That's Stupid!

I'm going to start my own "That's Outrageous!" column, given the wealth of material available. I'll have to change the name, since it's already taken. How about "That's Stupid"? Much more to the point. Today's entries:

That's Stupid #1:
I took Wm and a friend to the local science museum. The young friend, while bending over to pick up something off the floor, stood up and struck his head on a Plexiglas display that jutted out just at his height next to where they played. The boy clapped his hand over the spot, crying because of the pain. I could see some blood through his fingers, so guided the boys to the front desk.

I asked to see the first aid person so that I could clean it and see how bad was the cut. Slowly, the assistant manager walked over, I explained what happened and asked for something to wipe the area: antiseptic wipe? baby wipe? wet towel? gauze? They offered me an adhesive bandage, and claimed that they could administer no first aid. I was getting hot under the collar and well, blew up a tiny bit.

"I'll do it myself, just give me a baby wipe." Surely, there are people that come in with kids and need to clean them off. No - they don't give out baby wipes because someone might react to the chemicals on it. "We can only call 911......" For a cut. I stomped off with the boys in tow into a closed area because I knew a bathroom was there (that wasn't supposed to be shut off either). There I used paper towels and water to clean it and see that it was a tiny cut, and easily cleaned. He would be okay.

Returning to the desk, we were offered a chemical cold pack (seems they are allowed that) and again, an adhesive bandage (for an area covered with hair). I apologized for my outburst and asked who made the stupid rule that they could not offer basic first aid? They didn't know, but it was the rule. The manager then offered that I should watch the boy, and should he develop a headache, I could give him Tylenol. Oh, so they could not give me gauze or a baby wipe, but they could dispense medical advice. What if he became allergic to the Tylenol which I gave on her advice???

Returning home, I called the zoo to check their policy and found that they did indeed have a first aid person for bee stings, cuts and scrapes. Though she would not promise what they would do, she said they did have a trained person. The museum will be hearing from me.

That's Stupid #2:
For her birthday, my mom wanted a magazine subscription. I took the subscription card, wrote out her name and address, wrote on it "This is a gift subscription to my mom" and included a check containing my name and address. I put it all in an envelope and sent it off. This week, Mom got a notice of the subscription starting, and a bill. Looking it up online, I could see that my check was cashed.

I called customer service and was informed that the mistake was made because I didn't fill out the gift subscription form. I wrote it on the card from the magazine. Didn't have a form. We didn't have your name and address. It was on the check you cashed. You did look at the card because you got my mom's address off of it. Oh, but the card was probably read by a computer and not by a human. So, the computer decided to cash a check and not associate it with the card. Well, I can fix this for you if you could just be a little understanding, but our normal cost for a gift subscription is $18, not $15. Why? Are they not both for a new subscription? It is for the cost of the additional mailings. Now, I've fixed this in our computers. Your mom may be receiving several bills (what does the postage and paper cost for all that?) she should ignore them, it's too late to stop them. You may also receive some bills for the gift subscription (more postage, more paper) but just throw them away. I'm thinking the extra $3 is for stupidity.