Sideswipe: Watch yourself

Left: Not sure how many thieves this would keep away. Right: Kate sent in this photo, showing the new Auckland Super City logo is already featured on the Aussie $5 note. Photos / Supplied

Jogging on night shift, part 2

In reply to The Case of the Jogging Policemen, Kelle writes, "Being the wife of a cop, I can tell you that they often jog during night shift, or at least some stations/sections do. No time to get out of uniform - if they get called out on a job [there will always be some back at the station with the cars], there is no time to get changed."

IRD number does not compute

Diana writes: "I needed to get an IRD number for my son. I had the forms sent to me and whilst I was in town I thought I'd pop up to the IRD and get it completed. You would think that it would be easy to get an IRD number from the IRD department, wouldn't you? Apparently not ... The lady behind the counter at the Rotorua branch said, 'We don't know how to do these, you will have to go to the AA or the Post Shop'. Do I get stamps or my licence from the IRD now?"

Unsavoury taste of exploitation

Geoff thought it had been agreed that airport shops should keep their prices in line with Main St. He noticed a bookshop in the international airport terminal selling a large block of Cadbury's Caramello at $7.90. The same block can be bought at Pak'n Save for $2.79. Shame on the rip-off merchants.

Slingshot termination blues

Another reader has had problems with Slingshot. "Back in 2005, I had a Slingshot broadband account which I terminated in less than a year (10 months). According to Slingshot, I owed them a $99.99 early termination fee. What they missed was that at the time I joined Slingshot nobody advised me about the early termination fee. Their argument: 'You should have read the terms and conditions posted on our website'. Only problem was that I wasn't able to read this before joining as I had no internet - the services I needed from them. Almost a year later, after many invoices and threats from Slingshot and many phone calls and hours spent on hold and against the advice of my friends, I received a final letter from Slingshot showing my termination fee of $99.99 and a credit of $99.99, owing $0.00. I guess that is why us little people cannot afford to go and be a dragon (see Annette Presley on the Dragons' Den show)."

Living in the 1960s

A reader writes: "My brother recently returned from the US where he recounted an amusing story about the Atlanta airport. Kerbside check-ins are now commonplace there, but he told the Delta agent that he would need to check in at the counter to ensure his baggage was through checked. At the international desk the lady said, 'We cannot find Auckland on the computer, sir'. When he said it must be there, she replied 'Oh, here it is'. Luckily he noticed the tag going on to his bag - the destination code being MHB, instead of AKL. What does MHB stand for? Mechanics Bay - where the last flying boat international flight arrived in the 1960s ... Whoops!"