Random Irritations

[Slab]

Remember the days when sending/receiving a parcel didn't take over your life

 

[Lord Tyrion]

What won't help right now @PJ87 is that this is the busiest time of the year by far for delivery companies. It gets a bit wild west right now. So many parcels in the system that drivers don't have time to ring numbers, knock on next door etc, depots don't have time to check for missing parcels, parcels not scanned. It's a case of do what they can, what slips through the net will be dealt with another time. I'm not excusing it, it is just how it is at this period. No carrier is that much better than another and the low cost carriers will inevitably be the worst because a/ they attract volume b/ they are low cost for a reason (low pay to drivers, not enough drivers to cope with surges in demand because they are keeping their costs low etc)

 

[PJ87]

What won't help right now @PJ87 is that this is the busiest time of the year by far for delivery companies. It gets a bit wild west right now. So many parcels in the system that drivers don't have time to ring numbers, knock on next door etc, depots don't have time to check for missing parcels, parcels not scanned. It's a case of do what they can, what slips through the net will be dealt with another time. I'm not excusing it, it is just how it is at this period. No carrier is that much better than another and the low cost carriers will inevitably be the worst because a/ they attract volume b/ they are low cost for a reason (low pay to drivers, not enough drivers to cope with surges in demand because they are keeping their costs low etc)

I have to admit I should have just driven the parcel to the guy. It would have cost about £2 in leccy to get there and back. Taken about 3 hours as he is the other side of London but he could have had it a week ago

 

[GreiginFife]

I have to admit I should have just driven the parcel to the guy. It would have cost about £2 in leccy to get there and back. Taken about 3 hours as he is the other side of London but he could have had it a week ago

Yeah seems like you have lucked out on this one completely. If it’s any consolation, I sent some computer components to Hull yesterday lunchtime and they are out for delivery this morning.

 

[PJ87]

Yeah seems like you have lucked out on this one completely. If it’s any consolation, I sent some computer components to Hull yesterday lunchtime and they are out for delivery this morning.

Lol

I've had many parcels be sent out and delivered to My house (including this wedge being returned) in the time it's taken for the damn thing to leave the local area lol

 

[GreiginFife]

Lol

I've had many parcels be sent out and delivered to My house (including this wedge being returned) in the time it's taken for the damn thing to leave the local area lol

I do have a shaft that I ordered that Yodel appear to have lost. But then as soon as I saw it was Yodel, I set my expectation that it actually being delivered would be the surprise.

It’s been at “we’ve got it” for 8 days. Not sure what it is they have “got” but it’s certainly not a grasp on how to run a delivery company.

 

[Mudball]

Tax Code!!!
What is the point of this additional complexity. Submitted my SA over the weekend. Have a note from HMRC to say.. .'Your PAYE code has changed'. In all my working years, never have i understood the alphabet soup they send. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? how do i challenge it?
I am going to get a massive drop in pay this year (but still stay in the same slab) due to one-off bonus last year. No idea if the new PAYE code is going to help or not. I guess most people dont understand it either. No one wants to call HMRC about it- because we dont want to rock the boat.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The constant flogging of Gavin & Stacey. Fair play to their media dept because they have played a great hand, drip feeding stories in the run up to Christams but blimey I'm bored of it. However much people go on about it, far more will not watch it than will.

Yes, I know plenty on here are looking forward to it but plenty don't and it's my irritation

 

[GreiginFife]

Tax Code!!!
What is the point of this additional complexity. Submitted my SA over the weekend. Have a note from HMRC to say.. .'Your PAYE code has changed'. In all my working years, never have i understood the alphabet soup they send. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? how do i challenge it?
I am going to get a massive drop in pay this year (but still stay in the same slab) due to one-off bonus last year. No idea if the new PAYE code is going to help or not. I guess most people dont understand it either. No one wants to call HMRC about it- because we dont want to rock the boat.

Your tax code is, for the most part, real time (or as real time as it can be) and is usually quite simple. Numbers denote the threshold you have been set to and letters are normally used when you have a specific deduction or allowance or in cases where you are week/month or cumulative tax.

If your code has changed in year it's because they have calculated that in this tax year you have either paid too much (tax code increases) or too little (tax code decreases) in order to recoup or refund the difference through PAYE (rather than send a refund payment). When it comes to April 2025 your code will probably reset to the "normal" for example if you have no specific allowances or deductions then it should be 1275L (£12750 threshold and L for "normal" cumulative tax).

I've had to challenge HMRC twice this year on errors that they have made and I have to say that dealing with them has been a lot easier than it has been in the past. Give them a call if you are unsure.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Tax Code!!!
What is the point of this additional complexity. Submitted my SA over the weekend. Have a note from HMRC to say.. .'Your PAYE code has changed'. In all my working years, never have i understood the alphabet soup they send. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? how do i challenge it?
I am going to get a massive drop in pay this year (but still stay in the same slab) due to one-off bonus last year. No idea if the new PAYE code is going to help or not. I guess most people dont understand it either. No one wants to call HMRC about it- because we dont want to rock the boat.

They may think the one off bonus is going to be a regular thing and be hammering you for it, yes they do like to make assumptions like that. Unless you want to pay more tax next year, and have to go through the hassle of trying to claw it back, it's well worth going on your HMRC page and trying to work out if my guess is accurate. If it is then you will need to go through the purgatory of the helpline.

It's not fun, I'm sure they rely on people not trying to understand it.

 

[GB72]

The constant flogging of Gavin & Stacey. Fair play to their media dept because they have played a great hand, drip feeding stories in the run up to Christams but blimey I'm bored of it. However much people go on about it, far more will not watch it than will.

