The grumpy thread

[horriblemercedes]

2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Well we managed to save about 40% of the food.  Sadly as it had been off since before dinner time yesterday it was pretty far gone by this morning.  I heard an odd "click" yesterday evening but got sidetracked before tracking it down - that click was the thermal overload on the compressor tripping/resetting.

I do have a couple of "questions" for Samsung though.

Firstly: If you're going to put a huge digital temperature display on the outside of the door...why on earth would you not make it show the ACTUAL temperature inside the thing, if not all the time, when there's an alarm condition?!? 

I know it knows the temperature inside the fridge and freezer, as it shows the current temperature for about 30 seconds when you first plug it in (as shown above).  Thereafter it just shows the setpoint.

Secondly: You made this thing "ping" at us if we leave the door ajar or hold the water dispenser lever in for longer than it takes to fill a medium sized glass.  Why the hell didn't you include a high temperature alarm in the list of things to make the bloody thing ping at us for?  There was absolutely zero outward evidence of the fact the fridge was at 19C and thrle freezer at 7C until we opened the door and discovered the issue.

Also the condenser design is just fscking stupid, and is pretty definitely what eventually killed the compressor.  Rather than a "radiator" like unit they've used a very densely coiled "square spiral" for want of a better word of finned tubing, with a tiny fan to draw air across it.  The downside to this is that the fins on the tube may as well be velcro for their tendency to attract dust, and the three dimensional nature of the thing (and surrounding metalwork) makes it basically impossible to clean all but the outer surface of it.  Even compressed air doesn't shift much.  Utterly stupid design.  You need to remove ten screws and wrestle a metal cover off to get in far enough to even clean that - Samsung don't intend that to ever be cleaned given that the cover has the "do not remove - no user serviceable parts inside" sticker on it.

Final grumble: Having spent a good bit of this morning scoping out as near as possible like-for-like replacements, why the actual fluffing hell do all fridges now have WiFi and/or Bluetooth connectivity?!?  It's a bloody FRIDGE, not a laptop.

That does seem like proper shit design. 

 

I don't want to go all "the old days were better" but in storage I have an old Hotpoint freezer and Lec fridge. Both display "Made in Britain". I'd guess they're from the 1970s or 1980s. Both worked perfectly last time I tried them. They do have a bit of rust here and there though.... 

And I bet they use about 5x as much electricity as a modern one

They're just not in my house because I've moved to a small place that came with a nearly new  fridge/freezer. If that packs up, they'll be in the house 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

This dates from 2002, and it was secondhand when we got it so I can't complain really.  However it's the first time I think I've ever actually seen the refrigeration side fail in a domestic refrigerator (not counting people wrecking the condenser when moving them/applying violence when defrosting). Usually the case/shelves/door falls apart long before the refrigeration bits die.

That's a good innings, didn't know Samsung made them that early

[myglaren]

My (Daewoo) FF is from 2000 too.  No complaints but is is quite basic with no ice maker or fancy screens.

I made tea, took the cup to the fridge, took out the milk, added to the tea, knocked the cup flying, spent the next hour dragging the FF out and cleaning it and washing the floors.

When I bought the FF from Northern Electric they had some deals going on.  I got £150 back from British Gas (it is an electric FF) also dozens of free LEF bulbs, half a dozen a month for over a year, and a huge discount for signing up to Scottish Power (from British Gas and Northern Electric).

Made no sense to me but money in my pocket.

[sheffcortinacentre]

19 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

When they quote that 50% ( or whatever figure) of “accidents” are due to speeding, I always think , we’ll technically all are because if you weren’t still moving at the point of contact , there wouldn’t be the accident.

My second thought though is 100% are caused by driving like a twat. Unfortunately doing 82mph on an quiet motorway in good conditions , is very much easier to prove, than driving like a twat.

Exactly, like all the blustering hype over these new cameras.

I'll be impressed when one that can spot concealed weapons, drugs etc is rolled out.

