The grumpy thread

[MarvinsMom]

i fuckin' hate this car.

so much for getting the suspension regassed. 

definitely £740 well spent........

[wuvvum]

Given the amount you spent to get it done, I'd be on the 'phone to the person who did it telling them to get their arse back there and sort it out.

[Talbot]

It looks like only the front driver side one has failed.  Do these suffer from ruptured diaphragms or known leak points?

[MarvinsMom]

i have been in touch with the party that did replace the cans, their "warranty" excluded the suspension settling over time, something that all hydralastic/hydragas cars do, and while they have yet to reply, my "shitey-sense" says that they will want nothing to do with it.

my thinking is that the internal diaphragm inside the can has failed and the liquid which is supposed to be in the lower part has now in the top of the can too.

this is the latest farce to befall the car, following on from the very expensive respray several years ago  where they basically painted over the rust.

needless to say i really fuckin HATE that car right now.

[chaseracer]

21 hours ago, Minimad5 said:

Discount able? - We don't have a system that takes points off. One of the lads needs an operation, has produced paperwork saying so and given them 3 months notice of his time off, yet he'll still get points. Produce a doctors sick note - You still get points. 

In another department, a bloke was going through Chemotherapy.... he still got points.

Maybe, but you're not considering that while points may accrue, they can also be "disregarded for the purpose of considering a warning" - an argument @Floatylight and I have used successfully on many occasions, with positive results for the members.  This is especially so for protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

That said, it's still a shit system which affects far more than the minority it's aimed (badly) at.

YMMV.

[chaseracer]

4 minutes ago, MarvinsMom said:

i have been in touch with the party that did replace the cans, their "warranty" excluded the suspension settling over time, something that all hydralastic/hydragas cars do, and while they have yet to reply, my "shitey-sense" says that they will want nothing to do with it.

Consumer rights legislation might have something to say about that...

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/57/enacted

[MikeR]

Look at the q , I am not waiting all day in that , decided not to bother ....

[Talbot]

2 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

i have been in touch with the party that did replace the cans, their "warranty" excluded the suspension settling over time, something that all hydralastic/hydragas cars do,

Settle?  Yes.  Had the car dropped maybe 5-10mm at that corner after the work was done, that's reasonable.

Completely fucking collapse onto the bumpstops?  No.

[Angrydicky]

Well give them a chance to sort it out at least. Most companies will want to sort out problems like this as quickly as possible, last thing they want is you bad mouthing them on forums etc. I can't say for this one, have you tried ringing them?

[plasticvandan]

That is definitely a failure rather than levelling out over time.im.certain that as their business model relies on a dwindling number of Hydragas car owners being happy with their service that they will be only too happy to come and sort it....

[Supernaut]

To play Devil's Advocate here, but... The original post suggests the suspension was regassed.

What part of that implies that components were replaced? A tired old sphere perhaps just couldn't take the renewed gas pressure and went pop. Why are the company who were paid to regas liable?

They may well make a goodwill gesture to come and have a look at it, but replacement parts don't grow on trees.

[MarvinsMom]

the cans that are on the metro now are cans they supplied, and they took the tired old cans backwith them,

as of now they are not responding to any messages left for them, and the "radio silence" from them is i think indicative on how they will respond to this.

either way that car will soon be going on a journey out of my ownership to be someone elses problem or to become bean tins.

[twosmoke300]

On 6/6/2021 at 12:52 PM, Zelandeth said:

Nothing like waiting months for a part to arrive then to discover it's completely the wrong thing.  Yay.

Euros ?

[MarvinsMom]

20 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

i fuckin' hate this car.

so much for getting the suspension regassed. 

definitely £740 well spent........

the party who changed the cans has agreed to come and replace the driverside front one after reviewing the pictures i took yesterday.

which is good.

only the first opportunity they have for coming and doing the work is the beginning of July.

which is, well actually ok, i guess since the car isn't mot'd or on the road.

i could have had a replacement can posted out, BUT, as we don't have a hydrolastic Dalek and if there is a problem with the replacement one, if they have fitted it then i cannot be at fault with it.

and we can use the time between now and then to look into the cars brakes, with a view to sending the car for a test.

[High Jetter]

Hopefully your faith is, somewhat, restored - and they will return when promised. Would be great to see this OTR again, even if you end up moving it on.

[MarvinsMom]

i cannot wait to get the car back on the road too, as i do, mostly really like it.

its a lovely little thing to drive as its full of character and usually it would put a smile on my face,

the state its gotten in while been sat in the garage makes me sad BUT opening the door the other day and finding it listing like that.

well, just say i was some what pissed off about it, especially having spent a tidy sum on it to get the car sat like it should on the road!

