The grumpy thread

[Split_Pin]

I came home from a nice afternoon out with my wife and son to this pile of shit.

 

It belongs to C-Plan communications who have been installing fibre cables on behalf of Openreach, but not in my street. As you can see the vehicle is completely blocking my driveway. The Openreach van belongs to my neighbour and is legitimately parked there and has done for over ten years, it's absolutely bother there and nothing to do with the situation.

 I scoured the whole estate and there were no workmen to be seen, not a soul.

We came home at about 2.30pm, our Ring doorbell showed it had been there since 12.30. Completely abandoned. There were plenty of places to leave it although why they chose my street I don't know. My neighbour said there had been a lot of commotion and 3 vans in the street earlier but then they cleared off.

We called the cops but unfortunately no use.

5 workmen eventually returned in a welfare van at half 3. I was obviously straight out, arms outstretched asking what they thought they were doing. I kept calm and just said please do not park there again. But my wife, who deals with arseholes like this every day came out the house and went a bit mental. Basically the 5 guys just thought it was funny. My 9 year old son had to drag me back inside before it really kicked off.

There were still 2 cars in the drive. How did these guys feel sure that we didn't need to get out to go to work or an important hospital appointment? They are either thick or just don't care.

[sheffcortinacentre]

The last sentence says it all.

[MikeR]

M6 southbound towards Preston today , 3 lanes into 2 , empty lane had a camera van enforcing 40mph , mega jam towards camera van , no jam after it ..... And no sign of workmen on closed lane ....???? 

[Talbot]

Unhitch the trailer, shove it down the road.  Reach under van with sidecutters, cut handbrake cable.  Push out of way.

Jobbed.

(obvs joking, but these days, what else can you do?)

[Split_Pin]

Unfortunately we live at the top of quite a steep hill 😂

I did think of unhitching the trailer but I doubt my meagre frame would have been able to push it whilst laden with a spool of cable.

The infantile scrawlings in the dirt on the back of it kind of signals who I was dealing with. 

Hopefully they just won't come back.

[ETCHY]

  On 04/12/2022 at 22:46, Split_Pin said:

Unfortunately we live at the top of quite a steep hill 😂

I did think of unhitching the trailer but I doubt my meagre frame would have been able to push it whilst laden with a spool of cable.

The infantile scrawlings in the dirt on the back of it kind of signals who I was dealing with. 

Hopefully they just won't come back.

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Contact the firm they work for.

Hardly good pr crap like that.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

  On 05/12/2022 at 06:19, ETCHY said:

Contact the firm they work for.

Hardly good pr crap like that.

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As Openreach have zero concern for PR, you can only imagine what the Openreach contractors' opinion of it is.

[Split_Pin]

Surprisingly, Openreach replied to me first thing this morning and I gave them details of the location and time. Hopefully they'll be identified by their gaffer.

Those guys dont know my neighbour and theyll definitely have seen the van outside my house. I wonder if they think I work for OpenReach.  

It's just so bizarre that they would leave a van literally abandoned like that, on a Sunday afternoon and for so long. I don't imagine their company would be happy about that from a security point of view.  I reckon they've been in that welfare van skiving somewhere on double time and now they've been rumbled. 

[Rocket88]

  On 04/12/2022 at 21:59, MikeR said:

M6 southbound towards Preston today , 3 lanes into 2 , empty lane had a camera van enforcing 40mph , mega jam towards camera van , no jam after it ..... And no sign of workmen on closed lane ....???? 

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I read somewhere that at least 25% of all over gantry signs are faulty due to lack of maintenance……..

[Zelandeth]

  On 04/12/2022 at 22:46, Split_Pin said:

Unfortunately we live at the top of quite a steep hill 😂

I did think of unhitching the trailer but I doubt my meagre frame would have been able to push it whilst laden with a spool of cable.

The infantile scrawlings in the dirt on the back of it kind of signals who I was dealing with. 

Hopefully they just won't come back.

Expand  

Sadly if my experience is anything to go by, by having made a point that you were unhappy about them being there you've just ensured that if they're in the area that they absolutely WILL park in the same spot next time just to piss you off, and because they know there's basically bugger all you can do about it.

[Split_Pin]

I would suggest that once OpenReach hear about it again, BT, their gaffer and the polis then something will be done.

Only after that would I even consider doing anything about it myself. I'l make sure that if the van is going to park there, then it won't be moving for several days or more.

[Talbot]

  On 05/12/2022 at 10:41, Zelandeth said:

there's basically bugger all you can do about it.

