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Posted

😡😡😡😡😡

unobtainium parts. Never mind trying to match the paint after 27 years. Gutted

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Posted

Just read about absolute nonsense that has happened to a close friend of mine over in the US.  They have a long, long complicated list of medical issues, all stemming from having got a rotten hand in the genetic lottery.  

They had just had some surgery done which would offer a big quality of life improvement and hopefully stem some further issues further down the road.  Given the nonsense over there with private providers and insurance etc, everything was very, very, very, very carefully researched beforehand, pre-approved etc and letters got stating this in triplicate.  

Fast forward to four weeks post surgery, insurance company go "Oh, no.  We've changed our mind now, sorry.  That'll be $32,000.  Due in six months.  Bye!"

I am beyond seething that they can do that.  They have sought legal advice, and the provider do indeed (as they ALL do) have get-out clauses in the small print which state they can pick and choose at any time whether to pay out or not - there's bugger all they can do but try to find the money.  Which may as well be $32,000,000,000 for them as they're really not well off - having to pay $1,500 plus a month for medication you need to stay alive will kinda hamper your ability to generate savings after all...

Feeling so bloody powerless to help someone who's been so badly screwed over like this - and it being totally legal for them to do that - really sucks.

Posted

Why anyone would choose to live or stay living in the US, especially after the last few years, is utterly beyond me.

Posted
22 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Why anyone would choose to live or stay living in the US, especially after the last few years, is utterly beyond me.

Having been born there and not being in a position to escape.  Because they've been facing those medical bills since they day they turned an adult.

They only really gained any quality of life when Obamacare came in, prior to that they couldn't *get* health insurance, so their meds would be more on the region of $10,000 a month - and as a result they basically ended up in hospital every other month.  I think they were in their late 20s before they managed to find a consultant who was even interested in trying to figure out *why* they were having the problems they were - and hey look you have a rare hereditary condition which actually explains the last 15 years of hell.

Medical poverty is a very difficult hole to claw your way back out of in the US, and when you're fighting that day in, day out it's hard to even think about long term plans which might involve moving elsewhere - when that's even viable.  

My other half managed to get out and now lives over here with us - but that still took ten years to make happen - and with the rules as they are now wouldn't be an option if we were applying today given how the rules have changed since we started the ball rolling in 2003.

"Get the fuck out of there" has been the long term goal of the family in question for as long as I've known them - but the priority now has shifted to "How do we stop the health care provider repossessing the house in a few months time?"

  • Sad 6
Posted
48 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Why anyone would choose to live or stay living in the US, especially after the last few years, is utterly beyond me.

It's not cheap or straightforward to emigrate and not easy to give up support networks if you have them. 

Posted

On the US. I happened to see this a while ago and a Norwegian has won in life and married this, but anyway here is an American's reasons for moving to Norway.

 

  • Agree 2
Posted

Yeah, I don't want to end up dragging it into a political discussion or anything like that, it's just something which wound me up enough that I needed to rant for five minutes - and you lot were nearest!

Posted
1 hour ago, Pieman said:

Why anyone would choose to live or stay living in the US, especially after the last few years, is utterly beyond me.

Well, because indoctrination from reception at preschool.  Pledging alegence to the flag.  

Posted
On 01/07/2025 at 12:43, Bren said:

My eldest dropped out of uni in the spring. I had told him not to bother going in the first place and he should get an apprenticeship. But he wouldn't listen.

I am sending him links for apprenticeships but he's not interested. He works part time but now has a car so that takes most of his money.

What is it with the young these days? Thry don't seem to have much drive. I was always on the lookout for something better.

I don't want to be smug, because I can't explain it, but some kids give their all.  

6 of my nephews and nieces and my own 2 kids really have a desire to be functioning adults, whereas 2 of my nephews and nieces spent years going in the wrong direction..

Maybe it's parental nurturing, maybe it's who they make friends with, maybe they had encouragement from certain teachers.  I honestly don't know. 

 

Posted

First holiday in 8yrs and it was almost a fucking disaster. 

Threw my back out BADLY a couple days before the trip, couldn't walk for a day or two.

40°C heatwave at Disneyland Paris and they closed 70% of the attractions. Park was absolutely shite and extortionate. £120 for a sub par meal for 3, hour long queues for the most basic of rides and it was jam packed with obnoxious Spaniards. Most of the staff wanted to be there less than I did and oh boy did it show. 

Air traffic control strike to round the holiday off and I spent a further £2k getting the family back home. I booked flights from Schiphol and a hotel but couldn't get past Brussels. 

Paris was good oddly enough. Big shout out to the French for being tolerant of my appalling French language skills. And look at this absolute honey I spotted 

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Posted
5 minutes ago, sdkrc said:

almost

And yet.

Posted
9 minutes ago, sdkrc said:

First holiday in 8yrs and it was almost a fucking disaster. 

Threw my back out BADLY a couple days before the trip, couldn't walk for a day or two.

