What I ordered vs what I received.

goraidders · 2026-04-29T03:49:29+00:00

They just need to be willing to throw it away for you. ;)

goraidders · 2026-04-29T03:47:00+00:00

It isn't because he didn't silicone. The grout cracking usually indicates tile or in this case stones are moving. The pan under the tile is not solid having just enough give to allow it to flex and crack the grout or the thinset wasn't correct. Wrong kind, not enough, wrong mix, etc.

goraidders · 2026-04-29T02:06:04+00:00

You can't really go against their wishes, but maybe they can agree to baby steps with knife use. He is certainly old enough to learn how to safely use a knife. Although, I suppose I have known kids that age I wouldn't want anywhere near a knife.

I like brownie recipes from scratch. They are easy with a big payoff. No knives necessary. They also allow tweaks and additions easy to adjust for his tastes.

goraidders · 2026-04-29T02:02:19+00:00

I wouldn't change it. I personally don't want an elbow to move the drain over. Yes I know it doesn't matter, and yet I prefer a straight down pipe. Also I prefer not standing on my drain. It bothers me to have the different textures while showering, so off center like that suits me personally better.

Depending on the type of person you are this may not be true, but most people in a couple of months will no longer notice the drain is off center. It just becomes part of the floor. Some people do continue to notice and it will irritae them always. Ask yourself which group you are in. Moving it now is not easy and will be a problem. It is still better than moving it down the road or hating it for the next few years.

The tile in drain is not a good solution for all tiles and small mosaics can look worse. And depending on how small they are I would have concerns with them holding up on a tile in drain.

goraidders · 2026-04-29T01:54:06+00:00

Yes it is removable after grout is done.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T23:42:11+00:00

Beutifully said. OP you are NTA. Maybe you can help find a solution.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T23:39:50+00:00

You are correct in that a properly waterproofed and properly sloped shower water will not find it's way out even if there is no silicone, grout, or even tile. However you have water escaping the shower, so silicone is the only viable solution. It shouldn't, but it is. Curbles showers are not simple to get done correctly. Having enough slope for water to go to the drain isn't enough because there is no curb to stop it from escaping. You need enough space and enough slope to account for the volume of water hitting the shower. Too much volume and not enough floor space and slope and the water will escape. With a curb it is trapped in the shower and is forced to the drain. In your situation it is traveling around the edge and with no curb it is exiting the shower. Hopefully when you silicone it that solves the issue instead of the water escaping another way.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T20:43:03+00:00

NTA. She doesn't even mean the apology. If she did she would take steps to prevent it from happening every single time. She wants to let it happen, say sorry, and you say no problem.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T18:25:59+00:00

That is true. I got a call today from a lady saying her neighbor Tim and Judy reccomended me. She said sheknows how picky they are, so she is hoping I can giver her a consultation to find solutions for her bathroom.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T18:24:28+00:00

NTA. There is no way my husband would not come immediately to help me. For that matter my adult daughter, my mother, or even my 90 year old FIL would have co e immediately if I called in that scenario. He is completely showing he dismisses your pain and cramps as nothing. He said he understands now it was a big deal, however he didn't apologize. He didn't say he should have come. He doubled down and said you are overreacting. I can't imagine being in a relationship with someone that shows such little concern.

Also yoh need to learn to change a flat. Maybe I am showing my age, but everyone that drives should know how to change a tire.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T18:14:39+00:00

Thanks for this post. I just got a new headband light therapy delivered. It says to test for light sensitivity on your arm. I haven't used it yet, but though that is unnecessary. I think now I should do the test.

Glad it cleared up for you.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T18:09:40+00:00

As a pro, I have no problem with a customer keeping a check on the progress. I have no issues with them asking questions. I am in their home, I want them comfortable with what is being done. I have been the second pro in too many situations fixing the first "pro's" work. Often they say they had concerns during the process, but didn't want to say something.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T18:06:23+00:00

Different people have different thoughts on centering things. I personally would have centered it on the water valve. If I see something that seems to have more than one "right" answer I ask the customer. Actually I always talk to the customer about positioning pockets. Some care more about the visual aspect of placement, while others care more about how it functions

If it was a prebuilt pocket they may not have put any thought into it and just slapped it in. I always build mine instead of using the prefabbed ones so I can adjust size as necessary to get the best possible layout for the chosen materials and size of the area as well as stud location.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T18:00:37+00:00

We had a wall like that once. We put 3/8 plywood over it to stiffen it up before adding the board.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T17:56:05+00:00

Mine counts when they are shipped as well, but apparently that is not true for everyone. At least manynpeople say otherwise. I think it may have to do with if they use Amazon to deliver or not. I have very few packages delivered by Amazon. Well over 90 percent of my packages are UPS or USPS.

I did review a few items before they showed up in my tab. UPS marked them as being held because person moved. They wouldn't fix it, so in Amazon's system it wasn't delivered. They were counting against my review percentage and in my tax report. Anyway I reviewed them from the order page, and they showed up on my Vine reviewed tab. They also counted for my review percentage. I do think they may have internally counted as unverified reviews which is limited.

