A.C. Flory's Blog, page 3

UPDATE: TODO, Panatech, and me – 0/5

I just received an email from the Woolworths Everyday Market support team informing me that I will be getting a FULL refund on the TODO. I think they must have recognized the validity of my proofs and put pressure on Panatech to do the right thing. Enormously relieved but… the last month has been insanely stressful, and that is stress I could have done without. My thanks to you guys for having my back, as always.

Sometimes life sends you lemons, and you can’t make lemonade. What then? Give in without a fight? Or dig your heels in and prove that you’re right?

I dug my heels in.

The following is the [condensed] story of my fight with Panatec about the TODO Espresso Coffee Machine Maker Automatic Touch Control 20 Bar Pump 1.5L. The full version would include 40 emails and counting. You’re welcome.

So, I bought the TODO coffee maker via Woolworths Everyday Market [think 3rd party vendors on Amazon]. The TODO was delivered on May 23, 2025.

The Offspring and I tried out the milk frother part of the TODO twice. After the second attempt, the metal sleeve around the frother nozzle came away as I tried to wipe it clean [with a cloth as per the instructions in the User Guide].

I got an almighty shock as I wasn’t expecting the sleeve to literally drop off, especially as it was piping hot. We tried to replace the sleeve, but it wouldn’t go back up. This is a screenshot taken from the video I took of the TODO and shows the difference between the two ends of the sleeve:

On May 25, 2025, I sent the video of the sleeve to the Everyday Market support team:

Please note the dark counter on which my TODO is sitting.

On May 27, 2025, someone from ‘support@efo.net.au’ replied saying ‘Please note that the froth nozzle is removable to allow for easy cleaning.’

As there was nothing in the user manual about the nozzle being removable, much less the sleeve, I disputed that assertion. Panatech responded that I could get a refund if I paid the postage for it to be returned AND accepted a 10% ‘restocking fee’ if the TODO had been used. !?!

After many more emails, from both me and the Woolworths Everyday Market support people, Panatech seemed to back down and sent me a [free] consignment label to be used for the postage. By this stage I was so sick of the whole thing I packed up the TODO and sent it off the next day.

End of story, right? Nope.

Once Panatech finally admitted they had received my TODO, they said that it had been checked out and there was nothing wrong with it. Therefore, they would hold back the cost of postage AND the 10% ‘restocking fee’.

After yet more back-and-forthing, Panatech sent me a video of ‘a’ TODO with the sleeve apparently working as it should. I took a video of that video in case it was taken down, then I disputed that it was actually my TODO. This is a screenshot from that first video:

In the screenshot you can clearly see that the smooth end of the sleeve is down, which means that the toothed end is up, but WE couldn’t get the toothed end to go back up. Please note the white counter which shows that this is taken from the Panatech video, not mine.

Then today, June 21, 2025, I received a second video from Panatech, and this time it shows the box with the label addressed to me. I cannot tell you how happy this video makes me!!! <>

No, I haven’t gone crazy! Remember how part of my complaint was that I couldn’t get the sleeve to go back on the right way? Well have a look at this screenshot from the second video. Can you see how the smooth end is up?

I know it’s a bit hard to see as I had to zoom in a long way, but in this second screenshot you can see the other end of the sleeve, and it has teeth!

What I call teeth are actually more like the crenellations on a medieval tower. If you click on the image you can see one of the gaps a bit easier.

Why does any of this matter? It matters because I believe that the second video is actually of my TODO because Panatech couldn’t get the toothed end to go back up either. And that means that the TODO in the first video is not mine.

I hate liars. The TODO I bought is/was faulty, and this company will do anything to avoid taking responsibility for it. And I am not the only victim. This is a screenshot from productreview.com.au where people are complaining about the same thing:

I still haven’t received any part of my refund, but I’m not playing the email game any more. I now have proof and I’m naming and shaming.

If you have had a similar experience, I’d love to hear about it in comments.

Cheers,
Meeks

TODO, Panatech, and me – 0/5

Sometimes life sends you lemons, and you can’t make lemonade. What then? Give in without a fight? Or dig your heels in and prove that you’re right?

