The Vent and Rant Thread

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Now that is a smart cat. She didn't go too far. She knew her home. She just wanted to sun a little. Sorry about the hole though.

Sent from my Nexus 7

One thing it does let me know is the times she manages to sneak past us at the front door is that we can relax a bit and not frantically chase her around the townhouse complex, but just wait for her at the front door with Temptations; I don't know what's in them but she comes running for them.

I should add that on more than one occasion I've found the Temptations package on the floor next to the 7 foot cupboard which has the package on the top. Admittedly there is a lower cupboard next to it which gets used as a stepping stone for her but....

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Wow. I thought that the UK requirement that anyone doing large electrical work on their own house was required to have it inspected was a bit of bureaucracy gone too far. Clearly I was wrong. Yes, please do report him to the appropriate authority - his house is clearly a death trap.


I'd be surprised if there weren't similar regulations in the Netherlands.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

There probably are. The thing is not everyone follows the rules.
We have regulations in the US too.

AFAIK there is no regulation that you need to get it inspected. Though, of course, they expect you to follow all the rules and guidelines. Last year they did change some rules for electricians. So that now the last person who did anything with the electrical installation is responsible for the whole installation. Which means that if you put up a light fixture in the bedroom but someone else has messed about in the kitchen and something does happen in the kitchen than the person who put up the light fixture is the one to blame.

At first my father was outraged, but now he is secretly very glad. In an old city center a lot of messing about happens, especially in cafés/restaurants and student accommodation and to a lesser degree in stores. Everything has to be done on the cheap and there is always someone who knows someone that can do it cheap. My father was regularly asked to help out when something went wrong in nearby shops, restaurants and cafés and now he has a good reason to refuse.

[Toxaris]

I thought the rules were that you could change a fixture and things like that and even change wiring without a problem. However as soon as you need to do changes around and in the fuse box, a certified electrician must do it.
Then again, I let a certified electrician make some changes and no one came to check his work.

The guy is clearly an idiot if he is changing the coloring of the wires, that is a disaster waiting to happen. If he is doing stupid things like that, what else does he think is a 'good' idea?

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

I thought the rules were that you could change a fixture and things like that and even change wiring without a problem. However as soon as you need to do changes around and in the fuse box, a certified electrician must do it.
Then again, I let a certified electrician make some changes and no one came to check his work.

The guy is clearly an idiot if he is changing the coloring of the wires, that is a disaster waiting to happen. If he is doing stupid things like that, what else does he think is a 'good' idea?

Nope, any change in the installation will change the person last working on it.

He came in because he wanted to buy 20 meters of electrical cord (the type you use for a light fixture, the flat ungrounded type), which he planned to run under his carpet so he could put an electrical point in a corner he hadn't one. He didn't plan on running it around the edge of the room, along side the wall, but straight through the middle, where people would walk over it. Also, it's a big no-no to put a proper wall socket on a flexible cable, even for a electrical point for an extension cord you need to use a cable with thick outer insulation which can't be damaged easily.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Nope, any change in the installation will change the person last working on it.

He came in because he wanted to buy 20 meters of electrical cord (the type you use for a light fixture, the flat ungrounded type), which he planned to run under his carpet so he could put an electrical point in a corner he hadn't one. He didn't plan on running it around the edge of the room, along side the wall, but straight through the middle, where people would walk over it. Also, it's a big no-no to put a proper wall socket on a flexible cable, even for a electrical point for an extension cord you need to use a cable with thick outer insulation which can't be damaged easily.

He wanted to do what? Let me see if I read this correctly. He wanted to use 2 wire cord like for lamps across a pretty good size area that people walk on and put a standard wall socket on it. That gave me nightmares.

When I needed an extention cord for my kitchen, I didn't buy in housewares, I went to a store that sells heavy duty cords. Let's put it this way, the cord is rated higher or the same as the breaker so I don't have to worry it.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

He wanted to do what? Let me see if I read this correctly. He wanted to use 2 wire cord like for lamps across a pretty good size area that people walk on and put a standard wall socket on it. That gave me nightmares.