But again easier to make an honest man a criminal than a criminal an honest man.

[Metal Guru]

6 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

That does seem like proper shit design. 

 

I don't want to go all "the old days were better" but in storage I have an old Hotpoint freezer and Lec fridge. Both display "Made in Britain". I'd guess they're from the 1970s or 1980s. Both worked perfectly last time I tried them. They do have a bit of rust here and there though.... 

And I bet they use about 5x as much electricity as a modern one

They're just not in my house because I've moved to a small place that came with a nearly new  fridge/freezer. If that packs up, they'll be in the house 

I got rid of a perfectly working 25 year old freezer a couple of years ago after checking how much electricity it was using . In the hottest week of 2022, it cost £10 to run. 

[artdjones]

7 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

I got rid of a perfectly working 25 year old freezer a couple of years ago after checking how much electricity it was using . In the hottest week of 2022, it cost £10 to run. 

I've got a customer who lived with her husband in the US for a few years then came back around 1962 to buy a farm with the money they earned. She brought back her Westinghouse fridge which looks something like this .

 

It's still running away in her kitchen on a 110-220v transformer sixty years later.

[MikeR]

took the kids to a cafe yesterday , 

ice cream , drinks , cuppa for me ..

after a while my tea had not arrived despite the staff arsing around behind the till ...

mentioned my lack of tea , oh yes you can have tea that's so much to pay ,, err I have already paid !!

more arsing around , eventually tea pot and cup turn up ...

minus the T bag ...

took the pot back and pointed out the lack of T bag ,

you guessed it , more arsing around 

pot comes back with a T bag but no lid ..

wont be rushing back ...

[EyesWeldedShut]

The perfect storm:

1) Kids visiting
2) Olympics on telly
3) Banal shite commentators blathering on about anything, everything and nothing

Yes, the art of conversation is officially dead. I'm off out to boil my head before I destroy the TV 

[JeeExEll]

I'm a mature horticulture student based mainly at a local garden which is open to the public.

Entry to the garden is free but there is a voluntary donations post-box by the gate on the way out. We get visitors from all over the world on bus tours, and in summer the donations box receives much appreciated donations which we use to continue the operation.

Unfortunately, recently, someone has been cutting through the box padlock with a battery powered grinder and taking the donations.

What is worse is that they then put their own padlock on the box.

We now have a battery powered grinder to remove their padlocks but are considering removing the box altogether or installing cctv. But the donations box is a long way from a power source.

Why do people act in this way?

We had one woman who used to come in and regularly dig up plants from carefully arranged borders and take them home. She was a high member of a local church but stopped the plant stealage when threatened with a police report.

[IronStar]

1 hour ago, JeeExEll said:

I'm a mature horticulture student based mainly at a local garden which is open to the public.

Entry to the garden is free but there is a voluntary donations post-box by the gate on the way out. We get visitors from all over the world on bus tours, and in summer the donations box receives much appreciated donations which we use to continue the operation.

Unfortunately, recently, someone has been cutting through the box padlock with a battery powered grinder and taking the donations.

What is worse is that they then put their own padlock on the box.

We now have a battery powered grinder to remove their padlocks but are considering removing the box altogether or installing cctv. But the donations box is a long way from a power source.

Why do people act in this way?

We had one woman who used to come in and regularly dig up plants from carefully arranged borders and take them home. She was a high member of a local church but stopped the plant stealage when threatened with a police report.

People are dipshits. 
How about 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xiaomi-Wireless-Outdoor-Security-Camera/dp/B09DQ24TGX/

90 day battery life, no need for power source, decent video quality. Needs to be within the receiver range, but surely you can find a place with a plug to put that in? Has cloud storage as well. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Plod won't be interested.

