Name and Shame

[slowmotion]

As an outside contractor, I was setting up a prototype gadget in the headquarters of some building services engineers. I was there for about ten days and made free use of their facilities to make cups of instant coffee. This was spotted by their earnest H&S wallah who called me over to forbid it. The usual stuff...trip hazard...blah, blah. Henceforth I had to be a bit discrete. I found that smuggling my mug of coffee, hidden at the bottom of a bucket, worked extremely well as I strolled passed his desk.

 

[snorri]

Our (crap) kettle was marketed as an eco-kettle. If you leave it on its base then it is permanently illuminated by a blue LED, switch it on and it changes to a red LED. Now i know that LEDs don't draw a lot of current but it would have been more "eco" if they did away with them.

Our lid is crap as well.

Modern life is rubbish.

I do hope you have a better day today.

 

[swee'pea99]

As an outside contractor, I was setting up a prototype gadget in the headquarters of some building services engineers. I was there for about ten days and made free use of their facilities to make cups of instant coffee. This was spotted by their earnest H&S wallah who called me over to forbid it. The usual stuff...trip hazard...blah, blah. Henceforth I had to be a bit discrete. I found that smuggling my mug of coffee, hidden at the bottom of a bucket, worked extremely well as I strolled passed his desk.

Gordon Bennet. Reminds me of the good old days. My sis used to work in the theatre, one of her jobs being to sweep up. She was to sweep up to, but not over, a line about two metres from the stage. Anything on the other side of that line had to be left where it lay: that part of the floor was the responsibility of a different union.

 

[Cheddar George]

I do hope you have a better day today.

Same shoot kettle, different day.

 

[Maz]

Speaking of going for a wazz(le)...do you ever see people brushing their teeth in the gents (or ladies, not that I've been in the ladies - I'm including them in the spirit of gender equality)?
Are you a secret teeth-cleaner or knows someone who is? Do you find it objectionable or hygienic and commendable? 'Brushing teeth in public- Good or Bad?', it's today's Jeremy Vine Radio 2 phone-in. Call us with YOUR thoughts now.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

[QUOTE 2688527, member: 259"]I do brush my teeth in the bogs at work and I confess to feeling slightly dirty when someone comes in and catches me at it. [/quote]

Same.

One of the cleaners at work goes into the cubicle and makes excessively long phone calls when she's supposed to be cleaning and I wouldn't mind so much but there's only two cubicles on our floor. I make sure I 'go' and flush extra loudly to make sure the person on the other end knows the smelly cow is phoning from the loo.

 

[swee'pea99]

On the 17th July, I sent the following to TfL - Transport for London:

I have never written about a bus's driving in the 52 years I've lived in London, but about an hour ago I saw a driver doing something as stupid, aggressive and dangerous as I can remember seeing on the roads, so I decided to report it.​

I was in Crouch End, N8, walking up Weston Park, perhaps 30 metres from Ferme Park Road, heading towards Crouch End. A cyclist went by. A few seconds later, a W5 went by in the same direction, travelling at quite a speed. Knowing that the W5 turns left into Bourne Road, barely 50 metres further up, I was surprised at the speed he was travelling, but suddenly realised the reason: he was planning to overtake the cycle before turning left. I just had time to think 'surely not', when sure enough, he took a hard left, right in front of the cyclist, who fortunately had the presence of mind to slam on the brakes and avoid what could have been a very nasty, even fatal, collision. The cyclist gesticulated; the bus simply continued on its way.

This happened at 17.42, today, the 17 July 2013, on the W5 route, on the corner of Weston Park and Bourne Road. I hope the driver responsible can be identified, and told that intimidating, bullying and endangering cyclists is no part of his job.​

I immediately got a computer-generated acknowledgement of receipt, other than which, they never responded.

A fortnight later, I sent a follow-up:

Any idea when I might expect a response to this message, beyond a computer-generated auto acknowledgment of receipt?​

I immediately got a computer-generated acknowledgement of receipt, other than which, they never responded.

A holiday and various other things intervened, and I forgot about it until 20th September, when I sent this:

I was reminded of this by a piece of dumb and selfish (though not actively dangerous) bus driving yesterday. It's now over two months since I first wrote to you, nearly two since I wrote again, and I still haven't had any kind of a response. I think this is disgraceful, particularly when I am reporting potentially life-threatening behaviour, so I am cc'ing this message to my MP; I'll be interested to find out whether you display the same indifference to the authorities as to ordinary citizens. ​

I immediately got a computer-generated acknowledgement of receipt, other than which, you'll never guess, they haven't responded.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that TfL think intimidating, bullying and endangering cyclists is fine.

I plan to escalate to Boris next. You never know, maybe that will get a response.

Hey, you'll never guess...the Wrath of Boris has done the trick:

"I have today been forwarded your E-mail below, and I apologise for the time it has taken to respond back to you.

The standard of driving that you describe is totally unacceptable to CT Plus, and will not be tolerated. The details you provided have enabled us to identify the driver involved in this incident and we will take appropriate action, which could include retraining and/or disciplinary action.

We at CT Plus are always looking to improve the standards of driving of all of our staff, and value it when issues such as this are brought to our attention so that we may take the necessary steps to eradicate them.

I can assure you that situations like the one you describe are incredibly rare, and that we constantly monitor the standard of our drivers on the road using plain clothed driving quality assessors. On the rare occasions when an incident such as this occurs it is important that feedback such as yours is received, as by necessity our assessors cannot be on every bus throughout the day.

Again, I apologise for the frustration that you must feel for the lack of response, and I do not understand why your comment has not been auctioned on in a more timely fashion. You now have my E-mail address, so in addition to using the TfL comments mechanism if you wish to bring any future incidents involving CT Plus buses or drivers to my attention I will guarantee a more prompt reaction."

How about that? And it only took two & a half months, four emails, an MP and the Mayor of London. That's what I call service!

 

[vernon]

I've had the same teaspoon since I started working in the civil service 25 years ago. I even wash it occasionally.

I suppose it gives you something to look forward to.

 

[Frood42]

[QUOTE 2690693, member: 259"]So is he chipping in for a new kettle then?[/quote]

Yes, the bus drivers could all do with a new kettle, so they can make nice hot brews to take out some of the stress of driving in London traffic.

It should help to keep them relaxed and lower the likely-hood of stress related incidents on the road, like trying to beat cyclists to bus stops and cutting them up (a rare occurence so far for me, but has happened).

 

[coffeejo]

When I worked in London I gave up travelling on the top deck of buses as the driver would always slam on the brakes / and or swerve wildly as I was going up or down the stairs.

 

[swee'pea99]

My wife recently replaced our essentially fine kettle on account of its stupid pourer-filter had got worn out, by getting a Breville with nectar points. I pointed out that we'd had two Breville kettles before, and both of them had been total crap: over-designed, under-engineered, dead within the year. Sure enough, this one has a fancy (and utterly pointless) light built into the switch ("Blue! Ooooh!") but the spring that pops the lid up is so feeble that it no longer pops the lid up. This within a month of brand new. I give it a year before it stops turning off when it boils. Then it'll doubtless be dumped and replaced with another new one, equally crap. I swear to god....

I was wrong about that Breville. It's already completely farked. The lid that wouldn't pop up will now not stay down. So it's open all the time. So the switch off mechanism no longer works. Two months it lasted. What a piece of crap. Take it from me, kids: never buy anything Breville. It's rubbish.

 

[classic33]

See http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/is-your-kettle-spying-on-you.142865/
IF you're planning on buying a new one.