The grumpy thread

[Ghosty]

I don't know what's happened at DPD but in the last month they've gone from being "OK" to being a complete clusterfuck.

 

 

DPD are shit lately aye. They don't even bother with a delivery note - for a while they'd ask us to take packages. but we'd end up with them for days on end as they weren't bothering to leave delivery notes. We had to force the delivery drivers to do it, and watch them write it out and deliver it few times. They seemed baffled by this, reluctant to actually bother doing their job properly. Now we just refuse altogether as a) not worth the effort, it's usually for the wanker with the two BMWs, and we don't want to have anything to do with him or his stuck up wife, and besides they never come and get their packages even if there is a note.

 

I had a delivery from them today (new motherboard/processor), I warned Old Man as the mother and I were out sending the Volvo back to the tyre place and coming back in the Bini.

Bastard pressed the doorbell and walked off before my dad (who was downstairs and expecting the delivery) could get to the door. He had to go outside and shout the man down as he'd got back in the van and tried to fuck off.

 

We've had one of their van drivers block our drive when we've been outside and trying to leave the house before too. No reason for them to either, just pure ineptitude.

[SiC]

I don't know what's happened at DPD but in the last month they've gone from being "OK" to being a complete clusterfuck.

 

We use them at work for about 40 collections a day, and send out about 60.

For the last two weeks they failed to collect 50% of our parcels, and about 30% of the outgoing stuff gets delayed.

It's got to the point where we have two of the lasses in the office pretty much chasing DPD all day every day.

We've got about £15k worth of stuff "stuck in the system" at the moment

Maybe the Christmas temp staff now on duty who don't give a crap, won't have a job in January and on zero hours contract anyway?

[DVee8]

[alcyonecorporation]

Put a mobility scooter on Gumtree. 18, yes eighteen, messages from the same person in about 15 minutes. Initial request for me to deliver 25 miles away, knocked them back.

 

'I'm housebound, cannot go out'. Sorry to hear that.

 

'Can you bring it to me?'.  No sorry.

 

'Is there any other way something cheap? I could meet you at my local railway station if you wanted.

 

'Can't soz, I'm housebound' Oh, ok thanks anyhow.

 

'I can hire a van and collect it tomorrow if you want?'   Ok, no problem message me in the morning.

 

It's still here, of course.

 

How can they go out and rent a van if they're housebound?

[Saabnut]

Having decided I am definitely, definitely reducing the fleet, and having sold one last week, I have just been out and collected another piece of shite! Expect an update on the how much shite thread later, when I have unloaded another none runner!

[alcyonecorporation]

"Euuuurrrgh, it doesn't have Apple CarPlay."

 

And?

[clayts450]

Epic fail on removing the SCU from the Streetshite - apparently* it's just a case of pulling the plastic evaporator housing out a little, sticking your arm into the tiny gap behind, grabbing the box, sliding it to the left and it dropping down.

 

As well as needing three hands, and arms the same thickness as Olive Oyl's, you are reliant upon being able to pull 'the plastic evaporator housing out a little' - what the instructions don't tell you is that the housing ain't for moving with brute force and ignorance. If I get any more violent there's gonna be shattered plastic everywhere.

 

Fucksticks. I suppose plan B will have to be an auto-electrician to wire up separate circuits for the horn/rear fogs. Or take the whole fucking aircon to bits like this bloke had to do

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQeFa5v5DXM.

 

To totally make* my day I've now gotta deep clean the house for tomorrow's landlord inspection....who probably won't then turn up.

[Inspector Morose]

Booked the Saab into a proper specialist to have work done. I just couldn't face scrabbling around this year.

 

I think this means I'm now officially old. 

[The Moog]

I'd be opening a Metrobank account if there was a branch less than 350 miles away.

i am a member and am 200 miles away. Doesnt impact  me in anyway. Cant rate them highly enough. 

[Talbot]

standard whinge about how modern* cars are built.

 

The Merc W210 isn't a badly designed car by any means.  It has a large number of features I quite like, and in general you don't have to remove half the car to get to the part you need to work on. (with a few exceptions).

 

But who?  Which Germanic sadistic twat?  Who decided on the brake pipe routings on this car?  Completely and utterly inacessable by anything or anyone in any way shape or form.  Trying to remove the corroded steel brake pipe and replace with cupronickel was the twattyest of all twatty jobs I have done in a long time.  I think the pipes were installed just after building the shell, and every single other component was added afterwards.  Especially the rear subframe.

