The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

zagubov

PasturesNew wrote: »

Trying to cancel a TV license isn't easy.

.

The TV licence is a very weird thing. I've heard weird stories that when you pay for a year you really pay for more than a year.

There must be somewhere on the web that explains this. Just remembered - it may be something to do with paying quarterly - I seem to recall someone had worked out they always had three months more of your money than you thought they had.:(

chris_m

zagubov wrote: »

The TV licence is a very weird thing. I've heard weird stories that when you pay for a year you really pay for more than a year.

There must be somewhere on the web that explains this. Just remembered - it may be something to do with paying quarterly - I seem to recall someone had worked out they always had three months more of your money than you thought they had.:(

Don't know about how it works if you pay quarterly, but if you pay by monthly direct debit you pay for six months in advance and six months in arrears.

On my current licence, which started on 01/02/2019 and runs to 31/01/2020, it lists my payments for it as six having been made from 01/08/2018 to 02/01/2019 with six more payments due from 01/02/2019 to 01/07/2019.
Thus, if I were to cancel it now, they'd owe me, I think, 6 months worth. Alternatively, I could say that I don't want to renew it upon expiry and they could simply stop taking payments now but the licence would still be valid until 31/01/2020.

zagubov

chris_m wrote: »

Don't know about how it works if you pay quarterly, but if you pay by monthly direct debit you pay for six months in advance and six months in arrears.

On my current licence, which started on 01/02/2019 and runs to 31/01/2020, it lists my payments for it as six having been made from 01/08/2018 to 02/01/2019 with six more payments due from 01/02/2019 to 01/07/2019.
Thus, if I were to cancel it now, they'd owe me, I think, 6 months worth. Alternatively, I could say that I don't want to renew it upon expiry and they could simply stop taking payments now but the licence would still be valid until 31/01/2020.

Thats sounds familiar; I've got to say I don'y fully understand the rationale behind it, as it does sound unnecessarily complicated.

Mind you I used to get baffled by the charges on our cable tv and phone account; they said they would charge us for a "month and a month" and when I said back to them so we're paying two months ahead, they replied no it was a "month and a month". They never seemed to adequately explain what that meant except it gave the strong impression we were paying more than we were getting credit.:o

zagubov

On an unrelated matter, I'm basking in nostalgia for the space race.

This coverage of the moon mission on channel four is bringing back memories of how competent we were (and I don't mean our computers) to use our brainpower, technological prowess, organising ability, emotional control, to project people to another world with an utterly hostile environment, collect material evidence for scientific study and bring those people safely back to their loved ones.

All the while using giant mechanical constructions which disassemble and sometimes reassemble both in-flight or on the moon.

It was carried out by a very imperfect country engaged in a hot war in east Asia and a cold war in eastern Europe, but it united many, if not all, countries and gave everybody hope that our abilities were expanding beyond our expectations.

GDB2222

Several possible reasons why the agent did not contact you over a house you might be interested in.

1. He's not very good at his job.

2. You did not show enough interest in the house, perhaps? If you're interested, you can always make an offer. Or at least say specifically that you'd like to be contacted if the vendor reduces the price. If you don't say anything really quite specific, lots of EAs won't be perceptive enough to see that you are interested.

3. The EA knows that everyone studies RM and will pick up on the price drop. So, he doesn't need to exert himself.

I think it's highly unlikely the EA is deliberately playing it cool and waiting for interested buyers to grovel.

silvercar

"big unfixable issue"

I would suspect that one single neighbour is far less a problem than anything bordering on public land.

GDB2222

PasturesNew wrote: »

In a perfect world, yes.

But, "it just takes one" - and unfortunately I seem to be unlucky.

I've seen enough bad behaviours, from more than one household, in the last 2-3 years to know that it's not just one. It just takes one to be a catalyst to attract others/more and constantly.

I just can't take the risk of selling here, to buy something that has the ability to produce a similar set of problems. DOOFers against that wall would just be the end of the world.

If it's your wall, you can reasonably protest against doofing. What is more, I think a court would back you up. You could do a google.

GDB2222

An elderly friend rang me. He never introduces himself on the phone, or
asks if it's convenient, or begins with small talk. He just starts to
tell his tale. He speaks on the phone as if he's addressing a public
meeting and PA systems haven't yet been invented.

"Our Joan's having trouble with her tingle. Do you know owt about 'em?"

Well the fact is, Joan hasn't been well. She had a stroke in March and
since then she's had all sorts of weird symptoms. So for the sake of
finding something to say I asked, "Where does she get it?"

"It's the same everywhere. At home, in the motorhome, everywhere."

"No, I mean, where is it on her body?"

"In her hand. Sometimes on her knee. Or on the chair arm."

"Sounds nasty..."

"It goes black."

"What?"

"Yes, after five minutes. Anyway she's here now. [to Joan:] I was just
asking Bill about your tingle."

Joan: "Kindle! Kindle! Not tingle! Oh he's getting worse! Hello Bill
love, how are you?"

So I gave them the phone number of a nice guy I know. He knows all about
Kindles and suchlike gizmos.

ivyleaf

GDB, you are one of the most helpful people i know

Pastures I think you're wise. I remember playing ball against the wall of a house, and being astonished and mortified when the occupant came out and asked me to please stop. It simply hadn't occurred to me that anyone inside the house would be able to hear it!
It sounds a bit of an odd position if your outside wall forms the boundary of someone's garden.

GDB2222

I'm afraid that I just repeated someone else's story, as I thought it quite amusing. And there have not been a lot of posts recently.