[Bren]

Not the car that is at fault. It is the person that has done the job. 

It appears to be de rigeur that you must pay handsomely for the privilige of people doing shit work or turning up late or not at all.

[MarvinsMom]

which is why i got some scaffolding put up at home so that i could get upto the eaves of the house and give them a lick of paint and realign the guttering which was leaking.

i have had folks in before who have charged a fortune to do a shit job up there, so this time i decided i was going to do the work myself.

at least then if i did a shit job, i only would myself to blame.

[Parky]

On 6/5/2021 at 11:12 AM, Parky said:

Either that or my neighbours broke in and turned it into a cannabis factory....

It’ll be fine.  I spoke to EDF who confirmed my account was closed and nothing was owed.  I’ll happily pay the £20 or whatever was used (our bill for a family of four was on average £100 a month when we all lived there) so an empty place can’t consume much.  Ultimately what’s a debt collector in Leeds gonna do?  Come to New Zealand and take my TV?

Debt collector wants me to call them urgently on a premium rate number.  Yeah right, like I am going to do that from New Zealand on a mobile.

They asked for my new number and address but I refused.  I don’t want phone calls at 2am with Stewie Griffin on the other end screaming “where’s my money man????”

Left it as “I still have no confirmation of what I allegedly owe or why.  If there is a small sum owed to EDF I will be happy to settle directly with them but as there is nothing owed according to them I am going to need some evidence from you to back up your spurious opportunistic approach.  Please provide evidence or further info via email and I will be happy to peruse”

Bit of internet research suggests LCS buy up small outstanding sums from utility forms and HMRC, add on an admin fee, and send threatening letters to people hoping they pay up.  The amounts grow until by letter four they offer to settle for a lesser amount.  It sounds a lot like Parking Eye’s business model

 

[New POD]

23 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

the party who changed the cans has agreed to come and replace the driverside front one after reviewing the pictures i took yesterday.

which is good.

only the first opportunity they have for coming and doing the work is the beginning of July.

which is, well actually ok, i guess since the car isn't mot'd or on the road.

i could have had a replacement can posted out, BUT, as we don't have a hydrolastic Dalek and if there is a problem with the replacement one, if they have fitted it then i cannot be at fault with it.

and we can use the time between now and then to look into the cars brakes, with a view to sending the car for a test.

Are they 4 pot AP calipers at the front? If they are 3 of the pistons will be seized.  (Says the ex owner of a metro turd...o ) 

Or rather 6 of the 8 pistons will be welded indefinitely to the actual bores. 

[New POD]

I am more grumpy, because somehow my life is more complicated than it needed to be. 

1) Work. That pays the bills. I am uncertain about the contract I'm doing. Because they really want a permie staff member but the pay wouldn't do me any favours. So long term who knows. I have the offer of a contract in Barrow, but it's inside IR35 And IF I had nothing else I would definately have to do it, but they won't wait forever, for a decision.  Then an old manager has contacted me about a permie job in Birmingham. Quite senior. Need to find out more. But I'd close my LTD company and commute from Uttoxeter 3 days a week. 

2) Fucking builder. I need to be here when he starts the Pointing. Promised last week, promised this week. Now he's saying Next week. I need more fucking notice than 11 hours given that I need to actually go to the office 140 miles away. 

3) kitchen. We have ordered an overpriced swanky kitchen. Because with has money coming to her.  It should be stress free. It's fucking not. 

4) Sons wedding.  We are on the Edge of any prep work, but have to book a meal the night before for those people attending the reversal. (I'm not sure why you need a rehearsal..all church weddings are the same) 

14 people? . What time? Wife took this on. Eventually we get clear guidance about who and when And it gets booked. 8 hours later, one of the bride's maids says her and her plus one might, be coming to the rehearsal after all. Might. So wife has to phone the place to tell them it might be 16 or not. Now ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem, but Covid restrictions make you not want to piss the pub/restaurant  around.

5) are we coming out of lockdown on June 21st.  Wedding will be 85 people. Or will it be 15 people. 

6) Son and his bride have just taken ownership of their first house. We should go visit. @MikeR's wife has gegged in. So now we have to pick her up, drive to Manchester to pick up Daughter, drive to Bromsgrove, have lunch and go for a walk before going home. All on Saturday.  

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Weddings are utter insanity; I was quietly hoping the human race would have forgotten this arcane and usuriously expensive ritual because ZOMGPANDEMIC! If you like parties, have a party; weddings should be for registry offices. Bloke I know isn't even divorced yet and is already being corralled into a £25k nightmare of meringue dress and stupid cake. I'd rather poke sticks in my eyes.

