The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[ian]

BG still thinks they serviced our boiler. They seem most bemused. I'm interested to know whose boiler and central heating they did service because it wasn't ours and we're the only occupied house on our street. Reminds me of the time when a friend of mine ordered a swanky computer (back when they cost a lot) and it was mistakenly delivered to a neighbour, and promptly took one look at their unexpected delivery and presumed Christmas in July and unpacked, plugged it in and started to use it.

Anyway, just sort it out BG, claiming that you've not serviced it wouldn't be a cunning scam, would it?

In other news, the boom-boom-boom chavchariot seems to have quieted of late, but it was parked up the road (I assume the same one, I may, of course, be guilty of profiling cars, but blacked out PoS) when I went swimming earlier, silent but engine running. Came back an hour or so later, still sat there, silent but engine running. Doesn't seem to be the car the plates think it is either, though I'll admit I may have misremembered. No one is going to bling up a Mercedes A Class.

[Mr Larrington]

Of course it would be very wrong of you to creep up behind a stationary-with-the-engine-running motor-car and hold a large potato firmly against the outlet of the exhaust pipe, and we of the Democratic Ruthless Bastards Party would never condone such behaviour.

[ian]

I couldn't actually tell, owing to the tints, whether it was occupied or I might have been tempted. Apparently, a bit of knotted inner tube is a nice fit, and prophylactic against vehicles left running.

Having consulted the internets however, it does seem that Mercedes have chavved up the A class from back in the day when it was a definite Mum's car. Presumably, they're competing with Audi for their share of the halfwit market.

[FifeingEejit]

I appear to have convinced facebooks recommendation system that I am I terested in unionism.
This has resulted in them suggesting I might be interested in the Scottish libertarian party.

My only interest in said party is to dump their membership on a remote island with the child abuse party and freedom alliance and see how many survivors there are after a year.

It's bad enough getting Willie Rennie political advertising, but at least if there was an in person campaign going on I'd be able to tell him he's "for the birds" to his face

This may have strayed into the realms of another thread and if inappropriate for the grumble I apologise.

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[TheLurker]

BG still thinks they serviced our boiler.

We're still waiting for our service which was due in May July September November Monday next.  My money's on the 10AM 'phone call, "Sorree we cant' make it, not enough technicians cos they're all on strike busy." and a further postponement.

[robgul]

BG still thinks they serviced our boiler.

We're still waiting for our service which was due in May July September November Monday next.  My money's on the 10AM 'phone call, "Sorree we cant' make it, not enough technicians cos they're all on strike busy." and a further postponement.

. . . our boiler service from BG has also been the victim of delays - BUT the bloke did turn up as per the latest appt date on Tuesday - not a BG employee but a sub-contractor (all seemed legit with ID and BG paperwork etc - and sign-written van) - he said that in our area almost 60% of the boiler service work is being sub-contracted.  Is that a result of the recent issues with BG employees and working time changes etc?

[ian]

I wouldn't mind a delay (though to be honest, it's a far from cheap service, so you know, if you take the money, provide some service), it that's they told us he was coming, and it didn't happen, but it seems someone signed off on the service having happened. That's outside the call centre script. Anyway, they've now made it possible 'to book again online' for another visit, presumably in umpteen months. I'm not doing that. You didn't come, sort it out amongst yourselves.

[Mrs Pingu]

Is it not time everyone moved away from BG and their shite employment practices and supported all their ex-engineers that have just gone freelance?

Meanwhile I phoned our local maintenance co yesterday and got a servicing appointment for Monday, which surprised me somewhat.

[Mrs Pingu]

Anyway, what I actually came to grumble about was me getting not one, but three phone calls in the space of 2 hours from the robot voice HMRC tax fraud scammers, despite me blocking the first number.

[ian]

Laziness, and on the few occasions we've needed an engineer, they've turned up the same day. Getting someone local and recommended, which we did for a powerflush a while back, involved a six-week wait.

[Mrs Pingu]

Yes I get that, I'm just pointing out there are probably more locals and less BG engineers right now.

[ian]

That's the thing though, if it's one bloke with a van, there's no guarantee when you're sitting there on Christmas eve with the boiler saying 'non' (which happened to the other year and required a new circuit board). We went elsewhere for the powerflush because they wanted £850 to give our central heating a colonic. I wouldn't pay that much for Gwyneth Paltrow to do it personally.

Admittedly, that's probably not guaranteed these days, but on the few times we've needed urgent attention, BG haven't disappointed.

[robgul]

Is it not time everyone moved away from BG and their shite employment practices and supported all their ex-engineers that have just gone freelance?

Meanwhile I phoned our local maintenance co yesterday and got a servicing appointment for Monday, which surprised me somewhat.

Have to say that we got the BG service for a free (for 1 year) when we changed the supply to BG from one of the shyster suppliers (AVRO if you want to know) - for a market beating tariff.   You phone up and speak to them, beat them down to below the best that any of the comparison sites have and BG agrees for a fixed 2 years in our case - result.

