The grumpy thread

[purplebargeken]

Following on from insurance mega-grump yesterday involving aborted BillyRover buyage.

 

No call back as promised with the quote details. I call the lovely Francesca at PBIS who said sorry. They had been very busy and she hadn't had the chance to call me. Okaaaaay. They could quote on the Rover under the classic cover at £180.00. I said thank you but unfortunately not being able to sort the insurance out yesterday meant that the sale did not go ahead.

 

I asked if she could quote on a Pug 309GL as there is a red one on ebay and it is fairly local. It is a 1992 car so I thought, ha! That's well within the classic dating system that you mentioned yesterday! 

 

Oh no. Although it is a 1992 car, they do not consider Peugeots to be old enough at that registration date. They only insure 'really old Peugeots'. I didn't ask for clarification of really old as I lost the will to continue at that point and wished her a pleasant weekend instead.

 

They couldn't even transfer the Volvo to the former Toledo policy as it was a special policy and that sort of thing isn't possible. Arrrgghhhh!

 

Have I entered an alternative dimension in which the insurance companies just make up what the fuck they want? Ah. Oh. 

 

This means that I will have to pester them every time I even think of considering another car. Oh joy. 

[beko1987]

Wait, so their definition of 'classic' is not based on age, but based on wether they like the car or not?

[Eddie Honda]

Have I entered an alternative dimension in which the insurance companies just make up what the fuck they want? Ah. Oh.

They've always done this Johnny Ball Think of a Number game.

 

It used to be "Is it at least 25 years old?", but that didn't apply if you had some poncey Aston Martin or other posh chod. It only had to be 10 or 15 then.

 

With cars not turning to dust after five years the time scope has telescoped out a bit and insurers get selective as they don't want to insure a Ricer or something that might cost them some coin in a claim.

 

This means that I will have to pester them every time I even think of considering another car. Oh joy.

Look on the bright side Ken, it means more Fran chat.

[Guest Hooli]

Wait, so their definition of 'classic' is not based on age, but based on wether they like the car or not?

 

Sounds fair, otherwise old french chod would get called classic just because some idiot keeps fixing it.

[Eddie Honda]

As a btw (and just to annoy you more Ken), my 1992 BX made it on my classic FJ policy no probs.

[beko1987]

Sounds fair, otherwise old french chod would get called classic just because some idiot keeps fixing it.

But my Xantia is 20 years old next year, and I'll sure keep on fixing it...

 

But I presume it wont be looked upon as a 'classic'

[purplebargeken]

Always happy to have phone insurance sexy talk with Fran.

 

I think FJ are more open to the modern classic thing perhaps but then PBIS did the 75 and the modern Beetle, go figure.

 

Wait, so their definition of 'classic' is not based on age, but based on wether they like the car or not?

 

Essentially yes. 

[Supernaut]

I wonder if a 21yr old BMW 316i is a 'classic' or not...

[andy18s]

Following on from insurance mega-grump yesterday involving aborted BillyRover buyage.

 

No call back as promised with the quote details. I call the lovely Francesca at PBIS who said sorry. They had been very busy and she hadn't had the chance to call me. Okaaaaay. They could quote on the Rover under the classic cover at £180.00. I said thank you but unfortunately not being able to sort the insurance out yesterday meant that the sale did not go ahead.

 

I asked if she could quote on a Pug 309GL as there is a red one on ebay and it is fairly local. It is a 1992 car so I thought, ha! That's well within the classic dating system that you mentioned yesterday!

 

Oh no. Although it is a 1992 car, they do not consider Peugeots to be old enough at that registration date. They only insure 'really old Peugeots'. I didn't ask for clarification of really old as I lost the will to continue at that point and wished her a pleasant weekend instead.

 

They couldn't even transfer the Volvo to the former Toledo policy as it was a special policy and that sort of thing isn't possible. Arrrgghhhh!

 

Have I entered an alternative dimension in which the insurance companies just make up what the fuck they want? Ah. Oh.

 

This means that I will have to pester them every time I even think of considering another car. Oh joy.

