The grumpy thread

[wuvvum]

Went to Tesco last night to get a fiver of petrol in a can.  The kiosk had closed so I did pay at pump.  They took the usual £120 pre-authorisation, but they still haven't released it back into the account.  Good job I checked my banking app early this morning - I've had to transfer money into the account otherwise my rent payment would have bounced, for the first time in nearly 17 years in this house, which would have caused all sorts of shit.

Now I need to go to the bank to try and sort it out - thankfully the mobile branch is in town this morning, otherwise I'd be spending ages on the phone to then probably be fobbed off by a disinterested call centre employee.

[loserone]

Just now, wuvvum said:

Now I need to go to the bank to try and sort it out

The idea of not being able to select a transaction and say "I have a problem with this transaction" gives me the sweats.

[sierraman]

2 hours ago, Remspoor said:

No it is a 307SW. Same kit here was  the price I mentioned. The garage will not fit anything other than what they supply. New or second-hand.

A lot of garages will only do this, mainly because they’re going to end up at some point with a car on the ramps with the wrong parts someone’s ordered from Latvia or god knows where. Also people often go for the cheapest option, which reflects badly on the garage when it goes wrong after 3 weeks. The place I use I supply the parts but I supply either genuine or OE bits, if I turned up with some bits from Autodoc or crap like Ridex etc they’d tell me to hit the high road. 

[chadders]

23 minutes ago, loserone said:

The idea of not being able to select a transaction and say "I have a problem with this transaction" gives me the sweats.

AMEX let's you do this and it's excluded from the balance as well.

[reductiongear]

1 hour ago, primeradoner said:

Dont let them in . You are entitled to a notice period that is stipulated in your tenancy agreement (usually 24hrs). Same applies to trades doing maintenance work including gas safety certificates. 

Cheers. Much appreciated will bare that in mind.

[nev_jr]

On 01/09/2024 at 18:52, nev_jr said:

I've been working on parts all fucking summer after being asked to cover it. That slowly but surely snowballed into it now being September and I'm looking at another month of this supposed "cover" at least. Parts was the first role I had in the motor trade and I fucking hated it, I resigned just over a year into it. Now the worst of it is, IT'S THE SAME FUCKING COMPANY that I'm doing it for so they know full well my stance towards it. I feel really let down because of that and because most of the summer I've been trying to and finally managed to get a mortgage so I couldn't leave and balls all that up, so  they have used me as an absolute dogsbody fuckpig, "It's good having you around the office because you're our floater". So I am a shit. Nice. I see through your facade, I cost far less than the amount of people you would need to replace me and you replaced me with me anyway.

 

Sorry for the rant ladies and gents, been on my tits for a while now. What a shit summer, more bad news coming next week probably so stay tuned. 

Update: it is now mid November as you may be aware, and I’m STILL FUCKING “COVERING”! It has now finally been realised by higher ups that I would rather have a nice cold pint of paint than carry on any longer because it’s continually taking the piss. 
 

I was called in to a meeting earlier this week with one of the higher ups and was asked what I wanted to do as it “appeared” that I was unhappy, yes I absolutely am, this has dragged on for far too long. It’s ruined me a bit really, since late September early ish October, I’ve put on 2 stone through stress and what have you, all to do with this shit situation I’ve found myself in. 
 

Anyway, I was given a choice. Stay doing parts and have no change of contract or go back to driving along with no change of contract, which they promised they would take me off of which in fairness they did, just into the one role they know I don’t like and have a patchy relationship. So it’s that, or I’m out the door. Obviously they were banking on me continuing the role as I am no doubt much cheaper to employ than someone of the calibre I am covering. You can probably imagine their faces when I told them that. 
 

Fast forward to today and bare in mind I haven’t handed in my notice, only told them my intention to find other work to reignite my career, I have been getting an unbelievable degree of cold shouldering from management which makes me feel really good about myself. In return, today they are making me clear specific areas of the site so the prospective replacement who’s coming in on Monday gets a good impression, until he finds out he’s working in a mouse infested office. I’m not against him taking my place of course I’m not, he works for a supplier of ours and he’s the bee’s knees. 
 

