The grumpy thread

[autofive]

  trigger said:

I've spend the last 30 minutes with my finger over the make offer button of this still http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0817858868 I was thinking £1400 seeing that I'll need to tax it and the MOT's only March, He's already offered it to me for £1500 but i want better.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320789412584

 

made 1470 last time out

[trigger]

It also made £1650 after that as well but I think that was shill bidding as it finished at £1650, It sounds like the twats chaved it up a bit and i guarantee that he's bought it cheap in the first place which put me off.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

  Mr H Sceptre said:

Most Citizen's Advice Bureaus (Bureaux??) have an Employment Law specialist, you could get some free advice and would represent you at any tribunal, again, for nothing.....

 

Yes, but the law makes it all but impossible to get anything out of it unless you had been working somewhere for a year. What's ridiculous is that there are plans afoot to increase that to two years. Might as well say "only public sector employees are entitled to protection from unfair dismissal" and be done with it (and no, this is not a rant against the public sector- it's just that job mobility is a lot higher in the private sector).

[Cavcraft]

Knobhead mails me about the 106.

 

'I'll give you £280 for the car as I'm a mechanic and I know the exhaust will cost £100'.

 

'I've just ordered one and it was £40. It'll be here later this week.

 

'How much then with enough fuel in it to get me home?'

 

£325 as that covers everything, bearing in mind you offered me £280.

 

'I don't want it, it's too expensive I can get a mint Mk4 Golf with no rust, half a tank of fuel and a long MOT for £300'.

 

I can't understand how you don't want it as it's now cheaper than you though as you said the exhaust was going to cost you £100. Go and buy the Golf.

 

Obviously I've blocked him now. What a fucking moron

[TimothyClaypole]

I assume he's planning on using his chosen car as a shed if he can only get it home if there's enough fuel in the one he buys...

[Lord Sterling]

Sadly there are a alot of Derek Dickheads in higher positions today who are still continuing to lick the arses of those above them despite being overloaded with stress by those they are licking, which they usually take it out on us shop-floor workers.

 

Personally I use the direct approach, its not always right but it has in the past got these twats off my back for a bit. I ask (or tell) them politly but firmly to lay off, and whilst I respect thier authority, thier authority has restrictions within the confines of the workplace, not outside. Should this not work I usually approach those above them until I reach a solution I'm happy with. Again I'm firm but fair, reminding eveyone that I am here to work, not be pushed around.

 

Unfortunately alot of us have crap jobs, certainly me, I dont like my job but the people I work with make it just that little bit more bearable.

[AnthonyG]

I must say I've been quite lucky with jobs, maybe that's because I worked in different types of libraries quite a few times, and no alpha male or female wants to stick around a library too long .

 

PS. The last Indiana Jones film really is f**king terrible, and I speak as one who watched 'Transformers' last night. Its all CGI shite, and we haven't even got to the bit where he survives a atom bomb test by hiding in a fridge. Still it has got Cate Blanchett in a tight uniform....

[garycox]

  trigger said:

I've spend the last 30 minutes with my finger over the make offer button of this still http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0817858868 I was thinking £1400 seeing that I'll need to tax it and the MOT's only March, He's already offered it to me for £1500 but i want better.

 

Has he still got the original wheels? Could you get it cheaper without those horrible ones?

 

If not at least you could sell them afterwards and get a bit back...

[maxpower]

Wat you must have the patience of a saint, if that had been me then "docile derek" would have been picking his teeth out of the cash register after i had tried to shove it right down his fuggin throat.

 

though i don't agree violence sorts anything.... derek sounds the exception

[trigger]

It might have been a bit windy today!

 

[ashmicro]

. I read somewhere that Felixstowe is closed to trucks.

[trigger]

It's quite common for the place to close once wind hits over 45 mph crane high, Most people moan saying how can a place like that this day and age close because of a spot of wind, ^ that is the reason why, where those boxes are laying is were a lorry would be parked normally.

 

Even if they are empty they will still weight 4 tons each, you wouldn't want one to land on your foot...

[chaseracer]

  Luxobarges_Are_Us said:

  Mr H Sceptre said:

Most Citizen's Advice Bureaus (Bureaux??) have an Employment Law specialist, you could get some free advice and would represent you at any tribunal, again, for nothing.....

 

Yes, but the law makes it all but impossible to get anything out of it unless you had been working somewhere for a year. What's ridiculous is that there are plans afoot to increase that to two years.

True - from April.

 

  Quote

Might as well say "only public sector employees are entitled to protection from unfair dismissal" and be done with it (and no, this is not a rant against the public sector- it's just that job mobility is a lot higher in the private sector).

FFS, would you care to hammer a smaller - yet equally sweepingly ignorant - generalisation over that?! And there's a lot of job mobility OUT of public services right now - all those nurses, teaching assistants, coppers & lollipop ladies who caused the collapse of the economy are finally getting what they deserve...

