WAMT....what annoyed me today!

cambsno said:
Fu***ng Cancer!!!

Dad is 77 and in pretty good shape. Had eye cancer a few years back but fully treated. Last Aug had scan and all clear, around Xmas felt a bit ill, went into hospital start of last week, Liver cancer. Today told that has days or weeks to live.

I know this happens to most people but you just think that parents will grow very old together (3 of my grandparents lived to 90+) and certainly not go down as quickly as this!
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Golly Simon. What can I say?

This reminds me of Mrs WW's dad who walked to hospital as if nothing was wrong and never made it home, he went so quickly.

I suppose all I can say is that I hope for the best possible outcome although that may be a peaceful passing with loved ones around him.

Best wishes to you and your family Simon.
 
cambsno said:
Fu***ng Cancer!!!

Dad is 77 and in pretty good shape. Had eye cancer a few years back but fully treated. Last Aug had scan and all clear, around Xmas felt a bit ill, went into hospital start of last week, Liver cancer. Today told that has days or weeks to live.

I know this happens to most people but you just think that parents will grow very old together (3 of my grandparents lived to 90+) and certainly not go down as quickly as this!
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So sorry to hear that, Simon. I lost mum to cancer on Christmas eve, but at least she got to 89.
 
cambsno said:
Fu***ng Cancer!!!

Dad is 77 and in pretty good shape. Had eye cancer a few years back but fully treated. Last Aug had scan and all clear, around Xmas felt a bit ill, went into hospital start of last week, Liver cancer. Today told that has days or weeks to live.

I know this happens to most people but you just think that parents will grow very old together (3 of my grandparents lived to 90+) and certainly not go down as quickly as this!
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Lost my father suddenly a few weeks ago to a short illness and he was younger than yours so it was unexpected, you have my full sympathy.
 
I've been waiting 47 minutes and counting to talk to someone at my cred card company about a refund from paypal which isn't showing on my card and that doesn't include the previous call when I spoke to someone who put me through to another department at which their automated menu system hung up on me despite me entering a valid choice, option one, and also not counting the call on Monday during which they said they'd send me a message about my "issue" but never did or the call on Friday during which I gave up because I'd been on hold for half an hour and had to... give up.

Customer service? eh? Royal Bank of Scotland.

Call lasted 52 minutes. He couldn't help... I have to raise a claim. I don't know who I trust more, RBS or Paypal. Paypal say they've sent it to RBS and they give a transaction number but RBS have no record of it. Grrrrr.
 
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Initially I was annoyed but I did get satisfaction in the end.

Yesterday there was fraudulent activity on my Sainsburys Nectar card - 6000 Nectar points cashed (£30) in 2 stores - Chatham and Eltham, places I've never been to in my life. I live in the North West of England and nearly all my Nectar activity is local or North Yorkshire. Contacted Nectar this morning but the person I spoke to was most unhelpful so in the end I gave up with her. It seemed that the call centre is not UK based. Tried again this afternoon and the guy I spoke to was much more aware and helpful. He has cancelled the Nectar card and issued a new one and re-instated the points. He explained that there have been numerous fraudulent cases. The fraudsters are using computer generated card numbers, testing the number out by trying initially to spend the minimum number of points and if successful cashing in the maximum number of points on that card. I guess that could also happen to other reward card schemes.
 
woof woof said:
I've been waiting 47 minutes and counting to talk to someone at my cred card company about a refund from paypal which isn't showing on my card and that doesn't include the previous call when I spoke to someone who put me through to another department at which their automated menu system hung up on me despite me entering a valid choice, option one, and also not counting the call on Monday during which they said they'd send me a message about my "issue" but never did or the call on Friday during which I gave up because I'd been on hold for half an hour and had to... give up.

Customer service? eh? Royal Bank of Scotland.

Call lasted 52 minutes. He couldn't help... I have to raise a claim. I don't know who I trust more, RBS or Paypal. Paypal say they've sent it to RBS and they give a transaction number but RBS have no record of it. Grrrrr.
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I'd be changing banks tbh..
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It's first world problem and it bothers no-one but me but my laptop is showing signs of terminal decline. If I run the laptop on m'knee with the power cord plugged in there's a symptom akin to static electricals - haywire trackpad movements. More troublingly, it will suddenly decide to shut right down to back screen, it might reboot immediately or it might want an hour or two to collect its thoughts and pull its pants up. The latter behaviour doesn't reflect a flat battery by the way.

