Room 101

[LinMM]

It felt to me that Liverpool…as English fans….were targeted in some way. 
It should have been obvious from inside the ground that something was wrong when there were loads of empty Liverpool seats ….can’t all have had “fake” tickets 🙄 

At least they did delay the game to let as many in as possible in the end though some still didn’t make it until half time apparently. 
There was a French football fan on LBC this morning who said he observed Liverpool fans waiting in exemplary style and he put the blame squarely on the Police ( for blocking roads with vans) so it took ages to reach the turnstiles on that side and even some locals trying to get in the game without tickets as this was what he himself observed. 

[bridiem]

19 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I was speechless with rage this morning when I was in the waiting room at physio.  Sky News was showing statements by a couple of French ministers - it was all the fault of Liverpool fans - the police were not aggressively violent - there were no French people goading anyone - the Real Madrid fans were perfectly behaved...  The fact that people in wheel chairs and children were pepper-sprayed says volumes to me.

 

Same here very early this morning when the BBC World Service radio reported that the problems were caused by 'ticketless fans' trying to enter the stadium, with the context clearly implying Liverpool fans. It felt like Hillsborough all over again - I still remember my outrage about the reporting of that and shouting at the television. Today I shouted at the radio.

Edited May 30 by bridiem

[MaddieRose]

I was speaking to someone this morning who had been there. He unfortunately was among those who had been tear gassed. He said they were following what information they'd been given, and everyone around him had official tickets, but that nobody seemed to be able to give them a concrete answer on what they were supposed to do to ease the crowding. From what he said it sounds like it was horrendously handled by the stadium officials and police. 

[Jan McNulty]

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram had his phone stolen!

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/metro-mayor-steve-rotherams-phone-24101500

 

[alison]

8 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I was speechless with rage this morning when I was in the waiting room at physio.  Sky News was showing statements by a couple of French ministers - it was all the fault of Liverpool fans - the police were not aggressively violent - there were no French people goading anyone - the Real Madrid fans were perfectly behaved...  The fact that people in wheel chairs and children were pepper-sprayed says volumes to me.

 

An almost Putinesque depiction of reality there, by the sounds of things

[alison]

I meant - probably not for the first time - to add Thameslink trains to the mix. Got on a train for a business trip to Brighton today which had probably come all the way down from Cambridge, so, maybe 2.5 hours potential total journey time?  No Wi-Fi.  And no power sockets or tables, except in the alleged First Class compartments, which are very small.  Such poorly equipped rolling stock might have been acceptable last century, but it certainly isn't this century Pathetic.  Even my local trains have Wi-Fi.

[LinMM]

Alison I discovered very recently that on those long 12 carriage trains where there are first class carriages at front and back that the back carriage is permanently declassified. 
It was for the very reason you mention above that after many complaints from customers they decided to allow ordinary Jo public to use the back first class carriages. A message comes up on the electronic screen every so often to say people with standard tickets can use the carriage. Only the front carriage is now designated First Class. 
It’s probably still not enough especially considering so many new trains but hopefully things will improve. 
I only found out as about a month ago the train was very crowded for some reason ( not rush hour) and I dived into first class which only had about three people in it and was then  looking out for ticket inspector ( was hoping train might clear a bit by Gatwick) A young man on adjacent table noticed my nervousness and so I told him I wasn’t supposed to be in First Class and he told me the story. He was one of the people who had complained as regularly had to travel between Brighton and Cambridge! 
So now I always sit in the back carriage!! 

[Kate_N]

You can add long-distance SouthWestern Rail to Room101. They used to offer very cheap deals for their very slow trains up to Waterloo from the West Country. For a £10 or £15 day return I would put up with no power points, WifI or the ability to reserve a specific seat. And NO quiet Zone (but the appalling people who run CrossCountry got rid of the Quiet Coach so it's not just SWR). 

 

But nowadays, when they should be luring us back, prices are high, very rare to no special deals, and still no power, booked seats or decent Quiet zone.

[Mary]

...and hardly anywhere to put your luggage! Recently I have experienced- a man turfing out my case to put his in the one small luggage area, a case forced into a tiny overhead rack then falling and narrowly missing someone's head,  aisles dangerously blocked with cases (and some people have the most enormous luggage nowadays) and loos impossible to get to for the luggage piled up outside them.

I find it especially hard to understand why the 'Gatwick express' uses rolling stock with no luggage space and why the Stansted train ( they don't have the face to call it the express)  in the most populous area of the country often has only 2 carriages.....

 

 

 

 

[alison]

The Gatwick express does have luggage space - or at least the one I travelled on yesterday did.

