"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

AndBreathe said:

I had fun and games of the not fun at all sort with BG at the start of the year.

For no reason at all, I decided to look at our account. It is virtually always in credit, often significantly, and when our last bill arrived in November, it was settled from DDMs already paid, and still left a credit balance. I guess in the interim, November > January there was a price capo increase announced, but even so there was plenty there, provided I continued to pay my DDM.

Lo and behold, when I looked at my account, they had unilaterally, and without informing me, increased my DDM by well over £100. I was a bit grumpy at that - especially as we were about to run away from winter, thereby decimating our energy usage for a period. Obviously, they had no clue about that latter part.

I went to the area saying something like "Adjust your Payment" to find I could certainly adjust my payment but on upwards. That being upwards from that which thay unilaterally decided was the amount they wanted.

Needless to say the AndBreathe grumpy face was deployed, and I got to it, like you I would pay differently if necessary.

Cutting to the chase, after a bit of discourse on their Chat system the young man sorted it out, and offered to escalate my concerns regarding the unilateral increase, without notice, or even being informed of it.

As it stands, we are further in the position that MrB received the pensioners' winter fuel payment, which we immediately transferred to an account of it's own and we add the monthly rebate each month we receive it. At this rate HM Government will have paid for one of our tickets to the sunshine.

We are living in a crazy world at the moment. I know I drone about it all the time, relating to health, but applies to all of life right now. We must be our own strongest advocates in all of this madness and keep a keen eye on what is going on around us.

Now where did I put that step ladder to get down off this soap box?

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They still haven't satisfactorily answered my questions so I put them on one of their help forums. It's getting interesting as I'm not the only one upset by their illogical methods. One other subscriber it telling them they can't answer because they are crooks! What have I started?

maglil55 said:

They still haven't satisfactorily answered my questions so I put them on one of their help forums. It's getting interesting as I'm not the only one upset by their illogical methods. One other subscriber it telling them they can't answer because they are crooks! What have I started?

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Stick with it @maglil55 . Shoddy practices doesn't cover the edges of it.

We took out meter readings the morning we left home, so if asked for a reading whilst away, we can add a few units for the low grade heating and timed lamps, and see what they say to that.

Annb said:

The pups all have homes to go to - even the one that has a dry-eye problem and will need eye drops for the foreseeable future. Ginnie is going to be accepted by the rehoming centre in Aberdeen. That's all sorted. unfortunastely, this time the ferry operators are being difficult and saying that the pups have to be left in the car for the crossing - last time, as long as they were on leads, they were allowed on the passenger deck (there is an area there set aside for dogs). Must be a new policy. So they have to be left in cages in the cars.

As I said before, people here don't like big dogs and yesterday someone complained about dogs barking in the afternoon - Ginnie and Banksie had been put into the outside pen to get them away from the pups and let them get some fresh air. Why they complained to the SSPCA, I don't know, but they did. When they came to the house, the pups were all out in the pen. It had been raining and the pups (apart from the one with the eye problem) were very muddy, but obviously in good health. This was a fault, apparently and improvements were demanded immediately, even though they are leaving for their new homes next week. Ginnie is to be kept separately from Banksie, although she is not back in season and she has to have a pregnancy test before she goes to Aberdeen. What that consists of, I have no idea and what happens if she should be pregnant, I also have no idea - abortion? She's not anyway. They also want an e-mail from the rehoming centre saying that they will be taking Ginnie. The alternative seems to be "euthenising" her. All this because someone doesn't like dogs barking! The thing is, there are yappy, barky dogs all over the village, but they are mostly collies, not big softy and gentle dogs bred to rescue people. Banksie, when a pup, had a game where he chased hens, picked them up gently and carried them back to the hen house, releasing them there, unharmed.

These are probably the same people who complained about the cockeral crowing so he had to be put down, despite another cockeral answering his crowing from further down the road.

It seems that DIL and Alistair can't do anything right for their neighbours. Can't think why people who don't like country sounds chose to live in the country.

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PS Alistair tells me he is suspicious about the motives of the SSPCA lady - she took 2 of the last litter but seems to have got rid of them (sold them?) and wanted another one of this litter but was too late. But DIL is suspicious that she may just be wanting to sell the pups on. Who to? Who knows?

Ginnie is at the vet right now to get a blood test to see is she is in pup but it will be a couple of weeks before the results come back. By then, unless this SSPCA person does something to prevent it, she will be at the rehoming centre in Aberdeen.

