Until then, I am on intermittent access via the local library. It's only open a couple of hours a week. Please call if you have a time dependent inquiry, as it may take up to a couple of days to get an email answer at present.
After waiting for years to be able to upgrade to a satellite service that allows me entertainment data allowance as well as work... I am really not happy that I have NO internet. Installed 6 weeks ago, I have had intermittent signal since the beginning. The company kept saying a tech would come to fix it. I see no one. No bill will be paid.
Until then, I am on intermittent access via the local library. It's only open a couple of hours a week. Please call if you have a time dependent inquiry, as it may take up to a couple of days to get an email answer at present.
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Google moved my marker again. I moved it back again. My ears ring with the laughter of those who know how many times I have said that Google is fixed...
Still trying to get the body of water name back to the real one too. The way they have it labeled, water runs up the Madawaska to Moore's Falls, which is not marked in any way. So when do we get past the virtual, and on to the reality portion? I have lost track of how many people need to NOT do their jobs in order for my map point to be displayed incorrectly. How/why do they keep manipulating my data? It appears the issues with Google, which has been an ongoing situation for 17 months, are finally resolved. We still need to see if they can change back the name of the body of water to the west of the campground to read "Moore's Creek". Someone over there decided it was part of the Madawaska River...it is a distinctly separate tributary, spilling from Moore's Lake.
Over 100 emails and I have no idea how many phone conversations later, the ghost posting of Red Deer Lodge & Campground (name change 5 years ago, somehow the property moved over to Highway 17) is eradicated from the system. I think the GPS problem is fixed, but we won't know until someone has trouble...or not. Maybe now I won't get any more phone calls from people asking me if I am sure my place is not on Highway 17. Maybe now I won't get people following GPS lost down a dirt road facing a locked gate. Maybe. If anyone finds a posting for Red Deer Log Cabins on Airbnb, please let me know. Someone is trying to make an unauthorized account using my publicized email address. Of course, it is easy to find pictures on the internet to phoney up a listing...
Red Deer Log Cabins does not have an offer on Airbnb, and because i don't have an account with them, I cannot contact them to report the fraud. I don't intend to make an account, as I don't agree with the 'sharing' economy. There are huge corporate $$s being made by duping people into believing they are 'sharing'. Airbnb properties are (so far) exempt from all of the regulations that the public petitioned the government to make for their protection as citizens. Now tourists are happy to circumvent those regulations, which cost huge tax $$s to create, and have put an unfair burden on legitimate tourism providers. As with Uber, Airbnb believes themselves to be above regulatory bodies in all jurisdictions. When your cheap rental or ride goes sideways, don't expect the government to do something about it...you already cut them out of the loop. People need to look at how they are shooting themselves in the foot with this 'sharing' economy. Why pay for regulations only to have them not apply to your particular situation? Also, understand that the 'opportunity' to turn homes into income producing properties under the radar is a contributing factor to the obscene house prices in major urban centres. Just did a random internet search for this place, and I found no less than 12 listings that I did not create! Normally one would think this is great but...all of them had the location incorrect! Not really much of a help is it.
On top of that, my information at Ontariotravel.net was changed by someone, because my listing has a bunch of 'inaccuracies' in it. I update everything every winter, so someone got their hands on it since then. Figures, the government website has it WRONG! This website is created and maintained by me, and is best information. I can't control the internet...I just try to keep it from burying me under bad info! 1. You can now find Red Deer Log Cabins on Facebook. Yes, I finally did it...just type Red Deer Log Cabins into the search bar, and it will take you there. Note: there is a Red Deer Cabins page that was made by someone (at Facebook) else. It is inactive. I tried to merge it into my page so it would disappear, and there would be no confusion, but no go.
