June 21, 2012

Bell Canada Representative



I forwarded this email to Bell's Executive Office of Consumer Relations (now is this even a hoity toity title or what?).  After a week all I had received as a response was their automated reply which said to "go through channels".  I sent a second email to this office to advise them that:


Thank you for not providing any response that addresses the matter.
I have contacted a representative that referred the matter to you
I can only assume you condone the behaviour of your representative and will
therefore not mind that I have posted this email on my Facebook, Twitter and
blog.
Now many can see the quality of responses provided by Bell and they can
choose to go with another company as well.
For the record, it has been well over a week since I sent this second missive and still no response.

I can only assume I was right.

Thanks for reading.

Blue Power - Recommend to Avoid

Hello.

As some of you know by now, I use this blog to rant  -  a lot

In particular, if a company has done something that irritates me, I'll more than likely discuss it here.

Well my recent experience with Blue Power is no different.

Why am I signed up with a power distribution company, after all the headaches that Just Energy gave me?

Well I had a moment of weakness and signed up and besides it was already too late by the time of the Just Energy debacle.


What was THAT debacle you say?  Well since you asked, I'll tell you quickly.  Even better, I'll reproduce of  the emails I sent them....

Oh I also had a nice event with a Bell Representative, you want to see that....

So back to Blue Power

Yes I have linked their website so there is no doubt at all who you should avoid...

So as you know, I moved in January.  In December, with the up-coming move upon me, I called Blue Power to advise them of my move.  They asked for my new account number.  Since I didn't have it yet, I contacted our Hydro Company to ask to hook up the new residence and give me an account number.  I found out that the lawyer for the sellers had already advised them that I was taking over since January 2011 (not 2012 like it was supposed to be)  To correct I had to get my lawyer to send them a letter confirming I was only taking over in 2012.

Well with all this, it took a while to get my account number and with the move, it completely went out of my mind.

Come February, I get my new bill for the new account and remember I must call Blue Power to give them my new account number.

I asked the lady I spoke to if she only needed the bolded numbers or of she needed the whole number.  She tells me only the bolded numbers.  While taking down the number she makes a mistake in the number.  My account had three 3's and she wrote only two.  (not that she would admit she made a mistake)  This was in February.

Early March I get a letter from a collection agency.  They are collecting an amount on behalf of Blue Power.

This was as you can guess a total SHOCK to me.

I get in touch with Blue Power, they tell me that because I am in arrears they could not transfer the contract so they deemed that I had cancelled and I now owe an early termination fee.

My accounts are NEVER in arrears.  That was impossible.  So several communications with a Blue Power representative, she tells me that they will put my collections account on hold and cancel it when the transfer is complete. 

June 19th I get a call from the collection agency.  I start emailing Blue Power.  I am definitely NOT happy.  I spam them a bit.  I want Answers.  I send them a copy of my March bill showing them I am NOT in arrears.

I get a very polite response from Blue Power saying thanking me for the copy of the bill and that I had given them the wrong account number in February (not) and they would cancel the collections and it would not affect my credit score and it would be done at the latest today.

Oh wow!


Oh very f***ing wow.  All this over an account number.

Now why they never got in touch with me regarding the issue transferring my account is beyond me.  They had my phone number, my address and as of March 2012 they even had my email address.

Most other companies would have contacted the client to inform them there was a problem.  Some if not all would have checked to make sure they had the right account, especially after I told them it was not possible that I got rejected in arrears.

No their policy is first sign of problems, straight to a collection agency.  Absolutely NO attempt to try and find a solution.

I did consider either getting a lawyer to sue them for libel and aggravation or just letting the statute of limitation take care of the "debt". You'll all agree I did not owe this amount....

I am still keeping that possibility in my back pocket.  I just might do it anyway.

Over the weekend I will create 28 emails, telling them that I do not wish to renew my contract under ANY circumstances and to not think about it.  I plan on programing them to be sent every month for the next 28 months.  I'll read the contract to make sure the non-renewal email has all the required elements...

Oh and I gotta tell you about Bell.   They totally made my day....

****** UPDATE  As of July 9th, 2012, the collection agency is STILL calling me.  So much for them fixing the problem.


******UPDATE 2 As of July 12th, they have not responded to the email I sent last week asking what was "still" wrong with my account.

Just Energy Debacle


FYI, this is an email chain reproduced.  Just so you can see how honest these distributors can be...  let this be an educational thing for you all.... read your contracts!!!!

