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

[Mrs Pingu]

Pls not to be rocking up with only the vaguest idea of what you think you might want, then spending 30 mins asking for advice, wanting to see each and every thing.

That's what internet flora are for 

[robgul]

Dear Members of the Public, trade counters are NOT showrooms!

Do your research about what you want *before* rocking up at the counter.
Preferably, from home. Then present yourself at the counter for click-and-collect, take your stuffs and leave.
But if you must, there's a laminated catalog on a desk in the corner. Stand quietly in the corner, make your selections, write the part numbers on the slip provided, then present yourself at the counter.

Pls not to be rocking up with only the vaguest idea of what you think you might want, then spending 30 mins asking for advice, wanting to see each and every thing.
If that's what you need, pls to be going to a showroom staffed with people who's job it is to offer advice and demo the stuffs.

Ah - sounds familiar as I waited to be served for my online order from Screwfix this morning

[Giraffe]

I did need to look at one item in Screwfix. It was a combination square and I needed to know if it was reflective. The old one had spots of rust on the scale and shiny metal, so was difficult to read at some angles to the light. No point in buying another shiny one.

[robgul]

I did need to look at one item in Screwfix. It was a combination square and I needed to know if it was reflective. The old one had spots of rust on the scale and shiny metal, so was difficult to read at some angles to the light. No point in buying another shiny one.

Buy a Bahco square - excellent and, at least mine has, black scale lines in the engraving to make it easier to see.

[Feanor]

Yes I agree there are times when you *do* need to inspect something.
Like when the description on the website is inadequate, missing important things like dimensions or thread sizes etc.

Rather than trying to maintain their own description I'd far rather they just provided the manufacturers p/n so I could go look it up myself!

[Beardy]

As a DIYer there have been occasions when I’ve known what I need, but not what it is called and on such occasions the Trade Counter bod has been a source of great knowledge. Admittedly, in these days of t’ internet I’ve mostly been able,to find out what it’s called, but on those occasions when my Google fu has deserted me, I claim the right to ‘ask a friend’.

[Ashaman42]

My new forks have arrived for my commute bike and on unwrapping the paint on the back of the crown and partway up the steerer is bubbly and cracked/peeling.

Why can't things just be simple for once?

[cygnet]

Creators of internet forms:

If you require my DOB, do NOT put in a shitty pop up that makes me tap backwards in monthly increments from today, and disable all other means of adding that information. Too many taps   

[perpetual dan]

I think my birthday would be quite recent in that situation. It’s not like I was going to give a real one anyway.

[cygnet]

Even to be 18 that's 216 taps/clicks and I expect financial service providers take an adverse view on that approach.

[ian]

Dear local council, I see a minor flaw in focusing your residential street parking enforcement on the hours between 9-5 pm.

[perpetual dan]

Even to be 18 that's 216 taps/clicks and I expect financial service providers take an adverse view on that approach.

I’m struggling to imagine an Internet forum I’d give the correct day of the year to. It’s an unnecessary level of detail that only helps those that later hack the site. Maybe I’m lacking imagination.

The right year is, just, fewer than 216 clicks away - assuming there’s a separate year control. Roughly the right age seems fine, until we’re in something way more official than a forum.

[Pedaldog.]

Dear local council, I see a minor flaw in focusing your residential street parking enforcement on the hours between 9-5 pm.

Dear local council, I see a minor flaw in focusing your residential street parking enforcement on the hours between 9-5 pm.

The street parking where I live is unusable for residents in "Working hours" due to being a 15 minute walk to the Town centre and various office/industrial areas.  Restricted parking due to emergency services access means that you lose your space if it's emptied for more than 10 minutes.  Paying a few quid a year for "Residents Only" rules was down voted by said residents as the majority of them, including me again, don't have cars. 

[Si S]

Even to be 18 that's 216 taps/clicks and I expect financial service providers take an adverse view on that approach.

I’m struggling to imagine an Internet forum I’d give the correct day of the year to. It’s an unnecessary level of detail that only helps those that later hack the site. Maybe I’m lacking imagination.

The right year is, just, fewer than 216 clicks away - assuming there’s a separate year control. Roughly the right age seems fine, until we’re in something way more official than a forum.

 

One of you is discussing an internet forum, the other an internet form.

[perpetual dan]

Even to be 18 that's 216 taps/clicks and I expect financial service providers take an adverse view on that approach.

I’m struggling to imagine an Internet forum I’d give the correct day of the year to. It’s an unnecessary level of detail that only helps those that later hack the site. Maybe I’m lacking imagination.

The right year is, just, fewer than 216 clicks away - assuming there’s a separate year control. Roughly the right age seems fine, until we’re in something way more official than a forum.

 

One of you is discussing an internet forum, the other an internet form.

Those expensive new glasses that haven’t arrived yet are plainly needed!

You’re right. It must be a great deal to be trusting a company with such a crappy system! Ask them about RSI insurance maybe?

[Mr Larrington]

Dear local council, I see a minor flaw in focusing your residential street parking enforcement on the hours between 9-5 pm.

