The grumpy thread

[Bren]

1 hour ago, Aston Martin said:

Fuck me. Haven't moved in 14 hours and I'm dehydrated... But I don't wanna be sick again.

Had this lurgy for a week. Headache and now a productive cough. Was silly going in to work yesterday.

[Zelandeth]

Ah yes, that weather when you discover that the previous owner of that car you recently bought was too cheap to put actual screen wash in the washer bottle which is now frozen solid.

Thankfully they do appear to have used antifreeze in the cooling system, though I'd still rather have had it changed before we saw last night's temperatures.

Hoping at some point this afternoon the Caddy will defrost enough that I can actually get into it - need to attack the door seals with silicone spray it seems.

[meggersdog]

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

[Billy - Medhurst]

[Noel Tidybeard]

13 hours ago, Aston Martin said:

Fuck me. Haven't moved in 14 hours and I'm dehydrated... But I don't wanna be sick again.

sip about a thimble full at a time- not enough to puke with but will help with the dehydration

then when you're up to it flat coke- moar palateable than dioralite!

[Aston Martin]

2 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

sip about a thimble full at a time- not enough to puke with but will help with the dehydration

then when you're up to it flat coke- moar palateable than dioralite!

Been in bed 28 hours and left to pee twice.

 

Had three coke zero, Fanta, innocent smoothie. 3 lemsips and one slice of toast.

[Dobloseven]

12 hours ago, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

Took one of ours for Mot.in the week. The place I use, used to do pretty well exclusively Mots with three bays running. Think they did have another site for repairs.Recently the original owners SiL has taken over. Just the one biggest bay now so they can do larger vehicles. Book the tests in on hour slots and uses two old boys in their seventies who work part time in turns. They make sure the test lasts the whole hour by the time the paperwork is done and paid for. Still on £40.I asked the owner how he makes it pay. Says he doesn't really, but he can't charge any more because there's people locally doing it for less. He does roll his eyes sometimes when he sees how long the old boys take. He did mine himself once and it took him 20 minutes. 

[artdjones]

13 hours ago, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

It's been 10% inflation in the last year alone.

[Andyrew]

12 hours ago, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

I now get my tests for " trade m8" but ive paid the full £54.85 many times in the past for the convenience. 

45 quid is more than reasonable, its just some peoples thickness thats the issue.

Working in retail i hear this shit all the time. Even in the wealthy area i now work in. 

Some arsechops who complains about something they actually need for their car to function(wipers / oil / bulbs etc) is expensive then spend 4 quid on a bloody jelly bean air freshner. 

 

 

 

[mrbenn]

13 hours ago, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

£45 is still a decent price.

The place I use charges £54, but don't go looking for extra work and have helped me out in the past so I'm happy to cough up. If I wasn't then I'd like to think I'd simply piss off elsewhere without a commentary about it, as seems to be the norm these days.

[Tickman]

13 hours ago, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

I've used the same place for the last 12 years, it costs me £50. 

I get on with the tester, he has pointed out things in the past I have missed and has been a little generous on some occasions as he knows it gets sorted straight away.

I don't know how you make money on the £40 nevermind the £35 for the trade.

The equipment, training and experience isn't free but people only see the £50 an hour and assume that equates to a wage.

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, mrbenn said:

£45 is still a decent price.

The place I use charges £54, but don't go looking for extra work and have helped me out in the past so I'm happy to cough up. If I wasn't then I'd like to think I'd simply piss off elsewhere without a commentary about it, as seems to be the norm these days.

I’m sceptical about places charging £25 for an MOT.  They are obviously trying to attract the people with least money whose cars need most work , and are assuming most of that work will be theirs.

[andy18s]

13 hours ago, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

Our local village bar put the price of their beer up by 30 stotinkis a bottle,around 13p. Everyone complained,stayed at home and the bar has now shut 

[mrbenn]

34 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

I’m sceptical about places charging £25 for an MOT.  They are obviously trying to attract the people with least money whose cars need most work , and are assuming most of that work will be theirs.