I've removed all my image files so they are safely saved to HDD1 and copied to HDD2.

I'm typing an an old laptop which has an area of black screen about 1 inch in diameter but it has the benefit of a dvd / cd drive.

I think I'm going to be looking for a new laptop.
 
Just put the tele on to watch The Chase (ITV)and a notice comes on the screen instructing me to register and sign in using a phone,laptop or tablet and I'll only have to do this once. Never seen that before.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
It's first world problem and it bothers no-one but me but my laptop is showing signs of terminal decline. If I run the laptop on m'knee with the power cord plugged in there's a symptom akin to static electricals - haywire trackpad movements. More troublingly, it will suddenly decide to shut right down to back screen, it might reboot immediately or it might want an hour or two to collect its thoughts and pull its pants up. The latter behaviour doesn't reflect a flat battery by the way.

I've removed all my image files so they are safely saved to HDD1 and copied to HDD2.

I'm typing an an old laptop which has an area of black screen about 1 inch in diameter but it has the benefit of a dvd / cd drive.

I think I'm going to be looking for a new laptop.
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It might just need a good clean out, large amounts of dust are sucked in by the fan on the bottom which can cause them to overheat.
 
My wife phoned HMRC a few weeks ago as they had, once again, greatly overestimated her savings interest income and changed her tax code so that she would pay an additional £600 + this tax year.

After about 45 mins conversation they agreed that she only had 1 savings account with a certain bank instead of the 7 that they had based their calculations on. We also informed them of other closed accounts and the new ones she has together with the interest received so far and our estimate of what the years total would be

They agreed to re-calculate her tax code and send a new notification out. We got that yesterday and they have still overestimated the savings interest.

Today she got her occupational pension and they have taken an extra £170 in tax based on the first incorrect tax code.
Luckily we can afford to wait until it is all sorted out but what a shambles.

If you try to change stuff online the categories listed do not match up with those in their notifications so you have to phone or write.

As the newest tax code will mean that she will pay about £40 extra for the next 2 months it is not so urgent and we have sent them a letter with all the details. Hopefully they will do something before she gets next month's pension.

I remember some advice from about 40 years ago:
"would you be able to discuss nuclear physics in Swahili, if not then what makes you think that you can communicate with the tax office"
 
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Suvv said:
My wife phoned HMRC a few weeks ago as they had, once again, greatly overestimated her savings interest income and changed her tax code so that she would pay an additional £600 + this tax year.

After about 45 mins conversation they agreed that she only had 1 savings account with a certain bank instead of the 7 that they had based their calculations on. We also informed them of other closed accounts and the new ones she has together with the interest received so far and our estimate of what the years total would be

They agreed to re-calculate her tax code and send a new notification out. We got that yesterday and they have still overestimated the savings interest.

Today she got her occupational pension and they have taken an extra £170 in tax based on the first incorrect tax code.
Luckily we can afford to wait until it is all sorted out but what a shambles.

If you try to change stuff online the categories listed do not match up with those in their notifications so you have to phone or write.

As the newest tax code will mean that she will pay about £40 extra for the next 2 months it is not so urgent and we have sent them a letter with all the details. Hopefully they will do something before she gets next month's pension.

I remember some advice from about 40 years ago:
"would you be able to discuss nuclear physics in Swahili, if not then what makes you think that you can communicate with the tax office"
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To be honest, I have had great interactions with them, about mistakes I have made or queries about tax codes
 
www.bbc.co.uk

Sutton: Deveca Rose jailed after her four sons died in house fire

Deveca Rose's two sets of twins died in a house fire in south-west London while she was out shopping.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

This is pretty sad and no doubt she was negligent and responsible for the deaths of her 4 kids but does a 10 year sentence really please anyone? She is not a menace to society and in her defence, social services should have stepped in earlier. Living with the guilt will be the worse sentence she could get
 
I've just looked out of the window and there's a learner driver parked blocking our drive and next doors. This isn't unusual as we're on the test route and they seem to park up and have a chat. On a few occasions I've had to ask them to move so I can get the car out. I do remember one time when the instructor said "In a minute". My reply to that was loud and insistent.

What I am surprised at is that driving schools are not telling learner drivers not to stop and block peoples drives. On the few occasions they've been blocking the drive when I wanted to be out they've still just sat there as I've reversed the car down the drive and they have had to be asked or even told to move. What the H is wrong with these driving instructors?

