Sideswipe: Nov 10: Good influence

We wonder if the name influenced the choice of legal speciality?

Grief insensitivity #1

"My partner died in July," writes a reader. "I encountered a variety of responses from utilities companies when I tried to change the account name from our joint names to my single name. One did it over the phone immediately after I provided verbal evidence of my identity. One did the same, but closed the existing account and opened a new account so I had no access to consumption data on the old account; they then bombarded me with junk mail and emails welcoming me to my new home and offering add-ons to the new account. All other utility companies were diabolical to deal with - long waits on helplines, multiple calls - a helpdesk might change the name but I'd find I couldn't access the account online as the existing login and/or password wouldn't work. The telcos were at the extreme edge of ridiculous and often plain stupid. ('Can you get the other person to sign a letter so that we can remove their name from the account?') This type of customer service added to the stress of coping at a difficult time."

James Wu found this at the local New World store

"I didn't know China was in the EU, but after a closer look I spotted more shocking findings. How many errors could you find?" he wonders.

Grief insensitivity #2

A reader writes: "Both my parents died within a month of each other and so my wife and I couldn't go on a planned trip. Got Air New Zealand insurance forms to get flight refund. Sent in the forms, both death certificates and the doctor's notes confirming their deaths. Rejected. They needed more information. I rang them.

'What was your relationship to the deceased?'

'They were my parents.'

'How do we know that?'

'Because my name is on the funeral notice and my name and their last name is the same.'

'But what was your relationship to them?'

'The funeral notice says son.'

'Can you get a letter from a doctor or solicitor to confirm you are their son?'

'Are you kidding me?'"

I think that acronym is taken

(Source: Waiuku Post)

Desperately seeking Maccas

Last Friday's Sideswipe featured a report on an incident at Whangamata McDonald's. That prompted a reader to write: "As a resident of Whangamata, could you please advise where the McDonald's is? The kids would like to know who has hidden it so we can find it. Or was this just a test to see if we read the paper from the front to the last page?"

Our contributor apologises: "I meant Whakatane not Whangamata! Call it a senior moment," she says.

Graphic: Ever notice how many world maps don't feature (or misrepresent) New Zealand?

Picture this: "If only bananas had robust, natural, bio-degradable packaging of their own. Some sort of peelable skin, perhaps." (Via @tim_brannigan)

Picture this: Some of the best cross-dressing celebrity photo parodies I've ever seen...

Video: Is this Christmas ad for a UK department store John Lewis good or awful or so awful it's good?

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Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz