The grumpy thread

[MarvinsMom]

Corsa B or Picasso?

no I'm guessing it's going to be better than that, a Vectra......

[Supernaut]

Another grump. A journo pal posted on Facebook about crime at the Goodwood Revival - tents getting slashed and expensive stuff taken from them. Sadly, something that can afflict any large event, especially one where horrible people know there will be expensive stuff.

 

That's not really the grump, annoying as it is. No, the grump is the people who wander into the conversation to blame immigrants. People who BELIEVE that 80% of all crime is committed by immigrants. People who laugh in the face of actual facts. I really would not like to live with that level of hate. It truly depresses me, because it doesn't seem as uncommon a view as it once was.

 

TL;DR Racists.

 

I've noticed a rise in people being more openly racist after Brexit, as if that justifies it.

 

Depressing, as you say.

[strangeangel]

Aye, that was me. Near Heathrow he was. Fields full of Citroens, but that was because he was absolutely hopeless at selling anything at all. I just took some nice photos and left, slightly heartbroken at so much waste.

 

No, this wasn't the bloke I dealt with. This nugget deals mostly in parts for modern stuff, and has lots of catalogue listings on eBay that might accidentally get reported in a couple of weeks or so...

[scaryoldcortina]

Went to currys today and bought a replacement freezer for the one that's been trying to kill me. I've never had so many attempts to upsell me.

 

3 year cover plan for £30.

No ta, £120 freezer.

You would get a new one if it breaks and we can't fix it.

I'll just buy another one if it dies thanks.

~About 5 more goes to sell me a cover plan~

 

Have you got sky tv? Got some good upgrade options available.

Who's your broadband with?

We're doing some good trade ins for the new iphone.

 

Christ on a bike love. I'm replacing a 17 year old freezer cos it's finally died. I don't need the latest things to impress people I don't like.

I got a phone call the other day from a woman trying to sell me extra cover for our washer because it's now out of warranty. I told her that if it breaks and I can't fix it I'll just go and  buy a new one, but she tried to argue with me and actually said I was being irresponsible by not insuring it. FFS it's a 200 quid washer I bought 7 years ago.

 

Also the shiny suited tossers from Talk Talk can sod right off too. Every time I go into asda or tesco they are there, shouting at everyone "have you got broadband" and "we can save you money". They were even on the front street the other day annoying me when all I wanted to do was buy a sandwich for lunch. GO AWAY!

[DodgeRover]

I've noticed a rise in people being more openly racist after Brexit, as if that justifies it.

 

Depressing, as you say.

Can't say I've noticed any change in real life to be honest, other than it now being constantly on the radio - note that they never seem to quote any pre Brexit or annual statistics or even the 'usual' number of offences at this time of year in that area, just present it in the worst possible light.

People of all races and backgrounds can be racists or theiving twats.

 

Anyway on a lighter note overheard a conversation between the plasterer and his mate post Brexit

"So what you going to do if you have to go home then?"

"Dunno mate, I hate Croydon this time of the year"

Cue much mirth on site

[dugong]

Made a big decision last night.

Everyone cross their bits for me please.

Uncross.

 

It *should* be alright now.

[John F]

So, the MOT is looming for my Disco. To my knowledge it currently had the following faults:

 

- leaking TXB output shaft oil seal

- contaminated handbrake shoes, caused by above

- vibration through the gearstick, which might be a dying UJ on the front propshaft but might be pretty much anything else as well

- Pulls slightly to the left whilst driving - tracking?

- sticking o/s/f brake calliper

- rumbling noise, worse while cornering, suspected worn front wheel bearings

 

So I had a preliminary poke around at it today.

 

Outcome:

 

 

 

So that'll be a collapsed upper kingpin bearing, then. And the swivel isn't in great shape tbh, so that'll be a total of Â£150 in parts. Bâtons de Fuck!

 

To compound the issue, as I left the incapacitated Disco in bits at the unit I noticed that someone had parked this outside:

 

 

FML

 

 

 

[sporty-shite]

Made a big decision last night.

Everyone cross their bits for me please.

A4 S-line on PCP?

[messerschmitt owner]

Made a big decision last night.

Everyone cross their bits for me please.

decided to tell your giraffe you loved it and wanted to marry it?

[Mr A Lawrence]

Made a big decision last night.

Everyone cross their bits for me please.

Big television from Brighthouse??

[oldcars]

So, the MOT is looming for my Disco. To my knowledge it currently had the following faults:

 

- leaking TXB output shaft oil seal

- contaminated handbrake shoes, caused by above

- vibration through the gearstick, which might be a dying UJ on the front propshaft but might be pretty much anything else as well

- Pulls slightly to the left whilst driving - tracking?

- sticking o/s/f brake calliper

- rumbling noise, worse while cornering, suspected worn front wheel bearings

 

So I had a preliminary poke around at it today.

 

Outcome:

 

029.JPG

 

031.JPG

 

So that'll be a collapsed upper kingpin bearing, then. And the swivel isn't in great shape tbh, so that'll be a total of Â£150 in parts. Bâtons de Fuck!

 

To compound the issue, as I left the incapacitated Disco in bits at the unit I noticed that someone had parked this outside:

 

034.JPG

 

FML

 Its like a top gear challenge. Fix the disco or you go home in this.

[purplebargeken]

Right knee is being a painful thing. Osteopath suggests that I discuss arthroscopy options with GP. Yay! Not.

[Aston Martin]

I had a delivery to a house, I rang the guy to make sure he was in "I live at 26, but there's no sign, it's next to 24... obviously."

 

So I murdered him for being a twat, unfortunately I couldn't find his house.

[dave21478]

New ISP.

 

"oh hey, in an email we never sent to you, we asked you to send us some forms and stuff. You obviously havent sent them to us so do so in the next 5 days or we will fuck your shit up.

 

Sincerely, the customer relations team at Orange,"

[chaseracer]

...Orange...

 

Well, there's the problem.

[Pillock]

Went to currys today and bought a replacement freezer for the one that's been trying to kill me. I've never had so many attempts to upsell me.

 

3 year cover plan for £30.

No ta, £120 freezer.

You would get a new one if it breaks and we can't fix it.

I'll just buy another one if it dies thanks.

~About 5 more goes to sell me a cover plan~

 

Have you got sky tv? Got some good upgrade options available.

Who's your broadband with?

We're doing some good trade ins for the new iphone.

 

Christ on a bike love. I'm replacing a 17 year old freezer cos it's finally died. I don't need the latest things to impress people I don't like.

 

OK, I'll break silence on this now since I no longer work for them (but - get this, they're still paying me. I can see that being stress-free and zero aggro to sort out getting square with them. Anyway, I digress)

 

Freezer, OK, potentially making 10% profit on that. Dishwashers are the best, they're 15-20% profit. Laptops and TVs are well into single figures, last Christmas I gave you my.... no wait, last Christmas laptops had an average profit of 4%. They're the figures you're dealing with when you're trying to remain competitive on price against Amazon, eBay, Argos's "do you fucking want this or not, we've got billions of 'em" attitude and John Lewis's posh shops.

 

So the way they're trying to claw back some money, given that Brexit (and no, I don't want this to turn political but I'll state a fact) wiped about 25% off their share value, is to can everything that's not "sell, sell sell". I was responsible for training people like the one you spoke to, on everything from customer service to product demonstrations, but given that they've got 10,000 colleagues working that role I was only seeing maybe a dozen a month once the managers started stripping it back and telling them they couldn't go.

 

Yeah, they could have upped their customer service game. It's been tried a whole bunch of times, I can point you towards stores that attempted to recruit only the finest people based on attitude.... and within a year it was all "guys, sales are down.... what are you doing?". It takes ages to turn a business around based on customer feedback, advocacy scores and all that shit. It's much quicker to impress shareholders by undercutting Argos and banging out six thousand JVC tellies on Black Friday.

 

So what you experienced was Plan B. Or C. Or maybe D, E or F, It's the plan that involves selling as much other stuff as possible - Care Plan is potentially 100% profit if you don't claim. They get a shitload of cash for referring you for broadband and Pay TV - makes sense if you're buying a Smart TV, it's a jarring mess of a conversation when you're buying a freezer. Now Carphone is on board, they can subsidise a new cooker if you buy an iPhone etc.

 

On a side note - care plan is actually pretty good if you'll use it. I'm paying for it on loads of stuff in the kitchen, stuff I'd be proper grumpy if it went wrong. Oven, hob, fridge/freezer and dishwasher. In fact I was annoyed I missed the deadline for the washing machine (oh yeah, I don't buy it up front - I wait until the begging letters started and then I got a little bit off that already lower price). Off the top of my head, £45 to cover the oven for three years, and they'll come out every year and clean it. £55 for the fridge freezer, £30 for the hob with the same cleaning deal. Yeah, I can fix them.... but I really can't be arsed when they'll turn up next day, and give me a brand new one two weeks later.