You need to come to Bulgaria Ken,where there is 1 insurance company.....it's a throwback to the old Communist government I guess where it's dealt with by the state

All thrown in with the mot and road tax....looking at £100 for all 3 for the year,eco class dependant on the car I believe......

[purplebargeken]

^^ Swine

[dean36014]

I'm lucky to have great neighbours, on one side I have an elderly couple who've been married 57 years. Over the last couple of years the lady has been acting odder and has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Today whilst having a coffee break a commotion started out the back  with a woman screaming for help and banging loudly on a wall. Went out to investigate as I didn't recognise the voice and it was my neighbour. She was shouting to anyone who'd listen she was being held against her will, saying the man(husband) was keeping her prisoner and she didn't know who he was. he was patiently explaining he was her husband of 57 years. she wanted to go home, she was already home. Not more than a couple of hours earlier I'd chatted to them in the front garden. was horrible to see and can't imagine how hard is must be for them. Guess I'm going to have to get used to this happening more often. going to read up about it as I felt lousy not knowing what to do or say to help. 

[gordonbennet]

Sod me Dean, what a bloody sad thing to witness.

 

All those years of sticking together through all the crap that must have happened in their lives, then one of the poor buggers changes beyond all recognition, how the fuck does the other one live with that without being reduced to a blubbering wreck seeing the one other constant of all those years disintegrate before your very eyes.

 

Was lucky that never happened to either my Mum or Dad, and i'm grateful for small mercies.

[Richard]

GO FASTER THAN THE THING YOU ARE OVERTAKING.

[Tamworthbay]

Just came back from town and a tosser in a 3 series touring (not dissimilar to mine but a bit newer) is in the wrong lane and tries to force his way across at the last second. I just continue as I am ok and if he wants to waste his insurance he can. There was plenty of room behind but he just had to try and beat the queue but failed. So what does he do? Sits behind flashing his lights and making wanker signs. So you try to cut in then act like a twat and I am the wanker. I just grinned and blew him kisses all the way along the A5. If he thinks he was being intimidating he was sadly wrong.

[BavarianRetro]

I wonder if a 21yr old BMW 316i is a 'classic' or not...

Well I still think of the E36 as a new car, but to be fair, BMW now consider it to be a "Mobile Tradition" model and its parts catalogue is in the "classic" section on ASAP.

[Captain Furious]

I know it's a bit late Vulg, but PayPal support two factor authentication where they text you a number to log in. So I could happily tell you my password is Ar$eC4ndl3 but the next step is requesting a one time code which has to come to the phone in my hand.

 

I was once at Santa Pod and got the text come through... Meant someone had got my password but been stopped from accessing. Still need to change password asap but it's another layer.

 

Facebook, Google, Twitter, Dropbox and loads of places do it. I generate most codes on my watch, PP are a bit behind in demanding to text you it.

 

Good advice, just enabled it on my paypal, gmail and apple ID.  Had it on facebook for a while, funny how you think to protect accounts containing meaningless social media bollocks and neglect those which have your bank account and/or credit card linked to them!

[bub2006]

I'm lucky to have great neighbours, on one side I have an elderly couple who've been married 57 years. Over the last couple of years the lady has been acting odder and has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Today whilst having a coffee break a commotion started out the back with a woman screaming for help and banging loudly on a wall. Went out to investigate as I didn't recognise the voice and it was my neighbour. She was shouting to anyone who'd listen she was being held against her will, saying the man(husband) was keeping her prisoner and she didn't know who he was. he was patiently explaining he was her husband of 57 years. she wanted to go home, she was already home. Not more than a couple of hours earlier I'd chatted to them in the front garden. was horrible to see and can't imagine how hard is must be for them. Guess I'm going to have to get used to this happening more often. going to read up about it as I felt lousy not knowing what to do or say to help.

It really as saddening. I've spent most of my working life in either residential or domiciliary care,elderly,dementia and ABI. I've seen grown men,true stiff upper lip old school army veterans sobbing as their wife didn't know them. Women seem to handle losing their husband mentally better though for some reason. I've also noticed that a calm and placid person can turn into the most evil person with a vile tongue too and the most nasty of folks before illness mellow into someone different again.