I must get round to complaining to EDF about the community building I look after...I keep putting it off.
BUT found out today that hubby who looks after our domestic bills had misread the info they were sending, thought we owed them so kept increasing our standing order ! We're over £700 in credit so today they've agreed to return £470 to us immediately and lower the dd by £100 a month.

Kicking myself for not checking it earlier, but had believed all the hype about bills spiralling. Yes ours have but not by that much.

MrsA2 said:

I must get round to complaining to EDF about the community building I look after...I keep putting it off.
BUT found out today that hubby who looks after our domestic bills had misread the info they were sending, thought we owed them so kept increasing our standing order ! We're over £700 in credit so today they've agreed to return £470 to us immediately and lower the dd by £100 a month.

Kicking myself for not checking it earlier, but had believed all the hype about bills spiralling. Yes ours have but not by that much.

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I just object to their methods. I didn't mind being a bit in credit going into the winter months, but, like you, it got to ridiculous levels. Despite this, they kept increasing my direct debit. Even more crazy, the existing direct debit amount was more than covering monthly usage.
With persistence, they refunded some of the credit balance and left the direct debit alone but, they still do not have an answer to my two most pertinent questions
1) where does it say "customers must be at least one month in credit?"

2) why do you charge a higher tariff if a customer who is always in credit wants to pay by BACS transfer?

I just don't trust them.

How plans can change! DIL was chatting to someone in town yesterday and the conversation got onto dogs. "I'd love a St Bernard" says the woman. Ginnie was taken on a visit yesterday evening to the woman's home in the north of the Island and stayed in her new home. The new home has a high fence and a large garden because the woman already has big dogs. Having seen the home and garden and met the other dogs, DIL thought it would make an excellent home for Ginnie. So she decided, then and there that she could stay. Alistair still has to go to the mainland with 3 pups while DIL goes south, to Norfolk via Liverpool with the rest but this saves taking their mother all the way to Aberdeen.

That is just brilliant @Annb , sounds like Ginnie will have the best life a big dog could wish for!

Fingers crossed she's not pregnant, else they might send her back!

And @Antje77 where's some cute kitten photos?

Not my best picture but they're now tentatively exploring the garden!
Guinea pigs are very interesting but the turkey gang is a bit scary.

MrsA2 said:

Fingers crossed she's not pregnant, else they might send her back!

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They were told that she has had a pregnancy test but results are not back yet so they know there could be a risk, although Alistair and DIL don't think so (Banksie just wanted to sleep and wasn't remotely interested). The couple fell in love with her immediately and the husband took her out for a run on the beach at 5 am yesterday. Life's looking good for Ginnie. DIL told them she could take her back until this evening, if they change their mind - DIL and eldest granddaughter are leaving on the ferry tomorrow morning with the southward going pups. Alistair and Emily go with the rest to go northwards on Saturday.

Annb said:

They were told that she has had a pregnancy test but results are not back yet so they know there could be a risk, although Alistair and DIL don't think so (Banksie just wanted to sleep and wasn't remotely interested). The couple fell in love with her immediately and the husband took her out for a run on the beach at 5 am yesterday. Life's looking good for Ginnie. DIL told them she could take her back until this evening, if they change their mind - DIL and eldest granddaughter are leaving on the ferry tomorrow morning with the southward going pups. Alistair and Emily go with the rest to go northwards on Saturday.

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The way the weather is shaping up, I suspect that ferries will be off until Friday at the earliest. Definitely off tomorrow. That might put a spanner in the works. January to March is always a risky time to book a ferry ticket to the Islands but it's been worse this year with gales lasting longer than usual.

You truly live in an adventurous part of the world @Annb !

Antje77 said:

You truly live in an adventurous part of the world @Annb !

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It used to be adventurous but, the way we live these days, it's just inconvenient. Doesn't affect me too much though - I have supplies of most of the things I need so can hold out for quite a while. Neil is less able because of his specific food requirements.

Neil will go to see if there is anything left on the supermarket shelves this afternoon while I am being seen at a medical clinic at the hospital. Don't really know what it is for - they usually only want to see me every 6 months (last time it was after a year+) but I only saw the Consultant's Registrar last time and I think he forgot to order blood tests and an ultrasound scan, so maybe that's why.

Not really expecting much to be left by 4 pm on a ferry-no-show day. There will have been panic buying by those who could, early this morning. It's a thing on the Islands - must be due to insecurity. Every time there is a breakdown in transport services, or if a rumour starts that there is a shortage, those who have the money available rush to strip the shops of everything, just in case the supplies never come back. Doesn't help those who don't have the money to hand, or who can't get to Stornoway by 6 am, when the supermarkets open.

