WAMT....what annoyed me today!

Youtube!
It's getting hard to find proper videos to watch. Half the videos are fully AI generated carp, pretending to be real. Loads more have terrible AI voiceovers with wrong information.

Sadly most of the videos now have click bait titles. "I saw this in the desert, what is it" only to find that isnt even in the video at all.
The last straw is photographic videos telling me I must change these settings to make my pictures better! Except they wont, they might work for some people with a specific camera, but I know they wont work for me, either because I tried them decades ago, or my camera doesnt have that feature.

I feel sorry for photographic newcomers, theres so much rubbish being touted, I'm not supprised many give up after a few months.
Youtube needs some new featuers. A button to block all future videos from that creator, an option to block all AI content, and they really need to start taking down some of the fake misleading news, like AI tidal waves washing up hotels being shown as real.

Youtube is useful for some things, if your looking to see what features the new XZY camera has, or how to get your flash and trigger to say hello to each other. Trouble is the proper conten is getting drowned by carp. Rant over
 
Last edited:
"Look,"

It's now such an overused word to begin a sentence, typically by politicians, but often others. I understand the rhetoric purpose (or trick) behind using it to try and invoke a more honest impression, but I find it serves the opposite now. As soon as they say it, I just feel like they are squirming because the other party does not believe them.
 
swanseamale47 said:
Youtube!
It's getting hard to find proper videos to watch. Half the videos are fully AI generated carp, pretending to be real. Loads more have terrible AI voiceovers with wrong information.
Click to expand...

I/we have pretty much given up watching terrestrial tv. We watch movies and series on Virgin, Amazon and Netflix and we watch Youtube a lot. I don't watch anything photography related as there seems to be a lot of silly clickbait and drivel. I watch some car, watch, history and current affairs stuff and vids made by a Vietnamese farmer, also a lot of funny candid camera type stuff and a Chinese lady who can fix or build anything. I used to watch a couple of Vietnamese channels along the same lines but they moved from reality into staged stuff so I stopped. Mrs WW watches keep fit, lifestyle, cooking and Buddhist meditation stuff and we both watch camping vids. Youtube is by far my/our most watched thing.

I can see how terrestrial TV is dying particularly the BBC and quickly may they do it but it's a real shame for the elderly who have little else but the freeview channels and can't afford the alternatives.
 
Tringa said:
Eon.

Sometime last autumn Eon contacted us encouraging us to have a smart meter installed. We thought OK, and Mrs T went online, as suggested by Eon, to book a slot.

The reply was there were no available slots in our area so we just left things as they were. Roughly every month since Mrs T received an email from Eon suggesting we have a smart meter and everytime there are no slots available.

Eventually in March we were given a day and time but the day before Mrs T got a text saying they were unable to install the smart meter and as they had cancelled they gave us £40 credit on the bill.

Rather than attempt to book online again Mrs T rang Eon on the day they had cancelled and found they had no available slots in the rest of March or April and could not book for May because they don't take bookings more than a month ahead.

After reluctantly going online again a few weeks ago we got an installation for yesterday between 8am and noon. At 11:50am yesterday there was a text saying they were unable to install the smart meter and giving another £40 credit.

The credits were good and as it happened we had enough to do around the house and garden but would have been more than a bit annoyed if we had cancelled something to wait in, but what a way to run a business.

Dave
Click to expand...
I’d be booking a slot every month and taking the £40 off them. Worth staying indoors for the day. :)
 
boogie man said:
I’d be booking a slot every month and taking the £40 off them. Worth staying indoors for the day. :)
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, they don't work that way. When you 'book' a slot it is just asking for a meter to be fitted, then Eon come back with a possible date and as we have found they have failed to arrive and complete the installation, twice. If/when it does eventually happen I think we will change suppliers.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
Unfortunately, they don't work that way. When you 'book' a slot it is just asking for a meter to be fitted, then Eon come back with a possible date and as we have found they have failed to arrive and complete the installation, twice. If/when it does eventually happen I think we will change suppliers.

Dave
Click to expand...
Said slightly tongue in cheek ;)……..
but even so, I’d keep trying and taking their money. Do they give any reason why they cancel the installation appointments?
 
Tringa said:
Eon.

Sometime last autumn Eon contacted us encouraging us to have a smart meter installed. We thought OK, and Mrs T went online, as suggested by Eon, to book a slot.

The reply was there were no available slots in our area so we just left things as they were. Roughly every month since Mrs T received an email from Eon suggesting we have a smart meter and everytime there are no slots available.

Eventually in March we were given a day and time but the day before Mrs T got a text saying they were unable to install the smart meter and as they had cancelled they gave us £40 credit on the bill.

