The angry thread

[guest311]

decided to check with our GP surgery after this, and we are around week 9 from our first jab.

they are calling patients at 10 weeks to make appointments, so we should hear next week.

I explained SWMBO's situation re referral to Guys and possible surgery date, and explained that depending on when she got a date she might need to cancel any appointment, and so go outside her 12 week window.

'no problem, if that happens and you have a couple of day's before she needs to go, phone us and we will do our best to get her a cancellation so she gets her second dose before she goes in, and within her 12 week window'. 

so it seems that some surgeries are being as helpful as they can, maybe others not so.

I can always get mine as and when, but as she is also at risk I'd hate to have her worrying that she'd missed her second jab on top of everything else.

it is so good to have a great surgery with helpful staff.

[Lawrence]

So, several months ago I stripped the paper from the spare room (inc ceiling) which took three days. The house was built in 37 so is lathe and plaster and big lumps came out so I needed a plasterer.
First quote to patch and skim walls and ceiling £800 but can't come till July now
2nd quote £650 never got back to me with availability despite numerous texts
3rd quote £400 and pencilled in for this Tuesday, perfect, took a week off work (I've been working all the way through covid). Text this morning...... can I push you back to Thursday Lawrence? current job entails more work 
Seems I can't argue as I may never get another plasterer this century!
I appreciate the trades are busy as hell but I want to get this place on the market this year, why under estimate jobs and inconvenience others. I have taken a weeks holiday thinking I could start painting Fri/Sat, now I'm going to be doing full days and painting evening.
He better do a good job

[acook]

Having been a builder for 35 years, I was going to reply to this, but in the interests of not upsetting people, i won't.

[Lawrence]

Having been a builder for 35 years, I was going to reply to this, but in the interests of not upsetting people, i won't.

Why would you upset anyone @acook ? If you are a professional tradesman and have your diary organised I don't see how this is an issue?

[honestjudge]

I would imagine there are a lot of professional tradesman who have  stories about dodgy customers, I.e not paying, cancelling jobs and so on.

[Newportnobby]

I'm now getting mailed by the original company who quoted me for the conservatory roof asking if I still want to go ahead with the project. This from the owner who couldn't even drag his sorry carcass round to even offer a brochure but just sent a fitter to measure up - no brochure, no nothing. He was quite happy to sit at home doing everything by mail, despite me requesting a meeting for even 20 minutes, and he lives only 20 minutes away
I just took the attitude they didn't need/want the work and went with someone far more professional in every respect. I don't even mind paying slightly more for that.

[crewearpley40]

Hope it was checkatrade, trading standards , appropriate body recommended and approved.

[stevewalker]

don't worry.
IIRC initially the two doses were supposed to be 3 weeks apart, then because the govt wanted to get more people their first jab, it was increased to 12 weeks 'on the latest scientific advice'.

I'm sure it wont be long before it gets changed again. I think it's called moving the goal posts 

Apparently 3 months is actually what they would have wanted in the first place. The only reason it was 3 weeks was that they wanted to shorten the time taken for testing and approval, so they tested at 3 weeks, instead of the preferred 3 months.

the worry is what happens if you miss the 12 week window, do you need to start again.

That's exactly the problem she has now. If she had to restart, then she'd still have to wait for Pfizer to become available (they want to use that for the most vulnerable as it has a higher level of protection) and she'd still have to shield for another 3 months and 3 weeks from whenever she got it - and with me likely to return to the office in the next two weeks and three children is secondary school and spending 2 hours a day on the buses, the risks remain high.

we, unprofessional people would think that it would make sense to go ...
first dose 11th Feb, book appointment for second dose by 11th may, AND PUT IT ON THE CARD you get when you have your first dose.

but then, what would we know.

That was what happened for me, but when she got her first dose, they were still deciding upon the gap between, so her second appointment was not arranged then.

in the same way, the GP should know when treatment which stops her from having the second jab is planned, then it's no use giving her a appointment within the 14 days.

brewery, celebration, organise comes to mind.