Agreed.

TBH I tend to think that £54 for a trained professional to go over the whole car and check its safe is an absolute bargain.

[High Jetter]

Boiler at home worked first thing then decided to stop. Not happy.

[Cavcraft]

Just taking a wild guess here, but I'd imagine if you're the sort of absolute knobhead who's 'not going to donate to the RNLI anymore' because they rescued some immigrants, then you probably never actually donated to them anyway. 

[sierraman]

19 hours ago, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

If they can’t find £45 they need to get off the road quite frankly. On reflection these that will look for a £25 MOT aren’t the custom you want. 

[vulgalour]

Cars on the left been parked there a while, car on the right a new arrival.

Just selfish really.  I don't know if it's the neighbour who lives there, a visitor, or a random plonker but they do seem to insist on parking in that exact spot regardless of what else is parked on the road or driveway of the house they're in front of, usually at everyone else's inconvenience.  I'd say blocking the pavement is an issue too except that most of the people it would bother around here insist on walking in the middle of the road.

Still, it was nice to get out in the car (and not do anything else, sod trying to go into any sort of shop at this time of year, even if I am testing neg now) for the first time since getting Covid, which can also get in the bin with the random bouts of exhaustion and the coughing fits waking me up repeatedly still.

[hpi_matrix]

6 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Boiler at home worked first thing then decided to stop. Not happy.

You should probably get that fixed as its cold.

[High Jetter]

6 minutes ago, hpi_matrix said:

You should probably get that fixed as its cold.

Funnily enough, the wife said something similar! Repair visit booked for Monday, additional heaters already purchased. 

[RoverFolkUs]

On 12/16/2022 at 8:12 PM, meggersdog said:

Put the price up for MoTs from £40.00 to £45.00 last month. Last month most people were "yeah, everything's gone up" This week I've had two ask how much are MoTs  "HOW MUCH, oh okay thank's"  one booked in then half an hour later cancelled because they obviously found someone cheaper. Another although paid said he didn't begrudge paying but also mentioned it was a 12% increase. My price has been 40 quid for the last 8 years but trade still get it for £35.00. With the cost of electric I have had to put the price up. If the moaning about the increase carries on I might just call it a day and walk away.

Dont blame you, everywhere around here is £54.85 now, there's just so much demand and not a lot of competition. We're usually stone dead in the fortnight up until Christmas but not this year so something has changed in my area! Had a flyer through the door this morning for a place offering them for £35. That's very unusual for Sussex, I dont think I've seen one advertised cheaper than £40 for well over 5 years now apart from the fast fit chains.  We do them by arrangement so its the (trade) test fee + a tiny arrangement fee but its the convenience factor of dropping it off and we do the rest instead of them having to go to the next town over and either wait or get a taxi/lift or whatever back! Most people are happy, and you only get a few OMGHOWMUCH out of every hundred. 

10 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

I’m sceptical about places charging £25 for an MOT.  They are obviously trying to attract the people with least money whose cars need most work , and are assuming most of that work will be theirs.

They make me laugh, quite often we have customers who come to us, baulk at the test fee, bugger off to Halfords, pay £25 there and come back with a list of axle bushes or shock absorbers typically. So we then rectify the "failures" and they take it back down for their retest. You know what's funny, things like axle bushes or weeping shocks for example were overzealous fails and might have been a P+A with the tester(s) we use anyway so they've cost themselves more of their own time and money! 

[cobblers]

The MOT place (admittedly three doors down) from me collect the car/van off my drive, MOT it and drop it back off for £50.

They even still just charge  £50 when it's a class 4 (big van MOT) and they have to drive it all the way into sheffield and it's half an hours drive each way on top of the MOT, so I can't knock them for that tbh.

those mithering at £15 extra for the MOT somewhere they trust are the same sort of wet brained fuckwits who buy a brand new car on PCP because it's only £30 a year to tax. Know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Spend all day walking around Skegness in the rain to try and find the cheapest place for fish and chips and never have chance to sit down and enjoy the true beauty of the place.

