The grumpy thread

[vulgalour]

19.5 hours a day is ridiculous.  I pray you're either a very heavy sleeper when you do get the time or that you don't at least get a morning like mine where I've been woken far earlier than I'd like by lots of noise and then being (politely, mind) asked to move my car out of the way of a brick delivery wagon.  I think I've managed somewhere in the region of 4 hours of broken sleep, it's no wonder my eyelids feel like they've been replaced by sandpaper.

[dugong]

19.5 hours a day is ridiculous.  I pray you're either a very heavy sleeper when you do get the time or that you don't at least get a morning like mine where I've been woken far earlier than I'd like by lots of noise and then being (politely, mind) asked to move my car out of the way of a brick delivery wagon.  I think I've managed somewhere in the region of 4 hours of broken sleep, it's no wonder my eyelids feel like they've been replaced by sandpaper.

 

 

At least the delivery wagons round your way ask you to move your car before shoving it out of the way. The skip companies working in Sale clearly have no manners. 

[vulgalour]

They were surprisingly apologetic, they didn't want to risk hiabing the brick pallets over the car.  Even more surprising since they're on Council contract.  Shame you couldn't have concreted the Sale skip people's skip to the road without being noticed.

[Inspector Morose]

We'll, I'm back on exhibition work using buses and such all over the country. Sunday was a simple ferry a bus down to Norwich for the other crew to take over. Cue breaking down at 14:00 on the A11, 40 miles from destination. Gets to destination at 1:30 Monday morning. Find a hotel, wake up at 6 and blah customers everything is aok and wait for engineer to repair bus on the quiet whilst exhibition is going on at the front. Catch train back to Birmingham and prep and drive another bus to Frome. Another overnight then over to Trowbridge and set up. This time the mains genny has failed and so I'm stuck here with pissed clients waiting for a replacement genny to be driven down. Haven't been home now for three days and totalling about 9 hours sleep over this time. I'm fucked but I've still got to drive this thing back to brum tonight then catch the bus home as the missus has got the car.

 

Great to be back.

[cort16]

Okay so we all know new cars are shit. This 5 series that I bought has a serious oil leak having burned through a litre of oil in less than 2 weeks and 500 miles.

The autobox also sometimes lurches in first although 99.9% of the time it's okay.

 

I've been hanging out on the 5 series forum trying to figure out how to deal with the issues and looking at the posts other users are putting up things are SHIT.

They're massively over complex and horrendous to work on.

Pez ones aren't so bad but the diesels, holy shit. Lunched timing chains, sharted egr valves, jammed throttle bodies, dropped swirl flaps, jumping gearboxes, duff injectors and that's just the start of it. Total shit! These aren't cheap cars either.

An example is the egr on these has it's own thermostat! Why? Is the original idea not shit enough> The general consensus is to buy a petrol 530i unless you can justify the expense of dealing with the complexity of the diesels as they're so prone to issues.

 

I'm coming to the conclusion that with daily drivers either run a brand new car with a warranty or run an old shitter that may well surprise you in a good way and it doesn't matter if it poops itself otherwise is just pain and expense.

[chaseracer]

...with daily drivers either run a brand new car with a warranty or run an old shitter that may well surprise you in a good way and it doesn't matter if it poops itself...

This is what we do.

 

Domestic Management needs total reliability and is fazed by the technical challenge of topping up the washer fluid, so she leases a new motor every 2/3 years.

 

I run any old shit.

[Inspector Morose]

Well, the day's gone from shit to worse. Now sitting on the side of the M42 with a suspected lunched engine. Awaiting yet another tow.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Stupid twat! To 'save' starting the engine I thought I would push the car up the drive into the sun before I messed with the new holes in the inner wing. Only thing is when I let the hand break off I wasn't ready, it filled back and the fucking door got stuck on the fence!

 

If you can't make it out in the pic I've put a fucking crease and a dent in the skin!!!!!! At least it wasn't worse and still works but I'm pissed off at what a cock I've been...

