How often do you come across a " Ralph Nader " moment ? Well i am not having one of those , since i haven't got my hands on the product ! Essentially the whole thing boils down to the fact that i am dealing with people who either cannot be bothered about their product , or are too busy to concentrate when there is no cash in hand ?
Seeing a report on a Cycling Safety Facebook page in December of a " DUAL View Helmet Camera " , i sent several emails pointing out my Blogs , Facebook , Twitter & LinkedIN accounts as a way to introduce myself and as an inducement to encourage the " loan " of a unit . I specified a variety of Events that i would be attending , starting with the Kitzbuhel Ski Races in late January 2014 . Those that follow my activities will have seen that i met the Austrian President there , amongst the many Celebrities that i don't normally encounter . Not sure what Felix B. & David C. would have thought of me wearing a Helmet Camera , But Franz Klammer & Luc Alphond have endured my interviewing techniques with a Video Camera .
Winter in Austria is normally fraught with wet and slushy roads , there are plenty of difficult moments where a record of the " Close encounters of the wrong type " , are not enjoyed . This year the roads have been dry and sunny , thus in 10 weeks or so i have ridden close to 5000 km . Even today turned out somewhat different , in as much as i had about 50km by mid morning , then encountered a middle aged rider , heading the other way , which set me off on another 3hr ride . Having left him at Kufstein Hospital which was his destination , i headed over the border into Germany before starting back for the Inntal .
Once again 20km from home there was a fast mover heading towards me , so that occasioned a diversion . He was heading off at a tangent from my direct homeward route , into an area that i usually pass through at the start of a ride , Mariastein . The first few kilometres past in conversation , but when we neared an industrial area , i dropped back to let traffic pass . At the entrance to Mariastein , there is a sharp climb that requires dropping to the 42 ring , but on this occasion the chain fell betwixt , thus all momentum was lost as i had to scramble the chain back to the 55 and by that time i was 150M behind with a fair amount of climbing ahead . The next 10km through several climbs , i managed to retrieve most of the 500M deficit that had accrued , but as it was getting onto 4+hrs in the saddle , when we were into the outskirts of Woergl , i decided that the Wilchenau climb he was heading for , was a climb too far , thus headed home .
Not used a Computer or Polar strap for several years now , so i don't keep a complete record of my daily efforts , so when i claim 150km for a day that others will record as 165+ km , i could care less . It would be remiss to not say that the scenery on a sunny day is breath taking , certainly worthy of filming . As to traffic irritation , it was one of those days where being principally on farm roads , i did not have more than a handful of dolts with their klaxon to contend with .
During the past several months i have had too many occasions of " Expressed Doubt " when i have taken complaints of BAD Driving behaviours to the Polizei . Had i had a visual record of the events unfolding there would have been a more " sympathetic hearing " of the prevailing circumstances . Only when the people admit to their wrongdoing with the Polizei interviewing , do i get any consideration of a hearing .
Moving down the road at 40+kph , events happen quickly . It is necessary to be able to record what happens as the offender arrives , as well as their behaviour in passing . Not good enough to say that you saw them shuffling papers , texting , phoning , shouting at you through open window as they pass by millimetres then swerve into the kerb , to get out of the way of on coming traffic , or avoid hitting the mid road kerb that restricts the approach to a roundabout or junction . They know they are breaking the Law / Road Code , but they are bigger and enclosed in a metal container , and your Lycra clothes are unlikely to damage their shiny paint work ? Slapping the window only antagonises , even though this proves they are within a 1/2M of you and the Law requires 1 1/2M . For them , YOU are the problem ! YOU are the inconveniencre ! YOU are unimportant because YOU are not in a Vehicle !
WELL YOU CHUMPS , i left my CAR at home because I WANT Exercise ! Unlike you , i am not a couch potato with an ever expanding waist line ! At 68yo , i wish to continue riding a bike for another 20 years , whilst Herr fahrsheiner struggles in and out of his matchbox !
As promised here are the emails of the Helmet camera supplier that think that addressingg a man as " mrs ", displays business acumen :
" Oregon Scientific
Oregon Scientific <technical@oregonuk.com>
To: "skippi@ausi.com" <skippi@ausi.com>
Subject: Ticket "2014021710003211" created!
Date: Mon 02/17/14 07:37 AM
Dear Mrs. Skippy,
Thank you for contacting us.
We’ve checked your work and the interest you put regarding the safety of the cyclists on the road and we want to inform you that even though the ATCGecko can be linked to a handlebar it may not give you the results you need.
For your kind of needs we recommend you the ATC_WH:
http://uk.oregonscientific.com/cat-Outdoor-sub-Action-Cam-prod-ATC-Chameleon-with-Waterproof-Housing.html#.UwInCfn_D40
This kind of product can be linked to a handlebar, your helmet or a board, if it’s the case. This has a dual lens system which gives you the opportunity to film from different angles.
Should you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Best regards
Oregon Scientific UK
Customer Service
Well they CLAIM to have read my Blogs ! Wonder how many WOMEN wear a Men's beard ?
My reply :
" YOUR Reply displays a Lack of INTEREST !
Since when has a photo of a MAN , resulted in them being addressed as " Mrs "?
LYING to a person that works for " Physically Challenged Sport " , AFTER , they ask YOUR HELP DESERVES the publicity NOW ABOUT TO BE GIVEN !
Your CEO / MD can write today , OR , i promise that LINKEDIN , Facebook & TWITTER , will help me show YOU , that my request for use of a Current Model at Upcoming Events , was a WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT !
Skippy ( MR not Mrs ) !
Their reply , somewhat quicker than to their non existant earlier email replies to the initial emails i had sent :
Oregon Scientific <technical@oregonuk.com>
To: "skippi@ausi.com" <skippi@ausi.com>
Subject: Ticket "2014030710000964" created!
Date: Fri 03/07/14 06:18 AM
Attachments
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Part 1 text/plain Save
Part 2 text/html Save
Dear Mr. Mc Carthy,
We would like to apologize for the mixup. Please take into consideration that our sole purpose and main focus is to assist our customers and potential customers in obtaining the information that they needed, therefore we did not get around to checking out the about me section on your blog to see the photo that you have mentioned.
At no point were we lying about having checked your work. By saying the phrase we “checked your work”, we never insisted that we thoroughly checked out the entirety of your site page by page and word for word or to analyze who you were as a person (gender/race/age/etc) as this places absolutely no importance in the deciding factors when choosing to do business or to collaborate with a person. We checked out the site to see what your blog was about and how we could be of assistance.
As stated in our previous email, please follow our recommendation for the requirements that you are interested in as they pose better accessibility and purpose for the needs you have requested.
Apologies for the mixup once again and we hope you will continue to find great interest in our products.
Should you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Best regards
Oregon Scientific UK
Customer Service
Tel - 0871 222 1966
@ - technical@oregonuk.com
GUESS i am removed from their consideration for testing equipment !
My request to deal with the CEO/MD , appears to be a non starter also !
More will follow , but the Para Games Opening Ceremony is more important than this .
