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

[hellymedic]

Dear Imperial College Symphony Orchestra,
Thank you for inviting my partner to your forthcoming concert. I was pleased to see you specified the venue, date and time on this invitation. WELL DONE!

I was less than impressed that the invitation gave no inkling as to which music was to be performed.
I was even less impressed when the orchestra's website was also uninformative about this matter.

I eventually found out by looking for the date on the IC Union 'What's On' feature.

This concert is in less than two weeks time. If you wish to maximise your audience you really MUST TRY HARDER.

[Tim Hall]

I take size 11 (or 46) shoes, and have done for many years. Look in my cupboard and see size 11 (or 46) trainers, work shoes, "smart" shoes, climbing boots, walking boots, cycling shoes.

Today I went to Evans Gatwick to have my soul drained out of me. Select shoe, Shimano MT34) from Magic Computer. Scrawl number on piece of paper. Hand paper to young lad behind counter. Wait. Wait a bit more. Shoes arrive. try them on. They don't fit. My previous Shimano shoes, MT33, were size 11 (or 46) and fitted beautifully. Even Shimano's shoe sizing guide says they should fit.  Ask for size 47. None in stock, would I like 48s?  Yes please. Wait, wait,  wait some more. After 10 minutes I give up and go.

Why does it have to be so tricky?  There's reviews that say "get a size larger than usual". Why? Why can't manufacturers just make them to the size it says on the box?  It's not even as hard as the whole L, XL, XXL clothing size nonsense either.

[ian]

We live on a narrow lane, parking nose to the hedge on the verge opposite.  Some arse who couldn't be bothered to slow down in the face of incoming traffic has left a yellow tinted (DHL?) scrape across my back bumper. 

As fellow inhabitant of a narrow lane, I can vouch for the fact it's usually either couriers or delivery drivers. And they always run off.

Actually, it's the same anywhere. I used to live on a private development and I swear they'd knock over one of the bollard lights once a month, despite none of the light being especially close to the roadway. And not one of the drivers ever left their details. On the plus side, someone would usually see them do it, so I'd make them pay over the odds for the repairs.

[perpetual dan]

Tim, I feel your pain. I had to get some new cycling shoes the other day too (not Shimano). They are my only size 9s.

[Mr Larrington]

Mega-Global Big River Corporation of Seattle, USAnia, could you be more specific than "today", please?  I have to go shopping.

[Tim Hall]

Mega-Global Big River Corporation of Seattle, USAnia, could you be more specific than "today", please?  I have to go shopping.

<insert Soviet Union plumber joke here>

[Andrij]

Mega-Global Big River Corporation of Seattle, USAnia, could you be more specific than "today", please?  I have to go shopping.

<insert Soviet Union plumber joke here>

I was supposed to meet with someone at a recent 70^th anniversary event - they didn't show.  Got a message "Blah, blah, blah, meet up next time?"  I fought off the temptation to reply "OK, see you at the 140^th event, will you be there Friday or Saturday?"

[Mr Larrington]

Mega-Global Big River Corporation of Seattle, USAnia, could you be more specific than "today", please?  I have to go shopping.

<insert Soviet Union plumber joke here>

"Out for delivery" at 10:01 from Grays.  Exit Mr Larrington, Mr Sainsbury's House Of Toothy Comestibles-wards.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Dear Vauxhall marketing wonks, if you're going to send out your marketing emails addressed to "the associate gatekeeper," at least have the decency to sign them "the associate keymaster."

[T42]

Philips: bunch of wankers.  First the radio alarm-clock that went phut the day after it was bought, and now the Inlaw Paw's nightlight, one of those 3-LED variable-colour efforts, has gone phut after 6 weeks.

Strasbourg Chamber of Commerce: bunch of wankers.  Six weeks to process our change-of-management declaration.

Strasbourg Commerce Tribunal: bunch of wankers. 5 weeks to process the same declaration once vetted and forwarded by the Chamber of Commerce.

[Canardly]

Further to the ASA banning of the baked beans tin advert. Does the panel think that empty baked beans tins being used as persussion instruments is hazardous? Should Caribbean steel band oil drum references now also be banned due to being a much larger version of the same thing? 

