What annoyed you today?

[PetrolDave]

Car owners not knowing the correct spelling of the things that slow their car down - brakes.

 

Here's a recent example on here https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/522639-bleed-breaks-skoda-fabia-2003/

[BTandSid]

Spent a little time over the past couple of days watching the Post Office inquiry. 
Alan Bates there yesterday (what an eloquent man he is) and Lord Arbuthnot today and they’re going through correspondence they had with various PO officials, Government departments all of whom whitewashed over the issue, denied there were any problems with Horizon.  And the blatant lies “we offered Mr Bates more training” which he denied, reference being made to meetings that never ever happened 😱
🤬🤬 outrageous how all those poor postmasters were, and indeed still are, being treated. There’s some heads at the top that need to roll but unlikely that’ll ever happen. 

Edited 10 April by BTandSid

[Gaz]

Mrs Gaz nearly got caught by a scammer, offering to buy a sewing machine she's selling on an online marketplace.  The scammer mentioned insuring the item for transport via their chosen courier, DSV.  This sounded plausible, but raised alarm bells, so I contacted DSV before communicating any further.  Got a prompt response from DSV confirming it was a scam:

 

'Dear Gary

 

Thank you for your enquiry.

DSV are aware of a scam being operated using a website with a similar name but not owned or operated by the global freight forwarder known as DSV.

 

The website in question is DSVEXPRESS.com.

 

This website gives the impression of being part of the global DSV brand and is used to offer cars and other items via sales channels such as Facebook Marketplace.

 

DSV is not in the business of selling cars or other items and does not operate in any of the locations we have seen mentioned in any advertisement found on the marketplace.

DSV only deals with companies, we do not deal with private individuals for any deliveries. Any requests for insurance or delivery charges are also a scam.

If you have lost money to the scam, please report the loss to Action Fraud –

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime

 

DSV is in contact with Internet Service Providers, Domain Hosts and Internet authorities in multiple countries to close down this fraud as soon as possible.  

 

Best regards,

 

xxxxx xxxx

Compliance Manager'

 

We didn't lose any money, but had three similar contacts.  The items been taken off sale; it's not worth the risk.

 

Gaz

 

[Colin170CR]

12 minutes ago, Gaz said:

Mrs Gaz nearly got caught by a scammer, offering to buy a sewing machine she's selling on an online marketplace.  The scammer mentioned insuring the item for transport via their chosen courier, DSV.  This sounded plausible, but raised alarm bells, so I contacted DSV before communicating any further.  Got a prompt response from DSV confirming it was a scam:

 

'Dear Gary

 

Thank you for your enquiry.

DSV are aware of a scam being operated using a website with a similar name but not owned or operated by the global freight forwarder known as DSV.

 

The website in question is DSVEXPRESS.com.

 

This website gives the impression of being part of the global DSV brand and is used to offer cars and other items via sales channels such as Facebook Marketplace.

 

DSV is not in the business of selling cars or other items and does not operate in any of the locations we have seen mentioned in any advertisement found on the marketplace.

DSV only deals with companies, we do not deal with private individuals for any deliveries. Any requests for insurance or delivery charges are also a scam.

If you have lost money to the scam, please report the loss to Action Fraud –

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime

 

DSV is in contact with Internet Service Providers, Domain Hosts and Internet authorities in multiple countries to close down this fraud as soon as possible.  

 

Best regards,

 

xxxxx xxxx

Compliance Manager'

 

We didn't lose any money, but had three similar contacts.  The items been taken off sale; it's not worth the risk.

 

Gaz

 

Facebook & others are riddled with these & other scammers. My sister in law has given up trying to sell anything on FB due to the number of horse traders that contacted her trying to knock her price down or offering to take items away for "free". 

 

I have a small wheel folding e-bike that my daughter no longer needs to sell (she's hardly used). I was considering using FB marketplace but not now. I'll try & find some other way of advertising it locally.  

[Gaz]

6 minutes ago, Colin170CR said:

I have a small wheel folding e-bike that my daughter no longer needs to sell (she's hardly used). I was considering using FB marketplace but not now. I'll try & find some other way of advertising it locally.  

 

Advertise it on here - you never know.

 

I was reading with interest about the folding e-bike George has recently bought, thinking 'hmmmm....'.  I already have a Brompton (M3L), and an e-bike, but a folding e-bike could be the best of both worlds, and would fit in the GTI for holidays/days out.