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If it's blocking a car on the driveway, then you absolutely can do something about it, as you're preventing the use of a vehicle.  If the driveway is empty, then there's less that can be done.

Same reasoning as if some tosser parks on your driveway and you then block them in.  (Which you're not allowed to do, certainly not if your car is on the public highway anyway)

[sierraman]

  On 04/12/2022 at 22:46, Split_Pin said:

Unfortunately we live at the top of quite a steep hill 😂

I did think of unhitching the trailer but I doubt my meagre frame would have been able to push it whilst laden with a spool of cable.

The infantile scrawlings in the dirt on the back of it kind of signals who I was dealing with. 

Hopefully they just won't come back.

Expand  

 

I’m not normally one for this but tag it with the company they’re working for on Twatter along with the pictures. If it’s a company with any presence on there they’ll be straight on that. 

[wuvvum]

  On 04/12/2022 at 21:06, Split_Pin said:

 

 

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I have to say I would have been sorely tempted to attach the end of that cable spool to the towbar of my car and go for a wee drive round the estate.

[myglaren]

  On 04/12/2022 at 18:40, horriblemercedes said:

His name is Marc Priestley - Elvis is just a nickname because Priestley is a bit like Presley 

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There was a vicar at a church in Whitby - the one my grandparents were custodians for - called E. Priestly and was commonly referred to as Elvis.

[Split_Pin]

  On 05/12/2022 at 11:04, Talbot said:

If it's blocking a car on the driveway, then you absolutely can do something about it, as you're preventing the use of a vehicle.  If the driveway is empty, then there's less that can be done.

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Aye that's exactly what the polis said. 2 cars on the drive meant they could have come out but when the guys cleared off we phoned them again to cancel. 

 

[Zelandeth]

  On 05/12/2022 at 11:04, Talbot said:

If it's blocking a car on the driveway, then you absolutely can do something about it, as you're preventing the use of a vehicle.  If the driveway is empty, then there's less that can be done.

Same reasoning as if some tosser parks on your driveway and you then block them in.  (Which you're not allowed to do, certainly not if your car is on the public highway anyway)

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Oh, I'd missed that bit...yes, in that case absolutely go for it!

[warch]

  On 05/12/2022 at 11:29, wuvvum said:

I have to say I would have been sorely tempted to attach the end of that cable spool to the towbar of my car and go for a wee drive round the estate.

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It's worth a few quid a roll of fibre optic cable, I'm surprised somebody didn't scrump that. 

[artdjones]

  On 04/12/2022 at 21:06, Split_Pin said:

I came home from a nice afternoon out with my wife and son to this pile of shit.

 

It belongs to C-Plan communications who have been installing fibre cables on behalf of Openreach, but not in my street. As you can see the vehicle is completely blocking my driveway. The Openreach van belongs to my neighbour and is legitimately parked there and has done for over ten years, it's absolutely bother there and nothing to do with the situation.

 I scoured the whole estate and there were no workmen to be seen, not a soul.

We came home at about 2.30pm, our Ring doorbell showed it had been there since 12.30. Completely abandoned. There were plenty of places to leave it although why they chose my street I don't know. My neighbour said there had been a lot of commotion and 3 vans in the street earlier but then they cleared off.

We called the cops but unfortunately no use.

5 workmen eventually returned in a welfare van at half 3. I was obviously straight out, arms outstretched asking what they thought they were doing. I kept calm and just said please do not park there again. But my wife, who deals with arseholes like this every day came out the house and went a bit mental. Basically the 5 guys just thought it was funny. My 9 year old son had to drag me back inside before it really kicked off.

There were still 2 cars in the drive. How did these guys feel sure that we didn't need to get out to go to work or an important hospital appointment? They are either thick or just don't care.

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Time for an email to CPlan's CEO.

[JMotor]

After this weekend. 

I'm grumpy as fuck with welding cars! 

Also grumpy because I was dumb and cut a repair panel too short and have to weld said piece back on with no proper access. 

Really wish sometimes I wasn't an idiot and spend a little extra time looking at the job before steaming in. 

[Lankytim]

  On 04/12/2022 at 21:06, Split_Pin said:

I came home from a nice afternoon out with my wife and son to this pile of shit.

 

It belongs to C-Plan communications who have been installing fibre cables on behalf of Openreach, but not in my street. As you can see the vehicle is completely blocking my driveway. The Openreach van belongs to my neighbour and is legitimately parked there and has done for over ten years, it's absolutely bother there and nothing to do with the situation.

