Gripe of the day - What is yours?

[Red ones]

Had to change the headlamps on my Zafira B. You're right, access is awful. In convinced car designers don't change their lamps in the dark, when it's raining and a public car park.

I paid Halfwits £7.

Started raining in Rome today. Won't stop for a few days now.

In Rome they hate big shops and branches, love little beaurocratic unorganised offices. My local bank branch is under construction so they are operating in a room next-door. I go to pay my rent due latest tomorrow, but I see tools on the ground and the security guard says it's not open (both the normal office and the substitute next door) with a pretentious attitude (all Italian bank security guards have this because they get to hold a weapon). I can see the machine I need inside, on, and playing the screensaver and say that I quickly need to use the machine, and he says "it's not working". Nothing I can do so have to walk to the next branch in the rain and let this guy carry on smoking his fag and chatting to his mate (that's how hard Italians work).

Man, maybe it was bad I discovered this thread, I have something Italian to complain about every day.

[timwilky]

back to work after 3 weeks away.

the 10 steps from the bedroom to study were one hell of a stressful commute.

I even had to convince myself it was good practice to get dressed in order to go to work.

Fizzy drinks come in max 1.5 litres.

No grocery shops or supermarkets are open after 9pm. Petrol station shops don't exist. No 24h chains.

Roads are atrocious. Pot-holes you can fit a beach ball into and they are very unkept so lots of litter, gravel, and spilt fuel to slip on. The roads in the centre are still cobbled which over several thousand years becomes VERY bumps (violent shaking of the bike) and the stones become VERY smooth; worse than road paint. I've had 2 accidents in 1.25 years here due to wheels locking on these roads under light braking.

Drivers are indescribably ****e. At least 15% are talking on the phone (that's not an exaggeration), there are no lane markings so it's a free-for all, traffic lights are optional for scooters, signs are unorganised, unclear, disjointed or not there. Car drivers have no concept of giving space and will blitz past within inches (again, no exaggerations here) of you. Indicators completely unused 97% of the time,

Beaurocracy.... no end. Won't start.

Insurance is crazy. I have 5 years NCB and third-party (not fire and theft) for a XT660X was 1050 euro, cheapest. Plus fire and theft 1700. Comprehensive almost 3000 euros.

Italians do NOT have the best food. Tourists come and go "oooo Italian pizza and pasta nom nom nom nom" but it is literally stuff they eat every day. There are 4 pizza places within 100m of my apartment.

Public transport is random. I've never waited less than 2 hours for a nightbus (starting after 11pm) because the drivers tend to chat at a station then drive in tandem to the following stops. Day buses have no time schedule, so it's pretty hit-and-miss. Also, the ticketing system is flawed. You pay 1.5 euro and upon activation of the paper ticket (at machines which aren't on every bus/tram) you have 150 minutes of transport overground. If you use the ticket in the metro, the 1.5 euros will take you from A to B, whether than be 1 stop or 30.

Everything is pretentious. Apart from McDonalds you can't find a hamburger under 8 euro, for example, and that's pretty cheap. They love charging 7+ euro for "artisan" beer, which I see on the shelves in tesco for a quid. Portions are tiny.

90% of restaurants close from around 3-7pm and are only open a few hours either side of that.

There is a "the customer is always wrong" policy, generally.

In the apartment buildings we pay a lot for the "portiers", whose sole job is basically to recieve our packages. The office for my block is outside my room and I see them chatting and standing doing nothing all day, every day. Each apartment pays 45 euros a month to these two guys, and there are probably over 500 apartments in this block.

Litter and graffiti, everywhere.

The main tourist attractions like Colosseum are under scaffolding 90% of the time, with nobody ever working. I have never seen a construction worker on the Colosseum, and drive past it most days. Been like that for years.

Governmental corruption by the mafia is a real thing. The paradigm in papers is about 90% of higher-ups are corrupt.

Police cars always have their lights on with no sirens so they never have to wait in traffic, use hard-shoulders liberally, park anywhere including in the lane, text while driving, driver erratically and at speed for fun, and break red lights.