[Zelandeth]

On 02/08/2024 at 17:09, Zelandeth said:

Well we managed to save about 40% of the food.  Sadly as it had been off since before dinner time yesterday it was pretty far gone by this morning.  I heard an odd "click" yesterday evening but got sidetracked before tracking it down - that click was the thermal overload on the compressor tripping/resetting.

I do have a couple of "questions" for Samsung though.

Firstly: If you're going to put a huge digital temperature display on the outside of the door...why on earth would you not make it show the ACTUAL temperature inside the thing, if not all the time, when there's an alarm condition?!? 

I know it knows the temperature inside the fridge and freezer, as it shows the current temperature for about 30 seconds when you first plug it in (as shown above).  Thereafter it just shows the setpoint.

Secondly: You made this thing "ping" at us if we leave the door ajar or hold the water dispenser lever in for longer than it takes to fill a medium sized glass.  Why the hell didn't you include a high temperature alarm in the list of things to make the bloody thing ping at us for?  There was absolutely zero outward evidence of the fact the fridge was at 19C and thrle freezer at 7C until we opened the door and discovered the issue.

Also the condenser design is just fscking stupid, and is pretty definitely what eventually killed the compressor.  Rather than a "radiator" like unit they've used a very densely coiled "square spiral" for want of a better word of finned tubing, with a tiny fan to draw air across it.  The downside to this is that the fins on the tube may as well be velcro for their tendency to attract dust, and the three dimensional nature of the thing (and surrounding metalwork) makes it basically impossible to clean all but the outer surface of it.  Even compressed air doesn't shift much.  Utterly stupid design.  You need to remove ten screws and wrestle a metal cover off to get in far enough to even clean that - Samsung don't intend that to ever be cleaned given that the cover has the "do not remove - no user serviceable parts inside" sticker on it.

Final grumble: Having spent a good bit of this morning scoping out as near as possible like-for-like replacements, why the actual fluffing hell do all fridges now have WiFi and/or Bluetooth connectivity?!?  It's a bloody FRIDGE, not a laptop.

Well absolutely can't complain about AO.com.  Ordered new fridge late on yesterday afternoon, it was here just after 11am this morning.

Guys who did the delivery were excellent.  Wasn't exactly a simple one either as they both had to dismantle the old one to get it out, and the new one to get it in.  Really polite, efficient and professional.  Really couldn't have done more to help.

This does have the ability to do Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity, but doesn't seem to require it to function normally as a fridge/freezer.

This was basically the best reviewed model we could find which most closely matched the capacity of the existing one and still had the ice/chilled water dispenser (which I *do* use a bunch so didn't want to lose).  The silly feature which allows you to turn the light on by knocking on the door is utterly pointless, but the split door allowing access to the fridge door shelves isn't actually a bad idea.  Probably 80% of the times I open the door it's just to get the milk for coffee.

Do I expect this to last 22 years with its inverter drive, variable speed compressor and more microprocessors than you can shake a stick at?  No.  I really don't.  I expect it to just about see out the warranty period then fail in some catastrophic and irreparable way.

[High Jetter]

10 year g'tee tho?

[MikeR]

the Mrs went to a wedding do yesterday in Liverpool ...

midnight pickup run for me to do ....

it slowly dawned on me during the evening that me planned route in , was blocked by a riot within a bricks throw of the reception ..

re planned route to avoid the riot . how to get to Anfield road and stay away from County road ..

never seen so many police vans , helicopter , smoke , people milling around .. 

arrived at venue and they knew nothing about it !

grabbed the wife , in the car , locked doors , covered her up and to put it mildly , fucked off asap

whilst the Mrs stared wild eyed at what was going on !

[24vdiamond]

12 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Well absolutely can't complain about AO.com.  Ordered new fridge late on yesterday afternoon, it was here just after 11am this morning.

Guys who did the delivery were excellent.  Wasn't exactly a simple one either as they both had to dismantle the old one to get it out, and the new one to get it in.  Really polite, efficient and professional.  Really couldn't have done more to help.