For the record, I did not renew gas and after getting in touch with the Energy board, everything was dropped.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----Original Message-----
From: Marie-Louise email [mailto:Marie-Louise email]
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 9:04 AM
To: Customer Service; Marie-Louise@hotmail.com
Subject: Contract 24082627 and contract


to:             from:
Just Energy             Marie-Louise
company:                date:
Just Energy             15/07/2010
fax number:             total no. of pages including cover:
1-888-548-7690          4
Phone number:           sender's reference number:
1-888-674-7878          Account # 6041108710060085000
Re:             Your reference number:
Cancellation Fee                Contract 24082627

As discussed with a representative I spoke to on July 9, 2010, I am sending you via fax:
1. The renewal letter for my Gas contract account # 116524232014 (Please note:  Tanja Young no longer resides with us and therefore her name should be removed from all correspondence) 2. My cancellation Fee letter dated June 24, 2010, for cancelling a contract of which I have no knowledge, nor any documentation.
3. Letter outlining the facts as I know them.



To who it may concern;

        On June 5th, I was contacted by one of your competitors, offering me a better rate on my Hydro bill than your company has been charging me over the last four and a half years.  This other company offered me a rate of 5.2 over the next 5 years, where your company (or the company you bought) had been charging me a rate of approximately 11.  Even though I knew my contract with you was not over yet, I felt that I would save considerable money by switching to this other company.  I was aware that I would be charged a cancellation fee for terminating my contract 6-7 months early, but over those months, even with the cancellation fee, I would still have been saving money.
        When this new company advised my hydro that they would be taking over my contract, a representative from your company called me the week of  June 21st 2010?  to tell me that you had been trying to reach me as my old company had been bought out and you wanted to offer me a better rate.  That you had been advised I was now switching to a new company.  Your new offer was presented, I mentioned the other company was offering me better, your agent mentioned a cancellation fee for my remaining 7 months (up to January 2011 was clearly mentioned).  This fee was no more than $ 150.00 which I feel is somewhat reasonable, considering I have been paying more than double the market prince over the last 4 ½ years.
        Later that week I received a cancellation letter/bill (included) indicating that I had signed up for a new contract on May 11 2010 and my cancellation fee for early termination of a 5 year contract was $699.04 (plus GST) for a total of an astounding $733.99!  I set the letter aside to research this new contract. I have checked my work schedule for that week and I was at work from 8 to 5 every day, which means I was not at home from 7 AM to 6PM as my travel time is about an hour each way.  I do not have any documentation regarding this new contract.  I verified my emails and did not find anything there.  (Some companies will send an email confirmation)

        On July 9, 2010 I received a Contract renewal letter for my gas (included).  I contacted the client service number indicated on the letter and spoke to a helpful agent (I forgot to jot her name down).  I told her I did not feel comfortable renewing my gas contract when I had such a bill for my Hydro.  The agent looked into my hydro account and could not find a 5 year contract, only the contract ending on January 2011.  She indicated the cancellation fee was no more than the $150.00 I anticipated.  I told her I had a letter (included) indicating I owed $733.99 for cancelling a 5 year contract.  I wanted information on when and how I had signed up for this contract and she could not find the contract, and therefore could not give me any information.  The only information I have is the Exit Fee letter I received.  I agree to paying the Early Exit Fee for terminating the contract which ends in January 2011, but I cannot pay an Early Exit fee for a 5 year contract I have no knowledge of entering and you client representatives can't find on my account when I call.

        Let it be noted that I will NOT renew any contract with you (gas) until this situation has been resolved.


Fax to come with documents

Marie-Louise

-----Original Message-----
From: Customer Service
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 2:02 PM
To: 'Marie-Louise email'
Subject: RE: Contract 24082627 and contract 24082627-100716 ON WF

Dear Marie-Louise,

Thank you for your email and we apologize for any inconveniences caused by this issue. We are in the process of looking into this matter and we will be getting back to you shortly. Rest assured that the early termination fee of $733.99 will not apply if you did not accept a new term.

Should you have any further questions regarding Just Energy or our Price Protection Programs, one of our Customer Service Representatives will be pleased to assist you toll free at 1.866.587.8674.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations
Phone: 1.866.587.8674
Fax: 1.888.548.7690
Just Energy

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 3:35 PM
To: Marie-Louise email
Subject: FW: Contract 24082627 and contract 24082627-100716 ON WF

Dear Marie-Louise,

Thank you for your patience. We tried calling you today around 12.41pm but you were unavailable, we were able to leave our contact number with a lady we spoke with.

We reviewed your account and the reason why you were sent an early termination fee in the amount of approximately $733 was because you had chosen to accept a blend and extend offer on May 24 2010. We also sent you a confirmation email on the same day which we have attached to this email for your reference. The purpose of the blend and extend program is to reduce your rate from your previous program to a lower rate and start you on a new 5 year term before the expiry of your previous term. You previous rate on the Electricity Price Protection Program was at 9.59c/kwh which was reduced to 7.5c/kwh. Please keep in mind that this rate is a potential benefit to you as you are protected from the time-of-use meter rates. For more information on the time-of-use/smart meter rates, you can visit ieso.ca. Furthermore, because the program was extended for another 5 years and you chose to cancel on June 25 2010, the early termination fee was calculated based on the length of this term and not your previous term.