Rather than attempt to book online again Mrs T rang Eon on the day they had cancelled and found they had no available slots in the rest of March or April and could not book for May because they don't take bookings more than a month ahead.

After reluctantly going online again a few weeks ago we got an installation for yesterday between 8am and noon. At 11:50am yesterday there was a text saying they were unable to install the smart meter and giving another £40 credit.

The credits were good and as it happened we had enough to do around the house and garden but would have been more than a bit annoyed if we had cancelled something to wait in, but what a way to run a business.

Dave
Click to expand...

My mother received her annual bill for water from United Utilities and it showed a massive increase in charges.... I suggested it might work out significantly cheaper to have a water meter fitted, as her house is a 3 deb semi and uses minimal water as she essentially lives alone.... I contacted UU and they agreed it would offer her savings..... When it came to booking a date for a survey/fitting the earliest date they could offer was 12th August..... I was then told that because that date was more than 30 days after the request was made she would be entitled to £6.00 per week compensation until they come out to fit it....

Even just requesting a water meter to be fitted has started saving her money and I've calculated it will roughly half her water charges....
 
A separate post wasn't really justified but as it annoyed me a bit I'll post it here. It's a fleeting reference to religion but the main point was the surreal experience it was. My annoyance was that a religion imposes this kind of madness on women.Granted this case is in the minority but.....

At about 11.00am this morning we were walking along the prom..Los Cristianos/ Playa de Americas, Tenerife. It was already quite hot . Most men were wearing shorts ,some with tops, some not. Females were wearing shorts/tops but some wore bikinis and some what can only be described as a bikini top and a G string. I've been surprised at how many wear this pairing. Quite a few of those going out on kayaks wore them. Anyway, that's the scene. Into it walks who I think was a young women..definitely not old, walking at pace along the prom having a conversation on her mobile which she held out infront of her. So far,so good..but..she's Muslim and not just wearing a dress and headscarf/hijab but full-bodied garment from head to toe , her face covered with a slot so she could see...ie a Niqab. I just thought..7th century meets 21st century. It really was surreal. Goodness knows what she thought of those very scantily-clad females.

I'm not going to forget that image for a while,if ever. Pity I didn't have my camera with me. I'll leave it at that re the religious/Islamic aspect and its attitude to women as its not allowed in The Lounge.
 
Two more annoyances.

Watching the women infront of me at the bread/rolls unit in the hotel this morning, hold down a french stick with her left hand whilst she cut off a piece. There's a kitchen towel there to hold whilst you do that and for good reason. It's why we take the bread rolls.

Whoever moved into the room next to us, two days ago, smokes on the balcony, which is forbidden. There's also a designated smoking area behind the pools at the side of the open-air cafe so the addicted can get their fix but, as we know, smoke drifts which is why when we do have a coffee/ice cream we sit as far away as possible or when we use the sun loungers it's those also as far away as possible. Smokers are a darned curse as far as I'm concerned.
 
Last edited:
boogie man said:
Said slightly tongue in cheek ;)……..
but even so, I’d keep trying and taking their money. Do they give any reason why they cancel the installation appointments?
Click to expand...
Yes, we are happy to accept a date and then have Eon cancel it for as long as they want to, and no they don't give a reason for the cancellations. We wondered if they expect to get a number of requests for smart metters in the area and if they don't get enough they cancel. Mrs T has asked them why our installation was cancelled but no reply yet..


Dave
 
Tringa said:
Yes, we are happy to accept a date and then have Eon cancel it for as long as they want to, and no they don't give a reason for the cancellations. We wondered if they expect to get a number of requests for smart metters in the area and if they don't get enough they cancel. Mrs T has asked them why our installation was cancelled but no reply yet..


Dave
Click to expand...
Almost all the fitters are tied up with replacement of RTS (radio time signal) based meters. The radio time signals are transmitted by the bbc on an analog long wave transmitter and the BBC are down to one or two spare valves that are haven’t been manufactured since the 1970’s. The bbc have repeatedly extended the transmissions for the last five years but have given a hard deadline in the next few weeks.

The RTS controls many people’s heating and hot water systems, often on dedicated wiring and so the industry are finally having to rush through something they had many years to prepare for…
 
Ignorant people who misuse the word "gifted".

There is a perfectly good noun: "gift" from which is derived the adjective "gifted" meaning "having gifts" as in the sense of being good at performing a task or demonstrating a skill.

The verb "give" means to bestow something on another, of which the past tense is "gave".

The past participle of "give" is "given" as in "He was given a clip 'round the ear for using the word "gifted" when he should have used the word "given"! ".