TLDR: Given a choice of 2 jobs, either shit or dead end, said no, now an outcast. 
 

Hopefully that’s my last work related rant for at least another week. 
 

Oh and they are doing a full respray on my car which coincidentally has completely halted. 

[Remspoor]

4 hours ago, DavieW said:

I thought there wasn't a warranty on customer supplied parts. Could get messy though if there's a problem with the parts. 

Law in Spain maybe different.

Still another bonus. Found it needs new front pads. A WhatsApp image shows it down to almost the metal. Why no warning light on the dash?

Autodoc here in Spain does not do registrations. I tried mine, I got one from a car ad to check. Found a Spanish website which uses the Autodoc search engine the same. Other Spanish websites are just fine with using a reg.

[Jazoli]

4 hours ago, primeradoner said:

Dont let them in . You are entitled to a notice period that is stipulated in your tenancy agreement (usually 24hrs). Same applies to trades doing maintenance work including gas safety certificates. 

@reductiongear

You also don’t have to let them in at all unless it’s for essential maintenance and even then you are entitled to “quiet enjoyment”

if they are using their own keys change the locks, and don’t take any shit off them, if they knock on the door say it’s not convenient, you have a lot of rights as a tenant.

[artdjones]

4 hours ago, sierraman said:

if I turned up with some bits from Autodoc

The good thing about Autodoc is it lets you choose the make of parts. For clutches there are only 5 makes worth having.

The bad thing is you've got to wait a week.

[artdjones]

4 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Went to Tesco last night to get a fiver of petrol in a can.  The kiosk had closed so I did pay at pump.  They took the usual £120 pre-authorisation, but they still haven't released it back into the account.  Good job I checked my banking app early this morning - I've had to transfer money into the account otherwise my rent payment would have bounced, for the first time in nearly 17 years in this house, which would have caused all sorts of shit.

Now I need to go to the bank to try and sort it out - thankfully the mobile branch is in town this morning, otherwise I'd be spending ages on the phone to then probably be fobbed off by a disinterested call centre employee.

All the unmanned pumps in Ireland usually allow you to choose a pre authorisation, usually starting from €10, and I've noticed that the correct amount comes up in my banking app almost straight away.

 

[horriblemercedes]

Sounds like you've been a bit silly here, @wuvvum. You should've simply gone to Ireland for some petrol

[sierraman]

29 minutes ago, artdjones said:

The good thing about Autodoc is it lets you choose the make of parts. For clutches there are only 5 makes worth having.

The bad thing is you've got to wait a week.

Good but good for who? Good for you in that it’s cheaper but no good for the garage when it arrives and it’s wrong and the cars in bits. I’d probably be correct in thinking you’d pick decent parts but I’ll give an example, an acquaintance paid me to fit an EGR to his Corsa. Strongly advised him to buy the Pierburg one, day comes and it’s arrived and it’s a Ridex one which looks and feels like it’s made from redundant Quality Street wrappers. Needless to say it leaks, it saved him £20 but wasted my time, if I was running a garage you can bet your bottom dollar many people would be straight on Facebook or whatever the fuck it is and complaining bitterly that they spent £120 and it leaked and that I’d ripped them off. 
 

Man in the street thinks all clutches are the same and the Transmech one will be just as good* as the LuK one. It’s the same in any trade, plumbers get people wanting absolute dog shit off Amazon installing. Then people cannot understand why people won’t work for them afterwards. 

[primeradoner]

33 minutes ago, Jazoli said:

@reductiongear

You also don’t have to let them in at all unless it’s for essential maintenance and even then you are entitled to “quiet enjoyment”

if they are using their own keys change the locks, and don’t take any shit off them, if they knock on the door say it’s not convenient, you have a lot of rights as a tenant.

Sorry @Jazoli but thats not correct. Most shorthold tenancy agreements do not allow  the tenant to change the locks without permission from the landlord. In  addition regular inspections are allowed (with reasonable notice) to check that the property is being maintained and kept in accordance with the tenancy agreement.  Agree with you on randomly knocking on door for access though.

