The RANT thread (often contains fruity language)

[rogerzilla]

Just saw chavvy c**t in a Corsa throw his McD's wrappings out of the window in my road.

Eating McDs: chavvy
Eating McD's alone in your car in a random street: very chavvy
Throwing your shit out of the window: über-chavvy

[ian]

Someone did that in front of me as I cycled into Croydon once. I scooped it up and chucked it back in his lap.

And pedalled quickly away through the pedestrian bit.

[Wombat]

BT, you are a bunch of lying fumbling incompetent counts! Most of you probably already knew this, but as I've always been a Virgin customer,  I didn't.  Just what makes you think failing to install the phone and broadband on the contracted date, and now telling me you can't be arsed to do it till the 23rd,  well, just what makes you think that's OK?  I'm in the middle of nowhere with a dodgy variable mobile signal, I'm trying to do charities, I have to make arrangements to fly to Sierra Leone in a couple of weeks,  and I need to be in touch with my ancient mother, and you seriously think that's OK,  do you?

Sharing your rant on twitter or fb might make it more high profile and get a response ?

I've tweeted it at them, and I got some sort of response, but it was all lies, saying my install date is 23rd.  No it fucking well isn't, its 6th Feb, their phone app claims it was installed then, but nobody turned up.  I've made 3 online complaints, and one written one, with absolutely no response, not even an acknowledgement.  I can't even set up the monitoring for my new solar photovoltaic installation thanks to them, its costing me money.  Complete and utter total bastards, too incompetent to find their own arse with both hands.  Trying to make arrangements to travel to Sierra Leone, and look up all the stuff I need having just moved house, is no fun at all with only a phone with a very variable signal here, to provide internet for both of us.  I'm rapidly running out of data allowance, too.  No bloody landline ain't helping.  Its there, its got a dialling tone, but they refuse to activate it.

[citoyen]

Some arse has dumped a mini moto in our front garden. What kind of fucker does something like that?

Since it is an unregistered and unlicensed vehicle, I'm guessing it's not going to be possible to trace the owner, and as it has been dumped on private land, the council won't come and take it away.

FFS.

[Chris N]

Eating McDs: chavvy

I love a McDonald's.  Up yours 'zilla.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Some arse has dumped a mini moto in our front garden. What kind of fucker does something like that?

Since it is an unregistered and unlicensed vehicle, I'm guessing it's not going to be possible to trace the owner, and as it has been dumped on private land, the council won't come and take it away.

FFS.

Almost certainly stolen so either report it to the police or flog it on ebay. Either way, be thankful they only dumped it in your garden not torched it!

[citoyen]

Almost certainly stolen so either report it to the police or flog it on ebay.

Stolen was my thought too. I'm trying to report it to the police but they make it so fucking difficult...

Tried phoning 101, but just get an endless recorded message about how I should report it online.

Tried reporting it online but the form is geared up to me reporting as the victim of a crime, not someone who has found probably stolen property.

It's an unnecessarily complex and tedious process. Oh well, I've reported it anyway. If I don't hear back from them soon, I'll take it to the dump (assuming they'll take it - would be a major PITA if they don't). CBA with the faff of putting it on ebay.

Either way, be thankful they only dumped it in your garden not torched it!

True that.

[Jaded]

It is unnecessarily tedious because they haven't got the staffing to deal with everything that they ought to.

[Andrij]

Bah!  I've just gone to the Met's website to report some anti-social behaviour (delivery drivers using a pedestrian area / cycle route as a shortcut).  Worked my way through options only to see:

Thank you. In this case, please call us on 101.

 

Of course, there is an extended wait due to the number of calls, it may be quicker to report via the website, blah, blah, blah.

[citoyen]

It is unnecessarily tedious because they haven't got the staffing to deal with everything that they ought to.

I get that, and I sympathise. But it's frustrating that there's no mechanism for reporting found stolen goods. It's a flaw in their online reporting system.

Presumably whoever it was nicked from will have reported it. If they could match up the two reports, it would be an easy win for them towards their crime-solving targets.

I blame Thatcher.

[ian]

I've only tried 101 twice and it seems pointless and if I wanted to be cynical, I'd say the entire process seems to exist to discourage reporting (I imagine there's two ways to reduce their crime stats, one is to increase the numerator and solve more crimes, the other is to the reduce the denominator with fewer crime reports, and we can probably guess which is the easier of the two to achieve). Anyway, the first time I got a no-action letter (in the post) several weeks afterwards. The second I never got a response from. Similarly, attempts to report things online usually fail (Surrey's bad driving page, for instance, used to dump you at a 404, and I think more recently, call 101). It used to be possible to talk to the local plod, but now they ask that you talk to 101 first.

Longer term, of course, it ultimately discourages reporting. Life is too short, and it becomes someone else's problem.

[PeteB99]

Couple of years ago I used 101 to report a (presumably stolen) bike that had been dumped on my driveway. A PCSO came round to collect it the same day so not every area is bad.