Older man at Swindon Mela CAN_4218.jpg
 
JohnC6 said:
Two more annoyances.

Watching the women infront of me at the bread/rolls unit in the hotel this morning, hold down a french stick with her left hand whilst she cut off a piece. There's a kitchen towel there to hold whilst you do that and for good reason. It's why we take the bread rolls.

Whoever moved into the room next to us, two days ago, smokes on the balcony, which is forbidden. There's also a designated smoking area behind the pools at the side of the open-air cafe so the addicted can get their fix but, as we know, smoke drifts which is why when we do have a coffee/ice cream we sit as far away as possible or when we use the sun loungers it's those also as far away as possible. Smokers are a darned curse as far as I'm concerned.
Click to expand...

I've never smoked and I hate the smell. It gets into your clothes even if you're only briefly in the vicinity of a smoker,
 
woof woof said:
I've never smoked and I hate the smell. It gets into your clothes even if you're only briefly in the vicinity of a smoker,
Click to expand...
Exactly. I don't know why but if I get smoke in my nose/throat I kind of 'seize up' re breathing. The last time I had a cigarette was behind the bike shed at school..lol.

I can smell smoke at 50m..lol.I sometimes say to my wife when we're out..someone's smoking..then we see the smoker quite a way off. Designated smoking areas don't work simply because smoke drifts. I wish the government had banned smoking in pub outdoor spaces..eg gardens, grassed areas etc. When we were in Tenerife the last couple of weeks out on our prom walks we passed all the eating places and there were smokers at the tables. I could smell the smoke as we passed and it's one reason we'd never eat in one or even stop for a drink. What we did was to buy lovely cold...out of the fridge, Liptons iced tea..preferably the peach or mango one...from a supermarket along the front, find a bench under a tree, in the shade and drink it. I see you like a "nice chianti".. :)

Smoking is, of course legal but if you think about it, the manufacturers have known since the 1950s the damage to health causing death from a variety of diseases linked to smoking so, in my book, they could be prosecuted for manslaughter...at least theoretically.
 
Last edited:
woof woof said:
I've never smoked and I hate the smell. It gets into your clothes even if you're only briefly in the vicinity of a smoker,
Click to expand...
Agree. One of the best laws, albeit a simple one, was to ban smoking in enclosed working and public places. The smell of smoke was something that was part of the environment for so many years that it was accepted as normal, thank goodness it changed.

Dave
 
I mentioned about buying an AA road map not long ago through Amazon EU sarl. Smiths downtown didn't have it,then we went on holiday for two weeks. We came back at the wekend. The map was now in WH Smith but at £17.98. After some posts here said Amazon surl eu was ok and I could always return the map if it was in french.. a possibility mentioned after a Google, I decided to go ahead. I ordered it on Tuesady morning. On Tuesday afternoon I got an Email, supposedly from Evri, telling the delivery had failed and I needed to send £1.48 for re-delivery. Obviously a scam. The map arrived yesterday. All's fine..it's in english..lol and cost ? £11.68.


So.. I know Evri, now under new managemnet and a much better service , want to know about these scams. I clicked on 'forward'. Then on that page I saw the Email addresses of all the people the scammers had sent this Email to. I counted them.... 498 !!
 
The car went in for an MOT as part of the extended warranty with the dealer. It passed but with two caveats. The inside (where you can't see easily.)of one set of brake pads is 60% worn. The nearside tyre ,with 4.5mm tread (1.6mm is minimum.).is perishing on the inside where it can't be seen. Nice of them to supply an invoice. The brakes £306. The tyre replacement £97. We got a video of the inspection and the mechanic said..what he 'found' and said...."but I'll let it pass this time"

Last time it was an oil change for something..engine,brakes...that was recommended after a service. £83. I knew they'd text my wife whilst it was being done and they did and I asked her not to reply. The car was returned and it was written on the service sheet. We've stopped letting them do jobs they find during a service. I got the oil changed at a garage I used to take my Prius to before I sold it. Good quality oil..£48. Really good people. Won't do a job if it doesn't need doing. Same with the place I go to for tyres. So.. off I went to that garage. Brake pads. ? Nothing wrong with them. ..thousands of miles of wear left. Off to the tyre place.No problem..it's in good condition thousands of miles left. Otherwise it would have cost £68.

I asked why we'd been given an invoice which suggests the jobs need doing. The lass on reception didn't say the jobs needed doing and it wasn't an advisory..they couldn't but you can imagine people who, in fear of the car falling apart, would have jobs done. Just confirms my suspicions....car dealerships are complete shysters.We won't renew the extended warranty a second time and get it MOT'd and serviced at the small garage.
 