[artdjones]

2 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Good but good for who? Good for you in that it’s cheaper but no good for the garage when it arrives and it’s wrong and the cars in bits. I’d probably be correct in thinking you’d pick decent parts but I’ll give an example, an acquaintance paid me to fit an EGR to his Corsa. Strongly advised him to buy the Pierburg one, day comes and it’s arrived and it’s a Ridex one which looks and feels like it’s made from redundant Quality Street wrappers. Needless to say it leaks, it saved him £20 but wasted my time, if I was running a garage you can bet your bottom dollar many people would be straight on Facebook or whatever the fuck it is and complaining bitterly that they spent £120 and it leaked and that I’d ripped them off. 
 

Man in the street thinks all clutches are the same and the Transmech one will be just as good* as the LuK one. It’s the same in any trade, plumbers get people wanting absolute dog shit off Amazon installing. Then people cannot understand why people won’t work for them afterwards. 

I admit I was once a parts man, so I'm good at reading catalogues and getting the right stuff. If you can do that the Autodoc listings provide all the info you need. In any case, I'm certainly not paying a garage €1k for the identical LuK clutch I can get for €300.

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

I admit I was once a parts man, so I'm good at reading catalogues and getting the right stuff. If you can do that the Autodoc listings provide all the info you need. In any case, I'm certainly not paying a garage €1k for the identical LuK clutch I can get for €300.

Nobody is obliged to go there, plenty of places will do them at practically similar rates to retail customers. They keep the discount and rightfully so it’s a bonus to cover all the bits that eat into profit. There will be places that will allow you to supply if you provide OE quality bits if they think you are reliable enough to get it right. 

[wuvvum]

7 hours ago, sierraman said:

crap like Ridex etc

I fitted a Ridex tensioner pulley to the Merc - it's been OK so far.  They were actually the most reputable make which would sell me just the pulley - all the "expensive" makes wanted to flog me the whole tensioner assembly, which I didn't need and which isn't exactly cheap.

All the other pulleys (and the aux belt) I replaced with INA though, which I believe are OEM on Mercs.

[wuvvum]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Went to Tesco last night to get a fiver of petrol in a can.  The kiosk had closed so I did pay at pump.  They took the usual £120 pre-authorisation, but they still haven't released it back into the account.  Good job I checked my banking app early this morning - I've had to transfer money into the account otherwise my rent payment would have bounced, for the first time in nearly 17 years in this house, which would have caused all sorts of shit.

Now I need to go to the bank to try and sort it out - thankfully the mobile branch is in town this morning, otherwise I'd be spending ages on the phone to then probably be fobbed off by a disinterested call centre employee.

The cunts still haven't returned my money.  The bank couldn't do anything as the transaction is still showing as pending - they said that if it's still on there tomorrow morning I need to call the Mastercard helpline and raise a dispute.  Which I could have done without.

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 hours ago, Remspoor said:

Why no warning light on the dash?

Maybe somebody has not installed the wear sensors (or cut the wires to same?) (or fitted pads with no sensors?)
This may* have happened to a friend* on a car bought from a reputable* dealer. Clue is when the steel backing plate gets spat out of the caliper, piston hits disc, wife rings up and shouts at friend*.
Friend learned a lesson.

[Lord Sterling]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Went to Tesco last night to get a fiver of petrol in a can.  The kiosk had closed so I did pay at pump.  They took the usual £120 pre-authorisation, but they still haven't released it back into the account.  Good job I checked my banking app early this morning - I've had to transfer money into the account otherwise my rent payment would have bounced, for the first time in nearly 17 years in this house, which would have caused all sorts of shit.

Now I need to go to the bank to try and sort it out - thankfully the mobile branch is in town this morning, otherwise I'd be spending ages on the phone to then probably be fobbed off by a disinterested call centre employee.

Same thing happened to me last year. As I was often low of money (story of my life) when they took the £120 pre-authorisation it left me without so I couldn't get electricity etc... 

