The grumpy thread

[purplebargeken]

I don’t know. Thought I had posted it in the what makes you grin thread. Now I am grumpy lol.

[Dyslexic Viking]

There is an article with an interview with nudists here, why can't they censor the pictures, there are some people you don't want to see naked an these are some of them.

[richardmorris]

16 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

There is an article with an interview with nudists here, why can't they censor the pictures, there are some people you don't want to see naked a these are some of them.

Nudists tend to be the sort of people you don’t want to see naked.

[adw1977]

Karcher pressure washer came out today to give the patio the first clean in several months. 

Am I being thick, or are Karchers a real pain in the arse to use?  I've never really got to grips with the one I've had for several years now, possibly because I only tend to use it twice a year, but the attachments seem to require a ridiculous amount of force to attach and water always seems to piss out from the join. 

The water pressure coming out of the end always seems to be either inadequate or more suitable for blasting a hole in the patio than cleaning it, nothing in-between.  And it gets through a whole (quite expensive) bottle of cleaning fluid in about ten minutes!

[sheffcortinacentre]

1 minute ago, adw1977 said:

Karcher pressure washer came out today to give the patio the first clean in several months. 

Am I being thick, or are Karchers a real pain in the arse to use?  I've never really got to grips with the one I've had for several years now, possibly because I only tend to use it twice a year, but the attachments seem to require a ridiculous amount of force to attach and water always seems to piss out from the join. 

The water pressure coming out of the end always seems to be either inadequate or more suitable for blasting a hole in the patio than cleaning it, nothing in-between.  And it gets through a whole (quite expensive) bottle of cleaning fluid in about ten minutes!

I think the all the DIY ones are a waste of time.

[Dyslexic Viking]

3 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

are Karchers a real pain in the arse to use?

I have had 2 Karchers in the last 10 years and have been happy with both. The only downside with the first one was that it had a stiff hose and it was a pain to use because of it.

[bunglebus]

I've struggled with getting the attachments on and off at times, there's an o-ring in them and if it's not seated right it'll fight you all the way. Other trick is to turn the machine off then pull the trigger to relive the pressure in the lance. That will be make life a lot easier swapping bits over.

[Floatylight]

2 hours ago, adw1977 said:

Karcher pressure washer came out today to give the patio the first clean in several months. 

Am I being thick, or are Karchers a real pain in the arse to use?  I've never really got to grips with the one I've had for several years now, possibly because I only tend to use it twice a year, but the attachments seem to require a ridiculous amount of force to attach and water always seems to piss out from the join. 

The water pressure coming out of the end always seems to be either inadequate or more suitable for blasting a hole in the patio than cleaning it, nothing in-between.  And it gets through a whole (quite expensive) bottle of cleaning fluid in about ten minutes!

I ordered one of these do days, certainly much better for washing cars etc.

https://amzn.eu/d/9wciqCO

[Metal Guru]

12 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

I think the all the DIY ones are a waste of time.

They are probably designed to be a bit feeble so you don’t do too much damage with it.

[beko1987]

11 hours ago, Floatylight said:

I ordered one of these do days, certainly much better for washing cars etc.

https://amzn.eu/d/9wciqCO

I've got one of these to try too! Mine was from Ali express and a tenner delivered so I'm not holding it much hope of it being reliable, but it came with the fittings and adapter for my nilfisk so if I works long enough for me to like it I'll order a better gun part. 

Hoping to be car washing tomorrow morning too! Got some nice new shampoo delivered yesterday 

[sierraman]

6 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

They are probably designed to be a bit feeble so you don’t do too much damage with it.

Maybe, I once went straight through a wing on a Rover 827 with a jet washer. Not sure if that’s just reflective of the haphazard Rover build quality though. 

[jakebullet]

Little blue the C1 is sick. Drove all over all week no problems, pulled into petrol station. Filled up n hmmm doesn't want to go into gear. N doesnt want to change to second when i get it going. Reverse is a super grinderthon. N theres a rattle noise.

Or tldr i think the clutch is in the process of breaking up. On bright side made it to mechanics who's not taking on big jobs at minute but will look at it when he can find time.

 

[Remspoor]

20 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Nudists tend to be the sort of people you don’t want to see naked.

They should all be hiding in their bush😉

[Remspoor]

20 hours ago, adw1977 said:

Karcher pressure washer came out today to give the patio the first clean in several months. 

Am I being thick, or are Karchers a real pain in the arse to use?  I've never really got to grips with the one I've had for several years now, possibly because I only tend to use it twice a year, but the attachments seem to require a ridiculous amount of force to attach and water always seems to piss out from the join. 

The water pressure coming out of the end always seems to be either inadequate or more suitable for blasting a hole in the patio than cleaning it, nothing in-between.  And it gets through a whole (quite expensive) bottle of cleaning fluid in about ten minutes!

maybe you do not need a pressure washer at all.