40°C heatwave at Disneyland Paris and they closed 70% of the attractions. Park was absolutely shite and extortionate. £120 for a sub par meal for 3, hour long queues for the most basic of rides and it was jam packed with obnoxious Spaniards. Most of the staff wanted to be there less than I did and oh boy did it show. 

Air traffic control strike to round the holiday off and I spent a further £2k getting the family back home. I booked flights from Schiphol and a hotel but couldn't get past Brussels. 

Paris was good oddly enough. Big shout out to the French for being tolerant of my appalling French language skills. And look at this absolute honey I spotted 

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We abandoned  a break  in London (at my son’s) last weekend because it was too hot. Back in Scotland it’s rained nearly all week and I’m wearing a fleece. Is there no happy medium?

Posted
2 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

We abandoned  a break  in London (at my son’s) last weekend because it was too hot. Back in Scotland it’s rained nearly all week and I’m wearing a fleece. Is there no happy medium?

Aye, I had the 'shall I put the heating on or dig out a jumper' internal debate earlier. The jumper won obvs, because tight Scots cunt..... 

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  • Haha 1
Posted
13 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Just read about absolute nonsense that has happened to a close friend of mine over in the US.  They have a long, long complicated list of medical issues, all stemming from having got a rotten hand in the genetic lottery.  

They had just had some surgery done which would offer a big quality of life improvement and hopefully stem some further issues further down the road.  Given the nonsense over there with private providers and insurance etc, everything was very, very, very, very carefully researched beforehand, pre-approved etc and letters got stating this in triplicate.  

Fast forward to four weeks post surgery, insurance company go "Oh, no.  We've changed our mind now, sorry.  That'll be $32,000.  Due in six months.  Bye!"

I am beyond seething that they can do that.  They have sought legal advice, and the provider do indeed (as they ALL do) have get-out clauses in the small print which state they can pick and choose at any time whether to pay out or not - there's bugger all they can do but try to find the money.  Which may as well be $32,000,000,000 for them as they're really not well off - having to pay $1,500 plus a month for medication you need to stay alive will kinda hamper your ability to generate savings after all...

Feeling so bloody powerless to help someone who's been so badly screwed over like this - and it being totally legal for them to do that - really sucks.

And this is the road we’d be heading down if Farage and his bunch of clowns ever got into office 

Posted
16 minutes ago, Rocket88 said:

And this is the road we’d be heading down when Farage and his bunch of clowns get into office 

Fixt. It's coming and I'm preparing for it. This ol' Worldmaster is for export.

And my mini rant:

Some time ago someone kindly* offered to pay my ferry ticket so that I could go back home.

Nice one Nige! Nice one.

Posted
13 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Just read about absolute nonsense that has happened to a close friend of mine over in the US.  They have a long, long complicated list of medical issues, all stemming from having got a rotten hand in the genetic lottery.  

They had just had some surgery done which would offer a big quality of life improvement and hopefully stem some further issues further down the road.  Given the nonsense over there with private providers and insurance etc, everything was very, very, very, very carefully researched beforehand, pre-approved etc and letters got stating this in triplicate.  

Fast forward to four weeks post surgery, insurance company go "Oh, no.  We've changed our mind now, sorry.  That'll be $32,000.  Due in six months.  Bye!"

I am beyond seething that they can do that.  They have sought legal advice, and the provider do indeed (as they ALL do) have get-out clauses in the small print which state they can pick and choose at any time whether to pay out or not - there's bugger all they can do but try to find the money.  Which may as well be $32,000,000,000 for them as they're really not well off - having to pay $1,500 plus a month for medication you need to stay alive will kinda hamper your ability to generate savings after all...

Feeling so bloody powerless to help someone who's been so badly screwed over like this - and it being totally legal for them to do that - really sucks.

There's a fair bit that doesn't ring true here but I'll limit myself to (on the basis of the info provided):

1. If that clause is genuine and enforceable they don't have an insurance policy, they have something else. Insurance policies don't have wording like that. If it is indeed an insurance policy and contains wording like that then they have a bad faith claim against the company. Insurance companies do not like bad faith claims as they can lose their licence to sell insurance in that state if found by a court to have acted in bad faith

2. If they were sold it as insurance when it isn't then they can and should sue whoever sold it to them for not pointing it out. 

3. This is likely the opening gambit of the ins co and should be challenged cf Luigi etc

Either way your relative would be well advised to lawyer up. Handily for them they'll find it much easier to find a lawyer than get reasonably priced health insurance 

 

ETA not legal advice just opinion etcetc

Posted
54 minutes ago, fairkens said:

There's a fair bit that doesn't ring true here but I'll limit myself to (on the basis of the info provided):

1. If that clause is genuine and enforceable they don't have an insurance policy, they have something else. Insurance policies don't have wording like that. If it is indeed an insurance policy and contains wording like that then they have a bad faith claim against the company. Insurance companies do not like bad faith claims as they can lose their licence to sell insurance in that state if found by a court to have acted in bad faith

2. If they were sold it as insurance when it isn't then they can and should sue whoever sold it to them for not pointing it out. 