 

I'm going to add to my complaint about Thameslink the fact that they seem to keep cancelling them ☹️

And thanks, Lin, for the tip about the rear coach - although it's a bit full owing to the cancellations.

[LinMM]

I’ve been lucky as only had one cancellation so far since the end of April but then I’m only using once a week. It’s nearly always the Cambridge rather than the Bedford train which gets cancelled my end. 
I don’t mind so much when travelling up (as long as doesn’t make me late)  there’s a Thameslink train every 15 mins though. I hate it on the way home as often travelling back in busier trains so then if one gets cancelled the next is always really full. 
 

[taxi4ballet]

Apologies to everyone else already in Room 101, but I'm afraid you are now going to have to put up with my neighbours. 

 

Sorry about that. 😂

[AnneMarriott]

4 hours ago, taxi4ballet said:

Apologies to everyone else already in Room 101, but I'm afraid you are now going to have to put up with my neighbours. 

 

Sorry about that. 😂

Dare we ask why?

[Jane]

6 hours ago, taxi4ballet said:

Apologies to everyone else already in Room 101, but I'm afraid you are now going to have to put up with my neighbours. 

 

Sorry about that. 😂

I know you don’t live near me @taxi4ballet but ours drive me to distraction and the property is an ex pub. How can a young family be more irritating than a pub? My list is endless 😏

[alison]

Can I toss mine in there too?

[taxi4ballet]

On 29/06/2022 at 18:19, AnneMarriott said:

Dare we ask why?

Erm... let's just say that people we've lived amicably next door to for decades suddenly decided to take official action against us, despite us agreeing to do what they wanted, and the fact that we drew their attention to it in the first place.

[taxi4ballet]

21 hours ago, alison said:

Can I toss mine in there too?

The more the merrier. They can report each other to the council to their hearts' content. 🤣

Edited June 30 by taxi4ballet

[AnneMarriott]

9 hours ago, taxi4ballet said:

Erm... let's just say that people we've lived amicably next door to for decades suddenly decided to take official action against us, despite us agreeing to do what they wanted, and the fact that we drew their attention to it in the first place.

Crumbs - there's no accounting for folks!

[taxi4ballet]

Well, it's taught me one thing.

 

You can't negotiate with the blinkered, you can't reason with the unreasonable, and you can't argue with stupid. 

 

(actually, that's three things!)

Edited July 1 by taxi4ballet

[alison]

Thanks.  That really fills me with confidence

[taxi4ballet]

Don't worry, most people aren't as blinkered, unreasonable and stupid as my neighbours. 🤣

 

By the way, would it be un-neighbourly of me to liberally spread horse manure fertiliser on my flower bed at this time of year? Bearing in mind that their patio table and chairs is just the other side of the fence.

[AnneMarriott]

5 star reviews on online shopping websites.  I recently purchased a "genuine" filter for my Dyson vacuum cleaner.  It turned out to be fake and didn't fit so I asked to return it.  First I got an offer of a very small refund but could keep the filter.  I refused.  Then I was offered a full refund, including postage, if I posted a 5-star review - oh, and I could keep the item.  I refused - despite the inconvenience of going to the post office and paying return postage.

 

So not only are "genuine" articles fake, but the 5 star reviews others have left are decidedly suspect too.

[zxDaveM]

3 hours ago, AnneMarriott said:

5 star reviews on online shopping websites.  I recently purchased a "genuine" filter for my Dyson vacuum cleaner.  It turned out to be fake and didn't fit so I asked to return it.  First I got an offer of a very small refund but could keep the filter.  I refused.  Then I was offered a full refund, including postage, if I posted a 5-star review - oh, and I could keep the item.  I refused - despite the inconvenience of going to the post office and paying return postage.

 

So not only are "genuine" articles fake, but the 5 star reviews others have left are decidedly suspect too.

 

I had a similar thing happen to me when buying earbuds for my iPod, after I'd left a one-star review. They wrote to say they'd replace free of charge if I'd change my review. I said no. They sent the new ones anyway, and they were as bad! (so to me, it wasn't just a duff pair first time round). Offers of a refund and a third pair fell on deaf ears

[Jan McNulty]

15 minutes ago, zxDaveM said:

 

I had a similar thing happen to me when buying earbuds for my iPod, after I'd left a one-star review. They wrote to say they'd replace free of charge if I'd change my review. I said no. They sent the new ones anyway, and they were as bad! (so to me, it wasn't just a duff pair first time round). Offers of a refund and a third pair fell on deaf ears

 

Some years ago I needed a hotel in Bradford so I booked one I had previously stayed in many times.  The website said it was under new management and had been furnished.

