Lacessit

I have cancelled the booking. The drama started when I said I wanted the deposit back.

I would not touch a Tesla with a barge pole. Even Musk is admitting the BYD brand is better. Teslas rate well with their owners. They rate far less well with major reviewers of build quality and reliability.

The fire burns at about 2700 C, supplies its own oxygen, and produces toxic fumes. It's a nightmare for firefighters, particularly in enclosed spaces.

How? I cancelled the booking because I did not want to deal with a company with lax security. I still needed to rent a vehicle, so I went looking. Conspiracy theory much?

It must have been a fairly late lunch, given it was billed at 10.30 pm.

I doubt very much he would admit to having a bad apple, if he did. It would just be supporting my case. From his tone in both conversation and emails, my guess is he is used to bulldozing over people.

Victoria has the Small Claims Tribunal, and VCAT. They will be my next port of call if a back charge doesn't work. Another option is the fraud department of the police. If this guy is as shonky as I think he is, he probably has previous form.

From his tone, a sleazebag. The type that likes talking over someone else. I don't disagree with proving to someone they made a bad choice in stiffing me. I prefer to do it legally.

I want a refund because I will have no service for the money, and the company has given me a heap of aggravation with their lax security. I regard credit cards as instruments of the devil. With a debit card, I can't spend more than I have.

I don't use my Australian debit cards in Thailand, they are for emergency use only. I use a Thai bank debit card instead.

Done and done.

Lay off the sauce before you post, please. Or are you this incoherent stone cold sober?

It doesn't, but on balance of probabilities I would say the fraudulent Uber Eats orders will eventually be narrowed down to the Melbourne area. I've never had a problem with Lazada orders.

IMO it would be beyond stupid to rent from a company which has already compromised my card details once, and displayed the kind of business ethics that it has. The manager was put on notice about the frauds, and the fact his company was the only transaction with that card for 6 months. In writing, I have had no response. A reputable company would be bending over backwards to ensure my complaint and refund request was addressed. As it happens, I have found another company which does long term rentals at a much lower tariff. I will deal with them on a walk-in basis.

I am leaving that until I have more information from my bank. Has anyone ever nicknamed you No-Toes?

I only have a monthly direct debit with my health fund in Australia. I was asked recently by my bank if I wanted to cancel it, as I pay a yearly premium.

As soon as a mechanic strips down the engine, the company will know what caused the engine failure, and who did it. Stupid post.

One incident that stuck in my mind was at a shoe-shine stand in Chicago. I was getting my own shoes shined, and having a pleasant conversation with the black guy doing them. Huge fellow, he had played pro football until his knees tore up. A few stands down, a white man climbed into one of the chairs, with the instruction " Put a good polish on them boots, boy". The boots he wore were so badly scuffed there was zero chance of a good shine. The guy doing my shoes must have seen the incredulous expression on my face. He quietly said " This is what we have to deal with all our lives".

A good pad Thai at the food court in Big C costs 65 baht. Being an expat requires the ability to adapt to a totally different culture and language. There are pensioners in Australia who are shelling out more than half their pension in putting a roof over their heads, and buying dog meat for protein. Moving to another country would never occur to them.

How has his claimed uselessness affected you personally?

Your last sentence contains a sweeping assumption.

You've never been to America, and you think Trump would be good for the world? How did you reach that informed point of view without any time there?

Oh, come on. I've been there multiple times, and seen the racial tension between blacks and whites. I could cut it with a knife. Of course Thailand is racist, it does not affect me. I suggest you read a book called "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin. It's the true story of a white man who put on black makeup., and what happened after he did.

IMO one of the most haunting films I saw as a teenager in 1959 was " Destiny of a Man " , directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. It epitomizes the Russian capacity for suffering.

Please go back to America. You can enjoy all the racism and xenophobia there instead, along with bigotry. Just think, you can buy a gun for protection too, and top the world obesity tables.