View Full Version : Gripe of the day - What is yours?
Sir Trev
14-02-25, 06:20 PM
So called support teams. My work laptop has stopped letting me drill into transactions to view the invoices they're attached to. Raised a ticket, two teams passed thd buck, and a third spent about four hours yesterday remotely logged in, stopping me doing anything. It was clear they had no clue and were trying things at random with crossed fingers. Another route I tried today suggested I contact, you guessed it, the same guys who failed yesterday. No!
Gave up and put in a request for a new laptop instead. My old one is coming up six years old but support were adamant it was nothing to do with it. Hmm.....
Sir Trev
18-02-25, 06:34 PM
Well, my new work laptop has arrived, so of course nothing went to plan.
I'm based in our company's head office, which has a deskside support team, so on the order ticket I asked for the delivery to go straight to them for setup. It just sat in the post room all morning until the dopy support guys asks me if it's up and running yet. Give me strength. So I go and get it, power if up and it wants the WiFi password, which we're never given (so visitors cannot be told). Call support. Oh, you have to use the new one. Which is?? The moron didn't know the password... 20 minutes later its connected and takes an hour to set itself up. Then Support of the Year cannot log in remotely to set up my apps as it's on the new network and he's on the old one. He's grudgingly coming into the office tomorrow to set it up, WHICH IS WHAT I ASKED FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
On the plus side (clutching at straws here) this 7340 is tiny and really light compared to my six year old brick.
Sir Trev
19-02-25, 06:32 PM
After walking past my desk twice while on the phone to me saying "where are you?" I managed to get the attention of Support of the Year by yelling "Put your phone down and look around you for the balding old bloke shouting at you!" Not a great start.
I was told at least a dozen times that he came in especially from Birmingham to sort my machine out. Not sure why as I saw his boss later who's in the office almost every time I go in. After faffing about for 20 minutes, telling me another dozen times that he used to fork for RBS when they had a "really bad outage", he gave up and took the machine downstairs. 30 mins later it was working. I bet it was his boss who got if sorted. Apps loaded, drives mapped, he leaves happy. Of course, it did not work when I plugged it into the dock station but I worked out why without him needing to come back.
I can now view all the documents I need to actually do my job, so time to start catching up. Hopefully this one will last six years before I need Support, like the old one did.
Well it's that unavoidable bill time of the year, and the Council Tax and Water Rates have just landed.
Council Tax up 4.7% - broadly as expected (due to capping rules) but still almost well over inflation. And we've had the PR from the authorities about how difficult it is to spread the funds, so I guess we're likely to see [continuing] deterioration in services. Why is there always enough money for more speed humps but never enough to fill potholes properly?:rolleyes: And ironically, what they never seem to realise is that I'd actually be happy to pay double the portion allocated to "Police & Crime Commissioner" if it meant double the number of real crime-preventing/fighting bobbies on the streets.
But my real GOTD is the 27.3% hike in my annual water bill. WTF, how much!!!! (Severn-Trent Water in my case.) Now I know why I've been receiving so much email about network improvements etc over recent weeks. Propaganda to try to warm us all up to the shock, eh?! Well it hasn't worked and personally I think it's outrageous they can get away with this siae of uplift for an unavoidable monopoly provision. IMHO it's just a sign of underinvestment and profiteering in many previous years - really poor management not to be able to forecast better and justify a smoother long term cost profile.:smt076 FWIW, letter of complaint to regulator and MP coming!
svenrico
07-03-25, 02:02 AM
Funny price rises should be mentioned. In tonight's local paper ,York and North Yorkshire Council have just announced £31,000 is the cost of rebranding with a new logo. They even try to justify it with bull**** about the meaning of the logo signifying various things about the county that most people will have a job to see even when it is explained .
Luckypants
07-03-25, 10:11 AM
My CT bill just arrived and has gone up 5%. My water bill has barely changed as we are not charged for supply due to it being unreliable. The whole village is on the same 'deal'
redtrummy
07-03-25, 02:39 PM
About time water was re-nationalised followed by the trains and all utility services
garynortheast
07-03-25, 03:00 PM
About time water was re-nationalised followed by the trains and all utility services
Absolutely!
Sir Trev
07-03-25, 05:30 PM
Our water bill has gone up 38%. Thanks Thames Water.
The biggest worry with nationalised industries is that the worst possible organisation to actually run anything is the government (of any colour). Politicians aren't interested in running anything, they are only interested in changing things, unfortunately change is just an illusion of progress.
Quote from Gaius Petronius Arbiter, circa AD60 (alleged)
“We trained hard—but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we were reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while actually producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.”
About time water was re-nationalised followed by the trains and all utility services
Absolutely!
IMHO, that'd be 'right problem, wrong solution'. Whilst I don't believe in artificial competition being imposed on things that are natural monopolies, and I agree that major reform of some industries is essential and overdue, I'm not convinced that ownership is the root cause of [all] the problems, or that 'nationalisation' is definitely the solution.
Arguably the problem affecting many of the privatised utilities has been the lack of sensible, effective oversight and stable, properly-funded policy. And who's responsible for that - a Regulator or a Government Department, i.e. the bit that's always been in public ownership.
Or compare with Local Councils responsible for local road networks - always been publicly owned, but are we really happy with how they've been managed over the years? Similarly the NHS situation ...
In my experience, Party Politics in our Government system means that long term planning and commitment (of the sort that sets us up for decades of reliable, predictable, quality service) is, frankly, impossible for the most part. Investment and operational funding needs to be stable, sufficient and long term for whoever builds, maintains and operates the type of assets that these networks need, but the reality is it's rarely allowed to be like that.
