The grumpy thread

[Mr Pastry]

23 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Just logged on to Natwest online banking and they've messed with the fucking design, again! It was virtually untouched for at least 15 years, then had one revision (which I hated) and now them seem to be fiddling with it every 5 minutes! Grrrrr

You and me both!  It was absolutely fine as it was originally, and now it isn't as easy to use.  Latest change seems pointless. 

Rightmove and On the Market are also doing this.  It used to be quite easy and quick to make a list of houses you liked which is the object, surely.  Now you have to go through a load of pointless options, and end up losing interest in the whole business.    Some of these web site designers need to wake up.

[High Jetter]

Glad it's not just me then. Also, why does it take so long to log off now? With the older style, it was pretty instant.

[sdkrc]

12 hours ago, goosey said:

the self appointed Parking Police 

If you see her again can you tell her I was asking how she got such strong creases in her slacks? Looks marvelous 

[juular]

Website design in recent years has become tremendously shit.

Let's make the fonts bigger, remove all the useful options so that it's "easy to use" and absolutely trash any workflow people had.

Seems to especially affect mobile versions of sites, so that if you need to use that one vital menu option or a very useful search filter, you have to use the desktop version.

Not sure what's fuelling this change but it seems like a lot of the golden rules of good UI design are being scrapped in favour of.. fuck knows what.

[horriblemercedes]

10 hours ago, cobblers said:

I listened in on my wifes course. I wanted to jump through the internet and strangle most of the other participants. Tutor wasn't much better. Stuck in a virtual room full of dull but angry people with an axe to grind.

Just take the points, it's cheaper. Save the course for later.

I think if it's offered, I'll take the course. I'm quite good at sitting quietly with a smile hiding contempt

 

Plus, after three years, I'd be eligible for another course while the points stay for four

 

On the one hand, might as well start the clock ticking on the points but on the other hand, I might not get more points

 

Or I might (unlikely but possible) take the points and then in six months do something stupid that gets me six more points without the offer of a course and find myself with nine points

 

 

On balance, I think the course is the safest option. Either way I've marked the date of the offence on my phone calendar and the date by which they have to send me their next correspondence. From reading around I might never hear again or I might receive my next letter after this date. So I'm hoping for that! Fully prepared to take points or course depending on what's offered, however

 

As an aside, I drove the same route this morning and had to really look to see the two average speed cameras there. I had no idea they were there. They're both those tall yellow poles you normally see on average speed sections, but they're against the sky and the sun is shining right behind them at the time I pass in the morning. So that's my fault for not noticing them. I knew that bit had signs saying it's an average speed check, but I thought there were no cameras by that point. So yeah, my fault!

[Parky]

Just been to see a client.  He's 90 and owns a tricked up MX5.  And an XJ6 Coupe.  And a Mini Cooper S.

His wife said no to him buying all of them and he did it anyway.  Maybe I should take a leaf out of his book!

Anyway the grump is a guy at work left and I had to pick up all his work with zero notice. Tripled my workload.  Two weeks after he went I had a trip to the UK and spent most of it working trying to keep up with all his shit he hadnt done.   Zoom meetings with clients at 3am, bending over backwards accomodating odd requests with good humour and a can do attitude and really felt I'd done a lot to keep them onside.  Had lots of good feedback from them too and some excellent google reviews for the website. All good.  Got it all under control, everyone happy.

This week I have had three emails from clients with the "its not you, its me" line saying they are transferring their accounts to the old adviser at his new firm.  I am pissed off I really compromised my holiday (basically didnt have one) and they were going to fuck off anyway.  And who gets a bollocking Monday morning?  Yup, that'd be me.  

[Parky]

And I missed out on a bargain Alfa 166 as I was seeing one of his old clients tonight and it overran so I got home too late to put my bid in

[Talbot]

1 hour ago, horriblemercedes said:

I think if it's offered, I'll take the course.

58/50 it should be offered.  You are right on the threshold for action in the first place (+10%+2mph) and absolutly nowhere near the point where it needs to be points and no offer of a course (+10%+9mph)

Just to make you feel better, if you'd been clocked at 57mph, you would probably have been ignored.

