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

[Beardy]

Neither have turned up yet, so you predictions of chaos and doom may be unfounded.

Just sayin’

[Kim]

It's bin night and the recycling pod has not re-spawned since I reported it missing after the last recycling collection.

[Beardy]

On behalf of Dr Beardy (Mrs) and her sister whom are dealing with death stuff.

Banks. You’d have thought that they’d worked out by now that people die. They’ve been trying to get in touch with the bank to a)sort out my M-in-L personal bank accounts and b) sort out the joint accounts that my F-in-L now needs to manage on his own. Apparently contacting a real person via the website or phone proved to be a challenge to far today. None of the websites or robotic phone options offered anything relevant to ‘my mum has died…’

Given my former career, I’m very aware of the security issues and the cost of providing people to actually speak to customers. However, even when I was involved in setting up such systems and processes, I used to get quite wound up with my colleagues over the obfuscation of telephone numbers.

[Mrs Pingu]

On behalf of Dr Beardy (Mrs) and her sister whom are dealing with death stuff.

Banks. You’d have thought that they’d worked out by now that people die. They’ve been trying to get in touch with the bank to a)sort out my M-in-L personal bank accounts and b) sort out the joint accounts that my F-in-L now needs to manage on his own. Apparently contacting a real person via the website or phone proved to be a challenge to far today. None of the websites or robotic phone options offered anything relevant to ‘my mum has died…’

It used to be that entering 00 on phone banking got you through to a person.

[Beardy]

On behalf of Dr Beardy (Mrs) and her sister whom are dealing with death stuff.

Banks. You’d have thought that they’d worked out by now that people die. They’ve been trying to get in touch with the bank to a)sort out my M-in-L personal bank accounts and b) sort out the joint accounts that my F-in-L now needs to manage on his own. Apparently contacting a real person via the website or phone proved to be a challenge to far today. None of the websites or robotic phone options offered anything relevant to ‘my mum has died…’

It used to be that entering 00 on phone banking got you through to a person.

Yep, we got wise to such things (see my addition) 

[jsabine]

Searching for [bank name] + 'bereavement services' threw up useful numbers for me a couple of years ago.

[Feanor]

I had to deal with banks and utility companies a few years ago when my dad died.
All that stuff was in his name, as was the fashion of their generation.
I had to get everything switched over to my mum's name.

I found that all of the services I mentioned had a dedicated process to deal with this, and there were no stupid impediments placed in the way. I was quite surprised.

[rafletcher]

On behalf of Dr Beardy (Mrs) and her sister whom are dealing with death stuff.

Banks. You’d have thought that they’d worked out by now that people die. They’ve been trying to get in touch with the bank to a)sort out my M-in-L personal bank accounts and b) sort out the joint accounts that my F-in-L now needs to manage on his own. Apparently contacting a real person via the website or phone proved to be a challenge to far today. None of the websites or robotic phone options offered anything relevant to ‘my mum has died…’

It used to be that entering 00 on phone banking got you through to a person.

Yep, we got wise to such things (see my addition) 

You probably know this, but do contact any pension providers ASAP, especially DWP to notify them, to avoid nastiness.

[Beardy]

Searching for [bank name] + 'bereavement services' threw up useful numbers for me a couple of years ago.

that would have been my approach, but if I’ve mentioned Dr Beardy (Mrs) is a control freak, it’s nothing compared to her sister, who isn’t only a hyper control freak, but also suffers from entitlement as well! Although, I understand she retired to the kitchen today because she didn’t want her brother to think she was trying to take over when their father had asked specifically for his help. Families eh!

Another issue the family struggles with at a difficult times is that they all beleive everything should be done NOW. They think any time spent considering the best approach is ‘faffing around’ and EVERYTHING should just happen. Trying to tell them to just relax a little is just asking for a growling at.

[Cudzoziemiec]

So you really thought your speech to text software could cope with a 90 minute presentation containing words and phrases such as: Tregs, T effectives, Zynlonta, pyrrolobenzodiazepine, gemcitabine, KAAG1? No it can't. But that's as nothing compared to putting your slides on a platform that required me to fire up Microsoft Edge!

[Mr Larrington]

Edge wants badly to be killed with fire.  There may be a way to stop it from treating every open tab as a separate wossname when you’re <alt-tab>ing around the open Stuffs on your Babbage-Engine but I have so far failed to find it.  Not that I use it much, but sometimes esoteric parts of the Microsith universe will accept no substitute.

[rogerzilla]

Someone on the CTC forum is WRONG and the forum is down so I can't tell them

[T42]

Someone on the CTC forum is WRONG and the forum is down so I can't tell them

OK from France.

[T42]

There are some tricksy bastards on Amazon:

(click to show/hide)

Damn thing was empty, too.

[Mr Larrington]

Dear automatic phone-spam machine woman from Heck

Please to wait until the rnsering machine has delivered its message before starting your spiel.  That way I could promote this to a full-on Rant instead of merely noting that “rrrr tomorrow. Many thanks.” is unlikely to win you any admiration, friends of customers.  Actually, no, you can just fuck off and stop phoning me when I'm asleep.

Kthxbai

[Mrs Pingu]

Hey Sainsbo's delivery, do you not think it's about time you added a free text instruction for substitutions, like what Tesco's have?
Also, what sort of person thinks 63% rum is a suitable sub for bog standard Havana Club?

(My piña colada tastes funny even after dilution...)

[ElyDave]

Hey Sainsbo's delivery, do you not think it's about time you added a free text instruction for substitutions, like what Tesco's have?
Also, what sort of person thinks 63% rum is a suitable sub for bog standard Havana Club?

(My piña colada tastes funny even after dilution...)

I do!

[ian]

Pah, 63%, I remember the stuff our Jamaican neighbours used to bring around. OK, I mostly don't (a toss-up between that and the plastic-bottled Ugandan rum our other neighbour used to bring around). I think that had an octane rating rather than an ABV.

[Mrs Pingu]

I don't like my piña colada tasting of whisky.  It is wrong.

[Mr Larrington]

The stuff my grate frend Al claimed he knocked up in his Sheds* went under the name of "whiskey" but I think it was actually AvGas filtered to remove the dye.  But a passing Scotsman** approved of it, so I suppose it must be accounted a success.

* He's in Humboldt County CA where just about everything is legal.
** Charlie, manager of, and purveyor of scurrilous tales about, one Graeme Obree.

[Guy]

I am horrified to learn that this building no longer has any fire extinguishers. In the event of a fire we will be expected to tackle it* with First Aid Fire Appliances. 

Elfin Safety audit coming up and there's loads of perfectly serviceable English to forget, and loads of new jargon to learn.   





*Providing it is safe to do so, obvs.

[spesh]

To whom it may concern...

Yes, there's plenty of spare room in my wheely bin because I only put one sack of rubbish in it. However, parking your excess black sack in it without so much as a by your leave is, I feel, taking the wee-wee.

[Slave To The Viking]

If you want to stick a note on it, you can let them know they can put it in mine if they like.

[Ashaman42]

You know what's worse than waking up at 5am? It's waking up at 5am and immediately stepping with besocked feet onto a sodden bath mat because there's water coming through the bathroom ceiling!

[Pedaldog.]

You know what's worse than waking up at 5am? It's waking up at 5am and immediately stepping with besocked feet onto a sodden bath mat because there's water coming through the bathroom ceiling!

Or slipping and falling on the way to the bathroom, noticing from your position looking up at the hallway ceiling to see the Bulge caused by the upstairs residents having a flood in their flat.