Things that don't deserve their own thread

[Grandpa]

This guy is fricken brilliant.

Some of those had me in tears!

[Happyhooker]

The beyond burgers are quite good, mince isn't bad either. Don't think I'd get them full price, but happy to grab them reduced.

First tried it with a plant mcdonalds (family dragged me there, thought I may as well try something different).

Yep, I don't find them terrible but smother them with ketchup and pretend they are pork or beef

Chef Neil Rankin has been working on his range for a number of years. Ironic really as he was founder of some of the first the nose to tail open fire cooking restaurants in London, Temper!
Not tried any of the products yet but am told dthey are pretty good
https://symplicityfoods.com/

Tried a blind tasting of some of his stuff recently. 100% of people there could tell

It's good. But it is noticeable

[TB63]

Yep, I don't find them terrible but smother them with ketchup and pretend they are pork or beef

Chef Neil Rankin has been working on his range for a number of years. Ironic really as he was founder of some of the first the nose to tail open fire cooking restaurants in London, Temper!
Not tried any of the products yet but am told dthey are pretty good
https://symplicityfoods.com/

Tried a blind tasting of some of his stuff recently. 100% of people there could tell

It's good. But it is noticeable

3 kilos of pork cut in the fridge ready for my next batch, fuck the veggies...

[inactionman]

It's easier and healthier to eat vegetables as a vegetarian option than processed meat substitutes, imo.

I eat anything but I have to cook vegan options for others - the money you save on not buying meat goes a lot further on things like top quality tinned tomatoes - best tip I found on these was buy good quality whole tinned tomatoes, not chopped, they add something to allow the chopped version to keep their shape, whole toms are best. You can really taste the difference. Same with good quality pasta.

We use prodigious amounts of tinned chopped tomatoes and I had no idea that was the case, I'll give the whole ones a try.

The kids prefer passata, and some of those we get almost taste like ketchup -usually the ones from the late-night dash round Lidl. Need to find some good ones of those too.

Agree on the pasta, I think the decent ones have a texture which holds the sauce a lot better.

[Tichtheid]

It's easier and healthier to eat vegetables as a vegetarian option than processed meat substitutes, imo.

I eat anything but I have to cook vegan options for others - the money you save on not buying meat goes a lot further on things like top quality tinned tomatoes - best tip I found on these was buy good quality whole tinned tomatoes, not chopped, they add something to allow the chopped version to keep their shape, whole toms are best. You can really taste the difference. Same with good quality pasta.

We use prodigious amounts of tinned chopped tomatoes and I had no idea that was the case, I'll give the whole ones a try.

The kids prefer passata, and some of those we get almost taste like ketchup -usually the ones from the late-night dash round Lidl. Need to find some good ones of those too.

Agree on the pasta, I think the decent ones have a texture which holds the sauce a lot better.

There was a tv prog with Stanley Tucci going around Italy on a foodie trek and he made the point about using good quality toms. So far the best brands I've found are Mutti and Cirio, either are good. When on offer they work out about a pound a tin, which is way more than in Lidl, but you can really taste the difference and like I say, cutting down on buying meat saves tons more than the difference in price.
Also, another thing Stanley told me personally - a dash of either soy sauce or marmite makes the tomato sauce so much better

[SaintK]

It's easier and healthier to eat vegetables as a vegetarian option than processed meat substitutes, imo.

I eat anything but I have to cook vegan options for others - the money you save on not buying meat goes a lot further on things like top quality tinned tomatoes - best tip I found on these was buy good quality whole tinned tomatoes, not chopped, they add something to allow the chopped version to keep their shape, whole toms are best. You can really taste the difference. Same with good quality pasta.

We use prodigious amounts of tinned chopped tomatoes and I had no idea that was the case, I'll give the whole ones a try.

The kids prefer passata, and some of those we get almost taste like ketchup -usually the ones from the late-night dash round Lidl. Need to find some good ones of those too.

Agree on the pasta, I think the decent ones have a texture which holds the sauce a lot better.

