if the boss gets into an accident and die?  what is going to happen to the store *roll eyes* what kind of question was that?  but that didn’t stop there – in fact he went on to ask – what if both of you died in an accident?  what is going to happen to the store and us?  what kind of question was that? So I replied that the boss’s parents will probably take over the store but even then he wasn’t really happy with my answer – I figured he probably wanted me to say that he can have the store?  hahahaha!! tell me if that wasn’t the strangest employee?

Would you ask your employer such a question?  what made him think we were dying?  like 8 yrs ago?  because we traveled a lot then?  what made him think that he was capable of taking over the store or the BILLS!  he must have forgotten we have BILLS too ! not just the money he sees us collecting from the stuff we sold.  WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS WAS THAT?  strange employee we have eh.

Charges was laid for several previous MLAs in Nova Scotia for expense scandal that was found out by the General Auditor last year.  But our Premier is now saying that the outcome will make it harder for ordinary people to want to enter into politics!  what that hell does he mean?  so MLAs shouldn’t be charged if they stole from the taxpayers?  An MLA is like a Minister of Parliament back home – and it was clearly cheating the tax payers’ money the things they did – not just one MLA but almost all – including our dear Premier – who had bought a camera to be used in the office for over $1000!  yes! ordinary people cannot afford that kind of money for a camera – ordinary people cannot afford $3K for a laptop.  We don’t get a pension – while crooks like Richard Hulburt gets one ?  what justice is that?

So the people from Scotia Prince came and did their presentation – they are looking for a loan first of $15million from the Province and more money from different municipality of this area to fork up a start up investment for them of up to more than half a million – to bring the ferry here and Maine.

Yes – they promised work for the people here but the ship hands will be foreign and yes – they will bring the tourist in but it sure doesn’t make sense to me that they are asking so much money upfront.  It’s not good business plan as far as I can see  and yes  – some might say – we have to see the big picture.  But the big picture in my humble opinion is they are just here for our money – and they just make the money and not foot out a cent.  That’s not good business sense in any way  – to me it’s not a win-win suitable at all.  To me – it’s like the people from the Ferry are trying to rob us – while we are already down there.  This Province has a deficit of $222milliion in April 2010 – so now – we are going into another debt of $15 million?  that doesn’t make any sense – that the Province will help us.    $3 million as compared to $15 million and more from the municipality?  how can we justify this?

I wanna write to the Premier – and even though I’m just a resident in Canada – I cannot help but feel that him and his cabinet was wrong not to give us a helping hand with the ferry – to bring back tourism to this town.   It was a very sad day for the town and the people of this town – and even though I don’t eat or stay at the Rodd Colony Harbor Inn that much – I know what this means – with it’s closing down its 65 rooms and the lounge.

How can the Premier think that this town do not need a ferry service – it’s beyond me and my capacity to understand.  It’s not a rationale decision in my humble opinion – many business were already affected by the decision last year – and with no tourist – a lot of businesses suffered here.  And even till now – the Premier is still jerking us around – as far as I can see.

With the Rodd Colony gone – completely – it will be a real disaster – so my question is – is the town going to let Percy Paris come on the 1st of February just for a discussion? or is this town – going to show Mr Percy and the Premier – how upset we really are?   No more discussing please!  I want some action and some help from the Premier – after all we are also paying our taxes right?

Hello, Mr Dexter!  We are still HERE!

I have to take my hats off to the spouse ! why?  every friday night – they have gaming sessions in our store – but as you can see – the store is really busy on a friday and each time a customer needs help – which is often – he had to stop – serve the customer first and then go back to gaming. He won’t let me stay back to help him out – now that the kid is back in school – and insist on doing it this way *slap forehead*  And yes! the store had been busy – we are getting a lot more popular these days – since we are the only movie store in town and also the most reasonable priced computer repair shop with the fastest service.  Sometimes, I’m tempted to hire someone to help – but I dare not – after all, we had been bitten so many times – it’s crazy to think that anyone would really work because they want your store to thrive except ourselves.

