The grumpy thread

[dozeydustman]

Colossally hairy balls, growling bushy twats and turdfingers.

I’ve been putting some massive hours in at work of late because 2 other supervisors are off sick (non covid). I’ve had sod all chance to get any work done on the Suzuki or the Toyota.

With today’s announcement has meant we’ve had to post a number of xmas presents; to ensure they’ll arrive in time Special Delivery 1pm. Two at great expense because heavy. Weighed them all, entered the weights in online with a generous safety buffer of 20g.

2 parcels of the 8 rejected (inc my AS secret santa) - each one 1 gramme over the declared weight. Outright rejection by mardy bitch behind the counter.

Parcel A was 1558g on our pretty good scales, I declared the weight as 1.578kg, label printed out as 1.58kg; post office weighed it as 1,581 grammes.

Not even a “that’ll be ok”. Outright rejected the parcel.

 

Paid & posted the parcel at a declared weight of 1581g, the label printed showed it as 1.85kg.

 

how fucking petty.

[SiC]

1 hour ago, Tamworthbay said:

I don’t see the connection between that and obsolescence, there is no reason why they couldn’t keep producing updates/ patches. Very occasionally there may be a fundamental issue that cannot be solved but I simply don’t believe that is always the case. Just look at the examples from strangeangel above. It’s all about selling new stuff.

They could but that requires developers working to develop the fixes. This takes time and developers aren't cheap. The fix then needs testing not only for fixing the problem but regression and reliability on many different system configs, etc, etc. This takes times and testing isn't cheap. Once tested it needs releasing, this takes time and requires a lot of organising. Guess what, that isn't cheap either. Plus there are other stages involved too. 

Add into all this that the code base is old and hacked about. So any fix requires progressive more work to do. In some cases the architecture of the application will need substantial rework to fix the problem. 

It'll get to the point where it's easier to say to users that they need to upgrade to something more modern. Even when organisations and even government are prepared to throw big numbered dollar bills at you. 

[iainrcz]

Met my dad's new woman/girlfriend/boiling piece today.
I'm not grumpy about it, she seems ok, it was just weird.

On the upside, I seemed to be a hit with her cockerpoo Deefer.
As in D for dog.

[High Jetter]

Because XP just works? As does 7? 10 insists on shutting down and updating on a weekly basis.  Why can't they just get it right? [/argumentative pedant]

[GrumpiusMaximus]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

Because XP just works? As does 7? 10 insists on shutting down and updating on a weekly basis.  Why can't they just get it right? [/argumentative pedant]

You can schedule the updates.

To be honest, as somebody that has to support staff using home configurations (fortunately less now that we've given out over 500 laptops) I'd much rather the inconvenience of the updates than ever see the state of some computers.  One person I was trying to support a couple of weeks ago had a Windows 7 installation (bad enough) that hadn't been patched in over six years.  Microsoft have made the updates more intrusive for a reason.  A large number of end users never patch their systems and that is just not a good idea.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Oh, and if anybody saw an '05-Reg MkIV Golf Estate on the M2 about an hour and a half ago with what looked like a fridge freezer crammed into the back, you did see that.  Because about half an hour after Tier 4 was declared, our fridge freezer stopped working.

The day of the March lockdown, the washer-drier broke.  My white goods just have a talent.

The only place that was still open by the time we declared that it was definitely dead is IKEA in Lakeside nearly 60 miles away.  Just over an hour.  Drove down, accident on the A2 coming out of Gravesend, skipped around it (cunningly using a service station) and got to IKEA with 17 minutes to spare before closing.  I had the receipt in my hand by 08.56.

Grumpy because we had to shell out for a new fridge freezer (which is an improvement over the old one and quite a lot bigger) but I've officially saved Christmas.  So I'll take that.

Still got to clean all the polystyrene and shit out of the back of the car in the morning, mind...

[RayMK]

11 hours ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Oh, and if anybody saw an '05-Reg MkIV Golf Estate on the M2 about an hour and a half ago with what looked like a fridge freezer crammed into the back, you did see that.  Because about half an hour after Tier 4 was declared, our fridge freezer stopped working.

The day of the March lockdown, the washer-drier broke.  My white goods just have a talent.

The only place that was still open by the time we declared that it was definitely dead is Ikea in Lakeside nearly 60 miles away.  Just over an hour.  Drove down, accident on the A2 coming out of Gravesend, skipped around it (cunningly using a service station) and got to IKEA with 17 minutes to spare before closing.  I had the receipt in my hand by 08.56.

Grumpy because we had to shell out for a new fridge freezer (which is an improvement over the old one and quite a lot bigger) but I've officially saved Christmas.  So I'll take that.

Still got to clean all the polystyrene and shit out of the back of the car in the morning, mind...