There was a tv prog with Stanley Tucci going around Italy on a foodie trek and he made the point about using good quality toms. So far the best brands I've found are Mutti and Cirio, either are good. When on offer they work out about a pound a tin, which is way more than in Lidl, but you can really taste the difference and like I say, cutting down on buying meat saves tons more than the difference in price.
Also, another thing Stanley told me personally - a dash of either soy sauce or marmite makes the tomato sauce so much better

Yep Mutti peeled San Marzano tomatoes are our go to brand
If you ever see I Sapori di Corbara canned/bottled tomatoes buy them, not cheap but bloody marvellous. They only make them while the harvest lasts so not all year round.
My mates Italian wife will also add a little anchovy essence to her tomato sauce to give it a lift.
Only recently discovered the Stanley Tucci food series, great show!

[tabascoboy]

Starting to think that a Foodie thread of its own is actually deserved now

[Tichtheid]

My mates Italian wife will also add a little anchovy essence to her tomato sauce to give it a lift.
Only recently discovered the Stanley Tucci food series, great show!

Yeah, it's the umami flavour - a word I only really understood after watching another great tv food show on Netflix - Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.

[Guy Smiley]

Starting to think that a Foodie thread of its own is actually deserved now

[GogLais]

Starting to think that a Foodie thread of its own is actually deserved now

As long as it’s more civilised than the SA BBQ one.

[GogLais]

So in the last three weeks:
I buy a roasting tray with a handle from John Lewis. The handle melts.

I have a leaking radiator. British Gas come round and say they’ll replace it. I chase them up and I’m told the engineer reported that I’d sort it out myself. Why the ffyk wouldI I?

I get a new box from Virgin that came with a 5m Ethernet cable. I ring them up and say please send me a 15m one. They send me a 15m Co-ax. I ring again, now they’ve sent me another 5m Ethernet.

I feel an attack of the Victor Meldrew”s coming on.

[SaintK]

Starting to think that a Foodie thread of its own is actually deserved now

As long as it’s more civilised than the SA BBQ one.

There as competetive about their Braiing as they are about their rugby!!

[Grandpa]

So in the last three weeks:
I buy a roasting tray with a handle from John Lewis. The handle melts.

I have a leaking radiator. British Gas come round and say they’ll replace it. I chase them up and I’m told the engineer reported that I’d sort it out myself. Why the ffyk wouldI I?

I get a new box from Virgin that came with a 5m Ethernet cable. I ring them up and say please send me a 15m one. They send me a 15m Co-ax. I ring again, now they’ve sent me another 5m Ethernet.

I feel an attack of the Victor Meldrew”s coming on.

Please let us know the outcomes... a 15m radiator next?

[GogLais]

So in the last three weeks:
I buy a roasting tray with a handle from John Lewis. The handle melts.

I have a leaking radiator. British Gas come round and say they’ll replace it. I chase them up and I’m told the engineer reported that I’d sort it out myself. Why the ffyk wouldI I?

I get a new box from Virgin that came with a 5m Ethernet cable. I ring them up and say please send me a 15m one. They send me a 15m Co-ax. I ring again, now they’ve sent me another 5m Ethernet.

I feel an attack of the Victor Meldrew”s coming on.

Please let us know the outcomes... a 15m radiator next?

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

[Uncle fester]

So in the last three weeks:
I buy a roasting tray with a handle from John Lewis. The handle melts.

I have a leaking radiator. British Gas come round and say they’ll replace it. I chase them up and I’m told the engineer reported that I’d sort it out myself. Why the ffyk wouldI I?

I get a new box from Virgin that came with a 5m Ethernet cable. I ring them up and say please send me a 15m one. They send me a 15m Co-ax. I ring again, now they’ve sent me another 5m Ethernet.

I feel an attack of the Victor Meldrew”s coming on.

Please let us know the outcomes... a 15m radiator next?

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

Refry? Is that you?

[Tichtheid]

I found this really interesting - it raises a good few questions

[GogLais]

Please let us know the outcomes... a 15m radiator next?

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

Refry? Is that you?

Who? Presumably he’s a decent chap.

[PornDog]

I found this really interesting - it raises a good few questions

When deepfakes started I was always reminded of this -


It's really not that far away.

