The grumpy thread

[High Jetter]

I hate when that happens coming back from the pub

[cobblers]

A while ago I bought a 2nd hand server cabinet thing off ebay. £80 I paid. Went to pick it up and the guy was fucking loaded - genuine loaded, not dodgy. A few porsches, an AMG Gwagen and such, I would say conservatively there was £400k of motors outside the place, he was shitting money out his arse. I was a bit bemused - I'm not a rich man by any stretch but I'd much rather skip something than invite "ebay" people to my house to collect it for £80 - I usually expect to turn up to some bombsite to collect that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I paid him £80 cash and took the cabinet off away in my van, down his driveway and rang him up to get him to open the gates to let me out again. 

Three weeks later he cancels the ebay transaction to get his £4 seller fees back! 

 

[Steve79]

1 hour ago, cobblers said:

A while ago I bought a 2nd hand server cabinet thing off ebay. £80 I paid. Went to pick it up and the guy was fucking loaded - genuine loaded, not dodgy. A few porsches, an AMG Gwagen and such, I would say conservatively there was £400k of motors outside the place, he was shitting money out his arse. I was a bit bemused - I'm not a rich man by any stretch but I'd much rather skip something than invite "ebay" people to my house to collect it for £80 - I usually expect to turn up to some bombsite to collect that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I paid him £80 cash and took the cabinet off away in my van, down his driveway and rang him up to get him to open the gates to let me out again. 

Three weeks later he cancels the ebay transaction to get his £4 seller fees 

Myself and @rwd are very familiar with the guy in the link below having rented storage yards and units from him in the past.

 https://thebristolcable.org/2020/02/alan-dykes-violent-assault-ex-landlord-the-office-in-speedwell/ 

 

It not unusual to see him walking around with string holding his trousers up instead of a belt. Always drive round in a fucked mid 80's Suzuki Alto.

Guy who rented a unit next to me used to own a 2nd hand shop and had one of those commercial flip top bins out the back which all the unsellable stuff got chucked in.

The shop proximity alarm went off one Xmas eve, so he goes rushing down there expecting the worst only to find Alan upside down in the bin with his feet poking out looking for a cutlery set ???

The old Strachan & Henshaw site he used to own which burnt down was VERY sketchy. The whole upper car park level was one giant breakers yard and an absolute death trap. You could barely navigate around the site there were that many cars. Main breaker owner there was a beast of a guy known as "Fatty" Farthing who used to collect Dykes rent.

I always remember going into his office to buy parts and he'd have a massive mirror on the wall which his desk faced. He was so immobile that he couldn't be bothered to move and would chat to you in the mirror!

 

He definitely was not the best landlord and his properties were cheap for a reason but you knew what you were getting so you couldn't really grumble too much. 

Some did though!

http://theweekin.co.uk/news/landlord-is-jailed-for-health-and-safety-offences-at-premises-in-speedwell/

Even a spell in clink didn't change him.

Nice enough to talk to, total tight ass and  VERY VERY dodgy.

[New POD]

On 7/21/2020 at 9:28 AM, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I wonder if making cars "safe" has led to drivers becoming "unsafe"

Back in the early 90s when Lucas were starting to ramp up Anti-lock braking the insurance industry were thinking about increasing the premiums on those cars with ABS, as there was statistics showing that those types of people who choose it as an option, were the type of people who then assumed that because it was safer, they could drive faster.  It was obviously safer at the same speed as non Abs, but if you have zero friction between tyre and road, say on the ice or due to aqua planning, it wouldn't fix your accident. The number of accidents were therefore very marginally higher, but the speed involved, was significantly higher, causing more damage, to cars and people. 

[cort1977]

Risk compensation theory. Wasn't there a famous study of german taxi drivers showing the same thing?

[chodweaver]

Looks like it was documented in this:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rI4c24VTriEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22R.M.+Trimpop%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqvMWa6eXqAhVFolwKHURLB0kQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

which also has an interesting short history of risk assessment and insurance in the introduction. Earliest records showing its use date from 3200BC up to the fall of the Roman empire in 700AD, with it then not reappearing till the 12th century. Interest rates of 200% were common in Babylonia...

So, being fleeced for cover ain't a new thing

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Latest from Garage Dubois-Loizou: none of the new hoses, supplied by CX-Basis as being direct replacements, fit! Disastrous.

Going up there in the morning to see how deficient the new hoses are.

[Floatylight]

Latest from Garage Dubois-Loizou: none of the new hoses, supplied by CX-Basis as being direct replacements, fit! Disastrous.
Going up there in the morning to see how deficient the new hoses are.

