# Ook-tober Mini-rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** monthly-mini-rant\ **Created:** [October 1, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511 "2026-10-01T14:18:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/121 "2026-10-08T21:14:41Z")
Went to pay my cell phone bill. First off, why TF do you still require multiple authentication when I’m contacting you from MY CELL to pay MY BILL … what, is some Joe Schmoe out there nefariously waiting to top up my account? Second, I finally log in, and there’s a credit on my account (?!?) and I get a chirpy “You’re all set!” and I’m like, you couldn’t just .. do that, you had to wait till I forgot yesterday’s deadline\[1\] and you shut off my phone (like I care\[2\], suck it spammers!) and I had to go through this stoopit authentication rigamarole? * * * 1. Okay, that is on me 2. It keeps my mother happy ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/122 "2026-10-08T21:17:21Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > First off, why TF do you still require multiple authentication when I’m contacting you from MY CELL to pay MY BILL is some Joe Schmoe out there nefariously waiting to top up my account? There are certain things I understand the need for 2-factor authentication and many I do not. Paying a bill is definitely one that makes my scratch my head. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/123 "2026-10-08T21:17:40Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I stood up for myself and it paid off. I am genuinely happy for you. Now, go kick some ass! ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/124 "2026-10-08T21:27:37Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > First off, why TF do you still require multiple authentication when I’m contacting you from MY CELL to pay MY BILL … what, is some Joe Schmoe out there nefariously waiting to top up my account? CPNI - Telecom companies are legally required to ensure the security of your information. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/125 "2026-10-08T21:36:30Z")
I also expect that the MFA (multi-factor authentication in the biz) is a general requirement for authorization in their system, whether you’re paying a bill, looking up personal info, or storing payment information. Even though the bill payment needing MFA seems silly, all the other stuff tied to your account is something you definitely want protected, so it’s a necessary inconvenience. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/126 "2026-10-09T06:05:37Z")
Interesting. Having paid off my bill, my phone now refuses to make phone calls - INCLUDING TO THE CARRIER SERVICE - because “my phone is not registered to a network so you (I) can only make emergency calls.” I gotta work Long Night/Shift tomorrow, but sure, let’s work that in. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/127 "2026-10-09T09:06:40Z")
Did you reboot it? Once in awhile my Android will decide it’s just not interested to talking to the world. Even in places where I know there’s plenty of my brand of signal. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/128 "2026-10-09T13:15:01Z")
Sounds like the SIM card died. Does your data work? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/129 "2026-10-09T17:25:05Z")
Oh my God. Now they’re saying our furniture won’t come in until the end of November. Are you fucking kidding me? We ordered it on August 9th. That’s 13-14 weeks when they told us 6-8. This sucks. I hate not having furniture. The longer I have to wait the worse it feels. And I haven’t had anyone over because I’m too embarrassed and I just want to be able to invite people over. I can’t invite my elderly grandfather over or my grandmother until this is resolved, and they won’t let me come to their house. I have a new friend at work I really want to invite over. I want to invite the neighbors over. I’m truly just so unhappy about this. My husband called and asked for some kind of deal. They’re looking into it. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/130 "2026-10-09T17:38:41Z")
I had a similar situation ~35 years ago. We persuaded the shop to lend us some furniture until the stuff we ordered arrived. (That was a real brick shop, so maybe different for you) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/131 "2026-10-09T18:56:30Z")
We had an aging dinner table and my wife can be extremely picky (outside of picking a husband obviously) so it took us forever to find the perfect one. (Okay, to be fair I was also a bit picky too; at the very least I needed something with a smooth surface so you can actually do things like write or draw on paper without needing an extra surface like a clipboard.) Anyway, we finally found the perfect one at a great price. Only problem is it was going to take 6 months for it to arrive. The issue? This was at the height of the pandemic, and it really took that long for it to get to the US from whatever part of Asia it was sitting in. However, it did arrive (there were also matching chairs) and it has been great. The difference of course is that we still had our old table, as awkward as it was. (It was too wide and too short for our dining room in our house, it was a table that my wife brought with her from an old place when we moved in, and we finally got sick of trying to fit around it.) Is there any chance of some kind of cheap furniture, like folding stuff, that can tide you over a bit? And when the good stuff arrives, it can be tucked away for future emergencies (like a large gathering or other event where you’ll need extra furniture temporarily)? We have a couple of folding chairs and tables tucked away in our garage for such a thing, and they’ve come in handy now and then. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/132 "2026-10-09T19:29:40Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Sounds like the SIM card died. This is a thing? > [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Does your data work? Well, I’m here, so .. yup? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/133 "2026-10-09T19:35:39Z")