I phoned my bank and explained the situation, they asked me to send them a receipt which thankfully I had got. They returned what hadn't been taken in petrol cost which was about £90/£100.

I'll never do pay at pump ever again, even if I have the money to cover.

4 hours ago, nev_jr said:

Update: it is now mid November as you may be aware, and I’m STILL FUCKING “COVERING”! It has now finally been realised by higher ups that I would rather have a nice cold pint of paint than carry on any longer because it’s continually taking the piss. 
 

I was called in to a meeting earlier this week with one of the higher ups and was asked what I wanted to do as it “appeared” that I was unhappy, yes I absolutely am, this has dragged on for far too long. It’s ruined me a bit really, since late September early ish October, I’ve put on 2 stone through stress and what have you, all to do with this shit situation I’ve found myself in. 
 

Anyway, I was given a choice. Stay doing parts and have no change of contract or go back to driving along with no change of contract, which they promised they would take me off of which in fairness they did, just into the one role they know I don’t like and have a patchy relationship. So it’s that, or I’m out the door. Obviously they were banking on me continuing the role as I am no doubt much cheaper to employ than someone of the calibre I am covering. You can probably imagine their faces when I told them that. 
 

Fast forward to today and bare in mind I haven’t handed in my notice, only told them my intention to find other work to reignite my career, I have been getting an unbelievable degree of cold shouldering from management which makes me feel really good about myself. In return, today they are making me clear specific areas of the site so the prospective replacement who’s coming in on Monday gets a good impression, until he finds out he’s working in a mouse infested office. I’m not against him taking my place of course I’m not, he works for a supplier of ours and he’s the bee’s knees. 
 

TLDR: Given a choice of 2 jobs, either shit or dead end, said no, now an outcast. 
 

Hopefully that’s my last work related rant for at least another week. 
 

Oh and they are doing a full respray on my car which coincidentally has completely halted. 

Sorry to hear this. Although I must admit, I'm not that surprised tonhear how management are treating you.

We seem to have gone from the days of when you could at least half-expect some sort of encouragement from management/upstairs to management  playing stupid little mind games with their employees and putting them under stress.

Companies seem to base themselves on that early 70s drama 'Upstairs Downstairs'. I am aware that this is something that has always happened but for whatever reason (usually financial and/or power), it seems far more prevalent than it ever has been.

[maxxo]

Grump 

i caved

it’s just too bloody cold tonight 

yes I know the clock is wrong

[Remspoor]

1 minute ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Maybe somebody has not installed the wear sensors (or cut the wires to same?) (or fitted pads with no sensors?)
This may* have happened to a friend* on a car bought from a reputable* dealer. Clue is when the steel backing plate gets spat out of the caliper, piston hits disc, wife rings up and shouts at friend*.
Friend learned a lesson.

No cables is what I was told. Still it is time to get on and find something else. I don't want a wet belt, I do not really want a 3 cylinder. We both would like an estate and both would like a glass roof. We  have had the car since 2012. It does not owe us in terms of purchase price.

This is what i mean about the crap Spanish market place. This is obviously not a SW.

https://www.milanuncios.com/peugeot-de-segunda-mano/peugeot-407-sw-529351491.htm?filteredProvinces=all

or this one 5000€ for a car with a broken engine. What the brokenness is a mystery.

https://www.milanuncios.com/coches-de-segunda-mano/peugeot-308-529210046.htm

 

[cms206]

@Inspector Morose it is not ideal and I am aware of your plans being norther but if you require it my executive mobile* palace is off the market and on the driveway and is available if you need a place to crash... sadly no spare rooms in the actual inn but the offer is there. It's not massive but it's got gas, cooking facilities, a fridge and if I can find the three pin adaptor it can have electricity and heating too.

 

Never, ever be stuck.

 

FWIW in Scotland at least if you're over 50 and declare yourself homeless you have more choice for housing as there are dedicated housing areas specifically for the 50+ clientele. I can try to do some digging on this if you want?

[Lord Sterling]

On 15/11/2024 at 00:46, Inspector Morose said:

I’m not allowed it apparently. Stupid as it seems, a wife who earns more than the bare minimum, even though she wants a divorce so wont be a beneficiary.