Similarly, our washer has got main bearing trouble and I was planning to order a new one next week. It makes one hell of a racket, so I've set the rev limiter to 500rpm - it still works, but for how long?  The dishwasher top shelf collapsed a few months back but there's just the two of us and we manage with the lower shelf only. Again, the plan was to replace the dishwasher next week.  The upstairs loo flush failed a couple of weeks  ago, now requiring violent handle action to get it to do the business after we've done ours. You get the general drift - replacement innards was planned for next week. Life can be shit at times.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I'm just grateful that we have the disposable income to go out and get a new appliance on a whim.  The only reason that we took such decisive action and didn't wait until the morning (when much more local shops would be open) is that we genuinely don't know if they'll even be open.  If Curry's or Argos was open and we could pick up from the store.  No guarantees on either front and it's a bad time of year for all the food you've literally just got in specially to go off...

[warren t claim]

My home is a white goods graveyard. Tumble dryer dead. No fridge freezer lasts longer than a year and any washing machine I buy shits itself a month out of warranty. Place your bets on how long the dishwasher I got this week lasts.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

20 years.  It's really simple.  You take how absolutely necessary the appliance is and apply an inverse algorithm so that it always shits the bed just before you really need it.  Dishwasher is useful and brilliant to have but not essential - so it will last 20 years.  The washing machine, fridge, freezer and oven?  You're fucked.  Microwave is double fucked when the oven dies.

[Tetleysmooth]

I fitted a new ceiling light in the lounge yesterday. Turned off the power to lights down. Had a helluva job fitting the new unit, but got there in the end. Now the ceiling light in the hall by the front door refuses to work. Changed the bulb, but no, won't work. Seems weird it happened at the same time I fitted the new unit in the lounge. Co-incidence? Anybody else had this happen?

[Dippy]

29 minutes ago, Tetleysmooth said:

I fitted a new ceiling light in the lounge yesterday. Turned off the power to lights down. Had a helluva job fitting the new unit, but got there in the end. Now the ceiling light in the hall by the front door refuses to work. Changed the bulb, but no, won't work. Seems weird it happened at the same time I fitted the new unit in the lounge. Co-incidence? Anybody else had this happen?

You probably got.a loose wire in the light you changedcausing the other not to work or its a terrible coincidence.

[Floatylight]

5 hours ago, RayMK said:

Similarly, our washer has got main bearing trouble and I was planning to order a new one next week. It makes one hell of a racket, so I've set the rev limiter to 500rpm

Good luck with that! If it's been made in the last 10 years you will probably find the bearing isnt replaceable, it's an integral part of the drum, had this with our Panasonic a couple of years ago, new drum £285! Bought a second hand washer off @Kiltoxfor £50 which is still goin strong..

[Tetleysmooth]

5 minutes ago, Dippy said:

You probably got.a loose wire in the light you changedcausing the other not to work or its a terrible coincidence.

New ceiling light works absolutely fine. So looks like coincidence. Can't go and buy a new light fitting today as all non essential shops closed around here now. Oh well, ebay and a few days wait.

[Dippy]

4 minutes ago, Tetleysmooth said:

New ceiling light works absolutely fine. So looks like coincidence. Can't go and buy a new light fitting today as all non essential shops closed around here now. Oh well, ebay and a few days wait.

If you had more than one of each colour wire the other wires  will feed the next light in the circuit.

[taranaki]

Summer here. Wet and warm. Lawn is growing like deranged pubes, only mowed it last week. Back at it again today, with the catcher off. Looks like a hay paddock.  Chute blocked up, couldn't shake it loose. Turned off the engine, waited until it stopped, reached in and still managed to cut myself on the blade. Bollocks.

[ruffgeezer]

1 hour ago, taranaki said:

Turned off the engine, waited until it stopped, reached in and still managed to cut myself on the blade. Bollocks.

I don't care if the engine had stopped, there's no way I'd have stuck those down the chute! 

[Tetleysmooth]

1 hour ago, Dippy said:

If you had more than one of each colour wire the other wires  will feed the next light in the circuit.

Now this is where it gets confusing. When I removed the old light fitting, the earth and neutral were joined. Not good thought I, so I separated them and wired the new fitting correctly. Maybe they were joined for a reason. I'll try a new light fitting in the hallway and see what happens. Could've done without this

[Jazoli]

12 minutes ago, Tetleysmooth said:

Now this is where it gets confusing. When I removed the old light fitting, the earth and neutral were joined. Not good thought I, so I separated them and wired the new fitting correctly. Maybe they were joined for a reason. I'll try a new light fitting in the hallway and see what happens. Could've done without this

If you don't know what you are doing and are making alterations to existing wiring I suggest you step away and get someone who does know, you could burn your house down for a start, I'd suggest you put the wires back how they were asap as it sounds like you don't have a scooby do

[Tetleysmooth]

Cheers mate.

