Trivial things that make you annoyed beyond expectations?

[mistyoptic]

Pretentious hotel/ restaurants that refuse to provide tap water but insist on selling bottled water. I’m already paying you €30 for a bottle of wine, I’m not paying for (insert preferred expletive here) water as well! 🤬

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

In a perfect world, yes, but I know that's not possible. I would be nice if they did check major roads though, and any area where they're working on or near.
There was talk a while ago of bin lorries being fitted with cameras to detect potholes / road defects, but I suspect that never happened.
In a worst case scenario what if someone dies after crashing due to a road defect, the council are liable surely? Especially in the case of vulnerable road users like us (cyclists)? Even taking action after major defects were reported would be a start, and I don't mean spraying a white circle around the hole.
The railways have an inspection regime, although I appreciate that any accidents on there would be of greater magnitude than on the roads, as would the repercussions for those ultimately in charge.

I THINK - i.e. not sure - that if the counsel have been notified previously about the pothole (or whatever)
and have not done anything about it

then they are liable for damages etc

there might be a "notified x times" or something

but what I have read said that if no-one could be shown to have notified them - and they have to admit it if they have been notified - then they are not liable as they didn;t know

but there are also bits about them becoming liable after a certain about of time (months - not days) in spite of no notification

 

[Poacher]

Pretentious hotel/ restaurants that refuse to provide tap water but insist on selling bottled water. I’m already paying you €30 for a bottle of wine, I’m not paying for (insert preferred expletive here) water as well! 🤬

I presume from the Euro price that you're not referring to UK. In England and Wales, The Licensing Act 2003 requires licensed establishments to provide free tap water on request. They may add a service charge to cover the use of a glass, I suspect, but that would be rare and a sign that they don't want the custom of your sort!

 

[Webbo2]

Pretentious hotel/ restaurants that refuse to provide tap water but insist on selling bottled water. I’m already paying you €30 for a bottle of wine, I’m not paying for (insert preferred expletive here) water as well! 🤬

As Poacher says above you must be outside the UK because the chance of a pretentious hotel or restaurant only charging €30 a bottle would be a similar chance to finding rocking horse pooh.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Pretentious hotel/ restaurants that refuse to provide tap water but insist on selling bottled water. I’m already paying you €30 for a bottle of wine, I’m not paying for (insert preferred expletive here) water as well! 🤬

Agreed. This is one area where the rest of Europe lags behind us.

Any establishment in the UK licensed to sell alcohol must provide free tap water to a customer on request.

 

[Poacher]

Agreed. This is one area where the rest of Europe lags behind us.

Any establishment in the UK licensed to sell alcohol must provide free tap water to a customer on request.

Hang about, weren't we in the EU in 2003? So apparently we could make our own laws!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Pretentious hotel/ restaurants that refuse to provide tap water but insist on selling bottled water. I’m already paying you €30 for a bottle of wine, I’m not paying for (insert preferred expletive here) water as well! 🤬

I remember two years ago a group of five of us had lunch at a restaurant in Verona (Nastro Azzurro if you want to avoid it) where we spent over €200.

When we asked for the bill, my friend asked if she could have some tap water for her water bottle. The waiter, quite gruffly, claimed "it was impossible because the restaurant didn't have a potable water supply".

He was surprised to find we did not include a tip.

 

[Webbo2]

I remember two years ago a group of five of us had lunch at a restaurant in Verona (Nastro Azzurro if you want to avoid it) where we spent over €200.

When we asked for the bill, my friend asked if she could have some tap water for her water bottle. The waiter, quite gruffly, claimed "it was impossible because the restaurant didn't have a potable water supply".

He was surprised to find we did not include a tip.

So they were washing the dishes etc in dirty water.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

So they were washing the dishes etc in dirty water.

Exactly. It was a ridiculous excuse that, if true, would have prevented them from operating as a restaurant, so clearly just a lie.

 

[katiewlx]

Hang about, weren't we in the EU in 2003? So apparently we could make our own laws!

the tap water thing came out of the 90s rave culture though so might have been unique to the UK or allowed under some obscure EU remit to do it to prevent deaths, IDK.

but club venues used to turn water off, even in the toilets and then charge £3-£4 for small bottles of water, people who took E wanted water as the effect of MDMA is you overheat, even ignoring the effects of dancing in a nightclub, and want alot of water, but they wouldnt or couldnt afford to pay for it, and there were some high profile deaths in the media that were linked either to dehydration, because they couldnt find free water, or overhydration, as when clubbers who had taken E, found free water they tended to binge on it, which led to basically the brain swelling through absorbing excess liquid, which is not a good outcome basically.

so free tap water in all licensed venues became the law in the UK to try and curb that from continuing.

 

[katiewlx]

So they were washing the dishes etc in dirty water.

well no, you can wash dishes with non potable water, it involves soap and potentially some level of heating the water right up to boiling temps, and then you leave it to air dry, because remember most countries look at us with our tea cloths, and dish cloths that we reuse constantly without washing after just a single use as completely insane.

and I do think thats a difference between the UK and arguably alot of the rest of the world, not just Europe, where UK tap water is just made to be perfectly drinkable, whilst in other countries drinking water comes in bottles,or only special taps, water out the average tap is only good enough for cleaning stuff, you want to drink it you boil it. which is also why its also like 20 times cheaper than in the UK to buy bottled water.

 

[matticus]

...
and I do think thats a difference between the UK and arguably alot of the rest of the world, not just Europe, where UK tap water is just made to be perfectly drinkable, whilst in other countries drinking water comes in bottles,or only special taps, water out the average tap is only good enough for cleaning stuff, you want to drink it you boil it. which is also why its also like 20 times cheaper than in the UK to buy bottled water.

That's a good point, but I think SOME other countries have drinkable tap water. The information is rather patchy :-/

I noted on this year's belgium trip that restuarants have the right to charge for water with your meal (whereas I *think* in France they don't? Not sure ...)
BUT they do seem to have universal potable tap water! Here's one source https://tapwaterworldwide.com/belgium/

One water evangelist I met in Wallonia (french-speaker) was adamant that Belgian bars/cafes are obliged to provide free water to passers-by (e.g. moi, as I was cycling through the town where we were talking)

It's all very complicated!

 

[Alex321]

So they were washing the dishes etc in dirty water.

Commercial dishwashers will be heating the water to 95 degrees. It can be not potable, but still perfectly safe for washing dishes at that temperature.

But on the other hand, they should be washing their hands as well, and you can't do that in 95 degree water.

 

[Alex321]

Exactly. It was a ridiculous excuse that, if true, would have prevented them from operating as a restaurant, so clearly just a lie.

That is just not true.

We have frequently holidayed in Greece. Hardly anywhere in Greece has potable tap water. You either have to boil it before use, buy bottled water, or go to special taps (of which there will usually only be a few in each town/village) and fill containers from them.

but we still managed to wash the dishes, as does everybody else.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Forget potting water, I just want to drink it, not store it in a cupboard