[ElyDave]

Further to the ASA banning of the baked beans tin advert. Does the panel think that empty baked beans tins being used as persussion instruments is hazardous? Should Caribbean steel band oil drum references now also be banned due to being a much larger version of the same thing? 

Are empty baked bean cans a percussion instrument or part of the wind section?

[Andrij]

Commuter is off the road while I await loctite (left crank working loose).  While looking over the bike I see I'll need new tyres by the Spring.  Well, I could use them now, but they should hold.

But no problem, I'll finally fix the flat on the rear of the tourer and use that.  Only one spare tube, but that's OK.  So how are the tyres? Rear is just almost worn out.    Front and rear tyres swapped for now while I sort out new tyres.  *sigh*

[hellymedic]

Dear Santander Cycles,
Thank you for suspending my account when my credit card expired a while back. You never sent me any reminder or warning about this, which left my partner unable to use the key which clogs up his pocket.
He was late for his meeting and arrived in a bad mood.
It seems that TfL did email me about my credit card, which I renewed at the time.
This was fine for the Oyster Card but not hire bikes.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Black frazzling Friday. I could grumble about the spread and mutation of what was originally a depressing day after a big holiday when half the USA had to drive four thousand miles back home after being forced to spend time with people they didn't want to see or having to cut short a visit to people they really wanted to spend more time with (this might be urban myth but it's what I read) into a purchasing palaver which has German cycle dealers send me in the UK emails in Polish – but I won't, cos I don't really object to the development of traditions. What I am going to grumble about is having a thousand emails clog up my inbox trying to sell me crap it hadn't occurred to me not to want.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Bloody Jehovah's Witnesses (Polish section) (First Bristol squad) have just been round again! Same two; I recognised them. I think they recognised me too!

[Si S]

You can't even operate a hoover and you think a ton of metal is the thing for you, $DEITY save us, bleeding kids and cars.
 

[T42]

Black Friday sounds more like the anniversary of a massacre than the joyous, carefree and selfless celebration it really is.

Oh.  And especially the 2016 UK version.

[Bledlow]

Bloody heating. Is the timer (1987 vintage) buggered or not? The water heating was off two mornings in a row, & the central heating didn't switch on the second day. But it was working perfectly when the boiler man came round (on the way home from another job: he lives two streets away), after I'd switched it off & on.

He told me what it'd cost to fit a new controller (it won't exactly break the bank), & said to let him know if we want it done. But since then it's worked!

Decisions, decisions!

[fimm]

If you put cold water on your tea bag you will not get good tea. Idiot.

[hellymedic]

Bloody heating. Is the timer (1987 vintage) buggered or not? The water heating was off two mornings in a row, & the central heating didn't switch on the second day. But it was working perfectly when the boiler man came round (on the way home from another job: he lives two streets away), after I'd switched it off & on.

He told me what it'd cost to fit a new controller (it won't exactly break the bank), & said to let him know if we want it done. But since then it's worked!

Decisions, decisions!

Sticky diverter valve? DAMHAIKT!

[Bledlow]

That was replaced a couple of years ago, when the hot water went off completely. Same bloke fixed it.

He says the boiler's good for years yet, & it'd be a waste of money to replace it, but everything around it has been failing over the last few years. Pump, expansion vessel, diverter valve . . . .  Ah well. According to the paperwork the previous owner handed over when I bought the house, the whole shebang was fitted in 1987, so it's not surprising that some parts have reached the ends of their lives.

[hellymedic]

I've just replaced my boiler and wish I hadn't.
I miss my hot water cylinder, I miss having really hot water for washing up and suspect the house won't be as warm in the winter.
My advice is to hang on to your old boiler as long as possible.

[Bledlow]

That's what my boiler man says.

[T42]

Lawyer sent through company dissolution papers, to be initialled & signed in quintuplicate(!) by me and the poor Inlaw Paw.  If the bloody Chamber of Commerce had pulled their fingers out of their fundaments a month ago it wouldn't have been a problem, but now he can barely pick up a paper napkin.