[Beardy]

last time I had need of reporting something to the police, I dialled 999. I apologised for ringing them but they were pleased to hear from me. I was reporting a very drunk driver of an articulated truck who I had just witnessed running a cyclist off the road. The got the chap and he was subsequently sent down for a few months. It turned out that the cyclist wasn't his only 'incident' that night.

[Kim]

last time I had need of reporting something to the police, I dialled 999. I apologised for ringing them but they were pleased to hear from me. I was reporting a very drunk driver of an articulated truck who I had just witnessed running a cyclist off the road. The got the chap and he was subsequently sent down for a few months. It turned out that the cyclist wasn't his only 'incident' that night.

That sounds like a crime in progress, and what's more one that's likely to cause danger to life.  Absolutely legitimate use of 999.

[citoyen]

it becomes someone else's problem.

This is the root of my dissatisfaction - the dumped moto is now my problem. Grrr!

Oh well, I won't lose any sleep over it. I've moved it to the back garden where it can sit and fester along with all our own crap until I finally get round to dealing with it, probably around 4-5 years from now.

[ian]

It used to be possible to fire off a quick email to the local constabulary. They won't accept it now, there's auto-response to call 101.

As an example, last week, a couple of streets away from here, a pile of boxed car parts (I think brake disks) appeared on the pavement. They looked nicked and discarded. I could have reported it. I might have if it were a simple email, but I'm not doing 101 and besides I don't know it's nicked or that a crime has taken place.

Anyway, given there was just a pile of packaging when I walked past on Saturday, I assume it was all 'recycled.'

[citoyen]

That sounds like a crime in progress, and what's more one that's likely to cause danger to life.  Absolutely legitimate use of 999.

Agreed. For the same reason, I wish I'd called 999 yesterday regarding the incident on our club ride.

We had the kids out with us, some as young as 12. Coming back from Deal towards Sandwich along the ancient highway (through the golf course) we had an old duffer getting very aggressive when he couldn't get past easily on the narrow road. First he tried to overtake me just before a pinch point then had to swerve across my path to avoid hitting a bollard. Luckily I was able to brake and avoid being knocked off. A bit further along, he still hadn't been able to get past (mainly due to a combination of the very twisty, narrow nature of the road, and several cars coming the other way) and was clearly getting very agitated. He tried to squeeze past the rider at the back of the group, passing so closely as to clip the rider's elbow with his wing mirror. Rider responded with a slap on the side of the car to warn him off, at which point the driver then deliberately drove into the back of him to knock him off his bike. Much shouting and fist-waving ensued but eventually he got back in his car and drove off.

With hindsight, I think one of us should have called 999. Normally wouldn't be worth the bother in that kind of incident, but I reckon in a situation with kids involved, where a driver is being aggressive and intimidating and clearly not in the right mental state to be safely in charge of a vehicle, the police might be more interested, especially if you play up the 'fearing for the safety of the kids' angle.

[andrewc]

Do they have a Twitter account? Merseyside police will accept minor issues via Twitter.

[citoyen]

It is unnecessarily tedious because they haven't got the staffing to deal with everything that they ought to.

I get that, and I sympathise. But it's frustrating that there's no mechanism for reporting found stolen goods. It's a flaw in their online reporting system.

Just had an unexpected visit from a friendly PCSO - although it was curtailed because he was called away on a genuine emergency.

So, top marks to local plod for the response, but I maintain that whoever designed their web interface and forms needs to be taken out back and given a big old slap.

[Cudzoziemiec]

What the fuck can you do with a teacher who tells the class to "shshsh" because he can't hear the Facebook notifications on his phone?

[hulver]

What the fuck can you do with a teacher who tells the class to "shshsh" because he can't hear the Facebook notifications on his phone?

Lock their phone with the Head until the end of the day?

[Mr Larrington]

What the fuck can you do with a teacher who tells the class to "shshsh" because he can't hear the Facebook notifications on his phone?

P45.

[Cudzoziemiec]

If only. What I'd really love to do is send Flatus (it's a language teacher, so all within area) to observe one of his "lessons". 

[Cudzoziemiec]

We've had a new washing machine delivered. The result is we still have the old machine, still plumbed in, the new one is waiting in the hall, the valve to the washing machine cold feed is broken, so is the stopcock and I've spent an hour or more mopping up the kitchen floor. Oh and the fitter destroyed two bath towels and our washing-up bowl in the process. And there's a stinky (as in his clothes stink of cigarette smoke) handiman pacing up and down the kitchen yacking on his phone about a hundred and one other things. And to cap it all, because they came earlier than they said (and because I got up late) I haven't even had breakfast! Oh well, maybe this is a first world problem.

[citoyen]

Oh well, maybe this is a first world problem.

It sounds like the plot for an episode of One Foot In The Grave, with you in the Victor Meldrew role.

(Not making a comment about your age, mind - maybe it would have to be one of those "when they were younger" prequel sitcoms, like First Of The Summer Wine. It could be called No Feet In The Grave Just Yet.)