One reason why we have for a long time now have bought Toyotas from our local main dealer, they are decent and honest not like other dealers we had dealt with before
Just the other week one of our tyres was cracked on and in between the treads we took it in for a new tire the mechanic said that it actually didn’t need to be replaced but I had it done anyway to be on the safe side
We have it serviced there as Toyota extends the warranty if you get it serviced at a main dealership, I could do it myself but to be honest I can’t be bothered
They have never done any work that wasn’t needed
 
Yet ANOTHER useless Amazon driver who cannot find my address

Delivery Direction / instructions were left at the time of ordering

This has happened before several times - time to quit Amazon................:headbang:

RM is OK; but Evri are useless too..!
 
Last edited:
I do agree that Amazon are getting bad, I live on a main road and they are starting to leave my parcels on the doorstep more often, this only started happening from last December before that they were brilliant. With Evri I try to get parcels sent to a pick-up point, I was at a zoo yesterday, on my way out I found a parcel for the zoo just left at the place you pay to get in, I did grab it and take it to a member of staff but how the Evri driver thought it would be safe there is beyond me. Royal Mail aren't too bad but I went out yesterday knowing my parcel would be delivered today (as notified by them), I collected it from my neighbour when I got home...yesterday.
 
They miss our address as well. I Dont know how, we're No.4 , the street name is outside No.2.
 
Last edited:
how do they even pass a driving test..?
 
Evri struck again today, opened my next door neighbour's front door, dropped off my parcel and walked off without even ringing their bell. They didn't even try my bell.
 
SharonHearn said:
Evri struck again today, opened my next door neighbour's front door, dropped off my parcel and walked off without even ringing their bell. They didn't even try my bell.
Click to expand...
Surprisingly, our local Evri girl is really good. .Thats the good bit.

I sent a guitar to my lad in London, by Evri, ( from Sheffield) , paid the next day surcharge, he got it 4 days later.
 
i have now actively avoided any eBay seller who won't use RM (at my request)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sky
@Yardbent Not a warning as such, but just a reminder to be careful with language to avoid offending others - TP is not an exclusively English/British forum, which would not be an excuse in any case.

Edited to add: John has edited his post to make it easier on the sensibilities
 
Last edited:
I typically buy a couple of items a week from Amazon and never seem to have many delivery problems.They do tend to leave packages on the doorstep without ringing the bell but as they are usually expected (tracking the delivery), it has not proved to be a problem.

Dave
 
lindsay said:
@Yardbent Not a warning as such, but just a reminder to be careful with language to avoid offending others - TP is not an exclusively English/British forum, which would not be an excuse in any case.
Click to expand...
post #16339 is now edited
 
Number One. Finding scrapes on the rear quarter of her indoors Polo. The position indicates someone turning their steering too far and too early, whilst reversing out of a parking place, judging by the black, plastic residues and scrapes from dust/muck. Twenty minutes with T Cut and polish has almost made it disappear but she loves her little car, despite its age. If ever I have to wait in the car for her, I am appalled at the lack of basic manoeuvering skills in general.

Number Two. Having to follow a car, for miles, on the national speed section of a local road, doing 35 mph and wavering side to side, arriving at the 20mph sign in the local village and the numpty just carried on through the village at the same speed (no brake lights seen)!
 
Pixbarmy said:
Number Two. Having to follow a car, for miles, on the national speed section of a local road, doing 35 mph and wavering side to side, arriving at the 20mph sign in the local village and the numpty just carried on through the village at the same speed (no brake lights seen)!
Click to expand...

This is standard round the lanes of North Oxfordshire these days, usually large Mercs and Range Rovers driven by 'townies' from the new estates or the wealthy on their way to Soho Farmhouse.
 
The joys of cruise control? Seems to be small Japanese/Korean cars that are driven like that round here at a very steady 40mph.
 
I don't use the cruise controller very often but I do find the speed limiter very helpful, especially in 20MPH zones.
 
I decided to have a look at the sugar content of my current breakfast cereal. With an eye on reducing my overall intake of sugar
I've been eating M&S No Added Sugar Swiss Style Muesli so had a look at the nutritional information. The percentage of sugar is shown as 14% which considering the name of the cereal I thought to be rather high.

I wanted to look for an alternative so yesterday in my local Waitrose I looked firstly at the Alpen equivalent offering, the figure was an alarming 16%. In the end I went for the Waitrose No Added Sugar Nutty Muesli which has a sugar content of 1.5%.

