The angry thread

loco4401 · July 12, 2013, 06:38:13 AM

Could always do a river cottage trick pack it all in and grow your own with a shed for your layout and may work out cheaper than renting in the city

Sprintex · July 12, 2013, 07:16:11 AM

Me? Do gardening?? I think I'd rather starve!

Not near enough to London for their prices to affect me

Paul

Kipper · July 12, 2013, 08:34:36 PM

Ordered some real wood furniture, from a proper shop, to be delivered from their HQ. Delivery date was only 10 days so well pleased - until it arrived. One shelf in the display cabinet was cracked on the grain (real wood!), but the main problem was the coffee table had been dropped and "karate chopped" on one side and dented. Contacted company who had to send man to look at it, which took 2 weeks. When he came he said it was beyond repair, and I should reject the table (he could get a new shelf). Today, after two phone calls, I will get the shelf next Wednesday, and the new table (and old one collected) some time soon. I could have gone to a local cheapo shop, got MDF and delivered next day at a fraction of the price!

Agrippa · July 12, 2013, 09:58:05 PM

A sorry tale, in this country all too familiar. Time for consumer power!
Paid by credit card? How about a small debts claim for general hassle
and crap service. Spread the news about these chancers!

EtchedPixels · July 12, 2013, 11:31:57 PM

Quote from: Kipper on July 12, 2013, 08:34:36 PM
Wednesday, and the new table (and old one collected) some time soon. I could have gone to a local cheapo shop, got MDF and delivered next day at a fraction of the price!

Had similar problems just before Christmas with a bunch called Variete.. stuff turned up trashed because it was not even properly packed. Then had a long dispute with them about returning it when they kept messing me about.

The day I explained I was going to file the small claims tomorrow morning they mysteriously managed to pick it up that evening (in fact they were so keen that having picked it up they sent someone to pick it up again the next day).

In my case it randomly turned out to be for the best, after telling them to come take it back (as given their packing I didn't expect any replacements to arrive in one piece either) I happened to wander down a local road past an antiques shop having a closing down sale and after a bit of haggling ended up with an older beautifully made piece for about the same price !

Alan

Michael Shillabeer · July 13, 2013, 04:58:09 PM

At the beginning of June I had all the bushes on my car replaced...

Today it failed its MOT because a bolt holding the rear anti-roll bar to the car is missing

Grrr, garages...

Michael

deltic 187a · July 14, 2013, 01:51:13 AM

That's pretty scary - and incompetent too !!!

I went to a well known tyre/exhaust chain once for an oil and filter change - never again, they managed to destroy the thread on the engine block where the filter screws on. The laughable thing was that the so called mechanic ( and I use the term very loosely ) claimed it was like that when he started -

. What really puzzled me was how a pimply 16 year old could be qualified to do this sort of work ?

EddieA · July 14, 2013, 05:27:46 PM

Quote from: deltic 187a on July 14, 2013, 01:51:13 AM
That's pretty scary - and incompetent too !!!

I went to a well known tyre/exhaust chain once for an oil and filter change - never again, they managed to destroy the thread on the engine block where the filter screws on. The laughable thing was that the so called mechanic ( and I use the term very loosely ) claimed it was like that when he started - . What really puzzled me was how a pimply 16 year old could be qualified to do this sort of work ?

I liked (not in the current Farcebook sense!) a joke on a recent episode of I'm sorry I haven't a Clue. Maybe not word for word but along the lines of: -
'The Management of this drive through Wildlife park do not accept any responsibility if your car is damaged by a bunch of monkeys.

Jack Dee 'The same warning is posted in my local Q........t!'

Joking apart many years ago my then partner had a foreign car which needed a new exhaust. She went to 'Fast Stitchup' and the expert(!) said, 'we can't get that part but we can get something more or less the same which we can easily bend to fit!' (Maybe how they got their name?)

IanUK · July 14, 2013, 06:14:40 PM

Talking about "Fast Stitchup" Friend of mine took his 2 year old Renault for a service, they managed to strip the sump plug and then jammed it back in enough for him to get 100 yards down the road before the oil poured out.

Having walked back to them, the answer was "It was like that when it came in" They soon shut up when he told them that his model only needed servicing every two years, and that was it first service.

