CalTrans, lies and deceit

A residential community in San Diego's north county has been waiting for construction of a sound wall for many years. California Department of Transportation, more commonly known as CalTrans, made numerous promises to homeowners and their association on construction, timelines, scheduling and much more. The problem, is after so many years, the promises are turning out to be lies and deceit.

Way back in 2010, residents of this community were meeting with CalTrans officials to discuss the widening of Interstate 5 and the impacts it would have on residents. The specter of a new sound wall was raised, with CalTrans then designing a 14 foot high wall that would reduce the noise impact to residents of this community. So, what happened?

For six years, CalTrans has met with the homeowners and strung them along with promises, outright lies that the sound wall would be built before the freeway was widened. And, after 6 years of planning, CalTrans now states the wall is delayed due to some Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) that suddenly becomes important. They make it seem like they just found out, but then we find out they actually knew this many years ago but failed to figure this into their concocted stories. CalTrans will not admit who requires the ESA, just that it is according to "standards." The Coastal Commission was mentioned but they seem to have no idea who required this ESA. And CalTrans seems stunned that they have to construct some of the sound wall from outside the residential properties when they actually knew this for what, five or six years?

Now, CalTrans states they will build the freeway regardless of the wall being delayed. Homeowners, who have been impacted by the unmitigated noise levels of an ever growing traffic mass will now be further impacted by construction noise, dust and dirt. CalTrans even had the unmitigated gall to state they might possibly not "open the new lanes to traffic" until the wall was completed. Anyone who would believe that from the get-go is a fool.

But, that's not even the worst of the fabrications that were weaved for homeowners by CalTrans. They are going to do the freeway construction at night! That means no sleep for residents anywhere near the freeway with extreme noise, bright lights and the incessant beep-beep of backup alarms all night long. And CalTrans doesn't give a rats ass about the residents. Not at all.

Some points to know:

CT KNEW that there was an ESA as far back as 2006 but continued to lead us on about the wall construction.

CT KNEW from the beginning that some of the sound wall work would have to be completed from outside the property.

CT KNEW they would build the freeway lanes whether or not the sound wall was erected.

CT has absolutely no regard for the homeowners who will be impacted by the intolerable construction.

CT KNEW they would build at night but lulled us into a false sense of security by stating the wall would be built between 8 am and 5 pm, with us foolishly believing they would actually adhere to the original story of building the wall first.

CT has avoided telling us who actually required the ESA in the first place, rather telling us it was done in accordance with "standards".
Once again, we cannot trust the State of California for anything. They didn't want more lawsuits over the freeway construction so they lied to get people to believe they were actually going to consider residents in their planning. Not so.

So, if CalTrans tells you anything do not believe it. They are likely telling you something just to avoid any slowing down of their steamroller projects. We pay their salaries through taxes yet once again, the taxpayer gets screwed.

Another Reason The U S Postal Service is Failing

It simply amazes me at the inefficiency of the United States Postal Service. The lack of training, inefficient shipping and plain idiots who handle our mail leaves little doubt on why the system is always in trouble.

For example, we have mail to be picked up and have even purchased large labels asking that it be scanned. Hmm...latest is the the idiot who picks up the mail just leaves it in the box and never takes it. We not only have to place notes that say SCAN ME but also PLEASE TAKE WITH YOU AND SCAN! WTF? And they complain that people are not supporting them. Why should we when we now have alternate means to ship most larger parcels.

I have an item coming from overseas and it arrives within 3 days at Los Angeles. Then it sits for 4 days before it moves to the relay facility who then ships it 38 miles further away from where the destination is. What? The distance from LA to here is about 90 miles but they ship it north an additional 38 miles so it is now 128 miles away. And it took then how many days to do that?

I have to laugh when Royal Mail can get things overseas in less than 3 days and it then takes the USPS another week to get it less than 100 miles to the end point. Brits, don't complain about your Post, just be glad our government is not running it and bailing it out.

Complain to the USPS and it does little to ever correct the situation. Apparently the hiring process is no better than it was over 50 years ago, with IQ absolutely not a requirement to handle or deliver mail. Every time we get a new mail carrier, we need to trade mail with neighbors. Hell, when we get a good mail carrier, they transfer them somewhere else. We just get the dregs.

Amazon can deliver in a day or two and the USPS can not. Amazon does it for free with Prime and even with Priority Mail you never know when things will be delivered. Pay 18 dollars for a large box with two day delivery and it even says two day on the label and it takes four or five. And the USPS just yawns again.

