Does anything work in the U.K. these days.

[pugman]

Two weeks ago I purchased a new to me milling machine. The problem was moving it around 80 miles from its location back to my home. For some reason the cost of hiring a suitable van with tail lift had almost doubled from what it was only 3 months before, so I looked around for other options. As the mill was already on a pallet, I looked at the pallet moving companies. Price wise there was not much in it from hiring a van, diesel etc. and then the problems started, the collection day came and went with no collection taking place, many phone calls and the promise of collection the next day or even the same afternoon, all lead to the mill remaining in the same place. After 9 days of no collection, I asked for a refund.
Looking at other companies, I think that from the prices they quoted there must of been a misunderstanding of both size of machine and distance, that or they wanted me to pay off part of the national debt. I know that fuel prices are sky high, but one chap wanted £600 for less the a days work and maybe £50 of fuel at worse.
What is going on in this country, why are companies not doing the jobs they are designed to do, and why do people over value their work. In the end I hired the van.
I wonder if this is the reason it’s getting harder to sell machines, the pure cost of moving them around.

[simplyloco]

Oct 10, 2023 12:41:25 GMT pugman said:

SNIP
What is going on in this country, why are companies not doing the jobs they are designed to do, and why do people over value their work. In the end I hired the van.
I wonder if this is the reason it’s getting harder to sell machines, the pure cost of moving them around.

Britain is broken I'm afraid. Too many people want something for nothing, and others want relative fortunes for doing very little. 
For example, our local plumber wants (and gets!) £75.00/hour. I, like many others on here, am a highly skilled, time served and qualified fitter/machinist, and I still feel slightly embarrassed when I charge people £30/hour for my services!
I didn't think most plumbing was that difficult...

[andyhigham]

It's what the rest of the world refer to as "the British disease" AKA laziness.

[SteveW]

I think its all about the "Me" society:

"I see it,"
"I want it,"
"I will have it,"

"Amazon or Deliveroo will deliver it to my door soon or by tomorrow,"
"the cost is just number I don't actually need to understand now,"
"and I won't need to pay for it for another month or so."

QED.

The real problem is people are now so used to this and complain about their human rights or mental health being violated if they don't get it.

Yes, our society is truly broken and there's no one left in charge with any understanding of the actual depth we are in or, more importantly, how to dig our way back to where we need to be to start the recovery.

I recall an old joke: A sage old Irishman was asked for directions, he paused to think then said "Best not going from here". The problem for all of us is we're stuck here.

[jem]

Unfortunately there is no respect anymore, when I was a lad, we were taught to respect our elders and betters, and if we did misbehave, we got a clip behind the ear, nowadays if a brat on anyone else for that matter is even touched, let alone clipped round the ear, there are major problems. Worse, the police are a laughing stock.

Jem

[Neale]

Personally, I've never believed that elder necessarily means better. If we all believed what the "elders and betters" said, the sun would still be going round the earth...

[SteveW]

Oct 12, 2023 20:49:27 GMT Neale said:

Personally, I've never believed that elder necessarily means better. If we all believed what the "elders and betters" said, the sun would still be going round the earth...

Think you'll find that the sun is believed to travel around some of our politicians.

Certainly many still believed that if it were not for these lemons wearing trousers the rest of us would be blinded by the intensity of the radiation coming from such a low angle.

[Boadicea]

Yes, it's getting difficult to get a trader to attend without going to a website which is national and contacts someone more local. There are several of these, apart from the one with the fake stereo jingle advertising all the time on TV.

If you need a plumber on a weekend, the web is stacked so you finish up in the hands of such sharks, who add 20% of the bill for not doing much.
When the plumber comes you get his card and contact direct next time. He/she has no alternative but to be with the sharks in order to get work.

Always worth keeping one of the little trade magazines if you have them come through the door periodically.
The local bloke can be got by the throat in the event of poor quality work.
Expect my granddaughter would say that's inappropriate?

[jem]

I never said that elders were betters, many certainly are not

Jem