[AlabamaShrimp]

That's a shit pic you can't see anything, looks better on my phone

[chaseracer]

Well, the day's gone from shit to worse. Now sitting on the side of the M42 with a suspected lunched engine. Awaiting yet another tow.

Look on the bright side, Andy - you could walk home from there.

 

runs, hides...>

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

Knowing my luck so far in the past few days I'd probably get run over.

[Lankytim]

A mate had a spare M90 Volvo gearbox going spare so I sold it for him on turbobricks. It was used but in GWO, went into all gears fine and was quiet. A buyer in the states had it and guess what? He says its noisy in all gears. It was fine when it left!! He hasn't asked for a refund mind...

[forddeliveryboy]

I once sold an old vehicle to a guy in the States, he was very keen, falling over himself to be polite, knew about cars and so on. On receiving it, he asked why I hadn't told him the engine burned oil (which it didn't). The tailpipe exited down the side of the tail (it was a three-wheeler) and had left a black mark on thepaint, down the years which never bothered me. Even visible on the pictures I had sent in the post (Hemail). Tried to explain that exhaust fumes are inherently dirty things on all cars, especially older ones. He couldn't get his head round it.

[Pillock]

The interesting* thing is that I went to work this morning with a job, and after a rather brief meeting I've just found out there's a very good chance that in 45 days I won't have one.

 

A team of 30 needs to become a team of 10 (which is my direct team) and overall there's 140 jobs going which means that within that 10 jobs, more than the original 30 that were employed in such a role could be considered. So rather less than a 1 in 3 chance.

 

The frustrating thing is regarding some of the rules. If I get one of the 10 jobs, there will likely be a pay cut. If I take a different job that's up for grabs, I can do a 4 week trial - but not if I take the rather different job that has the same name as my current job because it's "similar". If I don't apply for it, it's deemed voluntary redundancy and my benefits may be affected. If I get the job but don't take it, the same. If I apply for the job but refuse to do the interview, apparently that's OK and I'll get full benefits. So I also can't try my "similar" job out and still get redundancy if I don't like it, but I can for any other job across the business.

 

Today has not been a good day. I've got to remember how to write a CV now.

[Jim Bell]

Unlucky Pillock. That sounds fucking awfull mate.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Sounds delightful that does.

 

`i'm chuffed to bits* as I have somehow gained a 'piss tube infection' meaning I have to go to the bog every 15 seconds to get rid of 20ml of what seems to be just-made Costa 'Americano' at 185degC. Brilliant. On the other hand I have bought season 5 of 'Breaking bad' to fill the gaps between piss breaks so its not all bad.

[hairnet]

if it doesnt hurt when ya go - drink an awful lot of water and itll eventually go away.......

 

hope its not a kidney thing cos them symptoms describe that :\

[Pillock]

Actually given my job is at risk, I perhaps shouldn't say silly things that'll get me into trouble. Yet. Never know who is watching!

 

Sorry Louise2CV, it now looks like you "like" something that no longer says what it did when you liked it.

[Negative Creep]

Decided to fit my nice old Pioneer stereo into the Celica only to find it gives one pathetic whir then dies. Tried another stereo which works fine so looks as if it's had it. Also a sneaky camera van parked just around a gentle corner of a 40 zone. I was doing just under an indicated 50 and passing several other cars so hopefully he didn't get a reading or it just falls into their guidelines.

[Angrydicky]

Just heard a screaming outside, looked out of the window and saw one guy being chased down the road by three more guys. When they caught him they laid into him on the floor, kicking him as he tried to get into some random house. Had to dial 999 for the first time ever, it was a fucking horrible and relentless attack. The attackers legged it when the injured bloke managed to get into the house, and are probably long gone. 20 mins since I called 999 and still there's no sign of the police. Very scary.

 

Edit - a police Volvo has just turned up, but I'm doubtful if they'll catch the guys that did it.

[cort16]

Sounds delightful that does.