PS.
That learner has now gone and was immediately replaced with another, only blocking our drive this time.
 
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cambsno said:
www.bbc.co.uk

Sutton: Deveca Rose jailed after her four sons died in house fire

Deveca Rose's two sets of twins died in a house fire in south-west London while she was out shopping.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

This is pretty sad and no doubt she was negligent and responsible for the deaths of her 4 kids but does a 10 year sentence really please anyone? She is not a menace to society and in her defence, social services should have stepped in earlier. Living with the guilt will be the worse sentence she could get
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I can see where you're coming from but isn't this criminal negligence? I suppose there has to be some punishment but to what level I don't know.
 
woof woof said:
I've just looked out of the window and there's a learner driver parked blocking our drive and next doors. This isn't unusual as we're on the test route and they seem to park up and have a chat. On a few occasions I've had to ask them to move so I can get the car out. I do remember one time when the instructor said "In a minute". My reply to that was loud and insistent.

What I am surprised at is that driving schools are not telling learner drivers not to stop and block peoples drives. On the few occasions they've been blocking the drive when I wanted to be out they've still just sat there as I've reversed the car down the drive and they have had to be asked or even told to move. What the H is wrong with these driving instructors?

PS.
That learner has now gone and was immediately replaced with another, only blocking our drive this time.
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This is the most pertinent point.

Akin to the laziness of parents not correcting poor behaviour of their offspring in public areas i.e. it becomes the norm and perpetuates inconsiderate behaviour down to the next generation :headbang:
 
Box Brownie said:
This is the most pertinent point.

Akin to the laziness of parents not correcting poor behaviour of their offspring in public areas i.e. it becomes the norm and perpetuates inconsiderate behaviour down to the next generation :headbang:
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Probably.

I went to the supermarket on Wednesday and there was a kid, bigger than a toddler, laying and then rolling about on the floor. Makes a change from running up and down the shop screaming though I suppose.
 
woof woof said:
I've just looked out of the window and there's a learner driver parked blocking our drive and next doors. This isn't unusual as we're on the test route and they seem to park up and have a chat. On a few occasions I've had to ask them to move so I can get the car out. I do remember one time when the instructor said "In a minute". My reply to that was loud and insistent.

What I am surprised at is that driving schools are not telling learner drivers not to stop and block peoples drives. On the few occasions they've been blocking the drive when I wanted to be out they've still just sat there as I've reversed the car down the drive and they have had to be asked or even told to move. What the H is wrong with these driving instructors?

PS.
That learner has now gone and was immediately replaced with another, only blocking our drive this time.
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The problem is they only teach them to pass the test. No interest in being able to "drive". Either way, that's just pig ignorant.
We live on a close, the road is only narrow, 1 1/2 cars wide. A visitor avoided parking across our drop kerb,,,by parking opposite it!
I still, very obviously couldn't get off my drive.
My main beef is how people park 2 feet from a junction corner these days.
 
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woof woof said:
I can see where you're coming from but isn't this criminal negligence? I suppose there has to be some punishment but to what level I don't know.
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I don't disagree - and maybe someone will think twice in a similar situation as a result, but if that was me I don't think I would care about the 10 years as I have lost my kids. I guess the only way it protects as stop her having more kids in that time.
 
Cockney said:
The problem is they only teach them to pass the test. No interest in being able to "drive". Either way, that's just pig ignorant.
We live on a close, the road is only narrow, 1 1/2 cars wide. A visitor avoided parking across our drop kerb,,,by parking opposite it!
I still, very obviously couldn't get off my drive.
My main beef is how people park 2 feet from a junction corner these days.
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Outside my house (in between mine and next doos drives) is a gap to park. Unless you have a US style SUV you can get two cars in that if you park sensibly, but so many people park in the middle, taking up two spaces. bugs the hell out of me
 
What really annoys me is cars parked on the pavement!
I sometimes wish I was Superman and I’d turn the car on it’s roof!
 
cambsno said:
I don't disagree - and maybe someone will think twice in a similar situation as a result, but if that was me I don't think I would care about the 10 years as I have lost my kids. I guess the only way it protects as stop her having more kids in that time.
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I don't know if people can. I don't know the details but I suspect that they got in this situation after years of at least minor neglect and not having positive role models and good teaching leading to bad decisions and behaviour? I think for a person in that position thinking twice might be difficult and a bad or tragic event may be pretty much inevitable. Sadly.
 
