I`ll fix it.
It may well be that I am misinterpreting you here as I am the only one picking up on this it seems.
I hope you are taking the pi$$ with your little paragraph of utter rubbish that i won’t waste my time on breaking down for your obviously very under developed self.
I really though that this would generate me a bit more abuse than that…
Most must be in agreement then :w00t:
Can’t be bothered arguing for or against such utter rubbish . . . it’s not an argument, it’s a moan. If you want to argue about the erosion of civil liberties, the new EU constitution, road pricing or which bike I should buy next, then I’ll join in but this is just doggy doo 
I promised myself i wouldnt get drawn into this but i cant stand it any longer. I know the “English” arent the best at everything - but the same can be said of most races - each one with their strengths and weaknesses. (we italians are shite at wars for example!!)
I fortunately have never called anybody out because i simply cannot afford them. Instead I talk to lots of people, visit trade forums, look things up on the net and read the odd book. As a result i have learned loads and saved myself a fortune.
Like most things - you get what you pay for so the cheapest will always come with some risk. My uncle has always used a very reasonable general handyman he found on the net - he’s English, always on time, reasonably priced and always gets the job done with a professional finish.
There’s good and bad in all - so lets not generalise - like the old saying goes…want something doing? do it yourself!
well ive read every bit of this topic and im gob smacked
you take chances in whatever you do and condemning somebody’s work because of there nationality is dam right silly…
if you want to talk about foreign workers…then may i tell you that i spend most of my shift following forgen workers around the airport covering up there crap because they cant understand or follow simple instructions…and the fact that i have worked my arse off for a number of years getting to the responsible position that i am at and when guys just waltz right in and do the job i do because it saves the company a few quid…kinda makes my wonder what the hell is going on around here…
yes…i am very…very disappointed at the state of what my country has turned into…we’ve become spineless …afraid … deaf and bloody blind…when are we gonna start being British again and standing up for ourselves…
when it comes to the time when it all kicks off and people are fed up with being arse fked,i know what side im gonna be on…
as for the english tradesmen…we’ve been building good chit for century’s its only since we’ve opened the flood gates when the troubles started;).
not so smiled:angry:.
[quote]
smiled (16/06/2008)
yes…i am very…very disappointed at the state of what my country has turned into…we’ve become spineless …afraid … deaf and bloody blind…when are we gonna start being British again and standing up for ourselves…
when it comes to the time when it all kicks off and people are fed up with being arse fked,i know what side im gonna be on…quote]
come the revolution brother… we’ll put them up against a wall and the bl**dy thing will fall down.
Sounds like you need to move back to germany
s’funny but having grown up there, I thought I’d got over that, but in the last couple of years, I’ve been seriously looking at doing that… that was until I realised, that running away from the problem isn’t how you solve it.
If you want to fix something confront it. That’s why I posted this topic. I wanted to know how Brits would respond to being told their general attitude was part of a problem with how this country works, and I got the response I expected.
Indignation mostly.
The first response to my posting said it all… apparently, the problem ISN’T poor service … it’s customers like me who have the audacity to expect value for money… I mean through and through that is the problem we all face. A service industry that thinks the customer is “AN IDIOT”. That’s why its known as rip-off Britain. That’s why we pay so much for fuel. That’s why we pay almost 30% more for everything than anywhere else in Europe. Cars, cameras, houses, computers, food, fuel, everything…
ITS BECAUSE THE SERVICE INDUSTRY KNOWS IT CAN WALK ALL OVER THE ENGLISH COS WE’VE TURNED INTO A NATION OF LAPDOGS!
I gave up solving this problem ages ago - they say that if you cant beat them …join them. Thats why in less than 12 months i’ll be emigrating to Australia - they’ll maybe look at me there as we do the foreigners here…but what the hell…at least they dont let in every tom dick and harry (or should that be every Adolf, Mohammed and Gunter)
Oh…and the sun will shine more often than not! I look forward to one day opening the papers over there and seeing the headline “Britain Revolts!”
And why are they letting you in then? To run their politic or administration?:DO
Here’s a few home truths…
Stereotyping is wrong - Hopefully the ones on this thread are just ‘pssng in the wind’ to create a reaction and not really believed
You pay for what you get - A good deal is where seller and buyer come out ahead, a win/win, if the deal is poorly researched and negotiated then tough titties
People who do…DO, people who can’t…MOAN - If anyone is scared of the beastly foreign workers taking your jobs then buck up, improve your skills/value and make yourself indispensible and worth paying. Or do it for yourself - the ultimate test!!
I have very few issues with life in UK (except perhaps the creep of civil liberties infringements by our Nu Liebour nanny state). We live in one of the most beautiful countries on earth and generally enjoy a high standard of life. The sun is shining and most have a bike to ride, so turn those frowns upside down, fire it up, and get out there.
I agree to the most part Gooner, but there’s MOANING, and there’s constructive moaning that gets changes… I’ll give you a case in point that.
2 days ago, I order 200 gloss prints for a client from an online photo company, they arrived the next day which seemed great, but when I looked at them, they were all SOOOO dark, you couldn’t see anything… now if they’d have had quality control in the first place, that wouldn’t have happened. But, I got on the phone and moaned, and they’re sending me free reprints… so my moaning worked… a skill which many would say is very UnEnglish…a very “Can’t do” attitude by your posting, and yet it got results.
But my real question goes far deeper… why did a professional photographic printing company assume that they could provide rubbish pictures in bthe first place… they’re a printing company, that’s what they do, that’s ALL they do, print pictures… do they think people won’t notice if they do it badly? Do they think I’ll accept whatever crap they post back to me? And before someone pipes up and says “Gawd, anyone can make a mistake”, since this happened I have spoken to 3 other people who have used their service and ALL 3 said, yes, they’d received overly dark pictures too…
Its that fundamental DIS-respect for the British consumer that is my problem.