I dug my heels in.

The following is the [condensed] story of my fight with Panatec about the TODO Espresso Coffee Machine Maker Automatic Touch Control 20 Bar Pump 1.5L. The full version would include 40 emails and counting. You’re welcome.

So, I bought the TODO coffee maker via Woolworths Everyday Market [think 3rd party vendors on Amazon]. The TODO was delivered on May 23, 2025.

The Offspring and I tried out the milk frother part of the TODO twice. After the second attempt, the metal sleeve around the frother nozzle came away as I tried to wipe it clean [with a cloth as per the instructions in the User Guide].

I got an almighty shock as I wasn’t expecting the sleeve to literally drop off, especially as it was piping hot. We tried to replace the sleeve, but it wouldn’t go back up. This is a screenshot taken from the video I took of the TODO and shows the difference between the two ends of the sleeve:

On May 25, 2025, I sent the video of the sleeve to the Everyday Market support team:

Please note the dark counter on which my TODO is sitting.

On May 27, 2025, someone from ‘support@efo.net.au’ replied saying ‘Please note that the froth nozzle is removable to allow for easy cleaning.’

As there was nothing in the user manual about the nozzle being removable, much less the sleeve, I disputed that assertion. Panatech responded that I could get a refund if I paid the postage for it to be returned AND accepted a 10% ‘restocking fee’ if the TODO had been used. !?!

After many more emails, from both me and the Woolworths Everyday Market support people, Panatech seemed to back down and sent me a [free] consignment label to be used for the postage. By this stage I was so sick of the whole thing I packed up the TODO and sent it off the next day.

End of story, right? Nope.

Once Panatech finally admitted they had received my TODO, they said that it had been checked out and there was nothing wrong with it. Therefore, they would hold back the cost of postage AND the 10% ‘restocking fee’.

After yet more back-and-forthing, Panatech sent me a video of ‘a’ TODO with the sleeve apparently working as it should. I took a video of that video in case it was taken down, then I disputed that it was actually my TODO. This is a screenshot from that first video:

In the screenshot you can clearly see that the smooth end of the sleeve is down, which means that the toothed end is up, but WE couldn’t get the toothed end to go back up. Please note the white counter which shows that this is taken from the Panatech video, not mine.

Then today, June 21, 2025, I received a second video from Panatech, and this time it shows the box with the label addressed to me. I cannot tell you how happy this video makes me!!! <>

No, I haven’t gone crazy! Remember how part of my complaint was that I couldn’t get the sleeve to go back on the right way? Well have a look at this screenshot from the second video. Can you see how the smooth end is up?

I know it’s a bit hard to see as I had to zoom in a long way, but in this second screenshot you can see the other end of the sleeve, and it has teeth!

What I call teeth are actually more like the crenellations on a medieval tower. If you click on the image you can see one of the gaps a bit easier.

Why does any of this matter? It matters because I believe that the second video is actually of my TODO because Panatech couldn’t get the toothed end to go back up either. And that means that the TODO in the first video is not mine.

I hate liars. The TODO I bought is/was faulty, and this company will do anything to avoid taking responsibility for it. And I am not the only victim. This is a screenshot from productreview.com.au where people are complaining about the same thing:

I still haven’t received any part of my refund, but I’m not playing the email game any more. I now have proof and I’m naming and shaming.

If you have had a similar experience, I’d love to hear about it in comments.

Cheers,
Meeks

The things you don’t know CAN kill you. :(

I’m old enough to remember when petrol was leaded and glossy paint had lead in it too. I knew it wasn’t great, but I didn’t know how bad it actually was…and I had no idea how pervasive it was! But the scariest part about lead poisoning is how the big corporations dragged their heels and tried to deny it until they couldn’t deny it any more.

Sound familiar? Smoking? Global warming? Health insurance? etc? etc? etc?

And do you know who finally forced their hand? One, lone scientist who refused to shut-the-f*ck-up.

