The grumpy thread

[hairnet]

Thinking about it, my interest in F1 has waned massively since he stepped down.  It just...isn't the same without his voice, just like wildlife programmes that aren't narrated by David Attenborough just don't sound right.

although i think david tennant should do more than just the penguin programmes

[wuvvum]

Bought a replacement washing machine on Sunday night.  Not new, I got it off Gumtree, but it's quite a posh one (Zanussi washer / dryer thing) and I paid a reasonable amount for it.

 

This evening I spent ages disconnecting and dragging out the old machine, then manhandling the new one out of the van and into the house.  Plumbed it all in, plugged it in, and it doesn't fugging work.  Switches on, locks the door and all the programmes select with the funky electronic program selector (not just a twist knob like my old machine), but when I press the "start" button nothing happens.  It beeps and then just sits there.  No error messages or anything, it's just like it's not registering that I've pressed the button, even though the button beeps.  I even downloaded the manual to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious, but nope.  So that was a waste of fugging time and money then.

 

Oh, and I've also lost the battery pack for my bike headlight.  I think it must have fallen out of my bag on the way to work this morning.  Pissflaps.

[AlabamaShrimp]

I didn't like having a job and when I got one was mega happy. It's something I like doing, which for me is unusual.

 

Made the mistake of asking for part time in the first week. I've only worked two days in the past two weeks. Turns out they don't have part time it's all or just fill in as and when which doesn't help anyone.

 

Had a moan at the boss* today but I can see fuck all changing as he's the kind that makes sure he's got the best shifts and the new woman to work with

[RobT]

Following my grump above, atleast it's still only voluntary redundancies they're after. It's just the further uncertainty it creates isn't ideal.

[dave21478]

I have talked previously about my annoyance with people who insist on driving too fast everywhere, especially in carparks.

 

This was highlighted today when I popped to a supermarket at lunchtime to find somebody in a terribly important hurry had crashed into someone else. Normally a bump in a supermarket involves scraped paint, a broken bumper or light lense and maybe a bashed door, but these choobs had collided hard enough to destroy both cars and justify calling out countless cozzers, two emergency ambulances, a fire brigade rescue truck and with a couple of recovery trucks lying in wait for the remains.

 

How fucking fast were they going?

 

 

 

Grump 2 - I keep getting bank statements and life insurance policies and shite like that in other peoples names delivered to me. Not sure if half-assed ID theft attempts or postal incompetance. The latest guy isnt poor either, over 400k in his savings account.

[dave21478]

Bought a replacement washing machine on Sunday night.  Not new, I got it off Gumtree, but it's quite a posh one (Zanussi washer / dryer thing) and I paid a reasonable amount for it.

 

This evening I spent ages disconnecting and dragging out the old machine, then manhandling the new one out of the van and into the house.  Plumbed it all in, plugged it in, and it doesn't fugging work.  Switches on, locks the door and all the programmes select with the funky electronic program selector (not just a twist knob like my old machine), but when I press the "start" button nothing happens.  It beeps and then just sits there.  No error messages or anything, it's just like it's not registering that I've pressed the button, even though the button beeps.  I even downloaded the manual to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious, but nope.  So that was a waste of fugging time and money then.

 

Oh, and I've also lost the battery pack for my bike headlight.  I think it must have fallen out of my bag on the way to work this morning.  Pissflaps.

 

Whats your water pressure like? some machines dont like it too high or too low and will refuse to work.

[vulgalour]

We were going to get proper internet connected today but it turns out our allocated slot in the fibre box is broken and there are no spare slots to make use of.  That means we have to stay on the temporary internet thing, which is good but pricey, while we wait to be connected.  That wait could take several WEEKS which is just crazy.

 

I need the internet for work, especially so at the moment with an imminent deadline and customers who need updates on their commissions.  Mike and I both need it to stay in touch with friends and do all the mundane things like online banking and money transfers.  It's a bad time for the internet to possibly go down for us too because this is when I produce some seasonal pieces to boost my income, a boost that I very much need each year.

 

Trying not to panic about it, I'm sure it'll be fine, but it's monumentally bad timing.  I'm also not entirely sure where I stand with the contract as no service is being provided so theoretically I shouldn't have to pay a bean and I would hope the 'cooling off' period doesn't apply since the provider isn't providing a service.  That is just in case we do decide to switch and don't want to get hit with oodles of fees.