We would like to encourage you to consider the benefits of the fixed rate on the new term as it is guaranteed to provide stability and the ability to budget your bills more effectively.

Should you have any further questions regarding Just Energy or our Price Protection Programs, one of our Customer Service Representatives will be pleased to assist you toll free at 1.866.587.8674.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations
Phone: 1.866.587.8674
Fax: 1.888.548.7690
Just Energy
80 Courtneypark Dr. West, Units 3 & 4
Mississauga, Ontario L5W 0B3
justenergy.com

 
-----Original Message-----
From: Marie-Louise email [mailto:Marie-Louise email]
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 4:25 PM
To: Customer Service
Subject: FW: Contract 24082627 and contract 24082627-100716 ON WF

Hello,

I have just noticed, the letter says I renewed on May 11th, 2010, this email says on May 24, 2010. How can I have agreed retroactively?

The email in attachment could easily have been created AFTER the fact to "create" proof as there is no date in the "sent", nor is there a sender in the "From".

Attached you will see what a "proof email" is supposed to look like.

Which is it?

Please respond with

-----Original Message-----
From: Marie-Louise email
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 3:47 PM
To: 'Customer Service'
Subject: RE: Contract 24082627 and contract 24082627-100716 ON WF

Hello,

I would like to further protest.

1. I have never received the attached email. At what time was that email sent?  The attachment did not specify.
2. Please provided me with the time of day I agreed to this extension.  As I was away from home on the 24th from 7 AM to 5:30 PM   I work between those times and I was at work on that day.  I have no recollection whatsoever of renewing a contract with you.
3. Please tell me why every time I called or spoke to someone, they could not tell me of the "renewal"?

I am currently at work, so I OBVIOUSLY am not at home.  I will be here until after 5, like usual

Please note that I will NOT renew my gas contract with you.

Marie-Louise


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2010 2:27 PM
To: Marie-Louise email [NC]
Subject: RE: Contract 24082627 and contract 24082627-100722 ON WF

Dear Marie-Louise,

Thank you for your email. We will be sending you the email that was sent to you the same day you accepted the new offer by forwarding it on a separate email. This will help in referencing who sent the email and what time and day it was sent.

The call in which you accepted the renewal offer was made on May 24 2010, Victoria Day long weekend, at 2.26pm by a representative named Josh. On this call, Josh explained that you have 14 days from acceptance to revert to your old contract and should you wish to cancel after that, you will be required to pay early termination fees. Please note that should you wish to cancel this new agreement now, you can disregard the early termination invoice of approximately $733 as we would recalculate this amount which should be significantly less than this amount.

If you received a letter from us related to May 11 2010, we reviewed your account and found that when you accepted the renewal offer, it was retroacted based on your billing cycle. The actual confirmation date is still May 24 2010 as per the confirmation phone call.

Please confirm should you wish to continue on the Price Protection Program or you wish to cancel the program.

Should you have any further questions regarding Just Energy or our Price Protection Programs, one of our Customer Service Representatives will be pleased to assist you toll free at 1.866.587.8674.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations
Phone: 1.866.587.8674
Fax: 1.888.548.7690
Just Energy
80 Courtneypark Dr. West, Units 3 & 4
Mississauga, Ontario L5W 0B3
justenergy.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Marie-Louise email [mailto:Marie-Louise email]
Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 8:01 AM
To: Customer Service
Subject: RE: Contract 24082627 and contract 24082627-100722 ON WF

Good morning

As I have indicated on several occasions, I did not get the email.  I was not home at the time you called so whoever you spoke to, if you spoke to anyone, was definitely not myself.  Assuming you are not lying, I can only assume you may have spoken to my boarder, who moved out at the end of that month, (English female)  if she agreed to anything, she definitely did not have authority to do so on my behalf.

Had I received the mail, I would definitely have reacted to it long before now.  I will not observe a contract I did not agree to.

By the way, I read the terms and conditions and I have NO idea how you came up with the 733$ early exit fee.