I want to get out of where I am, I’m a country bit at heart and have lived in cities/built up areas for nearly 30 years. It’s destroyed me so my option is to get out of it for my mental health if nothing else. But how?

because of the unique* nature of my illness, I have to rely on others to such an extent that they think I'm bullshitting/perfectly capable of doing stuff that I really aren’t capable of. Being dismissed as fine is part and parcel for more of my life than tou could ever imagine. It’s a curse and it’s biting me hard right now. I’ve been living on my savings so far but that’s now over. Where do I go? What do I do now? I can’t stay, I can’t move, I cant even stay the same. The only option left to me is to remove myself from society.

I’m drinking pretty hard right now in the hope that I don’t wake up the next morning and yet I see others being fawned over due to their second house/flat that they’ve been given isn’t quite what they want.

Am I losing it? Yup, I’ve got to that line where enough is enough.

@Inspector Morose - Oddly enough, I have just been asked about a place someone wants to rent out. It's here in Bewdley and a one bedroomed flat. I know it's quite what you want but would it do for a short term? You've at least got us (me, @chaseracer / @catsinthewelder / @red5 etc...) around you.

On fact, I think there are 2 available. The one above me hasn't been lived in for a while and the lad who owns it now lived with his girlfriend in Kinver or something. I could speak to him as I've already said I can find him a tenant. 

[Inspector Morose]

8 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

@Inspector Morose - Oddly enough, I have just been asked about a place someone wants to rent out. It's here in Bewdley and a one bedroomed flat. I know it's quite what you want but would it do for a short term? You've at least got us (me, @chaseracer / @catsinthewelder / @red5 etc...) around you.

On fact, I think there are 2 available. The one above me hasn't been loved in for a while and the lad who owns it now lived with his girlfriend in Kinver or something. I could speak to him as I've already said I can find him a tenant. 

Thanks for the offer Mo, but sadly it’s not where I want to be. There’s a thing about certain parts of Scotland that calm my mind plus the ability to go and watch the water for five really makes the fact that I’d be living miles away from where I am now. I know it doesn’t make sense to some but, as I’ve found out over the past year, if I don’t make my life better for me, there’s no other mental health safety net available to me. Nor financial help, nor housing help, the list goes on…

Look, sorry folks for yesterday. Sometimes you just need to give a guttural roar of frustration out at the world. Life is what it is, I know that but sometimes I just don’t know how many punches I can take, especially when you see people around get the fundamental things that feels like I have to fight tooth and nail to get nowhere with.
 

Jealousy? Sure, a bit but when it relates to the basics in life, it certainly kicks you when you’re already down.

[Low ontime]

4 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Maybe somebody has not installed the wear sensors (or cut the wires to same?) (or fitted pads with no sensors?)
This may* have happened to a friend* on a car bought from a reputable* dealer. Clue is when the steel backing plate gets spat out of the caliper, piston hits disc, wife rings up and shouts at friend*.
Friend learned a lesson.

All the above plus brake fluid topped up as the pads got low / brake pedal travel increased to knock  out the “ last chance” red brake pad light on dash 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Lord Sterling said:

. The one above me hasn't been loved in for a while 

Be thankful for that 😃

[Yoss]

12 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Went to Tesco last night to get a fiver of petrol in a can.  The kiosk had closed so I did pay at pump.  They took the usual £120 pre-authorisation, but they still haven't released it back into the account.  Good job I checked my banking app early this morning - I've had to transfer money into the account otherwise my rent payment would have bounced, for the first time in nearly 17 years in this house, which would have caused all sorts of shit.

Now I need to go to the bank to try and sort it out - thankfully the mobile branch is in town this morning, otherwise I'd be spending ages on the phone to then probably be fobbed off by a disinterested call centre employee.

I regularly use the pay at pump at our local Sainsburys and they don't have any such policy. Or if they do it's out and back in my account so quickly that it doesn't show up on my account. 