[horriblemercedes]

13 minutes ago, Talbot said:

58/50 it should be offered.  You are right on the threshold for action in the first place (+10%+2mph) and absolutly nowhere near the point where it needs to be points and no offer of a course (+10%+9mph)

Just to make you feel better, if you'd been clocked at 57mph, you would probably have been ignored.

Yes, I know, but it's not compulsory for a course to be offered. It is up to the discretion of the force, which means there is a small doubt (I fully expect to be offered the course)

 

Yes, that is the annoying thing. I've got too complacent passing that stretch of motorway at 56-57 and must have strayed up slightly that morning! Definitely my own fault

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

I think if it's offered, I'll take the course. I'm quite good at sitting quietly with a smile hiding contempt

 

Plus, after three years, I'd be eligible for another course while the points stay for four

 

On the one hand, might as well start the clock ticking on the points but on the other hand, I might not get more points

 

Or I might (unlikely but possible) take the points and then in six months do something stupid that gets me six more points without the offer of a course and find myself with nine points

 

 

On balance, I think the course is the safest option. Either way I've marked the date of the offence on my phone calendar and the date by which they have to send me their next correspondence. From reading around I might never hear again or I might receive my next letter after this date. So I'm hoping for that! Fully prepared to take points or course depending on what's offered, however

 

As an aside, I drove the same route this morning and had to really look to see the two average speed cameras there. I had no idea they were there. They're both those tall yellow poles you normally see on average speed sections, but they're against the sky and the sun is shining right behind them at the time I pass in the morning. So that's my fault for not noticing them. I knew that bit had signs saying it's an average speed check, but I thought there were no cameras by that point. So yeah, my fault!

I always use cruise control through the average camera zones but set to 50 you always get a HGV six inches from the back bumper.

[horriblemercedes]

Just now, Metal Guru said:

I always use cruise control through the average camera zones but set to 50 you always get a HGV six inches from the back bumper.

Yeah, I've passed there almost every day for the last couple of years and go through at 56-57 by GPS on cruise control. Must have managed to go through just a tiny bit quicker this time! My own fault

[Parky]

I got caught doing 58 in a 50 and took the course.  

Found some bits interesting but the group quiz was hilarious - only three of us (out of about 30) knew the speed limit on a motorway was 70!

[Supernaut]

1 minute ago, Parky said:

I got caught doing 58 in a 50 and took the course.  

Found some bits interesting but the group quiz was hilarious - only three of us (out of about 30) knew the speed limit on a motorway was 70!

Hilarious or fucking terrifying?

[Parky]

Terrifying to be honest.  One girl said "Ah fort i' woz nintee coz dats what me uvver half drives at"

[Parky]

And she had been driving 14 years

[Talbot]

I got accused of "cheating" when I was on my SAC.  Quite how that would even be possible, I've no idea.  I think I pissed the woman running it off somewhat as it got to the point I stopped answering questions as it was boring, and I told her at one point that I knew exactly what speed I was doing when caught as it was specifically chosen to be a speed below the threshold that forces me down the line of points.

Went down like a sack of shit.  I should probably have kept my mouth shut as she could potentially have "failed" me and I'd have been looking at points again.  Which I did not want!

But yes.  The level of understanding of driving and Highway code from the other participants was disturbing.  Some of the guesses at speed limits on some roads were shockingly wrong.

[beko1987]

On my course (34 in a 30) one woman left at lunchtime and didn't come back! Instant fail/marked as a no show and points and a fine apparently

I didn't mind mine too much, the instructor was an older guy and really good, I think he worked out which of us were there for a tiny % over the limit and knew we had done wrong and concentrated on the idiots like the above examples in the room! 

[cobblers]

1 hour ago, Talbot said:

I got accused of "cheating" when I was on my SAC.  Quite how that would even be possible, I've no idea.  I think I pissed the woman running it off somewhat as it got to the point I stopped answering questions as it was boring, and I told her at one point that I knew exactly what speed I was doing when caught as it was specifically chosen to be a speed below the threshold that forces me down the line of points.