2. Bookings for the July long weekend are heavy, so if you want a spot, make your bid very soon. Cabins are full; I still have room for about 12 tents. 3. Some of you may wonder why I don't post photos and insist on writing instead of showing. Simply put, my internet feed isn't up to it. I spent way too much time on Sunday trying to upload a picture of my father to Facebook, and it failed every time. I continue to look for a solution to this. My highspeed internet is not the equivalent of city highspeed, and my data usage is very very restricted. So please, read on! It appears full functionality has been restored to my website. Of course, I don't trust any systems any more, so I am double checking message points to make sure that I receive any requests in a timely fashion. Thank you to anyone who has been patient while this glitch was being resolved.
For reasons I cannot explain, it is taking some inquiries up to 24 hours to make it from the website to my computer. Not all, just some. I have investigated, and see a likely server culprit, but their IT department is in complete denial. I have checked that there is nothing being caught in spam, etc. It seems larger companies that I cannot affect are making a mess of things again.
Unfortunately, some people vacation shop as they are packing. The phone number is fool proof. Though I may not be right at the phone, the answering machine is, and I check regularly between other duties. For all intents and purposes, RDLC is closed until the ground thaws next spring. That being said, one of my regulars made an appearance. The cabins are heated, and though there is no running water at this time (the water system is not made for below 0C) they had no fear of the outhouse (it's clean too!).
One regular client came this week to enjoy the fabulous weather, and completely understood that the central washrooms were already shut for the season. I have had inquiry already for winter stays. Here is why I don't do that. 1. A standalone building needs 24 hours to heat up in cold temperatures. People want cheap off season rates. We ALL know that hydro is expensive in Ontario. The cabins are heated by electric baseboards. If you want to pay for 3 nights to stay for 2, and have no running water (no showers or flush toilets as well as not having running water in the cabin) it is possible. If you are shopping for the cheapest price, I cannot afford to have you here. 2. I need to take care of some other aspects of life that I cannot take care of in Madawaska when I am working 7 days a week for 7 months. For me to drive back from wherever I go to the dentist, the haircutter (yes, I cannot get a decent haircut locally, meaning within 50 km, at any price), the mechanic, and to visit my aged mother and my few friends to prepare a cabin for a short client stay is not financially feasible. If people are willing to fit into my personal schedule during the offseason (and respect the other aforementioned economic considerations and accommodation restrictions) it is possible to accommodate them for winter stays. 3. My winter schedule is not made public for security reasons. There are security cameras on the premises because of interlopers, mostly snowmobilers. That being said, if you want to come snowshoeing or cross country skiing, or just to get out of the city to a lovely quiet place, it can happen. Just don't expect it to be 1999 pricing.! You will have to walk in to the cabins over snowbanks, because snowplow operators need to be paid as well. Keeping the driveway open to the cabins without a guaranteed return is prohibitively expensive. The driveway is plowed to the house, no further. If things go accordingly to plan, I will be offering B&B at the house, Christmas 2016 and beyond. But not this winter. Note: the waterway here is not appropriate for ice fishing. Once the ice is thick enough, in January, the water level has been dropped for hydroelectric generation, and the imaginary lake becomes the river. Skating is not likely, as one would have to skate up and down. Mostly the waterway is used by snowmobilers hotdogging on the snow dunes, and avoiding the trail when it runs out of snow. The bridge for snowmobilers IS the highway bridge, so they KNOW crossing the waterway and defaulting across my property is NOT appropriate. Signs are posted as well. Trespassers will be prosecuted. Paying clients will be appreciated. Mind you, this is a combination of Google and the driver who reported the discrepancy. So I have again been spending time with Google, trying to get a more accurate placement of my property marker.
