WAMT....what annoyed me today!

I appreciated the replies to my earlier post about our boiler providing hot water but no heating so I must now explain what happened.

Our plumber arrived this afternoon. Within a few minutes he had found the problem - main thermostat in the hall was set at 10C! Therefore the boiler would not fire up!!

Me and Mrs Tringa feel complete wallies.

We and the plumber had a laugh about it, ours largely in embarrassment, and he said what had happened to us is not that unusual.

Cheers all.

Dave
 
WAMT Amazon sent a message to my phone "Item handed to customer". Very clever, as I was 10 miles away at the time! Arrived home to find my parcel on the doorstep! Close but no banana!
 
Pixbarmy said:
WAMT Amazon sent a message to my phone "Item handed to customer". Very clever, as I was 10 miles away at the time! Arrived home to find my parcel on the doorstep! Close but no banana!
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This reminds me of a text I got from, I think, RM saying they were unable to deliver a parcel because the address was inaccessible. We live in a terraced house with a completely open front garden where about six steps will get you to the pavement.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
I appreciated the replies to my earlier post about our boiler providing hot water but no heating so I must now explain what happened.

Our plumber arrived this afternoon. Within a few minutes he had found the problem - main thermostat in the hall was set at 10C! Therefore the boiler would not fire up!!

Me and Mrs Tringa feel complete wallies.

We and the plumber had a laugh about it, ours largely in embarrassment, and he said what had happened to us is not that unusual.

Cheers all.

Dave
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Glad it was a relatively cheap fix!
 
My wife gets her meds through an online pharmacy rather than having to traipse over to a physical pharmacy every month. She gets an email every time just before the delivery day from Royal Mail. It’s full of dire warnings about someone must be in to accept it, the parcel needing to be handed over to an adult etc. as it’s full of potentially dangerous drugs.

Yesterday I spotted an RM van had pulled into our close. By the time I’d walked downstairs it had gone. I found a parcel sitting on the doorstep… my wife’s meds. No attempt to ring the doorbell, knock or physically hand it over.

I also went to the post office on Tuesday to send a parcel. I know the “24” and “48” denominations have little relevance to actual delivery times, but having paid £4.60 to send a relatively small and light parcel I was a bit surprised to be told it wouldn’t probably wouldn’t arrive till the following Monday. So their 48 service now seems to take 6 days.
 
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RM - The joys of privatisation.
I used to complain that when the regular postman was away my mail was left on the floor of my unlocked porch. A couple of times I got compensation, the local manager came to my house once with an A4 notice to put on my door and gave me his mobile number.
Recently, after privatisation, I complained and was told that the Compliance Manager had stated that if the mail was protected from the weather and out of sight it could be left anywhere. This despite the fact that I cannot nominate my unlocked porch as a Safe Place to RM as they do not consider it safe enough.
They are failing their delivery targets so now they will deliver 2nd class mail every other day.
 
Suvv said:
RM - The joys of privatisation.
I used to complain that when the regular postman was away my mail was left on the floor of my unlocked porch. A couple of times I got compensation, the local manager came to my house once with an A4 notice to put on my door and gave me his mobile number.
Recently, after privatisation, I complained and was told that the Compliance Manager had stated that if the mail was protected from the weather and out of sight it could be left anywhere. This despite the fact that I cannot nominate my unlocked porch as a Safe Place to RM as they do not consider it safe enough.
They are failing their delivery targets so now they will deliver 2nd class mail every other day.
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More recently deliveries happen maybe twice per week, less if the regular postie is on holiday because nobody covers his round. A few weeks back my neighbour had to renegotiate a contract because it hadn't arrived for agreement and signing after a couple of weeks. Generally mail arrives Tuesday and Saturday.
 
I've been told that a lot of NHS appointments are missed because the letter arrives after the appointment date. I've had one letter that arrived the day before the date I was due to be seen.
 
I am totally reassured now that I have received a fancy flyer from Royal Mail.
It informs me that their service is to be improved by now only delivering other day.
I still cannot understand why the post office has been bought by a foreign company and yet is still allowed to call itself "Royal Mail."
As an aside, our local post box still shows "EIIR". I think that given that we have Charles III and the Post Office here it should say "3C PO".
 
Still some VR boxes around down here, as well as some Gs and Es.
 
I like making things last and I don't like waste, so when my watch strap broke back in September, I bought a new one from Timpsons for £19.00. That strap came apart several times and today and got a refund. I then went to Argos and bought myself a brand new Casio for ------ £16.
Daft old World isn't it?
 
andya700 said:
I like making things last and I don't like waste, so when my watch strap broke back in September, I bought a new one from Timpsons for £19.00. That strap came apart several times and today and got a refund. I then went to Argos and bought myself a brand new Casio for ------ £16.
Daft old World isn't it?
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Definitely crazy that it’s often cheaper to replace and chuck things away rather than repair them. I suppose it’s just economics. I’ve found Timpsons are very rarely the cheapest option though, their prices for things like watch battery changing and house key cutting can be extortionate.
 
ancient_mariner said:
More recently deliveries happen maybe twice per week, less if the regular postie is on holiday because nobody covers his round. A few weeks back my neighbour had to renegotiate a contract because it hadn't arrived for agreement and signing after a couple of weeks. Generally mail arrives Tuesday and Saturday.
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We’re getting one delivery a week here, on random days. We live out in the sticks so our post was never that great but it’s definitely got far worse over the last 6 months. A good part of the delivery is always junk mail leaflets too, presumably taken on by RM to help with their finances. It all goes straight in the recycling bin.
 
Timpsons provide jobs to people in difficult circumstances. They also sometimes prove to be very good value, such as with watch batteries with a lifetime of the watch guarantee. My Anim watch from about 2000 is still going strong with replacements every couple of years.
 
boogie man said:
...their prices for things like watch battery changing and house key cutting can be extortionate.
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My experience is completely different.

Both my wife and I have paid for their "lifetime battery" service on our watches and it's excellent. Their key cutting service is also very reasonably priced in my opinion.
 
The last time I had a battery done at Timpsons it was around £25…. bearing in mind I have since discovered I can buy the same battery from Amazon for about 30p a pop and it takes 5 minutes to do the job I thought it was a wee bit steep. The £18 they charged me for cutting two Yale type keys seemed a lot too…. a small local hardware shop only charges £5 each. I get that they have overheads etc though.
 
boogie man said:
The last time I had a battery done at Timpsons it was around £25
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If correct, they've massively increased their prices.

I paid £12 a watch for three watches and have had the batteries replaced at least three times for each watch, without further expense. The yale key I had cut was about £6.
 
Since when did people stop using their handbrakes when stopped in traffic of at traffic lights??

Years ago a 25W bulb in a not very efficient reflector was OK but now all new cars seem have lazer bright multiple stop lights I can feel my retinas being damaged - I have to sit there shielding my eyes.

And on cars with electronic handbrakes you don't even have to think about releasing it as you set off.

It is in fact in the Highway Code - but who reads that !!

D
1793998302646.png
 
Willid1 said:
Since when did people stop using their handbrakes when stopped in traffic of at traffic lights??

Years ago a 25W bulb in a not very efficient reflector was OK but now all new cars seem have lazer bright multiple stop lights I can feel my retinas being damaged - I have to sit there shielding my eyes.

And on cars with electronic handbrakes you don't even have to think about releasing it as you set off.

It is in fact in the Highway Code - but who reads that !!

D
View attachment 497304
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Probably more due to the increase in automatic transmissions that handbrakes aren't used as much, possibly also the hill hold control feature often found on cars doesn't help either.

I also find that being quite low down I'm often blinded by modern SUV's coming towards me.
 
gman said:
Probably more due to the increase in automatic transmissions that handbrakes aren't used as much, possibly also the hill hold control feature often found on cars doesn't help either.

I also find that being quite low down I'm often blinded by modern SUV's coming towards me.
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This is exactly why - auto systems designed to be held on the footbrake while stopped in traffic (other modes available, but less convenient.
 
ancient_mariner said:
This is exactly why - auto systems designed to be held on the footbrake while stopped in traffic (other modes available, but less convenient.
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I also find that it doesn't feel natural to use the EPB at traffic lights, unlike a traditional handbrake. But there's no point from a mechanical point of view anyway, with a slush box it doesn't matter and dual clutch automatically disengage.

The only times I can see it being worthwhile from a mechanical point of view is if coming off the motorway and having to brake hard to lights immediately after, or if your brakes are hot for any other reason and you come to a standstill. Staying on your brakes can result in pad transfer onto the discs, which can then cause subsequent vibration on gentle braking. As EPB almost always uses the rear brakes as part of the system, most of the heat will usually be on the front brakes so it should help mitigate this.

One exception to this that I can think of is if you've been doing a lot of twisty roads at speed and your car has torque vectoring that uses the ABS and ESC (rather than a limited slip), and it's usually the rear where this is applied. The rears can be roasting hot! In this case I'd stop a little before the traffic lights or such and allow myself to creep slowly forward to avoid pad transfer.

I'm rambling away now, apologies.
 
Mrs Nod's car's "hand brake" is a slight stretch away, which makes it a bit of a PITB (back, not ar5e!) to apply but. as pointed out above, letting it hold on the hill control leaves the brake lights on which is (IMO) discourteous to the driver behind. Mine has stop/start, which requires me to either sit on the footbrake or apply the handbrake and shift to N. I have been known to forget to shift back in to D, so now sit with my hand on the gear wheel to remind me!
 
Parking mode on mine puts the car in neutral, applies the handbrake and unlocks the doors. It's not a problem stopped at lights, but does require one to remember to move the nubbin back to Drive again.

BTW tried sport mode today. It's just like driving in 'low' ratio (double tap on the nubbin) holding a lower gear than you might normally want in order to get a little more response at the cost of noise and fuel consumption. Plus you get fancy red colours on the screen because you're sporty. Not sure I'll bother again, since it doesn't bring more precision.
 
TBH, I can't really remember what sport mode does! I think that, as you say, it holds a lower gear slightly longer but also holds a selected lower gear even when it gets up against the rev limiter if the flappy paddles are used. Like you, I don't usually bother with it, only using it when I accidentally go past the slight detent between D and S on the wheel.
 
Nod said:
TBH, I can't really remember what sport mode does! I think that, as you say, it holds a lower gear slightly longer but also holds a selected lower gear even when it gets up against the rev limiter if the flappy paddles are used. Like you, I don't usually bother with it, only using it when I accidentally go past the slight detent between D and S on the wheel.
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On my Evoque, Sport-mode only means the rev counter goes higher before it changes up, nowt more than that, not more sporty at all...I never use it...it's misleading to call it Sport-mode...
 
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Probably depends on the car. With the 330d I had, Sport Mode would make the throttle a little more sensitive, the steering would become a little heavier and it would hold gears for longer. It would also adjust the traction control to allow a little more slip before the car would step in to correct.

But I would guess that many regular family cars, sport mode will probably just hold the gears longer and perhaps make the throttle a little more sensitive.
 
Am I the only person who thinks electronic hand brakes/parking brakes are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist?

A mechanical handbrake must be, in my own not very technical opinion, one of the simplest things on a car. It is easy to use, works well, so why change it?

Dave
 
Tringa said:
Am I the only person who thinks electronic hand brakes/parking brakes are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist?

A mechanical handbrake must be, in my own not very technical opinion, one of the simplest things on a car. It is easy to use, works well, so why change it?

Dave
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Because it's easier and especially cheaper to build an electro-mechanical mechanism with few moving parts and easily routed electrical wires than it is a robust mechanism operated with a lever through an encased cable to a separate set of brakes.
 
Another possible consideration is that mechanical handbrakes can be subject to user error, too little and you can roll away if not in gear and too much can stretch the cable and cause the handbrake to no longer work properly. EPB is either on or off, except with cars where it can be used in emergency whilst driving for a controlled slow down.

Perhaps a downside to an EPB is that they often require an OBD2 device to release them to remove the rear pads. Some cars, like my current one, you can manually wind the gears back in the actuators whilst in situ, but it's easier to use the scan tool.

Also, they can sometimes be rather expensive to repair/replace.
 
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Remembrance Sunday parade, nine, yes nine former prime ministers, nine!
That’s a million a year in pension money for sure.
 
Woke up and went downstairs in my underpants for a fag and a brew, As soon as I entered the garden a flock of about 20 Pinkfoot geese appeared from the mist in beautiful formation over the trees at the bottom of the grove. Would have made a gorgeous Photograph.
:(
 
Barney said:
Woke up and went downstairs in my underpants for a fag and a brew, As soon as I entered the garden a flock of about 20 Pinkfoot geese appeared from the mist in beautiful formation over the trees at the bottom of the grove. Would have made a gorgeous Photograph.
:(
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That's quite the juxtaposition lol
 
Barney said:
Woke up and went downstairs in my underpants for a fag and a brew, As soon as I entered the garden a flock of about 20 Pinkfoot geese appeared from the mist in beautiful formation over the trees at the bottom of the grove. Would have made a gorgeous Photograph.
:(
Click to expand...

You or the geese?
 
boogie man said:
My wife gets her meds through an online pharmacy rather than having to traipse over to a physical pharmacy every month. She gets an email every time just before the delivery day from Royal Mail. It’s full of dire warnings about someone must be in to accept it, the parcel needing to be handed over to an adult etc. as it’s full of potentially dangerous drugs.

Yesterday I spotted an RM van had pulled into our close. By the time I’d walked downstairs it had gone. I found a parcel sitting on the doorstep… my wife’s meds. No attempt to ring the doorbell, knock or physically hand it over.

I also went to the post office on Tuesday to send a parcel. I know the “24” and “48” denominations have little relevance to actual delivery times, but having paid £4.60 to send a relatively small and light parcel I was a bit surprised to be told it wouldn’t probably wouldn’t arrive till the following Monday. So their 48 service now seems to take 6 days.
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Royal Mail now classify their 24hr and 48hr delivery service as aims not guarantee's, they state that the only way to guarantee delivery is to use special delivery.
I recently had a parcel delivery form Royal Mail and was informed that it would be delivered between 09:45-13:45 after waiting in as it was quite expensive and it not arriving I tried to phone their customer services and was told the waiting time was 1hr and 20 minutes, so I left the phone on in the background while I did a few things around the house hoping it would arrive. Around 1 and 1/2 hours later some one answered the phone telling me that even though they sent a text message say delivery would be when they stated this was not a guarantee just an aim, It eventually arrived on the Monday as there are no deliveries on Sunday's.
 
David_Mug said:
I was quite amused/confused by a leaflet through our door from Royal Mail telling me that they are improving their service by reducing deliveries to only every other day.
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Yes our service isn’t very good anyway either every other day would be an improvement !
 
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