10. Ending this Agreement Early, Default. If this Agreement ends early, for any reason, you must still pay all amounts charged to you up to the early end date. Your Right to Cancel: You can end this Agreement, without having to pay Exit Fees, within 30 days from the date of your first bill under this Agreement. For Agreements to supply both natural gas and electricity (each a commodity), the cancellation of one commodity will not result in the cancellation of the other commodity. If only one commodity is cancelled, Exit Fees will be applied only to the cancelled commodity according to Section 11 of this Agreement. In order for your cancellation request to be processed you must use the contact information listed on the Customer Agreement. Our Right to Cancel: We can end this Agreement, at no cost to us, if: (i) required/allowed by law; (ii) the Utility is unable to service your Location; (iii) a legislative or regulatory change materially alters our ability to profitably perform this Agreement; (iv) you move; or (v) you "Default" during the Term.
You will be given 15 calendar days prior notice. This Agreement will be deemed terminated at no cost and without liability to either party if Just Energy does not commence supply of Energy within 12 months of the anticipated Start Date, for whatever reason, and you have not contacted us in writing to implement this Agreement; or, if this Agreement is unable to be implemented for reasons beyond our control. Default: You will be in Default if you: (a) breach a term of this Agreement or your Utility's rules; or (b) switch to another energy supplier, including the Utility.
11. Exit Fees. Customer understands that in order for Just Energy to be able to supply Energy to its customers, Just Energy enters into long term supply arrangements with suppliers of Energy to meet the forecasted consumption of its customers. If this Agreement ends early due to your Default, you must pay us liquidated damages in the amount of 5¢/m3 and 1.5¢/kWh, as applicable, multiplied by your Future Use ("Exit Fee"). The Exit Fee is capped at $75 for each full and partial year left in the Term, per commodity selected, per Location. You agree that the Exit Fee is a genuine pre-estimate of the damages we would suffer and not a penalty or other type of charge. You agree to pay us any fees associated with the collection of the Exit Fees, including any legal or collection agency fees.

It says if you cancel within 30 days of your first billing, you pay no exit fee AND section 11, says early exit fees are capped at 75$/year

The representative I spoke to this weekend said it was capped at 250$

If I need to bring this to the Ontario Energy Board to be heard, I definitely will.  I will also bring this to any other authority I deem fit.

 
-----Original Message-----
From: Customer Service [mailto:customerservice@justenergy.com]
Sent: 2010-07-26 5:21 PM
To: Marie-Louise email
Subject: RE: Contract 24082627 and contract 24082627-100722 ON WF


Dear Marie-Louise,

Thank you for your email. Just Energy would like to reiterate that the call made to you on May 24 2010 met all regulatory requirements. We have records of you confirming that you are the account holder with our representative Josh who also advised you that the email that was sent right after might appear in your junk mail of your email inbox. This is also a possibility.

As indicated in our email below, we advised you that should you wish to cancel at this point, the early termination fees will be recalculated and will be significantly lower than the quote you received in the mail. At this time, we have gone ahead and cancelled the new agreement without any early termination fees as you are within the cancellation parameters.

The cancellation of your new contract now puts you back on your original contract which is scheduled to end on January 11 2011. The early termination fee has been recalculated and will be approximately $140.84. Just Energy's name and rate will come off your bill in approximately 1-2 billing cycles. A letter pertaining to the exit fees that will apply due to early termination will be mailed out separately.

Should you have any further questions regarding Just Energy or our Price Protection Programs, one of our Customer Service Representatives will be pleased to assist you toll free at 1.866.587.8674.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations
Phone: 1.866.587.8674
Fax: 1.888.548.7690
Just Energy
80 Courtneypark Dr. West, Unit 3 & 4
Mississauga, ON L5W 0B3
justenergy.com

From: Customer Service [mailto:customerservice@justenergy.com]
Sent: 2010-08-19 11:31 AM
To: Marie-Louise email
Subject: Just Energy - Notification of Resolution to Ontario Energy Board "OEB" Concern - Ref: 2010-0011177 Account # 60431108710060085000 (JC)

Good afternoon Marie-Louise,

We appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken to advise Universal Energy, now part of Just Energy Ontario L.P. (“Just Energy”) of your concerns.  Just Energy continually strives to be the most competitive energy retailer in the market by providing the most competitive rates and quality customer service.  Just Energy is part of the Just Energy Group, a leading group of affiliated companies and partnerships that is helping close to one million consumers gain control of their energy costs by protecting their commodity rate with fixed price programs.

We value our consumers’ opinions on our products and regret to learn of your dissatisfaction. Your comments concerning the discrepancy of the charged liquidated damages is greatly appreciated as we constantly evaluate and make changes in the services we provide.  Feedback from customers is an important source of information, as we gauge our success as well as identify things we need to work on by them. You may be certain that a copy of your comments were entered in our database.

We are pleased to advise you we have reversed the liquidated damages associated with the termination of your electricity account.

As per the notes associated with your account, Just Energy has contacted your local utility to request cancellation of our future supply arrangements with respect to the above-mentioned account July 26, 2010. Please note that this cancellation will be effective as of the date that your local utility is able to cancel our supply of natural gas to this account, which we anticipate will be September 13, 2010.

As a valued customer, your input is important to us. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us toll-free at 1.866.587.8674, by fax at 1.888.548.7690, or by e-mail at cs@justenergy.com.

Regards,

Jazzer Cruz
Investigations Management
Phone: 1.866.670.4465 ext 75056
Fax: 1.866.464.6271
Just Energy
80 Courtneypark Dr. West, Units 3 & 4
Mississauga, Ontario L5W 0B3


June 12, 2012

My views on Single Parenthood

In my introduction, I mentioned that their are different kinds of single mothers and that even though single mothers tend to want to band together, not all single mothers face the same challenges.