A new client passed my driveway, the big red sign at the top of it, and the #6471 marker because her GPS (smartphone) said to continue. She was directed to the driveway of the local landfill site. Why will people not use the instructions provided on this website to get here? At any rate, that provoked a new interaction with Google. Google cannot use my GPS coordinates for some reason. I said they needed to move the marker 1km north on Hwy 523, so they moved the marker to Hwy 60 and placed it at Riverland. I am insisting they move the marker because of the recent 4 Google+ suspensions when I placed the marker myself. Why can no one read or listen, but they still get paid? Why is customer service so poor just about EVERYWHERE? I have outstanding issues that are running in to a 3rd month with 9 companies, because the submitted information is not used. That includes the brand new toilet that runs (the wrong part was sent)! The marker is back to as close as I can get it to the driveway. The sign can actually be seen again on the Google streetview map. I cannot be responsible for bad choices made while driving, and bad preparation done before embarking on a trip. The same driver disabled the septic system when leaving by driving over the cleanout pipe and not letting me know. Because I am not psychic, it took a little time to see the pipe lying on the ground with the car tire tracks showing clearly which car did the damage. I was busy with another client at the time. This client is now trying to say there was something wrong before she drove over the pipe; she had seen the shut down toilet. Because she doesn't understand plumbing she is accusing me of chicanery. Perhaps the GPS needed an update and Google was actually right. I don't know. I do know people have to stop blaming me for their mistakes. Also, customer service needs to be what it is called, instead of customer abuse. The knowledge that someone gets paid to make my life miserable because I bought a product is very inflammatory. People coming from the city are used to 'convenience'. Tell me, how convenient is it though when your milk is sour, but the store won't take it back because you weren't given a receipt in the first place? How convenient is it when you use an ATM in a store, your bank account is debited the amount + a transaction fee, but no money came out of the machine and the person behind the counter tells you to call the 800# on the side of the machine? How convenient is having to pay cash for gas and alcohol because the proprietor refuses to let those purchases be charged to a card. Conveniently, there is an ATM in the store. ? How convenient is it to be overcharged because of double entries on the register?
Get the picture? Prepare well. Best to provision in the last town you pass through instead of leave it to the last minute and pay middle of nowhere gotcha prices. It is a good idea to carry some cash too. Fact is, if the hydro goes out, credit cards cannot be used. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. This can be particularly important if you have children. It may be a little more fuss than you are used to, but the payoff is worth it. You will get to enjoy a beautiful place without the consumer hassle. And I won't have to hear the sad stories...I can't do anything about your luck with that. Recently there has been a lot of talk with clients/friends around campfires about unstable people. They are everywhere.! There is so much mental illness in our society. The sad part is these are often the people who try to hold others to account when there is a problem. All of the compassion and support in the world will not help. As a proprietor, I have found myself under attack on numerous occasions for things that are not my responsibility. I cannot be held responsible for the misconceptions of others.
Some people think my website has too much information. I have done this to protect myself from assumptions. It is also amazing that apparently literate, intelligent people choose to twist words to make themselves right and make me appear to be deficient. I find that at both ends of my business spectrum, both the client and the purveyor sides. I went to LinkedIn this morning because there was a notification, and found a picture of the most recent abuser in my life grinning at me. Living life in virtual networks designed by computer algorithms is NOT healthy. Spending more time in nature is healthy. Of course, if one needs medication, it is a good idea to get help, and not expect your 'community' to continue to cut you slack for your intermittently uncontrollable bad behaviours. We can be supportive all we like, but it will not ultimately be helpful. Allowing someone to remain delusional does not help him/her. Rewriting history will not help either. I have been under the weather myself of late (a severe cold/virus with complications) and found myself the target of more than one person who can smell weakness. Being prey used to confuse me. Now not so much. I've had so much practice I actually find defending myself exhilarating at this point. I refuse to be anyone's whipping boy for any reason. When I was young I was bullied incessantly, so this took me a little while to get turned around. I am human, and occasionally make mistakes. When I am wrong I apologize. When I am not wrong I do not. People can hate me all they like for not playing into their plans. Selfishness abounds. We meet for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Very few make the lifetime cut. Well, we got one thing right. Google maps now show a travel time of 3 to 4 hours from Toronto, depending on which route is taken. I believe this is because the 911#s have FINALLY been uploaded to the system by the Township of South Algonquin. This tells me that it may now be possible to find this location by GPS. We'll have to do a test sometime in the near future, I will have to have someone try to get here by GPS.
