Why does it always rain on me?

Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Not wanting to be over dramatic or anything.

Although when it rains it seems to pour.

Everything at the moment seems to be just hard work – it’s all come about as a result of moving home.

I had a parking ticket – slightly (7 minutes) overstayed my welcome on Mill Street due to a ridiculous queue in Natwest. I pay the £25 fine in the same week and think it’s all forgotten.
Yesterday (at my old address) I find I have 3 notices to pay said fine (now £50 more) because they didn’t receive it in time. I know I posted it the day the cheque was written leaving 6 days for it to get to Stoke) I tell them I updated my change of address etc. with both DVLA and SBC but they say they only check DVLA, the date they checked was less than a week after the details were sent so it wasn’t updated and they continued to send out to the same address even though it was 6 weeks ago. Brilliant, I will write in and appeal but not holding my breath.

So anyway I ring DVLA to check the details have been updated – to which they reply with ‘we haven’t received your updated V5C’ – posted the same day as the cheque to SBC and now I have to pay for a new one – on top of the extra £50 parking fine.

Now either someone has been pinching things from the post box or someone isn’t doing their job properly – I have had three parcels and a card go missing in the past 6 months or so, although with the exception of the card items were posted at the post office.
Do I just have really bad luck (also having a very long winded and expensive battle with BT about broadband I still don’t have yet and a phone line it took 6 weeks to connect) or does anyone else have such a hard time getting things done?
 
AA Silencers

AA Silencers

Well-Known Forumite
That all sounds like normal life Bob. Nothing actually works any more. I write for a motoring magazine and the ineptitude of the DVLA and also the illegality of many of it's operations and threats are well documented. They are an unregulated law unto themselves and unless you're prepared for a very long battle you just do have to do what everyone else does and allow themselves to be shafted.
Most public services, schools etc don't really work these days because rather than getting their job done and the customer served they're too busy chasing the targets they've been set. I could rant endlessly about how companies are more interested in targets than service, and that targets don't and can't ever reflect good service for the end user, the customer.
Sorry to hear you're having a rough time of it, but it's not just you. I call it British Gas syndrome- Sod the customer, lets make money.
 
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Sk84goal

Sk84goal

Well-Known Forumite
  • Cheer up, Bob. You know what they say:
    Some things in life are bad.
    They can really make you mad.
    Other things just make you swear and curse.
    When you're chewing on life's gristle,
    Don't grumble. Give a whistle.
    And this'll help things turn out for the best. And...
    [music]
    Always look on the bright side of life.
  • :toot:
 
That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

Well-Known Forumite
I feel your pain Bob!

I have recently come to conclusion that everything new breaks and most customer service sucks!

Hence I buy most things second hand and try and avoid using large companies all together!

Anytime I buy something new from a shop it breaks then I always have a piggin fight to get it sorted!
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Since I wrote that my boiler has packed up and my Chimney has been condemned. It could be worse, we waited to light the thing until we has it swept – I made sure I booked someone with the proper certification who came, said everything was fine and left. That evening we lit the fire for the first time at around 7pm took my three year old daughter to bed a few minutes later and her bedroom (directly above) was filled with smoke. I’m just thankful she wasn’t already in bed when we lit the thing – waiting for repairs and fitting a log burner now.

And while I type I have a plumber servicing my boiler (this it the third time we've used Parsons and they have always done a good job - and quickly).

Still no broadband though!
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I remember having great fun with the DVLA when I declared my old motorbike SORN. I sent it recorded delivery and knew it got there, they allegedly sent me a follow up letter saying I was being fined for not declaring it SORN. As I knew mine arrived, and didn't know there's was sent as I never received it, I thought all was fine (obviously). They decided I should be fined, even though the vehicle had been SORN for the last 5 years or so and was actually in pieces.

I didn't pay it, a few phone calls and I finally found someone with more than one brain cell and it was cancelled, but the first few people were adamant it was my fault.
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Bob said:
I made sure I booked someone with the proper certification who came, said everything was fine and left. That evening we lit the fire for the first time at around 7pm took my three year old daughter to bed a few minutes later and her bedroom (directly above) was filled with smoke. I’m just thankful she wasn’t already in bed when we lit the thing – waiting for repairs and fitting a log burner now.
Click to expand...

