The grumpy thread

[Gompo]

Poxy bloody car batteries!!! I got in my Passat to go to work at 6am this morning after not using it for two days only to be greeted with the weer weer click click sound you get from a flat battery, So rushing around in a flap i try jumping the car with my wife's car but trying to start a car in the dark with no torch isn't the easiest thing, so i end up taking her car and making her walk the 2 miles to work.I got home tonight with a bit more time so i try again, After a lot of fiddling round with the terminals trying to get a contact due to all the fuses and crap they now fit on them i get it running.As i take the jump leads off i then manage to drop the end of one into the fan and it jams against the poxy pulley and V belt stripping half the belt off. And to top it of the wife then burns my tea as she's flapping around trying to shut the engine off after me shouting like a fool to her indoors to help me whilst I'm trying to stop the clamp end jamming up completely.

I agree, I dont use my car much but if I leave it for a week it'll struggle. It shouldnt have much strain on the battery when sat or when being driven.Gone are the days when you could leave them 2/3/4 weeks and still get it to burst into life. Maybe i need a diesel battery.

[trigger]

In hindsight i should of got my 1602 out of the garage! she did moan about about it!.

[Albert Ross]

I have no battery problems since skanking a 680Ah unit from a current model focus tdci.....Starts my Land Rover admirably in all weathers. 2.3 diesel too.

[pogweasel]

EBAY CUNTS. They have suspended my account. Again. Because I didn't pay for items quick enough / through paypal... on large items, which were for collection!!!!I had two sets of wheels and an A1 plotter that they deemed 'unpaid', even when arrangements had been made with the sellers!Now they won't unlock my account until these items are paid through paypal. FUCK OFF EBAY!5 years of trading, £20-30 a month in seller fees, and that's how they treat their customers?

[nigel bickle]

I'm being threatened similarly. 4 days to pay - max. Since I WONT use paypal, a 1st class cheque - instantly posted, barely makes it, and wont have cleared.All a bit silly right now. Does seem like they're increasingly into business prevention.

[pogweasel]

MOAR RANTAGE!PC World / TechGuys / DSG.... bunch of useless twits (with the possible exception of one very professional techy bloke what posts here )Sent my laptop away 13/10, finally arrived back today - looked lovely - new keyboard, hinges, surround plus a list of replaced bits inside totalling £143 of new parts. Great! Turn it on.... oh, they haven't bothered to put the operating system back on it. FFS!!!!What's more irritating is that their technician has ticked the box that it has been tested with the O/S, and has signed if off. Now I have to wait another chuffing week for them to send me new O/S disks. JUST DO IT RIGHT!!!!(For the benefit of Pillock > please find something long and pointy in your workshop and go and insert it into technician JASON WALL for me, preferably with video evidence of this cretin being punished. K THX BAI)

[brammy777]

Pc world are shit.A few weeks ago our desktop finally fucked up and we needed a new pc for my younger brother.Went to PC world, waited an hour to be served by anyone, and despite saying we wanted a pc for the home, they somehow gave us one for a workplace.Suffice to say, it didnt work.We then returned it and he got a laptop from argos.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

What's more irritating is that their technician has ticked the box that it has been tested with the O/S, and has signed if off.

My sister's digital camera refused to switch on. I sent it for repair, and it was returned with a new 'barrel' and a note saying "Tested to manufacturer's specifications".It still didn't switch on. Some thorough testing there.Sent it back again, and it was returned working but with a hair inside it which shows up on pictures as a blurry dark worm. Screw it.

[Mr H Sceptre]

PC World truly are cretins.Many years ago, myself & the then Mrs Sceptre went to PC World, chose a desktop, printer etc etc & were happy to pay cash then & there. But oh no, they wanted us to take them up on their finance offer. So, after a bit of negotiation they allowed us to pay for 12mnths on 0% interest & then pay the remaining balance after the 12mnths had expired. Great. Good deal. But when we 'went round the back' to complete the paperwork, the salesman informed us we should also take up their frankly useless & expensive aftercare option. This basically offered very little over our standard house insurance, so we declined. The salesman then stsarted to get quite pushy, saying he 'couldnt believe' that we didnt want the aftercare. Again, we reiterated that we didnt. Said sales monkey then continued to try to convince us it was the best thing since sliced bread. This went on for some 5 or 10mins. In the end, we said to him that if he tried to sell us the aftercare one more time we would walk out of the shop, without the PC. So what did the creitin do? Yes, you've guessed it! Sale lost.I understand that these places obv make a fair bit of money on finance & aftercare etc, & I also realise that they are probably targetted on these sales (no doubt get commission etc), but to be so pushy you end up losing the whole sale beggars belief.Never been back.

[wuvvum]

EBAY CUNTS. They have suspended my account. Again. Because I didn't pay for items quick enough / through paypal... on large items, which were for collection!!!!I had two sets of wheels and an A1 plotter that they deemed 'unpaid', even when arrangements had been made with the sellers!Now they won't unlock my account until these items are paid through paypal. FUCK OFF EBAY!5 years of trading, £20-30 a month in seller fees, and that's how they treat their customers?

