Appointments

I received a letter the other day from British Gas telling me that they had to change my gas meter. There was no explanation given as to why. It's functioning perfectly well and my house doesn't explode whenever I light a match so it's not leaking either.

Anyway, they had generously allocated me an "appointment". This "appointment" was for a Thursday, between the hours of 8am and 8pm. How is this an appointment? This is - literally - half a day. Half a day when nearly everybody is going to be at work. That is not an appointment. That is ridiculous.

Do they really expect people to wait in for 12 hours for somebody to turn up? Are they really that disorganised that they can't get somebody to my house within, a 2 or 4 hour window? It's not like they are going to be coming from Scotland or something, they'll have local engineers.

I called them and got 4 completely pointless options:

If you have an appointment already and wish to change it, press 1.
If you have rearranged your appointment and wish to change it again, press 2.
If you wish to cancel a previously arranged appointment, press 3.
If you wish to shout at somebody about these pointless options, press 4.

Ok, the last one obviously wasn't that, but it was very similar to the first three - I just can't remember what. Quite why options are needed there I have no idea.

I pressed 1 and said I wanted a proper meter, not a pre-pay one like I had now. This meant that I had to call another number, but at least she canceled the stupid 12-hour "appointment" so I can now go back to ignoring them.

Goodbye, 29

Oh dear.

Whilst I was peacefully sleeping, I appear to have turned into a proper grown-up. I have turned 30.

I'm not ready for this. Ok, I may be married and have kids and a mortgage, but 30? No. That implies I have to be sensible. Responsible.

Proper adults are 30. Now I'll have to become one.

Goodbye, 29. You'll be missed.

Now, where's my pipe and slippers?

Pandora's Box

Well there is still no news on my "promotion"/salary increase/move to Somerset.

Despite chasing and chasing, I'm still the only person in the company to have not had a salary review. I still have no news on what the company would pay for when relocating, either. I am getting more and more annoyed with the delay - it has now been over a month. The director who is meant to be sorting this out came to my office last week - knowing that I want to discuss this with him - and then left without even mentioning it to me. Just a "can't talk now - too busy" would've done.

But, whilst browsing RightMove for houses down there (on the off-chance that the stupid company actually get their arses in gear and do something), I found this:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-10669317.rsp?pa_n=2&tr_t=buy

In case the link doesn't work any more, it is a house being advertised as being "Like Pandora's Box". Quite why a house containing all the evils of mankind is a positive selling point I'm not sure.... I think I will email them and see what they say.