The grumpy thread

[GrumpiusMaximus]

4 hours ago, beko1987 said:

I have a short stubby lance…

Congratulations on producing offspring are in order then!

[Rust Collector]

4 hours ago, DSdriver said:

Under car  pressure washer kit. Someone on here said what a good idea they are so I went on Ebay and bought one for twenty quid.

It arrived promptly and looked well made - stainless steel and brass fittings, only problem is it doesn't fit my Karcher pressure washer so is being sent back with a message saying they ought to mention it won't fit the most popular pressure washers in the UK.

Went back to ebay and did a search starting with "Karcher" to find that those are over double the price. Needless to say I am not in favour of being ripped off and won't be buying one.

One of these is what I use on my karcher:

https://amzn.eu/d/cyA0atY

Its handy not being restricted to just ‘karcher’ type tools, which as you say are bloody expensive for what they are.

[Bren]

Norovirus. Youngest started throwing up at a cubs meeting - I cleaned the mess up knowing I was likely to cop for it as well.

And I have. I had the sense to eat very little and not drink alcohol- my stomach feels bad and I am shivering but I haven't been sick - not eaten for nearly 24 hours.

My youngest is getting better which is the main thing.

[chaseracer]

GWS 🙂

[Bren]

Ebay. Utter shite.

Listed the insignia- did not tick the make offer box. Listing shows " make offer". Hence shite offers despite me typing in the text no offers or what will you end the auction for type questions.

People obviously cannot read.

[maxxo]

fuck amazon

i was a prime member, i cancelled around 2 months ago, rang up n everything

mobile has just buzzed, that's £95 taken from my bank account

i had £120 in there anyway, car tax is due tomorrow which is £30 ish a month

so that's a late payment then

going to ring amazon and give them hell tomorrow

fuck sake

[Pieman]

11 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Sounds like the M40 northbound, yesterday...  <screams silently inside>

Sounds like the M40 northbound two hours ago.  I just undertook 'em, I'm past caring.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, maxxo said:

fuck amazon

i was a prime member, i cancelled around 2 months ago, rang up n everything

mobile has just buzzed, that's £95 taken from my bank account

i had £120 in there anyway, car tax is due tomorrow which is £30 ish a month

so that's a late payment then

going to ring amazon and give them hell tomorrow

fuck sake

Too late for you now, but it's always worth cancelling the DD in your online banking in such situations. Ring them, they should refund.

[eddyramrod]

13 hours ago, Bren said:

Ebay. Utter shite.

I so agree!  I mean, your entire rant is valid enough, but on top of that I've been looking at old cars and vans, window-shopping against the remote possibility of the Jag selling for cash; or looking for something the seller might swop.

There's nothing.  Yes there are cars at roughly-similar price points, but not one of them is anything I would want to touch, never mind own.  Everything that might even slightly interest me is suddenly priced at three times my Jag, minimum.  And most of those are rotten "projects" that often don't run.  All of them are a minimum of 250 miles away.

FFS.

If I can ever get rid of the ungrateful fecker I probably won't replace it.

[maxxo]

7 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Too late for you now, but it's always worth cancelling the DD in your online banking in such situations. Ring them, they should refund.

In a weird turn of events

ive had to use it today to order a pipe to fix the XM 

I need the car Wednesday so don’t have much choice 

[gm]

oops ! wonder how that happened ? 

i gave it a quick wipe down with soapy water and it’s much better

matches the scuff on the other side that i didn’t do 

[MikeR]

just got my divi cheque for my shares , and a letter to say the divi will now be paid by DD into my bank ...

it was nice getting a pre xmas wedge in the post , suppose I better sell them now the fun has gone ....

[angle]

On 30/11/2024 at 21:42, richardmorris said:

What scum steals a hospice charity van?

 

The same ones that stole a blood transport motorbike to razz around the local park then dump?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0j07m7l72o

Anyway, the thing I came here to post was that I was out in the car this morning with the kids and parked a few cars up from a lovely 240Z. My four year old went 'Daddy, can I borrow your phone to take a photo of the cool red car?' Yeah, of course, here you go. 

At which point he walks off in the opposite direction and takes a photo of a Vauxhall Mokka. 

[richardmorris]

On 30/11/2024 at 21:42, richardmorris said:

What scum steals a hospice charity van?

 

It's been found.

[EyesWeldedShut]

9 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Too late for you now, but it's always worth cancelling the DD in your online banking in such situations. Ring them, they should refund.

Use the customer chat thing (it's a bastard to find but it does exist) - they did this to me and I got a refund almost instantly (managed to live without Prime now for a year but they will give you the hard sell for at least six months)

[edit} try this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/contact-us/foresight/hubgateway-csp @maxxo

[High Jetter]

I suspect though that once you buy something with Prime they won't let you cancel it.

[Zelandeth]

Where the hell do the extra 70% of the people who are just... everywhere...at this time of year come from?!?  The sheer additional amount of traffic both foot and vehicular the moment you get about halfway through November just seems utterly impossible.  There just can't be THAT many people who otherwise never leave the house - especially not when they can't ALL be out EVERY day between then and the end of December doing the Christmas shopping...

