The grumpy thread

[myglaren]

20Th December, got to my 65 birthday and became a pensioner, yes, I have been looking forward to that for years.

21St December the world ends.

 

What, again? Getting to be a regular occurrence now.

[philibusmo]

Yesterday I took my Alfa Romeo 156 down to Bournemouth for cam belt change time at Autolusso, an Alfa specialist - incidentally they seem to be a damn good garage which I would recommend if you are in the area and need work doing on your Alfa.

Of course, not just the belt needs doing and mine was bang on for mileage and 3 years over due. It needed a new aux belt and balance belt and the tensioners for all three belts, water pump, cam variator, cam cover and rocker cover gasket. Ended up with labor and VAT taking the total price to about 600 notes. I felt it was worth it as this is the first car I have bought for quite a while which I like enough to feel I am going to keep for some time and now know its good for another 36,000 miles or 3 years.

 

And now for the grumpy part.

 

On the way back, in the dark and the rain along the winding A roads between Honiton and Bournemouth I hit a massive pot hole full of water which bounced me up against the hedge. Luckily there was no damage to the body work, but the tyres on the offside have been ruined. The front had a couple of chunks of wood jammed between the bead of the tyre and the alloy and then the rear, whilst not looking damaged other than being a bit scuffed had a puncture and let its air out over night.

 

Neither were repairable, the wheels themselves were fine but had to splash out on two new 205/55/16 Dunlops today so I can get to work tomorrow. That's another £150 down.

 

One silver lining is that the old front tyre was an 'Ovation' made from recycled condoms and had all the grip of a knackered cross ply. The rear was a Continental with loads of tread which I was far less happy to be rid of.

[dollywobbler]

That sounds like a 'sue the council' job to me, though in that dreadful weather, I guess you didn't stop to photograph any evidence?

[philibusmo]

That sounds like a 'sue the council' job to me, though in that dreadful weather, I guess you didn't stop to photograph any evidence?

 

Pouring with rain, dark, a little foggy and everyone was driving like a massive twat.

 

Had I got out to photograph the scene i would have gotten very wet, and probably killed.

[dollywobbler]

Worth asking them anyway? You are out of pocket because they haven't maintained a road.

[HillmanImp]

Worth asking them anyway? You are out of pocket because they haven't maintained a road.

 

But there is an argument that if everyone sues them they will have even less money to mend the roads.*

 

 

*and have big office parties, take the piss on the working hours and expensive pensions, Daily Mail etc etc

[willswitchengage]

Saw a Mongdeo start 'n' stop fail to "start" at some traffic lights earlier. Fail. Well, it was going to happen eventually.

[Cavcraft]

Isn't there some daft law with councils where you can only sue them for damage caused by shit roads if someone else has reported it previously and the council haven't acted?

[sporty-shite]

FUCKING BASTARDING TRAFFORD CENTRE.

 

No, before you ask, I haven't been in the shithole, but this afternoon (3.45pm) I set off home from work at Trafford Hospital. A 15 mile journey that should take around 30 minutes at that time of day. It took me 45 minutes to get onto the motorway, because every twat and his dog were going in the same direction to get to that concrete and neon killer of independent retail. Then the motorway was rammers because a) it was raining, and it was nearly rush hour. Altogether it took me an hour and a quarter. It doesn't take me that long to get there in morning rush hour.

 

CUNTSHOVELLERS.

[eddyramrod]

Completely o/t but making me extremely grumpy at the moment...

I've been living with a crack in my denture for several months, not least because I didn't know where to even start looking for a dental lab in Cyprus. I've found one in Barrow, but.... today, went for lunch with Mrs R, her son and his fiancee, to celebrate the juniors' engagement. All very happy, having a lovely time, got to dessert, I tucked into my Banana Boat... and my plate finally snapped.

At least I know where the dental lab is.

[Lord Sterling]

Kin 'ell, is it me or have people suddenly found spending power? I've lost around 14 auctions in the last 10 days, thats a record. Alot of the items I've lost out on have ended up going for stupid money....

