What made you UNHAPPY today!

[hyteck9]

So, moving in to my new house.  A Very nice place that I should be thrilled to have obtained.  The moving company crew hired to get us there however...  well..   packed just 1 box an hour!   You guessed it, paid by the hour too.  What should have been a morning move across town took 14 hours!   Several damaged goods too.  Very disappointed and disputing all charges until something reasonable can be negotiated.  First and last time I hire someone to carry my stuff.  Honestly we moved most smaller things in advance, and Some stuff stayed since I was hanging back an extra 10 days with the pets until the new place got fences built, etc, so really this was only like a "1/3 rd of my stuff"  move...  And somehow they claim the truck was full up and couldn't finish, so really it was only 80% of 1/3rd of my stuff.  My old place was only like 1500 sq ft??   Sloths could have done it in less than 14 hours.       Never Never again.

[molemot]

When I was moving, I bought a Luton Transit from eBay...used it to store everything in until I finalised the purchase, then drove the stuff there and unloaded it. After that, did a couple more trips with "white goods"...also from eBay...then sold the vehicle for about what I had paid for it. Quite liked the beast ...it got christened l'Escargot Blanc......

[DaveC72]

I think I can safely say it's been a bollocky couple of weeks:

American Style fridge freezer died 7 weeks ago.  Compressor.  As usual, it's a couple of months out of warranty...
...the only saving grace is that the compressor has a ten year guarantee from the manufacturer LG.

So, ring LG who put me in touch with "0800 Repairs" (hereafter referred to as 0800 numb-nuts) who are their service partner.  What a shower of shit they turned out to be.

Me: The compressor has gone on my LG Fridge Freezer and they have directed me to you to carry out the guarantee work
0800 numb-nuts:  We'll be the judge of that sir...

Anyhoo, arranged a time when I could be there and they had an engineer available for about six days time.  He turns up as promised, and says "you need a new compressor".  Me: "I know".
He orders one and we arrange for him to come and fit it the following Wednesday.

Tuesday night I get a call from 0800 nn to advise me that the part has arrived and the engineer won't be calling until next week.

Engineer arrives the following week and whilst he's fitting the compressor he let's slip that they hadn't actually ordered the part.  He fits the replacement compressor and toddles off.  48 hours later appliance is still not working, so it's back on the phone to 0800 nn who agree to expedite (which turns out to be utter bollox) a part and we arrange for the following Wednesday.

Yet again, on the Tuesday night they advise me that the part hasn't come in - it's damaged again.  By now, I am losing my shit. 

They arrange another date, I shuffle my diary and again the part arrives "damaged".

After much debate (that's the politest word I can use) they agree to turn up last Friday and the OH (who is not renown for her patience) is at home as I'm away with work.  Engineer fits compressor, does some tests and declares the appliance tits up.  Totally.  Cannot be fixed at all.  

Joy.

To be fair, the above is just irritating, and a good example of the increasingly used misnomer that is "Customer Service" in modern Britain.  First world problem and all that.

 

Last Thursday, whilst away with work get a message from a friends Wife:  Brain cancer, aggressive and Malignant. He's genuinely one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet and has been with his wife since they were 18 years old.  Genuinely knocked for six by this.  And a bit angry if I'm honest.
 

Last Sunday whilst towing the horse box jobby, the OH drives into a low bollard and rips the FNS wheel arch trim off her Disco.  Again though, this is just stuff.
 

To top it all, yesterday I lost my Aunty Bronwen.  Bron was always the life and soul of the party and, despite being dealt with some pretty shitty cards through her life, always had a smile and hug for everyone.  She was a "glass half full, and how about I get you some ice" kind of lady.

So, today I took stock of all this - and yes, it made me unhappy.

Off to meet the Hants massive now and talk Lotus and Cars and stuff with a couple of pints.

[Jacques]

Have been a bit off here lately, because I lost my father after 4 months of horror with destroyed lungs, because of those many years of smoking. Rest in Peace father.

Jacques.

[Bibs]

Very sad news Jacques, condolences my friend.

