Release the Hounds!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::LOL:
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Release the Hounds!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::LOL:
Screw that! Release the craken! :eek::mad::mad::mad:
I was going to write some drivle about how some folks like to say "You're" system is superior to "Ours".. but really, it isn't the system because no matter where in the world you are there will be some dick who is high on what he/she percieves as a power over us ordinary folks.
I say FRY HIM! You've taken the high road so far, now finish it! :)
Wednesday, (the day the engineer has said all the paperwork will be at Land Transport's desk,) is tomorrow.
I'll give them a week to rubber-stamp it.
Then there will be a phone call to them.
If by then there is no tangible action by then; then the dogs of war will be slipped.
They're going to be slipped eventually anyway; resulting in total and very public humiliation for all involved in this entire debacle.
Vindictive of me?
Perhaps yes.
But my primary motive is to demonstrate to these bumblers that they have an obligation to perform their duties in a responsible manner...and hopefully, as a result of my actions, there will not be a repetition on some other poor bugger.
I don't want anyone else to have to go through what we've endured these past ten months...
(Bugger the ice-cream...pass me the rum bottle! I'm gonna build me a bar in the back of the bus and drive myself to drink!)
:mad:
Thanks for the update Johnboy, glad to hear it's finally moving in the right direction at last (totally agree 10 months is a joke). Get the paperwork signed and stamped prior commencing the public flogging. I could donate a bottle or two.
Okay . . . enough is enough.
The line has been crossed.
These bastards have got on my nerves for long enough, bounced up and down on them, and stretched them to where they have finally snapped.
Alea jacta est.
I have crossed my Rubicon.
Wednesday evening I rang Graham Bell, the front-man of TV's 'Police Ten 7', and a personal friend from way back.
"Contact your associates in 'Fair Go' Graham; I've got a story for them."
It's now eleven months since the bus was presented for certification; I've had no notice of needing to modify/change anything . . . so what has been the problem?
So I'm going to be the 'Star Turn' in a television programme.
Most certainly not what I wanted or desired . . . but . . . if it gets results . . .
The die is cast.
:mad:
Geeeezzz.. I hope the outcome is in you're favour to be sure!
They've been asking for it!
Give em hell johnboy....ted
Can't say I blame you, and I'd probably have taken some sort of action about ten months back. Hope it gets the desired results, and quickly!!
Thanks for the kind words.
I will post as to what happens.
Hell yes John, you go get them and this should be interesting to see if getting the Fair Go team involved helps, if it doesn't , damn, we are in trouble with this certification business.Can you keep us informed as to when it may appear on Tele please so I don't miss it .
It's not the certification system that's at fault..It's one dipstick in the heavy transport side of the LTSA,by the sound of it.. A little weasel who cant except what he is looking at,,so he hopes it will go away..Thats what I see,,and having been through something similar some years back,,I would almost put my money on it..Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiplash23T
Oh , my mistake then , sorry , I just jumped to that conclusion by the fact that it was still sitting in Hamilton at the Certifies .
It is,to my knowledge,,but it wont be signed off until the little weasel whipper says yay,so it cant/wont leave the certifier's building..Correct,Johnboy??Noel will be a bit peeved too..It aint that small,,must be taking up some room..Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiplash23T
You've got it Robin.Quote:
Originally Posted by lamin8r
We were in Pirongia for an engagement party Saturday, so stayed over in the Waikato Sunday, and went to see Land Transport 1st thing today, (Monday,) arriving unannounced, and asked for the 'gentleman' concerned.
He wasn't in, but that's alright; I'll speak to his superior.
His superior claimed (?!?) to know nothing about it; but has promised to 'look into the matter', agreeing that eleven months was far too long.
But it's TOO LATE!
As I said: the die is cast . . . I just wondered what sort of an excuse I'd get . . . and now I know . . . so 'ignorance' cannot be the plea to the 'Fair Go' cameras . . . that has already been used . . . and cannot be after we spent thirty minutes explaining the situation . . .
Whip: I'll post the date of it screening on here as soon as I know myself; I haven't faced the cameras yet . . .
Wish I could see that as well
Charlie: you most probably can.
I'm pretty sure TVNZ put their programmes on their website after they've been aired.
I'm not too sure of the procedure, but will make enquiries.