 

G

 

I'm not on Facebook; never have been and never will be.  Some of the stuff I hear from family and friends re-affirms my not wanting anything to do with it.

 

[PetrolDave]

19 minutes ago, Colin170CR said:

Facebook & others are riddled with these & other scammers.

Recently I had one person interested in a soundbar I had listed on Facebook Marketplace, all my listings say cash only and collection only but she wanted "a friend" to collect it and said she was "having problems with her debit card".

 

I told her no cash, no sale and she stopped messaging me - so I've blocked her.

[@Lee]

Facebook Marketplace is no better in Germany - it's a Facebook problem and Facebook Marketplace is worse than any dodgy car boot sale.
I was looking for a telescope last year, I saw the same one advertised by at least three different sellers in different locations. 

[Colin170CR]

12 minutes ago, Gaz said:

 

Advertise it on here - you never know.

 

I was reading with interest about the folding e-bike George has recently bought, thinking 'hmmmm....'.  I already have a Brompton (M3L), and an e-bike, but a folding e-bike could be the best of both worlds, and would fit in the GTI for holidays/days out.

 

G

 

I'm not on Facebook; never have been and never will be.  Some of the stuff I hear from family and friends re-affirms my not wanting anything to do with it.

 

I'm not on FB either but my wife is - a bit. Like you I have no interest in it really. 

 

In case you are interested there's a link below to some info on the Fiido bike I have. It's a single gear speed model with a 250w motor & I have fitted the "Twist & go" throttle - 🤫

Ours is in black the same as the one in the video & it will easily fit in the boot of any small car. 

Our daughter has only used it a couple of times during lockdown & no longer needs it. It's now in our garage with two other full size folding e-bikes I bought for the Mrs & me. They are being used.  

https://www.gadgetsanddeals.com/reviews/electric-bike-fiido-d2-review.html 

I might also post on in the for sale section in the Forum.

 

[cheezemonkhai]

On 09/04/2024 at 20:17, Tilt said:

Playing 'Devil's Advocate' ..........

 

Whilst yes, I agree, there are lots of cyclists that do stupid things whilst riding their bikes ....

 

There are also lots of pedestrians that do stupid things whilst waking the pavements / roads

 

And there are certainly lots of drivers that do stupid things whilst driving their vehicles .....

 

ALL endangering themselves and others.

 

(the first and third statement possibly apply to myself on the odd occasion of madness, Lol.

Not sure what stupid thing a pedestrian can do on a pavement. Particularly when bikes are not supposed to be on pavements and must also give way to more vulnerable users (pedestrians).

 

Thats a genuine I don’t understand any way a pedestrian can be stupid on a footpath and not some sort of dig.

[Ootohere]

14th March i was into HC for 6 monthly diabetic bloods and checks.

Redecoration going on, no scales in room. Pressure and blood samples taken. That is fine.

 

Last Wednesday the HC Receptionist phone my mobile.

'The nurse would like to talk to you',  i said fine i can speak but am away.  'Can you not speak to her on the phone?'  Yes i am speaking to you just put her on or they can call late.

 

How about next Wednesday?  Sorry travelling then.  OK, next Thursday at 2 PM is that OK? 

 

 Yes fine but can she not tell me sooner rather than me worry. Are my sugars high or low, my bloods keep going low when i check.

 

'Nothing to worry about she can tell you next Thursday.'   So 2pm i wait sitting ready.  2.10 i get up to put on kettle and never pick the phone up and carry.

I get across the room, 3 rings and that was that missed it.

 

 

PS

As i typed this the Nurse Practitioner called.  sorry she missed me.

My sugars are high. We discussed this. & i will call the doctor when they are back from Holiday.

 

I assume it was my bloods result.

Once i had no idea why there was a Panic at the Surgery when at a diabetic clinic and i was taken to see the doctor, told i had to do a 24 hour fasting urine test and i was given a gallon container and told to return later with it.   

I asked why and was told my urine sample was of concern and please do as asked.

 

I got out to the car went for my keys and into my pocket and there was the urine sample bottle i had filled before leaving the house.

I had never given it to the nurse and she had never tested it or had it tested.

 

I called my own doctor when i got home and she told me to enjoy my tea. 

 

 

[Graham Butcher]

@Rooted It sounds like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. I hope that they get it all sorted for you.

[Ootohere]

@Graham Butcher  It is nothing but p!ss with them.  