Yup, they did that to me the other day. The annoying thing was that their doing so was going to prevent me from bidding on that Alpine. So I simply set up another eBay account and used that instead.

[Rod/b]

EBAY CUNTS. They have suspended my account. Again. Because I didn't pay for items quick enough / through paypal... on large items, which were for collection!!!!I had two sets of wheels and an A1 plotter that they deemed 'unpaid', even when arrangements had been made with the sellers!Now they won't unlock my account until these items are paid through paypal. FUCK OFF EBAY!5 years of trading, £20-30 a month in seller fees, and that's how they treat their customers?

Yup, they did that to me the other day. The annoying thing was that their doing so was going to prevent me from bidding on that Alpine. So I simply set up another eBay account and used that instead.

If you don't want to use PayPal, can you not just arrange for the seller to mark up your purchase as "Payment Received"? Worth a try.

[Rod/b]

I understand that these places obv make a fair bit of money on finance & aftercare etc, & I also realise that they are probably targetted on these sales (no doubt get commission etc), but to be so pushy you end up losing the whole sale beggars belief.Never been back.

Commisioned sales staff in electrical retail make the majority of their money through warranty sales, not sellling the kit itself. I once worked in the industry on a salary at an independent, but applied for a couple of jobs at Miller Bros (are they still even going?) and Dixons. Interviewed and accepted at both but when I found out the commission structures I binned them off. At the independent I worked at we sold Domestic and General extended warranties, but we were never allowed to mention them to a customer unless they specifically asked about them. Even then we used to talk them out of buying them; they were only really there in case someone absolutely insisted on having one. I've never bought a warranty on anything. Incidentally I was looking at electric shavers in Argos yesterday. For a 3 year warranty on a 100 quid item, they wanted 80-odd quid...

[chester drawers]

PC World truly are cretins.Many years ago, myself & the then Mrs Sceptre went to PC World, chose a desktop, printer etc etc & were happy to pay cash then & there. But oh no, they wanted us to take them up on their finance offer. So, after a bit of negotiation they allowed us to pay for 12mnths on 0% interest & then pay the remaining balance after the 12mnths had expired. Great. Good deal. But when we 'went round the back' to complete the paperwork, the salesman informed us we should also take up their frankly useless & expensive aftercare option. This basically offered very little over our standard house insurance, so we declined. The salesman then stsarted to get quite pushy, saying he 'couldnt believe' that we didnt want the aftercare. Again, we reiterated that we didnt. Said sales monkey then continued to try to convince us it was the best thing since sliced bread. This went on for some 5 or 10mins. In the end, we said to him that if he tried to sell us the aftercare one more time we would walk out of the shop, without the PC. So what did the creitin do? Yes, you've guessed it! Sale lost.I understand that these places obv make a fair bit of money on finance & aftercare etc, & I also realise that they are probably targetted on these sales (no doubt get commission etc), but to be so pushy you end up losing the whole sale beggars belief.Never been back.

Coverplan was always worth having on more expensive items as unlike the rest of the high street, it included accidental damage cover at no extra cost. Almost every Mastercare engineer I ever worked with took advantage of this with TVs mysteriously falling off walls or bottles of wine getting spilt into laptops days before the end of the 3 year cover. The knack was to ensure the offending item was genuinely beyond repair, and hey presto a brand new replacement (or vouchers) arrives at no cost.We once received a package claiming to be a mobile phone which had fallen out of the window of a moving car. Inside was the battery flap from a remote control handset and a piece of twin and earth cable. The punter received a brand new phone at a time when they were still seriously expensive. The terms of the insurance were changed shortly after that. To be fair decent honest members of society may not always have got their money's worth. And before someone points it out yes I know it's pointless taking out a service agreement on a ten quid toaster :lol:EDIT ok someone already has...

[Mr H Sceptre]

Incidentally I was looking at electric shavers in Argos yesterday. For a 3 year warranty on a 100 quid item, they wanted 80-odd quid...

£100 shaver?????????

[Rod/b]

That's what I thought until I worked out how much I spend on blades and stuff. If it lasts a couple of years it's broken even.

[Mr H Sceptre]

Actually Rod, thats a good point. The price of razor blades really does get my goat. I just prefer wet shaving though, when I can be arsed shaving that is.Love your avatar by the way - quality!!

