The grumpy thread

[comfortablynumb]

Had exactly this withy escort @Wgl2019, quote came through from flux, £112.

Checked online, quotes start at £46 for the same cover.

I still can't drive because back problems, so I needed to add MK2 son, to make sure it actually gets used, and it's more dependable than his car

So I gave flux another go

£204!!

Went with one click, including him, me, protected no claim etc etc, £113.

And I've been with flux for ages, they still insure the range rover of too many wheels, because they're the only ones who actually know what it is🤦

As an aside, why did I get cover for driving other cars on the policy when I protected the no claims, but not beforehand?

[outlaw118]

What The Actual Fuck (part 469721)

Crawling through Southend today in the van, could hear sirens, getting closer, so did what any sensible person would do, checked the mirrors in case it was approaching from the rear and looked for a not-too-high bit of kerb to bounce up should the need arise.

T'was an ambulance as it turned out approaching from the opposite direction. Matey in front pulls over, two wheels on the kerb, I follow suit. Dopey bint in Fiat 500 in the other lane looks a bit panicked, but pulls over too - ambo now about 6 cars back, everyone moving over.

Some silly bird decides to cross the road on the zebra crossing about 4 car lengths ahead, despite Ambo now in the middle of the road. Unfortunately it manages to stop, whereupon silly-bird starts screaming at the driver and banging on the bonnet.

Should have missed the middle pedal and given the daft cunt the Darwin award she clearly deserved.

[sheffcortinacentre]

In the 90s I saw similar thing happen but it swerved hit traffic lights ( luckily no patient on board) woman starred at driver then walked off!

[Spiny Norman]

On 07/07/2025 at 18:24, Metal Guru said:

Not a major grump in the great scheme of things , more of a why???

Ordered a battery charger from eBay, which arrived this morning. I had four emails within a hour about it. 2 from eBay and 2 from Royal Mail, along the lines of we’re going to deliver it, and then , we have delivered it. That’s on top of probably 6 emails when buying it and at least another 2 asking “how did they do?

Just why? I thought servers were approaching melt down due to excessive internet traffic, surely this can be reduced.

I ordered a phone off eBay last night and am currently at 9 emails on the subject with at least another three likely tomorrow. 

[Metal Guru]

Just now, Spiny Norman said:

I ordered a phone off eBay last night and am currently at 9 emails on the subject with at least another three likely tomorrow. 

Then you miss something important because it’s buried in all that shite.

[Lord Sterling]

Drivers on the road today. Absolute wankers.

1. Birmingham. Some dopey bint in a Citroen decides to pull out of a side road in front of me causing me to slam on, then blocks the road in order to carve herself a way out. To top it off, she gives me the one fingered salute.

2. Kidderminster. Merge-in-turn. I'm slightly ahead of some leather-faced old Karen in a Porsche, she should be trying to slot in behind me but tries to force her way into my space which I am already occupying forcing me almost into oncoming traffic, then she suddenly sees I'm beside her and slams on blaring her horn at me. Old Karen flashes me the two-fingered salute, having almost crashed into me and almost forced me into oncoming traffic.

Absolute twats today.

Although, in a slight counter to that, getting back home around 4pm, parking around here is utter wank. As I was driving home, I got stuck behind some old biddy in a Honda Jazz, in front of her was a young woman in a nice yellow Astra GTC. But I recognised Astra GTC girl as someone who regularly parks on the same road I do. She turns into a side road that leads to the road we park on, I take the scenic route and get to the road before she does, I find no spaces available so decide to turn around and go back out (it's a one-way where Astra-girl went down, so I can't go up it) just as I complete my turn in the road, Astra-girl comes very slowly around the corner and as I drive up the road, a Volvo V50 estate polited by a much older-looking version of me decides to come out of space, the same space I was parked in before I left!

[cobblers]

My wifes car is three foot deep in litter and shit, on account of her not cleaning it (inside or out) for about 6 years. So when she goes out with her mate she conveniently takes my car, which isn't fucking disgusting. 

A few months ago I told her not to drive the car because the tyre was flat and I needed to sort it. Next day, she forgot I'd said anything and drove the car 30 miles with a near flat tyre with the predictable result. 🙄

 

Today she turned up at my work "There's something coming up on the screen about tyres"

Yep, ruined. 🙄

I moved it across the car park and the wriggling and flapping noise it was making, even for about 20 meters was almost unbearable even at walking pace. 

