The grumpy thread

[messerschmitt owner]

bought a ticket for the Costa Concordia lottery as it was a rollover - there, hope that cheered you miserable f*ckers up a bit.

[Tayne]

This jobhunting is driving me mental. Thank heavens for Bushmills,

 

The irony.

 

"Alcohol Free Area" by Tayne, on Flickr

[Albert Ross]

My Boss is a knobhead.

[peter9000uk]

If only everything in life was as reliable as a Renault! VW certainly ain't as yet again my Laguna has come to the rescue of my daughter's BF 6 year old Passat going tits up again.

 

Leaving me to fix the fucker in this freezing cold weather, new header tank fitted, no leak there now. Disassemble front of car to fit new rad. What idiot designed this car!

Grill off, bumper skin off, there the bugger is. Remove steel bumper, remove variuos assorted plastic bits of trim, remove air con condensor. What sadist decided to use wire clips in slots to hold hoses on to rad and then orientate them so they are a right bastard to reach and remove (what is wrong with a jubilee clip for God's sake!) New rad eventually fitted and hoses refitted after much swearing, several cigarettes and tea. Top up with antifreeze mix prior to refitting front of car (learning aren't I !) Go to start car... battery flat FFS, no problem I say, will back wifey's Beemer over and jump it off that. No, not a chance , jump leads in the Laguna 30 miles away! I am losing the will to live and light fading fast. Packing tools away and notice a pool of antifreeze coloured water by front wheel, shit methinks as there is a lot and it is still pouring out. It appears there is yet another leak somewhere beneath the inlet manifold and a myriad of other crap that is in the way, wonderful! Threw the lot in the boot and bumper into the back garden, shut the fucker up and came in for another nice cup of tea and to warm up.

 

I hate this car more than the Beemer

 

I now understand why his mechanic mate refuses to work on it

[Pete-M]

Trade insurance last year = £1300.

Trade insurance this year = £1707 (after a week of shopping around).

 

Bollocks. Liverpool, as always has been hit with a huge loading for no reason, and trade insurance premiums are going up because of people getting trade insurance when they've got fuck all to do with the motor trade.

 

Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to hammer a smaller premium over it.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Fuck...that sounds a lot. Did you tinker with cover types and maximum amounts per car? I found they made a big difference on mine...

[Pete-M]

Fuck...that sounds a lot. Did you tinker with cover types and maximum amounts per car? I found they made a big difference on mine...

 

I never thought of that. Bugger.

 

 

 

 

Actually, yes. I did think of that. As did the broker I've used for the last few years. He wangled it down from £2300 to £1707 somehow as he didn't want to lose me as a customer. I've also been to numerous other places, specialists, brokers, direct to the companies themselves, tried bloody everything. The quotes I was getting elsewhere were all over £2k, so I know my broker wasn't joking.

 

The explanation I kept getting for the mad premium hike is A: Claims Companies / referrals / blag whippy claims, and B: People who're not traders wangling trade insurance and claiming on it for minor things when no genuine trader would ever consider banging in a claim for anything under a good few grand.

 

There are also idiots who think that banging a whippy claim in when they're on a trade policy is a good idea. It's not, it fucks people who work in the trade as well as the general public. I know garages who're close to having to close down because of insurance premium hikes this year.

 

I actually need the trade policy or I cannot work. If the premium rises next year I'm gonna have to move abroad just to get insurance.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

The solution to the problem you describe (rubbish claims that nobody in the trade would consider making) is simple: high excesses. Of course, the insurance industry would rather close down than do something that actually happens to be simple! As a result of that, moving abroad may be the best way of dealing with the problem on a personal level.

[Pete-M]

The solution to the problem you describe (rubbish claims that nobody in the trade would consider making) is simple: high excesses. Of course, the insurance industry would rather close down than do something that actually happens to be simple! As a result of that, moving abroad may be the best way of dealing with the problem on a personal level.

 

Something more simple would be to stop giving trade policies to people who can't prove they're in the motor trade.