 

[louiepj]

Little blue the C1 is sick. Drove all over all week no problems, pulled into petrol station. Filled up n hmmm doesn't want to go into gear. N doesnt want to change to second when i get it going. Reverse is a super grinderthon. N theres a rattle noise.
Or tldr i think the clutch is in the process of breaking up. On bright side made it to mechanics who's not taking on big jobs at minute but will look at it when he can find time.
 

Don't these have a good old adjustable clutch cable on them? You might get lucky.

[artdjones]

On 09/05/2024 at 16:55, grogee said:

Fuxache. 

I mean, I don't actually need this wiper motor but I noticed the Maestro wipers were a bit lazy the other day, so I idly browsed for parts. 

Hit upon this old giffer site which is just a list of part numbers, no links, no details. 

Dropped them a line and... Price gouge alert. 

Looks like I'll be taking mine to bits, then. 

Going to Porto in the near future?

https://www.oliveiravalentimlda.com/GNU7759-Motor-do-limpa-vidros-da-frente-Austin-Maestro-13-16-CC-3/1983-to-7/1989

[artdjones]

On 09/05/2024 at 16:55, grogee said:

Fuxache. 

I mean, I don't actually need this wiper motor but I noticed the Maestro wipers were a bit lazy the other day, so I idly browsed for parts. 

Hit upon this old giffer site which is just a list of part numbers, no links, no details. 

Dropped them a line and... Price gouge alert. 

Looks like I'll be taking mine to bits, then. 

https://www.lmslichfieldltd.com/epages/BT4011.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BT4011/Products/"electrical+store+152B"&Locale=en_GB

Might be worth seeing if this is still current.

 

Edit:- Seems to be. Maybe that's where the robbers above buy them. Military surplus dealers probably have Maestro/Montego stashed, as the forces were big users of the cars 

[grogee]

A thousand shite points to YOU, @artdjones.

Just as I was contemplating a holiday in Lisbon (I've been before, it's ace) along you come with the bargain of the century. Outstanding work. 

Obviously I've already bought it. 

[artdjones]

30 minutes ago, grogee said:

A thousand shite points to YOU, @artdjones.

Just as I was contemplating a holiday in Lisbon (I've been before, it's ace) along you come with the bargain of the century. Outstanding work. 

Obviously I've already bought it. 

I like finding parts as cheaply as possible.

Agree about Lisbon, I could live there.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, grogee said:

A thousand shite points to YOU, @artdjones.

Just as I was contemplating a holiday in Lisbon (I've been before, it's ace) along you come with the bargain of the century. Outstanding work. 

Obviously I've already bought it. 

Ooh, get you Mr Fancy double barrel! 🤣 Seriously, that's a barg.

[grogee]

6 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Mr Fancy double barrel!

 

[beko1987]

On 09/05/2024 at 22:04, Floatylight said:

I ordered one of these do days, certainly much better for washing cars etc.

https://amzn.eu/d/9wciqCO

Their fucking amazing! Spent all day using mine and it's so much better than the long lance that comes with the pressure washer! 

Being able to get really close to things is amazing, can flush loads out at different angles and not have the massive lance in the way. Ditto the door shuts, was so easy to do with a stubby lance! 

If I hadn't have slipped and gone to steady myself on the bonnet whilst it was up, pushing it back into the wiper arms which were up and cracking my bloody windscreen I'd call it a good day... 

The green one was the best I found. One is just a straight tiny jet, looks fun/dangerous. Be careful as you go under the wheel arches too, which again, being short it's fucking amazing at but I nearly took my eye out as some of the jet popped out from behind the panel... 

 

[richardmorris]

@motorpunk  occasional Amazon idiocy.

[Popsicle]

Sigh, 6 month old, 14k mile tyre.

Still has 6.5mm tread left.

[barefoot]

Take the tyre off the rim and take it to a proper repairer. Tractor tyres and lorry tyres aren’t scrapped for a minor injury like that. I use SB tyres in Coalville 07914 820229.

[RoverFolkUs]

Parcel-fucking-force

2x missed delivery attempts.. ok, arrange redelivery....

Go online, fill out the details, computer says no. Tracking number not recognised 

Eh? Try again. 

Tracking number not recognised 

Go onto tracking, indeed, it is recognised. Says it is being held at the depot. 

Try again. 

Tracking number not recognised. 

WTF? 

Add a space in the postcode, just in case, bingo, computer says yes. 

So that was helpful, tells me tracking number not recognised when it actually just wanted a space in the postcode... 

Arrange redelivery, £5.50 charge for redirection. No problem. 

Delivery arranged for 3 days later. "We will contact you prior to delivery to collect £5.50"

3 days later, no sign of the parcel. No request for payment. 