Went down like a sack of shit.  I should probably have kept my mouth shut as she could potentially have "failed" me and I'd have been looking at points again.  Which I did not want!

But yes.  The level of understanding of driving and Highway code from the other participants was disturbing.  Some of the guesses at speed limits on some roads were shockingly wrong.

My wife pretty much said the same. "I know it was a 30 limit because I drive down that road every day. I was going 36 because there's absolutely no good reason for that stretch of road to be a 30 limit, especially not at 6am on a sunday"

what she was doing couldn't be called dangerous or irresponsible by anyone reasonable. It's a road with good visibility, few hazards and in most cases would be a 40 limit. There have been no incidents on it for many years. 36mph really is an absolute crawling pace down there. 

Then they trot out the laughable stopping distance stuff: "Oh, but going that extra 6mph over the limit means that instead of stopping just before the child, you'll hit them at 35.997mph" using figures that were presumably tested using a hastily road-converted British rail class 45. 

[Dave_Q]

I've done the speed awareness course 3 times and it's much better since they went to Zoom. 

Make sure you shop around - even though there are only about 2 or 3 training providers, by booking through Hartlepool rather than Yorkshire I saved about £20.

I agree with the comments about the shocking level of understanding of the rules of the road from other participants. 

There is definitely some entertainment available from the various anti-physics claims on stopping distances.

A waste of time for those who can identify what the speed limit is and just decided not to do it, but still way better than points.

[horriblemercedes]

10 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

I've done the speed awareness course 3 times and it's much better since they went to Zoom. 

Make sure you shop around - even though there are only about 2 or 3 training providers, by booking through Hartlepool rather than Yorkshire I saved about £20.

I agree with the comments about the shocking level of understanding of the rules of the road from other participants. 

There is definitely some entertainment available from the various anti-physics claims on stopping distances.

A waste of time for those who can identify what the speed limit is and just decided not to do it, but still way better than points.

I'm waiting to see how that works - they don't just offer you a list of dates, times and places? You can organise it yourself?

[Dave_Q]

11 minutes ago, horriblemercedes said:

I'm waiting to see how that works - they don't just offer you a list of dates, times and places? You can organise it yourself?

When you get an offer of a course you book through an online portal.

But in that portal they are listed by police force, Manchester, West Yorkshire and so on.

If you go into the listing for each police force they have dates and online/in person options but they are all slightly different prices, presumably they all have different arrangements of how much cash they are trousering from the course fees.

[horriblemercedes]

23 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

When you get an offer of a course you book through an online portal.

But in that portal they are listed by police force, Manchester, West Yorkshire and so on.

If you go into the listing for each police force they have dates and online/in person options but they are all slightly different prices, presumably they all have different arrangements of how much cash they are trousering from the course fees.

Ah I see, so as long as you book one and turn up, you're fine?

 

I guess I'll just choose the cheapest one that is on Zoom that I'm available to do! Thanks for the tip

 

Edit:

If this link is up to date: https://www.confused.com/car-insurance/guides/speed-awareness-courses

 

It's only £73 for a Hartlepool speed awareness course. £79 for a Merseyside one. Winner. I'll look out for them

[nomiST]

I've just done one, today, this afternoon in fact.

It was... useful and that there's no real penalty is a bonus. 

Deffo better than three points and the insurance implications. 

Simon

[hairnet]

watching the athletics on iplayer not quite live and theres a start (from the beginning) 20 sec back play 20 sec forward and live

skipping forward i keep hitting the live and getting a completely different prog (the next on air)

fk you fat fiinger bastard

 

[RoverFolkUs]

On 7/15/2023 at 10:02 PM, RoverFolkUs said:

Fantastic, I've just noticed a dental filling which I received a couple of weeks ago has gone loose 

I thought something wasn't quite right as this particular one felt quite sensitive when none of the others I received on the same day did

I was quite concerned because the dental nurse/assistant was clearly inept, as the dentist was trying to give him instructions on what to do, and it sounded like he was messing things up, while she was doing the fillings.. 

 

On 7/15/2023 at 10:56 PM, High Jetter said:

Speak to them ASAP, they should re-do it urgently, FOC. Ask me how I know

Well that turned out to be an uphill struggle.. 

