The most frustrating thing you have encountered lately

[Terrytpot]

..the customer service guys on the 'phone couldn't resolve the issue...

In all my "gadget" dealings similar to this I've always found it pretty frustrating not immediately getting the response I was fairly sure I was going to get but persistence is nearly always the solution. Try,try and try again either elsewhere or even at the same place, quite often all you need is just a different person to speak to. The important part to remember though is to not lose your cool and take a stance that is detrimental to yourself. By all means,give the impression that you're very upset and about to do something rash but dont follow up on it. Hang up/walk away, then start over again. Bear in mind that telling someone they've "pee'd on your chips" and you don't want to play with them anymore is akin to taking poison yourself and then waiting for the individual who's upset you to keel over...it don't work that way

 

[Lons]

In all my "gadget" dealings similar to this I've always found it pretty frustrating not immediately getting the response I was fairly sure I was going to get but persistence is nearly always the solution. Try,try and try again either elsewhere or even at the same place, quite often all you need is just a different person to speak to. The important part to remember though is to not lose your cool and take a stance that is detrimental to yourself. By all means,give the impression that you're very upset and about to do something rash but dont follow up on it. Hang up/walk away, then start over again. Bear in mind that telling someone they've "pee'd on your chips" and you don't want to play with them anymore is akin to taking poison yourself and then waiting for the individual who's upset you to keel over...it don't work that way

In my case Terry I was very careful how I handled it, after the shop visit I emailed the MD direct with a very politely worded letter praising the staff attitude in general but wondered if company policy tied their hands or had it been an error, reputable company, loyal customer etc etc. I got a phone call within 2 days from Ireland customer services promising to investigate and sure he could sort something out for me, another call 2 days later saying sorry nothing can be done so another letter to the MD followed by another phone call and again nothing at all offered no repair, part ex or discount so a final letter to the MD again all polite but saying it was highly unlikely I would buy again and I was disappointed with an apparent lack of support to a long standing customer, got an email from customer services thanking me for feedback. I didn't really burn any bridges as I've been around long enough to know how it works and that under normal circumstances it's best to go straight to the top as long as it's in the right manner.

I am going to pursue it again now in light of the "merchantable quality" advice.

 

[moosepig]

Got £699 to spare? Apple fan? Why not buy...

...some wheels. Wheels! Seriously, £699 for 4 wheels!!!

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MX572ZM/A/apple-mac-pro-wheels-kit

 

[Spectric]

Hi all

Heres one, the automated phone answering system where you get a message and a choice of which button you need to pick. The worst ones have many levels and get it wrong or you are out of hours and you get droped, need to start over again. And don't forget the noise that they play whilst you wait, it is often better on the sales side than on you wanting something where the aim is to drive you away. What is wrong with a nice freindly person who can help?

 

[Lons]

What is wrong with a nice freindly person who can help?

They cost money!

 

[Jelly]

Estate agents....

I searched are all estate agents ....was looking for on Rightmove but the suggestion was liars!

We had an offer accepted on a house and two weeks later the seller pulled out probably got a better offer... Thankfully the searches hadn't been ordered ..!

Solicitor hadn't drafted a memorandum of sale so we had no comeback.

Frustrating....

Cheers James

I spoke to my solicitor about preventing exactly this kind of thing when buying my house, as there had been a lot of interest...

Apparently unless the seller accepts some form of "consideration" (such as a deposit, or you providing some other valuable service to them) then it's effectively impossible to enforce a sale agreement as being contractually binding, even if purely for the purpose of claiming liquidated damages for losses on things like searches or surveys.

His exact words were "if you still want one, I'll happily take your money and draft it, as long as you understand you're wasting the money."; I really like that firm of solicitors, both times they've acted for me they really cut through to the heart of the issues.

 

[TomTheToolMan]

Combined with isopropyl alcohol. Your lenses will be crystal clear

Using isopropyl alcohol is not advised by the s manufacturers. It removes coatings and can also cause lenses to craze or cracks propagate around drill holes. Little bit soap and water is best

 

[Sheptonphil]

Using isopropyl alcohol is not advised by the s manufacturers. It removes coatings and can also cause lenses to craze or cracks propagate around drill holes. Little bit soap and water is best

Constituent component of Boots spectacle cleansing wipes, ‘isopropyl alcohol 1%’

 

[Cabinetman]

I spoke to my solicitor about preventing exactly this kind of thing when buying my house, as there had been a lot of interest...

Apparently unless the seller accepts some form of "consideration" (such as a deposit, or you providing some other valuable service to them) then it's effectively impossible to enforce a sale agreement as being contractually binding, even if purely for the purpose of claiming liquidated damages for losses on things like searches or surveys.

His exact words were "if you still want one, I'll happily take your money and draft it, as long as you understand you're wasting the money."; I really like that firm of solicitors, both times they've acted for me they really cut through to the heart of the issues.