[meggersdog]

Had a call yesterday , someone wanting an mot yesterday evening ? we shut at midday on Saturdays.One slot left on Monday so I booked him in for that. " yeah been to Kwik-fit in Leister and they've stitched me up". Hmm, better book it in on the reg number then.

After I put the phone down I checked the mot history. Failed on Thursday for a serious fluid leak on the nearside front shock absorber. It might be we'll see on Monday. It also failed on the headlamp bulbs, l.e.d's fitted instead of halogens. There isn't a beam pattern so that's a fail also. So headlight bulbs and a leaking shock doesn't sound like a stitch up to me. There were advisories for three tyres, two at 2mm and one being 1.6mm.

Should be in the grin thread really but it ties in with the discount fast fit places mentioned. Thing is if he is going to drive from Leicester to the other side of Stamford that 1.6 mm tyre might be below 1.6 by the time it gets here.

[horriblemercedes]

20 hours ago, Cavcraft said:

Just taking a wild guess here, but I'd imagine if you're the sort of absolute knobhead who's 'not going to donate to the RNLI anymore' because they rescued some immigrants, then you probably never actually donated to them anyway. 

How would the lifeboat people even run that system? I guess the options are to demand identification before rescue and refuse to rescue if they're foreign, or to rescue, demand identification and throw them back in the sea if they're foreign or don't have it

[New POD]

On 16/12/2022 at 22:50, Billy - Medhurst said:

That assumes they can read 

[richardmorris]

Neighbour isn’t going to be happy when he gets back. Huge water leak this morning. Emergency estate warden broke in with the easy measure of cutting through the lock with an enormous angle grinder.

 

edit. I saw the icicles out of the window vent and running water coming off the windowsill at 9 am. Sent estates maintenance an email but as out of hours….

called affinity water, on hold for thirty minutes to be finally told there was nothing they can do to turn the water off.

Found the phone number for emergency warden and left a message as they were very busy.

got a call back a few minutes later to be fair to say  that they’d had the email and were en route. 
 

11.15 they broke in and cut the water off. Then another hour securing the door.

my neighbour is in the process of moving out, and had turned the heating off.

 

[RoverFolkUs]

1 hour ago, meggersdog said:

Had a call yesterday , someone wanting an mot yesterday evening ? we shut at midday on Saturdays.One slot left on Monday so I booked him in for that. " yeah been to Kwik-fit in Leister and they've stitched me up". Hmm, better book it in on the reg number then.

After I put the phone down I checked the mot history. Failed on Thursday for a serious fluid leak on the nearside front shock absorber. It might be we'll see on Monday. It also failed on the headlamp bulbs, l.e.d's fitted instead of halogens. There isn't a beam pattern so that's a fail also. So headlight bulbs and a leaking shock doesn't sound like a stitch up to me. There were advisories for three tyres, two at 2mm and one being 1.6mm.

Should be in the grin thread really but it ties in with the discount fast fit places mentioned. Thing is if he is going to drive from Leister to the other side of Stamford that 1.6 mm tyre might be below 1.6 by the time it gets here.

I'm invested in this now, need to know more when tomorrow comes 🤣

[Cavcraft]

1 hour ago, horriblemercedes said:

How would the lifeboat people even run that system? I guess the options are to demand identification before rescue and refuse to rescue if they're foreign, or to rescue, demand identification and throw them back in the sea if they're foreign or don't have it

In an ideal world they'd take the moaners who complained about them picking up immigrants and do a mid-sea exchange.

[cobblers]

2 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

In an ideal world they'd take the moaners who complained about them picking up immigrants and do a mid-sea exchange.

is this what they call "docking"?

[Bren]

21 hours ago, sierraman said:

If they can’t find £45 they need to get off the road quite frankly. On reflection these that will look for a £25 MOT aren’t the custom you want. 

It's like when people buy a car that advertised " Cam belt and water pump done".

If you buy a car because it's had a £350 job done on it you are on thin ice.