When I needed an extention cord for my kitchen, I didn't buy in housewares, I went to a store that sells heavy duty cords. Let's put it this way, the cord is rated higher or the same as the breaker so I don't have to worry it.

Yep, that's what he wanted to do, and put it under his carpet, so when it gets damaged you don't see it.

We advice against using a standard extension cord for anything bigger than 1000W and not to put more than 2000W total on it (even if the sticker usually says max. 2500W). Heavy duty ones are better, but best is wall socket.

Pretty much daily we get customer who want to do things that aren't safe. Most of the time it's just because they don't know better and when you explain it they are willing to listen. Occasionally you get people who don't like their loved ones (yes, you might know how to safely change that lightbulb, but your wife/daughter/maid probably not). Rarely you get guys like the one we had yesterday, who obviously dislikes his whole block and doesn't mind it burning down.

[Katsunami]

"don't like your loved ones"

That sounds so contradictory.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

"don't like your loved ones"

That sounds so contradictory.

"You may love 'em forever but you won't like 'em all of the time."
-- Billy Joel

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I agree with Cinisajoy.

Today we had a customer who proudly declared that when he rewired his home he used the brown cable for ground/earth instead of the yellow/green one. He did this because brown is much more logical since actual ground (dirt) is brown, too. He was able to get blue cable on the cheap, so he used that for everything else. My father refused to sell him anything, because it can come back to haunt us.

This weekend my father is going to see if he can report the guy somewhere. Not only is it dangerous for anyone in the future having to deal with the electrics, we suspect his house is a fire risk because of what he wanted to buy from us and what he told us he wanted to use if for. We know his address, hopefully we can report him somewhere.

Holy s**t!

You win, man. At least my guy's plan won't kill anyone.

As some of you may recall, I was in RE Development/construction for the main of my commercial career, building shopping centers, apartment complexes and my specialty was 4-5 star hotels. The wire colors (for those of you that don't know this) actually MATTER. They are standardized for a reason--so that some poor b*stard coming along later won't die an unnecessary death b/c some IDIOT decided to change the color of the line used for the ground.

That's just bloody dangerous. Period. Not only to his own home, but, if I'm envisioning where you are, Rumple, to any number of neighbors, as well, if the d*mn thing goes up in flames (after cooking some poor fool that's working on it.).

Sheesh. Makes my guy look downright fun and harmless.

Hitch

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

"don't like your loved ones"

That sounds so contradictory.

That conversation is usually about an old light fixture with a big plug that doesn't fit into a grounded socket. People want to buy a plug that does fit, but don't realize/don't care that that can be unsafe. Old light fixtures are often partially made out of metal, often with sharp edges where the wire can easily be damaged. To use it safely in a grounded environment they should either make it safe by grounding it or (if possible) shield the cable from the sharp metal edges. A lot of people (mostly older men) don't think it's a risk; "it's only a light fixture", or want to keep the light fixture as original as possible. In those situations my father bluntly asks them if they hate their spouse/son/daughter/parent/etc, depending on the situation. The question is most effective when the man has brought his wife, who then demands that the light fixture should be made safe.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Holy s**t!

You win, man. At least my guy's plan won't kill anyone.


Sheesh. Makes my guy look downright fun and harmless.

Hitch

It doesn't mean their are any less frustrating to deal with. As I said, we, luckily, don't have to deal with this type of insanity a lot. On a weekly basis we have a couple of frustrating customers. Most of those are frustrating because they don't know much about electrical systems. You can't expect people to know all those things. Whereas you have to often deal with people who despite having written a book themselves can't be bothered to read the instructions written by others (you). To me that is a lot more frustrating.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Yep, that's what he wanted to do, and put it under his carpet, so when it gets damaged you don't see it.

We advice against using a standard extension cord for anything bigger than 1000W and not to put more than 2000W total on it (even if the sticker usually says max. 2500W). Heavy duty ones are better, but best is wall socket.