Worse than them are online conveyancers/solicitors my solicitor sounds like yours he exists and is helpful and saves you time and money. The last house I sold, he was tearing his hair out as there were five in the chain and one was using an online firm, totally uncontactable totally useless and the removal vans were lined up three times on three separate days. I’m glad I wasn’t one of them, I wasn’t moving, I suppose they all had to pay for those non-existent moves?

 

[Jelly]

Worse than them are online conveyancers/solicitors my solicitor sounds like yours he exists and is helpful and saves you time and money. The last house I sold, he was tearing his hair out as there were five in the chain and one was using an online firm, totally uncontactable totally useless and the removal vans were lined up three times on three separate days. I’m glad I wasn’t one of them, I wasn’t moving, I suppose they all had to pay for those non-existent moves?

I've been involved in a number of projects dealing with business acquisitions and commercial property purchases and was shocked at how unnecessarily difficult the whole house sale process was by comparison to something far more complex.

My move was made difficult by the seller not knowing/disclosing basic facts about the house (like the fact it was leasehold!) which resulted in me having to amend my mortgage agreement twice with attendant delays, then made intolerable by an estate agent promising the buyer unrealistic completion dates etc without speaking to me, then trying to bully me into agreeing (even insisting at one point that I take out a loan to make it possible to meet a particular deadline for the buyer, something which would actually have jeapordised the mortgage agreement and sale).

In the end I wrote to the buyers to tell them if the estate agent contacted me again, the sale was off; and they should give me a do-or-die completion date through their solicitors... If I could do it on or before then I would, and if I couldn't then it was game over.

 

[MikeJhn]

House buying in the UK is very different to most other countries in the civilised world, once an offer has been made a cooling off period starts and it's very difficult to back out after that period, a deposit is paid witch is used to ensure a financial penalty if you back out, also once an offer has been accepted gazumping is illegal in most of these civilised countries, but estate agent fees are astronomical in comparison, 10% is not unusual.

 

[Jelly]

House buying in the UK is very different to most other countries in the civilised world, once an offer has been made a cooling off period starts and it's very difficult to back out after that period, a deposit is paid witch is used to ensure a financial penalty if you back out, also once an offer has been accepted gazumping is illegal in most of these civilised countries, but estate agent fees are astronomical in comparison, 10% is not unusual.

It's not even the whole UK which clings on to the confused mess we have...

In Scotland the concept of all the surveys being done upfront by the seller (with the seller carrying the financial risk of mis-selling) and the process of "the missives" which results in agreeing heads of terms and an abbreviated form of the final contract becoming binding at the offer stage, all makes it quicker simpler and less opaque.

 

[Jameshow]

I'm all for the Scottish method!

There must be a market for an estate agent modelled on the Scottish model giving both buyers and sellers security.

The modern auction method is the closest to it.

Cheers James

 

[HamsterJam]

The fact that you need very few qualifications to be an Estate Agent likely explains the ineptitude of some.

However my recent frustration is......builders/landscapers.
In 2019, I cleared an area for a 3x4m log cabin and wanted someone to cast the concrete base for it.
After several wasted months due to a couple of builders/landscapers agreeing to do the work and then not showing up, we hit lockdown. The work was finally started last autumn but it still isn’t finished.
Appreciate lockdown is a huge problem for everyone but the lack of communication and broken promises is very frustrating.

 

[Keith 66]

On the plus side though the solicitors have been poor the estate agent i used (Armistead Barnett) have been absolutely first class, highly professional & efficient. Nothing was too much trouble & they have gone above & beyond what anyone could expect in these times.

 

[selectortone]

Folding a king-size fitted sheet.

 

[Amateur]

Ordered strips and clips for bookshelf overnight.
Clips arrived No strips.
When they arrived three days later this was the packaging.
That was supposed to be a heavy tube.

 

[Spectric]

What about products that have the word "London" on them, everything from sanitary ware, bathroom/kitchen products to ordamental items?

My bathroom taps have the word "London" on them, so does my shower but none of them came from or were manufactured in London, why do the product manufacturers assume that people who do not live in London want the word "London" on their products, I would much prefer nothing just the brand.

So are they hanging onto a past where they believe London means quality, or upmarket! To me London means overcrowded, overpolluted, over rated and over priced so it is not a selling point just they gave me no option.

 

[MikeK]

Folding a king-size fitted sheet.

This is the method I use for our king-size fitted sheets. This is not my video, but it would have been nice if I had seen something like it decades ago.

There is another method where the second corner merge is not done that works well on smaller sized sheets.

 

[Amateur]

This is the method I use for our king-size fitted sheets. This is not my video, but it would have been nice if I had seen something like it decades ago.

There is another method where the second corner merge is not done that works well on smaller sized sheets.

it's "Posh" if you have two or more sets.
Own only one set.
Take them off. Wash them and put them back on the bed.
No need to fold them.....
More room in the cupboards too...lol