 I scoured the whole estate and there were no workmen to be seen, not a soul.

We came home at about 2.30pm, our Ring doorbell showed it had been there since 12.30. Completely abandoned. There were plenty of places to leave it although why they chose my street I don't know. My neighbour said there had been a lot of commotion and 3 vans in the street earlier but then they cleared off.

We called the cops but unfortunately no use.

5 workmen eventually returned in a welfare van at half 3. I was obviously straight out, arms outstretched asking what they thought they were doing. I kept calm and just said please do not park there again. But my wife, who deals with arseholes like this every day came out the house and went a bit mental. Basically the 5 guys just thought it was funny. My 9 year old son had to drag me back inside before it really kicked off.

There were still 2 cars in the drive. How did these guys feel sure that we didn't need to get out to go to work or an important hospital appointment? They are either thick or just don't care.

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To get access you could've unhooked the cable reel trailer and weighed it in.

[High Jetter]

Just booted up my Win 7 PC (because my accounts software won't run on anything later) to get "A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart". Obs, we're in a loop. Oh great.

[dozeydustman]

Had a lovely day with my parents at the Weald & Downland museum then a night out with the mrs watch I’m sorry I haven’t a clue at the Brighton Dome. Both felt like absolute shit after.

This morning:

Both of us. 3rd time for me, 2nd for the mrs.

 

Arsebiscuits.

[High Jetter]

  On 06/12/2022 at 09:58, dozeydustman said:

Had a lovely day with my parents at the Weald & Downland museum then a night out with the mrs watch I’m sorry I haven’t a clue at the Brighton Dome. Both felt like absolute shit after.

This morning:

Both of us. 3rd time for me, 2nd for the mrs.

 

Arsebiscuits.

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Sorry to hear, that's rough. I'd guess though that one of you picked it up before yesterday though, for us it's usually a couple of days before we feel rough and take a test. 

[dozeydustman]

  On 06/12/2022 at 10:46, High Jetter said:

Sorry to hear, that's rough. I'd guess though that one of you picked it up before yesterday though, for us it's usually a couple of days before we feel rough and take a test. 

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I just feel run down and mildly flu-ey. Though it does feel like my head is being squeezed by an engineering vice.

Wife is really ill, she was last time she got it. I work with the general public, she works at a university so both high chances of getting infected

[Split_Pin]

Update on the drive being blocked.

I sent a carefully worded email to the company and I had a missed ring on our doorbell earlier. It was a well dressed guy, mid 50s in a Navara. I couldn't answer it as I was at work but when my wife got home there was a £100 M&S voucher through the door with an apology together with a name and mobile number, presumably from an area manager. 

I phoned him just there and he seemed a really decent chap. He said that the guys are sometimes cheeky to him and not to go into too much detail but he said he only needs them just now because a completion date needs to be met. They told him that they had only planned to be 5 minutes but ran into problems, however he clearly had taken none of this as an excuse.

I was really pissed at this since Sunday and was generally in one of my 'Falling Down' moods. So this is a good outcome. 

My Mrs has a big heart but she goes from 0 - malkie  in 1.5 seconds when someone is being a dick to her so the guys did get the thick end of that on Sunday as well.

[hairnet]

so hosp told me last week i need to speak to more people

didnt mention about appts or anything (at least not quickly)

voicemail i got half an hour ago from this morning apprently hi you have appt at 10am tomorrow

(!)

but they didnt tell me where - they left me a number which i kinda recognise - so instead of into work ill be ringing them to get info

ffs

[hairnet]

FUCK THE LAST MONTH

[goosey]

“Sorry, we don’t stock this item”

That’s all a supplier has to tell me and I would accept this then find a suitable alternative 

instead they fuck me around for 3days saying they are working on it then just stop answering the phone 🙄

[Zelandeth]

  On 06/12/2022 at 22:05, hairnet said:

so hosp told me last week i need to speak to more people

didnt mention about appts or anything (at least not quickly)

voicemail i got half an hour ago from this morning apprently hi you have appt at 10am tomorrow

(!)

but they didnt tell me where - they left me a number which i kinda recognise - so instead of into work ill be ringing them to get info

ffs

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We had this a month or so back.  Got a voicemail left saying "You've got an appointment on day X at Milton Keynes Hospital." No mention of things like...where in the hospital or a time...

Took the best part of two hours chasing that around before we eventually found out where the heck we were going.

The appointment letter arrived three days after the actual appointment.