The worry for me is that I think there's been substantial fault with the approaches of both Blue and Red-led administrations over my lifetime, and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. But what do I know?:rolleyes:
Our water bill has gone up 38%. Thanks Thames Water.
Ouch! That's properly outrageous. Almost makes my rant seem misplaced
svenrico
08-03-25, 12:14 AM
The biggest worry with nationalised industries is that the worst possible organisation to actually run anything is the government (of any colour). Politicians aren't interested in running anything, they are only interested in changing things, unfortunately change is just an illusion of progress.
Quote from Gaius Petronius Arbiter, circa AD60 (alleged)
“We trained hard—but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we were reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while actually producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.”
Gaius Petronius Arbiter actually said “Durum exercui—sed omne tempus in iunctos formare incipiebamus visum est. Postea in vita discerem quod ad quamlibet novam condicionem ordinando tendimus, et quam mirum in modum illusio progressionis effici potest, dum confusionem, inefficientiam et corruptionem actu gignendo.
garynortheast
15-03-25, 04:12 PM
GRRRRRR!!!! Peugot 207 headlight bulbs fitment. Designed by some sort of a sadist.
Craig380
15-03-25, 05:09 PM
If they're as bad as on a 2015 Vauxhall Corsa, I feel your pain ....
svenrico
15-03-25, 10:15 PM
reply 11513 was meant to be a joke by the way��
Transit custom mk8. To replace the headlight bulbs you take the headlights off the van. 2 screws and it comes straight off, well thats if the screws aren't rusted solid and snap... Dlr and high been are bloody h15 bulbs so £20 upwards.
M54 closed eastbound all weekend so traffic is diverted into the A5. And guess what? There are roadworks on the A5 too. When we finally get to the A5 roadworks, guess what? There's no sign of any work being done, no holes in the road, and no indication as to what is being done just the temporary traffic lights.
Last year I went through the process of getting daytime Attendance Allowance for a family member. The level of detail required in the questions is absurd (what tablets are they on, how big are the tablets, how any minutes a day do they spend wiping their a*** etc).
They've had to go into a care home due to deterioration and now needing 24hr care availability.
It took 3 tries to get DWP to send me the forms to apply to upgrade the Att All to 24hr rate. When the forms eventually arrived the level of detail is again absurd.
I know the benefits system is costing us a fortune, but do they really need to know whether the tablets are 2.5mg four times a day or 5mg two times a day, and how often and how long in minutes does it take to turn over or change position in bed (I kid you not, it actually asks that).
Last year I went through the process of getting daytime Attendance Allowance for a family member. The level of detail required in the questions is absurd (what tablets are they on, how big are the tablets, how any minutes a day do they spend wiping their a*** etc).
They've had to go into a care home due to deterioration and now needing 24hr care availability.
It took 3 tries to get DWP to send me the forms to apply to upgrade the Att All to 24hr rate. When the forms eventually arrived the level of detail is again absurd.
I know the benefits system is costing us a fortune, but do they really need to know whether the tablets are 2.5mg four times a day or 5mg two times a day, and how often and how long in minutes does it take to turn over or change position in bed (I kid you not, it actually asks that).
And you wonder about who much time and effort it takes to administer the returns and what that costs.
My wife is on the higher level of PIP and has to renew that every three years. She had that renewal last August even though she still had nine months to go. Last week she chased up that renewal as she's heard nothing since. She was told that the processing team were 12 months behind. Now consider that she had a lifetime award when she was on DLA as she has MS and never had to be reassessed. So her PIP is likely to just be renewed but someone at the DWP has to check and approve that . How many cases are like that in the system? How much time and money is wasted on PIP claiments that have health issues that are never likely to improve?
garynortheast
15-04-25, 08:14 PM
Bloody hell, I'm an effing dunderhead. #-o
SV650rules
16-04-25, 09:19 AM
M54 closed eastbound all weekend so traffic is diverted into the A5. And guess what? There are roadworks on the A5 too. When we finally get to the A5 roadworks, guess what? There's no sign of any work being done, no holes in the road, and no indication as to what is being done just the temporary traffic lights.
Yeah we came back on Sunday 13th April along M6 and for a Sunday the M6 West / North was a congested mess, with the variable speed limit changing every overhead gantry.... Along with the speed setting on the cameras behind the gantry.
Got on M54 and left at junction 2 to take A449 north to get on A5 at Gailey island... They are building some kind of techno / business hub ( it says 'railway served ' I suppose the railway from Wolverhampton to Stafford goes through it ) between Gailey and M6 junction, total mess but no sign of any workers or any equipment moving....
Oh the joy of the 'British Spring and summer roadworks season' - which seeks to add maximum pain to our already overcrowded roads, already with the most speed cameras per square mile in any country.
Luckypants
16-04-25, 05:58 PM
We were heading that way too last Sunday but twigged on to the roadworks and took the long way home via M6/M56/A55. Bad holdups due to accidents two miles from home..... Its silly season folks!
redtrummy
17-04-25, 07:58 AM
so been waiting for it to rain to water my garden, including the blanket of snow. Opened the curtains this morning and 'the sun has got its hat on hip hip hurray.' Again
Sir Trev
17-04-25, 05:15 PM
Tourists. Pain in the backside. Don't look where they're going, block the whole pavement to take a photo, walk in a group five wide... I made the mistake of walking past Buck Palace today at five to 11, just before changing of the guard. Mr Shouty came out a few times to make them move out of the damn way.
Good job I don't go into London that often.
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