The grumpy thread

[wuvvum]

First seem to be particularly bad.  Around here the independent operators are consistently significantly cheaper.

[Spiny Norman]

The bus industry is good at providing paid employment for a few mates but as a means of actually getting somewhere (even in a major city where the prices can be kept down), they're bearable only as a means of getting home from The Three Judges at 11pm, under the calming effects of a few pints of Jennings Sneck Lifter.

To me, public transport is a taxi.

[320touring]

The bus industry is good at providing paid employment for a few mates but as a means of actually getting somewhere (even in a major city where the prices can be kept down), they're bearable only as a means of getting home from The Three Judges at 11pm, under the calming effects of a few pints of Jennings Sneck Lifter.

To me, public transport is a taxi.

3 judges=beer scooter hame

[HH-R]

The last time I got a bus it was to somewhere I'd never got a bus to before so looked on google maps to see where to get off and where to ask for. I told the driver where i wanted to go and he didn't know where it was so i described what it was next to (a very well known hospital). He took money off me and when pressed the button to get off at the stop, stood up and he went straight by. He said the bus didn't stop there and the next stop was over 3 miles away, I'd then have to get a train back to where I wanted to be. I said that I'd been clear where i wanted to go and wasn't to know the bus didn't stop there. We stopped at traffic lights and i said well can you just open the door then? He said no, was really arsey and said he would lose his job. I thought about hitting the emergency door opening but sat down whilst voicing my displeasure. He then stopped and let me off.

 

Last time I've bothered, waste of time. Couldn't use my return either as it meant the bus wouldn't pick up on the other side either.

[oldcars]

A cat had a shit on the mat at the front door last night. It was a pleasure* to be greetted by that this morning.

 

On a positive note autosmart G101 does remove shit from mats well.

[SambaS]

No offence CMS, but bus drivers are amongst the angriest people I've ever met, consistently. Round here they drive dangerously and I've often thought of reporting them to plod

[SambaS]

Especially the one who shaved my arm hair with his bus as I was walking back from the MOT place last month. Everybody gave me room to walk down the road bar this cretin. And there was no need to try and kill me, there was no traffic coming towards him

[SambaS]

And one time I was loading my van outside work, parked on a single yellow with my hazard lights on. A charity shop lorry pulled up as I was back in the shop and started unloading, leaving no room for big vehicles.

 

Que beeping and shouting. Ooh that was a test of nerve for sure.

 

Local bus driver wasn't happy with me, as I calmly tried to explain that I wasn't doing anything until he stopped shouting.

[Lord Sterling]

Yesterday a mate invited me to go around and about with him as he had some running about to do, he explained it would get me out of the house, when I saw how much a "day saver" (£4.20) was, I politely declined. A single ticket is not much cheaper.

 

I'd imagine driving a bus is also pretty grim here in Birmingham. Dealing with the general mouthbreathing public, dealing with other drivers, kids chucking stuff at your bus, inside your bus etc....

[Skizzer]

Fucking tourists.

 

That is all.

[Cavcraft]

I think it's £1.90 single, £3.20 return to town from here (1.5 miles, or so) which is a con. Free car parking after 3.00 means take the motor and bollocks to buses.

[320touring]

Fucking tourists.

 

That is all.

Comin over here, paying for our rooms and buying all our overpriced tat;)

 

Know what you mean though-but I find it applies to everyone-even natives

[xtriple]

I haven't been on a bus since the 80's when I sold a bike (CB900!) to a dealer and had to get home. It was about ten miles and while I don't recall the cost, I do remember the bloody time it took - 2 hours and 20 minutes!

 

I could have earned 4 or 5 quid in those two hours!

 

Note. That would have involved selling two XR3s with warranty and all the bits... it's not all peaches in the motor trade

[Cavcraft]

To be fair, since Stagecoach came in round here, the standards of bus driving has improved no end. As a company they seem to get some shit at some time, but the local drivers are really good, I can't take that away from them.

[daveb47]

Got a replacement car while they repair Insignia.

Its an almost new Corsa,what a hateful little vehicle,seats like concrete,suspension to match.