[warren t claim]

I was told my premium might go down a bit this year because I have business premises to trade from on a secure industrial estate so more companies are willing to quote, traders without premises have always been a higher risk. The company I'm with now WONT allow me to put anything over twenty years old on my policy after renewal in April so I'll be shopping around anyway.

[Pete-M]

I was told my premium might go down a bit this year because I have business premises to trade from on a secure industrial estate so more companies are willing to quote, traders without premises have always been a higher risk. The company I'm with now WONT allow me to put anything over twenty years old on my policy after renewal in April so I'll be shopping around anyway.

 

My premium is with secure premises - which they inspect, yearly. They'll be out next week to have another look.

 

Three years ago I was paying £450. Now £1707. Great.

[RobT]

 

I actually need the trade policy or I cannot work. If the premium rises next year I'm gonna have to move abroad just to get insurance.

 

Any chance your employer can cover some of the increase Pete, or are you self-employed?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

The solution to the problem you describe (rubbish claims that nobody in the trade would consider making) is simple: high excesses. Of course, the insurance industry would rather close down than do something that actually happens to be simple! As a result of that, moving abroad may be the best way of dealing with the problem on a personal level.

 

Something more simple would be to stop giving trade policies to people who can't prove they're in the motor trade.

 

But, the way these things work, the only result of that will be that low-volume traders and other people with a part-time/otherwise small connection to the trade would then be unable to get cover from either 'traditional' policies or trade ones, so this is just moving the shafting from one group of people to another. There is no escaping the law of unintended consequences, especially when we're talking about a convoluted market with a lot of collusion going on between the big players.

 

Having said that, I have come across trade insurers who already demand a full set of accounts, VAT number etc, or a written statement explaining the absence of the above. Doesn't seem to have lowered trade premia, does it?

[Cavcraft]

I don't think it's fair to blame those without premises and part timers to be honest, I expect the problems come from all areas of the trade.

 

Bit limited with my policy (nothing before 1980, nothing over five grand, no mini-buses, motorbikes or camper vans) but it's only about £480 per year TPFT.

[Pete-M]

I'm not blaming part-timers or those without premises. It's those who've got bugger all to do with the motor trade at all who've blagged trade policies in order to save a few quid who've then gone and claimed for stupid little bumps instead of paying for them out of their own pocket. It is massively shafting those who actually need trader insurance.

 

I work with cars and drive between 10-25 cars a week. My employer covers me to drive any I drive on his behalf - maybe 5 or 6 cars a week. The rest I have to insure, which is why I'm pissed that my premium has tripled over the last three years. Despite no accidents, claims, points etc.

[Cavcraft]

That's utter madness mate. How are people supposed to get by when fuel and insurance keep going up? Anyone self employed is going to struggle like fuck and if they can't pass the costs on I'd imagine a fair few will see going back on the dole as the next move.

[cort16]

I was just reading an article about 1 in 5 people giving up their cars because of increasing fuel prices. The survery was carried out by an Insurance Company and the guy here rightly points out that the insurance companies have a cheek pointing the finger directly at fuel costs when they keep knocking up their premiums.

 

http://www.fleetdirectory.co.uk/fleet-news/index.php/2012/02/01/the-cost-of-motoring-how-much-is-too-much/

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The idea that a fifth of motorists are sacking their cars off due to the cost of juice is ridiculous. It sounds like just the sort of total bo11ox survey that an insurance company might come up with, in the parallel universe they operate in.

[Pete-M]

I do a lot of motorway mileage (already clocked up 1500 miles this week) and I've noticed a lot less 'normal' cars on the motorways than in the past. Ok, I'm one of those who gets derided in here for making progress on the motorway, but it's unusual to see a car that isn't blatantly a company owned one in the 'fast' lane lately. Over the last six months or so there seems to have been a major drop in the number of older cars out on the motorways, which suggests to me that it's company fuel that is keeping a lot of the stuff on the motorways.

 

I do see older stuff, but it tends to be mooching along in L1 at 50-60 mph with the odd brave soul doing a bit more in the middle lane and a few worried old dears tootling along in the middle lane at 60. I drove from Cwmbran to Liverpool this afternoon and pretty much everything I was in convoy with was "11" plate or newer TDi repmobiles or vans - which to me suggests that private motorists don't seem to be out there as much.