I went there last week (should have known better) after my wife's car went in for its first MOT. The MOT bloke noticed a bit of metal stuck in the tread, and advised I get it checked out, but was not a failure or even an advisory.

Spotty kid took one look and said it needed a new tyre as it was dangerous and would be impossible to repair once he had taken the metal out. He then went around the car checking the depths, and then told me the two front ones where close to the limits and would fail an MOT. He quoted £175 per tyre.

Showed spotty kid the MOT, and asked borrow his pliers. Pulled the metal out, not a hiss...nothing. I informed spotty kid not to treat people as stupid as he was, I think he is still blushing now.

Michael Shillabeer · July 14, 2013, 07:22:10 PM

I had a free brake test at "Fast Stitchup" a few years ago. All was ok. They didn't do MOTs so took it to another branch, who promptly failed it on its brakes...

Went back to first branch and asked for another brake test. They asked why, so I explained. They booked me into another garage at trade price. Car passed MOT there!

I've yet to find a reliable garage!

Michael

Michael Shillabeer · July 15, 2013, 08:11:31 AM

I've been thinking about cars I've owned and the maintenance experience...

1974 Vauxhall Viva - did my own maintenance. No issues

1984 Opel Manta - did my own maintenance including de-coke, carb rebuild and cam belt change. No issues

1990 Citroen XM - independent Citroen specialist repaced timing belt. 100 miles later timing belt tensioner broke, belt came off, all valves bent

1995 Seat Toldeo - 50 miles after a local garage did a full service the fan belt snapped

2003 Peugeot 307sw - bought new

car had no power on motorway after a main dealer service - an engine hose had been left disconnected

2003 Renault Espace - see my last post re. MOT

2003 Ford Mondeo - small independent did full service. A couple of days later loads of black smoke from exhaust - RAC found too much oil in engine

2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser - see my post re. MOT failure due to suspension...

So I conclude that DIY is far better than getting 'professionals' to do the work...!

Michael

deltic 187a · July 15, 2013, 01:38:59 PM

The man definitely has a point there.

Being an ex marine engineer, I find the modern world a bit perplexing. The art of diagnostics has gone right out of the window and now it is a case of replace bits until it works again - absolute carp.

Then you find bits missed off as you point out - if the computer doesn't say do it, then it literally doesn't get done, shameful really and makes me very sad that old proper skills are fast disappearing.

Rant over......

EtchedPixels · July 15, 2013, 09:55:28 PM

Quote from: deltic 187a on July 15, 2013, 01:38:59 PM
The man definitely has a point there.

Being an ex marine engineer, I find the modern world a bit perplexing. The art of diagnostics has gone right out of the window and now it is a case of replace bits until it works again - absolute carp.

I don't think that is the case entirely. A lot of the electronica because of the way they are built are simply way cheaper to replace than repair. It's why TV service engineers died out. The motor industry is also under pressure to repair cars cheaply so spent a lot of time making sure that an idiot could understand the computer and they could pay staff peanuts. As a result they got idiots. Then they had this "bright" idea of locking down the diagnostics and tools so they could fleece the service idiots as well as the customers and in doing so killed off most of the rest of the trade.

A good engineer can however still peer at the diagnostics, give the computer a hard stare and then check a few other things and fix the real problem not the one it claims. Also unlike the idiots they can start from the ludicrous and reach a diagnostic. Take a friends experience - Walk into a typical brand repair outfit or offcial service centre and tell them "if I don't put the seat back a bit the fault light comes on"

(translation as soon as it was seen by a non-MacService person with some brains and experience 'oh frayed cable under the seat')

Alan

Oldman · July 15, 2013, 10:12:59 PM

The worst problem with the modern car computer systems I have found is the different stds. A classic case being Subaru who have their own system which does not even read all their models.UK and US cars are fairly easy to get patches for but Japanese Imports even main dealers can't always read.
For the last 4 years I have been trying to get the pin out for my ECU just so I can check something out regarding the throttle control of the ECVT gearbox. (Totally sealed box with potted wires on the gearbox sensor)

deltic 187a · July 16, 2013, 12:57:27 AM

Very angry with myself tonight - been bidding on a Zephyr controller on ebay, auction ended tonight and I forgot all about it - missed out by a fiver.............

Note to self - just go out and buy one............!!!!!