The grumpy thread

[3VOM]

Well, the last 24-48 hours, trashed 4 month old tyre, broke the cafetiere and the Golf has failed its MOT on a whole list of things including steering lock not working. I'll be having words about that if it goes back to the same place for the retest. (MOT fail 2.1.4b applies to post Sept 2001 cars, not 20 yo Golfs)

[Guest Hooli]

I have spent most of the day fucking around with laptops, just trying to get them to do what they were designed to do. Then, once working, spellchhhheck had gone walkies, adblock likewise and a near endless round of arsing around was needed to get these items working... sometimes.

 

How the fuck do people do this shit for a living? I would be more insane than I already am within 15 minutes of my first cuppa Nescafe and burning the building to the ground by official teabreak!

 

I must 'look' like I know what I'm doing with two laptops side by side, using one to repair the other (using Google once I got that bastard to work again!)Slightly frustrated now so a mug of cappuccino and several choccy biscuits is in order.

 

 

I do it for a living. Well fucking around with switches n servers all day, no way will I waste my time fucking with IT at home if I can avoid it. Much more interesting things to do such as digging a trench for drains like I did till it got dark.

[richardmorris]

Anyone know what corporate credit ratings mean?

For the first time in 27 years my company has had to resort to a debt collector - first response from the debtor was to deny asking us for the work to be done, a month later, yesterday ( after I spent a while scanning in their paperwork and photographing their samples ), the agency elicited a further response asking for time to propose a course of action.

Debt agency suggested we comply as the next option is legal action and their credit score is only 28/100. We have suggested we would accept £1000 per month until the debt is paid - over £15000 and rising due to interest added by debt agency. I had a quick search and their accounts are overdue and current liabilities are about £490k. Not good eh!

 

Much as I thought it nice to send the large rugby players with bats around I think they'd just wind up the business. The debt agency is recommended by the federation of small businesses so unfortunates aren't in the baseball bat league.

 

Grump is that we're soft - invoice monthly in arrears and rarely bother chasing up bad debts until they're taking the piss( we ask for 30 days but it's rarely less than 60 before anyone pays up).

[Sloth in a bowl]

Non car related grump so pass by now if you wish.

 

Bastard getting a new job. I've been looking for a new job for about 6 months. My current commute is a pain in the arse and south Birmingham and the M40 are getting worse each year.

 

So there has been the odd CV excepted and a few interviews with odd reasons for rejection then everything went nuts a few weeks ago and I had 3 interviews in 2 weeks all with good potential.

 

Job 1: They have just gone silent, I suspect because I have mortgage sales knowledge, not mortgage opening knowledge. I know they are still looking. I see that an agency is still advertising the position.

 

Job 2: They turned me down (after 2 interviews) as I 'didn't want the job enough', not because I couldn't do it, in fact I was more experienced than they needed. I see that an agency is still advertising the position.

 

Job 3: Had a really good interview with the IT team in London and two days ago they were trying to sort out when to hold the final HR paper ticking interview. Today, sorry HR have decided to not employ any BA's that don't have direct insurance experience. FUCKERS, my agency bloke was very cheesed at the about turn as well. I see that the agency is re-advertising the position.

 

For fucks sake people, just employ me and I'll get the required industry knowledge really quickly, that's the fecking point of my role. To learn and document the shit that some people know in a language suitable for those that don't.

 

anyway, rant over, back to square 1, as you were.

[chaseracer]

Time to go freelance, Julian...?

[320touring]

#JuliansAukshungaemz has a certain ring to it

[Keymaster]

Anyone know what corporate credit ratings mean?

For the first time in 27 years my company has had to resort to a debt collector - first response from the debtor was to deny asking us for the work to be done, a month later, yesterday ( after I spent a while scanning in their paperwork and photographing their samples ), the agency elicited a further response asking for time to propose a course of action.

Debt agency suggested we comply as the next option is legal action and their credit score is only 28/100. We have suggested we would accept £1000 per month until the debt is paid - over £15000 and rising due to interest added by debt agency. I had a quick search and their accounts are overdue and current liabilities are about £490k. Not good eh!

 

Much as I thought it nice to send the large rugby players with bats around I think they'd just wind up the business. The debt agency is recommended by the federation of small businesses so unfortunates aren't in the baseball bat league.

 

Grump is that we're soft - invoice monthly in arrears and rarely bother chasing up bad debts until they're taking the piss( we ask for 30 days but it's rarely less than 60 before anyone pays up).

Yes! I am lucky* to have to monitor the credit ratings of all major suppliers for a large food company.

 

Basically:

 

0-25= Very high risk of business failure

26-50= Above average risk for country

51-75= Below average risk for country

76-100=Very low risk

 

Although not quite bottom quartile a score of 28 isn't great, but it could be low for many reasons. Ordering a full credit report will give you a better idea of their recent financial trends & will state exactly why the credit agency has issued that score.

 

If their submission to companies house was overdue, they would be automatically rated a zero score. So its not necessarily the case that their accounts are officially late yet - they will have a grace period & then it can take time for the data to reach the public domain. Usually it's around 6 months between due date and publication.

