Author Topic: The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant. (Read 1625642 times)

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #7500 on:** 01 April, 2016, 09:52:28 pm »

Strange one this: I've just come back from a very pleasant three-night stay in Edinburgh. We stayed in a flat on Calton Hill that was very well-placed and, although compact, was fine for our purposes. For four of us it cost <£250 for the stay.

Anyway, on the first morning at about 8.30am, a window cleaner cleaned the outside windows. No big deal. However, the owner emailed me, as group leader, to apologise so profusely I thought it was a piss take, but no. The next morning, this time at 6.30am (presumably to carry out a changeover clean/tidy up), a cleaner appeared. She was politely sent away, and was very apologetic. I emailed the owner to politely ask her to ensure that the cleaner didn't appear again at 6.30am and to ask her to show up today after 10am, when we were leaving. The response this time was again excruciatingly apologetic. The owner offered us another weekend free of charge or a sizeable refund. Bugger me, all I wanted was to ensure we got a peaceful lie in after a hard night's, ahem, culture.

So what to do now...? When we showed up, the bedclothes were piled higgledy-piggledy on the beds and we had to put them on ourselves. The towels, although clean, were thrown into the bathrooms. The promised bottle of wine, milk and coffee weren't there. It felt like the owner had got her dates wrong, although the place was clean, if not spotless.

To me, these things were a minor inconvenience, but the owner seems to treat it like a catastrophe. (I'd hate to be a service provider to her!). Do I just tell her to forget about it, as we had a great stay; accept some small refund; or take her up on the free weekend? The latter, to me, would be totally out of proportion to the small inconvenience we experienced. I guess after a lifetime of camping my expectations are somewhat lower than her average visitor!

Pickled Onion · « **Reply #7501 on:** 02 April, 2016, 01:17:38 pm »

AirBnb or similar? Host reputation is incredibly important and some guests will whine hugely about the slightest problem, trashing the ranking.

ETA: not suggesting you would do that, just pondering why she is so keen to make amends.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #7502 on:** 02 April, 2016, 02:35:56 pm »

Today's planned UAF 200 brevet from Pezenas was postponed yesterday, due to a forecast rain apocalypse with 80 kph wind. Today, HK and I rode a few hours in Scottish drizzle and bugger-all wind. We lugged cycle helmets around a fair chunk of southern France just for this brevet and never wore them at all! Oh well, pack up the bikes for tomorrow's TGV and Eurostar and another slap-up meal tonight to compensate.

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #7503 on:** 02 April, 2016, 08:41:56 pm »

Quote from: Pickled Onion on 02 April, 2016, 01:17:38 pm

AirBnb or similar? Host reputation is incredibly important and some guests will whine hugely about the slightest problem, trashing the ranking.

ETA: not suggesting you would do that, just pondering why she is so keen to make amends.

It was through a letting site, but I'd be very flattering about it. At the price it was an absolute bargain. I'd heartily recommend it to anyone. It was the price of a hostel, but with a decent kitchen, two bathrooms, free wi-fi, a nice living room and ten minutes walk from York Place. Why she got so flustered about two such minor trifles is really beyond me...

T42 · « **Reply #7504 on:** 03 April, 2016, 09:12:06 am »

Perfect cycling day: no wind, hazy blue sky and temperature on the rise, and I'm banned from cycling because I had to drop my coronary meds pending a gastroscopy next Tuesday. On top of that I'm cook of the day. Oh well, I'll have a bloody good feed and a few coffees afterwards.

T42 · « **Reply #7505 on:** 03 April, 2016, 03:50:42 pm »

Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 02 April, 2016, 02:35:56 pm

Today's planned UAF 200 brevet from Pezenas was postponed yesterday, due to a forecast rain apocalypse with 80 kph wind. Today, HK and I rode a few hours in Scottish drizzle and bugger-all wind. We lugged cycle helmets around a fair chunk of southern France just for this brevet and never wore them at all! Oh well, pack up the bikes for tomorrow's TGV and Eurostar and another slap-up meal tonight to compensate.

In 2013 I cancelled an afternoon UAF 100 on the strength of Meteo France's dire warnings of wind. Called round all the clubs during the morning and went to the start to meet any who didn't get the message. Of course, the wind missed us completely.

In 1999 Meteo France failed to sufficiently alert the country to the approach a hurricane, and most of the country was without electricity for days. Since then their warnings have always been on the dire side.

ElyDave · « **Reply #7506 on:** 03 April, 2016, 06:50:25 pm »

Bloody hell

62km on the Giant today, nice average of 28.7km/h on a decent flatt-ish loop. No complaints at all about that other than the niggling lower back towards the end.