Yes, I know plenty on here are looking forward to it but plenty don't and it's my irritation

I get that. OK, never watched it and I know plenty of people like it but it is not exactly the return of a national institution like Only Fools and Horses of even the Vicar of Dibley.

This now seems to be the BBC thing, pick an old series that finished a while ago then do one more for Xmas. Wonder who is next on the list.

I will add that there is a really disappointing selection of films on streaming this Xmas. Even with Sky Cinema and most of the streaming options, there does not appear to be a big, blockbuster release on streaming to watch on Xmas day. Sadly most remain on the Premiere service so you can pay extra for them but not stream as part of your subscription.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I get that. OK, never watched it and I know plenty of people like it but it is not exactly the return of a national institution like Only Fools and Horses of even the Vicar of Dibley.

This now seems to be the BBC thing, pick an old series that finished a while ago then do one more for Xmas. Wonder who is next on the list.

I will add that there is a really disappointing selection of films on streaming this Xmas. Even with Sky Cinema and most of the streaming options, there does not appear to be a big, blockbuster release on streaming to watch on Xmas day. Sadly most remain on the Premiere service so you can pay extra for them but not stream as part of your subscription.

I don't know that streamers see Christmas Day as a big deal for tv. They have tv available all of the time, it's just another day. Times are changing as far as viewing is concerned, no point bursting the budget when it won't make that much of a commercial difference.

Incidentally, if you have Sky cinema and haven't seen it yet, save Wonka for Christmas. Lovely film, we saw it in the cinema on Christmas Eve last year.

 

[Orikoru]

The constant flogging of Gavin & Stacey. Fair play to their media dept because they have played a great hand, drip feeding stories in the run up to Christams but blimey I'm bored of it. However much people go on about it, far more will not watch it than will.

Yes, I know plenty on here are looking forward to it but plenty don't and it's my irritation

A lot of people seem to big up G&S like it was some seminal event. I remember enjoying it, but I haven't gone back and watched it again since. It was a decent comedy, no more no less. And everyone seems to hate Corden these days, so I'm slightly surprised that hasn't extended to this, which he co-wrote. Seems to be the only thing people give him credit for to be fair.

 

[GB72]

I don't know that streamers see Christmas Day as a big deal for tv. They have tv available all of the time, it's just another day. Times are changing as far as viewing is concerned, no point bursting the budget when it won't make that much of a commercial difference.

Incidentally, if you have Sky cinema and haven't seen it yet, save Wonka for Christmas. Lovely film, we saw it in the cinema on Christmas Eve last year.

I did watch it on a flight earlier in the year but I have saved it to watch on Xmas day.

I get what you say but Sky used to have big releases stored up for Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. This year we have Kung Fu Panda 4 on Xmas day and that is about it. They do have slimmer pickings now that other companies have their own channels holding back content. You can bet that Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2 would have been big Sky releases at Xmas if it were not for Disney plus.

That said, the Premiere releases remain an irritation of mine. Basically delay the release of the film on to Sky Cinema so as you can extract an extra level of revenue by selling it at £15 a shot for a few months first.

 

[GB72]

A lot of people seem to big up G&S like it was some seminal event. I remember enjoying it, but I haven't gone back and watched it again since. It was a decent comedy, no more no less. And everyone seems to hate Corden these days, so I'm slightly surprised that hasn't extended to this, which he co-wrote. Seems to be the only thing people give him credit for to be fair.

Sadly there are slimmer pickings for this trend of bringing back and old show for Xmas. Sadly the cast of a lot of the older shows have passed or the series would not pass the modern sensibilities test. Really cannot think of many other UK comedies that would warrant this treatment going forward.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

A lot of people seem to big up G&S like it was some seminal event. I remember enjoying it, but I haven't gone back and watched it again since. It was a decent comedy, no more no less. And everyone seems to hate Corden these days, so I'm slightly surprised that hasn't extended to this, which he co-wrote. Seems to be the only thing people give him credit for to be fair.

I don't really get the anti Corden thing. Seems a decent enough bloke when interviewed, he just had the temerity to make a success of it in the US!

My daughter ploughed through G & S one time. It didn't do it for me but that's fine, that's comedy. It's the flogging of it, that the country will stop and watch it when most of us wont. I don't like assumptions being made on my behalf.

 

[GB72]

I don't really get the anti Corden thing. Seems a decent enough bloke when interviewed, he just had the temerity to make a success of it in the US!

My daughter ploughed through G & S one time. It didn't do it for me but that's fine, that's comedy. It's the flogging of it, that the country will stop and watch it when most of us wont. I don't like assumptions being made on my behalf.

I think the americans were calling out Cordon for not being nice person well before us. Was he not banned from a restaurant for being rude and obnoxious over there.

 

[3offTheTee]

Recently because of 3 or 4 posters on here I have started to want their teams to lose at football.

I have nothing against the teams or did not have, but find I am now wanting hoping for a loss to keep them quiet.

The posters have so much bias that they cannot see another person's point of view and at times I feel embarrassed for them.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think the americans were calling out Cordon for not being nice person well before us. Was he not banned from a restaurant for being rude and obnoxious over there.

I'm never quite sure about stories like that. Might have happened, might be a stunt by the owner, someone on social media ect. Might have been half a comment blown out of proportion because he is famous . No strong feelings either way on him, it just seemed a bit of a pile on when I wasn't quite sure why.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Can’t wait for the final Gavin and Stacey

We watch them regularly when there isn’t much on

It’s funny , heart warming , very clever at times