Cockney said:
The problem is they only teach them to pass the test. No interest in being able to "drive". Either way, that's just pig ignorant.
We live on a close, the road is only narrow, 1 1/2 cars wide. A visitor avoided parking across our drop kerb,,,by parking opposite it!
I still, very obviously couldn't get off my drive.
My main beef is how people park 2 feet from a junction corner these days.
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I'm sure this is true but if they do this on a test I assume it'll at least be a mark against them when totting up the points?

This is what happened to me in the late 70's. 78 I think. I learned to drive and on the day of the test the instructor said "I've taught you to drive, now I'll teach you how to pass your test." I nearly screamed at him, an hour to go and he does this? But it worked and I passed 1st time.

I never park across a drive.
 
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woof woof said:
I've just looked out of the window and there's a learner driver parked blocking our drive and next doors. This isn't unusual as we're on the test route and they seem to park up and have a chat. On a few occasions I've had to ask them to move so I can get the car out. I do remember one time when the instructor said "In a minute". My reply to that was loud and insistent.

What I am surprised at is that driving schools are not telling learner drivers not to stop and block peoples drives. On the few occasions they've been blocking the drive when I wanted to be out they've still just sat there as I've reversed the car down the drive and they have had to be asked or even told to move. What the H is wrong with these driving instructors?

PS.
That learner has now gone and was immediately replaced with another, only blocking our drive this time.
Click to expand...

About 30 odd years ago we had a house with "garage en bloc", ours was the garage on the end. I came home to find a Porsche on the drive in front of the garage, so I parked behind it. About 20 minutes later I get a knock on the door and some bloke telling me I blocked his car in and I need to move it. If he had apologised, and said he didn't realise the garage was in use I may have been a bit more co-operative. I told him he's have to wait until I was ready to move it.

"But I'm going to London"
"Best get a train then...." and shut the door. About another 20 minutes later a copper knocks at my door, informing me that it is an offence to stop a vehicle accessing the highyway. "What about my MG Midget then?" I explained that my MG was in the garage and the Porsche was committing the same offence.

Copper says "Can you move it in about 30 minutes then?" with a smile on his face. OK, just tell him not to park there again.... They didn't.
 
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Many years ago (mid seventies), we had a real tosser in our street that drove a Reliant. It wasn't his driving, that was fine. But, his parking was and I think still is, the worst I've ever seen. He used to drive everyone nuts by blocking them in, out, parking across (and on) private drives and the worst of all parking on the pavement and double parking.

We threatened him with beatings, damage to his car, painting it pink, removal of his wheels, removal of his doors etc., you get the idea.

Anyway, a bunch of local lads after a session in the pub decided that on the way home, they would stand this Reliant on it's back doors so it could aim for the moon (the moon was fashionable then). I've no idea who came up with the idea. :whistle:

The best thing is, someone called the Old Bill and they came out to investigate. By the time they got there, he was outside screaming and shouting and threatening blue murder. Plod got the sniff of what he'd been smoking, and not only did they nick him for that - he got six months for all the home-grown weed he was drying in his greenhouse.

Upsetting the neighbours was never a good idea . . . :popcorn:
 
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Seems endemic nowadays with so many more automatic and electric cars - but people who sit with their foot on the brake while waiting at traffic lights and in other situations where is is obvious it will be a while before moving on.

Used to not be too bad when brake lights were 21W lamps but now they are often lazer beam type eyeball searing lights I often have to sit with my hand up covering the lights - especially at night when they destroy my night vision

D
 
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Willid1 said:
Seems endemic nowadays with so many more automatic and electric cars - but people who sit with their foot on the brake while waiting at traffic lights and in other situations where is is obvious it will be a while before moving on.

Used to not be too bad when brake lights were 21W lamps but now they are often lazer beam type eyeball searing lights I often have to sit with my hand up covering the lights - especially at night when they destroy my night vision

D
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The last hire car I had, had a stop/start engine that switched off when stationary and releasing the brake restarted the engine ready to pull away,
 
Mozthecat said:
The last hire car I had, had a stop/start engine that switched off when stationary and releasing the brake restarted the engine ready to pull away,
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My Audi has a fully automatic parking brake. Come to a stop, even when in drive, and the parking brake goes on. Touch the gas and it disconnects, life has never been so easy, but it confuses the hell out of the wife :LOL:
 
Jelster said:
My Audi has a fully automatic parking brake. Come to a stop, even when in drive, and the parking brake goes on. Touch the gas and it disconnects, life has never been so easy, but it confuses the hell out of the wife :LOL:
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Our car has the same automatic parking brake, however the courtesy car we were given when ours was having a service did not. My wife did panic a bit when I got out of the car and it started rolling forward.
 