 

I gave up in the end and only replaced half of the pipe in question, as it's one piece from the ABS modulator under the bonnet to the offside rear wheel.  About 500 miles of pipe, which is accessable for just 4" in the middle.  So the rear section is new, and there's now a joiner half-way along, leaving the front-to-nearly-the-rear section original.  I still gained about 5 cuts to various fingers and am looking at a couple of new scars.

 

Even the MOT man said "you cheat!".  Still got a ticket though.  Twatting car.

[Pillock]

Fuck the careplan, go in and demand a new hob, to comply with the durable quality part of sales of goods or whatever it's called, a cooker should last longer than a few years. My cookers barely post war and still going, and the one in my campers about 30 ffs.

 

Too much hassle.

So here's how that bit of law works. I forget the name but it's the replacement for SOGA and it works in much the same way.

The product is older than 6 months, so it's down to me as a customer to prove there was a fault at time of manufacture. (If it was younger than 6 months, it's reversed - the manufacturer has to prove it WASN'T a build to design fault).

To do this I would have to either have it inspected (for free, the retailer will offer this service and remain impartial) or I would have to prove there are other people with the same issue (so trawling mumsnet and moneysavingexpert etc, which will make me want to spoon my eyeballs out)

Either way, I'm not cooking breakfast in the morning. An inspection will take a few weeks, proving it and sending letters off a similar amount of time. Perhaps I'll get my £120 back (it was a super cheap hob bought as clearance), but I'll have spent double that at the chippy in the meantime.

 

Yes it sucks, but it's just one of those things. How do I know this level of detail? I used to be the sole person responsible for SOGA inspections at Currys on TVs and computers. I quoted this at people day in, day out, worked with the legal team when people went all DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM on us, and even went to court for the company.

 

The law will protect me, but the law does not move quickly. I'm off to IKEA for a £250 induction hob with a 5 year warranty that's in stock, on the shelf. Lob it on the credit card and pay it off before May.

 

Didn't your smoke alarms go off?

 

No.

I think the PHUT didn't generate any smoke, but was just a component breaking down. I then think this caused something to start overheating, and then the horny wasp a bit later on generated smoke in quite a short space of time but by then I was already in the kitchen - the smoke was still moving at this point and filling the drawer but the MCB had just tripped. Perhaps I'll do a teardown over on the open forum and see what happened inside, it's only going in the skip after all.

[BavarianRetro]

i am a member and am 200 miles away. Doesnt impact  me in anyway. Cant rate them highly enough. 

 

You have to physically visit a branch to open an account though? Or you did when I looked into it.

[richardmorris]

abused cycling on the way home this evening. R reg ( ive reported it) 3door fiesta with six kids in it, none in seat belts hence the report. Passed really close in a low gear with something along the lines of get a fucking car shouted out the open window.

Naturally I then pass the chavs in the queue of traffic ( why I use the bike anayway). Stopped and looked in, counted Kids for the record and moved on. Woman driving ( I thought it was a man originally )was a double for les Dawson. Ruined my day really.

[New POD]

So 11 days ago we had a weekly project meeting, where the 3 contractors were assured that our client (Frazer Nash Consultancy), would give us a contract for 2018, because their client (Rolls-Royce Nuclear) has so much work that they need doing. I said "yes but you haven't actually got a contract for that work yet and Tim (a permie) is doing work at risk without order coverage, so you'd be taking a punt that you are going to get that work" and I was told in no uncertain terms that there was an understanding.

It's not much of a risk to FNC because Tim was "sitting on the beach" in their Glasgow Office, so he was being paid for doing nothing anyway.

And giving us contractors a contract for 2018 wasn't going to be much of a risk because they can give 2 week notice at any time.

 

So I've been applying for the few jobs in the North West because shit is going on with my wife's mother who seems to probably have dementia. Tests about to start. But there is nothing much within 60 miles of home.

 

But on Thursday Lunch time the project managers, said "can I have a quick word" After 5 minutes of him not getting to the point, I said "So my contract finishes on the 22nd and won't be renewed, is that it?" Yes

Basically they have too many permies with no work, so they are pulling them in and shedding contractors.

 

So since Thursday I have applied for 11 new contracts, locations including Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Telford, Cardiff, Seascale, Derby and Blackburn.

