Grumble Thread

[french frank]

Forgive me any reader who has made it this far if I have provided an interim update but it looks like I haven’t, anyway ……. a letter arrived saying my complaint was closed, !!!!

Sympathy and empathy. I bought something (actually two of them) online this afternoon. Paypal confirmed the transaction for £107.62. The trader send a confirmation of sale too - for £107.62. I checked my PayPal statement for latest transactions: just one, for £107.62. Then I got a notification from CapitalOne (my Post Office money credit card guarantor) of one sum of £107.62, and two from the same trader for £61.98. But neither confirmation had made any mention of any other charges.

I tried to contact CapitalOne to ask them how they had dreamed up the other two amounts. Then the rigmarole of how to notify them, what does it come under, no not that, telephone? no they've just shut up shop, secure message? Mm, tried to fill in message but couldn't send it because it had 'invalid' characters, I gradually stripped it of all characters that weren't letters, numbers or full stops at the end of sentences. Was logged out about five times and had to keep logging in again. All to no avail. Finally, filled in a complaint form 'What can we do to resolve the issue?' Sort it, please. What is strange is that it was PayPal payment, and they have no record of having paid out three separate sums on my account. I shall get on the telephone tomorrow (I've had an email thanking me for my complaint) to see what can be done.

[french frank]

I tried to contact CapitalOne to ask them how they had dreamed up the other two amounts. Then the rigmarole of how to notify them, what does it come under, no not that, telephone? no they've just shut up shop, secure message? ... I shall get on the telephone tomorrow (I've had an email thanking me for my complaint) to see what can be done.

Latest: I phoned them, couldn't understand what was being said and was hung up on after about one minute. Happily, I went to my statement and the two unexplained amounts had silently disappeared with just the correct amount listed as 'pending'. I may or may not get the products ordered some time next week but at least, as I'd hoped, the error apparently lay with CapOne

[Sir Velo]

Can someone tell me when the requirement to indicate left on exiting a roundabout was removed from the Highway Code? Likewise when did they remove the obligation to indicate when joining a motorway/dual carriageway from a slip road?

[smittims]

I haven't driven a car for 25 years but I think those signals are still obligatory. But your post reminds me of a neighbour of ours who said 'I never make signals at roundabouts; they just confuse people'.

My gripe about car drivers is the fashion for parking with two wheels on the pavement. I was told it's illegal but I've been unable to find chapter and verse. Where I live so many do it that I think they believe they're supposed to park that way, and (in some cases) to drive on the pavement, for a few yards first , nudging pedestrians out of the way. .

[Old Grumpy]

Can someone tell me when the requirement to indicate left on exiting a roundabout was removed from the Highway Code? Likewise when did they remove the obligation to indicate when joining a motorway/dual carriageway from a slip road?

Probably around the same time as the requirement for Audi, BMW and Range Rover drivers to indicate at all was removed. This group now only use indicators to highlight that they are legally parked on the pavement.

[vinteuil]

My gripe about car drivers is the fashion for parking with two wheels on the pavement. I was told it's illegal but I've been unable to find chapter and verse. Where I live so many do it that I think they believe they're supposed to park that way, and (in some cases) to drive on the pavement, for a few yards first , nudging pedestrians out of the way. .

... according to the Highway Code it is explicitly illegal in London ('must not') and disrecommended ('should not') elsewhere

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/parking-on-the-pavement/

.

[smittims]

Thanks, that's most interesting. I had heard it was going to be debated in Parliament , but maybe they've more gripping things to do. One of the main objections is from wheelchair and mobility-truck users

[oddoneout]

Thanks, that's most interesting. I had heard it was going to be debated in Parliament , but maybe they've more gripping things to do. One of the main objections is from wheelchair and mobility-truck users

The situation has been made worse, IMO, by the unfettered(and wholly unnecessary) growth in over sized vehicles - leisure SUVs - which are too wide and too long for UK roads. Parked each side in a residential street reduces the width for driving along so much that the 'need to make access for emergency vehicles' argument comes into play to justify using the pavement.
Even if national legislation comes into effect, how will councils afford to implement it?
My son lives in Greater London(what I used to call Kent...) and the pavements where he lives have been marked up to provide 'two wheel bays', ie cars and small vans can be parked two wheels on the pavement. As a large 30's development the pavements are, by today's standards, generously sized, so taking a bit out this way still leaves enough space for those who are entitled to use the pavement. There are also shared driveways to rear garden garages and large enough front gardens to now allow off road parking, which reduces the overall demand for parking space.
I wish that the 'autobesity' issue could be addressed as not only does it exacerbate the problems such as pavement parking and restricted road space, but they are an environment insult.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/24/motor-emissions-could-have-fallen-without-suv-trend-report

[Jonathan]

Talking of drivers and car related things, I yesterday signed a petition calling for the government to limit the brightness of car's headlights. Hopefully it'll get written into law.

[James Wonnacott]

Talking of drivers and car related things, I yesterday signed a petition calling for the government to limit the brightness of car's headlights. Hopefully it'll get written into law.

Have you a link to this petition, I'd like to sign too.

[Old Grumpy]

Have you a link to this petition, I'd like to sign too.

Looks like it's been and gone...



https://petition.parliament.uk/archi...nd%20solutions.

...interim government response is linked in the Web page.

[Dave2002]

Looks like it's been and gone...



https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/653793#:~:text=Petition%20Review%20the%20brightnes s%20of,car%20manufacturers%20to%20find%20solutions.

...interim government response is linked in the Web page.

Car lights are a pain. The modern ones which turn the lights up or down automatically are at least partly to blame, as also some of the very much brigher LED lights.
In the past there were always a few drivers who had powerful lights, and left them on too long, but mostly they were relatively few. Nowadays it seems that often one is driving agaiinst a stream of very bright lights going in the opposite direction.

I hear that some very new cars actually do have good lights, which selectively light up parts of the road, and don't dazzle oncoming drivers - though I only have one driver's view on this. Some cars have sideways facing headlights which are great for going round corners. Other cars are pretty dreadful, including my own car which has lights which can illuminate maybe half a mile ahead, but in another setting perhaps only 50 yards. At 60 mph in the dark if the lights are full on it's great for seeing way ahead - if there are no oncoming vehicles or anything else which can affect the automatic light settings. It switches to the nearer mode under several circumstances. One is detecting an oncoming vehicle with headlights in the distance. Sometimes I think it leaves the lights on too bright for too long, dazzling the driver coming the other way, but often it switches immediately to the nearer/darker mode, which means that at 60 mph objects visible in the road in front are only just within stopping distance. The change of lights is also affected by reflected light from road signs. Lastly, although the automatic light system does appear to detect the red lights of cars in front it may not do that well, and could dazzle drivers ahead.

These problems are maybe overall less of an issue in urban areas, where there is more illumination and traffic may be moving fairly slowly. Modern car lights are just not good enough for some of the driving conditions in the UK. The lights themselves have got better over the years, but the controls are worse.

[oddoneout]

Car lights are a pain. The modern ones which turn the lights up or down automatically are at least partly to blame, as also some of the very much brigher LED lights.
In the past there were always a few drivers who had powerful lights, and left them on too long, but mostly they were relatively few. Nowadays it seems that often one is driving agaiinst a stream of very bright lights going in the opposite direction.

I hear that some very new cars actually do have good lights, which selectively light up parts of the road, and don't dazzle oncoming drivers - though I only have one driver's view on this. Some cars have sideways facing headlights which are great for going round corners. Other cars are pretty dreadful, including my own car which has lights which can illuminate maybe half a mile ahead, but in another setting perhaps only 50 yards. At 60 mph in the dark if the lights are full on it's great for seeing way ahead - if there are no oncoming vehicles or anything else which can affect the automatic light settings. It switches to the nearer mode under several circumstances. One is detecting an oncoming vehicle with headlights in the distance. Sometimes I think it leaves the lights on too bright for too long, dazzling the driver coming the other way, but often it switches immediately to the nearer/darker mode, which means that at 60 mph objects visible in the road in front are only just within stopping distance. The change of lights is also affected by reflected light from road signs. Lastly, although the automatic light system does appear to detect the red lights of cars in front it may not do that well, and could dazzle drivers ahead.

These problems are maybe overall less of an issue in urban areas, where there is more illumination and traffic may be moving fairly slowly. Modern car lights are just not good enough for some of the driving conditions in the UK. The lights themselves have got better over the years, but the controls are worse.

Years ago there were similar problems of dazzling when halogen headlights came in so I can't help thinking that lessons were not learned then. As a pedestrian most of the time, I am not happy that the number of times I am dazzled during the day seems to be increasing. Car headlights being on seems to be the default position now, but it doesn't say much for the control systems if the lights of an oncoming car in daylight(and I'm not talking adverse weather or twilight here) are enough to make me squint/put my arm across my eyes/look down quickly.

[french frank]

Highway Code, Rule 114:

"You MUST NOT

• use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders [my bold]
• use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users (see Rule 226).

In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again."

Rule 113:

"You MUST

• ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
• use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting."

Like speeding, though, these are hard rules to police/enforce.

[Jonathan]

Sorry, here's the link:

https://www.change.org/p/implement-regulations-to-minimize-headlight-brightness-in-cars?recruited_by_id=18902b40-b2de-11ef-99fc-75af6100f131&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawHCUiFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQHdesYsx1vYNPFEREw_QxDL-EX6ZgM8wRbJ7AEQ-1GxD4nMtNmU9GZqMg_aem_5ubjPWjC0yeO_ZjKIBepiw