Out of interest, who did you book? May as well ask myself before Sooty comes on saying how he told you so!
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Sent you a PM Tek- we are in the process of dealing with the issue - I'll make the name public when I am sure it wont affect any case we have.
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
tek-monkey said:
I remember having great fun with the DVLA when I declared my old motorbike SORN. I sent it recorded delivery and knew it got there, they allegedly sent me a follow up letter saying I was being fined for not declaring it SORN. As I knew mine arrived, and didn't know there's was sent as I never received it, I thought all was fine (obviously). They decided I should be fined, even though the vehicle had been SORN for the last 5 years or so and was actually in pieces.

I didn't pay it, a few phone calls and I finally found someone with more than one brain cell and it was cancelled, but the first few people were adamant it was my fault.
Click to expand...



I had something similar a few years ago with Orange when I upgraded, they were sending me two bills out - the old one and the new contract.



Seemed stupid that they were telling me it was my fault - both bills were for the same damm phone number - like you I eventually found someone who had an ounce of common sense and cancelled it down for me but it got to the point they were threatening court action and still billing me for several months after the first complaint (it got to over £1000 that they said I owed – and apparently I couldn't cancel the contract while I still owed them money)



It was a little frustrating but got there in the end.
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Its because the computer says no, and they don't understand that the computer can be wrong. God knows I've made enough mistakes in the past programming, so can't understand why they think their own systems are infallable!

We had an issue with ntl many years back that was similar, they refused to cancel a phone line because it had a bill outstanding but it was only outstanding because they failed to disconnect it when requested. My solution was to cancel all payments on the other line we had, and wait for a human to contact us. When they did I informed them of the problem, they threatened court action and I said in that case I better not pay a penny on any bills and wait for the courts decision. They fixed it immediately after that, apparently it was quite straightforwards just beyond the comprehension of most of their phone operators.
 
littleme

littleme

250,000th poster!
The forum wont work properly for me anymore :( The new neighbours are horribly noisy :( I jumped in sheep poo a week ago and ruined my nice suede boots :( I spun my car on Matalan island 2 weeks ago and now Im sure it keeps trying to do it again :( Plus, cos the weather is now damp and colder my 2 cats arent going out much so are spending all their time fighting! On the plus side though, the hoover broke last week, took it back to Tesco and they replaced it even though we had had it for 10 months, and they gave us cash back as its now at a lower price than we originaly paid :)
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Got PC fixed last week (thanks to the lovely Mr WMR) now laptop has decided it doesn't want to play anymore. Brilliant!

Had a huge headache trying to connect up a new xbox to the BT (business) home hub, which took about 3 hours and 4 phone calls to BT. Eventualy get it working, connect and pay for xbox live, download Love film, 4od, Demand5 ect. (another couple of hours) then my brother in law points out the leaflet says it comes with a head set. Although we had no head set. 4 phone calls to Tesco this morning I'm told I can only get the headset if I return the xbox and get a new one. Hows that for customer service, either write off a head set and the £5 in 0845 calls made today or write off 8 hours (probably longer as I can't see switching the 'live' over to a new console being easy) of my time and the diesel cost of the trip.

And it's raining on me when I go outside!
 
AA Silencers

AA Silencers

Well-Known Forumite
I think I must be due for a lotery win to balance things out!
Click to expand...

Life sucks, technology doesn't work and 'customer service' isn't. I have a plan so cunning that it could give lectures in advanced cunning at 'Cunning University for foxes'. Instead of buying a losing lottery ticket each week why not have people submit letters of woe at a charge of £1 per application. The National Lottery could pick the ten people who've had the most miserable week then pick their names out of a hat to see how much they get. It wouldn't be hard to work out a structure
Doris from Swansea has got arthritis and her budgie has died - £100
Stuart from Clitheroe has had his arm pulled off in an industrial accident and his wife has left him £10,000
Anne from Stafford is trying to deal with a customer complaint through British Gas and has had an enforced phone upgrade from Orange which doesn't work and she's trying to make it work (without success obviously)- £1,000,000
 
United57

United57

Well-Known Forumite
Last week whilst catching a plane from las vegas, BA asked me if I would like to stop another night. They would put me up in a hotel and give me vouchers for food. They also offered me $800 for inconvenience. Reluctantly I accepted!!!!!!!!!!!!. The following night I asked did they want any volunteers to stay another night unfortunately they did not. Drat

My worry is what lies around the corner? Lifes never this good!

( the record this year is 3 lads stayed for 5 extra days thanks to BA )
 
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