The RANT thread (often contains fruity language)

[Kim]

[This post sponsored by failing to keep my Reasonably-Priced Mountain Bicycle rubber-side-up on the towpath    ]

Rubber-side-down is my general preference.

That's obviously where I'm going wrong.  It's awfully complicated, this off-roading stuff.

Also: OwMeKnee

[cygnet]

British Gas billing department.
Having received your proposal to reduce my DD a couple of months ago, I'm glad I challenged it, despite the usual call hold shenanigans wasting my time as what you proposed would have run me deeper into debt.
I've finally managed to decipher (from my side) the fuck-ups in billing that you have made during the past year. Its a real shame you couldn't.

Roll on other energy co's actively seeking new customers. I don't care if it's the same price under a cap. I want competent billing.

[Maverick]

British Gas billing department.
Having received your proposal to reduce my DD a couple of months ago, I'm glad I challenged it, despite the usual call hold shenanigans wasting my time as what you proposed would have run me deeper into debt.
I've finally managed to decipher (from my side) the fuck-ups in billing that you have made during the past year. Its a real shame you couldn't.

Roll on other energy co's actively seeking new customers. I don't care if it's the same price under a cap. I want competent billing.

Octopus are taking customers. After being dumped with BG after my previous supplier closed down I suffered their poor service until Octopus started taking new customers 6 months ago. Not much in the way of savings but at least they have been competent so far.

[rafletcher]

Our supplier. SO Energy are also it seems taking new customers. Excellent customer services so far. I submit monthly readings and get monthly bills, but pay a fixed DD to cover it.

[cygnet]

Thanks Maverick and rafletcher, good to know.

[Mr Larrington]

Horseybank Card Services: I have been in USAnia almost four weeks.  I have used my Horseybank credit card to pay for accommodation and petril in twelve different states and, now that the USAnians seem finally have cottoned on to chip-and-pin, not even had a petril pump impertinently demand my ZIP code which in my case I have not got.  And then, when trying to book somewhere to lay my weary head on my last night in this country, you decline the payment.  Only for it to go through after two horrendously expensive txt msgs and one hopefully not-expensive phone call confirming that it was indeed me.  I hate you, you lobotomised shitlarks.

[ElyDave]

By comparison, my "never knowingly undersold" credits card required insertion and pinning every time in Iceland, but every transaction went through. I wish they hadn't.

[Tim Hall]

From the local news, for local people, website:

The Christmas store at Crawley Garden Centre will open its doors on 7th October.

Burn them. Burn them with fire.

[Pickled Onion]

I was tempted to post this in the TMM thread, but decided to have a Rant instead.

The last few days have had
1. Crossing Crescent Bridge, Peterborough. Line of cars queueueing in the opposite direction, not safe to pass so I'm a reasonable distance out from the gutter, especially as there's broken glass in the gutter. Get a cab driver behind me beeping and waving at me to get over. I stop and explain that there's glass in the gutter, but no, it turns out he thinks I shouldn't be on the road at all I'm supposed to be riding on the pavement 
2. Euston underpass (again, cf TMM passim) extremely close pass, like mm. I pass him shortly after and he winds down window to tell me "You must stay line, you mustn't be in tunnel" which I guess means he thinks cycling is not allowed outside of bus/cycle lanes.
3. A Canadian driver, having pulled out on me causing a very near miss, then tries to say it's my fault for not having a bell "which is the law in Canada so I assume it is here"

The common factor (including the TMM of the other week) is they were all foreign drivers. Isn't there some kind of requirement to actually Read The Fucking Highway Code before you drive in the UK, ESPECIALLY IF THAT'S YOUR FUCKING JOB?

[Mr Larrington]

Mobilityware, purveyors of crap games for Babbage-Devices!  I am not going to fork out for a subscription to play Solitaire on my fondleslab every once in a while because your prices go way beyond “daylight robbery” and into the realms of “piracy on the high seas”.  So I have to put up with your shitverts, which are as bad as the ones in Mr Zuckerberg’s Walled Garden except without any claims to being “targetted”.  I can put up with shitverts for more crap games, or women’s fashion, or the BRITISH Red Cross* but fuck off with the Israeli propaganda.

* one paramedic in it has a frightening resemblance to Suella Braverman but can't be her because she's helping a child

[Mr Larrington]

Ticketmaster!  I, my grate frend Mr Woolrich and our grate frend Rainer are supposed to be seeing Larkin Poe at the Roundhouse on Saturday.  You have not yet provided Mr Woolrich with the e-tickets sort it out u muppets 

[jsabine]

Ticketmaster!  I, my grate frend Mr Woolrich and our grate frend Rainer are supposed to be seeing Larkin Poe at the Roundhouse on Saturday.  You have not yet provided Mr Woolrich with the e-tickets sort it out u muppets 

I think the Roundhouse sends out e-tickets a couple of days before (certainly for St William of Bragg a couple of years ago, I received tickets on the Thursday for the Saturday gig)

[Mr Larrington]

I hope this is the case this time too coz if it isn’t there will be Bad Swears.

