Nothing infuriates me more...

[Globalti]

...than being told "You can't do that!"

Just nipped out to get some rubber heels to re-heel my shoes. Ended up trogging from place to place (wearing the heels out even more) asking and being directed each time to another shop. Ended up in a local market hall where a very rude man refused to sell me a pair and offered to re-heel my shoes for £7 then sneered when I said I'd like to try doing them myself. That infuriated me so much that I shot off to the local town where a stall in that market offered to do them for £9. Then Timpson's who sell soles but not heels (why?) and charge £14. I smell a cartel here, even Wilkinson's, roughly the same shop as Woolies should have been, stopped selling them some months ago. Why should I pay someone to do such a simple repair? Back to the office where I found two websites selling all my shoe repair requirements.

It was the same with the battery on my iPod - I refused to pay someone else £33.00 to do it and I got the damned awkward thing open and soldered in a new battery for £7.00.

It's the same with all kinds of other simple repairs and jobs around the house - I hate it when somebody sucks their teeth and says "Difficult job that - best call a professional". I got this reaction from plumbers when I fitted my solar panel; they rolled their eyes and muttered about Legionella. No wonder really, when they charge £5000 for something that cost me £500.

 

[Fnaar]

will you be my house slave and do all my odd jobs, please

 

[Globalti]

Is there a bored housewife wearing a frilly negligeé in your house?

 

[yello]

You've just reminded me of the amusing conversation I had with one of my LBSs. I went in to get some replacement heel bits for my cycle shoes, Carnacs. They didn't have any but could order them. I said great. So they said they'd order them when they next had some stuff to order. A bit baffled I understandably ask 'When will that be?' Don't know, they reply. So, as it stands, I think they'll order them when they next order some stuff....

...but this is France, where cafes close for lunch and hotels close for the holiday period. As our American cousins would say 'go figure'.

 

[Fnaar]

Is there a bored housewife wearing a frilly negligeé in your house?

Erm... I'll have a look when I get home.

 

[Melonfish]

See this is the same as when i got plaster for my kitchen, when asked what it was for i stated i was doing my kitchen walls.
i was told that i really needed my walls doing by a professional because plastering was difficult.
sod that says i, so i skimmed my walls myself.
in fact i've since done some friends walls too, turns out i'm a bit of a natural, but tbh it was all pretty academic, you gets it wet enough to stick but not to run and you apply in even layers. wasn't rocket science, polished it too.

same when putting flooring down, or doing some plumbing. what is it nowdays with people thinking that if you haven't been to college to do a course you're not capable of cutting, screwing and soldering a bit of bloody copper pipe?

 

[stephec]

Is there a bored housewife wearing a frilly negligeé in your house?

Are we talking about one of the 1970's style housewives who used to pounce on Granville in Open All Hours?

If there is then you're behind me in the queue!

 

[Globalti]

If you do plumbing you'll soon realise that for the simple stuff you don't need a big brain; you just need common sense. Of course I would never attempt to replace a boiler or anything complex but stuff like copper pipes, wastes, traps, valves etc. are designed to be easy to use.

 

[Night Train]

I installed my own central heating system, and all the wiring in my house, and underpinned the foundations.
Can't do plastering though, some people are just good at that and other's can't get the knack of it.

I'm another who will give almost anything a go. If an expert can do it there is no reason why I can't give it a try.

 

[ASC1951]

i was told that i really needed my walls doing by a professional because plastering was difficult.
sod that says i, so i skimmed my walls myself.
in fact i've since done some friends walls too, turns out i'm a bit of a natural....

You must be. I can do plastering so that it functions, but it doesn't look good. IME it's one of those trades that is genuinely as much art as science.

 

[User482]

My plastering skills are such that only the thickest lining paper will hide it...

 

[ColinJ]

My plastering skills are such that only the thickest lining paper will hide it...

Whoever did the plastering in my house wasn't that good!

 

[danphoto]

It doesn't infuriate me any more, but I've always had a problem with shops saying they don't stock something because there's no demand for it when I've just asked for it ...

 

[4F]

My plastering skills are such that only the thickest lining paper will hide it...

Umm sounds like mine, we arranged the room so the Piano stood infront of my efforts

 

[Tim Bennet.]

...but this is France, where cafes close for lunch and hotels close for the holiday period

And a shop calling itself 8à8 has a sign telling you their opening hours are 9à6.

With the rider that during August it will open mornings only as it's the holidays.
Despite being the only grocers in a small village bursting with tourists both camping and staying self catering in gites.