It seems ridiculous to me that Garage Dubois-Loizou whom I assume promote themselves as somewhat of a specialist in old Hydroneumatic french cars don't have the required contacts to get the parts for them, making you do the donkey work and shrugging their shoulders when they can't put it together!

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

[Tadhg Tiogar]

2 minutes ago, Floatylight said:

It seems ridiculous to me that Garage Dubois-Loizou whom I assume promote themselves as somewhat of a specialist in old Hydroneumatic french cars don't have the required contacts to get the parts for them, making you do the donkey work and shrugging their shoulders when they can't put it together!...
 

I think even if they had the contacts, the parts supplied would still have been wrong, because there is only one main supplier of new CX hoses.

[Aston Martin]

... I ordered ATS mot on cunton. After I ordered I discovered the hull branch doesn't do mots.

 

I live chat for a refund, we can offer you cunton credits. ?

I order an mot for the credit price from some back street garage, where the reviews state they don't do the mot. They take it somewhere else.

So for £18, this dude is making money...and cunton... and the bloke writing out the certificate.

 

Seems like a plan.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

18 hours ago, Floatylight said:

It seems ridiculous to me that Garage Dubois-Loizou whom I assume promote themselves as somewhat of a specialist in old Hydroneumatic french cars don't have the required contacts to get the parts for them, making you do the donkey work and shrugging their shoulders when they can't put it together!
 

Update: turns out they forgot to open the extra box of CX-Basis hoses. Have personally verified that this box of seven are in fact correct, so these will be fitted.

It was the earlier set of silicone hoses that were not.

 

[mitsisigma01]

1 hour ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Garage Dubois-Loizou whom I assume promote themselves as somewhat of a specialist in old Hydroneumatic

Did you have to open the second box for them....... ?????

[Tadhg Tiogar]

39 minutes ago, mitsisigma01 said:

Did you have to open the second box for them....... ?????

No. Seems one of their trainees had opened one box, seen the discrepancies in the silicon hoses, then assumed that the hoses in the other two boxes (which the trainee did not open) were equally deficient.

You couldn't make this up.

[Fumbler]

2 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

No. Seems one of their trainees had opened one box, seen the discrepancies in the silicon hoses, then assumed that the hoses in the other two boxes (which the trainee did not open) were equally deficient.

You couldn't make this up.

That's ridiculous of them to have done that- not a good service at all!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Just now, Fumbler said:

That's ridiculous of them to have done that- not a good service at all!

Dunno.... It begins to look like a comedy of errors to me; Monsieur Dubois sez his trainee is trying to make him look a fool. Anyhow, we did establish that the CX-Basis hoses are a straight swap for the original expired set, and the alerte générale is over.

At least the head gasket and associated bits were done correctly and the engine runs, having been flushed several times with the help of dishwasher / washing machine cleaner.

 

[Fumbler]

5 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Dunno.... It begins to look like a comedy of errors to me; Monsieur Dubois sez his trainee is trying to make him look a fool.

Ah. I can see a lot of je ne sais quoi and profuse shrugging of shoulders happening in the office.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

13 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

Ah. I can see a lot of je ne sais quoi and profuse shrugging of shoulders happening in the office.

I offered him a pastis to cover the embarrassment

[Fumbler]

3 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I offered him a pastis to cover the embarrassment

Ah bon!

 

[Zelandeth]

Just discovered that some scumbag has wandered into our front garden at some point in the last couple of days and helped themselves to about 95% of our rose bushes, most of which were in bloom.  All the flowers have gone and the one nearest to the front door pretty much the whole bush has just been snipped off a couple of inches from the ground...WT-actual-F?!?

If I ever make a time machine first order of business will be going back to 2013 and kicking myself firmly up the backside for entertaining the idea of moving down here...I seriously cannot deal with any more nonsense like this. 

[beko1987]

Bucks Council resurfaced the main road to aylesbury a while ago through a little village called stone. 

Was worth it, it's really smooth now. Except it now floods... Came back with the kids earlier during a fucking massive rainstorm, and was surprised I didn't hydrolock the car in the 1st one, immediately around a sharp corner. A mile further up its single file through the middle of the road as both sides are properly deep... Seems they've fucked the gradients up as it never flooded before. 

Something else to be careful of. Also marks the first time I've actually driven in proper rain since pre covid... My windscreen is fucking clean now, all the bug splats have gone 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

44 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Bucks Council resurfaced the main road to aylesbury a while ago through a little village called stone. 

