Sideswipe: Feb 23: Drunken mistake

A drunk with a conscience: Spotted outside of the Trinity Methodist Church, Kingsland. Photo / Damien

Telco trouble? Take your complaint straight to the top

Last year Jarrod had trouble getting connected to his new Vodafone account. "I was on hold, then transferred again and again having to explain what I was calling for every time I spoke to someone new," he explains.

"After six weeks of calling I found the names and email addresses of the executive team on the Vodafone website and sent them all a group email asking why it was taking so long to be connected.

"I was connected that evening. Just this week, my mother had a similar situation with Spark, so I found the names and email addresses of the executive team on the Spark website. She group-emailed them and they contacted her within 30 minutes.

"If everyone does this, the executive teams of each telco company will get inundated with emails to the point where they will have to make their companies more efficient."

Location, location, latte please

Seems like the competition for open homes in the Eastern suburbs is hotting up. One real estate agent has distributed flyers saying he'll provide an "on-site barista" and complimentary coffees to visitors to his high end Mission Bay listing. Not sure if it'll clinch the sale, but the neighbours will be pleased.

Police in Newport, Shropshire, UK were called to rescue an injured otter on the side of the road. When they got to the described location, they found a fake fur collar that had become detached from a coat.

Police duly tweeted the incident and then decided to have some fun with it. They named the collar "Ollie" and took a picture of him riding in a police vehicle.And later at the station checking out the publicity he's generated.

Bus alternative

"During the 1971 bus strike in Sydney, people who normally caught the bus would go to the bus stop and display a sign with their destination on it," writes Lani. "Those driving to work would check the signs as they passed by and then stop and offer a lift. It seemed to work very well, as there was certainly less congestion on the roads during that time. Maybe a thought for bus passengers during the Auckland bus strikes?"

Copywriting Clangers

1. "Eye-catching advertising in the window of Miss Fox Salon in Wellington from my taxi stuck in tunnel traffic in Kent Terrace on way to airport," writes Ross. "It read: 'Hair colouring so natural you wont have to pull your pants down to prove its yours (that is if you've got any)'."

2. "How's this for an intro to a Groupon Best of Auckland 3-course meal offer I received today by email," writes Alan Palmer. "Date night is a wonderful time when new couples get to share each other's entrees and married couples get to build a menu fort around themselves so they don't have to look at each other".

Listen to this: Poetry is great - it's short form and I reckon is perfect for the internet reader's short attention span, so here is New Zealand poet Fleur Adcock reading her poem "Weathering," about ageing...

Video: This is video is an oddly mesmerising low budget promo for a restaurant called The Hungary Horseman in which someone in a t-rex costume riding a Paso Fino horse (known for their fine-step gait) you should watch this...

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Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz