General Things That Annoy You thread - part 2

Arsenetatters said:

IdleHans said:

IdleHans said:

Thames Effing Water again.

Once more they've sent us a bill based on a reading from a meter that clearly isn't ours. Last time they overbilled us about £1400, this time, for a period of two months, it's about £800.

I've submitted a correct reading but I'm not going through the palaver of again explaining the meter-reading monkey's screw up to their call centre in Karachi or wherever the feck it is.

According to them, our water use over the last two months is the same as about 796,000 cups of tea or 2,653 showers. I don't even like tea.

I might instead suggest that 199 cubic metres of water is enough to drown fifty overpaid utility company executives in barrels.

  

I caved as Mrs Idle doesnt like getting snippy letters chasing money.

Further discussions with someone on the sub-continent reveals that if the "engineer" cant easily gain access to the meter (ie remove some leaves and a bit of mud from the top cover) then he will just make up a number and thats what goes on the bill.

If you then submit a correct meter reading that is lower than their imaginary figure, they cancel your reading and pursue their own phantom number, all the time evidently having no algorithm that might flag an anomalous consumption figure.

We've been in this house since 1997 when it was built. Their reading for two months suggests we've used 8.5% of 27 years worth of water in that two month billing period, ie 2.3 years worth. Ridiculous.

I must confess after 35 minutes on the phone trying to resolve this (they wanted me to go outside, clear the meter and call them back so they could send an engineer back out to take a new reading rather than just let me know when they might return. Fuck that) I rather let my frustration show. Told them to bloody well take me to court as I've had enough of their uselessness.

And now their bloody hold music is stuck in my head to boot 

I'm with her on that. Thames water have me as their contact and I need to keep it that way. Theyve been hassling me by text, phone and now letter saying they want to make an appointment to put a water meter in. We don't want one. I feel really hassled by the barrage of contact from them. The latest letter says there isn't room to fit a meter outside our property so they need to come and look where they can put it on our property. I'll be ignoring this one too. However, Mr Tatters spotted the letter and has been ranting about where he'll be sticking the water meter if they tread on our land. 

I assume they can't just demand to enter our property? I hope not for their sake tbh.

Depending on the circumstances they might have a statutory right to enter your property to fit a meter. I’d talk to Citizens Advice if I were you.

My knowledge comes from That’s Life which did a whole programme on statutory rights of agencies over private property. They did quite a good song about it. I looked it up and the song was by Richard Stilgoe on Nationwide not That’s Life.

People who blow their nose on the train and then open the tissue to have a look. 

Chunes said:

People who blow their nose on the train and then open the tissue to have a look. 

Ask them if you can see it too.  

Chunes said:

People who blow their nose on the train and then open the tissue to have a look. 

Thats making me retch thinking about it

I can still picture some posh boy on the same stag do as me in 2011 chatting away to me, whilst picking his nose and wiping these horrible, slimy bogies on a concrete statue in a pub garden. My gag reflex was straining the first time he did it but after the second and third he had to be told to stop. He genuinely was shocked at my abruptness and whilst I have not spoken to him since then ir even know what his name is, he remains in my brain doing one of the single most antisocial and disgusting things in public I've ever seen. And I've seen a crackhead in chatham spray liquid shit up against the wall of primark in the middle of the day. 

People like that make me anal about touching surfaces in public areas 

Many years ago I was truck mechanic and I did 24/7/365 Callouts. I got called to Victoria Coach station at about 7 one morning. 
When I arrived the driver of the vehicle with the problem explained he had come down over night from Glasgow  and a passenger had vomited down the toilet onboard and his false teeth had gone into the chemical toilet, and he was almost in tears as he was going to his daughters wedding and was going to make a speech. 
So suitably dressed in my PPE I take the cassette out and after delving about for a couple of minutes I locate and retrieve both top and bottom plates. I pass them to the chaps whose teeth they are in a blue stained cloth. I look back to the driver only for him to say, "You are f@3kin joking man"
I look back to the passenger who has now put the teeth straight back into his mouth, with the blue chemical now staining his lips. 
I could not eat for about a week.

I blame this guy 

DaveMehmet said:

Twats who think they're funny when shouting things out at comedy shows. You're not funny, you're arseholes.

Most of the comedians aren't funny these days either.

cantersaddick said:

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

I purchased a cheap vacuum cleaner 6 months ago - it cost 65 quid and even came with a turbo brush head. It actually works really well and I'm pleased with it. 

Yesterday, I noticed the turbo brush had stopped spinning, so I had a good look at it and changed the filters (the spares came with the original purchase).  The good news is its back to its best.  The bad news is the replacement filters (which I guess will be needed pretty often) cost 20 quid.

How can new filters cost almost a third of the original purchase which came with 2 sets of filters anyway?  Seems like they've taken a leaf out of the printer manufacturers book.  Once they've captured you, they'll hit you hard with high cost essential parts.

Most hoover filters these days are washable and reusable. Are these ones not?

I have washed them.  One is just like a sponge so I guess that is ok although quite fragile, the other that abuts it looks like it contains something within so I'm dubious of it.  The third is an outlet filter which had no spare to change so not changed. I will of course try them out next time round, but have now purchased spares on Amazon to give me an option.  Either way they are vastly over priced.