I mentioned that my views  would be expressed in a later post, well here it is!

First, let's start of with the undeniable fact that being a mom is a very difficult thing, regardless of the situation or child.  Mom's wake up in the middle of the night to care for their child, they worry, they love, they sacrifice.  All mom's do that (or most, there are sad exceptions).

I must mention that there are single dad's too.  I guess I should use the work parent from now on, not to exclude those amazing single dads who do it all...

First, let me start by talking about this mom I knew many years ago.

She was a single mom, the father having dumped her years before.  He was a dead beat dad who did not take care of his child in any way.  He never sent her any money nor did he come to visit his child.  During the time that I knew her, I never saw any family come and help out with the child.  She was definitely alone.  She did not work as work would have been impossible in her situation so she was dependant on social assistance.

Her son was a good sized young boy.  When I knew them he was about 12-13 years old.  Her son was also a paraplegic.  He had a motorized wheelchair which enabled him to go outside and hang out with the other kids. He did enjoy the company of other kids even though he was a little rude to them.  The kids always forgave him for his rudeness though, their parents probably having explained to them that he was probably that was because he wanted what they had and rather than cry he would get angry.

This young boy was taller and weighed more than his mom.  He could not eat well by himself, he needed assistance.  He could not go to the washroom or bathe himself without assistance.  He needed to be lifted and put in his bed.  He was totally dependant on his mother for almost every aspect of his life.  That's why I understand that for her, getting a job was not an option.

One day while I was outside chatting with some neighbours, she cane outside of her apartment crying.  Her son had fallen while she was trying to transfer him from his chair to the tub.  He was wedged in between the tub and the toilet.  She could not get him up and out, he was too heavy.  Two of us, bigger and stronger rushed to help her.  With her instructions we lifted him up and were able to put him in the tub.  We told her anytime she needs help to never hesitate to come and get us.  That day, even though my daughter was less than 5 and my son yet to be born, I realized that not all single parents have it the same.  This mother could not be put in the same group as other single moms who have financial support.  She could not be considered the same as those with healthy abled children.

Not all single parents are the same.  No matter how much some would say that as a group, we have to stick together, we just don't all have the same challenges.  (It could be argued the same for none single parents I know.)
Take a former friend of mine.  She has one child.  While her parents were alive they would often take her daughter for a day or two or three to give her a break.  Now since both of her parents lived apart, they would each take her for a few days a month each.  Her older brother, being the godfather would often take the child at least for one day every month.  Her neighbour who absolutely LOVED children would reserve her child for one weekend a month since the kid, up to the age of about 7 was the cutest thing ever seen on two legs (or so so many thought)  She also had her ex, the child's father who would come and get the daughter every two weekends.  Later on I would fill in for her deceased parents, taking care of her daughter every weekend she was not gone to her brother's, her other friend, sleeping over at a friend's house or gone ther her father's. I would also take care of her daughter most week nights as she always had things to do, people to see.  We lived together see and since I was staying home to take care of my children anyway...
Once, she had to take care of children every day for about 4 months or so, without a break and she could not handle it.  She was sinking into a deep depression.  She'd get to go out in the evening after I came home from work and she could also get some time during the weekends but ti was too much for her.
Can you honestly say those two should be considered the same????
I consider myself half way between these two scenarios.  I don't have the hardest case nor do I have the easiest case.  I have the added challenge of my own disabilities.  They may not be recognized for CRA or the Parking authority but it's there nonetheless.
Well thanks for reading and till next time
P.S.  I have been struggling to write for the last two months, maybe three.  My synthax and grammar are just not working and I struggle to organise my thoughts.  I apologise if this is making things difficult.

June 7, 2012

Do you believe in ghosts?

In this post, you will either find me very interesting, very delusional, both or neither.

In this post I will relate you some some of my personal experience with GHOSTS!!!!!



Often, when I think of the stories I am about to relate, I do sometimes wonder if I was delusional. I didn't get the impression that I was delusional, but does a delusional person know they are delusional? Usually not.

It does help that the people around me at the time would swear that I was not delusional, and in some cases, they even witnessed some of the things that I was seeing.  So either we were ALL delusional and in denial or something odd was in fact happening.

And no, none of us were drunk or doing drugs at the time (yes quite the boring straight crowd... )

When I lived in a very small town where I was growing up, a few friends and I decided to experiment with the Ouija board.  I was less than 13 at the time, probably 11 or 12 and very impressionable.  This happened in the basement of a friend's house, we were 5-6 people.  During the experiment, we are calling the spirits as one would and eventually the pointer started moving, pointing to yes or no, spelling things.  All of us were naturally convinced that one or more of the others were moving the pointer.  The questions became disbelieving and silly ans the answers were becoming more brusque.  No one believed it.  No one believed we may have been dealing with an actual spirit until a ball of fire materialized out of nothing and shot across the room.  To this day I cannot explain that ball of fire.  It was daytime, I don't recall any electrical in the path and there was no storm.