What’s with people these days?  breaking into people’s house on New Year’s eve and this morning !  Don’t they know how stressful it is for those people who got broken into?  it is definitely scary because it is the good part of town that they go breaking into!   And the first thing these people do – when they get broken into is – call us or the cops will – why?  because we are the only store that buys and sells 2nd hand gadgets/electronics.  So yes! it sucks – if we do get someone who sold us something that was stolen !  not only do we lose money – but the time and gain a reputation which is no fault of ours.  We try to be so careful when we buy stuff – but whoever comes in to sell them to us – ain’t going to tell us that he just stole it right?  We have their ID, addresses and phone number – but that won’t deter them – because some of the crooks are kids. And if they get caught – they would just get a slap on their hands and that’s it.  Damn kids!  but i also blame the damn parents!

Woohoo!! good news for us – looks like we may be the only video store in town soon – the competition down the road is closing its door in a week.   And to think that someone was thinking of making movies and video big at that store.  Poor Tim at E-One – burst your bubbles eh!   I feel bad for the people who worked there – but not for that Tim fella that’s for sure.  He must have thought that he screwed us up – when he pulled his movies and games out from us some 3 years ago – but see – we did even better.  Outlasted that big boys like Movie Gallery and now him as well !  Serves him and his ego right!

So the ferry looks really gloomy for next year – according to reliable sources that came into our store today.  With all the promises made by some people in this town – now I don’t hear a thing about the ferry at all coming for 2011.  So what does it mean for this town?  I still see the people in this town spending for Christmas like they usually do – I am guessing that those who are currently employed are not worried about losing their jobs since they can go on unemployment – but for how long?  a year?  then what?   And those that are not employed – well – it doesn’t really bother them does it?

But what about some business owners like us?  what about the gift stores?  the restaurants, the hotels?  I think the small business owners are the ones who are going to be hit hard first – and that includes the restaurants and the hotels – they just write it off – as a tax credit.  But eventually, the people will suffer and ultimately the tax payer? because the government gets their unemployment money from tax and they owe more money and no reserve?  well, well! JOY!

I just received a call from a customer and she told me that her son bought a N64 from us a month ago – but the next day it didn’t work anymore.  She also said she spoke to a “man” and he had told her she could come in an exchange it for another one.   So she asked if we had one – i replied that we do – in which she replied that she want us to make sure that it works and that she wants us to SHOW her it works – before she will bring it home.  I replied – “sure!”.

So she came in – about 30 mins later – brought her old one – that she brought a month ago – we had our new one set up and working ready for her to see.  We took hers – plugged it into our tv – and it booted right up – tested all her games which she said she brought from us – and it all worked – and tried her power cords and it still work.  *slap forehead*.  So what was wrong?  Hell if we knew – but all i can say is – before you get upset with a store – make sure you are sure it doesn’t work before sending it back to us.  We don’t know whether to laugh or to be irate ourselves.  Just because we sell used stuff doesn’t mean that we sold you something broken – I don’t understand why people don’t understand this.

Poor Zach Churchill – the new MLA for this town – after watching the video on Friday during the Question Period – where he tabled numerous facts how the leading party’s decision on not funding the boat from Maine to Yarmouth is affecting this province more than dear Mr Dexter is trying to tell everyone – may indeed need some  anti aging product for Christmas presents.  Why?  well dear Mr Dexter is not letting up on his story either – and kept saying that tourism is up – while we all know here – that tourism is not up – people are not out looking for jobs because they are hopeful nor are rooms occupied in the hotels here.

I certainly applaud Mr Churchill’s attempt to bring the truth in plain English and facts – and like i said – he is not having it easy either.  The NDP’s are bringing him and all of us on a merry-go-round – when will this end.  In fact, if we don’t see a boat coming in Yarmouth next summer – we all know that not only Mr Churchill will need anti-aging products – a lot of us here will be needing it as well.  Already lots of local business men are packing up and closing shop because of the lost of ferry/boat -  so how can the Premier said it isn’t affecting us?  We certainly didn’t elect the wrong MLA – Zach Churchill – keep up the good work!