(By the way, can I also just put a PS in on this… this topic wasn’t introduced as an indirect way to be racist. I like foreign food, I have many friends who aren’t Anglo Saxon white folk. I’d just like to say this to distance myself from that argument, cos that’s not what this was about when I posted it first, I’m talking about the basics of the British service industry and why we always seem to be getting ripped off…I’m talking about Basic British standards of quality that it seems aren’t up held any more…)
Sorry Toby, I’m afraid that the example is again a spurious argument. The issue with dark prints, delivery, compliant and restitution is just part of ‘The Deal’
You are right to complain if the item isn’t to expected standards to the terms agreed in the contract of sale. It is also covered in the sale of goods act. So not so much moaning on your part but pursuing the conclusion of a transaction.
Ensuring that business is done correctly is just part and parcel of commerical life. Thats why we all have T&C’s and lawyers, or on a consumer basis the sales of goods act and TV shows like Watchdog and Rogue Trader.
Now if all ‘British’ workmanship was cack, there would just be a very few successful multi-million pound conglomerates of general building trade companies, no sole trader plumbers or brickies around and our TV schedules would be showing 24/7 Watchdog. As this isn’t the status quo, I would infer that there are just a few ‘dodgy’ ones and you have just experienced some repeated bad luck in getting done over by chancers.
LOL! Can you imagine what would happen if they let a WOP hold the reins of this country!
For what its worth mate - (so as not be seen as a hypocrite) I came to this country because my mother is English - i was born in italy and italian is my first language and so i am legally Italian. We came over because my parents divorced and my mother came back to HER native land.
I came over for no other reason than that - (i was so young i had no choice anyway) I differ from the current migrants because, on the whole, it seems they are jumping on a finacial bandwagon - and thus driving down wages. Those earnings are then mostly sent back home so Britain doesnt profit as much as you’d think.
I have never claimed income support, NEVER had a criminal record EVER! Have never sent a penny back to my already sorted father in Italy and I’m not fugging around and having kids which I leave to the state to look after.
I dont work cash in hand so I pay my taxes, I also spend all my earnings here. I paid my way through University and have so far cost the taxpayer next to nothing as far as i can see. I’m going to blow my own trumpet a bit here and say that I am an extremely employable professional engineer - and have been for many years.
NEVER in Britain’s history has there been such an exodus of native people LEAVING the country - the figures show that most of these people are 30 something professionals. SO what do you think gets left behind? I too will be migrating to Australia withn the next 12 months because - despite not being a TRUE native - I too cannot stand to see how this country is going.
And do you know what the joke is here?
I WAS REFUSED AN BRITISH PASSPORT - and they didnt say why.
However, these people did get one:YOU TELL ME.
Attachments
Yeah, Gooner, its part and parcel of commerce IN BRITAIN…
Just take a trip to the States and experience the service industry over there before you start telling me its normal to ask for something, have it delivered to you, NOT how you asked and then have to ask them to deliver it again, only the right way this time…
Why the hell does every one seem to have this view that I’m some kind of fool for wanting the things I pay for right THE FIRST TIME… NOT after having to go through complaints and concerns and rubbish. RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. I can’t believe the attitudes this is bringing up… oh no, we’re happy having rubbish service, cos at least we’ve got a complaints procedure… WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!
I get the distinct feeling that there’s been such poor service in this country for so long now, that you lot think its normal.
The service you get on the Tube ISN’T NORMAL, and for that matter, most British public transport, it’s truly SUB STANDARD. The way you’re treated by your government is PRETTY RUDDY POOR. I’ve grown up and lived in different countries when you can expect what you ask for THE FIRST TIME, and you don’t have to complain. The industries there have established standards that they adhere to voluntarily NOT because you’ve had to stand up and complain…
PS - I should point out here that my request for a British passport was because my mother was going through depression (amongst other things) when I was a teenager and was not a very well woman AT ALL. The rest of the family disappeared and didnt help one bit. I was happy looking after her but then military service threatened to take me back to Italy and put my mum in some sort of care (at taxpayers expense I’m presuming) luckily the Italian government saw sense at the very last minute so I now continue to hold my Italian passport.
Been to the states Toby, lived there for almost 4 years thanks…Had some crap service there too - see it’s not all Disneyworld you know!! Thanks for patronising though…
I usually find that things go right first time for me over here. Whether getting a plumber or buying a coffee. On the rare occasion something is a bit shabby or wrong, I complain and it gets fixed. Job done.
Going off topic for this bit - see I can do rants too - The only thing I don’t like about UK is the government and I’ve made sure not to vote labour all my 18 years of eligibility. Hopefully other people will wake up and smell the coffee but I doubt it as B-liar and now Gordon employed the largest public sector workforce yet seen (not likely to vote out your employers eh!) and kept the masses happy with celebs at Downing St, Big Brother and paper based wealth with house prices and easy credit.
Back on topic - I usually find that if you keep a positive attitude and treat people how you would like to be treated you suffer very few issues. Perhaps instead of the negativity and stereotyping, try that approach instead. :w00t:
Actually forgot to add…you bemoan British workmanship but it seems your actual issue is wanting service with a smile. You’ll find that most of the goods you get here are no longer UK made. You can thank Labour and the unions for that 
Aw come on, what’s that for a response Gooner…how do you know how I ordered the pictures…?
How do you know how I asked the plumber to repair the sink…?
Do you have visions of me going, “Oi you useless tossbag, I know you’re gonna screw it up anyway, so I don’t know why I bother asking, but can you fix me sink, you lazy talentless good for nothing pillock you?”
Give me some credit… and ta for the return patronage 