The angry thread

[red_death]

From a retailer's perspective it is equally mind boggling why refunds take so long. I suspect reversing a transaction is more complicated than taking payment as it seems as though payment systems are largely setup for payments rather than refunds but it isn't clear from our card processor exactly why it takes so much longer.

[thebrighton]

I've just had my tyres done by Tyresonthedrive.com which it turns out is run by Halfords, and the whole process was completely painless.

They came to me and changed the tyres in about 1/2 hour.

I can't actually believe I'm recommending a service from Halfords but they did a great job and the Engineer was very polite.

A couple of years back I booked my car in with Halfords for an AC re-gassing. They couldn't do it as the condenser needed replacing which would cost just shy of £400 which they could do the next day. Bit steep I thought so paid a visit to a local independent who couldn't find anything wrong with the condenser so just re-gassed the system. Here we are 2 years later with the AC just as ice cold as the day it was re-gassed. Halfords attempt to stitch me up by going big meant they actually got squat diddly!

[stevewalker]

On being asked why she hadn't informed Mother earlier, the GP stated they don't inform people if all is OK, only of there is something amiss.

This CANNOT be standard practice surely? If it is, it is clearly WRONG! 

Alec.

Oh yes, it is standard practice alright and I think that not only is it highly stressful for patients (and leads to lots of time spent dealing with the consequent phonecalls), but it is also appallingly dangerous.

As a Controls Engineer, I always look at fail-safe, so it's no good shutting down when a pressure is shown as too high (a damaged cable or faulty instrument may prevent the signal being seen), instead you shut down when you cannot see that the pressure is low enough (a cut cable or failed instrument will make the low pressure signal disappear and stop the system).

All it takes is for a letter to go astray, a secretary to forget to send one, etc. and someone needing urgent treatment will not be informed - particularly if the missing letter is to the GP, so no follow-ups are prompted.

[thebrighton]

From a retailer's perspective it is equally mind boggling why refunds take so long. I suspect reversing a transaction is more complicated than taking payment as it seems as though payment systems are largely setup for payments rather than refunds but it isn't clear from our card processor exactly why it takes so much longer.

I honestly can't see why it would be any more complicated than taking a payment, I can make a payment in seconds sitting here.

I reckon it takes longer as it helps retailers cashflow. They've already had my money for 3 days so will have it for 8 days in total so that's 8 days for a service they failed to provide.

If you consider how many retailers there are and how many refunds have to be made taking days longer than actually taking the payments that's an awful lot of money someone has their hands on which they shouldn't!

[stevewalker]

remember the 11+?

Remember it? We still have it! Of course, they have managed to totally mess it up!

When I was at school, you took the 11-plus, at school, in your normal classroom, on a school day, with no warning which day it would be and the real one could be any one of three.

Some of the grammar schools decided that it was not rigorous enough and some wanted different areas of learning covered. Instead of asking the council to make changes or getting together and agreeing their own, shared exam (even if some schools might ignore some of the answers in areas that they were not interested in), they all implemented their own exams. So candidates suddenly had to take up to 6 different exams, at 6 different schools, on Saturdays, stressing about the upcoming dates. Even worse, there were 7 grammar schools, but two of the exams clashed and so candidates could not take both!

In recent years, there has been a slight improvement, in that some schools did co-operate and it is now down to 3 different exams, but all still on Saturdays and at different locations.

[port perran]

I remember my 11plus day at primary school. As far as I recall it was totally unannounced and I'm pretty sure that none of us was aware of the importance of the whole thing.
The interview with the headmaster of the grammar school a few days later was much more daunting. None of us had ever seen a schoolmaster in gown and mortar board before.
I well recall sitting outside of his office terrified of what he might ask me.
We had to get to the grammar school (on the other side of town) on our own (walk or cycle) and find the office without prior information.
I'm sure today's 11 year olds would be much more mollycoddled.

[stevewalker]

I'm sure today's 11 year olds would be much more mollycoddled.

At 10 (final year of Primary school), we went on a school trip from Manchester to London, by train. At one point the group was in the Soho area and we were simply told, "You can go shopping, meet up back here in an hour." I can't see that happening to 10 year olds today!

[daffy]

I remember my 11plus day at primary school. As far as I recall it was totally unannounced and I'm pretty sure that none of us was aware of the importance of the whole thing.
The interview with the headmaster of the grammar school a few days later was much more daunting. None of us had ever seen a schoolmaster in gown and mortar board before.
I well recall sitting outside of his office terrified of what he might ask me.
We had to get to the grammar school (on the other side of town) on our own (walk or cycle) and find the office without prior information.
I'm sure today's 11 year olds would be much more mollycoddled.

