Grumble Thread

[Cockney Sparrow]

I was informed that they were upgrading their website and app and so they were not working properly today. It's nice they waited for Monday to do it, others usually do it in the early hours of Sunday.........

Now you say it, that explains many a frustrating interaction with websites (booking, etc) on Sundays. I'd thought "things" went wrong after Friday but skeleton or no IT staff at weekends meant no rectification and lead me to a policy of giving up and coming back Monday lunchtime. It didn't occur to me that they invoke problems with updates - although with hindsight I knew from working days that fixing problems with updates inevitably causes others........

[pastoralguy]

Birthday Cakes!!

What could be more innocent than that? However, I've seen two in as many days and it strikes me that they are appallingly unhygienic! All that candle wax, (yuch!), and saliva from blowing out candles. Just disgusting especially in the current health climate.

[oddoneout]

If you ever buy a railcard, I strongly suggest you go for the plastic card version and not one on your phone (you cannot have both).

I'd previously gone for the electronic version, thinking I'd save a bit of plastic but I've had a very fraught morning trying to install it on a new phone. The instructions on how to do it were clear enough but they didn't match with reality. After being on hold for about 45 minutes trying to get through to their helpline, I was informed that they were upgrading their website and app and so they were not working properly today. It's nice they waited for Monday to do it, others usually do it in the early hours of Sunday.

The moral is, use plastic. That doesn't need logins and codes.

This has been a long running problem https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ne...fter-website-/
and - interestingly - https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/0...site_problems/

I don't have a suitable device so it had to be a plastic card for me, using the last of my Tesco Rewards. Ordered online in September, arrived by post two days later.

[cloughie]

All cash machines in my district have gone over to charging with the exception of one. Previously we had two directly facing each other across a street, one of which charged, the other not - can you believe it?? That one now charges £0.99 for anything involving merely inserting your... banking card. Thinking of poor souls out in the styx miles from evidence of human civilisation, I suppose I have to be thankful we have any means reasonably close at hand for this purpose - but, I mean, just how petty is that???

I’ve never yet had to use a machine which charged - I thought is was just us rustics who were ripped off not those of you living in the metropolis!

[Pulcinella]

Grumble is too weak a word.
Partner stranded in Italy (as are many others) after a BA flight back from Florence got summarily cancelled.
Contrary to their claims, they have NOT been in touch with him, despite having both his mobile number and his email address.
Their website crashed, and their phone lines are understandably busy (took me 30 minutes to get through the other day when I was simply trying to check if the flight would operate; I was then put on hold again and the call got disconnected about 10 minutes later).
It simply isn't good enough.

[Serial_Apologist]

Grumble is too weak a word.
Partner stranded in Italy (as are many others) after a BA flight back from Florence got summarily cancelled.
Contrary to their claims, they have NOT been in touch with him, despite having both his mobile number and his email address.
Their website crashed, and their phone lines are understandably busy (took me 30 minutes to get through the other day when I was simply trying to check if the flight would operate; I was then put on hold again and the call got disconnected about 10 minutes later).
It simply isn't good enough.

I don't imagine there to be A Level or Degree courses in how to train to become an effective, fully qualified call centre operative.

[teamsaint]

All cash machines in my district have gone over to charging with the exception of one. Previously we had two directly facing each other across a street, one of which charged, the other not - can you believe it?? That one now charges £0.99 for anything involving merely inserting your... banking card. Thinking of poor souls out in the styx miles from evidence of human civilisation, I suppose I have to be thankful we have any means reasonably close at hand for this purpose - but, I mean, just how petty is that???

Post offices offer pretty good basic and free banking services these days.

[eighthobstruction]

Grumble is too weak a word.
Partner stranded in Italy (as are many others) after a BA flight back from Florence got summarily cancelled.
Contrary to their claims, they have NOT been in touch with him, despite having both his mobile number and his email address.
Their website crashed, and their phone lines are understandably busy (took me 30 minutes to get through the other day when I was simply trying to check if the flight would operate; I was then put on hold again and the call got disconnected about 10 minutes later).
It simply isn't good enough.

....sorry to hear that

[Constantbee]

Grumble is too weak a word.
Partner stranded in Italy (as are many others) after a BA flight back from Florence got summarily cancelled.
Contrary to their claims, they have NOT been in touch with him, despite having both his mobile number and his email address.
Their website crashed, and their phone lines are understandably busy (took me 30 minutes to get through the other day when I was simply trying to check if the flight would operate; I was then put on hold again and the call got disconnected about 10 minutes later).
It simply isn't good enough.

Are any additional costs incurred covered by his travel insurance?

[Pulcinella]

Are any additional costs incurred covered by his travel insurance?

I let the insurance company know the situation, because the limit of 45 days for one trip was likely to be exceeded. They were understanding and sympathetic.
So at least he'll be covered for accident or medical expenses (not his fault he's stranded) but not sure about additional 'incidental' expenses as such.
But one of his teachers over there has a little apartment that she is happy for him to stay in with payment just for heating/lighting/laundry etc, so he'll be fine.

[Constantbee]

I let the insurance company know the situation, because the limit of 45 days for one trip was likely to be exceeded. They were understanding and sympathetic.
So at least he'll be covered for accident or medical expenses (not his fault he's stranded) but not sure about additional 'incidental' expenses as such.
But one of his teachers over there has a little apartment that she is happy for him to stay in with payment just for heating/lighting/laundry etc, so he'll be fine.

Not much to grumble about there, then. Besides which, there's no better way of mastering a foreign language than having a lot of people to communicate with under pressure. He'll be able to practice what he's learned

[Serial_Apologist]

Not much to grumble about there, then. Besides which, there's no better way of mastering a foreign language than having a lot of people to communicate with under pressure. He'll be able to practice what he's learned

I learned all the Italian I know through reading menus, recipes, books on music, and bootleg LP sleeve cover notes.

[Pulcinella]

Not much to grumble about there, then. Besides which, there's no better way of mastering a foreign language than having a lot of people to communicate with under pressure. He'll be able to practice what he's learned

I'm not sure that you need complicated constructions using the subjunctive (the sort of grammar he was learning) but it indeed helps to know the language, and that is one reason he is staying put rather than taking BA's 'advice' to get himself to Zurich or Paris!
Tickets now bought for KLM flights on Saturday, Florence—Amsterdam—Manchester, but no real guarantee that they will operate. He spent part of this morning talking to an Italian policeman (on the street!) to get the form that will allow him to be out and about to get to the airport on Saturday. On second thoughts, maybe that DOES need the subjunctive: Were I to be out on the street on Saturday, would I need a permit to be allowed to travel?
We did the Times crossword together last night: FaceTime on computers while crossword open on iPads at each end. A bottle of wine open at each end too.

[teamsaint]

I'm not sure that you need complicated constructions using the subjunctive (the sort of grammar he was learning) but it indeed helps to know the language, and that is one reason he is staying put rather than taking BA's 'advice' to get himself to Zurich or Paris!
Tickets now bought for KLM flights on Saturday, Florence—Amsterdam—Manchester, but no real guarantee that they will operate. He spent part of this morning talking to an Italian policeman (on the street!) to get the form that will allow him to be out and about to get to the airport on Saturday. On second thoughts, maybe that DOES need the subjunctive: Were I to be out on the street on Saturday, would I need a permit to be allowed to travel?
We did the Times crossword together last night: FaceTime on computers while crossword open on iPads at each end. A bottle of wine open at each end too.

Fingers crossed for Saturday.

[Count Boso]

A bottle of wine open at each end too.

How did you stop the wine running out?