To be fair, the treatment she had was at hospital and she was advised not to have it because of her upcoming appointment. However, a) until she had the treatment, she was in so much pain that she could hardly get out of bed, could not stand for more than a minute and could not walk further than the end of the garden and back, so it became the priority and b) no-one had advised that her existing appointment was on the last day of the last clinic and so could not be moved back by the four days needed.

hopefully you'll get it sorted in time, it all causes additional stress which is the last thing you need.

Stress is indeed one of the last things she needs - she is currently being investigated for possible heart problems - resting BP typically 170/100 and heart rate anything from 120 per minute and up! No apparent cause and the reason that her hospital treatment was put back into the 14 day window in the first place - she went to a previous appointment and ended up in the Urgent Care Centre and was finding sticky electrode pads for days!

To add to the annoyance, the organisation is actually coordinated via the CCG - whose website quotes a contact number that does not actually exist and who are based in the town hall, whose reception phone is not being answered!

[stevewalker]

So, several months ago I stripped the paper from the spare room (inc ceiling) which took three days. The house was built in 37 so is lathe and plaster and big lumps came out so I needed a plasterer.
First quote to patch and skim walls and ceiling £800 but can't come till July now
2nd quote £650 never got back to me with availability despite numerous texts
3rd quote £400 and pencilled in for this Tuesday, perfect, took a week off work (I've been working all the way through covid). Text this morning...... can I push you back to Thursday Lawrence? current job entails more work 
Seems I can't argue as I may never get another plasterer this century!
I appreciate the trades are busy as hell but I want to get this place on the market this year, why under estimate jobs and inconvenience others. I have taken a weeks holiday thinking I could start painting Fri/Sat, now I'm going to be doing full days and painting evening.
He better do a good job

I can see where it is likely that tradesmen plan for a job, but then find a problem on site and so need to spend an extra day or two on the job.

My parents' next-door neighbour is a (retired) plasterer and on one job, he accidentally locked himself out of the house he was working on - losing time gaining access and on putting right the plaster that had gone off on the ceiling before being properly finished. I know that one, because I got a call from my parents, asking me to bring their ladder back urgently, so he could get in through an upstairs window (he happened to be working on another neighbour's house at the time).

[lil chris]

A bit annoyed today, I tried to organise the second vaccine for my 83 year old father in law. He can't have his second vaccine because of supply problems with the Pfizer  vaccine, our so called friends in the EU holding them back I imagine.

[Newportnobby]

I could be wrong but I believe the Phizer vaccine is made in Belgium from all or mainly UK ingredients. My first thought when the AstraZeneca one was going to be withheld by the EU was that we should retaliate by holding the Phizer ingredients.
I'm not being political, just stating my opinion and it could be based on incorrect facts.

[dannyboy]

Some of you may find this item regarding Pfizer and the Covid vaccine interesting -

https://time.com/5955247/inside-biontech-vaccine-facility/

[Alcazar]

A super video - BioNTech started their own production in Marburg a just couple of weeks ago. They have had massive support from the German government and debt funding from the EU. Pfizer produces in the USA and Belgium.

Peter

[railsquid]

Earlier today I heard some sort of loudspeaker truck going around saying something about face masks. I initially assumed it was something from the local authority (we're in a "state of emergency" at the moment) who are not unknown to go around broadcasting public service messages, but listening more closely it was actually urging people, particularly children, to remove their facemasks for a bunch of specious reasons, and moreover it was going around the local primary school (as attended by the Squidlet) in the middle of the school day. Anyway I leapt onto the Squid-o-cycle and tracked it down (turned out to be from some dubious organisation I'd never heard of) took some photos and video, and took the opportunity to share some choice words with the driver (which didn't take long as he hastily drove off).

Police said they couldn't do anything, which is what I expected, but I reported it on principle, as if no-one does anything, nothing will ever happen.

[Bealman]

Ooh, that's not good.

I thought you'd been a bit quiet lately, and I know there's a Tokyo alert at the moment.

If it's any consolation, we've just gone back to masks here.