Thanks JB.. I'm hoping we can see the show also..
Looks like that's the case - News & Weather, TV On Demand & TV Guide | TVNZQuote:
Originally Posted by johnboy
Crikey!
You're on the ball there Roger!
I hadn't had a chance to search for it myself yet . . . and you've already found it!
Yep, that's it; after the show has aired (dunno when that will be, as I say, I haven't been in front of the cameras yet,) just put 'Fair-Go' in the search box; and . . . Voila!
Phone rang at 5:10 pm yesterday: "Mark Crysell here from Fair Go. We want to do the story on your bus."
So the wheels are turning...perhaps slowly...but inevitably . . .
He said it will be three weeks (perhaps more,) before they can get the four hundred miles or so down to Rahotu . . . but they will get here . . .
All good.
They will have to consult a roadmap first,,cos if they are coming down from Auckland,they will be totally lost past the bottom of the Bombay Hills..:LOL::LOL: probably take the long way,via Wanganui,John.. ;);):DQuote:
Originally Posted by johnboy
Hope they get it shot, edited and aired before your departure date to the US for your Route 66 adventure, jb. Plus there's a wedding event not too much before that time too, right? Don't want to miss all of the hoopla from the news program, and your 15 minutes of fame. ;):D:LOL:
We actually had three weddings booked in, two prior to our trip, and our #2 boy's after.
We did the first of the prior weddings two weeks back, and the second has been cancelled . . . I didn't ask why; it's none of my business.
Suffice that we're not required.
Robin: they won't get lost.
Crysell told me of playing rugby many years back at the Rahotu sports ground, and having to shift the sheep off before play could commence.
"Yep. That sounds about right," I said.
So he does know where Rahotu is!
And . . . a phone call this morning from Noel McMillin . . . Land Transport have acknowledged that they do have the relevant paper-work.
It's only about six weeks since they received it.
The speed at which they move makes a snail look like a boy-racer.
This is a quote from the (closed) Mavericks' website, posted by a fellow Maverick who has been involved in the bus since the germ of an idea was planted six years or so ago.
He was commenting on the same issue I mentioned in the post above:
What can I say?Quote:
"Yup, we heard that too.....
It was sitting on the desk of the person we expected - he's been asked at least 6 times in as many weeks if he knows of the whereabouts of this paperwork.
They told me today 'Oh were you meaning the Dually? Yeah we've got that. We thought you were talking about a bus'.
I f###in give up. To call them muppets, would actually be an insult to muppets.
I hope they (Fair Go) still pursue the story - they SHOULD - because they can claim a victory, all was quickly resolved once the word went out that Fair Go was involved.
Anyway, this is good news, you're one step closer now. I hope the body work hasn't suffered too much mate."
Absolutely gutting to me; but not even a blip on the radar to some minor petty bureaucrat.
sigh.
I'm becoming very fond of hokey-pokey ice cream and double shots of rum.
HMmmm.. Well, I guess as long as you can move forward, it'll be a win but, I also hope the TV crew comes and investigates as the story of abuse needs to be told.
jb, Fair Go should also bring to light the several ridiculous changes that you had to make initially, due to the potential load capacity of the chassis without regard for the size of the bus, swapping out the seats because of some interpretation of rules that should not have been applied, and on, and on. The WHOLE sorted mess needs to be addressed, aired in public, and the people in charge held accountable or ridiculed accordingly. Seems to me that you've spent a considerable amount of money unnecessarily, only to pacify twits?
Twits are genetically inclined towards bureaucracy.
This week I had a twit tell me that the original copy of my birth certificates isn't acceptable. They need a piece of paper from a second agency, saying they have seen the original..without twits, the asinine decisions of our elected officials couldn't be enforced.
Yay democracy.
Never Mind.....
Phone call at 3:10 pm.
Usually at this time of day I'm up in my shed, but today I wasn't; so I took the call.
"Noel McMillin here, Land Transport have finally okayed your bus."
Well!
I'm actually not as pleased as I thought I would be; this whole bloody saga has just dragged on for far too long.
And: there are some provisos, there has to be an underfloor plate welded under the passenger's seat, with the seat bolted to it, and one of the welds has to be redone.
I can live with that; I'm pretty much resigned/inured to anything these bastards throw at me now.