Whether we get BG to service the boiler next time is open to debate.   A plus this time is that the engineer also cleaned out the magnetic filter ... which is outside the service tick-sheet work.

[ian]

Now BG have offered us £65 to forgo the service they never did but thought they did and now seem to agree they didn't. Because 'it’s been a tough time for all of us and we needed to prioritise vulnerable people and emergencies during the Covid pandemic.'

I am moved to tears. It's been so hard. They shouldn't be in such a hurry to 'thank me for my understanding.' The going rate for my understanding is a lot more than £65.

[Jaded]

We went elsewhere for the powerflush because they wanted £850 to give our central heating a colonic. I wouldn't pay that much for Gwyneth Paltrow to do it personally.

Admittedly, that's probably not guaranteed these days,

Well, no because she is making Queef Candles now.

[ian]

Today's missive from British Gas. 'It's time to book your service...'

'Our engineer called but no one was home.'

I think they're just clicking random buttons on the magic computer. They've now been, not been, and tried to been.

[grams]

Neighbour has acquired a bike. Hooray!

They've decided it's going to live on an intermediate landing just below my flat. It's a wide-ish mountain bike and even with the bars turned 45 degrees the wheel sticks out and takes up most of the width such that I have to squeeze past. I'm not looking forward to taking my own bike or anything else big past.

They almost certainly don't have room for it inside their tiny flat. I'm the only person it affects other than their household.

Grumbling because it is absolutely taking the piss but I'm not too bike sympathetic to say anything.

[Ashaman42]

I would say something if I were you. If nothing else that could be bad news in the event of a fire.

[robgul]

I would say something if I were you. If nothing else that could be bad news in the event of a fire.

Indeed - I would guess the landlord (and his insurer) would have something to say about risk - my daughter had the same situation in the small block she lived in a while back, neighbours with bike & push-chair on the landing had their collars felt by the managing agent.

[Feanor]

In fairness, this is an almost-grumble.
It would have been a grumble before I realised I was wrong.

So I bought some new kitchen scales, the old one had started jumping around by +/- 10s of g when steady.
And that's not good enough for the bread-making I'm doing now.

The new one had a metal plate which seemed to be the sensitive part.
But the metal plate was recessed a few mm into the body of the scales, so that a large diameter bowl would land off on the body of the scale, and not present the full weight onto the metal plate!

But it turns out this is not an issue; the entire body of the scale is the sensitive part, not just the metal bit.
The strain gauge is between the four little feet on the base, and the body of the scale.
The weight of the scale itself is part of the measurement; it's just zeroed out.
If you pick the thing up off the table, it shows -330g, the weight of the scale.

So a bowl than misses the recessed metal bit and sits on the body of the scale will work just fine.
That's OK, then.

[Ashaman42]

I've got a load of wood being delivered today to make a new desk. I don't have a workshop/shed/garage to work in so was planning to do the cutting and drilling in the garden and then just assembly inside so as not to make a(s much of a) mess.

It is pissing with rain 

The circular saw does have a vacuum attachment so I guess we'll see how effective that is. It's that or be patient and wait till a nicer day.

[Beardy]

I've got a load of wood being delivered today to make a new desk. I don't have a workshop/shed/garage to work in so was planning to do the cutting and drilling in the garden and then just assembly inside so as not to make a(s much of a) mess.

It is pissing with rain 

The circular saw does have a vacuum attachment so I guess we'll see how effective that is. It's that or be patient and wait till a nicer day.

Wont you want to acclimatise the timber to its final conditions before you start milling and cutting it? A few days indoors before cutting it to the final dimensions is bound to help.

[Ashaman42]

I've got a load of wood being delivered today to make a new desk. I don't have a workshop/shed/garage to work in so was planning to do the cutting and drilling in the garden and then just assembly inside so as not to make a(s much of a) mess.

It is pissing with rain 

The circular saw does have a vacuum attachment so I guess we'll see how effective that is. It's that or be patient and wait till a nicer day.

Wont you want to acclimatise the timber to its final conditions before you start milling and cutting it? A few days indoors before cutting it to the final dimensions is bound to help.

That is a good point that I hadn't really thought about. I haven't done much woodwork and what I have done has mostly been at working using stuff from the storeroom.

Now to work out where to put it because it's coming in 2.4m lengths. Might have to stay in the living room to get tripped over even though the desk will end up upstairs. Shouldn't be too much difference in conditions between the two.

[Cudzoziemiec]

If you send me an email after 9pm asking if I can do x by 7am the next day, the answer isn't yes or no, it's nothing at all, because I'm not checking email that late. Well, I hope you found someone to do it. Maybe try a different time zone?

[Mr Larrington]

Typical.  The first time I want some Actual Cash Money in more than a year and the machine outside Mr Sainsbury’s House of Toothy Comestibles is kaput.

Bah!