Got seen this morning. She tried to reassure me that it was "absolutely fine" after some aggressive poking

I said that you will see what I mean if you really gently wiggle it with a pick or something

She attempted to do this, still "couldn't see anything wrong" 

I said is there any particular reason why I can't bite down on that tooth then without severe pain, but the others are no problem? Do I need to show you what I mean by loose? 

She does a bit more poking, gentler this time, and conveniently a piece of this faulty filling breaks off and now exposed itself as being really loose.. 

A few moments later... 

"Ah, apologies, you're absolutely right, I will redo that one for you" 

Some people would have accepted that "it's ok" as an answer and gone away suffering every time they eat something and bite on that tooth until it breaks off completely or gets an infection.. 

Argh!! 

[Yoss]

7 hours ago, cobblers said:

using figures that were presumably tested using a hastily road-converted British rail class 45. 

That bit did make me laugh and got me wondering. I tried as hard as I could to find a road going 45 but to avail. The biggest thing I found was a class 37.

[High Jetter]

53 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

 

Well that turned out to be an uphill struggle.. 

Got seen this morning. She tried to reassure me that it was "absolutely fine" after some aggressive poking

I said that you will see what I mean if you really gently wiggle it with a pick or something

She attempted to do this, still "couldn't see anything wrong" 

I said is there any particular reason why I can't bite down on that tooth then without severe pain, but the others are no problem? Do I need to show you what I mean by loose? 

She does a bit more poking, gentler this time, and conveniently a piece of this faulty filling breaks off and now exposed itself as being really loose.. 

A few moments later... 

"Ah, apologies, you're absolutely right, I will redo that one for you" 

Some people would have accepted that "it's ok" as an answer and gone away suffering every time they eat something and bite on that tooth until it breaks off completely or gets an infection.. 

Argh!! 

I hope that wasn't Hyde Gardens

[myglaren]

1 hour ago, RoverFolkUs said:

 

Well that turned out to be an uphill struggle.. 

Got seen this morning. She tried to reassure me that it was "absolutely fine" after some aggressive poking

I said that you will see what I mean if you really gently wiggle it with a pick or something

She attempted to do this, still "couldn't see anything wrong" 

I said is there any particular reason why I can't bite down on that tooth then without severe pain, but the others are no problem? Do I need to show you what I mean by loose? 

She does a bit more poking, gentler this time, and conveniently a piece of this faulty filling breaks off and now exposed itself as being really loose.. 

A few moments later... 

"Ah, apologies, you're absolutely right, I will redo that one for you" 

Some people would have accepted that "it's ok" as an answer and gone away suffering every time they eat something and bite on that tooth until it breaks off completely or gets an infection.. 

Argh!! 

I went to a dentist that put a filing in.  By next morning it had deformed and spread and was cutting into my cheek.

Went back after work and they were closed.

Same the following day but by then I had used a magneto file to file it smooth again.

Haven't been back and that was twenty years ago.

[High Jetter]

Impressive. I have a Draper points file that has been used for anything & everything else, for the last 30 odd years.

[New POD]

I'm trying not to be grumpy.  Because nothing bad happened to me.

In the past 2 weeks:

Wife's sister made her cry (and my wife thinks is still playing a game of mind manipulation, by behaviour that is bordline narcissistic..gas lighting might be a way to describe it)

Daughter's boyfriend's mother has been dying in a hospice (died yesterday), 

Wife's sister phoned daughter to offer to pay for a return taxi from Manchester to Bournemouth so she could be with her boyfriend.   Really?  What's that about ? 

Daughter's boyfriend got a demand the day before his mother died for €6000 euro from a hire car company in Croatia that says he (his twin sister in fact) put diesel in a petrol car, and damaged the engine..Given that they drove for over 100 km, after filling up and returned the hire car needing fuel, I think there's some ballocks happening. (They hadn't planned to use that particular company, but when they arrived at the airport, the fact that neither has a credit card, meant that the company they had booked with wouldn't release the keys to them (despite thier website saying they could pay with debit card) 

Our House sale looks to be about to fall through. 

Wife has post holiday blues. 

It's raining.