[michael1703]

Right knee is being a painful thing. Osteopath suggests that I discuss arthroscopy options with GP. Yay! Not.

I get stabbing pains in my knees, pain like knives or nails hammered in

 

Turned out it was my quad muscle, one side was stronger than the other, physio helped me build it up and I didn't get the pain until I'd missed my fort nightly appointment and I've not had it since

[michael1703]

Has nobody grumped about the weather today?

 

22 degrees when I left for work and a steady 31 degrees between lunch to mid afternoon.

 

The only grump for me is that the job I'd booked for today wasn't nice in the heat, I had to remove the 6th/7th seats and pull out the inner quarter panel plastics to wire in a towbar, I was perspiring slightly

[scaryoldcortina]

I would have done earlier but I had to have a bath due to changing a DU8 timing belt this afternoon and wiping sweat and diesel gunk all over. I actually literally looked like I'd been down the pit.

 

Edit, it's a lot cooler now and there is a thunderstorm happening. Yay!

[dome]

Out for a night ride tonight (MTB before anyone goes there...) and managed to go into a corner in some woods far too fast. With a big tree on the outside. Hit it shoulder first. which seemed like the best option at the time. I'm now in a fair bit of pain. 2 Ibuprofen and some harden the fuck up and I'll be right though...

[John F]

Has nobody grumped about the weather today?

 

22 degrees when I left for work and a steady 31 degrees between lunch to mid afternoon.

 

The only grump for me is that the job I'd booked for today wasn't nice in the heat, I had to remove the 6th/7th seats and pull out the inner quarter panel plastics to wire in a towbar, I was perspiring slightly

 

Good point, I was sweating like a bastard when I pulled the Disco apart earlier.

[xtriple]

Weather here has been shit today: hot yes, but overcast or pouring with rain and thunder rumbling more or less all day. I couldn't make up my mind whether to sweat or drown

[Guest Hooli]

So, the MOT is looming for my Disco. To my knowledge it currently had the following faults:

 

- leaking TXB output shaft oil seal

- contaminated handbrake shoes, caused by above

- vibration through the gearstick, which might be a dying UJ on the front propshaft but might be pretty much anything else as well

- Pulls slightly to the left whilst driving - tracking?

- sticking o/s/f brake calliper

- rumbling noise, worse while cornering, suspected worn front wheel bearings

 

So I had a preliminary poke around at it today.

 

Outcome:

 

029.JPG

 

031.JPG

 

So that'll be a collapsed upper kingpin bearing, then. And the swivel isn't in great shape tbh, so that'll be a total of Â£150 in parts. Bâtons de Fuck!

 

To compound the issue, as I left the incapacitated Disco in bits at the unit I noticed that someone had parked this outside:

 

034.JPG

 

FML

Brings back memories.

 

Only time I've done a CV on one of them was in the middle of a Scottish field. Filling it with grease or oil? I always went for grease as it falls out slower.

 

Funny thing is, I noticed the other day I still have have the spare swivel shims in my toolbox & I sold that car in 2007.

[John F]

Brings back memories.

 

Only time I've done a CV on one of them was in the middle of a Scottish field. Filling it with grease or oil? I always went for grease as it falls out slower.

 

Funny thing is, I noticed the other day I still have have the spare swivel shims in my toolbox & I sold that car in 2007.

 

I'll be using grease, even though it pours out just as fast when it's warm  

 

But I'm replacing the entire swivel & its seal, so there's an outside chance it might be comparatively leak-free after the rebuild (which should be this afternoon if the spares turn up as promised).

[Guest Hooli]

Might as well do the oil seal on the end of the drive shaft while you're in there?

[Sheefag]

Maybe it's just a London/South East thing but when did it become neccessary when turning left, to swing out dramatically to the right first?

[scaryoldcortina]

I always do that, if I'm driving a lorry or towing a trailer.

[Pillock]

Oh that fucks me right off.

Yes, with a 40ft trailer it becomes a necessity.

No, when you're driving a Clio, it's not. You're just being a bellend that can't drive properly and fuck everyone else on the road.

[Sheefag]

Ah, it's nationwide then.

I watched a young lad in an A3 today on the Wandsworth Road, a two lane street wide enough to be three, cross over the white line to get into an empty layby on his left.

I get it if you're driving something bigger than a Transit but what the fuck is it about, where did it come from and why is it becoming an epidemic?

[andy18s]

'Cos Scandinavian flick innit.......