[whitevanman]

Aye the cost of blades and the uslesnes of electric razors prompted me to buy a cut throat razor.....but I cant find a strop any where.......so I've just had to spend £20 on 15 blades for the first time in 3 years

[Richard]

I bought an old-fashioned safety razor last year because I didn't want to keep using a company that was endorsed by David Beckham- and it was becoming increasingly difficult to get blades for my old razor. It's a little clumsy but works very well. The blades cost pennies.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

How long are disposable razors supposed to last? I've got a bag of 20 I'm still going through after a year, I don't know if that's being stingy or wasteful.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Aye the cost of blades and the uslesnes of electric razors prompted me to buy a cut throat razor.....but I cant find a strop any where.......so I've just had to spend £20 on 15 blades for the first time in 3 years

Actually, you can still get brand-new strops and there are a few small companies that can hone your straight razor for you ! Google is your friend...I was also fairly pissed at the prices of razor cartridges, especially since I am obliged to look smart and be clean shaven every morning... So, in true autoshite fashion, I turned to proven, old-fashioned methods to get the job done !25 euros bought me a nice, German-made double-edged razor. It's all-metal and thus indestructible, has a nice, hefty feel to it, shaves great and takes blades that cost 10 cents each and easily last for 3-4 shaves. No more overpriced modern crap for me !!!

[AnthonyG]

How long are disposable razors supposed to last? I've got a bag of 20 I'm still going through after a year, I don't know if that's being stingy or wasteful.

A week is my guide, shaving 'experts' in magazines i.e. shills for Gilette and Wilkinson Sword, reckon 2 to 3 days.I love the way Gillette always goes on about how their latest model will be absolutely amazing and will guarantee you a successful career and a superodel g/f, yet when their next model comes out, this same one is utter, utter shit which will tear your face off if you dare to continue using it. Gillette's shit advertising and tagline 'the best a man can get ' means I always have a preference for WS products instead. Disposable Bics, now they do actually rip your face off!

[seth]

I've always used buzzing electric shavers (when I get around to it) and to keep this on a grumpy tack it really frustrates me that you can buy the whole thing for £40 or whatever but then if you damage a foil it will cost you something like £20 for a pair of new ones. You can't just buy one for a shaver that needs two. They are also nothing more than a piece of perhaps photoetched thin sheet stainless steel that probably costs pence to make in the quantities they would be made in. But they price them at an extortionate amount so that it's not quite worth buying a whole new shave.

[retrogeezer]

Blimey, I buy a razor with 4 blades (3 blade type) in Aldi for £2 and each blade lasts me about a month!! You can buy refill packs but I just get a new razor with 4 blades each time as the razor looks a bit used after 4 months.

[Richard]

The last razor in a packet is treated with a special coating that makes it last five times as long as the rest.

[Guest]

I just don't bother shaving very often nowadays, maybe once a week. I suppose I should do it every day, but I quite like the "struggling alcoholic" look.There's just been a big meeting at work which has been fun, the general theme is that for the next three years we will have no money, we are millions in debt, misery, toil, no job losses for 12 months but presumably loads after that, I imagine there'll be loads of moaning within the office for yonks, all that business.Wonder if I can become a night watchman, I'd be an ace night watchman. Going around with my torch, whistling tunes, watching baseball on a little portable TV, eating twinkies and drinking cans of Tab. I admit my view of being a night watchman is a slightly whimsical image, influenced by bad American films, but it'd be ace man. Plus I could get a white car with silver steel wheels and have some SECURITY PATROL stickers made up for it - possibly a Hyundai Sonata V6. I would refer to it as PURSUIT-1.

[whitevanman]

cheap blades just dont shave me.............gotta have a decenyt blade or I am wasting my money

[Richard]

I just don't bother shaving very often nowadays, maybe once a week. I suppose I should do it every day, but I quite like the "struggling alcoholic" look.Wonder if I can become a night watchman, I'd be an ace night watchman. Going around with my torch, whistling tunes, watching baseball on a little portable TV, eating twinkies and drinking cans of Tab. I admit my view of being a night watchman is a slightly whimsical image, influenced by bad American films, but it'd be ace man. Plus I could get a white car with silver steel wheels and have some SECURITY PATROL stickers made up for it - possibly a Hyundai Sonata V6. I would refer to it as PURSUIT-1.

The last night watchman I met was very much sporting the "struggling alcoholic" look. He was supposed to throw us out but I think he was so lonely we had trouble getting away.

[Pete-M]

I've been using Gillette jobs for years, but recently went over to WS's 'quattro titanium' things. They're not as good as the proper old razors with that cool wheel that opens 'em up, but they're ok.Except you have to put batteries in the bloody thing every couple of weeks.

[brammy777]

I use those AZOR razors, cheap and they are damn good.Anyway, a customer really boiled my piss today.She wanted me to check her lottery tickets to see if theyve won and they hadnt, its normal procedure to rip them afterwards as they are valueless and you cant do anything with them.But no, she has a massive go at me for it, i apologise about a million times but she continues to moan and makes me cellotape it back together for her, which i do badly as shes still giving me an earful.Id understand if it was something you could keep and use again, but its not, it has less usage than a receipt, And she wanted to make a complaint about me. Thanks. Shops only take 10p out every pound for lottery tickets anyway, so its not as if shes an important customer.Ugh, I hate difficult customers.

[pogweasel]

Simply tell her to "GET OUT OF MY SHOP", possibly chasing her out with a yard-brush or similar.