You can read the full story on Carol’s informative post :

CarolCooks2…Count Chemicals not Calories…Part 4…Lead…

Meeks

“I don’t want to be the story” says Aussie reporter shot by a rubber bullet in LA

I know everyone’s tired, I know we just want to get on with life, but…what’s happening in LA, and the US in general, affects us all, whether we like it or not:

I don’t like the mainstream media very much because the reporting has been…selective, to say the least. Yet now, even Nine News has to cover what happened to its own reporter. She was not being violent, and neither were the protestors around her. She was targetted because she was a reporter.

Who will hold the government, any government, to account if those tasked with reporting the news are too intimidated to do their jobs?

Us, that’s who.

This is a video by Kyle Kulinski showing video footage of the protests taken by Citizen journalists. It is truly shocking, not because the protestors are being violent, but because the response triggered by Trump is so over-the-top. If you keep watching until 37:07. you can see extended footage of the Aussie reporter getting shot:

To all my friends in the US: stay safe.

Meeks

The Egg is at Sally’s place!

Good morning to you all from chilly Melbourne! Just a quick post to let you know that Sally, from Smorgasbord Blog Magazine, has featured an excerpt from The Vintage Egg on her blog today. It’s part of how she supports Indie writers, and I’m honoured to have the Egg showcased today.

Pop on over and stay for a chat.

cheers,
Meeks

Indoor-outdoor architecture

I love this particular picture because it showcases how clever architecture can create a glorious, indoor-outdoor living space. That vertical wall of green is actually inside the house and is just one of the innovative design features created by Vietnamese architectural firm 85 Design. Another feature I really love is that the tree in the background has a table built around it on the next floor:

The house is featured in a New Atlas article on sustainable living. The article includes 17 more photos that are well worth a look.

Hope your weekend was/is enjoyable,

cheers,
Meeks

Children with autism are not broken

Youtube showed me this video, perhaps because the algorithm ‘knew’ I’m interested in US politics.

Curiosity made me watch it.

Joy makes me re-publish it here.

If you watch just one of my video recommendations, make it this one:

This is the comment I left on Youtube:

“Holy cr@p. When I first started watching this kid’s speech, I thought he was just parroting something an adult had written. Wrong. The longer I listened, the more obvious it became that this kid knows precisely what he is saying, that he has thought about every word. And that he is brilliant. Now I wonder how many of the great thinkers and creatives of our history also had autism? I’m posting this video on my blog so I, and my readers, can see what the truth looks like. Cheers from Melbourne, Australia.”

cheers,
Meeks

Phun Physics… lol

Three researchers in the Netherlands have created a ‘soft bodied’ robot driven by nothing more than air. There is no circuitry, no programming, no ‘AI’; just the very simplest of physics. But! Physics and air can do unbelievable things – on land or in water.

The principle is similar to those weird, dancing tubes you often see outside shops as attention-grabbing advertising:

But the researchers at AMOLF discovered that when they gave their little robot multiple legs, those legs automatically synchronised, in completely unexpected ways:

Who knew? lol I swear, if I’d seen this kind of stuff when I was at school I wouldn’t have ditched physics and chem. as soon as I was able. If you’ve got kids, show them, and maybe change their lives forever.

cheers,
Meeks

Less stress, more creativity

I’m still on a high from Saturday’s election results [in Australia], and I’m still reading social media to see what others think of that result, but…the underlying fear is gone. I’m no longer afraid that Australia will go down the same path as the US, and that sense of liberation has freed my brain up to be creative again:

This is Big Brother standing at one of the openings into The Mound. He’s holding a small stone in each hand, tapping out an SOS as the Six flies over the Mound.

Another small scene done.

Have a great weekend everyone,
Meeks

Labor won!

There are still a lot of pre-poll votes to count, but the overall swing to Labor is so big that there is no way the Liberal National Party Coalition can form government. And Mr Potato Head looks as if he’s lost his seat of Dickson!!!!!

The Trump factor strikes again. Thanks Donnie.

cheers,
Meeks