The Vent - Part 2

[DeadPoolX 9]

That's why this is a "go nowhere" debate. Kathryn's experiences in Canada greatly differ from mine, just as my experiences in the U.S. are much different from hers. Does that mean the American and Canadian health care we both experienced is the same for everyone? Nope. So not we're having a debate so much as proclaiming a very subjective viewpoint. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's unlikely we'll get anywhere beyond the "this is how it was for me" situation.

[Kimbear 53]

ok so here is my vent atm..

the chicago paper is already saying the bachelorette is moving in with ed in chicago...and getting married in a year to 18 months. this just makes me GRRRR. Cuz seems Uscis may have lost my paperwork..lawyer and congressmen can't get any answers yet so i'm very irritable at things like this today. and i guess of course they are exempt from the visa process...

!@#$%%%%%$#@

blurgh..i usually don't whine.. but ehh i feel so shitty...i'm living with my sister and her and her daughter fight so much..i just want to slap my niece somtimes..she has no respect for my sister and tells her to stfu and gtfo..and is sooo messy and if it were my kid she's have been seriously beaten..and all i can do si sit here and shut my mouth while i watch this go on day after day..sigh.

oh and she's 24 my niece..i say "kick her the f@#k out of the house already"

[Bern. 3]

I thought Jilian was there on a work visa. o_o Or maybe since she didnt have intent to marry, that she got can just AOS? LOL

[JillA 2]

I thought Jilian was there on a work visa. o_o Or maybe since she didnt have intent to marry, that she got can just AOS? LOL

Yeah I don't think you can compare a celebrity's case (as she is a celeb now) to regular ol' folks like us. I'm sure ABC got her a visa of some sort to do the show, since she was technically working (getting paid) even though it didn't seem like work. ABC would have had to get her a visa in order to pay her to do the show.

[BermyCat 1]

Based upon my experiences with the Canadian health care system so far, I believe 20/20 did do its research. Simply because you haven't experienced something and/or disagree with someone's assessment doesn't make their information wrong. Is it possible 20/20 didn't do a good job researching it or even had an agenda to push? Yes, it is. I don't think that's case since my experiences so far only prove that Canadian health care is an unbelievable mess.

Sorry, I should have used the off-topic flag there. I wasn't weighing in on the US vs Canadian health care debate with that post, just airing my grievances with 20/20.

As far as the health care debate, I don't think the Canadian system can scale to a population the size of the US. Thankfully, from what little I've seen about the current administration's plans, it doesn't look like they're trying to adopt the Canadian system. It looks like they want to go with a hybrid system where the current insurance companies will have to to compete with a government run alternative that aims to be patient focused instead of pocketbook focused. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

~ Catherine

[DeadPoolX 9]

The fun never stops!

This time my troubles don't stem from the government (highly unusual, right?), but with my car. My car is a BMW 330Ci, which I bought back in 2001 when it was brand new. It's been a fantastic car over the years, but it's around eight years-old now. Interestingly enough, the mileage on my car is about 25,000 so it hasn't been abused. Unfortunately, at eight years of age is when cars begin having problems.

Now I can understand relatively minor issues, like windshield wiper replacements or A/C trouble -- both of which I need to bring my car into BMW for, as well. But as I said, those aren't super-serious.

Yesterday, my car's acceleration dropped down to that of a golf cart. Let me emphasize that my car normally has amazing acceleration, so I knew there was a problem. I'm not quite sure WHAT the problem is -- my knowledge of automotive technology is basic -- but I'm fairly sure it has something to do with the engine.

If it is the engine, that means BMW will have to fix it (if they can). Fixing something like that will probably run me several thousand dollars. I know that seems like a lot, but this is the same company that wanted to charge me $500 for a simple letter. They're not letting me go without first bleeding me dry.

Here's the problem: I don't have the money to get it fixed. If the car can't be repaired, I'm SOL since I definitely can't afford a new car. I've looked at the least expensive cars (new and pre-owned) on the market and they're still too much.