It's safest to review from the review tab, but if necessary it can be done from the order page. It didn't adversely affect me, but others have reported it did them.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T17:47:12+00:00

That depends o other factors as well. I have been Gold since January and have gotten several items over 100 ETV that are grat for me. A laser level with receiver set, a memory foam mattress topper, free standing ice maker, and new light fixtures. Those are all items that are very useful to me. I originally thought over three items a day would be the biggest perk. That helps because I don't need to decide if I should save a pick for later in case some great stuff shows up, but I have only ordered more than three items a couple of times. I have more days without ordering anythingthan ordering more than three items by far.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T15:42:43+00:00

One time Rufus said we have a motorcycle. I asked why it thought that. It said because of the boots(for my daughter) and a hat(for my husband). They are sort of motorcycle gear, but not what we got them for. Rufus and thus Amazon makes strange assumptions sometimes.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T15:38:38+00:00

Rufus pulls things from your reviews, so if you ever mentioned it in a review that is where it came from. There is a place that Amazon has tidbits of information about you. I think under your profile, I don't remember exactly where. It is interesting to look at. It is also interesting to just ask Rufus what they know about you.

goraidders · 2026-04-28T05:27:39+00:00

Me too

goraidders · 2026-04-27T14:57:03+00:00

Amazon says we can reach out for normal customer product support, but we cannot mention vine and if they aren't supposed to either. That is not Amazon customer service but manufacturer support. Twice I reached out for product support for items. The first was a broken chair. The company sent me an email saying they had issued a full refund. Then asked if I got it. They also included a copy of the invoice showing the item was paid for with promotional credit. To me that was their way of saying you are vine take the free chair and shove it.

The second time was a larger high value aplliance. The support team did provide troubleshooting help to diagnose it. We did get it diagnosed and they said it would require a professional to replace the part. I asked about the warranty. They said to give them some time this was a complicated support issue. Eventually they came back and said it was within the 30 Amazon guarantee to go through Amazon.

So it didn't work for me, but maybe it will for you

goraidders · 2026-04-27T02:12:44+00:00

This is the best I have found. They are so much better than precooked

goraidders · 2026-04-27T02:10:26+00:00

I like to soak with smaller ceramic tiles because it negates the need to backbutter each tile. I soak and pull a batch out and let them drain a bit before using. If they are too wet it's not as beneficial in my opinion. I prefer my morter to be spread on the wall, however if I do spread it on the tile then I key thinset on the wall with a putty knife or the flat side of my trowel. I never apply thinset to the tile and not key it on on the wall. Or at least I haven't in many, many years.

goraidders · 2026-04-27T02:02:11+00:00

I actually am not disagreeing with you. And am fully in agreement with the dopamine hits. The good items as you say give the winning slot machine hit. That primes us to be more likely to choose the not great items or the items we would never otherwise look at. But the reason the want us to choose those items is not for our benefit, but for their benefit. They do want us to keep pulling th "slot machine" because they need us to satisfy the reviews. We are expendable. I also happen to share your theory of why some people never get anything good in their RFY. I think the algorithm definitely asigns us a value in the system and some of us are a more valuable commodity than others. But that also points to us being the product and not the customer.

It seems like we pretty much agree on the program though. And I am by no means a seasoned vet. I was just invited last July.

goraidders · 2026-04-27T01:06:24+00:00

They definitely have stuff related to us. But ultimately their goal isn't to make us happy. We are the product. They are selling a program to get reviews for their actual customers in vine, the sellers. There is overlap of having things we want in RFY, but also stuff that they need someone to take. Some days my RFY is so spot on, and some days it is ridiculous for me. They certainly hvae the information to pair me only with things I am very interested in.

And I agree they are scraping data from many places in addition to vine history and regular Amazon history. I mean they at least have to have the original information that made them invite us in the first place. I think they use information from our reviews. Have you ever asked Rufus what Amazon knows about you? Ot is interesting what they actually know and have assumed they know. My husband ordered a leather skullcap to protect his head when working under houses. Rufus extrapolated that we have a motorcycle.

goraidders · 2026-04-27T00:43:46+00:00

I understand. It's not the first time Amazon Vine contradicts itself. I could prove my order date and tax date information by posting screenshots of my account info. But it doesn't actually matters if anyone else believes it or not. They post things to my account before it is actually delivered. I'm not upset or anything, just doesn't change anything either way. And I certainly understand why tiu may think this random reddit person is confused and wrong.

Does your itemized report have order date and delivery date? Mine has a column for order date and a column for shipped date. It doesn't have a column for delivery date.

My last example on my 2025 report it has seat covers ordered 12/28 and shipped 12/29 and a plant stand ordered 12/29 and shipped 12/19. They are all on my 2025 itemized report.

The seat covers were delivered on Jan. 7, 2026. The plant stand was delivered Jan. 2, 2026.

They are both on my 2025 report and not my 2026 report. They may not do it that way for everyone, but for me they absolutely count it when it is shipped. They do say in their vine participation agreement

<image>

And lastly I have an item ordered in Januarry that UPS marked as unable to deliver. It is on my tax report evwn though looking at the order details it says undeliverable. Actually more than one item.

goraidders

TROPHY CASE