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

[hellymedic]

I've just booked train tickets, for the first time in a long while.
I have to have paper tickets. Either collected or posted to me. No paperless.
FFS!

I think there was no paper ticket option when I booked SouthWestern Railway tickets yo Bournemouth at Christmas.

I don't run a smartphone and ended up printing a HUGE A4 sheet from a pdf.

That was OK for me but I don't know if a home print-out would be acceptable if you were claiming expenses.

[Mr Larrington]

Damned EDF website can’t cope with the load so I can’t currently submit my meter readings. I wonder if everybody is being thwarted, or if it’s just the overflow.
Perhaps I’ll send them an email with my meter readings. 

Bugger.  I was deliberately leaving it until late in the hope that the rush had died down

[mrcharly-YHT]

I've just booked train tickets, for the first time in a long while.
I have to have paper tickets. Either collected or posted to me. No paperless.
FFS!

I think there was no paper ticket option when I booked SouthWestern Railway tickets yo Bournemouth at Christmas.

I don't run a smartphone and ended up printing a HUGE A4 sheet from a pdf.

That was OK for me but I don't know if a home print-out would be acceptable if you were claiming expenses.

I suspect it is because I'm using the edinburgh airport tram.

Still ridiculous. I was using paperless over 10 years ago. In the era of Covid, not supporting paperless?

[ian]

Damned EDF website can’t cope with the load so I can’t currently submit my meter readings. I wonder if everybody is being thwarted, or if it’s just the overflow.
Perhaps I’ll send them an email with my meter readings. 

I'm confused, I thought the purpose of smart meters was that I didn't need to read them, they could do so remotely? I mean, this is the premise they pitched, surely. Why do they need to estimate anything?

[Beardy]

No smart meters here, so I need to read them myself. The system does say that if you’ve a smart meter there’s no need to submit a reading.

I got as far as a submission form* which failed to upload when completed. So far I’ve had errors 403, 404, 502 and 503.

*because the live online database upload is borked.

ETA

I managed to get the form to submit but it then failed because the postcode wasn’t recognised. WTF designers a web form that fails due to a trailing space!?

[Feanor]

I've just booked train tickets, for the first time in a long while.
I have to have paper tickets. Either collected or posted to me. No paperless.
FFS!

I think there was no paper ticket option when I booked SouthWestern Railway tickets yo Bournemouth at Christmas.

I don't run a smartphone and ended up printing a HUGE A4 sheet from a pdf.

That was OK for me but I don't know if a home print-out would be acceptable if you were claiming expenses.

I suspect it is because I'm using the edinburgh airport tram.

Still ridiculous. I was using paperless over 10 years ago. In the era of Covid, not supporting paperless?

The trams were cut short recently due to the tie-in works for the new extension.
They just didn't come into the city center at all, because they could not turn around at York Place which is now demolished!

I've just looked at their website, and they are now saying that they run as far as St Andrews Square, which is what you need for Waverly Station.
So all good, I think.

[Kim]

No smart meters here, so I need to read them myself. The system does say that if you’ve a smart meter there’s no need to submit a reading.

That's how we ended up with estimated bills for years under $previous_supplier.

At least with Octopus you can see that they're actually getting data (or not as the case may be), rather than just assuming that the meters work.

[rafletcher]

I submitted my readings yesterday 

[Mr Larrington]

No smart meters here, so I need to read them myself. The system does say that if you’ve a smart meter there’s no need to submit a reading.

I got as far as a submission form* which failed to upload when completed. So far I’ve had errors 403, 404, 502 and 503.

I got a 501 just now, but now I just get a screenful of absolutely nothing chiz.

[ElyDave]

I've just booked train tickets, for the first time in a long while.
I have to have paper tickets. Either collected or posted to me. No paperless.
FFS!

I think there was no paper ticket option when I booked SouthWestern Railway tickets yo Bournemouth at Christmas.

I don't run a smartphone and ended up printing a HUGE A4 sheet from a pdf.

That was OK for me but I don't know if a home print-out would be acceptable if you were claiming expenses.

Yes, they are, you generally take a photo, e-mail it and the system does the rest.

[Legs]

Send them a WhatsApp message with pictures of your meter and your customer ID to 07480802942

[lissotriton]

I've just booked train tickets, for the first time in a long while.
I have to have paper tickets. Either collected or posted to me. No paperless.
FFS!

I think there was no paper ticket option when I booked SouthWestern Railway tickets yo Bournemouth at Christmas.

I don't run a smartphone and ended up printing a HUGE A4 sheet from a pdf.

That was OK for me but I don't know if a home print-out would be acceptable if you were claiming expenses.

I suspect it is because I'm using the edinburgh airport tram.

Still ridiculous. I was using paperless over 10 years ago. In the era of Covid, not supporting paperless?