It really just feels like the nation's population suddenly multiplies by about five times at this time of year, then suddenly drops back to normal almost overnight around the second week in January.

Yes I'm a grumpy old man.

[Metal Guru]

12 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Where the hell do the extra 70% of the people who are just... everywhere...at this time of year come from?!?  The sheer additional amount of traffic both foot and vehicular the moment you get about halfway through November just seems utterly impossible.  There just can't be THAT many people who otherwise never leave the house - especially not when they can't ALL be out EVERY day between then and the end of December doing the Christmas shopping...

It really just feels like the nation's population suddenly multiplies by about five times at this time of year, then suddenly drops back to normal almost overnight around the second week in January.

Yes I'm a grumpy old man.

Well you have to cram in 3 weeks of grocery shopping into one week to make sure you don’t starve to death on the one day the shops are shut.

[andyberg]

Just tried to book a routine gp appointment, to be told they have nothing bookable!!!! 
Apparently I must phone at 9.30am every morning when the new routine appointments are released!!! Oh yeah along with all the other patients registered to the surgery. It’s ok I have plenty of time to waste sat in a queue on the off chance I may* be lucky enough to get an appointment in # (insert number over 3) weeks time, or more likely after new year. 
This country is rapidly going down the plug hole 😡😡😡

[Zelandeth]

16 minutes ago, andyberg said:

Just tried to book a routine gp appointment, to be told they have nothing bookable!!!! 
Apparently I must phone at 9.30am every morning when the new routine appointments are released!!! Oh yeah along with all the other patients registered to the surgery. It’s ok I have plenty of time to waste sat in a queue on the off chance I may* be lucky enough to get an appointment in # (insert number over 3) weeks time, or more likely after new year. 
This country is rapidly going down the plug hole 😡😡😡

At least you can phone!

The setup here is that you HAVE to do it through their website, there is no alternative.  They open for appointments at 0800 - and by 0801 they're gone.  No way to do it by phone or in person, you have to use their (terrible) web system.

As they're also chronically short staffed, there's an 85% chance that your appointment that you've waited 8-12 weeks for will be cancelled a day or two before and you have to go back to the end of the queue and try again.  Or equally likely they just won't call you when there's a phone appointment booked and then send you the angry "you missed your appointment, you're costing us £££££ per year!" letter.  Have been trying to get a referral letter so I can just get things handled through the private medical cover I have through my other half's work since well before COVID arrived.  I've just given up trying now until we move now.  It's not as though I'm trying to get the bottom of something which has a non-zero chance of being honestly sinister or anything important like that...Oh, wait...

I do wonder exactly how anyone who isn't IT literate enough to use the web portal (which really isn't clearly designed at all) who does actually need to regularly see their doctor is meant to manage - though I'm guessing the answer far too often simply that "they don't."

[comfortablynumb]

eBay again!

Bought 20l of 10/40, forgot to use the offer code to save a few quid

Maybe I can cancel this order and reorder it?

Nope. Despite saying 'payment pending ', ' you are too early to cancel this order'.

Ok. Nip Outside to cut a bit of firewood for an hour .

Return to order, still showing as payment pending.

' you are too late to cancel this order '

I know it was only about £3, but really?

 

[Yoss]

1 hour ago, andyberg said:

Just tried to book a routine gp appointment, to be told they have nothing bookable!!!! 
Apparently I must phone at 9.30am every morning when the new routine appointments are released!!! Oh yeah along with all the other patients registered to the surgery. It’s ok I have plenty of time to waste sat in a queue on the off chance I may* be lucky enough to get an appointment in # (insert number over 3) weeks time, or more likely after new year. 
This country is rapidly going down the plug hole 😡😡😡

 

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

At least you can phone!

The setup here is that you HAVE to do it through their website, there is no alternative.  They open for appointments at 0800 - and by 0801 they're gone.  No way to do it by phone or in person, you have to use their (terrible) web system.

As they're also chronically short staffed, there's an 85% chance that your appointment that you've waited 8-12 weeks for will be cancelled a day or two before and you have to go back to the end of the queue and try again.  Or equally likely they just won't call you when there's a phone appointment booked and then send you the angry "you missed your appointment, you're costing us £££££ per year!" letter.  Have been trying to get a referral letter so I can just get things handled through the private medical cover I have through my other half's work since well before COVID arrived.  I've just given up trying now until we move now.  It's not as though I'm trying to get the bottom of something which has a non-zero chance of being honestly sinister or anything important like that...Oh, wait...

I do wonder exactly how anyone who isn't IT literate enough to use the web portal (which really isn't clearly designed at all) who does actually need to regularly see their doctor is meant to manage - though I'm guessing the answer far too often simply that "they don't."

This is how they keep the waiting lists down. It's a great system for that. Nobody can get to see a doctor but they can say they've met their targets. 

[myglaren]

4 minutes ago, Yoss said:

 

This is how they keep the waiting lists down. It's a great system for that. Nobody can get to see a doctor but they can say they've met their targets. 

My previous surgery was like that, had to phone at 07:00.  I don't do phones though.