 

We're with Plusnet but it's BT that's dragging their heels. It was BT that wouldn't get us connected quicker and it's BT that's now responsible for finding out what's broken, fixing it, and getting us connected.

[fairkens]

Plus net is BT, so they probably aren't dragging their heels for no reason, but BT are a nightmare at the best of times - good luck

[twosmoke300]

I had the same with my work like activation . Plusnet were brilliant at updating me but open reach were lazy useless twats

[Cavcraft]

Plusnet are class in a glass.

[eddyramrod]

+1 for Plusnet.  Whatever else you do, AVOID Tesco Broadband!

[dollywobbler]

Aye. Thankfully, Plusnet has not been ruined by BT ownership. Openreach are absolutely terrible though. Nice work competition folk! BT was broken up into loads of companies and now Openreach doesn't seem accountable to anyone and has an appalling lack of commitment to anything at all. 

 

Vulg - when we moved, I was forced to work down at the local hotel. For the cost of a few hot chocolates, I had lovely broadband. Not ideal, as I like to have my books with me too, but got me through a barren patch of internet (again, Openreach pissing about not being arsed to actually connect us - TalkTalk were utterly unable to speed things up so we told them to piss off and got Plusnet on the case. All resolved pretty swiftly).

[vulgalour]

Oh, that's the other thing, it wasn't even Openreach that came out.  BT sub-contract the job of connecting new customers and the sub-contractor doesn't get paid if he can't connect the customer so it sucks massively for the guy that came out!  I have been with TalkTalk before and have no intention of going back.

 

If it were just e-mails that would be fine but a lot of what I do is scanning and updating a picture real time with a customer and I can't very well do that away from my art desk.  As long as I have some internet for e-mails I can at least keep people updated but it really is a rotten time of year for me to be without proper internet as it gets quite busy this month.

[HH-R]

Bought a replacement washing machine on Sunday night.  Not new, I got it off Gumtree, but it's quite a posh one (Zanussi washer / dryer thing) and I paid a reasonable amount for it.

 

This evening I spent ages disconnecting and dragging out the old machine, then manhandling the new one out of the van and into the house.  Plumbed it all in, plugged it in, and it doesn't fugging work.  Switches on, locks the door and all the programmes select with the funky electronic program selector (not just a twist knob like my old machine), but when I press the "start" button nothing happens.  It beeps and then just sits there.  No error messages or anything, it's just like it's not registering that I've pressed the button, even though the button beeps.  I even downloaded the manual to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious, but nope.  So that was a waste of fugging time and money then.

 

Oh, and I've also lost the battery pack for my bike headlight.  I think it must have fallen out of my bag on the way to work this morning.  Pissflaps.

 

Sounds daft but is the door shut right? Every few months I go through an "ah shit, the washer's broken, WHY WON'T YOU WORK?!" then notice the door isn't *quite* shut properly...

[HH-R]

When the fibre broadband rollout happened in rural areas (or is still happening) I believe anyone could bid for the graft but very few did - just Openreach.

[the judge]

Does the washing machine button need holding for 5 seconds? Mine does in case you brush past it.

 

Never had a problem with virgin broadband to be honest...

[MarvinsMom]

+1 for virgin, touch wood i;ve not had any issues with them, unlike BT who were worse than fuggin' useless.

[doobietoo]

Talking about fibre .... our internet was broken when I got home... phoned a lovely lady at sky who took details did tests and found it was a link at the local green box that was kippered.... sent mend request to openfleece and it was back on in two hours ... result... so why so grumpy?? well I asked about upgrading to fibre as it has recently been installed in the village only to be told you don't have fibre.... yes I do I said ... oh yes you do she said but they are not taking new orders for connections as it is at full capacity. Good work openfleece you couldn't even put in a big enough cable to supply all your customers in a small village.... muppets...

[Pillock]

Yeah, that's a bit shit. However other companies will quite happily oversubscribe their fibre so they get lots of line rental and all their customers get crap speeds.  I know it doesn't help you, but at least Sky are being good to their existing customers, fingers crossed they'll upgrade it soon.

[beko1987]

Bt would install fibre with 2 connections just so they can say its fibre enabled, more stats to look good with.

 

I hate bt, been there, done that, never again!