The trams were cut short recently due to the tie-in works for the new extension.
They just didn't come into the city center at all, because they could not turn around at York Place which is now demolished!

I've just looked at their website, and they are now saying that they run as far as St Andrews Square, which is what you need for Waverly Station.
So all good, I think.

Depends on what train you are on, but probably quicker and easier to change to the tram at Haymarket.
Or Edinburgh Park / Edinburgh Gateway if coming from the west/north.

[Beardy]

I’ve just submitted the readings. The gas and electricity I’ve used in the last couple of hours is going to be negligible, but the readings were taken at 6pm.

[Mr Larrington]

Likewise, though I bet I'll get an e-mail in three weeks' time saying I got one, or more, of the numbers wrong coz it doesn’t give you a previous reading to check against.

[hellymedic]

Damned EDF website can’t cope with the load so I can’t currently submit my meter readings. I wonder if everybody is being thwarted, or if it’s just the overflow.
Perhaps I’ll send them an email with my meter readings. 

I'm confused, I thought the purpose of smart meters was that I didn't need to read them, they could do so remotely? I mean, this is the premise they pitched, surely. Why do they need to estimate anything?

My 'smart' meter stopped communicating with the mothership last autumn. I think this was at the time that small suppliers were going bust. I thought things would start working after a while, as was suggested on the e-on website but it hasn't happened.

[Giraffe]

Octopus was slow but usable yesterday. Trickery readings went but gas was queried. Gas was a week's worth lower than expected due to borked boiler, so I assumed that was the problem and sent annie mail.
New boiler being fitted today if ingineur survives 20 miles on icy roads.

[Tim Hall]

Went to see Ray Mears last night. Good stuff but slightly spoilt by the Young People in the stalls scoffing, very noisily, what must have been a metric shitload of crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks.
Why do venues sell such stuff?
Why do those herding the Young People not do anything about it?

If only the Young People in question were wearing clothing that identified them? Oops, they were.  nth X town Scouts you haz email.

[Kim]

Back when I was a PSO, the anime society had rules about crisps:  Chiefly that you were supposed to take the opportunity while the lights were on and the projector people were fighting with codecs to dissect the bag so it could be laid flat with a neat pile of crisps on the desk in front of you.  Crisps could then be picked from the top of the pile and the bag left un-rustled for the duration of the film.  A similar approach was taken to the opening of cans.  Individually-wrapped sweets weren't really a thing, as PSOs are well outside the target demographic for Werther's Originals.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'm trying to book a venue for my son's birthday. Nothing flash, just a room in a pub or something.

Filled in online form - no response.

Tried phoning, multiple times. One place is permanently engaged. The other never answers the phone.

[Canardly]

I'm trying to book a venue for my son's birthday. Nothing flash, just a room in a pub or something.

Filled in online form - no response.

Tried phoning, multiple times. One place is permanently engaged. The other never answers the phone.

Depending on location, local political party clubs often have a room available and occasionally catering facilities.

[chrisbainbridge]

I'm trying to book a venue for my son's birthday. Nothing flash, just a room in a pub or something.

Filled in online form - no response.

Tried phoning, multiple times. One place is permanently engaged. The other never answers the phone.

sports clubs also are often keen to rent out space.  Other places are Church halls and Parish halls

[hellymedic]

Went to see Ray Mears last night. Good stuff but slightly spoilt by the Young People in the stalls scoffing, very noisily, what must have been a metric shitload of crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks.
Why do venues sell such stuff?

Dunno.
When we hosted a piano party, I made sure all available refreshments were 'quiet': no crisps or crinkly plastic etc.

You'd think entertainment venues could use a similar strategy. I'm sure there is some sort of planning to choose those little ice cream pots at classical concerts...

[Polar Bear]

Went to see Ray Mears last night. Good stuff but slightly spoilt by the Young People in the stalls scoffing, very noisily, what must have been a metric shitload of crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks.
Why do venues sell such stuff?

Dunno.
When we hosted a piano party, I made sure all available refreshments were 'quiet': no crisps or crinkly plastic etc.

You'd think entertainment venues could use a similar strategy. I'm sure there is some sort of planning to choose those little ice cream pots at classical concerts...

Profit innit.

[rafletcher]

Why are fiction books getting longer. Used to be 250-300 pages was deemed sufficient. Now it’s more like 400, and frankly I don’t think it’s been an improvement. More editors should be like those for Donna Leon or Barbara Nadel.

[mrcharly-YHT]

The heating system has failed, right before I have to go south.

Normally I'd book a half day off work and fix it myself, but work pressures say no.

It's probably just the oil filter needing replacement/cleaning, but I can't risk taking that apart, finding I need parts, etc. Don't have time to do it before I leave.

buggerit I'll have to pay to get someone in.