[Tamworthbay]

It really as saddening. I've spent most of my working life in either residential or domiciliary care,elderly,dementia and ABI. I've seen grown men,true stiff upper lip old school army veterans sobbing as their wife didn't know them. Women seem to handle losing their husband mentally better though for some reason. I've also noticed that a calm and placid person can turn into the most evil person with a vile tongue too and the most nasty of folks before illness mellow into someone different again.

That happened to my Granny in law, as she deteriorated she got obsessed with cars parked (legally) on the road outside her house and in the end was emptying tins of tomatoes, the bin and god knows what else over them. Thankfully the neighbours knew what she was like before and understood it wasn't personal. When she eventually went into residential care she was a bit of nightmare from all accounts. It's a horrible disease that spares no one when it strikes,

[bub2006]

So if I was working with your grandma in law I'd assume from my past experience she used to be a calm lady who would help anyone?

[Tamworthbay]

Yup, that's about the sum of it. She could have a grump like most of us but nice enough overall, the change was amazing. The parking obsession was weird as it wasn't something I had come across with Alzheimer's but turned out she was getting stressed over the fact that there wasn't space for her husband to park, he died in the mid 80s, this was all about five years ago.

[purplebargeken]

Alzheimer's is a swine of a thing and can ruin what would ordinarily be a productive and positive older age experience. It all sounds sadly typical, however, just in case, maybe you could suggest that the GP checks her over in case there is an infection present which may well make things much worse. 

 

Frontal lobe stuff causes all kinds of mayhem. Lots of very out of character behaviour, lot of it can be aggressive and also very sexualised. All very distressing for partners and families of all concerned. That poor lady and her husband, how very sad, frightening and frustrating. 

 

You tend to find that nursing homes/residential homes have very few mirrors dotted around. Would you concur Bub? People can fail to recognise themselves and reflections and so on can be misinterpreted as intruders. 

 

I hope they are getting help. Age Concern, the Alzheimers Society and mental health services can be helpful. Social services can arrange support too. The lady's husband is entitled to support as he is a carer. The Carers Act is very clear on this. 

 

Bless them. 

[dean36014]

I knew about the diagnosis but it's the first time I've witnessed any out of the ordinary behaviour. Their family are around most days now so I'm sure that everything will be in hand as the son is very clued up. Can remember as a child the neighbour suffering something similar. She kept but the windows through on my parents veranda. In the end next door paid to have it modified as it was cheaper than the glass replacement bill! Such a shame as they are a lovely couple.

[bub2006]

Alzheimer's is a swine of a thing and can ruin what would ordinarily be a productive and positive older age experience. It all sounds sadly typical, however, just in case, maybe you could suggest that the GP checks her over in case there is an infection present which may well make things much worse.

 

Frontal lobe stuff causes all kinds of mayhem. Lots of very out of character behaviour, lot of it can be aggressive and also very sexualised. All very distressing for partners and families of all concerned. That poor lady and her husband, how very sad, frightening and frustrating.

 

You tend to find that nursing homes/residential homes have very few mirrors dotted around. Would you concur Bub? People can fail to recognise themselves and reflections and so on can be misinterpreted as intruders.

 

I hope they are getting help. Age Concern, the Alzheimers Society and mental health services can be helpful. Social services can arrange support too. The lady's husband is entitled to support as he is a carer. The Carers Act is very clear on this.

 

Bless them.

Yes I agree. In their own home it was different but in a care home nothing like that. Seem with carpets and rugs,patterned carpets, dark colored flooring. Can be percepted as water,the edge of something etc. I've seen a little old dear asking my why there was a pond in her living room. It was a round rug in front of the fireplace. As for interpretation of their reflection as an intruder it has been known for folk to shout and fight with their reflection as they think they have burglers. The last home I worked in was a nursing dementia unit. The trouble sometimes was unreal. Big strapping blokes literally belting 7 bells out of each other in the lounge because they was believing the communial Lounge was their living room at home and strange folk where there. T

[Supernaut]

Minor grump in comparison, but Royal Fail are being thick twats again.

