Author Topic: The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant. (Read 1624304 times)

barakta · « **Reply #7375 on:** 17 February, 2016, 10:11:46 pm »

HMRC's original offer after admitting they "misadvised me" which they did was £25 compensation... They thought I'd somehow drop my legal case for disability discrimination against them... They may have paid over a hundred times more AND my legal fees cos they knew a court would kill them.

Not sure T42 could claim disability but I wish someone with more spoons would try so they realise what a huge deal that sort of nonsense is!

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #7376 on:** 18 February, 2016, 09:56:56 am »

Quote from: Basil on 17 February, 2016, 07:36:18 pm

I've just had to explain to some studenty kid, when one of the bar staff reappeared from round the back and asked who's next.
"Mate. You know how I was already standing here when you arrived? Well, traditionally................"

Quote

Age before beauty and my moustache wins on both counts, so f off, brat

T42 · « **Reply #7377 on:** 18 February, 2016, 11:05:28 am »

Quote from: barakta on 17 February, 2016, 10:11:46 pm

HMRC's original offer after admitting they "misadvised me" which they did was £25 compensation... They thought I'd somehow drop my legal case for disability discrimination against them... They may have paid over a hundred times more AND my legal fees cos they knew a court would kill them.

Not sure T42 could claim disability but I wish someone with more spoons would try so they realise what a huge deal that sort of nonsense is!

The thing is that if you go after them you're put on the list of people to be audited every year until they get bored.

The social security set-up here is ridiculously complex (like most other administrative branches in France). In particular, the organization that receives your contributions and reimburses medical expenses works on behalf of the national system, but when anything goes awry it's the national heavies that kneecap you. Dunning notices are always vague and when you call up you often get a lot of "it's not us it's them". It's damnably difficult to get detailed info out of them 'cos it's always the other guy, and even when you do get something the calculation formulae are so complex** you can't reproduce them. I once asked one of their agents face to face if she could take me through the calculation step by step and she said no, nobody could. Yet when questioned about a demand for payment the reaction is almost always "pay first and if it turns out to be too much you'll get it back at the end of the year". I was lucky yesterday - straight answer & immediate action. I still don't quite believe it.

** e.g. one particular type of contribution is based on income from April to the following March but the payments are spread Jan-Dec. Or did they change that? Can't remember.

Torslanda · « **Reply #7378 on:** 19 February, 2016, 10:07:16 pm »

Yesterday morning I exchanged Tesco vouchers online for Eurotunnel tokens. All done online with the promise of the tokens by email (usually within 30 minutes). More than 30 hours later, no email. No response to email enquiry.

Oi! Tesco. Where the bloody hell is my order . . . ?

mcshroom · « **Reply #7379 on:** 20 February, 2016, 08:16:02 am »

Last night I fettled my bike for audaxing, and stripped down the fraI'm fettleving to Torslanda. Got up at silly o'clock this morning feeling crap. Tried to push through anyway as I thought it was just reaction to the early start.

It wasn't. I got over an hour down the road and had to pull over as I'm feeling sick. No chance of making it to the Depart now and I'm not looking forward to the trip home.

Sorry John I won't be bringing the Raleigh down today.

Ruthie · « **Reply #7380 on:** 20 February, 2016, 08:18:33 am »

Oh honey what a shame. GWS.

Ruthie · « **Reply #7381 on:** 20 February, 2016, 08:22:24 am »

Quote from: mcshroom on 20 February, 2016, 08:16:02 am

No chance of making it to the Depart now and I'm not looking forward to the trip home.

Time to call ETA?

mcshroom · « **Reply #7382 on:** 20 February, 2016, 08:27:06 am »

Don't think they rescue cyclists sat in their cars. I've called to DNS and I'm now going to slowly drive home.

T42 · « **Reply #7383 on:** 20 February, 2016, 08:55:57 am »

Hard luck, you must feel doubly sick. GWS.

Torslanda · « **Reply #7384 on:** 20 February, 2016, 10:29:20 am »

No worries, Marcus.

Get yourself home safe.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #7385 on:** 20 February, 2016, 10:36:11 am »

Quote from: Basil on 17 February, 2016, 07:36:18 pm

Good luck Mr 42.