And the government, the taxpayers, just continue to bail out this archaic system. Privatize it and we will pay more they say, but maybe we will actually get timely service? I've never had FedEx or UPS fail to pick up a package so why can't the USPS do it? Food for thought.

UPDATE: The registered mail, which the USPS touts as being ultra secure and handled so carefully, was never scanned by the local post office before going out for delivery. I called in and asked if it was out for delivery and was told it must be because it is not here? WTF? That is secure?

Add to that the news this past weekend that 33 employees of the USPS either had warrants or were arrested for stealing mail and/or its contents. One person stole 199 cell phones and they found 43,000 pieces of mail at another postal workers house! One of them is the ex-president of the Mail Handlers Union! And, the news last week also showed surveillance video of a mail person dumping mail in a dumpster so she didn't have to deliver it.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-usps-mail-theft-20160827-snap-story.html

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/32765413/postal-worker-caught-dumping-mail-into-lee-co-dumpster

The good, bad and ugly of online shopping

I have to confess that I do a significant amount of online shopping. It just is so easy to be able to compare products and prices on specific items and order them from the comfort of your home. No fuel costs, parking issues, and inclement weather never a problem either. The convenience of having the worlds' goods at your fingertips. Awesome.

However, there are good and bad shopping experiences I want to share with you. Kudos or roses to one specific site and onions to the other. 

The beginning is that it is hot as Hades here and we needed a portable air conditioner. So I searched the Internet for a good price and fast shipping  so we could receive something to cool at least the bedroom. My spouse and I both have cardiac issues so extreme heat is not a positive influence in our lives.  

Amazon.com  Everyone seems to know this site and they are absolutely awesome. Free shipping on most items over a certain threshold (free always if you subscribe to PRIME), free returns, great customer service, fast refunds on returns (Amazon will normally credit you account as soon as UPS picks up the return!)  Generally quality merchandise, although you do need to be careful when choosing an item or seller where the product is not fulfilled directly by Amazon. Check their ratings and decide whether that choice is best for you. Feedback is important, just like shopping on eBay.

I ordered an air conditioner from Amazon on Saturday and it was delivered to my door in excellent condition on Monday, actually one business day later, and a day earlier than expected. And no extra shipping costs too. Product was in a sealed box, with all the required parts, no damage and was the right unit I ordered. And it operates just as intended. Success!

Jet.com  Unfortunately, my high hopes for success with this company have been decimated to say the least. I ordered an air conditioner of one brand and size and was excited to see UPS pull up about 4 days later with..the wrong one! Not only was the capacity wrong, it was even the wrong brand so I sent it back with the UPS person. The return e-mail stated a refund would be issued within 7 to 10 days. What they actually mean is 7 to 10 business days after receiving the item back at the original shipping point! The item was received at their warehouse a week later and it took another week for them to issue a refund, which has yet to get to my credit card company.

Before realizing the error of my ways, I ordered a second air conditioner from Jet.com, this time opting for a different brand as the one I originally ordered was apparently not available. Again, this one arrived about 4 days later and the box was pretty beat up and looked to have been opened before; the UPS person said many look that way and it was relatively normal so I accepted delivery. Big mistake. Upon opening the box, it was clear the unit had previously been opened. The front of the appliance was dirty and the foam packaging was all broken. To further add insult to this deal, the critical parts to install the window portion of the unit were missing. Clearly this had been a return or some other product issue before I received it.

I spoke to a Michael at Jet.com and requested a return. He stated it would go back by FedEx, not UPS as it had come and he would put in a pickup for the next day. Unfortunately, FedEx does NOT provide a pickup label when they arrive to pickup the package, but UPS does. Michael failed to send me a label so the next day FedEx shows up and announces this 77 lb behemoth would not be picked up and they would have to come back another day after a label was affixed by me. Oh, crap, haul the damned box back inside again. Called Jet.com and a Natalie apologized and sent a label while scheduling another pickup.  Drag the damned box outside again the next morning so FedEx can pick it up. Finally it is gone, but takes a week to reach the warehouse and probably at least another week or more for a refund.

Jet.com has some of the lowest prices on the Internet for many goods and does offer free shipping. But when they cannot fulfill an order correctly or send second rate merchandise, the old adage well applies..."The bitterness of a bad deal lingers long after the sweetness of a low price."

Jet.com never tells you where the item is coming from, just from a "Trusted Seller". Not so trusted by me for sure. Sadly, I will never order again as regardless of their hype, the only one with the top of their head popping off was me with a massive headache dealing with them.

It is "Caveat Emptor" or "Buyer Beware" when ordering online. If you think the deal is too good, it probably isn't.