Thank you, everyone who has been patient. It is an administrative issue, and outside of my control. I am not going to go into the whole story again. Look back through the blog if you missed it.
These people, this corporation, is apparently trying to kill me. They won't leave my listing the way I put it. They won't read what is in front of them. I have to check it every day to make sure they have not messed with it again. The moral to the story is do not follow Google maps or information to get here. Please use the information I put on the "How to Get Here" page. If they have not changed my information again you will be able to see Google street view of my driveway and sign. If they have messed things up again, the Google maps will be dark. Red Deer in Madawaska is STILL 2 km south of Highway 60 on Highway 523, just as it was before the internet and mobile phones. I advocate having a real highway map. Mostly they are right. Maps are much cheaper than GPS or a cell phone with a plan. Maps work when there is no cell coverage, as sometimes happens in rural areas. Seems to me the #1 problem with highway maps was not that they were outdated, but that people had a hard time folding them back up. Gadgets that don't give good information are expensive and dangerous. But hey, it's your dime, and your life, not mine. It is a shame that so many people get lost on the way here though. They could be here relaxing instead of frantically trying to figure out where they are. That was the traffic jam in Algonquin Park. A tour bus and a car, a dead person and people airlifted out. Just like the 401 at rush hour!
It's probably just me, but I would like to see safer drivers instead of 'safer' cars. I know that every time I go to the Big Smoke that I am very impressed by self entitled drivers who believe that the rules are for everyone else on the road. I still think the big old cars of my youth were safer. The driver knew that he/she had to operate the vehicle instead of expecting its computers and ABS braking system to save one from disaster. Attentiveness was required. Once seatbelts were legislated fewer people died in MVAs. Air bags lead to more survival, but perhaps more long term disability. Hard to get numbers on that. Tailgating was uncommon; drivers knew they needed time and distance to stop a vehicle made of steel. Apparently the accident was near Tea Lake, on the really windy part of Hwy 60 just east of the West Gate. It seems the digital world is out to kill me.
I have proof that emails are disappearing, both sending and receiving. My ISP wants copies of the disappeared emails. I cannot send what I don't receive. The bad part is, of course, that I have no idea who thinks I am rude for not getting back to them, because I did not get an email in the first place, or because my reply did not go through. Due to the Google+ problems of a month ago, I am not happy with the idea of going to a gmail address. I am now directly monitoring form entries from this website, instead of expecting them to arrive by the pathway I created to bring them to my desktop. So far only one of these has gone astray, and it was advertising. However, I cannot determine what else has evaporated that has been sent to my [email protected] email address. Thinking, thinking, thinking... Or tiny house? This house is about the same size as my smaller cabins. I'll bet my kitchens are nicer...
Coming soon! This will allow the sending of credit card information securely to make a reservation, making it easier to book your vacation. No more needing to make telephone appointments to safely capture payment details for those without access to email transfer.
This is a cautionary tale.
I have finally spoken with someone 'higher up' at Google about the recurring page suspension. He won't put it in writing, but he 'assured' me that it won't happen again. The claim is that I made changes to my address and type of business. I agree that I made one change to my business 'introduction' just before the first suspension. I added the word Kingston in speaking about this being the middle of nowhere (practically equidistant between Toronto, Ottawa, and North Bay). He also stated that there were 'community reports' that my business was not as advertised. I did not ask who, but when. Due to privacy policy he would not disclose that information. Who do you think is trying to sink me? What new form of greed is this? This just keeps getting funnier.