This does have the ability to do Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity, but doesn't seem to require it to function normally as a fridge/freezer.

This was basically the best reviewed model we could find which most closely matched the capacity of the existing one and still had the ice/chilled water dispenser (which I *do* use a bunch so didn't want to lose).  The silly feature which allows you to turn the light on by knocking on the door is utterly pointless, but the split door allowing access to the fridge door shelves isn't actually a bad idea.  Probably 80% of the times I open the door it's just to get the milk for coffee.

Do I expect this to last 22 years with its inverter drive, variable speed compressor and more microprocessors than you can shake a stick at?  No.  I really don't.  I expect it to just about see out the warranty period then fail in some catastrophic and irreparable way.

Thats nearly as big as my kitchen! 😁

[MikeR]

13 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Well absolutely can't complain about AO.com.  Ordered new fridge late on yesterday afternoon, it was here just after 11am this morning.

Guys who did the delivery were excellent.  Wasn't exactly a simple one either as they both had to dismantle the old one to get it out, and the new one to get it in.  Really polite, efficient and professional.  Really couldn't have done more to help.

This does have the ability to do Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity, but doesn't seem to require it to function normally as a fridge/freezer.

This was basically the best reviewed model we could find which most closely matched the capacity of the existing one and still had the ice/chilled water dispenser (which I *do* use a bunch so didn't want to lose).  The silly feature which allows you to turn the light on by knocking on the door is utterly pointless, but the split door allowing access to the fridge door shelves isn't actually a bad idea.  Probably 80% of the times I open the door it's just to get the milk for coffee.

Do I expect this to last 22 years with its inverter drive, variable speed compressor and more microprocessors than you can shake a stick at?  No.  I really don't.  I expect it to just about see out the warranty period then fail in some catastrophic and irreparable way.

is it worth getting one of those temp/moisture wifi monitors to put in the fridge , we do that with our caravan fridge to monitor it  during the winter .

not only can we watch the temp is ok , we know when the cold stops the fridge working ... and the freezer defrosts , it also does alerts to your phone if asked 

[New POD]

On 03/08/2024 at 09:41, artdjones said:

I've got a customer who lived with her husband in the US for a few years then came back around 1962 to buy a farm with the money they earned. She brought back her Westinghouse fridge which looks something like this .

 

It's still running away in her kitchen on a 110-220v transformer sixty years later.

We had one similar in a student rental I shared in the 80s.  Except it said Smeg on the front.  Probably from.the 50s. 

[GeorgeB]

7 hours ago, New POD said:

We had one similar in a student rental I shared in the 80s.  Except it said Smeg on the front.  Probably from.the 50s. 

The Smeg ones are modern "retro" copies.

[New POD]

3 hours ago, GeorgeB said:

The Smeg ones are modern "retro" copies.

The one we had was archaic and clearly from the 50s 

[High Jetter]

I remember my gran's fridge, in a cold pantry. Probably bought late 50s, or early 60's, not electric. Gas powered. 

[Split_Pin]

Aye, so I'm done with car shows.

Took the A8 and went to the trouble of typing up a bit of its history  to put in the windscreen. Kept it short and did it in something like 36 point to aid digestion. To be fair, a lot of people did read that, well some of it.

I spent a few weeks tidying it up as best I could, I thought it turned out well.

As soon as I got there 2 older chaps pointed to the out-of-adjustment front bumper and commented on it. Nothing positive to say at all. One other knobhead with those big disc things inserted into a stretched ear lobe looked inside and said 'It's got the cheaper seats' and went on to explain to his friend how his was better. Deliberately within earshot of me. A few other people just laughed at it.

I mean, it's an awesome car at the top of its game at the time and folk think it's funny? 🤷‍♂️

The previous week I went to a Rover 75 meet in Gretna. If people care so much about preserving these cars then they need to treat the younger owners with a bit of respect. I started chatting to one older guy and he literally walked away. Really rude. Keep going like that and the cars will all be long gone withing a decade or so.