The current surgery I can phone any time but I walk there, only a mile away, and talk to the receptionist.

Did this a couple of weeks ago, was there at about lunchtime, asked for an appointment and her immediate response was "Would you like one today"?

I said it was nothing urgent and had one for two days later.

First time seeing a doctor in over a decade.  They do call me in for a load of blood tests and the like, plus loads of injections.  Can't fault them.

They are always professional but at the same time relaxed and friendly and frequently clown around with patients they know well.

 

Grump of the day is daughter's C3.  Wouldn't start this morning but didn't see her text until an hour ago.  What a pain to get the battery out.  Loads of crap over and beside it and the battery cover pretty much trapped by the brake fluid reservoir.

On charge now but unlikely to be ready for her for 8 a.m. tomorrow, will have to borrow my car and take her to work.

[comfortablynumb]

I've given up trying to call our drs, 2 minutes of recorded " we're doing our best, don't be moody ' message, followed by a " you are number 34 in the queue "

If I actually need something, it's easier and quicker to get in the car and drive to reception.

Although even then it took a month to get a routine appointment!

[myglaren]

I did steel myself to phone them one day.  There is no set time to phone and I did end up in a queue but they phoned me back after a while, only about fifteen minutes.

[Pieman]

My doctor's surgery is a five minute walk away.  If they piss me around on the phones, I just walk down there and talk to them in person, and if they get shirty with me I explain what I'd tried to do to get through on the phones.

[LightBulbFun]

currently somewhat grumpy at Royal mail, I bought some lightbulbs off eBay, tracked, lovely, tracking shows on the 27th November, Accepted at post office, alright, then there is sweet fuck all, until the 2nd of December "Delivery attempted no one in" not even a prior "accepted at delivery sorting office" or anything of the sort

so excuse me, but I thought this was supposed to be a *tracked* parcel, maybe if the tracking was just a little bit more verbose i'd of stayed home to accept it (because of course they tried to deliver it in the 2 hours I was about in REV) 

[sierraman]

On 01/12/2024 at 20:35, Bren said:

Ebay. Utter shite.

Listed the insignia- did not tick the make offer box. Listing shows " make offer". Hence shite offers despite me typing in the text no offers or what will you end the auction for type questions.

People obviously cannot read.

What kind of wonderful swaps and offers have you been extended? 

[Yoss]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

currently somewhat grumpy at Royal mail, I bought some lightbulbs off eBay, tracked, lovely, tracking shows on the 27th November, Accepted at post office, alright, then there is sweet fuck all, until the 2nd of December "Delivery attempted no one in" not even a prior "accepted at delivery sorting office" or anything of the sort

so excuse me, but I thought this was supposed to be a *tracked* parcel, maybe if the tracking was just a little bit more verbose i'd of stayed home to accept it (because of course they tried to deliver it in the 2 hours I was about in REV) 

I'm afraid even being a postman doesn't save you from random annoyances. I ordered some model railway scenery a couple of months ago, quite a big packet too. The tracking showed it arrive at Southampton Mail Centre and then allegedly it went no further. After a week of this Royal Mail admitted it was lost and the sender sent another packet out. That arrived the next day. I still try the original tracking number occasionally and it still claims it is at Southampton Mail Centre but somehow I doubt that. 

Also, they have changed the way we scan the Tracked packets in to our office (we are a delivery office, the next stage after Southampton Mail Centre and the place from which final delivery takes place). We used to have a few people in early who would scan all Tracked (with a capital T) packets as they arrive so that when you check the website it would show your item as having arrived at our delivery office. 

But they've got rid of those now and each postie has to scan them on to their individual deliveries as they sort them. But occasionally* deliveries don't go out due to staff shortages in which case the website will still say it is at the Mail Centre when it is in fact at our Delivery Office but nobody has scanned it in. 

Also we now have to try to deliver all packets twice if people aren't in the first time which is a pain in the arse for us and can confuse customers because they come in with their card and someone in the callers office has to point out the small tick on the card that says we will try again tomorrow. So while they are stood in the callers office their postie has taken it for another walk. 

Also at the moment we are in to Christmas pressure so we have lots of staff who don't know what they are doing or do know what they are doing but don't have the equipment to do it. 

There is a block of flats near the end of my delivery where I usually have a bit of a sit down. I was sat there today when another of our posties turned up doing big packets so I let her in. She was doing big packets with a trolley because they had run out of vans. You can't get that many big packets in a trolley, certainly not enough to fill her duty time, so she had to keep going back for more. 

Even better than that, they had run out of PDAs (the little scanner things)! So she couldn't scan anything and was writing all the numbers out on a piece of paper. Apparently someone was going to manually log them all in to a PDA later, assuming they don't lose the bits of paper in the meantime. So whilst the people who received the packets might know they have received them the sender won't because the website will say it is still at the Mail Centre. 

 

[jakebullet]

Mad Jean doesn't do technology well:

3 hours ago: I'd like a spell check please on my phone

2 hours ago: Link to dubious AI* phone cleaner app

1 hour ago: I am getting constant adverts which are stoping me using my phone. Is there a way to get rid of them, anyone know please?