Recent Posts

11

The Pub / Re: Sh!te courier thread

« Last post by TimC on Today at 01:44:57 pm »

DHL this morning. Guy comes to the door to deliver a package which was a load of financial stuff which needed reading and signing for a return this afternoon in a separate pick up. Demands the paperwork for the return, which I don't have (I didn't know it, but it was in the package). Aggressively tells me, 'You booked it mate, you should have the paperwork'. I didn't book it (the sender did), and told him so, and that if there was no paperwork it wasn't my problem, it was the sender's. 'Well I can't fucking take it if you don't have the paperwork'. I repeated that it wasn't my problem. 'Well, fuck you you bellend' was his delightful reply. I slammed the door in his face, at which point he started a rant of spectacular proportions (all on video). Unfortunately, I rose to it and reopened the door and told him where to get off. He then approached me and threatened me before marching off. I hesitated then followed him to a) make sure he left my property, and b) didn't damage anything on the way (he was ranting the whole time). He went to his van, where there was another driver. He had a fairly incoherent rant about me at the other guy, at which point I thought they were both going to have a go at me - I was about 20m away, the other side of the cars in the drive. I told them they were on camera (they were, but that one wasn't recording), at which point they retired to the van, had a loud but unintelligible conversation, and then left.

I was very shaken, but managed to get hold of their customer service people to make a complaint. I also told the sender, who has a very large account with DHL so they promised to follow it up from their end. I've told both the sender and DHL that I don't want DHL people on my property ever again.

12

The Pub / Re: A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

« Last post by citoyen on Today at 01:44:08 pm »

Science gave us nuclear weapons and GM.  Is science ways right?

Well, the fact that nuclear bombs work as intended shows that the science behind them is "right".

Don't conflate empirical evidence with morality. They're different kinds of right and wrong.

13

OT Knowledge / Re: Credit card scam?

« Last post by Polar Bear on Today at 01:43:17 pm »

The problem is that some banks do contact people with crappy text messages making the scammets life so much easier.   I was once contacted by HSBC about suspicious activity on my debit card.  The message had all the hallmarks of a scam and having worked in fraud prevention at Barclaycard for a number of years I ignored the message.  However, a visit to my local HSBC branch revealed that the message was genuine.   I wrote to HSBC explaining why their messages are silly but they continue to send them apparently.

My advice would always be to contact the issuer on the number provided either on the card, a statement or on their own website, or to visit them in person in a branch if possible.

Scammers get details from all manner of sources. 

14

The Pub / Re: A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

« Last post by Cudzoziemiec on Today at 01:42:43 pm »

But this isn't listening. It's giving a platform. We can listen to 7-day creationists but should we teach it in schools? (Oh, we do nowadays... )

15

Racing / Re: Vuelta 2020

« Last post by fd3 on Today at 01:20:34 pm »

Still, the high-profile FAIL of Messrs Bernal, Thomas and Froome must be causing Ratcliffe a certain amount of pain and thus an equal but opposite amount of schadenfreude in everyone who thinks he's a [“disagreeable person” – Ed.].

The Shadenfreude would be epic if it weren't for team Jumbo seamlessly stepping in to fill the Skineos boots (and high levels of cheating on teh Tour).  It's not just that Ratcliffe is a Knoot it's a pleasure to see any team that tries to spend themselves to victory fall on their face.

16

OT Knowledge / Credit card scam?

« Last post by trekker12 on Today at 01:20:25 pm »

I've just received a text apparently from Sainsburys telling me 'We would like to check some recent transactions on your credit card'.

A minute later from a different number I had the following message.

'Your Sainsbury's Bank Credit Card was used online 21/10/20 for £149.85 at Back Market. Reply Y if you recognise the transaction, reply N if you don't. If someone has asked you to respond to this message, please call the number on the back of your credit card.'

I've checked my online account. There isn't a transaction today for Back Market (Google tells me this is apparently a second hand mobile phone online shop) and I recognise the last payment made was by me a few days ago.

I rang the number on the back of my credit card and Sainsburys do not have an attempted transaction on my card today so they don't seem very concerned. They also told me they haven't sent me any texts today.

So, where did the texts come from (I'm not replying to them), the first one has Sainsburys in the contact instead of a number? And, what kind of scam is it if it tells you to ring your own bank?!

17

The Pub / Re: A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

« Last post by Polar Bear on Today at 01:06:24 pm »

Simply not agreeing with the opinions of somebody else and seeking to back up your perspective with your "frame of reference" doesn't make either opinion right, or wrong.  Science gave us nuclear weapons and GM.  Is science ways right?

I am not claiming to be an advocate for the ABD but what I will say is that unless you engage with people with different views to your own you will never have the opportunity to change either your view or their views.  Amongst all of the things that you might disagree with them you might discover a nugget which by refusing to tolerate difference you would never have found.

In my opinion we should never stop listening because we might stop learning if we do.

You might disagree with my perspective as it seems some of you do but unless you listen to opposing views to your own you will never know if I or others like me who seek to defend freedom of expression might actually be on to something.  After all, if freedom of expression is suppressed that would of course include your freedom of expression.  That might suit you now but things change very quickly in oppressive, authoritarian regimes.

18

The Pub / Re: Tune Association

« Last post by Karla on Today at 12:56:15 pm »

Walking in the Air - Blake

19

The Pub / Re: The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

« Last post by Jakob W on Today at 12:47:17 pm »

I've grumped on here before about how the Brompton's standard dynamo light (A Spanninga Solo) has a standlight, but no button to kill the standlight. Given that the Brompton's USP is that you can take it on trains, this seems a bit daft. My secondary grump is that the B&M Toplight plus I replaced the Solo with has the cable connectors on the LH side of the light rather than the RH, so making the wires on the standard Brompton loom fractionally too short...

20

The Pub / Re: A random thread for small things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

« Last post by Cudzoziemiec on Today at 12:41:22 pm »

You can listen to people without giving them a platform and input into official policy decisions, and the legitimacy that confers.

But what you are saying is that your view is the only one that really counts.   They will feel likewise about your views and opinions.

I am sure that on the forum here are just as many supporters of the tories, trump, bolsonaro, etc as there are opponents of their position.

The ABD have opinions, along the lines of "faster is safer", but they're also disputing established fact concerning climate change.

600 years ago there was a serious argument to be had about the ideas of that nutter Gallileo. But today, an argument for a terracentric (is that the word?) universe now doesn't deserve serious consideration (unless someone comes up with amazing new observations).