What made you UNHAPPY today!

[pete]

25 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

Go for it @Mark Blanchard

lifes been very good to me for the last 10years+ of self employment - I was offered a full time job last week at a company I contact to. I laughed it off and politely declined.

Bernard Matthews?

[Barrykearley]

24 minutes ago, Mark Blanchard said:

And Life's not much fun being bossed around by people half your age.

Not bossed about by anyone other than myself. Work damn hard and enjoy the benefits of it.

24 minutes ago, pete said:

Bernard Matthews?

Funnily enough actually not - for a communications company installing the power into green roadside cabinets you see in verges 👍

3 hours ago, Mark Blanchard said:

The best money is to be made in the cheap furniture believe it or not.

Yes - everything is about cheap and volume - that is indeed where some money is.

however Mark - do not lose sight of the Uber rich who will spend obscene sums for something bespoke and unique. Quality and class sells to this niche. I’ve a couple of fantastic customers in this area - they never ask the price - they only want the best and want it absolutely spot on and perfect. 

[Mark Blanchard]

14 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

however Mark - do not lose sight of the Uber rich who will spend obscene sums for something bespoke and unique. Quality and class sells to this niche. I’ve a couple of fantastic customers in this area - they never ask the price - they only want the best and want it absolutely spot on and perfect. 

After 25 years of dealing with them 80% are a pain in the arse.  And if they're Greek they're even more difficult.

[Barrykearley]

I get that - I’m probably very lucky with the client base I have. I still need to sort out a bloody bell in a tower that needs to bong from a smartphone......

[mg4lotus]

2 hours ago, Barrykearley said:

I get that - I’m probably very lucky with the client base I have. I still need to sort out a bloody bell in a tower that needs to bong from a smartphone......

You're doing the big Ben refurb?

[pete]

3 days old,£2500 new door, £3500 new tool's. Drilled a hole in exact right place and disarmed the alarmmodule. Suppose not as bad as Robbie's friend

[Mysterae]

4 hours ago, pete said:

3 days old,£2500 new door, £3500 new tool's. Drilled a hole in exact right place and disarmed the alarmmodule. Suppose not as bad as Robbie's friend

Seems to be a bit of a trend, a weak spot that the scum are exploiting:

 

[PaulCP]

RANT MODE ON 

Phoning a Customer Services number only to be asked by an automatic answering system why you are calling and then being told to follow the link just sent to your mobile which you find out just directs you to online chat to try to get an issue resolved by someone out in India without a clue who just reads from a standard script.

Why can’t I just simply speak to someone rather than spend hours typing on a keyboard

Vodafone your customer service stinks. After over 20 years with you it’s time to say goodbye! 

[andydclements]

Don't expect the rest to be noticeably better.

[Dan E]

Paul agreed but their business accounts are brilliant you get one person to contact their direct number and email 

[pete]

On 05/03/2020 at 17:39, pete said:

3 days old,£2500 new door, £3500 new tool's. Drilled a hole in exact right place and disarmed the alarmmodule. Suppose not as bad as Robbie's friend

[johnpwalsh]

Unhappy, this is bloody unhappy. Corona firkin virus. Offshore 4 weeks, due home, only to be informed most of the world now in lockdown, relief crews stuck all over the world in no fly zones and cant get into Qatar. Us guys, (read couple of thousand crew members over all the platforms) have to stay here, no end of rota home time. You are now expected to stay for six weeks from the start of your rota, you will then be shipped to a hotel in Doha where you will be kept in seclusion for a week to prevent any cross infection. You will then be shipped back offshore for a further six weeks. This pattern will continue until such time as the Qatari government deems it safe to cancel the current two week quarantine period in country and allow people movement through heliports and airports without fear of contamination. Ferkin great.

The other ball breaker is while the guys employed directly by the operating company, are paid double time on already astronomical wages, and their reliefs who are stuck at home still get paid, us the contractors who keep these installations running get sod all  butbasic pay for the extra time. That's fine some would say. Yes, if we were all on the same deal. Our reliefs stuck at home for 3/6 months, get nothing, zilch. Parity between the workforce. Sod off. We are all expected just to grin and bare it. If for example you have a wedding planned, yes we will get you home (as long as your destination is accepting flights) but at the end of the virus problem, you just might not have a job to come back to. Compassion my arse.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[C8RKH]

Wrong thread John and just down tools and tell them to fook off till they treat you right. Not as if they can replace you contractors easily is it?

[pete]

Cancelled skiing next week☹️

[Giniw]

aaaaaaaaaaand we are confined at home for (at least) two weeks here in France... and then I reckon probably a couple more after that ...

(I suspect almost everybody already had a look at that page as it proved to be quite popular but in case some of you missed it, here an interesting reading about the covid19 ... https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca)

Good luck guys!

Edited March 17, 2020 by Giniw

[ramjet]

My son who is now a nurse as is his partner, are unable to find a place to buy any food. They are working shift work and are finding it difficult to get to the shops.

Even if they do, there is nothing on the shelves.

We're now looking at the stuff we have in the cupboard and pantry and looking at taking some stuff up to him on the weekend.

[pete]

Should have been celebrating my birthday today on the French listed and out to dinner tonight,instead at home in self isolation and NO happy birthday😞😞

[Bibs]

Happy birthday (kinda!) Pete!

[pete]

Thanks (I think)

[Painterdave]

Take the Lotus out for a spin that should cheer  you up happy Birthday mate

[Giniw]

It's forbidden to go out if you don't have a real reason (like buying food). On the other hand, one may buy food with a Lotus I guess!

Happy birthday @pete :)

[Painterdave]

You haven't got get out have you at least it's got a cabin filter

[ChrisJ]

2 hours ago, Giniw said:

On the other hand, one may buy food with a Lotus I guess!

And you can take the long way round 

[Giniw]

I have no clue about the authorized range but we all need to have a written letter with our personal address and motivation to go out, and we are supposed to go buy food in the neighbourhood.

[Straker]

Queue jumpers at the local Lloyd’s Pharmacy this morning... 1/2  a dozen folks walked to the front of the queue which went halfway around the carpark.

thankfully an old lady with a potty mouth told them some home truths and shamed them back into line....