No - my grumble is the fucking pedals. About 20km in the left pedal axle starts making all sorts of odd noises, about 10km later the right one joins in out of sympathy = tweets, pops, grinds. After 40-odd km of what sounded like the dawn chorus from between my feet I was starting to question my sanity and wondering whether the botttom bracket was about explode catastrophically, either that or a family of robins setting up in my socks.

Now to have a look at whether it's worth trying to rebuild them or not.

ian · « **Reply #7507 on:** 04 April, 2016, 05:49:35 am »

Hotel a/c. It's 32 degrees outside. About -15 inside. I'm not a polar bear. And the air is so dry that it's scrinkling my contact lenses and making me sniffle like a coke fiend. Superman's fortress of solitude is warmer than this conference room.

ElyDave · « **Reply #7508 on:** 04 April, 2016, 06:58:44 am »

Quote from: ian on 04 April, 2016, 05:49:35 am

Hotel a/c. It's 32 degrees outside. About -15 inside. I'm not a polar bear. And the air is so dry that it's scrinkling my contact lenses and making me sniffle like a coke fiend. Superman's fortress of solitude is warmer than this conference room.

Ha. Texas, every day I'd get back to the hotel and turn the AC off, and put on a jumper for haf an hour. I presume the cleaner was turning it back on at about 10am and it was going all day.

ian · « **Reply #7509 on:** 04 April, 2016, 07:22:57 am »

It's a battle in the room. I turn it off. Room service turn it on. I sneak back mid-morning. The sneak in after lunch. I go back at tea-time. They use turn-down to set it to 8 degrees. And turn-down creeps me out. Some weirdo breaks into my room to ruffle my sheets, drop a couple of chocolates on the pillow, and reset the a/c to polar winter.

T42 · « **Reply #7510 on:** 04 April, 2016, 07:28:19 am »

Colorado was nice though. Sign in Estes Park hotel room: "Sure you can turn on the AC, but why not open the window first and try our fresh mountain air?"

rafletcher · « **Reply #7511 on:** 04 April, 2016, 10:33:19 am »

My wife had a problem with her CC - it stopped working. She called NatWest Visa to ask why as she'd had no messages. Turns out they had sent a replacement card (which never arrived) as her existing one was close to expiry date, and had therefore stopped her existing card. Why, when she'd not used the new one I have no idea. Anyway, 2 days after the call, a second replacement card arrived, and all is well.

So why is it "5-8 working days" for our replacement Tesco Mastercards then?? Harrumph.

Andrij · « **Reply #7512 on:** 05 April, 2016, 10:00:07 am »

My GP has changed their appointment system. Again. Well, it's been over a year since I needed to see a GP, so I should have expected a new system. And they've been consistent - the website isn't clear on how the new system works.

At least I'm still on their books, unlike last time. It seems that if you're healthy for too long (i.e. don't have need to contact the surgery) they drop you. That was fun.

clarion · « **Reply #7513 on:** 05 April, 2016, 10:54:35 am »

Andrij, the surgery definitely do not want to drop you off their list! Extra numbers means extra funding (which is very precious these days). If you're a healthy person, you don't spoil any of their review targets or QOF figures, so even better.

However, it used to be that any patient who had not made contact with the surgery for five years was regarded as a 'ghost' patient, and the papers have done 'exposes' (based on info leaked from DH, allegedly) about the scandal of GPs claiming for 'non-existent' patients.

NHSE have changed it to a three year period. This should have failed on equality grounds, since adult males are significantly less likely to be in touch with their GP than any other group. But they got it through, and so lots of (predominantly) men are trying to get appointments and being told they need to re-register. All extra work for less money.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #7514 on:** 05 April, 2016, 11:08:38 am »

While in The Gulag I was, in common with all the zeks, registered with a local GP. On my release I had to re-enlist at the practice here. "Hello, Mr Larrington!" said the receptionist before handing my a fat sheaf of paper and a leaky Biro^TM. Apparently there was a possibility I might have turned into someone else while incarcerated.

Andrij · « **Reply #7515 on:** 05 April, 2016, 11:19:28 am »

Quote from: clarion on 05 April, 2016, 10:54:35 am

Andrij, the surgery definitely do not want to drop you off their list!
...

Thank you for the explanation. It's better than what I recall being told at the surgery.

Ruthie · « **Reply #7516 on:** 05 April, 2016, 12:36:16 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 05 April, 2016, 10:54:35 am

Andrij, the surgery definitely do not want to drop you off their list! Extra numbers means extra funding (which is very precious these days). If you're a healthy person, you don't spoil any of their review targets or QOF figures, so even better.