We dropped the board and the ran out of there.  Took us a while to go back to the basement.

The second ghost I experienced was when I was a teenager.  Lucky for me, my mother also believes our home was haunted.   The first sign was stuff not being where we put it.

I know, we just forgot where we placed it, it wasn't a ghost.  Trust me through the years I have often used that excuse.  It's the most logical conclusion of course.  Why I would put a full glass of water in my underwear drawer or at the very back of the tallest shelf is beyond me, but you are right, it could totally be the reasonable explanation.

All this stuff not being where it's supposed to be or odd breezes where there should not be any air movement was not freaking us out in the least.  In fact, my mother and I were finding it very interesting.  One day however, I had an experience that did completely scare me.  We had a large washroom and on a wall opposite the toilet, close to the door was a long mirror.  Don't worry, it wasn't placed in a way that you could see yourself sitting on the throne, doing your business.  That's a little creepy...  Anyway, I was sitting on said throne, doing my business as one would, probably reading while at it as one often does, when I  caught a glimpse of something in the mirror from the edge of my vision.  I looked up and in the mirror, there was a pale translucent figure of a young man with curly hair.  He looked like he was calling out to me and his hand was reaching out. 

It's a darn good thing I was sitting where I was sitting and already in the process else I would definitely have soiled my pants!

When I walked out of the washroom , I guess I must have looked a little white and or scared because my mom commented that I looked like I had seen a ghost - an expression often used in our parts.

I asked some friends of mine who had been living in my area since birth and her parents even before, they knew most previous owners of our house and they said the description resembled the son of a previous owner who had died suffocated.

The next haunted experience that I recall was when I was a young adult with a young child. I was working in security in Ottawa.  One day (evening really) I was assigned to the Museum of Nature in the Victoria Memorial Museum Building.When I was given the assignment, they told me to report for duty at 8 or 9.  I was to do a night shift and if things went well I might get a permanent assignment to that building as up till then I was an on call employee.

When I showed up for work, a little early as my usual, I noticed the museum was closed.  Usually when the museum is closed, you have to gain entrance through a secondary entrance.  I walked around the building a few times to try and find another entrance with maybe a buzzer or doorbell to let me in.  There was some construction going on in the back of the building making it difficult to locate an entrance.  Not finding anything, I decide to try my luck with the front entrance.  At the very least there should be an alarm to alert them of my presence.  (This was before everybody had a cellphone and besides, a single mom on a security guard income, on call at that, no way I could afford a cellphone.)

Victoria Memorial Museum Building

To my surprise, the door opened when I tried it out! I walked in and went to the Atrium and started calling out.  Moments later, a security guard appears asking how I got in.

I tell him that I came in the front door.  He tells me it's impossible, he locked the front doors himself and has checked them during his patrol, they are locked and the alarm is set.  I assure him that I did come in through the front doors, they are not locked and no alarm sounded.  He explains that the alarm is silent, it sounds at another building across the river from where the authorities can be contacted.


We walk over to the door I used to get in and he checks it.  It's locked.  He calls the other security desk from the other building to ask about the alarm.  They say the alarm only sounded a few seconds ago and not before when I came in.  The thing is, if the door had not been properly latched, the alarm would have sounded at the other building until it was properly latched.  As this did not happen I have to trust that the doors were in fact closed, locked and alarmed.  Considering the Museum's reputation, one of us decided that the resident ghost must have liked me and decided to offer me a welcome.

You can read this article regarding some of the hauntings.
I did wind up being stationed to that building until a labour dispute a few months later.  While I worked there, I had many interesting adventures, most non ghostly, but I did experience a few moments with the resident ghost.  Back then I had long hair that I would tie in a french braid to go to work.  Often when I would patrol the fourth floor, I would feel a light tugging on my braid, playful in nature, almost to say hello, I am here.  This tugging would sometimes be followed by a cold breeze.

The next experience I had with the supernatural was a little later.

 I had moved in a town house in the Ottawa area with two other security guards.  Since we were in a labour dispute many of the guards, not working opposite shifts hung out together and our home became a natural hub outside of the union office.  It is in this house that over the next years I as well as others would come to experience a range of difficult to explain events.

To start I am listing them below.  I will come back and flesh out the details of the stories.  Come back regularly for more.