[silverfrost]

Jacques  extremely sorry to hear of the loss of your Farther.   

[johnpwalsh]

Jacques. Very sorry to hear of your sad new's my friend. Condolences to you and the family.

[C8RKH]

Very sorry to hear this Jacques. I lost my father to cancer 20 years ago but never a day goes by when i don't think of him and I hope you experience the same.

Thoughts are with you Jacques.

[Barrykearley]

Very sad news indeed. My thoughts are with you and yours

[Moxie]

My condolences to you and your family. I got a call a few days ago from my father who'd just been admitted to the hospital with a partially collapsed lung, but he had/has no risk factors. He was just released today, but you just never know what might affect your health. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.  

[Jacques]

Thanks everyone.

Jacques.

[esp88]

My condolences Jacques and your family ...

Y.Hotta

[rocket63]

Condolences Jacques.

[ramjet]

Condolences Jacques. Lost both of my in-laws to the Big C. My mother-n-law to a new cancer that no-one had seen before and father-in-law to prostate. Not nice any way.

Anyway, back to the topic.

IDIOTS, yes IDIOTS, that spit their bubble gum or chewing gum onto the ground for other people to step in! A bin is not hard to spit it in you IDIOT! 

[Alfa2Evora]

Condolences Jacques. I lost my dear mum to cancer 4 months ago - I don't think time heals but rather it makes the pain easier to bear. My thoughts are with you and your family.

[molemot]

Desperate stuff, Jacques....my Dad went at 57 through smoking; dropped dead on the evening of my brother's wedding. I've had prostate cancer since 2006, still here.... got a winter of chemo coming up. I can recommend the Water Buffalo coping method....put your head down and plod steadily forwards.

[Arregueti]

Condolences, Jacques and Dave.

Remembrance of good moments spent together is the most effective healing I have experienced for the loss of my beloved ones.

[Jacques]

Thanks again everyone. Most kind of you all.

I feel that there was a catch in my case. In short: My parents divorced when I was around 4, my mum prohibited any contact, and told me all kinds of stories of how he was etc. I saw him once when I was 18. I finally found him, and wrote him a letter 8 weeks ago, he kindly responded and we had a good long talk over the telephone. Planned to visit each other asap, and ... it turned out to be in a respirator etc. for 6 weeks. Glad we had our little talks, but that in summary, was my experience of having a father.

I am very happy I finally talked to him and met him, and I met my sisters and brothers. They are so nice people. Always wanted a little sister, and now I have two and they are so sweet, plus a few brothers. All the stories from my mum were lies. Every single one. She also never told me, he tried to contact me a few times, while I have been an adult. I don't blame her any more, she did what she could. And so did my father. It turns out that he was a wonderful father for all of my sisters and brothers, from what they tell.

I am happy that I saw him being so de-tensed and happy of finally meeting up and talking. He let go of a big stone in his Heart, before finally giving up the ghost in this life. Morale of it is: do it while you can. And just don't smoke. Please.

Okay, enough of that. I shall refrain from sharing more ugly details.

Rest in Peace to my father and everyone else, who lost their dear ones.

Kind regards,

Jacques.

[Colin G]

Why is it people with really, really shit taste in music have to drive around with their car windows down in any weather so I have to suffer it too?

[march]

Try staying in Gravesend - they do it all night as well as all day. After a 4 day visit (Brands Hatch weekend) I was so tired through lack of sleep that when I left I curbed a wheel on the Esprit trying to avoid a sleeping policemen , won't be bringing the Esprit back to Gravesend any time soon.

[Barrykearley]

Try the Thurrock hotel next time - you'll find a really crap review on Expedia that's mine !!

[pete]

all these hotels down here were built to make you "northeners" feel at home 

[Barrykearley]

Pah - I just reckon they are competing with Margate - badly 

[andydclements]

19 minutes ago, pete said:

all these hotels down here were built to make you "northeners" feel at home 

Do they have beds for whippets and ferrets? 

[Barrykearley]

They do indeed - just watch out they don't catch fleas though