[cros]

Octane magazine has some spunk-bubbles writing in it. I just read a piece about some American 30's replica with 6 litres of modern V8 and a quarter million dollar price tag. The description gushed about how it's no slouch and has exceeded 80- indeed the owner collected a speeding ticket for doing 72 mph. I've been nicked for that much in a 600 quid Morris Traveller.

[beko1987]

well the aux belt has just shredded itself, that would be what the squealing noise was...

 

anyone know what aux belt this thing takes without the air con pulley in play?

[mercedade]

On a more posative note the brake pad wear warning light was on and it is just a buggered sensor rather than the rather expensive Brembo pads.

 

Ha! Maybe the first time I've seen "fuck, I hope this brake warning light is the sensor buggering around rather than something normal like boring service items".

 

Porscheworld.

[beko1987]

nope, it's a bit dead. the aux belt has shredded itself a bit, but is still whole, so I took it off and re positioned it. now, it's a bastard to start, and won't run without lots of revs, and billows out white smoke, then dies if I let go of the throttle pedal...

 

when it went, it was driving fine, then I heard a whine, then the engine died. so I ditched it into a massive lay by. without the aux belt fitted it fires up ok, but with all the ancilleries belted up it won't. any ideas?

[beko1987]

just tried again, and it surges like a fucked, almost like the zx did when it was too cold on veg, but it's got derv in it, the fuel needle is low but not empty, and I can't see any air bubbles in the clear fuel line

[DodgeRover]

OSs like Ubuntu and Mint are just as easy to use as Windows, easier in some respects. I only sacked off Lubuntu because it made the laptop HDMI output all screwy on my oddly sized TV. No amount of command lines would fix it, Windows still clips it a little but it's fine.

We use Ubuntu and it's pretty easy to get the hang off, much simpler than win10

[Mr A Lawrence]

Is it on correctly?

[beko1987]

Is it on correctly?

me? the aux belt? yea, I wrote a little picture quickly, all routed fine. could it have picked shit up again? I know Chompy had this issue, but could it have happened again? but the way it died was different, and the zx didn't have thick white smoke when it went funny on fuel

[beko1987]

how far could I drive with no aux belt? is it worth it 8 miles on busy b roads? the aa are on their way but not for another hour

[Mr A Lawrence]

If the water pump isn't driven by it then 8 miles would be OK.

[beko1987]

I dunno, don't think so. currently I'm sat outside amys sisters house on a dead end road in the sun, so I'm not in the worst of places, and the aa guy may be able to give me some pointers, but it's worrying

[M'coli]

Is this the Xantia, with a XUD? Water pump is cambelt driven, so should be ok.

[beko1987]

yea, 1.9td xud. tempting... but I'll still have a problem

[burraston2006]

My grump: first day in sunny Mallorca. Pissing down with rain, thunder and lightening and the hotel wifi is hit and miss. Mind you San Miguel on tap (all inclusive). Is it too early for a beer?

[beko1987]

My grump: first day in sunny Mallorca. Pissing down with rain, thunder and lightening and the hotel wifi is hit and miss. Mind you San Miguel on tap (all inclusive). Is it too early for a beer?

No, have one for me please!

[burraston2006]

No, have one for me please!

O.k!

[beko1987]

thanks! after some reading, I think bits of the shredded aux belt have got under the cambelt and made it jump a tooth. how tricky is it to have the cambelt off, clean everything up and refit it?

 

vulg/Chompy, do you recall what aux belt you fitted? was it a bongo xantia with air con one, or something different? cos I'll need one of those too

[bub2006]

From memory the ac pump was still being driven so a ac belt should be grand

[Supernaut]

DO NOT DRIVE A LHM CITROEN WITHOUT THE AUX BELT.

 

If your accumulator sphere is in good nick, you'll get about 3 presses of the brake pedal, and that's it.

[beko1987]

ah that's good then daz, ecp one it is. come to think of it there were no spare pulleys.

 

supernaught, good point, someone did point that out to me so I haven't driven. the aa bloke has just been, and as I was explaining what happened to him, he said cam belt jumped, and agreed with me when I said what I thought, and after looking said I should get away with just removing the cambelt and cleaning it. so he's sent for a recovery truck as he can't tow me without the engine running! Luckily though, I broke down by amys sisters, who has come home from work to walk her dogs, so I have a cup of tea now!

 

just got to wait for a recovery truck now

[beko1987]

here we go, had a text saying someone will be with me by 14.10, then a phonecall 4 minutes later advising that the driver has had a change of destination, so they are trying to find a local contractor for a good price.

 

that's all I need, I'm finding it hard to not fall asleep here

[Kiltox]

If you're stuck for wheels I could lend you the Colt for a bit

[beko1987]

I'll bear that in mind, thanks! tomorrow will be OK, I have a lift to work and back, all depends if I can fix it over the weekend. if it's a case of cambelt off, clean up bits of old aux belt, cam belt back on and new aux belt, then great, but I'm not getting excited yet! I've got a video of it running, will upload that in a sec on the wifi

 

 

how far away is the colt? just as a backup plan!

 

infact I'm back where I started this morning, outside evas school! Amy nabbed me whwn I got in so I can sit in the car with an asleep Charlie! 100% unproductive day, but it's been quite nice!