[Niegs]

[Niegs]

This is cool! Reminds me of doing my historic buildings tour when in the UK, seeing graffiti that was older, technically, than Canada's been a country. Even here, I've seen serif fonted carvings into the late 19th C.

[Grandpa]

So in the last three weeks:
I buy a roasting tray with a handle from John Lewis. The handle melts.

I have a leaking radiator. British Gas come round and say they’ll replace it. I chase them up and I’m told the engineer reported that I’d sort it out myself. Why the ffyk wouldI I?

I get a new box from Virgin that came with a 5m Ethernet cable. I ring them up and say please send me a 15m one. They send me a 15m Co-ax. I ring again, now they’ve sent me another 5m Ethernet.

I feel an attack of the Victor Meldrew”s coming on.

Please let us know the outcomes... a 15m radiator next?

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

[fishfoodie]

Please let us know the outcomes... a 15m radiator next?

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

The incompetence only exists because CEO's prioritize Corporate profits & dividends over everything else !

Just look at a company like HP, that was famed for the quality of it's support, & how over less than a decade it plummeted in the quality of it's support.

They had to roll back a lot of the off-shoring of Enterprise support, because their customers decided they weren't prepared to tolerate sacrificing their profits, so some fucking idiot in HP could save a few hundred thousand on their side.

[dpedin]

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

The incompetence only exists because CEO's prioritize Corporate profits & dividends over everything else !

Just look at a company like HP, that was famed for the quality of it's support, & how over less than a decade it plummeted in the quality of it's support.

They had to roll back a lot of the off-shoring of Enterprise support, because their customers decided they weren't prepared to tolerate sacrificing their profits, so some fucking idiot in HP could save a few hundred thousand on their side.

Customer support is now probably the defining factor for me in choosing a product/service given there is little difference now in prices etc. Best choice I ever made was to bank with First Direct, customer service is just superb compared to the RBoS who I was with before and were awful. Ditto Octopus for electric/gas. Also had great service from Direct Line car insurance who handled my claim when I dinked my car impeccably well - I reported it at 10am and by 11am it was booked into garage for repair, collection organised and replacement car confirmed all for the date I asked for. Last week they returned £45 from my renewal as they reckon they overcharged me, I had no idea they had but money appeared in my account on date promised so I am not complaining! None of these are probably the cheapest I can find but the service more than makes up for it - peace of mind is more important than a couple of quid in my mind.

[tabascoboy]

Dozy?

Pro-China Internet Trolls Just Got Busted for Doing Something Wild
The New Europe Observation looked just like another far-right online-media outlet. But something more sinister was at work
MAY 3, 2023

CALLS TO PROTEST George Soros and refugees. Far-right Twitter screeds about immigrants. New Europe Observation sounds like a far-right extremely online news outlet. But it’s actually a front group for a Chinese propaganda network that’s borrowing tactics from Russia’s infamous 2016 troll farm.

Social media giant Meta announced on Wednesday that it had booted 107 accounts in a China-linked network behind the phony news outlet dubbed the New Europe Observation. The outlet, which Meta researchers say was linked to a Chinese technology company, appeared to be aimed at trying to stir up unrest in European countries. The fake network posted anti-immigration screeds, opposed boycotts of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, criticized Taiwanese politicians, and pushed propaganda about China’s treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority population.

The New Europe Observation network pushes its propaganda differently from other China-based troll networks, which often use bulk-spam techniques. Instead, it follows the kinds of tactics used by Russia’s Internet Research Agency troll farm. The actors behind New Europe Observation tried to hire astroturf protesters for offline demonstrations, registered a company in London, partnered with a Ugandan NGO, and reached out to native speakers of English, Russian, and other languages to write content for their phony outlets.

“It’s the first time we’ve seen Chinese [coordinated inauthentic behavior] networks recruiting freelancers, working at an NGO, running a front company in the West,” Ben Nimmo, Meta’s global threat-intelligence chief, tells Rolling Stone. “They’re still struggling to build an audience. They are experimenting, but they are experimenting with tactics that we’ve seen for years.”

More at https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/p ... 234728307/

[GogLais]

Please let us know the outcomes... a 15m radiator next?

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

[Niegs]

A club I used to coach with a fun video!

