Robinhood Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 ....he's rubbish! Pardon the rant, but it is to an extent motorhome related. We've just had the gas main renewed on our road - the usual method of pushing a new plastic pipe down the old cast-iron one, and breaking into it at all the house connection points. As we already had plastic pipe main to meter, we avoided the issue of digging up the drive to add a new supply pipe (unlike many of the properties on the road), but, when searching for the main connection, they found that the pipe ran under my drive and garden, not in the pavement as expected, and the connection was under the end of the drive. We'll have to dig it up, they said. Do you want to move the car and 'van - it'll be a couple of days before we fill in again. So, I moved the car on to the road, but left the 'van where it was. They then decided that my front garden would be a good place to join the new pipe, and promptly enlarged the hole. .....that was three weeks ago! They overran on the main works (planned for 2 to 3 days) by about a week, even working well into the dark, and created chaos up and down the road (at least 4 neighbours had bodged meter connections meaning they weren't working for some days). The Ofgem standard (which they are supposedly working to) is to permanently restore excavations to a good standard within 5 days of work finishing. Here we are, 12 days on from that (already delayed) point, and is my hole filled in? Is it hell! I've been promised a plate 3 times, and that it will be filled in tomorrow (as in mañana) 4 times. I've raised an official complaint, but the call centre is dysfunctional, and there isn't one person across the whole spectrum who will take any responsibility (for anything). TBH, given the standard of remediation on the properties they have done, I'm dreading them coming to do mine, and intend to stand over them while they do it. Talking to the two guys who are periodically on site (laying concrete, not the tarmac my drive needs) they are undermanned, and "winding down for Christmas". FFS, it's two weeks yet! When I was at work I felt lucky to be able to wind down at 16:00 on Christmas Eve! All this is, of course, under the auspices of the privatised National Grid, with the work being done (presumably at lowest bid) by several different sets of badly coordinated contractors. Whoever decided to denationalise the fundamental infrastructure!? (Though at least I'll feel more relaxed in depriving the shareholders of any compensation I claim!) Anyway, with the rant now over, the motorhome connection is that we are trying to get away for a few days before Christmas, and would have set off earlier this week, but now it looks like next week (given that the drive gets fixed mañana). ....and No! I don't feel any better after all that! ;-) Merry Christmas to all (even the Chatterbollox cowboys - but not Sid! (no, not that one!)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Hard luck. When our road was done a few years ago the company that did the work, I think it was Morrisons, was excellent. They minimised disruption, worked fast and were happy to arrange their programme of work to suit individual householders. I spoke to the foreman, got the contact details and wrote in to compliment them. I got a very nice reply saying how much they appreciated it and the letter had gone up on the notice board. The guys in the street thanked me. They said it was bound to be disruptive but some people couldn't accept that and were really abusive. Reminds me that many years ago I was working on a construction site in central London where they had sold the temporary sheet-pile wall in-situ. The process of extracting them was fairly noisy but was taking too long. There was a rather rude complaint from the offices nearby just as the extraction company had decided to change the method of extraction, and work stoppped shortly after. The complainant must have thought his rudeness had paid off. But, if t that machine had been noisy its replacement was in a different league. There were no more complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I honestly don't know.......there's always one! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 Muswell - 2014-12-10 11:30 AM Hard luck. When our road was done a few years ago the company that did the work, I think it was Morrisons, was excellent. They minimised disruption, worked fast and were happy to arrange their programme of work to suit individual householders. I spoke to the foreman, got the contact details and wrote in to compliment them. I got a very nice reply saying how much they appreciated it and the letter had gone up on the notice board. The guys in the street thanked me. They said it was bound to be disruptive but some people couldn't accept that and were really abusive. ....thanks, that's made me feel a lot better! ;-) I was quite relaxed about it for the first week, and we were tea-maker in chief for the gang (to the extent they brought my wife a box of chocolates when they left). Three weeks on and any understanding and goodwill has sadly departed. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Morrisons started digging up the pavement out side our office and shop. When I challenged them as to what they were doing it transpired they were working on behalf of Yorkshire Water and fitting a water meter. I told them to stop until I had spoken to Yorkshire Water as I knew nothing about it. Once on the phone to Yorkshire Water they advised that it was their policy that all commercial premises are on a water meter and they did not need to advise me of the change. I pointed out that the old Victorian buildings had the water supply going from one building to the next and where Morrisons were fitting the meter meant they would be measuring the water usage for the entire block. Ah says Yorkshire Water, can you tell Morrisons to stop. Too late, already fitted. Ok, tell them to come back and take it out. In the meantime we will be charged a minimal amount for water used and not what is on the meter. That was 5 years ago and despite chasing them nothing has happened. Apparently once a meter is fitted to a commercial premises they cannot revert to an unmetered service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanedwin Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Earlier this year we were told that our road (400 meters) was to be resurfaced at last. We decided to synchronise our early summer trip with the beginning of the work so off we went in the van for four weeks. When we got back the one week job was still going on and continued for another three weeks! So a total of seven weeks for 400 m of Tarmac and a few kerbs. When I metioned to one of the bosses that the great western railway was completed at a rate of half a mile a week he said that Liverpool council had nothing to do with that! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-12-10 12:29 PM Three weeks on and any understanding and goodwill has sadly departed. :-S If you live in Nothingdone, tell the Sheriff. :-D Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 nowtelse2do - 2014-12-10 6:43 PM Robinhood - 2014-12-10 12:29 PM Three weeks on and any understanding and goodwill has sadly departed. :-S If you live in Nothingdone, tell the Sheriff. :-D Dave Or move to Lincolnshire :D ..................very few villages here have gas including Easington where one of the European pipe lines comes ashore *-) ............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 ...I've fired a few arrows, today, as have some of the merry men who are my neighbours. The two guys that have been pouring concrete have now been co-opted to do everything else. I feel a bit sorry for them actually (made them coffee) - they have no viable tools, and are trying their best. They've been putting kerbing in place along the pavement and my drive, and are splitting it with a hammer and chisel since they have no kerb saw, or even an angle grinder! They tell me their employer is facing thousands in penalties from National Grid, and they are under orders to finish the road by Friday latest - not a chance! So, it's one step forward, and two back - with a raised kerb in the middle of the excavation, it's now even less easy to reach the road. As for National Grid, after talking to them and being promised a plate ........nothing. One of my neighbours was yesterday solemnly promised his work would be finished today ......not even started. They are truly awful! On a brighter note, I've just fixed the bloke opposite's phone and broadband after his decorator trashed all his wiring - might try a bit of asphalting next. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 So, things progressing as normal then RH. Where's the Gypo's when you need them. :-( Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 ...well, having been out all day in snowy Sheffield, I returned to find that the hole had been filled in, tarmaced and the turf replaced and reseeded. (Not necessarily in that order - the turf was done first with some care, and new topsoil, and then the tarmac team arrived, trampled all over it, and then when the work was finished, thoughtfully placed the barriers, supports, spare edging, etc. on the nicely returfed area - which, of course, now isn't). My next door neighbour had already complained that his red-tarmac drive had been patched from the road end with black tarmac, and that he still had a large hole at the other end next to his meter that hadn't been touched. I think by now you'll probably all be there before me. The tarmac team entirely ignored the existing complained-about work, but whilst he was out did fill in the other hole - with black tarmac! *-) You couldn't make it up! At least it looks like the pre-Christmas break is back on, even if I do have to continue to complain about the workmanship (unless the 'van drops into the hole on the way out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 You really have struck unlucky :'( My team replaced our brick paviours so well that you couldn't tell they had been lifted and they sourced a new stone slab to replace the one they had to cut up when they did the person across the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 ...it would be quite amusing if it weren't so close to home. I was in Sheffield with an old work colleague, and his suggestion (which I was going to take up) was to get some battery-powered Christmas lights and decorate the barriers round the hole. :-D I was quite disappointed when I got a text from my wife saying they'd filled it all in. :'( Next door but one were away throughout, and they've come back to a re-sited meter. It's hung on an outside wall under a car-port. Unfortunately, that means that it has to have an external meter box round it, and guess what, it intrudes at the side so much that the car no longer fits under the car port! One of the guys up the road (who was started on a week or so before us) has told them he doesn't want them anywhere near his property, and he'll fix it all himself - it's that bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-12-11 7:09 PM My next door neighbour had already complained that his red-tarmac drive had been patched from the road end with black tarmac, No worries mate, I believe the colours fade with time. He should be grateful he has the hole filled with tarmac! Unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 ....just had a visit from a National Grid "reinstatement manager". The one that was (reputedly) running the process is now off the job as he has "trouble at home". The new guy was fairly forthright. He has had to visit 70 percent of the properties in the street to deal with complaints, and the great majority have further "snagging" to attend to. I've told him I'll reset my own turf! (Apparently, red tarmac is only available in 1 tonne loads; they only need a bit for each individual job, and they're going to aggregate (pun intended) the orders and re-do all the red stuff together. I thought about offering to let them resurface my drive with any surplus, but rapidly reconsidered). At least I think I'm just about sorted, (except for any compo ;-) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I hope all this isn't going to adversely affect the value of my Transco shares, they've done quite well up to now. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I think you are honour bound to raise this at the next shareholders' meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Archiesgrandad - 2014-12-12 11:08 AM I hope all this isn't going to adversely affect the value of my Transco shares, they've done quite well up to now. AGD ...thanks for that. At least I now know who to approach for my compo! :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I do hope hope this farce won't seriously affect the managements bonuses this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Sorry to hear your tale of woe RH. We reported a smell of gas on the drive and phoned the 0800 number at 10. 00 am by 3.00 pm the pipe up the drive had been replaced with plastic inserted in the old one and the holes filled in within three days as promised. I cannot fault the National Gas Network service from start to finish. Apparently if the gas had been off more than 24 hours they pay £30 and if your house is cold whilst they are doing the work they lend you electric fan heaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 ...just to finish the saga off. Despite telling the call centre I would be away and uncontactable, they've been trying to get hold of me for some days. The original (banished?) supervisor called round before 8 this morning, nervously to apologise and offer me compensation. £50 on the scale for the overrun on restitution work, and an extra £40 for the inconvenience. Not a lot in the scale of things, but sufficient for me to feel I've made my point. (And to keep our consciences clear, as the compensation was being chased as a matter of principle rather than for the money, Marian and I are now debating which charity should get the money when it arrives. So, it will be good news for someone, though not, I suspect, in time for Christmas!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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