However, it used to be that any patient who had not made contact with the surgery for five years was regarded as a 'ghost' patient, and the papers have done 'exposes' (based on info leaked from DH, allegedly) about the scandal of GPs claiming for 'non-existent' patients.

NHSE have changed it to a three year period. This should have failed on equality grounds, since adult males are significantly less likely to be in touch with their GP than any other group. But they got it through, and so lots of (predominantly) men are trying to get appointments and being told they need to re-register. All extra work for less money.

So. If you're a 'ghost' patient, do you still get called in for routine screening/MOT etc? Do you still get your FOB thing through the post?

clarion · « **Reply #7517 on:** 05 April, 2016, 01:31:25 pm »

If you don't respond to correspondence for three years, don't have appointments, and don't ask for repeat meds, you will be 'de-ghosted'. Sadly for finances, but happily for patient care, people with long-term conditions are least likely to be removed.

Screening is managed centrally, so probably does not depend on being registered.

Feanor · « **Reply #7518 on:** 06 April, 2016, 01:54:58 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 01 April, 2016, 09:52:32 am

Quote from: Feanor on 30 March, 2016, 07:08:18 pm
Quote from: Andrij on 30 March, 2016, 04:41:32 pm
The lower back niggle has become a full-blown OUCH!. As putting on trousers was an epic and groan-filled struggle, I think it probably best I don't head into town this evening.
Now that my evening is free I guess I can spend it ... trying to move as little as possible.

Same here.

*something* went wrong this morning at work, I don't know what.
It was a minor grumble till lunchtime, so I took a walk along the river just to stand up and move a bit.
Afternoon was increasingly uncomfortable.

Ride home was OK so long as I remained in one fixed position, so I took the flat main road at a very steady pace.
Struggled to get off the bike 40 minutes later, I would have fallen over if I didn't have the wall to lean against.

Now totally crocked.
Changing out of cycle kit was a painful and ungainly exercise.
No possibility of riding in tomorrow.

Sounds like a slightly displaced sacroiliac. Happened to me on a climb 3 years ago. Fortunately an orthopaedic nurse was riding with us and she gave me a massage with extreme prejudice so I was able to get home, but next morning was hell. This lasted through physiotherapy sessions for about a month until, while I was putting on my trousers after one such, the thing delivered such a stab that my legs gave way. The physio hoots "oh good, we're getting somewhere" and thereafter it did slowly get better. The injury was in June: my first painless ride was at the end of August.

You may get lucky and collapse straight off.

Yes, that was indeed what it was.

And I did pretty much collapse straight away. Just walking along carefully, and the slightest mis-step stabs you and your knees give way under you.
Down you go, and it's almost impossible to get back up unless there's something you can pull yourself up with close to hand.

Physio session today, and we think it's re-aligned now.
Pain-free, but I'm still very cautious.

Kim · « **Reply #7519 on:** 06 April, 2016, 02:34:04 pm »

I've just tripped while carrying a ladder and bashed my left elbow in the place that always takes the brunt of the impact when I fall off a bike. It's being disproportionately painful. Ow.

(No, I wasn't wearing a h*lm*t.)

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #7520 on:** 06 April, 2016, 02:55:41 pm »

Did the ladder have hi-viz? No? Well, not your fault then! Sue the ladder makers!

Andrij · « **Reply #7521 on:** 06 April, 2016, 02:56:01 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 06 April, 2016, 02:34:04 pm

I've just tripped while carrying a ladder and bashed my left elbow in the place that always takes the brunt of the impact when I fall off a bike. It's being disproportionately painful. Ow.

(No, I wasn't wearing a h*lm*t.)

Ouch.

But I bet you weren't wearing couters.

Kim · « **Reply #7522 on:** 06 April, 2016, 02:59:47 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 06 April, 2016, 02:55:41 pm

Did the ladder have hi-viz? No? Well, not your fault then! Sue the ladder makers!

Hm, good thinking. It was a bit gloomy (someone had removed the light bulb), so it's no wonder I tripped...

T42 · « **Reply #7523 on:** 06 April, 2016, 03:26:47 pm »

Beautiful spring day, all the windows open, so some bugger round at the village garage has to set fire to some plastic.

Andrij · « **Reply #7524 on:** 09 April, 2016, 07:21:38 am »

I have been soooo tired these last few days, even though I'm sleeping well through the night. Guess previous rough periods are catching up with me. So of course I awake at 06:30, unable to fall back asleep. By 14:00 I won't be able to keep my eyes open, I'm sure.