[fishfoodie]

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

When I'm elected World President, I'm going to pass a law that customers will be able to Bill tradesmen who break appointments, for their time !

My time is valuable too !!

[Grandpa]

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

I put that on the engineer... just an inconsiderate bastard... or maybe that's how his family treats him (it is a "he"?)

[Grandpa]

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

When I'm elected World President, I'm going to pass a law that customers will be able to Bill tradesmen who break appointments, for their time !

My time is valuable too !!

When Open Reach put in my fibre line they ran it from a pole about 30m from the house... when tightening it, it was stuck under a branch.. which when the wind blew... smacked the line hard... because the tree wasn't on my land, they said they couldn't touch the tree (ie trim the branch) and that I would have to contact the council to cut the branch... I'm gonna have to cut it myself when I find a ladder high enough...

[fishfoodie]

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

When I'm elected World President, I'm going to pass a law that customers will be able to Bill tradesmen who break appointments, for their time !

My time is valuable too !!

When Open Reach put in my fibre line they ran it from a pole about 30m from the house... when tightening it, it was stuck under a branch.. which when the wind blew... smacked the line hard... because the tree wasn't on my land, they said they couldn't touch the tree (ie trim the branch) and that I would have to contact the council to cut the branch... I'm gonna have to cut it myself when I find a ladder high enough...

My tech was a bit more helpful; Option 1 was similar to yours with all kinds of trees in the way, & he said I wouldn't want to deal with the aggravation, Option 2, he tried using the existing duct from the pole that the phone line went thru, & the rod just about got across the road before it jammed. So he proposed Option 3, I run a qual-pex pipe along the boundary wall & bring it to by the existing phone entry point, & give them a call for another survey.

I did that & blew a draw wire thru with a garden hose, & for a few hours of my time, the actual fibre install was a doddle.

[fishfoodie]

Remember when Editors & Proof readers were a thing ?

If it were, it would be a boon for space exploration. A single astronaut consumes about 30kg (66lbs) of food and water a day. Multiply that by the approximate 16 months it would take to travel to Mars and back, and that adds up to a pretty hefty spaceship for all that life support.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2023 ... e-in-space

Fuck me, they'd be some fat bastard astronauts by the time they got to Mars !!!

[Blackmac]

JL offered a refund.
BG said they’d call 8:00 onwards yesterday. Missed a call from them at 7:25, looked out of the window at 7:45 and saw their van outside, disappeared by the time I got downstairs. Turned up in the afternoon.
Given up on Virgin, abandoned the cable option and bought a wi-fi extender.
I was just struck by the incompetence of three household names.

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

BG service contracts are an utter waste of time. We had one for years but then they started delaying their servicing to about 18 months instead of a year and there are many stories of people phoning up with breakdowns and being told they couldn't get anyone out for weeks. We decided to self ensure and use local services.

[tabascoboy]

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

BG service contracts are an utter waste of time. We had one for years but then they started delaying their servicing to about 18 months instead of a year and there are many stories of people phoning up with breakdowns and being told they couldn't get anyone out for weeks. We decided to self ensure and use local services.

All was good until about 2/3 years ago BG tried to force new employee contracts on the engineers on an agree or GTFO basis and huge numbers left rather than accept the poor terms. Some decided to go self-employed instead, but too much experience and expertise has been lost. My boiler is still under warranty so I have it serviced by BG as part of the aftercare but twice BG have just subcontracted this out to local Heating Engineer services...

Until then, Homecare usually got someone on site with a few hours of logging a call, but now it's a minimum of 2 -3 weeks even for emergency. I've had a couple of callout requests like this which I then got an independent to come out within a day or two and then successfully requested a refund of the costs from BG as they have failed to meet the service level agreement. Homecare still useful enough for plumbing cover, though Dynarod are very hit and miss with engineer quality.

[GogLais]

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

BG service contracts are an utter waste of time. We had one for years but then they started delaying their servicing to about 18 months instead of a year and there are many stories of people phoning up with breakdowns and being told they couldn't get anyone out for weeks. We decided to self ensure and use local services.

I’m pretty sure that’s what we’ll do. I’ve always thought I was paying a lot but I put up with it as long as the service was good.