[Spiny Norman]

14 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

Then you miss something important because it’s buried in all that shite.

Currently setting new phone up, input my Google account info and installed all the apps when lo and behold, the first email it pings up is from Royal Mail saying my parcel has been delivered... 

[comfortablynumb]

Thought about getting her a push bike @cobblers?🤦

[Mally]

17 hours ago, outlaw118 said:

What The Actual Fuck (part 469721)

Crawling through Southend today in the van, could hear sirens, getting closer, so did what any sensible person would do, checked the mirrors in case it was approaching from the rear and looked for a not-too-high bit of kerb to bounce up should the need arise.

T'was an ambulance as it turned out approaching from the opposite direction. Matey in front pulls over, two wheels on the kerb, I follow suit. Dopey bint in Fiat 500 in the other lane looks a bit panicked, but pulls over too - ambo now about 6 cars back, everyone moving over.

Some silly bird decides to cross the road on the zebra crossing about 4 car lengths ahead, despite Ambo now in the middle of the road. Unfortunately it manages to stop, whereupon silly-bird starts screaming at the driver and banging on the bonnet.

Should have missed the middle pedal and given the daft cunt the Darwin award she clearly deserved.

Probably not in your case.

But I'm deaf.

[alcyonecorporation]

Sent off book proposal before I had to go out yesterday. 

Their mail box decides to spit out the proposal straight into my junk folder - didn't realise until today. 

Sake. 

[Kiltox]

Will be out of work imminently because the company that I don’t actually work for but that takes a big slice of the invoice every month is going into administration. 

🤦‍♂️ 

[Tickman]

Is there a route to stay doing the job through another company?

[nev_jr]

FTP on the 530…

 

 

Balls

[goosey]

That weird dancing they do on the Meatloaf Dead Ringer for Love music video 

[Kiltox]

5 hours ago, Tickman said:

Is there a route to stay doing the job through another company?

Not a quick one. Big business doesn’t work fast. 
 

[captain_70s]

Down in Manchester to see ELO on the farewell tour. Entire show canned 10 mins before it was due to start...

Apparently Jeff Lynne wasn't looking well towards the end of the gig last night and had to be helped off stage. He was seemingly knocked down by a taxi last week breaking his hand.

Really crap situation all round. ☹️

[High Jetter]

58 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

Down in Manchester to see ELO on the farewell tour. Entire show canned 10 mins before it was due to start...

Apparently Jeff Lynne wasn't looking well towards the end of the gig last night and had to be helped off stage. He was seemingly knocked down by a taxi last week breaking his hand.

Really crap situation all round. ☹️

Strange magic. Would like to see him agàin

[Popsicle]

Trundling down the M4 into London this afternoon in the couriering Caddy and I started to smell burning, like most shiters I prayed that the smell wasn't coming from the van! I then noticed I was sweating in the afternoon heat, ah that will be the aircon compressor seizing up then.....

Its lasted 419k miles, I shouldn't moan, but why fail now when its stupidly hot? Couldn't it wait until autumn when its a bit cooler?

[Tickman]

10 hours ago, Kiltox said:

Not a quick one. Big business doesn’t work fast. 
 

I work on site at a very large pharmaceutical company and because onboarding a new company is such an arse there is one of the contractors that offers an umbrella service for quite a large number of smaller firms or individuals for a 10% mark up. 

I wonder if something similar might be available. I'm sure the place you work at don't necessarily have the resilience to carry on without the same amount of staff doing the job.

[myglaren]

12 hours ago, goosey said:

That weird dancing they do on the Meatloaf Dead Ringer for Love music video 

Plus any other dancing.

[comfortablynumb]

8 hours ago, Popsicle said:

lasted 419k miles

Nothings built to last anymore... 😁

[New POD]

31 minutes ago, comfortablynumb said:

Nothings built to last anymore... 😁

Don't get me started on the weibul curve and the bath tub curve.  

Because it is easier to statistically predict the wearout phase, companies can design out the extra safety margin that engineers needed in the past in order to be confident that the vehicle would get to a point th as t was acceptable.  

Somehow the sales side don't realise that the real world shit of second and third owners matters because it impacts resale value and that impacts leasing costs.  

Just focus on saving a few quid here and there.  

And I say this as someone that is pushing cost reduction within the automotive industry. 