  • 1/2 German Sheppard dog in attack pose standing on me protecting me against nothing, facing the door.
  • Growling behind me.
  • Stomping in the upstairs hallway.
  • Daughter seeing red eyes and growling beside her bed.
The Chair
We had recently moved in and had a few friends over.  The TV was on
and we were drinking sodas and smoking cigarettes. (Yes we smoked inside back then)  It was still winter as we moved in for the first of March.  We were all chatting and having fun when suddenly, one member of the group started staring at one corner of the living room where the rocking chair was.  One by one we started noticing that he was looking at the corner and turned to look at what he was staring at.  It just so happens that the rocking chair was rocking by itself!.  No one was sitting in the chair (as far as we could tell) and there was no reason for the chair to be rocking, but there is was, just rocking away.  One of us eventually asked, "hey guys. you seeing it too?"  to which we all responded a version of "yup" or other.  "it's rocking right?"  Again we all agreed .  The chair did stop rocking and we eventually started joking about it.  We had signed a two year lease and this was looking very promising.

The Ceiling Lamp
On another occasion, we had a different set of people over.  I think it might have been the family of one of the housemates but I have to admit I am not sure,  This was in 1996 after all!.  Again we were all sitting in the living room chatting about this and that, mostly about the new home when someone asked if our dining room ceiling lamp had a habit of doing that.  Confused we looked at the dining room.  There was the ceiling lamp softly swinging back and forth.  We moved to the dining room to investigate.  Our first thought was that maybe a strong wind was coming from a window.  The window and door were both shut tight (it was still winter and that year winter lasted a long time.  In April it was still cold, you can check historical data at the weather office.  We looked in the kitchen, we looked in the basement, no reason for the lamp to be swinging.  During our search for an explanation it had stopped swinging.  We chalked it up (and the chair from earlier) as something wonky to which we would eventually find an explanation.We were not ready quite yet to blame spirits...


The Wall

Ignore the teen getting ready for prom, it was
 a wall like the one on the back with the shelves

 There was this one wall in the living room.  It was the wall connected to the upper and lower stairs.  Perfect wall to hang large posters, clocks or decorative fans.  It was kind of a "hallway wall" as you walked by it to go from the font door to that back door.

It was a perfect wall to use for decoration, BUT nothing would stay on the wall.  Anything we hung on it would fall within 24 hours regardless of the fixture.  We were a stubborn and persistent bunch, we kept trying over and over again, with different things to see if anything would stick for the whole two years we lived there.  Always by the next morning, whatever with had tried to hang would be on the floor.

You tell people stuff like this and usually, they don't believe you so friends of ours would offer to hang up the objects for us, to show us that we "must" have done something wrong.  Always, on the floor by the next morning.  Years later I would move back to the neighbourhood and move into a house with the same layout. (As seen in the picture)  In this second house, there was never any problems hanging anything on the wall.

The Cigar
Once we were settled in, moved the furniture around the living room a few times to determine the optimal placement for each item of furniture (to be changed again a few times over the next year or so) we finally started relaxing in our new home.  Our sectional couch, the kind that seats comfortably 6 people was placed against the far wall with one side creating a separation to make a hallway of sorts leading to the kitchen and dining room.  In the corner where bot 1/2 of the sectional met and incidentally at the junction between the living room and the dining room, we would often smell a very sweet tobacco smell.  There were a few smokers, and quite a few of our guests also smoked but no one actually smoked anything that smelled like that.  At a bar a friend of mine smelled something like it and we found out it smelled like Cheroot Cherry cigars.  Every time the smell would appear we would investigate and try to figure to source of it and we could never figure it out.  Many people have experienced this smell, some individually, others at the same time. To this day my daughter remembers the smell.

Good?
One night, the boyfriend that I had at the time was sleeping over.  He had recently broken up with a long time girlfriend and he was staying between my place and his parents for the time being.

This was definitely not a stellar example of humanity.  Dare I say he was a looser?  Well I didn't realise this right away, I was young, impressionable and had a desire to be loved that I guess I was not very fussy.  I also think that I have a tendency to be rather gullible.

Anyway back to the story at hand.  That night, he was sleeping over.  During the night, as I slept, I turned over, swinging my arm.  Why not?  I was after all rather used to sleeping by myself and having my American king water bed all to myself.  As I turned, my elbow caught him in the eye.  He of course woke up and said ouch or something... I don't know I was sleeping.  He then clearly heard someone say "Good!" so he shakes me to ask why I had said good.

I wake up and I am confused.  I did not say good as I was sleeping.  Sure I could have said it in my sleep, this would not have been the first time I sleeptalk but we determined that it wasn't as when I sleep talk I mumble and this good was quite clear.

Now I figure the resident ghost must have been less gullible than I to the loserness of this guy and rejoiced to the fact that I had hurt him, even if unintentional.

My daughter's imaginary friend.
When we lived in that house, my daughter was between the ages of 4 to 6.  Quite a normal age to develop and imaginary friend.  Well one day my daughter started talking to me about "Casper" We are talking about 1997.  The movie Casper and Wendy with Hilary Duff has recently been released and she also loved the older Casper with Christina Ricci, so naming her imaginary friend "Casper" seemed totally logical to me.  She would tell me all kinds of stories about the adventures and conversations she had with Casper.  Casper would play Sailor Moon and barbies with her.  It looked like she was having more fun with Casper than her real neighbourhood friends but I was not worried.  Having an imaginary friend is a normal phase of growing up.  If it continued too long then I would address it but not before.