[MikeR]

Sounds like it was bodger using 3 core instead of 4 core wire ,or just poor planning , the earth wire got used as a supply wire 

[Timewaster]

8 hours ago, warren t claim said:

My home is a white goods graveyard. Tumble dryer dead. No fridge freezer lasts longer than a year and any washing machine I buy shits itself a month out of warranty. Place your bets on how long the dishwasher I got this week lasts.

In our house it is ovens. 

First Hotpoint one lasted 9 years then gave up. That was last August. 

Yesterday I was making shortbread with my 7yr old daughter. Cooking time 12 minutes. 

After 20 minutes it was still dough.  Oh well I thought, I'm a useless Baker and it was a cheap bake kit from Aldi. We have probably cocked it up. 

But no, later my Mrs was cooking tea and after half an hour everything was just as raw as when it went in. 

Guess what I am going to buy today? 

Lucky we are still T2. 

Beko ovens are shit. 

 

 

[omegod]

5 pointed torx bit's. why was 6 point not good enough for Honda ? absolute knobheads caused a fruitless search of Halfords, toolstation ( rude staff) and screwfix. Very irritated to have wasted 2 hrs of my Sunday and now can't complete a task 

[Agila]

9 minutes ago, omegod said:

5 pointed torx bit's. why was 6 point not good enough for Honda ? absolute knobheads caused a fruitless search of Halfords, toolstation ( rude staff) and screwfix. Very irritated to have wasted 2 hrs of my Sunday and now can't complete a task 

Are they pentalobe? Have a more rounded edge rather than sharp points of torx bits.

[omegod]

4 minutes ago, Agila said:

Are they pentalobe? Have a more rounded edge rather than sharp points of torx bits.

yep 

 

[Agila]

9 minutes ago, omegod said:

yep 

 

Normally they have the security versions. Something like a cheap version of these."Sealey AK6227 Security TRX-TS Socket Bit Set 10pc 1/4" & 3/8"Sq Drive" https://www.mccormicktools.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/4852

[beko1987]

2 hours ago, Timewaster said:

In our house it is ovens. 

First Hotpoint one lasted 9 years then gave up. That was last August. 

Yesterday I was making shortbread with my 7yr old daughter. Cooking time 12 minutes. 

After 20 minutes it was still dough.  Oh well I thought, I'm a useless Baker and it was a cheap bake kit from Aldi. We have probably cocked it up. 

But no, later my Mrs was cooking tea and after half an hour everything was just as raw as when it went in. 

Guess what I am going to buy today? 

Lucky we are still T2. 

Beko ovens are shit. 

 

 

Sorry... 

[RayMK]

5 hours ago, Floatylight said:

Good luck with that! If it's been made in the last 10 years you will probably find the bearing isnt replaceable, it's an integral part of the drum, had this with our Panasonic a couple of years ago, new drum £285! Bought a second hand washer off @Kiltoxfor £50 which is still goin strong..

Yes, true. I should have made it clear - the old machine will be replaced with a new one. I last replaced a drum bearing about 20 years ago i.e. about 5 machines ago. There used to be a place in Banbury which sold domestic appliance spares to the few who wanted to defer the throw away society for a year or two. I also replaced a tumble dryer thermistor and belt at about the same time but don't bother with tumble dryers now.  

The dishwasher shelf collapse was caused by the plastic coating the ordinary steel basket/shelf wearing away, allowing corrosion in the salty water and hence structural failure.  It's a built in unit, though with a bit of modification to the kitchen plinth I can fit a stand alone type without much bother.  What with the hardship of slaving over the microwave and now manual dishwashing, life is becoming a chore (1st world problems 😄).

Affording the replacement white goods is no problem, it's just the hassle of ordering boring stuff that has caused my schedule to slip in to an even more inconvenient time of the year. Entirely self inflicted. On the plus side, it gives me something to moan about.

[myglaren]

Call from youngest daughter.  Flat tyre and her electric pump doesn't work - fag lighter socket U/S.

Went up, couldn't get my car close enough to use my pump.  Shifted her car to a flat bit and tried, nothing happening.

Remove wheel - had to use the scissor jack as my trolley jack wouldn't quite go under the sill.

Took it to tyre place (National, I think) and it is an unusual size that they don't stock but have one in that was to be returned.

Otherwise wait until Tuesday.  She needs her car for work so bought it - Michelin, £199.00

I was expecting about £85.

I fit Sailuns, usually around £40.  They had hundreds of them, just not her size.

[Stanky]

Good grief, faced with that sort of price I'd have asked them to fit a pair of not-the-right-size-but-close budgets and stuck them on the same axle, with the biggest rolling radius on the back for 'stance'

£199 for one tyre!