Just get it done!
But it's too late!
I've tossed the dice, land where they will; that's the path I'm following.
And they've landed with Fair Go . . . so that's the way I'm going.
(Isn't it amazing how things suddenly happened when they appeared on the horizon?)
As a Govt. Dept. they have an obligation to ensure things are done promptly; an obligation they have not fulfilled.
So it's name and shame time coming now.
Nobody comes out of their programme smelling of roses, not even the complainant, but I'm not concerned about being told I'm a s.o.b., I've been one a long time; the hours are good, and there's no heavy lifting.
Bastards.
Double post . . . dunno how . . .
You can say that again! Bastards!
Good news jb, but as you say, once the die is cast it cannot be pulled back into the hand. They deserve the negative publicity they'll get, and hopefully will recall who they really work for.
You're right on the money there mate!Quote:
Originally Posted by rspears
If we'd scratch-built a chassis with 6 x 2 box section it could have been classified as a light vehicle.
(Under 3.5 tonnes and with a dispensation to 4.8 tonnes for a motor-home.)
But because I did what I thought was the better option, and used a standard GM chassis rated at a potential 6.5 tonnes, I landed myself in a heap of strife due to one bureaucrat's pedantic attitude.
Sigh.
Ain't hindsight a wonderful thing?
But that part of the build is now (almost) over.
A plate can now be mounted and bolted under the seat, and a weld can now be redone.
It's taken twelve months to find those two minor imperfections.
I'm still not happy . . . one-tenth of me is glad it's over; but nine-tenths is absolutely furious over the time it has taken.
Very mixed feelings.
So; in the not-too-distant future I'm going to have to make a trip to Hamilton, get a certificate of fitness on it, get it registered, and then take it to Dave Green at Matamata for him to finish tweaking the computer.
Then re-book it to get the interior fitted, and in the interim tout it around paint shops to see who can paint it for me . . . those I had it booked with have given up on me long ago.
Another sigh.
johnboy is not yet a happy camper.
Almost there take a little time for some ice cream you'll feel better
Will the painters who had it booked in for paint not fit it in now or have you had time to rethink that stage ? I still feel your pain John and hopefully Fairgo will give the story a good airing so that the right people maybe held accountable for their lack of action. It amazes me that if the standard seat was in place it , the floor, would be sweet but due too having an aftermarket seat bolted in , one has to reinforce the floor. Wonder if all these boy racers that rip the seats out of their jappa's and replace with recaro seats have to have steel plates added to the floor structure, I don't think so....
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:Seriously??:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by cffisher
Time to show the twits they've messed with the wrong country boy on this one. Leave the ice cream for the losers!:p:p:LOL::LOL::LOL:
Or a celebratory rum or three!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by cffisher
(Even four wouldn't hurt . . . would it?)
Whip: the painters I had lined up are not yet aware that the bus could (potentially) be about three months away, so I'm going to have to go see them next Thurs and, if possible, re-book.
Wednesday 4th September.
McMillin rang at 8:10. Everything should be ticked off by NZTA by Friday, CoF on Monday, possibly registered too.
Matt Donaldson rang 9:15.. I told him that if the bus is not ready by the time we fly out Coxy will bring it to him.
Mark Crysell and his cameraman of Fair Go arrived at 10:00.
Interview terminated around 1:15.
Karen MacArthur of NZTA (07 958 7870) rang trying to placate me. (McMillin had rung her telling her of Fair Go's involvement.)
But it’s too late!
I told her of the total lack of information, the incompetence, and the attitude problem within her organisation. She actually got a bloody good rark-up from me . . . perhaps more vitriolic than she deserved.
Tough.
She reckons I should talk to her boss, Ian Baggott (04 894 5069)
I told her to tell him to contact me Friday; as I won't be near a phone today.
He too will get a rark-up.
A busy day.
The interview will screen 7:30 pm Wednesday 11th September (NZ time,) on TV1.
Amazing Johnboy, the boss gets his office lady to phone you as he doesn't have the testicles to talk to you himself and I would be surprised if he does phone you on Friday. I will be glued to the TV on Wednesday night to watch now this story is spun.
And we trust someone will post a link to the NZ TV link where we in the northern extremes can watch the fun, too??Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiplash23T