3. This is likely the opening gambit of the ins co and should be challenged cf Luigi etc

Either way your relative would be well advised to lawyer up. Handily for them they'll find it much easier to find a lawyer than get reasonably priced health insurance 

 

ETA not legal advice just opinion etcetc

The USA…. The land of the fee……

Posted
16 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Just read about absolute nonsense that has happened to a close friend of mine over in the US.  They have a long, long complicated list of medical issues, all stemming from having got a rotten hand in the genetic lottery.  

They had just had some surgery done which would offer a big quality of life improvement and hopefully stem some further issues further down the road.  Given the nonsense over there with private providers and insurance etc, everything was very, very, very, very carefully researched beforehand, pre-approved etc and letters got stating this in triplicate.  

Fast forward to four weeks post surgery, insurance company go "Oh, no.  We've changed our mind now, sorry.  That'll be $32,000.  Due in six months.  Bye!"

I am beyond seething that they can do that.  They have sought legal advice, and the provider do indeed (as they ALL do) have get-out clauses in the small print which state they can pick and choose at any time whether to pay out or not - there's bugger all they can do but try to find the money.  Which may as well be $32,000,000,000 for them as they're really not well off - having to pay $1,500 plus a month for medication you need to stay alive will kinda hamper your ability to generate savings after all...

Feeling so bloody powerless to help someone who's been so badly screwed over like this - and it being totally legal for them to do that - really sucks.

It certainly puts things in perspective. I'm definitely guilty of taking for granted how good he have it in the UK.

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Posted
10 minutes ago, MrGTI6 said:

It certainly puts things in perspective. I'm definitely guilty of taking for granted how good he have it in the UK.

The NHS costs each and everyone of us £4k p.a.

A presidential candidate telling Americans he’d add that to their tax bill would never get elected. 

Posted

IMG-20250705-WA0000.jpg.d6f5d3e92c3643c497c01d66ad7cf3c5.jpg

My phone got knocked off a window ledge and splatted screen first onto a concrete floor. 

My friendly phone shop guy quoted £60 for new screen then said if I want to keep the finger print recognition function then it'll be double.

Trouble is I use my finger on a lot of accounts and haven't got a clue what the log in details are anymore.

  • Sad 2
Posted
5 hours ago, Joey spud said:

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My phone got knocked off a window ledge and splatted screen first onto a concrete floor. 

My friendly phone shop guy quoted £60 for new screen then said if I want to keep the finger print recognition function then it'll be double.

Trouble is I use my finger on a lot of accounts and haven't got a clue what the log in details are anymore.

A cheap screen protector has saved my bacon screen a number of times. Too late this time, but after a new screen 👍

Posted

He'll probably have to factory reset it anyway. They did when I had a new screen fitted to mine a few years back.

Posted

Bodywork... I hate bodywork !

It's taken me hours, most of a tub of filler and a dozen sheets of sandpaper to prep a single panel for paint. My arms hurt, my workshop looks like Pablo Escobar's store room, and the bloody panel is still full of imperfections. Argh !

 

  • Sad 1
Posted
22 minutes ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

Bodywork... I hate bodywork !

It's taken me hours, most of a tub of filler and a dozen sheets of sandpaper to prep a single panel for paint. My arms hurt, my workshop looks like Pablo Escobar's store room, and the bloody panel is still full of imperfections. Argh !

 

I just hope that it goes OK.

The last time I did this it ended up with the topcoat coming out in white blotches when it got wet which was tad annoying.  

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Posted

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.

  • Agree 2
Posted

I put an offer in on the Mondeo I went to see yesterday, being sold by someone who was supposedly at work, so brought along by his friend. There were a few small issues, so I made an offer of €5k on a 5600 car, which  got accepted this morning. I arranged an insurance quote, and once that was through did a history check to make sure the car wasn't an ex taxi or still with outstanding finance. The report flagged up that it's been owned by a garage since before Christmas, so a text was immediately sent saying that I wouldn't have it.

I wouldn't mind buying a trade car with some faults, but they have to be straight up about it.

Posted
On 05/07/2025 at 10:51, Metal Guru said:

The NHS costs each and everyone of us £4k p.a.

A presidential candidate telling Americans he’d add that to their tax bill would never get elected. 

Yeah - Americans on the whole seem to prefer charity for those in need and self reliance (AKA fuck anyone else).  It's a weird mix but they view State Healthcare the same as State Broadcaster - communism.

Posted

Not sure if this is a grump or not.... 🤣

Insurance renewal came in about £280, spiel about as a loyal customer you get our best price etc etc..... the friendly meerkat came back with prices around half that (admittedly for the most basic cover rather than the one I have)....

Went back to the Hastings website and after clicking on the cancel renewal button they automatically knocked over £100 off.

Happy not to pay more but they take the piss with promises of best renewal prices 

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