Gripe of the day - What is yours?

[embee]

Originally Posted by Sir Trev

Modern cars....

Yep, agree. I worked in the car industry, design/development, and things have always "progressed", but the latest generation have definitely lost the plot. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I'm all for safety features but making stuff so complicated that 99% of people have no idea how to alter/adjust things is simply stupid.
Having obscure icons is a problem too, what on earth does THAT symbol mean? Don't know, I'll ignore it.
I saw a youtube vid the other day where a chap was bemoaning the use of non-round steering wheels (again), Tesla having a sort of star-wars yoke on some models. Absolutely stupid, the wheel quite literally doesn't need re-inventing.
On a very simple level, I had disconnected the battery on my Yamaha scoot and needed to reset the clock. Ermmmm, no idea, no amount of button pushing got me to any relevant menu. Break out the handbook. Aha, the display must be showing the odometer first (not trip meters etc), then you can get to the clock. Well of course, why didn't I know that? Obvious, right?

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Sir Trev

Modern cars... Are they too clever and too fragile these days? Had a call at 9 this morning from Lady Poppy up in Telford to say that mot only is her AC playing up again but she's getting warning messages about the battery, the infotainment screen has shut itself down, the power steering has gone and the handbrake will not engage. Yup, all of those are electrical. On a car that's just two years old.

Green Flag turned up within an hour, reset the error codes, and said it seems OK now, "just a blip". WTF? Thankfully the rest of Lady P's journey was OK, apart from August Friday traffic, and it had already been booked in for regular service on Tuesday anyway. I foresee a grumpy conversation where I shall use the word "warranty" repeatedly.

VW by any chance?

[Sir Trev]

Ford Focus.

As it's in for a pre-scheduled service tomorrow I called the dealer to put them in the picture, only to have them berate me for not knowing which error codes the recovery agent cleared. WTF? I was over 100 miles away and Lady Poppy did not think to ask. Yes it will take you longer to diagnose but I do not expect to pay for it anyway, as your new car warranty WILL cover it or else.

I was already considering a Toyota for my next car and this sort of attitude will only push me away faster.

[embee]

Gripe of today ....
I booked an appointment online at a high street bank to do some in-person paperwork. The booking system works well, then they send a text with some reference number etc and say they'll send an email with details, which they do.
A couple of days later another text arrives seemingly from the bank (but isn't) saying thanks for the appointment booking and if you want to change anything go to your account to do it, fine and dandy. Then a day later another text comes saying "please reply with "confirm" to confirm your appointment", This is the money making scam item, it's a premium rate service.
I was almost tricked but it just didn't seem right for the bank to ask for a text reply, and a google search quickly confirmed the scam. The genuine text comes in with the bank's name, the scammers come as a number (google shows a long list of numbers they use).
I raised the issue at the bank at my appointment, at first the person didn't really believe me but looked at google and my texts and had to agree, yes it is a scam.
The big question is what trick is it that the scammers use to get triggered by the original genuine text from the bank to start sending their texts, which contain info on time etc which they can only get from the bank text. They must be intercepting texts somehow. The person I spoke to at the bank said I'd have to raise it with their fraud dept. I said why couldn't she send a message to them internally and she came up with various excuses why she couldn't (be ar$ed?) to do it.
I dare say other high street banks are also affected (maybe not?), but they don't seem particularly bothered.
I suggested a simple line in their genuine texts that they would never ask for you to reply to a text from them would solve the problem mostly, but she was not interested.
Fraud isn't taken seriously.

[Luckypants]

I am a contractor at a big UK bank and work in their data processing division. Even I have to undergo anti-fraud training every year as is mandated by the FCA. All employees and contractors at the bank have to do this. The bank employee you dealt with is in breach of her duty in respect of fraud.

You should report the fraud attempt to the bank's fraud department as they may be unaware of it (or this particular flavour of it). If they are not aware, they cannot do anything about it. Its up to you if you mention the branch lady was not interested...

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

I am a contractor at a big UK bank and work in their data processing division. Even I have to undergo anti-fraud training every year as is mandated by the FCA. All employees and contractors at the bank have to do this. The bank employee you dealt with is in breach of her duty in respect of fraud.

Jinxed myself didn't I? Mandatory training for prevention of fraud by insider threat landed in my Inbox overnight. Two more modules will be coming this quarter. Failure to complete results in pay being dock'd for bank employees....

[Sir Trev]

Did a contract for VW Financial Services a few years ago. As they're effectively VW's bank they too are covered by the FCA rules on those training courses. Took me ages, but it was in work time so at least I was being paid.

[Craig380]

Stupidly close passes by other bikers. I was doing an indicated 70 on a sweeping right-hand bend on single-carriageway A-road, roughly in the middle of my lane. The road has double solid white lines. A guy on an R6 came past me literally 18 inches from my right elbow so that he could stay inside the double-whites, followed by his riding mate on a Monster 821.

The stupid thing is, after the sweeping bend, the road opens up to a 1-mile straight with clear sight-lines and no overtaking restrictions. I knew they were behind me, but why go past me so close when 5 seconds later they could have all the width of the road? At 70mph I wasn't exactly dawdling along either.

[admin]

Originally Posted by Craig380

Stupidly close passes by other bikers. I was doing an indicated 70 on a sweeping right-hand bend on single-carriageway A-road, roughly in the middle of my lane. The road has double solid white lines. A guy on an R6 came past me literally 18 inches from my right elbow so that he could stay inside the double-whites, followed by his riding mate on a Monster 821.

The stupid thing is, after the sweeping bend, the road opens up to a 1-mile straight with clear sight-lines and no overtaking restrictions. I knew they were behind me, but why go past me so close when 5 seconds later they could have all the width of the road? At 70mph I wasn't exactly dawdling along either.

I agree. Stupid behaviour and totally unnecessary.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[R1ffR4ff]

There will always be this wannabe idiot M/C racers who think they can use standard roads like a race-track. I learnt years ago to keep a regular eye on my mirrors and If I spot any single headlight fast movers I move as far left as if safe before they get to me and let them get on with it. If I'm on a Straight road I'll indicate left and move over and many times good riders will acknowledge what I've done.

Hopefully they will be ,"Canary-down-the-pit" for me