 

Hmmm, further to this, I notice I seem to have received no less than 3 second chance offers from 3 different sellers. Latest one being today - the Last Edition Dandy Comic (One of which I already have)

[ruffgeezer]

Do you still need a bonnet? There's a place on eBay with a C15 in for breaking.

 

Thanks, but I managed to get one for it in the end from Bradford, I shall get it on once I've finished snotting the sill back together.

[philibusmo]

Worth asking them anyway? You are out of pocket because they haven't maintained a road.

 

I think I will just have to write it off as 'one of those things' I know it was in Dorset and I was a little closer to Honiton than I was Bournemouth but other than that it was just a normal looking corner on a bit of a hilly section. Doubt I would know it unless I drove into it again.

[Cavcraft]

FUCKING BASTARDING TRAFFORD CENTRE.

 

No, before you ask, I haven't been in the shithole, but this afternoon (3.45pm) I set off home from work at Trafford Hospital. A 15 mile journey that should take around 30 minutes at that time of day. It took me 45 minutes to get onto the motorway, because every twat and his dog were going in the same direction to get to that concrete and neon killer of independent retail. Then the motorway was rammers because a) it was raining, and it was nearly rush hour. Altogether it took me an hour and a quarter. It doesn't take me that long to get there in morning rush hour.

 

CUNTSHOVELLERS.

 

Try whatever junction of the M53 'Cheshire Oaks' is just off. You come to the roundabout under the motorway and you might just as well select 1st gear, shut your eyes and turn the wheel whichever way the wind's blowing. Every stupid tart in a Bini/Range Rover/convertible converges at said roundabout and does whatever the fuck they want, mostly including blocking the pissing lanes off despite there being traffic lights now. Oh, and swerving from the outside lane of said motorway right over to the junction as you're on top of it is average behaviour there. I can only imagine these cretins don't have the mental ability to realise there are other junctions on the motorway and, God forbid, you could actually realise you've missed your junction then go to the next one and turn round.

[sporty-shite]

FUCKING BASTARDING TRAFFORD CENTRE.

 

No, before you ask, I haven't been in the shithole, but this afternoon (3.45pm) I set off home from work at Trafford Hospital. A 15 mile journey that should take around 30 minutes at that time of day. It took me 45 minutes to get onto the motorway, because every twat and his dog were going in the same direction to get to that concrete and neon killer of independent retail. Then the motorway was rammers because a) it was raining, and it was nearly rush hour. Altogether it took me an hour and a quarter. It doesn't take me that long to get there in morning rush hour.

 

CUNTSHOVELLERS.

 

Try whatever junction of the M53 'Cheshire Oaks' is just off. You come to the roundabout under the motorway and you might just as well select 1st gear, shut your eyes and turn the wheel whichever way the wind's blowing. Every stupid tart in a Bini/Range Rover/convertible converges at said roundabout and does whatever the fuck they want, mostly including blocking the pissing lanes off despite there being traffic lights now. Oh, and swerving from the outside lane of said motorway right over to the junction as you're on top of it is average behaviour there. I can only imagine these cretins don't have the mental ability to realise there are other junctions on the motorway and, God forbid, you could actually realise you've missed your junction then go to the next one and turn round.

 

Sounds about right, Billy. Just pisses me off that I have to get stuck in it on my way in on a late shift (lunchtime) and on my way home from both early and late/long day shifts. There's nothing quite like battling through brain dead consumers with Selfridges on their mind after turning in a 12 hour shift on a busy ward.

[Cavcraft]

You'd probably be better off on a cycle. If only there was a trustworthy* person about to sell you one

[Lankytim]

MOAR fuckups from Birmingham Crown Court...

 

We were meant to go to the sentencing hearing last Friday for the uninsured guy who hit and killed my Mum on his motorbike, except the Judge decided to take Friday off and rescheduled it for the Thursday befofre. Result, nobody showed up and the case was deferred until the following week.

 

Dad got a call early on Tuesday that the case was now going to be on Wednesday, rang the courts to make sure, yep, Wednesday. Got a call later on from the rozzers telling us that the case had actually been on Tuesday AM and we'd missed it. Idiots.