[ProgRocker]

  eddyramrod said:

Trouble is, these are the very management types that are so good at licking the boots of those above them, who never bother to look at the staff turnover rates, or ask the sharp-end staff for opinions. So the real people, like you and me, just keep going from job to job, never building up a pension, never working anywhere long enough for continuity. It's a bummer.

 

Sounds familiar.

 

Since I left full time education in early 2000 I have had... *jots down former employers on a scrap of paper* ...17 - Bloody SEVENTEEN - employers! These include permanent jobs and agency temp jobs. That includes one that lasted just for one day as I had a better paying agency job to go to after the weekend. And at school I always thought I would be one of those people who would only have a few jobs throughout his working life.

 

I currently work on a checkout for a well known supermarket advertised by Andrew Flintoff. Reluctant to join their pension scheme as I am constantly looking for another job that pays more and allows me to exercise my brain a bit more. I am paying into a stakeholder pension scheme.

 

My CV makes me look like a very unsettled to have working for them. I don't put all 17 of those employers on them of course, just the ones where I have worked for a reasonable length of time. On the contrary, I am a very conscientious and reliable worker who is quick to learn. Plus I haven't yet had a day of sick in my current employment in 13 months.

 

Have done a few temp jobs that had a very good work environments but these are the ones that didn't need extra permanent staff, sadly.

[Guest]

According to my CV I haven't worked since September 2010. AFAIC I haven't.

[eddyramrod]

WARNING: HUGE POST INCLUDING MAJOR PERSONAL RANT!

(So that you can scroll down to the next post if you prefer; I wouldn't blame you.)

 

Money. I hate the fucking stuff with a passion, mostly because I know it's not possible to live without it. What follows is a straight lift from my current ad running on a local expat forum (CyprusLiving, if anyone's interested).

Xbox games, now only 5 Euros each!

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Halo 2

Crimson Skies

Conflict: Desert Storm 2

FIFA Football 2005

Manhunt

XIII

Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne

Rocky Legends

NB: these are for the original Xbox, not 360.

 

Some furniture:

A whole bedroom set! 4 poster double bed, black steel, with lightweight curtains; 4 shelf unit (top shelf in glass); pair of bedside tables; pair of hanging storage units. All co-ordinating. Mattress included if you wish.

300 EUROS FOR THE SET.

 

1999 DFS sofas in Willow (pale green) leather: 3 seater, 2 seater and pouffe. Was 300 euros the set. NOW ONLY 250 EUROS

Fold-out bed/settees, three of; 25/50/100 euros.

Patio tables, one folding/one fixed, 10 euros each.

(Fixed table shown)

Inflatable swimming pool, 15 ft diameter, with cover, groundcloth, filter pump, stepladder and inflator, all new here 2009, was 90 euros. REDUCED AGAIN, NOW 65 EUROS

Swing seat, new 2009, was 50 euros, NOW ONLY 40 EUROS.

Dining table and 6 chairs, metal/wood, was 75 euros. NOW ONLY 65 EUROS

Wicker chair, 15 euros.

 

TV: LG 42", new in 2009, complete with remote. 200 euros.

Cabinet, metal frame, frosted glass doors, 100 euros.

 

My cars:

1972 Ford Granada, was 11,000 euros NOW ONLY 9,750 EUROS

Built May 1972, registered here September 72, now registered as "Antika." Tax, MoT. 2500 V6 with manual gearbox, GXL trim. 5 new whitewall tyres. Some spares. Restored several years ago including replacement correct engine, and respray in original Miami Blue metallic. Drive the only Mk1 on the road in Paphos! Will include your first year's membership of Paphos Classic Vehicle Club.

 

2002 Vauxhall Brava was 3,750 euros NOW ONLY 3,600 EUROS

UK import 2008. 2.5 turbo diesel, 2WD, Truckman top, alloy wheels plus original steels, towbar, CD radio. Tax, MoT, engine rebuilt 2010 with new liners and recon turbo. Comfortable and capable. (Will consider cheap part-exchange on this vehicle.)

 

Also: a whole new hobby for you! Restoration project: 1966 Austin A40 Countryman, stripped for restoration, many new or reconditioned parts (none fitted). Cash offers invited. Will include your first year's membership of Paphos Classic Vehicle Club.

 

All prices ovno; please call 99009826. All items located in Mesogi, just off Polis Road. (End of ad.)

 

FFS, selling the bed and the telly?????? Times are tough. Those prices above are all straight losses, some of them violent. I know the classics are in a small and specialised market, but the pickup? It's ridiculously cheap for what it is and where it is, I can't believe I still have it.

Mrs R is on Facebook all the time, telling her family and "friends" how badly we're doing, how short of cash we are; consensus it that it's all my fault for dragging her to Cyprus and promptly spending all the proceeds of our house on the World's Greatest Evil, "classic cars."