[Wilko220]

So, unsurprisingly, disconnecting the battery for 24 hours didn't do the job on the Rover. It continues to refuse to even attempt to start and flashes the "EP" message - meaning a fault with the auto gearbox. I know bugger all about gearboxes or ECUs so I'm going to have to admit defeat and call out GEM Recovery tomorrow.

This is a grumpy man.

[eddyramrod]

The above conversation about insurance costs. What's the normal working bloke supposed to fucking do????????????? Come on insurers, wake up!

[morris_ital_lover]

...The insurers have woken up that's why te're here. They get referral fees and they know that insurance is compulsory so will milk everyone for every last penny.

 

A couple of years ago when I first looked at setting out with learning to drive, buying a car etc my insurance would have been £1200 for a "normal" car, today it is nearly triple that. Same cars, location etc etc. My mates premiums don't come down, they just stay the same and everyone elses seem to rise faster than a fast thing.

[Cavcraft]

Just sliced my effing hand open on broken glass from an old telly someone dumped. Blood pissing out all over the shop and at back of long queue at A&E.

Luckily it's my left hand so I'll still be able to hold my drinks later.

[RoadworkUK]

"Driving Wars"

 

Very entertaining and all that, and I'd love to have a go, and I know the cars they use are probably all ex-scrappage machines, but....

 

I can't help feel a bit grumpy seeing them utterly destroy a pair of what looked to be totally mint MGFs, countless Legacy Estates and Outlanders, and various 4.0L Cherokees. Here's me keeping my worthless machinery on the road, and there's Dave smashing up the kind of stuff I aspire to for fun.

 

Still can't stop myself from watching, though. Looks like they win.

[Station]

Getting ready to relocate next week for new job - it will involve two weeks of mostly driving to and from Midlands from the Wirral.

 

I think the head gasket is about to go on my car - white smoke, and crazy cold/hot from heater. Really struggling as it is with money, really hoping it's something else or I'm being extremely paranoid.

[DSdriver]

Are the Royal Mail sending stuff to Australia by ship instead of plane? It has just taken one day less than a month for a small packet to get there, the chap said he also received a Christmas card posted early December in the same post. The grump is that one more day and I could have claimed for it being lost.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I sent something to Greece on Monday. Airmail. "They aim to get it delivered within 3 working days". Fantastic, I thought.

 

Having spent SIX QUID for sending a small letter (or rather the privilege of getting a signature for it), I used track+trace and was glad to know that it arrived Wednesday evening. At the Heathrow distribution centre, to be flown out on Thursday and doubtless kept by Hellenic Post until at least Monday (there are no Saturday deliveries). And, of course, if you dare to complain about it, you will be told "we only AIM to deliver within 3 days- it doesn't mean we ever meet our targets". Nasty bastards...and, unless you're a mega-wasteful business spamming innocent people with all sorts of rubbish through the post, the private sector alternatives are even more shit!

[Pete-M]

NO surprise there. When I lived on Zante it was a rare event to get post. If something was DHL'd it might turn up within a few weeks if it was 'express' delivery. Not DHL's fault, they'd get it to Greece within a day or so, but then it was left to the local Zante post system.... which was a disaster.

[RedSparrow]

So apparently it's snowing in the UK. Cue half the people on facebook posting stupid pictures and updates along the lines of 'OMG IT R SNOIN'.

The unsubscribe and unfriend functions will be getting used heavily today.

 

BTW it's -10C here in Czech but really sunny and no snow. Weird.

[cobblers]

eBay have just pulled 7 of my auctions 1 day before they ended because I put my fucking email address in the listing. What a shower of bastards. I didn't even say "EMAIL ME AND WE CAN SELL OUTSIDE EBAY HAHAHA LOLZ". It was just "Any questions contact me here, it comes straight through to the phone" sort of thing.

 

Had about a BAZILLION watchers on a lot of the stuff too, was hoping for some spendoola.