Call customer services. Waste 10 minutes talking to the robot which could not interpret the details correctly. 

Try again online, re-arrange delivery for another 3 days later. "We will contact you prior to delivery to collect £5.50"

Guess what? Another 3 days later, no sign of the parcel. No contact. 

Enter tracking number, it does not say anything about the redirection. 

Try to phone again, get stuck with the robot. Spend another 10 minutes trying to make it interpret the details. Doesn't work, it transfers me to a human 

Spoke to a helpful chap who can't understand why the parcel hasn't been redirected. He leaves a message with the depot asking them to call me to arrange payment and redelivery, but the phone call gets cut off. 

I try to call back, have to go through the robot again, another 10 minutes I get put through to a lady who identifies there is somehow a missing digit from the phone number hence why they haven't been able to call and arrange payment... Ok, please could you update it and ask the depot to call me? Ideally today, so that I can actually have the parcel ASAP

No problem, etc etc. 

Half an hour later I receive a voicemail but no missed call... Voicemail in a very rude tone from someone at the depot "we've been trying to get hold of you to arrange payment for the parcel you have asked to be redirected to [XYZ] , could you please call customer services and advise them of a time that you are actually available to answer the phone?" 

I call customer services AGAIN - 10 minutes with the robot, which fails, then I'm put on hold for a further 15 minutes to speak to a human. 

Speak to another bloke this time, he says he has no facility to contact the depot or leave a message with them as he is just a call centre, so please fill out the online form to arrange redelivery. That's weird, because the other 2 colleagues of yours were able to leave a message with the depot.. he puts me on hold for a couple of minutes and then says that he can see the previous messages, and he will ask the depot to call me back.. 

I ask, can I PLEASE pay now, or pay online, or call the depot myself and make payment? 

No, the only option is for the depot to call you, they will only make one attempt before you have to rearrange delivery. He cannot take payment from me either, and there is no option to pay online. 

What the actual fuck is this all about?? You have one opportunity to answer the phone, if you even receive a call, to pay for the redelivery, otherwise it gets cancelled and you get no notification as such? 

Jesus fucking wept

[RoverFolkUs]

Second grump

Time for new glasses

Used a national high street chain as ever. I know I could have eliminated half this trouble by using an independent firm.... 

The optician herself has been there for years, she's brilliant, as are the other long standing members of staff 

But they seem to have some new members of staff who are woefully badly trained. 

Today was the fitting appointment, new member of staff hands me the sunglasses and says "you can't wear these to look at a computer or phone screen"

Why is that? 

"Because of the polarising tint you opted for" 

Well, great, I wasn't told about that before ordering them but it's not a big problem. 

Then she gives me my long distance glasses, no issues with them other than a slight adjustment. 

Then it's time to try on the sunglasses. 

Immediately I noticed they are out of shape and don't fit on my face properly 

I point this out to her, she says, "no, they're fine, your face is just wonky" 

Excuse me? 

"One ear is higher than the other one, that's how those glasses come" 

No it isn't, they weren't like that when I tried them on. 

I place them down on the desk, they are bent, and completely out of shape. They're only a plastic frame, so this is not much of a surprise. 

I ask her to straighten them

"We can do that but sometimes people think they need to sit straight on the desk but it ends up being worse on their face, I can adjust it at your risk" 

What? 

I've literally never had any of this trouble before, they weren't bent when I chose them, so they need straightening. Nothing is at my risk, you're giving me defective glasses, they need to sit straight! 🤔

The optician herself told me that my old glasses could worsen my astigmatism as they were broken and not sitting straight... 

She trots off to the machine, straightens them, and hands them back. Much better, I can feel they are straight on my face, look in the mirror, they're fine. 

She pipes up "well now you've asked me to do that, they're not straight on your face because your eyebrows are different heights and so are your ears" 

What the actual fuck? Who speaks to a customer like that 😭🤣

I've got my glasses, they're fine now, I'm happy, but she needs some serious training or put on a non-customer facing role... 

[Popsicle]

21 minutes ago, barefoot said:

Take the tyre off the rim and take it to a proper repairer. Tractor tyres and lorry tyres aren’t scrapped for a minor injury like that. I use SB tyres in Coalville 07914 820229.

Cheers mate, thanks for the info. I know you're localish to me, the guy at the Spondon end of Raynesway will vulcanise a patch on it for £25, he just never seems to be on site to do anything! I might well give your Coalville guy a call 👍.

[Noel Tidybeard]

23 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Ooh, get you Mr Fancy double barrel! 🤣 Seriously, that's a barg.

he's a right coffee snob as well!🤣🤣

[High Jetter]

42 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

know I could have eliminated half this trouble by using an independent firm.... 

You said it. One Asda 'dispenser' wiped the alignment pen marks from my lenses, before putting them on me...