I've just had to explain to some studenty kid, when one of the bar staff reappeared from round the back and asked who's next.
"Mate. You know how I was already standing here when you arrived? Well, traditionally................"

A decade or so back I went to the Trowbridge Pump festival. The beer tent was clearly staffed by locals who kept ignoring everybody else, serving just their mates and then loafing around chatting to said mates. You just cannot get eh staff ...

Needless to say, I've never bothered to offer them my money again.

mcshroom · « **Reply #7386 on:** 20 February, 2016, 10:37:53 am »

Quote from: Torslanda on 20 February, 2016, 10:29:20 am

No worries, Marcus.

Get yourself home safe.

Home and heading to bed. The A595 is a truly terrible ~~farm track~~ road

arabella · « **Reply #7387 on:** 24 February, 2016, 08:55:32 pm »

Dear kettle manufacturer,
you know that curvy thing on the outside of a kettle for peope to hold onto, aka the 'handle'.
I use it to hold on to when I fill up the kettle.
When I am holding the handle, the inside of the kettle next to the handle isn't visible.
So WHY do you put the water gauge there, where I can't see it without mumble of wrist bending etc?
There are other kettles I've had with better options
regrestfuy
arabella

Legs · « **Reply #7388 on:** 25 February, 2016, 08:11:07 am »

Tits! My 4' spirit level fell over last night and snapped clean through, after 10 years' good service.

And I forgot my wallet when I came in this morning, so I couldn't go to the gym (which I needed to do for a shower and shave, if not for half an hour on the stepmill)...

bumper · « **Reply #7389 on:** 28 February, 2016, 09:44:40 pm »

Well, I convinced myself to go out for a night blast through the local woods ( just wanted to try my new helmet out). About halfway I decided to have a swig from the camelbak, the bite valve felt funny, a bit too squishy and rough.

I've just returned and had a look at the bite valve and some rodent has chewed through it and nibbled the hose. This must've happened on my last bivvy trip. I knew I'd left the valve out of the frame bag but couldn't be bothered to pop it back, I was too snuggled down in my bag. My wife washed it for me in milton when I got back so I never saw it.

To top it off, the little swine has chewed at my brake cable too

aint nature brilliant $:-\$

hellymedic · « **Reply #7390 on:** 29 February, 2016, 01:28:02 pm »

Partner routed data cabling between cold observatory and heated 'warm room', mostly under the floorboards.
Rodents ate it!

David Martin · « **Reply #7391 on:** 29 February, 2016, 04:51:12 pm »

When routing cables, always leave a pull cord in place (with a wire core if you have rodents

)

hellymedic · « **Reply #7392 on:** 29 February, 2016, 08:05:07 pm »

Good thinking!

Pingu · « **Reply #7393 on:** 29 February, 2016, 10:43:27 pm »

Gah, missed this: 'Bright flash' seen in skies over Scotland

Kim · « **Reply #7394 on:** 29 February, 2016, 10:49:19 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 29 February, 2016, 10:43:27 pm

Gah, missed this: 'Bright flash' seen in skies over Scotland

I thought that was going to be the sun...

andrewc · « **Reply #7395 on:** 29 February, 2016, 10:52:48 pm »

I've just been looking at some pictures from my India trip in 2007. The only thing that still fits me from that trip is the shoes!

ElyDave · « **Reply #7396 on:** 01 March, 2016, 09:48:08 am »

Bloody pedal removal.

Managed to smack myself on the side of the jaw when the pedal suddenly freed up. The combination of pedal spanner and fist is substantial.

Torslanda · « **Reply #7397 on:** 01 March, 2016, 10:23:50 am »

Pedal spanner plus rubber hammer or use the time honoured method of fitting the pedal spanner so that the crank and spanner make a tight angle then squeeze the two together making for a controlled release.

Peter · « **Reply #7398 on:** 01 March, 2016, 10:27:27 am »

Is the correct answer. (wipe-out......)

ElyDave · « **Reply #7399 on:** 01 March, 2016, 11:35:51 am »

Quote from: Torslanda on 01 March, 2016, 10:23:50 am

Pedal spanner plus rubber hammer or use the time honoured method of fitting the pedal spanner so that the crank and spanner make a tight angle then squeeze the two together making for a controlled release.

Trouble is, I don't do it often enough to remember useful stuff like that.