Only difference to your story for it to match my own, Martin, is that I knew what day my 11-Plus would be.
Spooky.

I scraped through into the much vaunted local Grammar School by the skin of my teeth - and hated the place!

[Trainfish]

I've just had my tyres done by Tyresonthedrive.com which it turns out is run by Halfords, and the whole process was completely painless.

They came to me and changed the tyres in about 1/2 hour.

I can't actually believe I'm recommending a service from Halfords but they did a great job and the Engineer was very polite.

Regards

Neal.

I can't believe you got someone else to change your tyres. Last time I saw you, you had a couple of spare tyres of your own 

[emjaybee]

I've just had my tyres done by Tyresonthedrive.com which it turns out is run by Halfords, and the whole process was completely painless.

They came to me and changed the tyres in about 1/2 hour.

I can't actually believe I'm recommending a service from Halfords but they did a great job and the Engineer was very polite.

Regards

Neal.

I can't believe you got someone else to change your tyres. Last time I saw you, you had a couple of spare tyres of your own 

Somewhere I can hear a pot!

[TrevL]

I have two pensions, Old Age, from the government, and RAF, also for the government, these are my only incomes.
So how come HMRC, a government agency,  can manage to get my tax code wrong and I end up owing them £400plus???
This of course has to be paid back, so they are now going to adjust my tax code so they can get it back over next 12 months, leaving me an extra £35 a month out of pocket.  Why didn't they just get it right in the first place?? (insert expletive of your own choice)

[javlinfaw7]

I am in a similar situation,  old age pension and a civil service one but I was over charged last year by over £500 and just had it returned. So I have been over payi more than £45 a month all the last tax year

[guest311]

and don't even start me on state pension.
each year the govt chooses a month to base the increase on for the next year, and guess what, it's always the month with the lowest rate.
this year it was quite high which should by their rules mean at long last a decent increase ..

oops, there go the motorised goalposts

'we're changing the rules' yet again.

also, anyone noted the winter fuel allowance has never gone up, even though energy prices do, and the so called 'christmas bonus' of £10 has been the same since it was started in the late 1970s.

any guesses as to whether MPs expenses etc are still at 1970's levels 

[thebrighton]

Following this mornings fuel scaremongering on breakfast TV there actually is a shortage now rather than a made up one as all the idiots around here cleaned out all the fuel by mid afternoon following a morning of logjam on the roads.
I trust the BBC etc are happy as tomorrow they will be able to report how the non existent issue is now a reality.
I believe this is the definition of a self fulfilling prophecy!

[guest311]

I have two pensions, Old Age, from the government, and RAF, also for the government, these are my only incomes.
So how come HMRC, a government agency,  can manage to get my tax code wrong and I end up owing them £400plus???
This of course has to be paid back, so they are now going to adjust my tax code so they can get it back over next 12 months, leaving me an extra £35 a month out of pocket.  Why didn't they just get it right in the first place?? (insert expletive of your own choice)

I would challenge it on the grounds that it is their fault.
when SWMBO retired, it worked out that with her state and Tesco pensions, her only income, she did not use all her allowance.
cue call to HMRC, who advised she could transfer 10% of her allowance to me [note not the whole of her unused allowance- we are dealing with the government after all- grasping  ] but that as she retired part way through the tax year, she had used all her allowance for that year.

I was told to call back at the start of the new tax year, and the 10% could be transferred to me.

sorted 

at the end of the tax year SWMBO received a tax demand for unpaid tax 
as well as demanding an interim payment immeadiately.
which she paid.

straight on the phone to HMRC to demand what was going on.
"she transferred 10% of her allowance to you last year"
"NO SHE DIDN'T. you said she'd used all her allowance and I was to call back in the new tax year when she could transfer it"

"mmmmm are you sure?"

"YES, as you say you record all conversations, listen to the tape and get a senior manager to call me back, within 24 hours or I call my MP"

very surprised to get a call the next day, supposedly from a 'senior manager' [you can't of course prove it or not] who admitted that the original call handler had wrongly applied the transfer from my wife's allowance, and it was their fault.

the outcome was
cancellation of the tax 'debt'
refund of her interim payment in full
and a £50 payment as an apology.

who says you cannot occasionally win !
go for it, all it costs is time, phone calls and listening to their  hold music.