[Mrs Pingu]

That feeling when upper management throw you in front of the bus to cover their own arse. Bastards.

[barakta]

That feeling when upper management throw you in front of the bus to cover their own arse. Bastards.

Ugh, one of the hallmarks of bad management in my experience. I am sorry.

[Beardy]

That feeling when upper management throw you in front of the bus to cover their own arse. Bastards.

Ugh, one of the hallmarks of bad management in my experience. I am sorry.

They probably don’t think they’ve done anything wrong and next week will expect your undying loyalty when they send you off shore in a force 9 because it’s an emergency.

[Mrs Pingu]

On the one hand it's USanians so they will be frantically trying not to get themselves fired, on the other it's going down like a cup of chilled vom.

[Mr Larrington]

Bin men!  With your hours 03:35 am in the morning bin-juggling with big diseasel engine antics you are spoiling us.  Please cease the trait, or at least use the anbaric big wagon sort it out u muppets!

[Kim]

Ah yes.  Between the bin men, the unexpectedly high temperature, whatever it is that's been going "BIP!" every 36 seconds for a year or so, mysterious rib pain, and whoever started up with a SDS drill in the neighbours' house on the dot of 9am I am sleep-deprived and therefore in a bad mood.

I am about to venture outside to retrieve said bins.  I they've failed to empty the non-recycleables, and/or failed to return the paper/cardboard pod, I'll have even fewer gruntles...

[T42]

On the one hand it's USanians so they will be frantically trying not to get themselves fired, on the other it's going down like a cup of chilled vom.

Watched that in action a couple of times, ditto a Transpondian goggling in disbelief when the head of an engineering team admitted in a meeting that he'd dropped the ball and didn't get fired.  Makes you glad you're not over there.

[mrcharly-YHT]

On the one hand it's USanians so they will be frantically trying not to get themselves fired, on the other it's going down like a cup of chilled vom.

Watched that in action a couple of times, ditto a Transpondian goggling in disbelief when the head of an engineering team admitted in a meeting that he'd dropped the ball and didn't get fired.  Makes you glad you're not over there.

It makes for frustrating and disfunctional working practices.

Me "I have a question about X"

Uk Colleague "sorry, I'm not the expert on that. Talk to Enid."
Or "Sorry, I'm swamped and won't be able to look at this for a few days."

US colleague "Yes, I can answer those questions" Never to be heard from again.

I've seen stuff sat in US colleague's inboxes (jira, etc)  for over a year, because they can't admit to not being able to do something.

[Kim]

Ah yes.  Between the bin men, the unexpectedly high temperature, whatever it is that's been going "BIP!" every 36 seconds for a year or so, mysterious rib pain, and whoever started up with a SDS drill in the neighbours' house on the dot of 9am I am sleep-deprived and therefore in a bad mood.

I am about to venture outside to retrieve said bins.  I they've failed to empty the non-recycleables, and/or failed to return the paper/cardboard pod, I'll have even fewer gruntles...

Reader, they had not - in fact - emptied either of the bins.  And the recycling pod has not respawned.

My mood has not been improved by spending some quality time on my hands and knees with a respirator scrubbing black mould (discovered last night) from the structural anaglypta under the bedroom window.  It's now getting the open window and fan-heater treatment before I finish up with the hoover.  There doesn't seem to be an obvious source of water ingress from outside, so I'm assuming it's just the cold air falling from the window causing it to be the coldest part of the room, and therefore where the moisture condenses.

[fd3]

Stoopid BBC article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65984415

Mortgage rates: Five ways to save money
Overpay now if possible
Switch to interest-only
Downsize
Extend the mortgage term
Make money out of your property

So: overpay, underpay, sell your house, pay more over more time, find an extra room in your house to let out.
Wtaf?  Who is both stupid enough to need that article while also in a house that they can let out the east wing of?  Sure I could sell my house and buy a smaller one, but I would never have thought of that had the BBC not told me.  Will I save more than the 10k moving and selling fees?

[Mr Larrington]

Stoopid BBC article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65984415

Mortgage rates: Five ways to save money
Overpay now if possible
Switch to interest-only
Downsize
Extend the mortgage term
Make money out of your property

So: overpay, underpay

And womble free!

[citoyen]

Anyone who has had the misfortune to have to use Microsoft Edge will probably be familiar with the annoying coupons that pop up every time you visit an ecommerce site. They're annoying enough in themselves, but what's really offensive is that to disable them you have to go into settings and toggle the extraordinarily patronising option to "Save time and money with Shopping in Microsoft Edge".

Just. Fuck. Right. Off.