I really try to avoid Tesco at if at all possible for anything and this does nothing to change my opinion of them. I think if they were demanding £120 off me just for the pleasure of spending my money with them I would simply go somewhere else. I've been even more determined not to use them since they put the prices of everything up unless you have a club card and now you've made me even more determined. 

[High Jetter]

8 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I regularly use the pay at pump at our local Sainsburys and they don't have any such policy. Or if they do it's out and back in my account so quickly that it doesn't show up on my account. 

I really try to avoid Tesco at if at all possible for anything and this does nothing to change my opinion of them. I think if they were demanding £120 off me just for the pleasure of spending my money with them I would simply go somewhere else. I've been even more determined not to use them since they put the prices of everything up unless you have a club card and now you've made me even more determined. 

I hear you, but using various loyalty cards reduces costs. At a price, obs

[sheffcortinacentre]

1 hour ago, Inspector Morose said:

Thanks for the offer Mo, but sadly it’s not where I want to be. There’s a thing about certain parts of Scotland that calm my mind plus the ability to go and watch the water for five really makes the fact that I’d be living miles away from where I am now. I know it doesn’t make sense to some but, as I’ve found out over the past year, if I don’t make my life better for me, there’s no other mental health safety net available to me. Nor financial help, nor housing help, the list goes on…

Look, sorry folks for yesterday. Sometimes you just need to give a guttural roar of frustration out at the world. Life is what it is, I know that but sometimes I just don’t know how many punches I can take, especially when you see people around get the fundamental things that feels like I have to fight tooth and nail to get nowhere with.
 

Jealousy? Sure, a bit but when it relates to the basics in life, it certainly kicks you when you’re already down.

I know exactly what you mean , manys the time I blow my top as I feel so frustrated at the basics.

I have the last two days as now you can only book a docs appointment online.

 Basics you do admin online about why you want to see doc, few hours later your texted a code ( which lasts 7 days) , you then go back online ( different sites each time you have to prove who you are) then you pick from avl appointments .simples

At each step you could be refused if the comp doesn't like you. Plus your reminded you CANNOT phone,or go to surgery & ask for an appointment.

I got all the way to last stage (had my code) then it just kept sending back to begining, rang surgery  several times they knew exactly what I'd been doing ( on screen Infront of them) but all they could do was give me an alternative site to try!( Constantly reminding me THEY CANNOT give me an appointment)Same again ( plus Thurs was half day closing) finally this afternoon crying down phone begging for an appointment  (58 year old man) I was told a doctor will ring you with an appointment sometime today ( but only once) , they texted an hour later appointment next Friday's.

This method is far more efficient for patients!!! 

O what did I want to see doc for??????

Anxiety & depression,

I'm crap with IT my cousin ( one of only 2 relatives I've got) is great with them, he would only text me the last two days as I was a miserable pain In the arse bugging him everything  doesn't go wrong for me, just kept saying just keep trying.

I'm bugging you because I'm scared  ( but then that's not manly) like you  & your biker, footbally, drinking manly mates.

Thanks a fucking lot ,Mr gets everything with jam on it  without even trying. like you say I m not jealous i just want a fair crack of the whip.

I'm happy with my possessions they get replaced when they're broken with another budget brand item not when I'm bored,not fashionable,etc like him & there lass who hates me going to there semi in upper working class area as I remind her she's from same background ( unless it's to get her inherited  low mileage bini through MOT cheaply).

Well fuck off from now on then .

Arghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

[Split_Pin]

Crank sensors. Almost a service item, right? I've had a few fail in me over the years, Corsa B and MK1 Megane spring to mind (both because my wife was there and not amused at the no- start 😂). Really easy to change, less than 5 minutes.

Not so on an Audi 4 cylinder TDi. I've potentially got this issue with the red A4 as it did a no-start on me yesterday. Just turned over as normal but wouldn't fire. The crank sensor is buried behind the oil filter housing and it's got to come off to get to it. As the oil cooler is integral with it, all the associated pipework has to come off too. 

Thanks VAG!

At least the car is small enough that there's room around it to work on it in my garage.