 

Between now and the 22nd I will be maxing the hours, whilst ringing up recruitment agencies.

 

I have an interview in Wolverhampton (Near Junction 2 of M54) on Thursday. I had a 6 month contract previously for a sister company in Hemel Hempstead in 2014, and did a project on that site back in 1992, (when it was part of Lucas Aerospace).  This was one where I emailed the original recruitment agency and said "Hiya, remmmmmmember meeeeeeee and how much commission you got last time."    

We have not discussed hourly rate, but I think it will be in a range that goes from laughable to barely acceptable.  I will obviously hold out for the later.

Other irons in the fire include potentially crossing the car park at Rolls Royce New Clear where they need 10 manufacturing engineers urgently for £2.12 less an hour than current rate, something near Blackburn that I could commute daily to and something in Halewood which has a rate so competitive they are scared to put it in writing.  Have sent off 30 applications now, and contacted every Recruitment Consultant I've ever had dealings with, so am clearly going for the machine gun approach.

I know this is the grumpy thread, but I thought best to update where I started the original grump.

[chaseracer]

I forget the name but it's the replacement for SOGA and it works in much the same way.

 

Consumer Rights Act 2015.

[Pillock]

That's the badger.

 

Meanwhile, a pleasurable trip to IKEA means I've just bought a hotdog. And a hob.

[cort1977]

Keep at it New POD, terrible time of year because no one wants to make a decision until after Xmas but something will come up.

[DodgeRover]

That's the badger.

 

Meanwhile, a pleasurable trip to IKEA means I've just bought a hotdog. And a hob.

There is no such thing as a pleasurable trip to IKEA not unless you get there and it's closed!

[cobblers]

I don't mind Ikea if it's not busy and I can smash a couple of dozen meatballs then buy whatever furniture I need and GTFO. It's shit furniture but nowhere near as shit as whatever else you'd buy for the same price

[New POD]

Keep at it New POD, terrible time of year because no one wants to make a decision until after Xmas but something will come up.

 

The recruitment people I've spoken to are still saying "can you start before Christmas" and I'm saying "Get me an interview this week then yes"

 

My first ever contract in 2009 I was working at Defence support group, part of the MOD, ex Army Repair Organisation, in Telford.  It was about the time that the Mail was stirring shit about Government Departments employing too many "self employed consultants" and I think the head of the BBC was actually being paid as a contractor.  So the Civil service and the MOD pandered to the Mail. bastard xenophobic tory toilet paper.  It was supposed to be a 12 month contract but 1 week before Christmas they gave all contractors and agency staff a weeks notice.

 

I thought that there would be an issue finding something to replace it, and what it meant was that between 23rd and 2nd nobody was "in" and there were no new adverts. The 1st interview I had was about a week into the new year, and was via a job title that didn't really describe accurately the job role, and that I only applied for because I'd run out of things to apply for at 5am on Boxing day. That lasted 3 years and I trained the permanent replacement to do it. He stayed 6 months before he moved on.

 

I'm wondering if there's potential for a few days on a beach in the new year whilst I await paperwork.

[chaseracer]

I'm wondering if there's potential for a few days on a beach in the new year whilst I await paperwork.

 

I'm thinking that's an excellent idea.

[New POD]

I don't mind Ikea if it's not busy and I can smash a couple of dozen meatballs then buy whatever furniture I need and GTFO. It's shit furniture but nowhere near as shit as whatever else you'd buy for the same price

 

I find it's nowhere near as shit as it would be If I had to go to the forest and cut down the trees, wait 5 years for them to be seasoned, and then made it myself.  Woodwork is something that I can only do if it involves 3x3 and coach bolts.

[hairnet]

That's the badger.

 

Meanwhile, a pleasurable trip to IKEA means I've just bought a hotdog. And a hob.

meatball fail

 

hand in badge

 

now

[mercrocker]

standard whinge about how modern* cars are built.

 

The Merc W210 isn't a badly designed car by any means.  It has a large number of features I quite like, and in general you don't have to remove half the car to get to the part you need to work on. (with a few exceptions).

 

But who?  Which Germanic sadistic twat?  Who decided on the brake pipe routings on this car?  Completely and utterly inacessable by anything or anyone in any way shape or form.  Trying to remove the corroded steel brake pipe and replace with cupronickel was the twattyest of all twatty jobs I have done in a long time.  I think the pipes were installed just after building the shell, and every single other component was added afterwards.  Especially the rear subframe.