Add the $3360/year auto insurance (for which there is NO competition since BC only has ONE auto insurance provider) and the cost of importing my car from Texas to Canada, and I've spent thousands already. All of that time, money and hassle with importation would've gone to waste if I can't repair my car.

Even worse is that without a car, my wife and I are contained to our immediate area. That makes going anywhere a huge chore. At least we're within walking distance of some shopping areas. But finding a job in this area is practically impossible (even if people were hiring, which they're not).

Staying within our area will also make it extremely difficult for me to go back to school. I'm planning on doing a paralegal program and the best place for that is Capilano University, which is in North Vancouver. If I were to use public transportation, I'd spend nearly 2 hours each way and have to use multiple buses. The SkyTrain would be useful if it wasn't a 20 minute drive to get to it.

Naturally this occurs when I'm leaving for Houston on a trip. Now I'll probably need to take a cab (which will easily run me $80 each way) and it really complicates issues for my wife. She was going to visit her parents, but in order to do so, she needs to take two ferries. Getting to Horseshoe Bay from where we live normally takes a good 40 minutes (and that's driving on Highway 1), but with a cab or bus? It'll take a long, long time to get there.

I suppose I should be thankful that my car didn't ####### out on me ON THE WAY to the airport. But still... this couldn't come at a less opportune time.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Is your car a manual or automatic transmission?

[SapphireDreams 71]

^^ My Dad drives an old BMW (1983) and the same thing happened to him once. I believe he took it in and it wasn't that much to fix. He also found a really good BMW mechanic in the yellow pages - instead of going to the dealership. Saves him a TON of money.

[DeadPoolX 9]

Is your car a manual or automatic transmission?

Both. It's tiptronic, meaning I can switch between AT and MT anytime I want. I very rarely use MT and most of the time rely on AT. There's also a "sports drive" option, but I only use it when I need a quick burst of speed.

^^ My Dad drives an old BMW (1983) and the same thing happened to him once. I believe he took it in and it wasn't that much to fix. He also found a really good BMW mechanic in the yellow pages - instead of going to the dealership. Saves him a TON of money.

Sounds like a good idea. I'll need to see how much BMW charges, of course, but whatever it is, they won't be cheap. If I can find someone else who's reputable to do it, I'd go with them.

[JillA 2]

I cannot believe BC only has one auto insurance choice!? That's crazy! Why is that?

Anyway, I'm sure some mechanics specialize in BMWs, just as some do VWs, etc. You shouldn't have to go to a BMW dealer to get the problem fixed.

[SapphireDreams 71]

Is your car a manual or automatic transmission?

Both. It's tiptronic, meaning I can switch between AT and MT anytime I want. I very rarely use MT and most of the time rely on AT. There's also a "sports drive" option, but I only use it when I need a quick burst of speed.

^^ My Dad drives an old BMW (1983) and the same thing happened to him once. I believe he took it in and it wasn't that much to fix. He also found a really good BMW mechanic in the yellow pages - instead of going to the dealership. Saves him a TON of money.

Sounds like a good idea. I'll need to see how much BMW charges, of course, but whatever it is, they won't be cheap. If I can find someone else who's reputable to do it, I'd go with them.

I believe he got the BMW dealership to give him a quote and check it out and then he went to the other guy in found in the yellow pages to compare and the guy found the same problems and quoted him a lot cheaper. It's worth a try. It turned out that my neighbour, who is a mechanic, actually knows the guy my Dad found. Personally, I think that while BMWs might be expensive to invest in, even when they need repairs they do last a long time. I hope it all works out for you!

[The_Dude 1,142]

From what you describe, it sounds like it's your transmission. I had a similar situation with a car. With those transmissions they can get pretty expensive, especially if you have it serviced by the dealer. That is part of the reason I prefer manual transmissions, higher performance, better fuel efficiency, and less expensive to service.

[minnew 4]

I'm sorry DeadpoolX , cars always have the worst timing for having problems! I know all too well!!

Why the heck to people have to beat around the bush?!?!?!? Can't they just come out and tell you instead of being a b$tch about it. She wouldn't even have a conversation with me, the tension felt like you could cut it with a knife!!