[Kiwias]

Fucking leukemia can go suck fucking donkey’s balls.

I just heard that my sister-in-law (wife of my little brother, one year younger than me) died this evening of leukemia. She had been in Palmerston North hospital (they live in OngaOnga) for chemotherapy and it had not been going well. They were planning on moving her to Wellington Hospital for stem cell treatment as soon as she was strong enough.

But the leukemia got her before she could recover.

.

[inactionman]

I just heard that my sister-in-law (wife of my little brother, one year younger than me) died this evening of leukemia. She had been in Palmerston North hospital (they live in OngaOnga) for chemotherapy and it had not been going well so they were planning on moving her to Wellington Hospital for stem cell treatment as soon as she was strong enough.

But the leukemia got her before she could recover.

Very sorry to hear mate.

Fucking leukemia can go suck fucking donkey’s balls.

That it most definitely can. Cancer in all its guises is a pitiless bastard of a disease.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Remember when Editors & Proof readers were a thing ?

If it were, it would be a boon for space exploration. A single astronaut consumes about 30kg (66lbs) of food and water a day. Multiply that by the approximate 16 months it would take to travel to Mars and back, and that adds up to a pretty hefty spaceship for all that life support.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2023 ... e-in-space

Fuck me, they'd be some fat bastard astronauts by the time they got to Mars !!!

While bolx, I will at least give them a small break as that's what it says in the linked article from the European Space Agency.

[Happyhooker]

The incompetence of the human race never ceases to amaze me... what amazes me is that we have a functioning society at all....

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

When I'm elected World President, I'm going to pass a law that customers will be able to Bill tradesmen who break appointments, for their time !

My time is valuable too !!

Fair enough. As long as we can charge clients for things like 'yes, i know I'd arranged a meeting with you at 5.30 pm but i lost track of the time at work and had my phone off'

Or 'yes i know you're relaying the entire floor of our house, starting today, but surely i can still have my 2yr olds birthday party here this afternoon'

Ad fucking infinitum

[Happyhooker]

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

BG service contracts are an utter waste of time. We had one for years but then they started delaying their servicing to about 18 months instead of a year and there are many stories of people phoning up with breakdowns and being told they couldn't get anyone out for weeks. We decided to self ensure and use local services.

All was good until about 2/3 years ago BG tried to force new employee contracts on the engineers on an agree or GTFO basis and huge numbers left rather than accept the poor terms. Some decided to go self-employed instead, but too much experience and expertise has been lost. My boiler is still under warranty so I have it serviced by BG as part of the aftercare but twice BG have just subcontracted this out to local Heating Engineer services...

Until then, Homecare usually got someone on site with a few hours of logging a call, but now it's a minimum of 2 -3 weeks even for emergency. I've had a couple of callout requests like this which I then got an independent to come out within a day or two and then successfully requested a refund of the costs from BG as they have failed to meet the service level agreement. Homecare still useful enough for plumbing cover, though Dynarod are very hit and miss with engineer quality.

This is true.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

So if you’re still interested - BG were supposed to come here today at 1:30 to fix a new rad. Nobody here by nearly 2:30 and I see a missed call on our landline at 9:30, no message left. I ring and it’s the engineer who tells me they’ve collected the rad and it’s damaged so they’ll have to get a replacement and fix it tomorrow. Doesn’t bother ringing again nearer 1:30 to let me know they won’t be turning up.
First world problem but I’m paying the useless b@st@rds first world prices for a service contract.

When I'm elected World President, I'm going to pass a law that customers will be able to Bill tradesmen who break appointments, for their time !

My time is valuable too !!

Fair enough. As long as we can charge clients for things like 'yes, i know I'd arranged a meeting with you at 5.30 pm but i lost track of the time at work and had my phone off'

Or 'yes i know you're relaying the entire floor of our house, starting today, but surely i can still have my 2yr olds birthday party here this afternoon'

Ad fucking infinitum

Up to a point I think that's entirely acceptable. Do it like a hotel - you can cancel/postpone up to ~x hours/days before with no penalty.

Last time I had my car serviced I had to pay a non refundable £100 quid deposit on booking - several weeks in advance. I didn't have a problem with this.