 

This is appropriate i think.   Given their medical training. 

Edited 11 April by Rooted

[BTandSid]

Issues with GP surgery myself today. Osteoarthritis hasn’t been getting any better in recent years, no surprise there, so have been trying to get an appointment to have a face2face with GP. “You need to submit an eConsult” I’m told by reception, which I did Monday last week; auto-response back saying I’ll hear within 48 hours. Needless to say no response this Monday, checked GP website and found that an appointment had in fact been made for 13.20 today. Got to surgery, used the auto check-in, which was working 🙂, and with ten minutes to spare thought I might as well pick up a blood test form. Chatting to reception I was asked who I’d come to see as nothing showing on the system, despite my having checked in for my appointment 🤔 I was then told that wasn’t in fact an appointment but simply a time slot the GP had set aside in her day to look at my eConsult. So a waste of time turning up at the surgery; not sure as I was there why she couldn’t speak to me? 
Later in the day a text pinged up from my chemist saying my prescription was ready. Not having ordered any pills lately I can only assume this has been generated by the GP and would lay money on these being co-codamol. So much for a face2face 🤬 
So what next? The surgery tell you to call first thing for a same day appointment but you can never get through or you’re in a holding pattern and know you won’t get that appointment as others have taken them. And you can’t ask for an appointment on another day . . . . . . is it any wonder so many people go to A&E with non-emergency problems 

Edited 12 April by BTandSid

[Gaz]

On 27/04/2023 at 14:24, Gaz said:

Usual guff from my VW main dealer.  MOT advice a couple of weeks ago was to replace all four discs and pads:

 

Took it to my local trusted Independent today.  Rear pads were all that was needed, discs absolutely fine ('Excess Rust' yeah, whatever VW!), with a comment that I'll get two more sets of pads out of the rear discs at the going rate.  I do wonder how many people fall for the 'Strongly Advise Replacement' mantra/doctrine - too many I suspect 🙄 (VW quote for the above was £940).

 

The car's at 27k miles, so my logic was that if the fronts are '75% Worn', then that's another 25% to go, or 9k miles to the wear limit (I'm currently averaging 7k miles a year).  Indy says to check them in 5k miles, which sounds eminently sensible to me 

 

Gaz

 

 

Car's just passed its MOT today with no advisories 👍  Interestingly the front brakes didn't even get a mention, despite the VW Main Dealer 'strongly advising' that they needed changing this time last year 🙄  (8k miles ago - I did check them at the 5k mark a week before our trip up to York 'coz I didn't want them needing changing while we were away, and they were fine then).  Think that'll be the last time the MD sees my car as upselling switches me right off.

 

Gaz

 

Edit:  Just picked it up.  Chap at the garage said my GTI was 'spot on', and added '.. they're good cars, yours is a lovely one.'  Aww, shucks! 

Edited 12 April by Gaz

[OldTrilobite]

Let down by a home-care agency.

 

My 91 year old wife is gravely ill, not quite bedridden but in bed 90% of the time. The local NHS GP group are superb - a phone call or visit from a local nurse or even one of the doctors happens almost daily. But I need help in looking after her, especially in the evenings. I was given a list of NHS-approved care agencies. Warned off a couple of them by a friend whose mother is a professional carer. Contacted a recommended agency. Yes, they would sent their manageress to us to get details of our needs. That was fixed for last Monday. Phone call to postpone assessment until Wednesday, then again postpone until this morning at 10 am. Phone call at 9 am, and after a bit of discussion the manageress said that nobody would do evening care, so whole thing called off!

 

We now have to hope that the local NHS health care GP surgery can come up with something.....

[Colin170CR]

6 hours ago, Gaz said:

 

Car's just passed its MOT today with no advisories 👍  Interestingly the front brakes didn't even get a mention, despite the VW Main Dealer 'strongly advising' that they needed changing this time last year 🙄  (8k miles ago - I did check them at the 5k mark a week before our trip up to York 'coz I didn't want them needing changing while we were away, and they were fine then).  Think that'll be the last time the MD sees my car as upselling switches me right off.

 

Gaz

I've been using a local independent for all my VAG cars for years. I switch from MD to Indi as soon as they go out of warranty, which for me, is pretty soon after I normally buy them at 2-3 years old. Never done me wrong or tried to upsell anything. Straight forward advice & a take it or leave it option for advisories which suits me fine.