 

I gave up in the end and only replaced half of the pipe in question, as it's one piece from the ABS modulator under the bonnet to the offside rear wheel.  About 500 miles of pipe, which is accessable for just 4" in the middle.  So the rear section is new, and there's now a joiner half-way along, leaving the front-to-nearly-the-rear section original.  I still gained about 5 cuts to various fingers and am looking at a couple of new scars.

 

Even the MOT man said "you cheat!".  Still got a ticket though.  Twatting car.

 

See also Morris Minor with non-standard servo and remote master cylinder installed AFTER the chuffing brake pipe that has split.   Almost tempted to lob the calipers, discs, servo and all associated paraphernalia over the fucking hedge and go back to drums.   They stop my Cowley OK and it weighs two fucking Minors.

[Bren]

A local garage had a look at the vectra last week - they stated they did'nt think head gasket had gone but spotted crystallised coolant on the rad.

 

Their quote was extortionate - I gambled £270 on somebody I know suppling and fitting one.

 

My gamble has not paid off - car is still losing coolant even though it drives normally.

 

Ebay beckons spares or repair - I am not spending another penny on it- not even a bottle of steel seal - I no longer trust tthe car.

 

Although this is in the grump thread I am being philosophical - it is a sub £1k car.

We have a friend with two young children who is having christmas with out his wife - the kids their mother.

 

A knackered car pales into insignificance.

However I am losing my mojo for running older cars - the parts and repairs never get any cheaper.

[cort16]

We went to the transport Museum in Glasgow and thought we'd go to Ikea for some food. I  got 1 meatball and chips, 1 goats cheese tart thing, 1 mini meatball for cort JR, 2 dime bar cakes and 2 soft drinks. It was about £16 quid.

Two christmas spiced gingerbread man spunk lattes at Costa and your nearly at that. Their furniture is shite though.

[MarvinsMom]

i went to IKEA once, i didn't like it.

 

i've not been back since.

 

and i've even designed a couple of their poxy shops......

[Pillock]

There is no such thing as a pleasurable trip to IKEA not unless you get there and it's closed!

 

I parked right outside the door as it was half 7 and it was mostly empty. The exit door that is, I'm not daft. I got my hob, with a free 5 year warranty, for the same price as Currys but without paying £30 for next day delivery. The man in the kitchens department was very nice and reminded me to scan my Family card to insure the hob during fitting too.

 

I'll be honest, I LOVE IKEA. I love going there to peoplewatch mainly. Me and Mrs_Pillock once sat on the sofas just inside the door for so long, someone came over to ask if we were OK. Couples were just coming in and instantly starting an argument. I also like moving stuff around like taking shoes from the wardrobes and putting them in ovens and stuff. 

 

There's also the bed game. Wait until someone lies down on a bed to try it out, and then just lie next to them. The winner is the person who sticks it out for the longest. My daughter is ace at this, nobody really feels that comfortable lying in bed next to a teenage girl. I've had to ban her from the game.

 

The hotdog was lovely, I was going to have meatballs but I only had a quid in change and hotdog plus doughnut was 90p. 

 

Also, it took me 20 minutes to fit it and it works loads faster than the last one. Boils half a litre of water in 3 minutes. Same power rating as the Indesit but clearly that was just crap.

[MarvinsMom]

^ you are a very bad man......

[SiC]

A local garage had a look at the vectra last week - they stated they did'nt think head gasket had gone but spotted crystallised coolant on the rad.

 

Their quote was extortionate - I gambled £270 on somebody I know suppling and fitting one.

 

My gamble has not paid off - car is still losing coolant even though it drives normally.

 

Ebay beckons spares or repair - I am not spending another penny on it- not even a bottle of steel seal - I no longer trust tthe car.

 

Although this is in the grump thread I am being philosophical - it is a sub £1k car.

We have a friend with two young children who is having christmas with out his wife - the kids their mother.

 

A knackered car pales into insignificance.

However I am losing my mojo for running older cars - the parts and repairs never get any cheaper.

Dispose of the Vectra and get this:

http://autoshite.com/topic/30291-honada-civic-22-ctdi/

 

No DPF, boot only 15 litres less than the hatch version of the Vectra, same 0-60 as your V6, much better fuel economy, has most of the toys the Vectra has (cruise/dual zone climate/auto lights+wipers/etc) and it's a Honda.