Then it’s probably your SIM card. It’s basically where your phone number lives. You probably can’t text either. Good news! Your carrier should be able to replace it for free, and it takes five minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/134 "2026-10-09T19:35:58Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > This is a thing? Very much so. I support many dozens of people with smart phones and it happens frequently. More often though, if you have a physical SIM card, just popping it out, gently cleaning it, then reinserting it firmly will clear up most SIM card issues. Or a full reboot as suggested. Newer phones don’t even have physical SIM cards, but instead create a virtual one issued wirelessly by the carrier to the device. (Usually called eSIMs.) If you have a physical SIM card that goes bad, your carrier should be able to replace it free of charge. It’s a tiny cheap piece of plastic with a little circuitry. If your carrier has a physical service location within a reasonable distance of you, you can do there yourself and often staff can print and register a new one and swap it out for you right on the spot. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/135 "2026-10-09T19:39:24Z")
@Spice_Weasel Furniture deliveries appear to be difficult to predict these days. I actually went to a dedicated local furniture store and had one hell of a time getting a bed and coffee table delivered. I ordered it early May 2026 and it was delivered mid August 2026 - 3 months. At some point they called to apologize and explained that the mattress company they had been using went defunct. I hope you can figure something out that works for you all. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/136 "2026-10-10T00:12:20Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > My husband called and asked for some kind of deal. They’re looking into it. Uh yeah, I’d be telling them that either they shit some furniture rightaway quick or I want my money back so I can give it to someone that has product on the floor right now. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/137 "2026-10-10T00:18:18Z")
Honestly, I’d have hit that point MONTHS ago. “Either give me the goods I have already paid for, give me my money back, or I will pursue civil and possibly criminal remedies for fraud.” @Spice_Weasel is evidently vastly more patient than I am. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/138 "2026-10-10T00:28:57Z")
My frustration is tempered by the fact that we have a 10+ year history of buying furniture from this store and it is always of exceptional quality. We never had to wait this long before, in fact usually it comes in sooner than expected. This was a custom order, but we’ve always done custom orders, with no issues. So I guess it was inevitable we’d have an issue eventually. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/139 "2026-10-10T05:24:40Z")
Mini-est of rants: I made an appointment with the Apple store to have the battery replaced in my 7th gen iPod Touch. I decided to do a quick sync yesterday evening just in case…and it seems that the Touch can no longer sync podcasts with my Mac. Apparently lots of people are having this problem. There are plenty of good apps out there that can handle podcast downloads right on the device, but the version of iOS on the Touch is too outdated for them. So what should have been a relatively inexpensive battery swap is going to turn into a device purchase, since there’s not enough room on my phone for podcast downloads. Strangely enough, the iPod still handles music syncing beautifully - I don’t even have to plug it in. On top of that, I spent most of this week without internet service because the lawn care guys somehow managed to pull the cable internet line out of the ground and slice it in several places while aerating. (The backyard looks like they traded their aerator for dirt bikes and other ground-destroying off-road toys, but that’s a separate rant.) The poor cable technician spent two and a half hours at my house Wednesday replacing cables and then trying every modem on his truck after we realized my modem had stopped working. None of his modems worked, so I had to buy my own; I managed to get it activated yesterday after about an hour on the phone with another technician. So that’s solved, but the web-based interface for my new modem is inaccessible for mysterious networking reasons (it’s a known issue with this device - apparently you have to directly connect the computer to the modem, and I’m not disrupting the setup after it took me so long to get it back up). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2026, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511/140 "2026-10-11T08:05:58Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Some of you may recall my September mini-rant about commercials in French interrupting my viewing of YouTube videos. Well, YouTube (or, more likely, its algorithm) has decided that even though I only watch English-language videos, I’m going to get commercials in French. Actually, it seems that 90% of the commercials I get are in French. And now, all the commercials I get are in French. All in English-language videos. Either the algorithm has screwed up, or … well, let’s face it, the algorithm has screwed up. Somebody is spending money to advertise to me in a language that I do not understand. I just mute them now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ook-tober-mini-rants/1033511.md?page=8)