Was worth it, it's really smooth now. Except it now floods... Came back with the kids earlier during a fucking massive rainstorm, and was surprised I didn't hydrolock the car in the 1st one, immediately around a sharp corner. A mile further up its single file through the middle of the road as both sides are properly deep... Seems they've fucked the gradients up as it never flooded before. ... 

I wonder if they bothered restoring the camber when resurfacing. It shouldn't flood to that extent if they had done that properly. 

[Mally]

It's not fair!

I'm in Spain, wearing a mask full time, and when I get  home they are throwing my key away to protect you lot who whinge about having to wear one at all.

Apologies those who don't whinge.

[Mrcento]

Finally made time to go and tackle the back brakes on the Vectra today, spent 40 minutes tearing the house apart looking for my box of Allen keys, can't find them anywhere. FFS.

Make other plans, Vec now pressed into taxi duties instead, about half 4 i go into the glove box and find i'd already taken the fuckers down and thrown them in there, so could have done them all along.

Daft cunt.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Just discovered that some scumbag has wandered into our front garden at some point in the last couple of days and helped themselves to about 95% of our rose bushes, most of which were in bloom.  All the flowers have gone and the one nearest to the front door pretty much the whole bush has just been snipped off a couple of inches from the ground...WT-actual-F?!?

If I ever make a time machine first order of business will be going back to 2013 and kicking myself firmly up the backside for entertaining the idea of moving down here...I seriously cannot deal with any more nonsense like this. 

You might find them for sale at the nearest garden centre....

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I wonder if they bothered restoring the camber when resurfacing. It shouldn't flood to that extent if they had done that properly. 

Or the same as happened in a village near where I used to live back around 2000. 

Council subcontracted resurfacing work to a third party.  They did a lovely job of making the road nice and smooth...shame they resurfaced over all the drains!  Think about half a dozen houses got flooded the first time there was heavy rain after the work was done.

[hairnet]

friend is supposed to be going spain for a fortnight in august ?

hes done this all the time hes worked at our place - 3 -4 years

came back off furlug and he was talking about it cos its not far off and he was saying theyve fucked him over with the hotel - been in it before and rebooked cos they liked it

apparently they cant have them now and they were put in a hotel cheaper but cheaper for a reason

he kicked off and hopefully itll be sorted

but on the news today - theyve put spain back on the quarantine list

oh dear - wonder how thats gonna work out for him.........

ive been messed about since easter but as a lone traveller and mostly flexible i can chop and change and only book stuff i can change - mustnt be fun if theres a group

 

[beko1987]

2 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I wonder if they bothered restoring the camber when resurfacing. It shouldn't flood to that extent if they had done that properly. 

No I don't think they have! Granted it was raining fucking hard, but it's never been that bad! Hit the first one at about 40 and scrambled down a gear and swerved out) nothing coming the other way) but had to go back in (now doing 30 in 2nd) to not smash the front wheel on a traffic island. Further up it was full stop to let loads of cars coming the other way through, then again 2nd gear high revs through the middle. The 9 miles of old road were fine, few blocked drains but no aquaplaning

Kids fucking loved it! Once I was satisfied the car hadn't taken in water, and a good prod on the brakes as they really went shit (deffo on the list now) I was happier too

[Mally]

2 hours ago, Mally said:

It's not fair!

I'm in Spain, wearing a mask full time, and when I get  home they are throwing my key away to protect you lot who whinge about having to wear one at all.

Apologies those who don't whinge.

 

47 minutes ago, hairnet said:

friend is supposed to be going spain for a fortnight in august ?

hes done this all the time hes worked at our place - 3 -4 years

came back off furlug and he was talking about it cos its not far off and he was saying theyve fucked him over with the hotel - been in it before and rebooked cos they liked it

apparently they cant have them now and they were put in a hotel cheaper but cheaper for a reason

he kicked off and hopefully itll be sorted

but on the news today - theyve put spain back on the quarantine list

oh dear - wonder how thats gonna work out for him.........

ive been messed about since easter but as a lone traveller and mostly flexible i can chop and change and only book stuff i can change - mustnt be fun if theres a group

 

Snap

[Remspoor]

Hands up if you think that the thousands of visitors who are in Spain now or will come in the near future will really go and isolate?

Nope nor do I.

 

 

[omegod]

2 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

Hands up if you think that the thousands of visitors who are in Spain now or will come in the near future will really go and isolate?

Nope nor do I.

 

 

I doubt it , I am supposed to be heading to Lanzarote next Sunday, it's got virtually no covid and the new guidelines say non essential travel to there is absolutely fine and dandy as it's so low but you still have to isolate on return so that's me fucked  

 

It's a shame Michael Gove or some other Tory twat hasn't got a holiday home there as I'm sure it'd be exempt