As someone currently ( and reducing) on low dose corticosteroids for the condition of polymyalgia rheumatica I've been aware for some time the relationship between type 2 diabetes and these steroids I can't believe how negligent I've been in not studying theses sugar contents more carefully. Eyes are open now.
 
JohnC6 said:
The car went in for an MOT as part of the extended warranty with the dealer. It passed but with two caveats. The inside (where you can't see easily.)of one set of brake pads is 60% worn. The nearside tyre ,with 4.5mm tread (1.6mm is minimum.).is perishing on the inside where it can't be seen. Nice of them to supply an invoice. The brakes £306. The tyre replacement £97. We got a video of the inspection and the mechanic said..what he 'found' and said...."but I'll let it pass this time"

Last time it was an oil change for something..engine,brakes...that was recommended after a service. £83. I knew they'd text my wife whilst it was being done and they did and I asked her not to reply. The car was returned and it was written on the service sheet. We've stopped letting them do jobs they find during a service. I got the oil changed at a garage I used to take my Prius to before I sold it. Good quality oil..£48. Really good people. Won't do a job if it doesn't need doing. Same with the place I go to for tyres. So.. off I went to that garage. Brake pads. ? Nothing wrong with them. ..thousands of miles of wear left. Off to the tyre place.No problem..it's in good condition thousands of miles left. Otherwise it would have cost £68.

I asked why we'd been given an invoice which suggests the jobs need doing. The lass on reception didn't say the jobs needed doing and it wasn't an advisory..they couldn't but you can imagine people who, in fear of the car falling apart, would have jobs done. Just confirms my suspicions....car dealerships are complete shysters.We won't renew the extended warranty a second time and get it MOT'd and serviced at the small garage.
Click to expand...
We had a similar thing when we first bought our Audi from a dealer. The purchase included a couple of services and the “technicians” (what happened to mechanics?) always came up with something that wasn’t dangerous or vital yet was made to sound urgent. It’s quite clever wording really : “your brakes are 60% worn!” sounds quite scary Well ok, but what that actually means is there’s still 40% or almost half their life left. We use a local family run place nowadays, they’ll just tell you if there’s work needed and how soon it needs doing. Prices are roughly half of what a main dealer charges… I guess somebody has to pay for the flashy showroom, the “technician’s” time doing a fancy video recording and the “free”cappuccino.
 
footman said:
I decided to have a look at the sugar content of my current breakfast cereal. With an eye on reducing my overall intake of sugar
I've been eating M&S No Added Sugar Swiss Style Muesli so had a look at the nutritional information. The percentage of sugar is shown as 14% which considering the name of the cereal I thought to be rather high.

I wanted to look for an alternative so yesterday in my local Waitrose I looked firstly at the Alpen equivalent offering, the figure was an alarming 16%. In the end I went for the Waitrose No Added Sugar Nutty Muesli which has a sugar content of 1.5%.

As someone currently ( and reducing) on low dose corticosteroids for the condition of polymyalgia rheumatica I've been aware for some time the relationship between type 2 diabetes and these steroids I can't believe how negligent I've been in not studying theses sugar contents more carefully. Eyes are open now.
Click to expand...

I did a similar exercise not so long ago, but with salt intake instead. I started mapping out what I was eating and the salt content; that was one hell of an eye opener as well!
 
footman said:
I decided to have a look at the sugar content of my current breakfast cereal. With an eye on reducing my overall intake of sugar
I've been eating M&S No Added Sugar Swiss Style Muesli so had a look at the nutritional information. The percentage of sugar is shown as 14% which considering the name of the cereal I thought to be rather high.

I wanted to look for an alternative so yesterday in my local Waitrose I looked firstly at the Alpen equivalent offering, the figure was an alarming 16%. In the end I went for the Waitrose No Added Sugar Nutty Muesli which has a sugar content of 1.5%.

As someone currently ( and reducing) on low dose corticosteroids for the condition of polymyalgia rheumatica I've been aware for some time the relationship between type 2 diabetes and these steroids I can't believe how negligent I've been in not studying theses sugar contents more carefully. Eyes are open now.
Click to expand...

gman said:
I did a similar exercise not so long ago, but with salt intake instead. I started mapping out what I was eating and the salt content; that was one hell of an eye opener as well!
Click to expand...


Yuka (an app) is an eye opener!
 
gman said:
I did a similar exercise not so long ago, but with salt intake instead. I started mapping out what I was eating and the salt content; that was one hell of an eye opener as well!
Click to expand...
The Alpen No Added Sugar seems to be one to avoid as far as salt goes as well:

54630115221_230bf5e29a.jpg


At 0.28% salt it's massively higher than my Waitrose Nutty Muesli offering at 0.03%.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top