 

[silvercar]

11 hours ago, captain_70s said:

Down in Manchester to see ELO on the farewell tour. Entire show canned 10 mins before it was due to start...

Apparently Jeff Lynne wasn't looking well towards the end of the gig last night and had to be helped off stage. He was seemingly knocked down by a taxi last week breaking his hand.

Really crap situation all round. ☹️

Ahh, that sucks. TBH he had to be helped off the stage at Sundays performance in Birmingham. I guess age and the pain meds aren’t helping, He looked a little folorn not being able to play guitar though 

[grogee]

On 05/07/2025 at 11:45, Joey spud said:

My phone got knocked off a window ledge

Is the culprit also in the photo? 

 

On 05/07/2025 at 11:45, Joey spud said:

 

 

[grogee]

OK here's my grump: Set off to see the nu_Mrs Grogee last night, with the intention of working from her house today. 

I had a big list of stuff to bring which I dutifully packed into the car. 

Got up this morning to switch my work computer on... And I've left it at home. 

I've phoned in sick, but it's academic really as I'm a scumbag contractor so no sick pay and this will cost me 5 hours pay (early finish Fridays). 

Ah well, I think we're going to tour some car dealers today to try out some new car options for her. Shortlist is MG3 hybrid, Rennow Clio Hybrid, and Yaris hybrid which she tried and liked. 

MG3 is rapid - real world about 7 sec 0-60 apparently. But a three-speed auto (!) which I haven't seen in a new car since 1987.

Clio looks nice (to me) and I don't have the same fear of Rennow products since they started making non-flaky cars. 

Trouble is, I think it's the same powertrain fitted to the Nissan Juke which I've been testing at work, and I was not very impressed. Coarse and quite clunky. 

Toyota is the boring and sensible choice, and their CVT is really slick. 

[reb]

7 minutes ago, grogee said:

7 sec 0-60

 

Faster than a 1970 GTO!

[EyesWeldedShut]

12 hours ago, captain_70s said:

Down in Manchester to see ELO on the farewell tour. Entire show canned 10 mins before it was due to start...

Apparently Jeff Lynne wasn't looking well towards the end of the gig last night and had to be helped off stage. He was seemingly knocked down by a taxi last week breaking his hand.

Really crap situation all round. ☹️

We wuz there on Wednesday night and, bluntly, he looked really shite after about 50 minutes on stage.
He ended up being positioned in a chair the roadies brought on and the guy that was on backing vocals + the front members of the band started carrying the vocals*. They whizzed through the final half dozen or so tracks in the set - polished off Mr Blue Sky and then all the house lights came up. Jeff gets carried offstage by two roadies and the (bemused) audience all trickle out in a kind of subdued manner.

I was (selfishly) grumpy as I'd fucked up on the previous two tours (double booked the first date and COVID ate the second) and this was really not the final memory I wanted to have of Jeff Lynn & ELO (been a fan nearly 40 years).

In retrospect, that was unfair of me as he, patently, was not firing on all cylinders right from the start of the gig. By the end he was buggered.
I'm not sure if I rather have been in the Thursday cohort (like you) or at the Weds show.  

*tbf they were cracking, the sound setup was ace as was the light show. They band all gave 110% from the start and were obvs. puzzled/concerned about what was going on with Jeff Lynn. 
Not surprised they cancelled last night, not sure if they should have had the Wednesday show (my wife thought, at the time, that he'd had a TIA onstage - I guess we'll find out in time.

[captain_70s]

30 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

By the end he was buggered.
I'm not sure if I rather have been in the Thursday cohort (like you) or at the Weds show.  

In a way I'm happier having had no gig rather than a sad one...

This was to be my first (and last!) ELO performance but everything I've heard suggests Jeff had been visibly struggling even for the US leg of the tour. So I reckon there is more going on than just the taxi injury.

A real shame, but such is the way of following musicians who are knocking on 80 years old...

[EyesWeldedShut]

OK - now it's my grump.

My wife's Bini of Doom's new starter motor arrived whilst we were away at the ELO non-gig (see above).
I've fitted it. I'm cooked.
The fucking, fucker, fuckery thing does not extent the starter cog. Spins like a top, just no extension.
Great, came all packed up with a nice bit of bench test paper saying how marvellous all the electrickery is in it - shame they never checked the mechanicals,innit?

I'm past grumpy. 
The £100+ new one can go back, I'm fitting a £25 used part instead.