I have this co-worker who was a practicum student, now a summer student at my job, we have the exact same vechile except hers is a pontiac, they would fit her car perfectly. I am selling my winter tires because I will not be taking them with me when I move due to lack of space. I've had an ad listed for the past 4 months on kijii and the union website, no takers. I thought I would be nice and ask her if she was interested in any winter tires, before spending the $$ to put a newspaper ad. She said she would think about it and let me know, she wants winter tires but it would come down to whether she could afford them or not and may not be able to do 1 payment. I said, we will work it out, even if you can't pay in 1 payment.

I come on shift yesterday first one in 5 days and I say hello and she ignores me, just a weak...if that smile. Same thing today. I finally ask her while she's in the staff office at the same time as me if she was still thinking/interested, it had been a week since I last saw her. (Big sigh as if annoyed I asked).....Well I am interested I just don't know if I can afford them. I said "Well let me know either way, for sure, I need to sell them." No response. I run into her before I am leaving work, while she was coming back into the building with a kid, and she practically rolls her frickin eyes at me!!!

I'm not asking her to spill her guts about her $$ for god sakes, just have the common decency to let me know as I asked her for a decision by this week when I came on shift and if to move on to another form of selling!! Ugh!!

On top of that I think I am getting sick! Doc put me on antibiotic because my 1st throat swab came back indefinitive and he wanted to redo, he noticed my throat was still really red! Its sooo sore!!

I cannot believe BC only has one auto insurance choice!? That's crazy! Why is that?

SK is the same way! It sucks! Its called Saskatchewan Government Insurance, SGI, a monopoly!

Edited July 30, 2009 by minnew

[DeadPoolX 9]

I cannot believe BC only has one auto insurance choice!? That's crazy! Why is that?

Anyway, I'm sure some mechanics specialize in BMWs, just as some do VWs, etc. You shouldn't have to go to a BMW dealer to get the problem fixed.

Why BC has only one auto insurer is a mystery to me too. Even with BC provincial health care, you have to pay a premium in ADDITION to paying for it through taxation. BC has always been a very tax-heavy and government regulated province. I suppose that's the downside to living in a province that rarely gets as cold as the rest of Canada.

I like the way Alberta runs things. Unfortunately, it's just too damn cold there in the winter.

I shouldn't HAVE to go a BMW dealer, but I may need to do so anyway. For instance... I need new windshield wiper blades, right? I checked all the automotive stores and mechanics around and they don't carry the right ones for my car. Why is this? Because BMW won't allow it and demands that all BMW owners go to them -- and pay inflated prices -- for their parts.

Is your car a manual or automatic transmission?

Both. It's tiptronic, meaning I can switch between AT and MT anytime I want. I very rarely use MT and most of the time rely on AT. There's also a "sports drive" option, but I only use it when I need a quick burst of speed.

^^ My Dad drives an old BMW (1983) and the same thing happened to him once. I believe he took it in and it wasn't that much to fix. He also found a really good BMW mechanic in the yellow pages - instead of going to the dealership. Saves him a TON of money.

Sounds like a good idea. I'll need to see how much BMW charges, of course, but whatever it is, they won't be cheap. If I can find someone else who's reputable to do it, I'd go with them.

I believe he got the BMW dealership to give him a quote and check it out and then he went to the other guy in found in the yellow pages to compare and the guy found the same problems and quoted him a lot cheaper. It's worth a try. It turned out that my neighbour, who is a mechanic, actually knows the guy my Dad found. Personally, I think that while BMWs might be expensive to invest in, even when they need repairs they do last a long time. I hope it all works out for you!

I'll definitely look into it. I don't want to pay BMW since they're a ripoff. Having said that, I absolutely agree with you on BMWs. As I said, I've had this one for eight years (getting close to nine, actually) and except for a few instances here and there, it's been a wonderful car.

[JillA 2]

Wow, that surprises me! In Ontario, you can shop around to many different insurance cos, get the best price! How are you going to get the best price in BC if you can't shop around. That would pi$$ me off