One day, I was putting away the clean towels in the upstairs hallway and was listening to her play in that half listening way that mothers often listen when suddenly I heard a deep male voice coming from her room.  That was odd.  Our male house mate was at work and none of the boyfriends or male friends were in the house.  It was just my daughter and I as far as I knew. 

I opened my daughter's door and asked her who she was talking to.  "Casper!" she replied in that cute totally adorable way she often had.  I walk in her room, asking some questions about her playmate, I look in the closet, anywhere a grown person might hide (which was not a whole lot places as she had a mate's bed) and found no one.  Confused I turned to my daughter and start asking her some questions about Casper such as what does he look like.  She told me that Casper was daddylike and wore funny clothes.  I asked funny like a clown?  No she says funny like different.

Did my daughter with her active imagination dream up the description?  Did she actually "see" Casper?  One may never know as she doesn't remember Casper.  She remembers other occurrences from that time but not her play times with Casper.

Scruffy

During the times of what we call the hauntings, we had for a while, a small dog.  He was a terrier mix, looked like a Lahsa Apso all in beige.  This little doggie was a rescue, adopted in the wrong home for many reasons.  I gather the main reason he was abandoned was because he would eat and destroy everything in sight if not tied up.  We tried training him but training only worked while we were supervising.  Today, I would use a large crate rather than tying him up, but we were not familiar with the technique at the time.

My daughter and Scruffy playing
Anyway, Scruffy's problems were as much natural as unnatural.

At night, because of his eating everything in sight behaviour, we used to tie him up at the front door.  This gave him space to walk around a bit, we made the are safe so he could not eat anything and need to go to the vet because of it (he'd get sick from the stuff he ate you see) and if he had an accident, it was the only area in the house other than the washroom that didn't have carpet.

One night, I woke up to the sound of him whining. This was unusual.  This dog had many faults but whining in the middle of the night was not one of them.  Curious I went downstairs to see what was happening.  I found him hanging from the doorknob, all his feet off the ground.  The chain was wrapped around his neck several times and he was choking.

The way the chain was wrapped around his neck, it was unlikely that he did that all by himself.  He may have started it but he could not have finished it.  Had I not woken up, my daughter would have found her dog dead hanging from the doorknob in the morning.

It's wasn't the boyfriend.
 As mentioned earlier, I was living with other people, two of which were a couple.

One evening, this couple was in bed being playful.  What they didn't realize right away is that they were not alone, and it was being playful too.  I never got all the details of what they were doing (nor did I want them) but they did tell me about this one interesting part.

At a certain point, the girl felt a gentle slap on her behind.  Now this was not a loving activity that she enjoyed, so she told her boyfriend to stop it.  He said he was not the one slapping her.  She felt another slap and he again denied slapping her, the third time it happened she noticed that both his hands were not around her but rather an another part of her body.

Indeed it had not been her boyfriend, playfully slapping her butt.
Remind me to tell you about the last house, my son and my housemates' mother.

Thanks for reading!

Cost of Living Just Keeps Going Up!

When I went grocery shopping last weekend, I was shocked by the total at the cash.

200$.

My cart was not full, I had not gotten anything expensive, in fact a big part of my purchase was ramen on special @ 0.20$ a pop!

I bought bread, milk, wieners.  Basics, cheap basics, and somehow my grocery bill hit the ceiling.

And here our ministers are telling us that we should take any job, that minimum wage is being frozen.

I make decent money and I freak out over the cost of food.  Sure a big part of it is because my debt load is a little higher than I can handle right now.  Trying to pay it off sooner rather than later so I can breathe faster but with inflation hitting us the way it is, I don't know how this will be possible.    

The Canadian economy is not looking very rosey.  Sure they say jobs are being created but when the jobs being lost are those at 50 000/60 000/year and those being created are in the range of part-time minimum wage, I don't know how those people will be able to afford feeding themselves and their families.

The only positive thing I see of this whole thing is that if parents are broke and can barely afford to buy food, they may be less inclined to buy their kids the latest technologies and games.  Other kids may start feeling less deprived.    

On the other hand, food banks may have a hard time helping everyone.  If those donating now need their services.   Scary

I know that the cost of living has always gone up and generally humans have gotten through it just fine.

 There has also been potato famines, the great depression and so on.  Why does the pendulum have to swing so far in each direction for the populace to wake up and smell the coffee?  Why is it so hard for us to remember what really counts?

I get the distinct impression that if there was less affluence I probably would feel less deprived, and so  would my children.

To be fair, by looking and comparing the Consumer Price Index between 2011 and 2012, the cost of living increase has somewhat slowed down, yet we are still struggling to adjust to last year's increases.

Well thanks for reading!
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