[DeeJay]

Vulgalour, try your library.

Decent connection, printers, scanners and books to read (don't colour in the pictures, they tend to frown on that).

[Lankytim]

Just checked the MOT history online for the Multipla and found the tax ran out in October! No reminders or anything... Now I can't find the logbook to retax it!

 

Arrgh.

 

MOT runs out on the 10th too...

 

I don't think the trader that sold the car to us sent his part of the logbook off.... or the DVLA lost it..

[Cavcraft]

+1 for Plusnet. Whatever else you do, AVOID Tesco Broadband!

Probably the best advice ever given in here, seriously.

Tesco are absolute and utter dog shit. Tiscali (are they still going?) not far behind.

[Louise2cv]

I'm 2 months in to my 3month exercise ban. I'm fat and bored. And FAT.

 

So I set up the turbo trainer (consultant was vague about cycling, but I tried it in week 1 and it really hurt, stationary cycling might be better I thought, no balancing etc). I lasted five minutes. FIVE.

 

And now I'm dead.

 

Getting back to 10k runs seems much further out of reach now.

[The Moog]

I'm 2 months in to my 3month exercise ban. I'm fat and bored. And FAT.

 

So I set up the turbo trainer (consultant was vague about cycling, but I tried it in week 1 and it really hurt, stationary cycling might be better I thought, no balancing etc). I lasted five minutes. FIVE.

 

And now I'm dead.

 

Getting back to 10k runs seems much further out of reach now.

What are you trying on turbo? Are you trying too hard a level?

[DeeJay]

I'm 2 months in to my 3month exercise ban. I'm fat and bored. And FAT.

 

 

Pah.

Amateur.

I'm 20yrs into a self- prescribed exercise ban.

[Louise2cv]

What are you trying on turbo? Are you trying too hard a level?

 

I'm going easy to death inducing hard then taking it down a level and staying there until I can't do anymore.

[strangeangel]

 Plusnet has not been ruined by BT ownership.

 

That's certainly not been my experience. The only reason I persist with these incompetents is that ringing up at renewal and threatening to cancel yields offers so low that it would be foolish to knock them back. That, and the thought that all other ISPs are at least as useless, dissuades me from changing.

[eddyramrod]

Generic work grump.

 

Teacher: now class, what does everyone want to be when they grow up?

 

Little Ed (6): a van driver, miss

 

Teacher: That's an interesting choice, Ed.  Can you tell me why you want to do that?

 

Little Ed: I want to be treated with less respect than the shit on your shoe, despite decades of experience.  I want bosses who will always assume I'm hostile, or malicious, or guilty, or stupid, or just wrong, before they've even looked at the context.  I want to spend my life getting up at stupid o'clock every morning to get half my work done before anyone else even opens their curtains.  I want to be paid minimum wage, and even that grudgingly.  I want the general public and the authorities to assume they know my job better than I do.

 

Teacher: Don't be silly, that kind of thing went out when Dickens was a nipper.

 

Little Ed: Yeah?  Ask any van driver!

 

Especially, ask any van driver who has years of HGV experience behind him, enjoys his actual job, and just wants to be allowed to do it.  How many of those do you think might be writing this post?  FFS, this is my chosen career, it's what I always wanted to do.  I'm not some lonely housewife who just wants a bit of beer money.  I'm an experienced professional, with qualifications (ok, expired, but I've done the course and passed the test) over-and-above most of the other candidates.

There are loads of vans out there.  Every one of them needs a driver.  It took me 4 weeks and 32 CVs to get into the bakery, and a further 6 weeks for the lying thief on one of the vans to be caught out and replaced by me.  I'm good at what I do, I love it and I want to be doing it.  So why should I be so pissed-off that I'm jumping on every opportunity to apply for any other driving job within reach?  Why, with so many vans about, are these opportunities so few and far between?  Why, with my experience, do I score one interview per dozen or so applications?  Why, with my experience, and being a generally nice bloke, do all these (tiny handful of) interviews invariably result in rejection?  And even then, why am I always expected to leave my bed so bloody early all the time!!!!!!!

There must be answers to these questions but I don't for a moment imagine that anyone here would know them.  I just wanted to vent.

 

Grump.

[Inspector Morose]

Replace van driver with bus/coach driver. I feel your pain.