Nobody notices that it was the other way round, I came here because she chose it.

Nobody notices that I'm not in the betting shop and the pub all day every day, like many men including her first husband.

Nobody notices that I'm single-handedly looking after an invalid (although, ok, she is getting better and better all the time) and a bunch of pets.

Nobody notices that I've been trying to get a job for over two years, even applying for rampantly unsuitable things just to get some money in (with zero success).

Nobody notices that every cent I've spent on classic cars since we came here would have been a drop in the ocean compared to buying some new hatchback, and the classics have made friends for me that the hatchback wouldn't.

Nobody notices that medical care here costs money, even in the cheap-and-shitty General Hospital. MRI scan, 500 euros; that's a month of rent. Multiple neurologist visits, 80+ each. Even going to your GP costs 35 a time. And medication has to be bought over the counter too.

Nobody notices that in moving to a bigger house, with a swimming pool, we actually moved to a cheaper house! Even with the cost of pool maintenance, we're still nearly 100 euros a month up compared to where we were.

Nobody notices that we spent half the funds we had buying a house in Barrow-in-Furness to provide an income, doing it up and furnishing it. And got thoroughly shafted on exchange rates because of the timing of our transfers.

Nobody notices any of this shit. Oh no, it's just my fault, simple as that.

We've had visits in the last six months from her sister (husband ex-RAF, earning more per hour than I'll ever see and stacking up pensions too); her son (Royal Navy submariner) and daughter (ex-RAF but loaded with mortgages and two young children). I know they all know how we are fixed, as they bombard me with advice, most of which is "move back to UK immediately." Advice doesn't cost them anything. It's exactly zero help of course, in fact counter-productive, but does anyone send a few euros, which would help? Do they fuck.

 

I am NOT the thieving thicko they seem to think I am. I understand that we made a big mistake coming here. I understand that we now need to retreat. Flights cost money. So does a container. So does rent in the meantime. And food, and fuel. The income from our house in Barrow doesn't cover it.

 

I have to flog everything. I have to re-home the pets, on an island with a massive animal-homing problem. I have to find homes for 4 new puppies. I'm doing everything I can think of, short of robbing a bank, to keep us alive here, and none of it is working. All that happens is I feel like I'm drowning.

 

It all boils down to money. I hate the fucking stuff, with a passion I normally reserve for football and politics.

 

...And breathe, if that's still free.

 

Oh yeah, and my R key is playing silly buggers too. Almost every time I use it, I have to go back over what I've typed and specifically add an r here and there. Usually that reads "hee and thee" and I almost do "from" automatically now, I'm so used to seeing "fom." Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

 

There's a moral here. Don't move abroad until you're a multi-millionaire.

 

OK, rant over, you can ignore me now. Apologies if I've depressed anyone, but you just have to share sometimes.

[autofive]

just been to weigh-in non-ferrous this morning, now (a trial scheme in the north east) no one can weigh-in without a passport or driving license, and they have to show them each time they weigh in.

 

so, i came away empty handed, i have to go back tomorrow with the required I.D. before collecting payment.

 

all the staff are moaning that theres nothing coming in, and job losses are in the wind

[dollywobbler]

Given the issues with cars/railway/power station metal being weighed in very merrily, I struggle to sympathise with that one A5. If there's no money for legit scrap metal, then it just proves that the trade has been enjoying the influx of stolen property so again, hard cheese really.

 

My grump is the fact that I'm bloody useless today. I scraped the minibus on a wall first thing, then clobbered a door mirror in exactly the same place when I came back. Just stupid errors, thankfully without much damage. I don't really understand how I've forgotten how to drive.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

  autofive said:

just been to weigh-in non-ferrous this morning, now (a trial scheme in the north east) no one can weigh-in without a passport or driving license, and they have to show them each time they weigh in.

 

so, i came away empty handed, i have to go back tomorrow with the required I.D. before collecting payment.

 

all the staff are moaning that theres nothing coming in, and job losses are in the wind

 

Job losses in the scrap metal industry, blimey, things are tough!!!!

[Lord Sterling]

What a fucking shit day at work it was yesterday. Started at 5.30pm instead of 6pm, supposed to finish at 2.00am, actually finished at 3am, by the time I'd finished I seriously was physically ready to drop to the floor. This was because the lad who it in charge didnt have a clue how to run the show. As per fucking usual it was me doing all the donkey work lifting some seriously heavy boxes, at speed to stack them neatly in the truck container or pallett whilst also trying to train a new lad up. The line gets seriously fast after the Trucks have gone meaning boxes come flying down the line where I have to stack them on the pallett, all the new lad had to do was remove the finished pallett out of the way so I could put a new one down, wrap up the finished pallett and load it onto another container, but despite me warning him that we'd have to work really fast, he took his time, strolling around the pallet with wrap

 

The other running the show really didnt seem to know what he was doing, but he took it in his stride, whilst everyone else was pretty much taking thier own time and generally getting confused with what they were supposed to be doing, I was doing the hardest and most physical job dealing with the 10/20 boxes flying down the line trying to stack them. It doesnt help that the others who actually know what they are doing are still on holiday/sick

 

I've got 3 more days of this lark to go too, plus I'm running out of money.