 

I was asked to pay on arrival.  My room was, indeed, fully refurbished and lovely.  However the bathroom, while clean, hadn't been and there was a serious problem with the shower that meant I had to change room.  The following morning the shower in my new room only had cold water (it was late October so not an option) so I was asked to use the bathroom in the next door room.  The following day I went home without showering!

 

On checking out I asked if I could have a small refund as a gesture of good will for the inconvenience and the "manager" got quite nasty with me.  I told him I would put my review on Trip Advisor.  Usually I only put positive reviews on Trip Advisor.  If I've not been happy (very rare) I just don't bother commenting on such a public platform.  I put a poor review on for this hotel.  Within 2 days of me putting a 2* review on half a dozen 5* reviews had appeared which had obviously been made up as they commented on the fabulous breakfast but there were no breakfast facilities and I had taken my own muesli!!

[Sim]

This has, I am sure, been mentioned here somewhere before, but....I am getting sick to death of people walking down the street staring at their phones, earplugs wedged in their ears, not being aware of anything going on around them, and then just assuming that everyone else will clear their path for them.  This happened to me three times in an hour yesterday, and each time I waved my hand in front of their faces to bring them back to life.  Each time they looked shocked, as if they didn't know they are supposed to watch where they're going.  Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

[Jan McNulty]

20 minutes ago, Sim said:

This has, I am sure, been mentioned here somewhere before, but....I am getting sick to death of people walking down the street staring at their phones, earplugs wedged in their ears, not being aware of anything going on around them, and then just assuming that everyone else will clear their path for them.  This happened to me three times in an hour yesterday, and each time I waved my hand in front of their faces to bring them back to life.  Each time they looked shocked, as if they didn't know they are supposed to watch where they're going.  Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

 

I couldn't agree more Sim.  Cyclists are even worse for this!

[Scheherezade]

2 hours ago, Sim said:

This has, I am sure, been mentioned here somewhere before, but....I am getting sick to death of people walking down the street staring at their phones, earplugs wedged in their ears, not being aware of anything going on around them, and then just assuming that everyone else will clear their path for them.  This happened to me three times in an hour yesterday, and each time I waved my hand in front of their faces to bring them back to life.  Each time they looked shocked, as if they didn't know they are supposed to watch where they're going.  Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

 

The worst offenders have to be the pedestrians walking in the middle of the road down Villiers Street towards Embankment tube station. I frequently drive down Villiers Street and putting aside the people walking in front of me who haven't a clue about traffic behind them, the ones coming towards me don't seem to notice that they are walking straight into the path of a car either, and the few that do, can't be bothered to step aside, even more remarkable when many have children in tow.

 

Having said that, I know someone who deliberately avoids catching the eye of anyone walking towards him with the sole purpose of ensuring that they will move aside so that he doesn't have to.

[alison]

3 hours ago, Sim said:

Aside from anything else, they pose potential danger to themselves.  I have lost count of how many times I have had to brake hard to avoid people just walking into the road because they have music in their ears and are looking at their phones.  No spatial awareness at all, so we are supposed to take responsibility for them.  😡

 

Sadly, I can think of at least one tragedy involving a London bus for this very reason  

[AnneMarriott]

On 21/07/2022 at 05:54, AnneMarriott said:

5 star reviews on online shopping websites.  I recently purchased a "genuine" filter for my Dyson vacuum cleaner.  It turned out to be fake and didn't fit so I asked to return it.  First I got an offer of a very small refund but could keep the filter.  I refused.  Then I was offered a full refund, including postage, if I posted a 5-star review - oh, and I could keep the item.  I refused - despite the inconvenience of going to the post office and paying return postage.

 

So not only are "genuine" articles fake, but the 5 star reviews others have left are decidedly suspect too.

Update:  I returned the filter using the Royal Mail tracking label supplied.  Now, a week later I discover that the seller has "opened a case which is on hold until August 14th".  Not only that but "the tracking information supplied shows that it's on its way and should be with you soon".  Words fail me ...

[AnneMarriott]

On 04/08/2022 at 06:50, AnneMarriott said:

Update:  I returned the filter using the Royal Mail tracking label supplied.  Now, a week later I discover that the seller has "opened a case which is on hold until August 14th".  Not only that but "the tracking information supplied shows that it's on its way and should be with you soon".  Words fail me ...

Further update:  To my surprise I have been given a full refund, including return postage.   My one-star review has not appeared on the website, though.