 

`i'm chuffed to bits* as I have somehow gained a 'piss tube infection' meaning I have to go to the bog every 15 seconds to get rid of 20ml of what seems to be just-made Costa 'Americano' at 185degC. Brilliant. On the other hand I have bought season 5 of 'Breaking bad' to fill the gaps between piss breaks so its not all bad.

 

You need to drink a tin of this stuff

 

[twosmoke300]

Remember STP .? Stops tiger pollution. Back when esso used the tiger . God I feel old.

[MrDuke]

If I take a different job that's up for grabs, I can do a 4 week trial - but not if I take the rather different job that has the same name as my current job because it's "similar". If I don't apply for it, it's deemed voluntary redundancy and my benefits may be affected. If I get the job but don't take it, the same. If I apply for the job but refuse to do the interview, apparently that's OK and I'll get full benefits. So I also can't try my "similar" job out and still get redundancy if I don't like it, but I can for any other job across the business.

 

 

If 'twere me, I'd be going to the Union with that. Smells decidedly rank.

[dugong]

If 'twere me, I'd be going to the Union with that. Smells decidedly rank.

 

I'm sure that used to be called 'cherry picking'.

[Station]

Just heard a screaming outside,

 

I was in work the other week, and I heard a horrible screaming noise (no, it wasn't Mr Bollox using the bush). It was a girl who had just left the court/police station/coroner's next door to work, and it was horrible, a proper distressed, screaming that went on for ages.  

[Cavcraft]

Can I come and see the car?

 

Yes

 

Can I come today?

 

No, I'm busy, but I'm free tomorrow

 

Can I come tomorrow?

 

Yes.

 

Still ok for tomorrow?

 

?

 

?

 

?

 

Yes, you can still come tomorrow.

 

Afternoon?

 

Yes, afternoon.

 

Can I still come tomorrow afternoon?

 

YES!

 

Still ok for this afternoon?

 

?

 

?

 

Yes, I told you it was ok.

 

Ok for later then?

 

YES

 

KK thx c u later

 

'Can't make it today'

 

[TimothyClaypole]

Won a table saw on Ebay, no problem I think, I'll pop to Sheffield after work Friday to pick it up.... emailed me the address.. Bolsover... ffs.

 

That's 16 miles through restricted roadworks ALL the way then.

 

Serves them right for putting collection only that no one else bid on it. 

[Pillock]

If 'twere me, I'd be going to the Union with that. Smells decidedly rank.

 

I'm considering getting ACAS involved - again, not too much detail here because I'm not too hard to find on the interwebs however there's been a bit of "rushing through" of things and either deliberately or because of the short notice, there's some things that are decidedly unfair:

 

45 day consultation period, but the jobs we have to apply for close in just 7 days. Consultation should be allowing time for decisions, surely?

If I apply for two jobs and are successful in both interviews, the company (not me!) decide which one I get.

Because jobs close in 7 days, chances of deciding not to apply and leaving the business to another guaranteed job are somewhere between "slim" and "no chance"

Some folk have been "mapped" into a job without question because of location (i.e. the one guy we have in Scotland, has been given the Scotland job) but nobody else was asked if they wanted to relocate. 

140 jobs at risk, they've put a "job hunters workshop" on - with 12 places available.

[xtriple]

Few months ago I had a paniced call from my (new) Doctor. Do not take the drug you've been taking for the last eight years.... at all! Come and see me first thing in the morning!

Turns out this drug causes Parkinsons type symptoms (which I had) and must not be used for more than five days. Lovely...

Get prescribed a different drug and after a few weeks parkinsons symptoms start to go, much better, and there was me thinking I was just getting old.

 

Yesterday, I get a paniced phone call from the Doctors (yes, seriously) do not take the new drug you've been on for eight months at all. Do a bit of Google-foo and it appears 60 people in the UK have died in recent months as a direct consequence of this drug.... cause heart problems and MASSIVE heart attacks!

[Sloth in a bowl]

Well, the day's gone from shit to worse. Now sitting on the side of the M42 with a suspected lunched engine. Awaiting yet another tow.

I think that Jonah may still be availble as a forum name.