[Negative Creep]

  Mr_Bo11ox said:

  autofive said:

just been to weigh-in non-ferrous this morning, now (a trial scheme in the north east) no one can weigh-in without a passport or driving license, and they have to show them each time they weigh in.

 

so, i came away empty handed, i have to go back tomorrow with the required I.D. before collecting payment.

 

all the staff are moaning that theres nothing coming in, and job losses are in the wind

 

Job losses in the scrap metal industry, blimey, things are tough!!!!

 

 

If it cuts down on the spate of metal thefts, then it can only be a good thing

[messerschmitt owner]

aye, scrap metal thefts! Couldn't agree more on a crackdown.

[autofive]

  Negative Creep said:

  Mr_Bo11ox said:

  autofive said:

just been to weigh-in non-ferrous this morning, now (a trial scheme in the north east) no one can weigh-in without a passport or driving license, and they have to show them each time they weigh in.

 

so, i came away empty handed, i have to go back tomorrow with the required I.D. before collecting payment.

 

all the staff are moaning that theres nothing coming in, and job losses are in the wind

 

Job losses in the scrap metal industry, blimey, things are tough!!!!

 

 

If it cuts down on the spate of metal thefts, then it can only be a good thing

 

and the prices of scrap will rise

 

looks like a WIN WIN WIN, unless you cant find yoyur passport or driving license

[dollywobbler]

So, scrap metal value will rise, primarily because far too much stuff that ISN'T scrap is being pikey'd away at the moment. I don't really want higher scrap values but I DO want stuff being stolen for scrap. If higher values are the result then so be it.

[Felly Magic]

Wayhay, common sense in the scrap trade at long last. Doubt it will still stop the pikey bastards though sadly, as they will find some dodgy yard to weigh their ill gotten booty in.

[retrogeezer]

  dollywobbler said:

Given the issues with cars/railway/power station metal being weighed in very merrily, I struggle to sympathise with that one A5. If there's no money for legit scrap metal, then it just proves that the trade has been enjoying the influx of stolen property so again, hard cheese really.

 

 

 

Agreed, as soon as scumbags started nicking lead from the church roof, the war memorial name plates, street light safety panels and even frigging drain covers out of the road this had to happen.

[Negative Creep]

Realistically I'm not sure what they could do to stop cash in hand payments. Whilst I'm not normally in favour of re tape, if ever an industry brought this upon itself it's the scrap metal one

[Pete-M]

  dollywobbler said:

So, scrap metal value will rise, primarily because far too much stuff that ISN'T scrap is being pikey'd away at the moment. I don't really want higher scrap values but I DO want stuff being stolen for scrap. If higher values are the result then so be it.

 

You sure about this?

[TimothyClaypole]

Best I get myself a megaphone and get out on the streets.

 

Passport - Check.

Van - Check.

Waste Carrier Licence - Check.

Driving Licence - errr, in the post.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I think that higher scrap prices are GR9. First of all it means that the global economy is growing again (because someone must be buying the stuff that's made out of recycled metal) and, from a shite perspective, makes the bottom-end cars less cheap and consequently less likely to get scrapped due to needing a couple of CV joints.

 

 

  chaseracer said:

  Luxobarges_Are_Us said:

  Mr H Sceptre said:

Most Citizen's Advice Bureaus (Bureaux??) have an Employment Law specialist, you could get some free advice and would represent you at any tribunal, again, for nothing.....

 

Yes, but the law makes it all but impossible to get anything out of it unless you had been working somewhere for a year. What's ridiculous is that there are plans afoot to increase that to two years.

True - from April.

 

  Quote

Might as well say "only public sector employees are entitled to protection from unfair dismissal" and be done with it (and no, this is not a rant against the public sector- it's just that job mobility is a lot higher in the private sector).

FFS, would you care to hammer a smaller - yet equally sweepingly ignorant - generalisation over that?! And there's a lot of job mobility OUT of public services right now - all those nurses, teaching assistants, coppers & lollipop ladies who caused the collapse of the economy are finally getting what they deserve...

 

Why is that statement "sweepingly ignorant"? The mobility out of the public sector is going to be largely unaffected by the new law, because those people have been there for longer. Employee turnover is much lower in the public sector, both because of the type of jobs and because of the types of people working there. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise that the change in the legislation is going to affect private sector workers a lot more than public sector ones.