thanks Obama!

[katzklaw]

so... Christmas eve and Christmas day we had someone in one of our cabins. it was also rather cold overnight both nights. to the tune of 13 degrees or so. when it's that cold we leave the faucets in the cabins on drip, otherwise they'll freeze. well, one person checked in, and promptly turned off the water. it froze around midnight. she called us the next day complaining that she couldn't flush her toilet or anything (wut? that's gravity fed, just flush it. yeah it won't refill, but liquids will certainly go down no problem) so we went out and thawed her pipes. told her to leave the faucets on drip as it was expected to get cold again, which she agreed to do... guess what she actually did.

if you guessed that she shut her water off and froze it solid again, you'd be totally right! LOL. this time it froze so bad it froze all the way down the pipe into the ground too far for the heat gun to reach. she called me at 7am to complain that her water froze at midnight again, and demanded to speak to the manager.

i didn't hear the complaint to the manager, but according to him, she apparently was upset that it got "that cold" here apparently it's totally unheard of that it could be "so cold" only an hour away from a city that has palm trees in it...nevermind the fact that it's an hour north and 3000 feet higher in elevation. (average temperature difference from here to there is around 20 degrees +/-). she was so upset by the temperature that she was going to call Big Yellow corporate office, the BBB, and even the White House! thanks Obama that it's so dang cold in the northern CA mountains! *shakes fist* she flicked off the manager as they drove away.

the woman from this story apparently decided that the snow wasn't so bad that she couldn't come... especially since she wasn't gonna get her money back, so she happened to be there and overheard this woman ranting and said she was also going to call the White House. or something.

so i heard from my manager today that the first woman apparently DID call corporate... several times... they told her they couldn't do anything because 1. they don't give back money for frozen pipes, and 2. Big Yellow are franchised, it's up to the owner if they're going to give money back or not... i wonder when/if she'll give up.

[WishfulSpirit]

If only we peons actually had the powers the SCs think we have. I can think of a few things I'd do if I could control the weather.

Plus, yes, tourists, it gets cold in the mountains. Yes it does. Yes you need long pants and a jacket to go up above treeline in the Rocky Mountains in summer. Yes you do. Yes you can get caught in a snowstorm in July. Ok fine don't believe me. Oh look you came back and you're a Smurfy shade of blue. Tried to warn you.

[katzklaw]

if 13 degrees upset her that badly, i can't even imagine her reaction if she had to travel to the northern states in the center of the US where all the cold air dips down and makes subzero temps for extended periods of time commonplace. heck, wasn't it "colder than Mars" in Wisconsin a couple years ago? with all those lovely videos of people chucking pots and cups of boiling hot water and it turning to snow instantly?

[wolfie]

so we went out and thawed her pipes. told her to leave the faucets on drip as it was expected to get cold again, which she agreed to do... guess what she actually did.

if you guessed that she shut her water off and froze it solid again, you'd be totally right!

Should have evicted her on the spot - frozen pipes can burst (i.e. expensive damage to unit), and she has shown that she will ignore instructions on how to keep pipes from freezing.

[eltf177]

Should have evicted her on the spot - frozen pipes can burst (i.e. expensive damage to unit), and she has shown that she will ignore instructions on how to keep pipes from freezing.

I agree with this. Not only can she drop dead and not get a refund a perma-ban is definitely in order!

[XCashier]

If only we peons actually had the powers the SCs think we have. I can think of a few things I'd do if I could control the weather.

Just got a mental image of Storm from the X-Men as a campground manager, having to listen to an SC gripe about the weather. "You need to do something about this weather!" "Certainly. Is this better?" (zaps him with a lightning bolt)

Plus, yes, tourists, it gets cold in the mountains. Yes it does. Yes you need long pants and a jacket to go up above treeline in the Rocky Mountains in summer. Yes you do. Yes you can get caught in a snowstorm in July. Ok fine don't believe me. Oh look you came back and you're a Smurfy shade of blue. Tried to warn you.

Well gosh, what do you know about the local weather, you only WORK THERE!!!

I will never understand why people don't listen to the folks who live and/or work in the area about the weather there. Basic Common Sense 101, people, obviously you skipped that course.

[Slave to the Phone]

I will never understand why people don't listen to the folks who live and/or work in the area about the weather there. Basic Common Sense 101, people, obviously you skipped that course.

Yes and no. I live in the desert. If I tell you to bring a jacket because it will get cold, you need to remember that my idea of cold could be much different than your idea of cold. I just put on a heavy jacket, gloves and snow boots to do some yard work. Its currently 45F, which is shorts weather for the local snowbirds.