Hospitals are totally dysfunctional. Nurses have a "not my problem" attitude. I went at 2am once for a check-up of my broken leg because I lose sensation in my foot. I waited 4 hours in an almost empty room. All the nurses were on their phones, one was on facebook on the computer, one was making out with her bf in the ward, and they were all chatting whilst an old woman was screaming in agony behind them. My mum (who is Italian) approached them and told them to address the old woman. One nurse stood up, wheeled the old woman's chair behind a curtain, and went back to her seat and playing on her phone.

If you want to see a specialist for free (using public healthcare), don't bother. I had my foot shattered in an accident, and when I went to my local doctor for a check-up, they said the waiting list to see a podiatrist is 3 months. I would be healed in 3 months' time! I want to see someone NOW because my foot looks like a balloon!

Medicine is alarmingly expensive. I had dry hands and eyes and spent 50 euros on three small bottles of creams, which didn't even work.

Italian businesses don't have any grasp of "the internet" yet, so most websites are HTML, information is 98% unreliable, none are up-to-date regarding opening times or location; stuff which you don't realise you take for granted in the UK. To see when something is open (especially during holidays) you have to literally go there and ask, which kind of defeats the point.

Collection of trash is random. Sometimes the bins are all empty, sometimes bags overflow into the streets.

Public parks have no maintenance standards except the very posh ones which government officials live around.

That's it for now.. I need to do some studying.. I'll be back.

[Trev B]

It's just the same here in Spain,if you don't try to speak to officials in Spanish,they shrug their shoulders and send you on a paper trail all over the place.they are the most beaurocratic,form filling,official loving people in Europe,everything needs a licence and an official stamp of approval or it can't be done,you ask 5 people one question and you get 7 answers back,but hey ho,after 14 years I've learnt to drop down a few gears and lay back and wait,frustrating yes but in a good way,,,,

[Ch00]

I was only going to say I had found 3 grey hairs on my head at 34 but its small fry compared to the 2 gripes above me !!!!

[Bluepete]

Originally Posted by Ch00

I was only going to say I had found 3 grey hairs on my head at 34 but its small fry compared to the 2 gripes above me !!!!

That is a quality gripe isn't it! Some real vitriol there.

My wife and kids all take turns to point out the grey hairs in my beard! Gits.

Pete

[Trev B]

Sorry allantheboss,we must have been typing at the same time,in reply to your last rant,most of the roads in Spain I've driven on are decent,but drivers and indicators seem the same as yours,beaurocracy .as mention is crazy here,insurance is pretty much on par with UK,(home,car etc).Spanish food actually OK,restaurants are generally open lunch time and from about 7pm till late,but we also have an Iceland down the road( I kid you not) so if you want a pork pie or English bacon it's always available.Three course menu del dia around €9 with wine or small beer,wine as cheap as water,national beer cheap,imported a bit more expensive Don't use public transport much but the other week a bus from Benalmadena to Malaga (50 mins) cost 1.65 cents,cheap!!customers are treated as equals if your prepared to argue in Spanish.Don't have porters,but mailman pretty good,anything larger than an envelope has to collected from the Correos office,as for litter all depends what way the wind blows and graffiti no worse than normal.Main tourist attraction ok except in summer,and a lot are free( museums and art galleries) after a certain time of day.Government corruption is horrendous,a mayor or politician seems to be in court every day,but only a few are sent to prison( much like the UK).Police much the same blue light on constantly,we have 3 levels of plod here,local,national and guardia civil( the big boys).Hospitals and doctors fantastic here,my wife diagnosed with cervical cancer T2 ,3 1/2 years ago,,she was in within 3 weeks,full gearbox and transitioned removed,her own room with WC and shower,nurses only nurse,so I had a bed and did the looking after bit,aftercare and radiotherapy fantastic,medicine is quit cheap,asthma inhalers only€3.50,generally much cheaper than UK.Spanish pretty savvy with Internet but have not used any for business,Collection of trash here done 6 out of 7 night,all large bins at end of streets,usual re cycling bins for just about everything,we also have a tip for larger items,public parks and areas not too bad,generally get a good spruce up before any religious festivals,All in All a fantastic place to live,frustrating at times yes but if like me you are retired fine, but Shyte if you've got to work,I won't be back until the TT,that's my yearly indulgence.but I will just say as much as we love it here,the UK is still the greatest country in the world!!!

Haha... Mine fell out years ago and what's left gets done with a razor when I have a shave.

[Red ones]

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