Anyway, I'm never going back.

[Metal Guru]

40 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Aye, so I'm done with car shows.

Took the A8 and went to the trouble of typing up a bit of its history  to put in the windscreen. Kept it short and did it in something like 36 point to aid digestion. To be fair, a lot of people did read that, well some of it.

I spent a few weeks tidying it up as best I could, I thought it turned out well.

As soon as I got there 2 older chaps pointed to the out-of-adjustment front bumper and commented on it. Nothing positive to say at all. One other knobhead with those big disc things inserted into a stretched ear lobe looked inside and said 'It's got the cheaper seats' and went on to explain to his friend how his was better. Deliberately within earshot of me. A few other people just laughed at it.

I mean, it's an awesome car at the top of its game at the time and folk think it's funny? 🤷‍♂️

The previous week I went to a Rover 75 meet in Gretna. If people care so much about preserving these cars then they need to treat the younger owners with a bit of respect. I started chatting to one older guy and he literally walked away. Really rude. Keep going like that and the cars will all be long gone withing a decade or so.

Anyway, I'm never going back.

You’ll always get experts * who know everything about every make and model. Car shows are just a focal point for loads of them to be in one place. 
Either avoid or have plenty of bullshit to fire back at them. 

[beko1987]

On 03/08/2024 at 22:31, Zelandeth said:

Well absolutely can't complain about AO.com.  Ordered new fridge late on yesterday afternoon, it was here just after 11am this morning.

Guys who did the delivery were excellent.  Wasn't exactly a simple one either as they both had to dismantle the old one to get it out, and the new one to get it in.  Really polite, efficient and professional.  Really couldn't have done more to help.

This does have the ability to do Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity, but doesn't seem to require it to function normally as a fridge/freezer.

This was basically the best reviewed model we could find which most closely matched the capacity of the existing one and still had the ice/chilled water dispenser (which I *do* use a bunch so didn't want to lose).  The silly feature which allows you to turn the light on by knocking on the door is utterly pointless, but the split door allowing access to the fridge door shelves isn't actually a bad idea.  Probably 80% of the times I open the door it's just to get the milk for coffee.

Do I expect this to last 22 years with its inverter drive, variable speed compressor and more microprocessors than you can shake a stick at?  No.  I really don't.  I expect it to just about see out the warranty period then fail in some catastrophic and irreparable way.

The last bit is most important sadly. Make sure the warranty is registered and all paperwork filed away. 

I don't know if you do any smart home stuff but would a temp sensor tucked inside it, then set up to alert the world if the temp suddenly becomes x degrees for 15 minutes? If you had home assistant I'd recommend a cheap zigbee temp sensor. 

Or a smart plug, but that assumes it stopped pulling in voltage/there was a big drop when it died

[Alan G]

On 04/08/2024 at 08:57, MikeR said:

the Mrs went to a wedding do yesterday in Liverpool ...

midnight pickup run for me to do ....

it slowly dawned on me during the evening that me planned route in , was blocked by a riot within a bricks throw of the reception ..

re planned route to avoid the riot . how to get to Anfield road and stay away from County road ..

never seen so many police vans , helicopter , smoke , people milling around .. 

arrived at venue and they knew nothing about it !

grabbed the wife , in the car , locked doors , covered her up and to put it mildly , fucked off asap

whilst the Mrs stared wild eyed at what was going on !

Many years ago I did that in Bristol. Can't remember where I'd been but I drove through St Pauls on my way home. It was a bit odd because there were very few people about but the road and pavements were littered with things. It was only when I got home I found out I'd driven through a riot!  

[Alan G]

4 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Aye, so I'm done with car shows.

Took the A8 and went to the trouble of typing up a bit of its history  to put in the windscreen. Kept it short and did it in something like 36 point to aid digestion. To be fair, a lot of people did read that, well some of it.

I spent a few weeks tidying it up as best I could, I thought it turned out well.