Now the TripAdvisor banner is asking 'What is the #1 Hotel in Madawaska?' About #20 down the list is one Madawaska property, followed by the other that has subscribed to their plan. Red Deer Log Cabins IS the #1 property in Madawaska Ontario, and they won't display it until I pay the ransom. So much for 'free enterprise'. The internet is becoming a very dangerous place.
Due to my displeasure with TripAdvisor and their multi-tiered payment system, I removed the 'widget' on my blogroll. Today I noticed I was being followed by a TripAdvisor prompt for "Hotels in Madawaska". So I clicked. There are places in Deep River and Bancroft shown on the ensuing page, and 2 of the "competition" in Madawaska BUT NOT RED DEER LOG CABINS. That, in spite of that I am rated the #1 property in Madawaska (yeah, big fish, little pond. Originally I was #3 in the Algonquin Park region, but they killed that category). I am not participating with the booking engines, and so my listing DOES NOT SHOW ! So much for their insistence that rankings are governed by review ratings. I am going to put the widget back up and see what happens next. Lets just remember, they appropriated my property as inventory. Revenge will be sweet when all of those listed properties get a tax bill from Obama. I hope it happens soon. According to the IRS rules, Canadians making money using US websites owe both countries tax. There's a new road at the end of my driveway! Hwy 523 has been resurfaced, like a real highway, with asphalt!
I didn't even notice, because I have been off my feet for a number of days with a serious 'cold'. Couldn't nail a cabin booking either because I had to admit to everyone I spoke with on the phone that I am ill. Doesn't make staying here seem appetizing...but this too shall pass. I expect to be back to regular work tomorrow. Funny thing I noticed though, while not being able to converse effectively. People are very rude, especially when they believe they are anonymous. It was a constant amazement how many people would speak over the answer I gave to a question they asked. Also again I find it odd that people do NOT leave a message. My outgoing answering machine message is polite. It's fine though. I really don't like assumptions (no one answered so I figured you were gone; I want a campsite out of the campground there's lots of room there; I paid to be here therefore I can smoke in the cabin even though I don't smoke indoors at home; big groups should get discounts and not need to follow the rules for getting along with the rest of the clientele; etc). People who make assumptions can stay elsewhere. My life doesn't get longer. Quality is important. I prefer quality clients. There is no other way to say it.
I had a booking call early today, someone looking for a campsite. I asked her when she expected to arrive. Answer was around 6 pm. Why? Google maps and driving directions gave an estimated time of SEVEN HOURS to drive from Toronto to here. Google is not my friend. Driving the speed limit, it takes 3 1/2 hours to get from downtown Toronto to 6471 Highway 523. It's too bad people don't use real maps any more. Most of my Google problems would go away if people used real maps. It's too bad the internet is an authority. When I tell the truth, people question my information. I wish Google's stock would crash. Every time I correct my Google Maps marker, Google suspends my page and map. They keep moving me to Omaha, Wales, highway 60 just down the road from Riverland, at the post office. I cannot get them to understand that a postal code in a rural location covers many many square miles. Because our 911 numbers are not yet uploaded to the system, they cannot verify my physical address.
Too bad they don't treat all the local resorts the same way. There would be a dozen of them on highway 60 IN the postal boxes. I wonder where people are supposed to swim? As my page is under suspension again, and has been intermittently for 2 weeks or so, PLEASE make sure you get proper driving instructions from my site. My property is still 2 km south of hwy 60 on hwy 523, #6471. The sign says Red Deer Campground. Someone who works in Google Business support has decided that my business is a rental agency and is not eligible for display on Google maps.
STOP THE INSANITY! I've been working on this since Friday in between clients and all of the other things I do here, and it just keeps getting dumber and dumber. It all started because I updated my 'business introduction'. Before the digital era, my place was easy to find. Now between GPS faults and other 'big corporate machines' I cannot, no matter how many listings I have on the internet, be found. Unbelievable... |
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February 2018
AuthorSince 1989, I have been known to many as The Red Dear. Most of the rest of humankind calls me Sandra. Categories
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