40+ years ago, when we moved to the Island, a rumour went around that there was a shortage of sugar. Didn't bother me - I had half a bag of sugar that I had brought with us when we moved and that would do me for ages (it was probably about a year old by then). My new neighbour asked me if I had bought sugar and was surprised when I told her that I had enough, so no. She opened her kitchen cupboard and showed me her sugar stock - it was a floor to ceiling cupboard, fairly shallow so deep enough to take 2 one kilo bags of sugar and about 3 feet wide. The shelves were spaced every 9 inches or so and full of 2 kg bags of sugar - floor to ceiling. No idea what weight of sugar that would amount to. So, what was she going to do with all that sugar? I don't think she knew, but she was certainly going to make sure she had sufficient to last out the shortage. In fact, there was no shortage - it was just a rumour but the shops in town did a great trade in that commodity for a week or so.

It taught me a little lesson about the nature of people here but, as I realise now, it stems from having uncertain supplies and a feeling of insecurity.

Edit: sorry - I meant 1 kg/2 lb bags of sugar.

Annb said:

40+ years ago, when we moved to the Island, a rumour went around that there was a shortage of sugar. Didn't bother me - I had half a bag of sugar that I had brought with us when we moved and that would do me for ages (it was probably about a year old by then). My new neighbour asked me if I had bought sugar and was surprised when I told her that I had enough, so no. She opened her kitchen cupboard and showed me her sugar stock - it was a floor to ceiling cupboard, fairly shallow so deep enough to take 2 one kilo bags of sugar and about 3 feet wide. The shelves were spaced every 9 inches or so and full of 2 kg bags of sugar - floor to ceiling. No idea what weight of sugar that would amount to. So, what was she going to do with all that sugar? I don't think she knew, but she was certainly going to make sure she had sufficient to last out the shortage. In fact, there was no shortage - it was just a rumour but the shops in town did a great trade in that commodity for a week or so.

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Have you asked her if she still has any?

MrsA2 said:

Have you asked her if she still has any?

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She was in her 70's then and we moved away from that village to the one we are in now. Maybe she left it to her son and daughter in her will.

Annb said:

She was in her 70's then and we moved away from that village to the one we are in now. Maybe she left it to her son and daughter in her will.

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My grandfather was a bit bipolar, and when things went wrong he went all out.
He once made 9 buckets of fish soup, and he was the only one in the household liking fish soup.

He also bought 12 dozen 8mm stone drills when he needed to drill a hole in the wall.
Which means our whole family has enough 8mm stone drills to keep us for the next 7 generations at least.
We didn't inherit the soup, thankfully!

The pups have all gone to their new homes - some in Scotland and some in England. The new dog was collected from his old home in Norwich and DIL and elder gr daughter are approaching Ullapool on the way back. Alistair and Em are already in Ullapool having delivered 5 of the pups to the Aberdeenshire area. They should all get home - probably tired, but content by about 8.30 tonight. Ginnie seems to be happy and appreciated in her new home in the north of this Island.. So that's one saga over. We'll see what the next disaster is, probably fairly soon.

That's really good news.

Nacht and Foelie were enjoying the sunny weather this afternoon.

Alistair was just in with the post. He was telling me that he and DIL think they have been told lies about the dog they have just given a home to. They were told he was a loved, and loving, family pet who, sadly, had to be rehomed because his owners were becoming unable to look after him. But DIL thinks he was the "old" stud in a puppy farm and discarded to make room for a younger model.
Banksie is a big easy-going dog but he soon let Hugo - the new Basset Hound - know who is in charge. Unfortunately, Hugo is not as well house-trained as they were led to believe and he is not all that good natured either. He was probably the leader of the pack in his old situation and tries to be very assertive. Not a friendly pet at all. The 2 dogs actually had a fight over a toy yesterday. Nothing to do except let them sort it out - getting in between 2 dogs in a fight is a bad idea.

He seems to acknowledge DIL as head of the pack but Alistair should, in Hugo's opinion, be lower down the ranks than himself. He was soon disabused of that idea but not before he growled and snarled his objection to being removed from the bed! DIL was even on the receiving end of his disgruntlement when she pushed him away from the front of the fire (to prevent him scorching himself).
Just a snarl, but concerning to me. He backed down when she waved a stick at him - not that she would ever hit him but he knew what the stick was. What will he do when Em tries to take something away from him? Haven't heard what he is like with a food bowl. I do hope he is not aggressive over that.

Em doesn't believe that any dog would harm her and is quite fearless when playing with them. Banksie is always respectful and plays well with her, but Hugo?

Maybe worrying over nothing, but that's what grans do.