As soon as I got there 2 older chaps pointed to the out-of-adjustment front bumper and commented on it. Nothing positive to say at all. One other knobhead with those big disc things inserted into a stretched ear lobe looked inside and said 'It's got the cheaper seats' and went on to explain to his friend how his was better. Deliberately within earshot of me. A few other people just laughed at it.

I mean, it's an awesome car at the top of its game at the time and folk think it's funny? 🤷‍♂️

The previous week I went to a Rover 75 meet in Gretna. If people care so much about preserving these cars then they need to treat the younger owners with a bit of respect. I started chatting to one older guy and he literally walked away. Really rude. Keep going like that and the cars will all be long gone withing a decade or so.

Anyway, I'm never going back.

The sort of people you're talking about don't go to the shows to look at the exhibits. Their sole purpose is to parade their so-called knowledge loudly to as many people as possible.

Don't let their inadequacies put you off.

[hairnet]

mokka

mk2 new version

it happened again

360 ish miles

filled it with 20k left and it took 70 euro - 44 ish litres

then top off at airport 8.75 litres

iwork that out at 32.5 mpg?

thats fucking garbage - same as the old shape  - did roughly the same mileage in ireland as here (not sure if the engine is the same?)

i wanted a small car but thats what they gave me

 

[comfortablynumb]

Re. Car shows.

We had the usual ' expert' at one of the land rover autojumbles loudly proclaiming that range rover classics only had two versions of rear lights.

One, go and find someone who gives a shit 

Two, look down , there were three varieties on our stall right at his feet.

Knob

[SiC]

On 03/08/2024 at 22:31, Zelandeth said:

Do I expect this to last 22 years with its inverter drive, variable speed compressor and more microprocessors than you can shake a stick at?  No.  I really don't.  I expect it to just about see out the warranty period then fail in some catastrophic and irreparable way

Two and a half years our American style fridge freezer Samsung lasted. Compressor locked up and failed. 

5 year warranty. Except only if you register within 4 weeks of purchase. Great. 

10yr warranty on the compressor. Only the compressor cost covered and not labour. That would have been around £600.

Even if I paid to have it fixed or had it done under warranty, it would have taken 3 weeks. A week for them to come out to diagnose, another week for parts and then another week to have them fitted. 

So I begrudgingly bought a new one as Black Friday deals were on and it arrived the next day. Then took 3 deliveries as the first leaked and second was dented internally from the factory.

[IronStar]

7 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Aye, so I'm done with car shows.

Took the A8 and went to the trouble of typing up a bit of its history  to put in the windscreen. Kept it short and did it in something like 36 point to aid digestion. To be fair, a lot of people did read that, well some of it.

I spent a few weeks tidying it up as best I could, I thought it turned out well.

As soon as I got there 2 older chaps pointed to the out-of-adjustment front bumper and commented on it. Nothing positive to say at all. One other knobhead with those big disc things inserted into a stretched ear lobe looked inside and said 'It's got the cheaper seats' and went on to explain to his friend how his was better. Deliberately within earshot of me. A few other people just laughed at it.

I mean, it's an awesome car at the top of its game at the time and folk think it's funny? 🤷‍♂️

The previous week I went to a Rover 75 meet in Gretna. If people care so much about preserving these cars then they need to treat the younger owners with a bit of respect. I started chatting to one older guy and he literally walked away. Really rude. Keep going like that and the cars will all be long gone withing a decade or so.

Anyway, I'm never going back.

Some people are on earth just to waste oxygen. Sadly, they’re usually the loudest and most noticeable. I’m sure there was a bunch of nice people actually interested in the car(s) you displayed, took great joy in looking at them, and probably didn’t want to bother you taking about it.

Don’t let the bad ones win and ruin it for everyone. 

[MikeR]

A heart felt blessing to those that fix push bike pedals with a blue locking agent ...

It just put the "fun"  into changing the pedals .