The only snag now is that our Hyundai Kona EV has a 5 year warranty & we bought it at 1 year old & 2,500 miles. It does need to see a main dealer every so often to maintain the warranty so another 3 years to go. That said, I'm not sure there are many independents that look after EV's (other than brakes / tyres) so we may be seeing the Hyundai dealer more often than we are used to.   

[Ootohere]

More than brakes and tyres which is why they are being kept busy.

http://cleevelymobile.co.uk

 

[SteveTheElder]

B & Q website.

 

A few little DIY jobs to be done; I know, I’ll nip down to B & Q; before I go, I’ll have a look at what I need and see if it’s in stock.

 

Hmmm…

 

Most of the stuff I want is “Available online only and not stocked in B&Q stores”

 

Grrr….

 

 

[Graham Butcher]

2 hours ago, SteveTheElder said:

B & Q website.

 

A few little DIY jobs to be done; I know, I’ll nip down to B & Q; before I go, I’ll have a look at what I need and see if it’s in stock.

 

Hmmm…

 

Most of the stuff I want is “Available online only and not stocked in B&Q stores”

 

Grrr….

 

 

Welcome to today's world. My sone wanted a multitool in order to enlarge a cutout in his kitchen worktop to fit a new hob unit, popped round to the massive B&Q store, zero stock held of them, only available online, so he purchased a jigsaw instead. 

[Winston_Woof]

6 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

Welcome to today's world. My sone wanted a multitool in order to enlarge a cutout in his kitchen worktop to fit a new hob unit, popped round to the massive B&Q store, zero stock held of them, only available online, so he purchased a jigsaw instead. 

I've always found Screwfix to be better at having stock of stuff if needed although I always check online first and order using Click & Collect

[SteveTheElder]

53 minutes ago, Winston_Woof said:

I've always found Screwfix to be better at having stock of stuff if needed although I always check online first and order using Click & Collect

Thanks, that’s a good option. Keep forgetting about Screwfix as they’re tucked away round a corner or three.
 

I found a local-ish plumbing supplies place which had really good stock and incredibly helpful people too. A rare find these days.

[Colin170CR]

4 hours ago, SteveTheElder said:

B & Q website.

 

A few little DIY jobs to be done; I know, I’ll nip down to B & Q; before I go, I’ll have a look at what I need and see if it’s in stock.

 

Hmmm…

 

Most of the stuff I want is “Available online only and not stocked in B&Q stores”

 

Grrr….

 

 

TBH I'm guilty of using more online facilities than stores these days, Amazon in particular.

With Prime it's next day delivery for most stuff but you do have to watch the prices.

Example, when looking for a Worx lawn Scarifier today I found it to be £50 cheaper from Worx direct on 3-5 day delivery than Amazon next day. For a £50saving I'm prepared to wait!! 

[Lady Elanore]

Does anyone remember those halcyon days when you could unscrew a plastic cap from its bottle and remove it cleanly? Nowadays, the cap is, more often than not, attached to the permanent ring on the bottle after you have broken its seal and unscrewed it. It is really annoying with things that you drink for the bottle, or wish to pour part of the bottle contents out (the cap can get in the way of both). It is possible to rip the cap clean, but you are left with an annoying bit of sharp prong sticking out from the retained ring!

 

 

 

Grrrrrr. 

[Colin170CR]

2 minutes ago, Lady Elanore said:

Does anyone remember those halcyon days when you could unscrew a plastic cap from its bottle and remove it cleanly? Nowadays, the cap is, more often than not, attached to the permanent ring on the bottle after you have broken its seal and unscrewed it. It is really annoying with things that you drink for the bottle, or wish to pour part of the bottle contents out (the cap can get in the way of both). It is possible to rip the cap clean, but you are left with an annoying bit of sharp prong sticking out from the retained ring!

 

 

 

Grrrrrr. 

It really is the weekend isn't it 🍾🍷🥳

 

I have a pair of small toenail scissors in our cutlery drawer to solve this problem. Makes short work of the retaining ring & any remaining plastic or aluminium  banding on bottle necks. Corks go straight in the bin as well because once the bottle is open it gets emptied. 

Which reminds me, I have a few bottles chilling in the fridge ready to be sampled while watching the footie later. 

[Stonekeeper]

4 hours ago, Winston_Woof said:

I've always found Screwfix to be better at having stock of stuff if needed although I always check online first and order using Click & Collect

 

There is also Toolstation very similar to Screwfix, worth comparing prices.