Suvv said:
My wife phoned HMRC a few weeks ago as they had, once again, greatly overestimated her savings interest income and changed her tax code so that she would pay an additional £600 + this tax year.
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Last year HMRC informed me I had underpaid tax and would be due them a cheque, called them and was told it was under payment of bank interest too, seems the banks don’t now tax interest at source but as part of an agreement inform HMRC of any interest paid so they can tax it, in our case bank forgot to split interest on a joint account so it was all accredited to me, easy explained and a short letter to tax man sorted it, in fact I got money back.
 
Willid1 said:
Seems endemic nowadays with so many more automatic and electric cars - but people who sit with their foot on the brake while waiting at traffic lights and in other situations where is is obvious it will be a while before moving on.

Used to not be too bad when brake lights were 21W lamps but now they are often lazer beam type eyeball searing lights I often have to sit with my hand up covering the lights - especially at night when they destroy my night vision

D
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When I bought a used Sportage (with a manual gearbox), the clutch was very stiff and low down in the action. Long story short and legal action to get garage to pay, I spoke to the previous owner, who had traded the car (due to the stiff clutch!!!). She said that she didn't like the stop/start, as it did its stuff in queues of traffic (which she was in a lot) and she found it very annoying, so sat, with the car in gear and clutch in, to stop it happening (hence the worn release bearing and weak springs in the pressure plate). My "fix" is to disable the stop/start, with the button on the dash. Part of my start up routine now! Not environmentally friendly but cheaper than having new clutches fitted every two years (so maybe it is environmentally friendly, considering all the resources involved to do that!).
 
Used to be if you’d air con on the load on the engine/charging system would prevent the stop/start operating.
 
Isn't now! As long as the batteries have enough oomph in them, the stop/start operates.
 
Got a call from an Indian? gent regards ing a 25% discount on my EE mobile phone bill, oh lovely says I, so he transferred me to another dept, I’m not with EE so reckoned it was a scam similar to I’ve seen on a morning tv show, next guy told me he was sending a code I’d need to give him to confirm the discount.
I was sitting in the car whilst wife was in supermarket, bored,
I kept telling him no code/message had come through and could hear him getting frustrated but he stuck at it for 10 minutes ish, when I saw wifey approaching I said to the poor chap, “ btw the way, my phone contract isn’t with EE so go fu”at that point strangely enough he hung up.
 
mj4456 said:
Got a call from an Indian? gent regards ing a 25% discount on my EE mobile phone bill, oh lovely says I, so he transferred me to another dept, I’m not with EE so reckoned it was a scam similar to I’ve seen on a morning tv show, next guy told me he was sending a code I’d need to give him to confirm the discount.
I was sitting in the car whilst wife was in supermarket, bored,
I kept telling him no code/message had come through and could hear him getting frustrated but he stuck at it for 10 minutes ish, when I saw wifey approaching I said to the poor chap, “ btw the way, my phone contract isn’t with EE so go fu”at that point strangely enough he hung up.
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I do similar things! Like the accident I was in, yes, it was due to me in a police chase wanted for murder!,
 
WAMT A dead badger at the side of the road next to the local Persimmon site for new houses on previously green belt land. In 30 years of living locally I have never seen badgers on the road. It's only a week or so ago, that they removed a long section of hedgerow for the entrance road to the site. badgers are protected by law, so "the law" now know about the "disturbance". I doubt that it will make any difference as the government have already said that newts and bats won't stop projects, so what chance do badgers have, when housing targets are to be met. No doctors, dentists, jobs, or hospital beds available but 5,000 more "new" locals (so we are told) need houses??? It's only three years ago that the previous 1,200 folks moved into the "new" Persimmon site (also built on green belt land).

I have a photo of said deceased badger but will not post it as it is not a pretty sight!
 
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And your local city keeps dropping affordable housing requirements after planning consent has been granted. I suppose that's OK by you as well as wildlife disruption?
 
WAMY was the post office/royal mail. Having been assured that a parcel would be delivered yesterday (mustn't get wet and the posties are the only couriers who consistently fail to follow the simple request to put any parcels in the meter cupboard...) they e-mailed me that the delivery had failed at 19:45 last evening. Worst courier company by far here.
 
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