Pretty much daily we get customer who want to do things that aren't safe. Most of the time it's just because they don't know better and when you explain it they are willing to listen. Occasionally you get people who don't like their loved ones (yes, you might know how to safely change that lightbulb, but your wife/daughter/maid probably not). Rarely you get guys like the one we had yesterday, who obviously dislikes his whole block and doesn't mind it burning down.

I try to keep my heavy duty electric cord to under 750. It was so I could keep my kitchenaid on the counter and run the small oven at the same time. I have 2 different breakers in the kitchen. I have to keep everything under 2000 or I could trip a breaker. (Except for the dryer, all breakers are 20A.)

[Rumpelteazer]

After sixteen day of dog and house sitting I'm starting to long for my own bed, not having to get up so early and not having to plan my day around dog walks. My feelings aren't helped by the fact that it's Monday morning, which means dusting, vacuuming and mopping.

If everything goes to plan they return home next Tuesday, which means that this weekend the Big Clean will take place. It's also time to start taking things home I won't be using this week.

[Katsunami]

I'm getting fed up with people and technology in such a big way I can't even describe it.

- People in the south listening to schlagers the entire weekend
- A key breaking on my Dell Precision, with Dell saying "maybe you used it too much." This is a workstation class laptop, you fool! It's intended to be used 8 hours a day. Put better keyboards in it instead of the weak scissor-keyboards you've been using for 10 years. The thing is an inch thick, use something *durable*. Hopefully it'll be fixed within a day or two.
- An iDeal payment not going through to a webshop, with both the store and bank telling me... "Uh... I don't know..." I got an order confirmation from the store. I got a payment confirmation from the bank. The product was not sent because the money isn't there. It's gone from my account. So, now YOU (the bank and the store and/or its bank) need to find out where it is.

- People on a piano-forum that start out with.... "I get a disability stipend / am on a low fixed pension / on welfare" (or whatever) "and I'm looking to pick up piano playing again. I'm looking for <piano desires>"

*describes a f*** concert grand in the league of a Bösendorfer or Steinway*

You trolling?

And I'm being told I'm not nice when I tell those people bluntly that they'd be better of looking at a €650 Kawai ES110 / Roland FP-30 or a €1500-1700 Kawai ES8 / Roland FP-90. You can't swing anything more than a €500-2000 instrument if you're not working at least a mid-level job (or saved money while working in the past). Even then, you probably can't swing a €100.000 piano to practice "Happy Birthday."

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

- An iDeal payment not going through to a webshop, with both the store and bank telling me... "Uh... I don't know..."

[...]
- People on a piano-forum that start out with.... "I get a disability stipend / am on a low fixed pension / on welfare" (or whatever) "and I'm looking to pick up piano playing again. I'm looking for <piano desires>"

*describes a f*** concert grand in the league of a Bösendorfer or Steinway*

You trolling?

And I'm being told I'm not nice when I tell those people bluntly that they'd be better of looking at a €650 Kawai ES110 / Roland FP-30 or a €1500-1700 Kawai ES8 / Roland FP-90. You can't swing anything more than a €500-2000 instrument if you're not working at least a mid-level job (or saved money while working in the past). Even then, you probably can't swing a €100.000 piano to practice "Happy Birthday."

Some guitar people are the same way. They seem to live in their own little world where, if you can't drop at least mid 4-figures on your first guitar, there is simply no point in trying to learn.


As for people, you reminded me of another peeve I encounter almost every time I talk to a store clerk:

"Excuse me, do you have xxx in stock?"

"I don't think so."

"You don't think so? You don't THINK SO?
I could not possibly care less what you THINK! I'm not polling for your opinion. You freaking WORK HERE! I am a customer wanting to buy something! Go FIND OUT and LET ME KNOW FOR SURE if you have it or not! It's pretty much your FREAKING JOB!

I don't actually phrase that last part like that out loud, but one day, if I'm ever a mystery shopper or on Undercover Boss, I surely will.