Now, if I tell you that its going to be hot and to carry and drink water, you probably should listen to me.

I could see myself automatically shutting the taps off once because of long standing habit. If I did it a second time, I would be groveling and apologizing all over the place because I'm an idiot. Blaming management or a President for the weather wouldn't even cross my mind.

[notalwaysright]

I could see myself automatically shutting the taps off once because of long standing habit. If I did it a second time, I would be groveling and apologizing all over the place because I'm an idiot.

Same. But when there's a change in my normal habit, I try to leave notes for myself. If I forgot once, I'd go back and leave several notes saying not to turn off the water. At home, in the summer there are notes around my apartment saying something like "close the windows!" and "are the windows SHUT?" Because I can't leave with the windows open, even with a screen. My cat has previously pushed the screen out and escaped, and he has been known to scratch the screen.

Anyway, there must be a certain type of SC who somehow makes the jump from "I messed up" to "BLAME THE PRESIDENT! Communists! Aliens!"

[Pixelated]

... said she was also going to call the White House. or something.

so i heard from my manager today that the first woman apparently DID call corporate... several times... they told her they couldn't do anything because 1. they don't give back money for frozen pipes, and 2. Big Yellow are franchised, it's up to the owner if they're going to give money back or not... i wonder when/if she'll give up.

Hey, lady, go ahead and call the White House. I'm sure Obama would appreciate a good laugh as his second term winds down!

And give up? Hey, she probably writes for Yelp! or something! You guys are gonna be SO screwed ...

[XCashier]

Yes and no. I live in the desert. If I tell you to bring a jacket because it will get cold, you need to remember that my idea of cold could be much different than your idea of cold. I just put on a heavy jacket, gloves and snow boots to do some yard work. Its currently 45F, which is shorts weather for the local snowbirds.

A fair point, certainly. But if I was confused about the directions, I'd probably ask why rather than totally disregarding the advice. Then I could follow the advice or adjust it for my own personal comfort (like in your case, I'd probably bring a lightweight jacket instead of a heavy coat).

Oh, by the way..."Thanks, Obama!"

[Slave to the Phone]

A lightweight jacket in 45F weather?...yeah, yeah, whatever. Come and talk to me when its over 90F, I can tell you how to stay comfortable. Better yet, talk to me when its triple digit heat and I'm taking a walk at lunch while you can barely make it from your air conditioned car to the air conditioned mall! Heck, the only reason I stop riding during the real heat is because the blacktop gets soft. Not only that, I do it barefoot and uphill both ways!!!

All kidding aside, like you, I do tend to listen to the locals when it comes to weather. They live it, so they know it. If someone tells me that its going to be cold, I come prepared or avoid the activity. But, if someone tells me to leave the taps dripping so they won't freeze, I would probably forget. Besides, pipes freeze long after I do, the cabin would be over 65F even if I was reduced to burning my books.

[XCashier]

A lightweight jacket in 45F weather?...yeah, yeah, whatever. Come and talk to me when its over 90F, I can tell you how to stay comfortable. Better yet, talk to me when its triple digit heat and I'm taking a walk at lunch while you can barely make it from your air conditioned car to the air conditioned mall!

I used to live it. Former Zonie here, lived in Phoenix most of my life. So yes, I do know what triple-digit heat feels like. We moved up to the PNW ten years ago, and have acclimated to the cooler temperatures. Let's just say I could handle your winter better than you could handle mine. And if you come up here for the Fourth of July, you'll want to bring a jacket.

[wolfie]

Besides, pipes freeze long after I do, the cabin would be over 65F even if I was reduced to burning my books.

Pipes are frequently in a location where they don't get the full benefit of the building's heating system.

Just curious, but if you have to leave the tap dripping to keep the supply pipe from freezing, what keeps the drippings from freezing in the drain pipe? If that happened, you'd not only have a frozen pipe to deal with, but you'd have to turn off the dripping tap to keep from flooding the place, risking freezing the supply line.

[EricKei]

Just got a mental image of Storm from the X-Men as a campground manager, having to listen to an SC gripe about the weather. "You need to do something about this weather!" "Certainly. Is this better?" (zaps him with a lightning bolt)

Storm> "Do you know what happens to a tourist when it's struck by lightning...?"

Logan> *snikt* Don't finish that line. Please don't.

[katzklaw]

the "basement" of the cabins is not insulated, so the hose running from the tap to the actual plumbing hookup of the cabin is prone to freezing. the outflow pipe is much wider, and it would take it being much colder for that to freeze (thank God)