Got power output of zero,auto box as well.

like sitting in box,screen pillers so fat that they have put windows in them.

Hate it,certainly wont be driving that far.

Well its so fucking hateful that it has travelled about 12 miles since i got it & thats 15 miles too far,who the fuck decided to design & sell something this bad should be made to live in it for the rest of their hopefully short life.

Never knew they made cars this bad.

[Pillock]

Must be time for the monthly Insurance grump.

 

Wife is with Admiral. It was about £320 last year, one years NCB, car on street, business use. Renewal comes through at close on £700, and that's with an extra years NCB naturally.

 

Did a bit of hunting using that twatty meerkat site and the Google one which is much better, got it down to £289. With Admiral.

 

Cue phone call to Admiral to cancel a renewal, and take a new policy out. To be fair to them, they actually just carried the policy on and price-matched so saving a lot of admin work, but still... I have no idea why it would leap over 100%, but the same firm can offer it for a lower price than last year.

[EssDeeWon]

^Cos all insurance firms are scamming bastards mate and think we the great unwashed will just renew regardless of how much the renewal is.

[DS20]

It's shit, but they make money from 

 

Must be time for the monthly Insurance grump.

Wife is with Admiral. It was about £320 last year, one years NCB, car on street, business use. Renewal comes through at close on £700, and that's with an extra years NCB naturally.

Did a bit of hunting using that twatty meerkat site and the Google one which is much better, got it down to £289. With Admiral.

Cue phone call to Admiral to cancel a renewal, and take a new policy out. To be fair to them, they actually just carried the policy on and price-matched so saving a lot of admin work, but still... I have no idea why it would leap over 100%, but the same firm can offer it for a lower price than last year.

 

 

It's shit, but they try it on in the knowledge that some won't shop around.  Instead, they pay up and grumble about how living costs are rising so fast.  

[Bobthebeard]

My insurance company have just decided* that I owe them £100 from May 2014 due to 'broker fees for changing my address plus adding an additional driver'. As I have not changed address or added another driver they can poke it. Chancers. They are actually blaming me and asking for proof of not changing address etc... Been insured with them for three years plus.... No change of address. Still want proof. Grrr..

[Pillock]

"Proof of not changing address".... WTF?

[OwdChina]

My insurance company have just decided* that I owe them £100 from May 2014 due to 'broker fees for changing my address plus adding an additional driver'. As I have not changed address or added another driver they can poke it. Chancers. They are actually blaming me and asking for proof of not changing address etc... Been insured with them for three years plus.... No change of address. Still want proof. Grrr..

 

Did they still send the bill to your address though, and not the new imaginary one ?

[gordonbennet]

"Proof of not changing address".... WTF?

 

Yes, that's my heard it all now submission for W/E 11/4/2015, you'd struggle to invent anything as ludicrous.

[MrDuke]

Indeed, you couldn't make it up!

 

[Timewaster]

Just ask them for the ADDRESS of the ombudsman.

 

My guess is they will backtrack like an Itallian tank.

[fairkens]

I'm pretty sure admiral own one of those comparison sites, not sure which one though. So they're taking a cut either way

[Station]

20 mile stand still tail backs on M6 northbound!

[dave21478]

insurers can get bent.

"Hi, I have sold my hot hatch and replaced it with a lower value, more common, older, less powerful, cheaper to repair, less desirable to thieves, bland-mobile."

"That will be an extra €95 please."

 

[Pillock]

I'm pretty sure admiral own one of those comparison sites, not sure which one though. So they're taking a cut either way

I used the Google one, they don't own it but quite clearly it does say at the bottom that insurers give them a sum when you buy insurance.

 

Also, when I clicked through to Admiral, it said "Thank you for buying your Admiral insurance through Google". All quite transparent.

[fairkens]

That's fine but you have now been thoroughly data harvested by google analytics.

[Jazoli]

20 mile stand still tail backs on M6 northbound!

Been there done that today, hate Fridays and our office schedulers who can't organise a simple days work but have to send you on a 250 mile tour of Cumbria and Lancashire to do 4 shitty service jobs that could have waited till there were other jobs in the same area.