 

The biker was sentenced to a 12 month community order, banned for 15 months with enhanced test at the end, is subject to a curfew and has to wear a tag. Fair enough I guess. The biggest thing at the moment though is because of the Courts incompetence we have been denied the opportunity to see the guy who killed my Mum sentenced and the opportunity to represent my Mum in court. Apparently it was a legal obligation of the Courts to allow my Dad to attend. The courts have issued a grovelling apology, blamed computer error and are investigating what went on. Apparently this is the first time this has ever happened. WHATEVAR.

[Albert Ross]

Tim,

I would suggest financial compensation is in order. If it's forthcoming, get a family holiday sorted, and go place a bench in her favourite spot at the seaside or summat.... Something that will last and you can visit.

[sporty-shite]

Tim , that's shocking. If the courts had a legal obligation to make sure your dad was there, surely they shouldn't have let sentencing proceed without him.

 

As if it isn't bad enough that you have to be there in the first place, they should at least be absolutely sure that everything is in place. Don't these people actually think about the impact of their incompetence? Obviously not.

[sporty-shite]

You'd probably be better off on a cycle. If only there was a trustworthy* person about to sell you one

 

15 miles on a pushrod? In the rain? And then do a day's work? FRO.

[TimothyClaypole]

Made it all of 4 miles in my "new" Astra before the engine light came on... I'm guessing they reset it the day before or something.

 

(ignored the light and drove the 40 miles there and back to work anyway as I'm like that.)

 

Guessing the EG whatever valve or somesuch as my dad said it felt slow when he brought it to my house on Wednesday night - in otherwords he was canning it down the M1.

[Guest]

To the two arseholes in the 57 plate Lotus Elise:

 

Driver had a few, had he? Was that the reason you were doing 20 MPH down my side of the A538 this morning? I know it was wet, but fuck me, that's a bit conservative for a car like that, isn't it?

 

I was fucking knackered and wanted to get home. You two pricks added 25 minutes on to my journey. Cheers.

[Cavcraft]

You'd probably be better off on a cycle. If only there was a trustworthy* person about to sell you one

 

15 miles on a pushrod? In the rain? And then do a day's work? FRO.

 

[cort16]

piss shit bum knob twat hole wankering hangover. Christmas night out at work started at 12.30pm yesterday and I had my final drink of the day at 2.15am and I'm in work this morning. Hoping the world will end soon to put me out of my fucking misery.

[flat4alfa]

 

Don't car if it a posted pea. Made me larf.

[phil_lihp]

Just picked up the Nova from the garage where it's had new handbrake cables fitted. Handbrake works, overall braking performance has been improved. This is a good thing.

 

While it's been up on the ramp, someone's been poking around it and the rusty blisters on the passenger front door are gone, replaced with a large hole I can fit my fingers into. I knew it was a bit rusty but not that rotten, I suspect a bit of poking with a screwdriver will prove that the entire bottom inch of the door is as thin as tissue paper. I really wish they'd left it alone, it looks awful and I now have to think about getting it patched up before it can be sold.

[Negative Creep]

Having to go food shopping. I dn't give a toss about Xmas and just wanted some cat litter and fruit. But even at 11pm it was full of fatties not needing any more food in their lives stopping for a random gossip

[skattrd]

Amazon + HDNL/Yodel.

One package containing Xmas pressies for 3 of my family. Yodel "failed delivery" to a house where there is always someone in, no card left, no sign a delivery had been attempted. I contact Yodel & Amazon to complain about this, and say I will collect the package from my local depot.

Quick reply from Amazon, who apologise for the inconvenience, refund my money and recall the package.

 

End result is I now have to go out Xmas shopping to Toys R Us and other pleb/children filled places just before Xmas .... Not happy

[bub2006]

I read in paper a lass worked for yodel. Used her own vehicle. They didn't pay her so she quit. Six month or so later she still getting deliveries from head office

[ashmicro]

Wasn't it Yodel who were caught on someone's CCTV, "delivering" a TFT monitor by lobbing it over a fence into a garden?

 

EDIT: It was an XBOX 360

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2012/03/yodel.html

 

I also had a row with one of their drivers who nearly ran into the side of my Jaaag.