[New POD]

1 minute ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Weddings are utter insanity; I was quietly hoping the human race would have forgotten this arcane and usuriously expensive ritual because ZOMGPANDEMIC! If you like parties, have a party; weddings should be for registry offices. Bloke I know isn't even divorced yet and is already being corralled into a £25k nightmare of meringue dress and stupid cake. I'd rather poke sticks in my eyes.

I vote we give each guest 500 quid and they also don't buy the dress they planned or the matching shoes and underwear  and favinator and bag and Umbrellor, meaning each one has £1000.  And the 2 hotel nights they are each funding. 

And we put that money in a pot. 

And then we use that money to rent a hotel for a weekend. Where we have a party.  Where we need to put our oldest smelliest clothes on and get ratfaced 

[cobblers]

The shamelessness of it too, with all the hire companies just inventing new things that you've just "got" to have. My mate paid £750 to rent some fucking lycra chair covers, and £200 to rent some 4 foot high wooden letters that were quickly rearranged to spell "VOLE". What a lot of shit! It makes me angry just thinking about the money wasted and the regret people will have afterwards. 4 years later he's still got £387 a month coming out of the bank to pay off the loan they took out to pretend to all their mates that they were richer than they are for one day.

I'm really salty too because as a best man I had to dye my really nice tan brogues black to match the grooms.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Personally I've never understood it either.  I don't really understand the point of marriage but beyond that, why would you spend so much money to show off to other people?

My best mate was going to get married last year and was plonking down a huge sum (around £20K) to do it.  Some of it had been gifted but they still had to pay most of it out of pocket.  They booked a venue and paid the deposit, had most of the shite arranged and some of it paid for and then Covid came and cancelled their wedding.  Then they re-arranged a smaller marriage and Covid cancelled it again.  Ironically their relationship was somewhat strained by this point.

They've now managed to get quite a bit of their money back and have arranged a third wedding that is much smaller, only has direct family attending and they're much, much happier and much less stressed, their relationship has improved and now they are really looking forward to getting married.

I think a lot of it comes down to this expectation to get married and some people start planning their 'dream wedding' in their head from the age of 10.  Yeah.  No.

[cobblers]

I don't "get" marriage at all either. Don't understand the concept of it, but unfortunately my wife does. Fortunately she's mostly got her head screwed on so we had a registry office do with a few close friends and then went out for a steak afterwards.

The waitress asked "Have you been up to anything nice today guys?" and when we told her we'd just got married, her face dropped as if something must have gone incredibly wrong.

Fuck that, I'd rather have a deposit to move to a nicer house and no wedding than have a "nice" wedding and still be stuck living in a poxy little terraced house.

[Parky]

My wedding cost $1300 NZD and was great fun.  Lovely day, loads of wine, nice and informal garden wedding with a caterer thrown in (most of the money was for her but well worth it).  Been married 20 years.

Friend?  £30 grand wedding.  White horses, best of the best, three weeks in the Maldives afterwards.  Divorced two years later when he (a) admitted he didn’t want any more kids as he already had a couple and (b) he was in love with a work colleague and had been with her since before the wedding (she was at the wedding!)

People can spend their money on whatever they want but seriously, weddings are a massive swizz.  Do the registry office for the legals and have a big party after.  That doesn’t need to be expensive

[cobblers]

Yup, we were going to have a big party in a field or something in the summer after our wedding, but thankfully covid hit which put paid to that idea, and I think she's now forgotten about it.

[myglaren]

Our wedding cost practically bugger all.

Hadn't seen her fro about seven years but always thinking about her.

Phoned (from Sweden) her neighbour to bring her to the phone.  Asked if she was up for marrying.

OK, she says so hop on a plane, get a special licence, hitched 48 hours later in the registry office, sandwiches and cakes in her parents flat, wedding night in my gran's house, train (for me) to London to meet my boss, drive him to Worcester (client Kay's Catalogue) drive back to Whitby through the snow and petrol limiting - £5 max.  Stuffed her belongings in the Volvo, drive to Immingham to return to Sweden.

Great no planning, just winging it all the way.  Her dress cost her two quid for the material that she turned into a wedding dress the night before the wedding.

No photo's.  MIL took some on her Instamatic and they were seriously underexposed.  Only two show anything at all and it looks like pikeys in thick fog.

Irony there is I was very photography interested and worked in one of Sweden's top photo studios   Oh well.

[High Jetter]

56 minutes ago, cobblers said:

 I think she's now forgotten about it.

I'd bet she hasn't, just biding her time.