Dear local council, I see a minor flaw in focusing your residential street parking enforcement on the hours between 9-5 pm.

The street parking where I live is unusable for residents in "Working hours" due to being a 15 minute walk to the Town centre and various office/industrial areas.  Restricted parking due to emergency services access means that you lose your space if it's emptied for more than 10 minutes.  Paying a few quid a year for "Residents Only" rules was down voted by said residents as the majority of them, including me again, don't have cars.

Round here they had a Residents Parking Wossname for places nearer the tube station than Larrington Towers, but about three years ago The Man extended it to include lots MOAR, including Larrington Towers Road and Larrington Gardens Road.  Without even asking, the bounder.  Bizarrely, you can* still park for free a stone’s throw from Leytonstone tube

* or could in the pre-plague era.  Central Line = very handy for gigs at Shepherds Bush Empire.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Even to be 18 that's 216 taps/clicks and I expect financial service providers take an adverse view on that approach.

I’m struggling to imagine an Internet forum I’d give the correct day of the year to. It’s an unnecessary level of detail that only helps those that later hack the site. Maybe I’m lacking imagination.

The right year is, just, fewer than 216 clicks away - assuming there’s a separate year control. Roughly the right age seems fine, until we’re in something way more official than a forum.

 

One of you is discussing an internet forum, the other an internet form.

Talking about internet forms and dates, my son's been filling in his UCAS form (for the kidless, this is university application). It asks for country of birth, which in his case was not the UK. Then it asks for date of first entry to the UK. So we were trying to work it out. I can't even remember if it was 2010 or 2011. There is no record because, of course, he has a UK passport. Then he solved the problem, to an extent, by realising that it was asking for date of first entry and he first came to the UK as a baby. So he made up a random date when he was about six months old.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Received an email telling me my electricity meter needs replacing cos it's old. I know it's at least ten years old, maybe double that, but I have no idea how long these things last. I do remember someone came to replace it several years ago and was unable to because of the weird way it's wired (basically IIRC would have involved cutting off more than just us). So I ignored that email... then they sent another, so okay, I booked a time slot to have someone come and look at it, making sure it was well after Christmas. Having booked that, there was a series of questions to find out if I can have a smart meter. The result was I cannot. I'm not bothered about whether my meter is smart or dumb, but I am mildly bothered if there's a possibility it might become unsafe, and most of all I'm disgruntled because the total absence of confirmatory email or message to the effect that no smart meter = no replacement, means I have no idea whether they're actually coming to replace it or not.

[orienteer]

I think there is a legal requirement to replace them at intervals to ensure accuracy.

After being pressed by my supplier to fit smart meters, I gave in. The guy who turned up was too large to get into the available space under the sink unit and went away. Haven't heard from them since! The meter has been replaced before, so it is possible.

[ian]

The shower emitted a strange odour, a peek down the tunnel revealed festering undrained bilge in the tray. That might be connected to when I flushed the loo earlier it made a strange gurgling noise that echoed up through the shower enclosure. That's going to require a grown-up with strong stomach to fix. I have been officially accused of doing something monstrous down the toilet which I refute. I blame her hair which gets every-bloody-where. For the moment, I have poured a bottle of bleach down the hole and offered up a prayer.

[Mrs Pingu]

Hand sanitiser.
Finds all those wee cracks on your hands that you didn't know were there.

[rafletcher]

I think there is a legal requirement to replace them at intervals to ensure accuracy.

This, if it’s a mechanical counter.  Same for gas meters. We’re on our third gas meter in 22 years, but same ‘leccy as it’s digital (but not smart).

[hellymedic]

Received an email telling me my electricity meter needs replacing cos it's old. I know it's at least ten years old, maybe double that, but I have no idea how long these things last. I do remember someone came to replace it several years ago and was unable to because of the weird way it's wired (basically IIRC would have involved cutting off more than just us). So I ignored that email... then they sent another, so okay, I booked a time slot to have someone come and look at it, making sure it was well after Christmas. Having booked that, there was a series of questions to find out if I can have a smart meter. The result was I cannot. I'm not bothered about whether my meter is smart or dumb, but I am mildly bothered if there's a possibility it might become unsafe, and most of all I'm disgruntled because the total absence of confirmatory email or message to the effect that no smart meter = no replacement, means I have no idea whether they're actually coming to replace it or not.

My not very old electricity meter was replaced with a Smart meter in 2017.

The technician at the time was unable to switch of the mains as the switch had seized and he couldn't budge it.

The display on my smart meter is now blank. It stopped communicating with the mother ship when all the small electricity suppliers went bust. They sent a meter reader round in September but I can't read a blank meter...

[Mr Larrington]

The box of wormgears that measures my gassss has been attached to Larrington Towers longer than I have, what is a tad more than 24 years.  The anbarism one is bit younger.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Our leccy meter is digital. I'm not too fussed whether they actually replace it or not, I'd just like them to tell me whether someone's going to turn up on the appointed day.