 

I got two items sent to my work address this week. They were both dispatched on Tuesday via Royal Fail 2nd class.

 

The HBOL for the Xantia, from a random private ebay seller, arrived yesterday.

The gear linkage for the Xantia, from GSF car parts? No sign of it.

 

FUCK'S SAKE!

 

No, the gear linkage on the Xantia isn't broken, but it's rather worn and wobbly, and it's only £15 for another one, so I thought I'd give it a shot this weekend.

[dollywobbler]

Mental decline is terrifying. I see plenty of it with my work on the community minibuses. People you build a relationship up with fairly suddenly decline, don't know you from Adam and then you get their partners clearly struggling to cope. Absolutely heart-breaking.

[beko1987]

My stepdads mum had it, went from being fine with me to screaming in terror when I entered a room (hair to my waist probably didn't help though). Was very upsetting.

 

Amy's nan had it long before I met her, but declined further until she was, effectively a 14 year old vegetable (she regressed, but couldn't speak, so just mumbled and cried. One of those situations where death was probably a good thing for her

[Pillock]

Alzheimers turned my gran from a wonderfully kind lady to someone who would lash out at carers and swear at family. Very difficult

[cms206]

The 205 has just been along the M8. Seems I have replaced the loudest of the wheelbearings but not all of them, it may need a driveshaft and it may also be leaking fuel.

 

Chumly tomorrow. WCPGW?

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Eddie Honda]

Just turn up the radio. Sorted.

[dugong]

Following on from insurance mega-grump yesterday involving aborted BillyRover buyage.

 

No call back as promised with the quote details. I call the lovely Francesca at PBIS who said sorry. They had been very busy and she hadn't had the chance to call me. Okaaaaay. They could quote on the Rover under the classic cover at £180.00. I said thank you but unfortunately not being able to sort the insurance out yesterday meant that the sale did not go ahead.

 

I asked if she could quote on a Pug 309GL as there is a red one on ebay and it is fairly local. It is a 1992 car so I thought, ha! That's well within the classic dating system that you mentioned yesterday! 

 

Oh no. Although it is a 1992 car, they do not consider Peugeots to be old enough at that registration date. They only insure 'really old Peugeots'. I didn't ask for clarification of really old as I lost the will to continue at that point and wished her a pleasant weekend instead.

 

They couldn't even transfer the Volvo to the former Toledo policy as it was a special policy and that sort of thing isn't possible. Arrrgghhhh!

 

Have I entered an alternative dimension in which the insurance companies just make up what the fuck they want? Ah. Oh. 

 

This means that I will have to pester them every time I even think of considering another car. Oh joy.

We've had a few grumps from readers on this very topic at work.

 

Most classic insurers are moving over to this and a lot of people are jumping the gun and screaming that insurance companies are 'doing a FIVA' and ignoring anything under 30 years old for classic status.

 

Said definitions are done on a case by case basis and is dependent on the model. The Citroen Xantia appears to be the most contentious car in this regard. It has an owners' club and specific events (the CCC's X Rally) dedicated to it - like the Rover 75, for example - but while the former gets ignored, the latter gets cover as a classic almost without question.

 

I don't agree with the 'British marque = instant classic' mentality in the classic car world and never have; it amounts to positive discrimination as far as I'm concerned.

 

What came out of the talks was that it's an underwriter decision rather than anything at the broker's end - apparently too many people are passing off 'bangers' (I use this term very loosely) as classics and using them to get cheap insurance.

I've had discussions with a couple of insurance companies and argued the toss based on limited mileage; someone using a daily driver would be shot down by not being able to use the thing for a serious amount of time (unless they're doing so anyway, keeping the certificate and fudging the odo readings).

 

There's going to be a news story on this regardless of whether they want it or not: quite a few people I know are getting lumped in with folk who are taking the piss. It's unfair.