On-line Shopping Myth

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Hi all,

As some of you know, or worked out due to my forum name, i`m well into bikes, and have 2 Triumph Daytonas.  My 955i Daytona has been off the road for around 3 years now, due to a leaking fuel tank, and me being a little concerned over working  on modern bikes.  However, in the last few months, i`ve been steadily plugging away trying to work out how to take the thing apart and re-assemble it, and gertting things back the way they should.  One of the things that was needed was an oil and filter change, but this was made difficult by the bike NOT having a centre stand, so makes filling and checking oil levels a bit tricky.  Having taken the advice from the RAT community on facebook, i looked on-line for a "front wheel choc", and found one, with a local stockist being in Poole.  When i checked on-line, the manufacturers recommended retail price was around £120 + the dreaded Vodka And Tonic, making the total price of over £148.  When i checked their site for the local stockist, it came up with one close by in Poole, so i rang them up, and guess what....... About £85 plus booze, making it just over £100. My first reaction was one of shock, so i`d planned to go down and buy one this morning. However, i remembered we had a motorcycle jumble down at Netley Marsh, and had already planned to go, as i was hoping to find a couple of things for the Daytona.  When walking round the jumble, one of these front wheel chocs caught my eye, and when i picked it up to have a good look, it had a price tag on it ............ £45.  I asked the stallholder if he had any boxed up, and was amazed to find out he had about 6 or 7, not including the 2 out front fully assembled. So i snapped his hand off. 

We`re always being told to shop around and shop on-line, but i`ve always believed, and always will believe, you get far better service, and have the chance of striking a deal, that you can`t do if you shop on-line, plus i much prefer the personal approach. I worked it out even when you take the entry price into the jumble, and the fuel to get down there, i`ve saved around £95 over the manufacturers "on-line" price. 

This is`nt the first time i`ve bought things in store cheaper than on line, and it won`t be the last.

 

 

[grendel]

its even cheaper at boot fairs and bike jumbles, plus you can see what you are getting.

 

[Timbo]

My better half is a perfumier, and is about to start the busiest part of her year. The fragrances she sells are your £160 -£260 a bottle jobs like Amouage, Creed and Channel. After Christmas is what I call 'ebay sucker' week where my other half talks herself hoarse explaining to those that bought 'bargains' on ebay how to tell what they bought is a fake product. She also spends considerable time turning away the opportunist thieves who buy fake goods online and try to return them to shops.  

A quick tip for all those blokes looking to buy fragrance for their ladies this Christmas. If you want to buy a coiffer or a gift set, buy them as soon as they arrive in the shops, the good stuff does not come down in price on Christmas Eve or in the sales. The coiffers will be sold out quickly. And please remember that none of the perfume houses allow their products to be sold online. Oh and if you can buy the fragrance in Wilko's...shiny gift wrap won't save you! Spend that little bit extra...she's worth it really!

Having said that I now have to start my yearly hunt for the ultimate fragrance for the perfumier and last years fragrance was bought online...luckily it was certified by the fragrance house and an original unopened bottle circa 1926 by Houbigant...for her collection. Now that earned me some brownie points.

So end's this Timbo's public broadcast on behalf of the women of the NBN. Next week's tip...Cleaning, how to fool the Mrs you've tried your best!

[Gracie]

On behalf of the women of the NBN, I would just like to say that we know exactly what you're up to when you make a pigs ear of the cleaning, cooking, shopping etc, you pretend to be so useless at it that we will turn round and say "Just leave it, don't bother, I'll do it myself" ..........You may have a smug grin on your faces thinking how you have won another 'battle' but fear not we will make you suffer in more ways you could ever think possible

And another thing, women don't nag, if you just do as you're told in the first place the word 'nag' wouldn't exist

Grace

p,s  Im indoors said to me "You never bring me breakfast in bed" I said "If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the ruddy kitchen"

[BroadAmbition]

Leaking fuel tank?  well now here's the thing.  My Tiger1050 developed a leaking fuel tank when it was around 5 years old - way past the guarantee time frame   I was well miffed as it's a non-service item.  I fired off a letter of requesting help to Triumph at Hinckley basically blaming myself and asking their advice what I could do to avoid the same problem occurring in the future.  It worked like a charm, they were very understanding.  They went to the trouble of manufacturing then painting a scorched yellow tank (They stopped the scorched yellow colour an age ago now) then forwarded it onto my local Triumph dealership in Connisbrough for me to collect all FOC.  It then got even better, the dealership asked me to bring the original leaking tank in for swapping on the condition that it was still attached to my Tiger.  I was given a coffee and a sticky bun while they then exchanged the lot over throwing in a free tank guard again FOC.  Now that is proper customer after sales service for you.

On the subject of baulking at getting stuck in with tools on todays modern technically advance machinery - I'm right there with you and have the same concerns.  However my Tiger developed a leaking head gasket on the water cooling side of things.  Again my local dealership agreed that it in no way was down to my service regimes so they agreed to supply all genuine parts at trade price,  Now to my mind, an engine is an engine, if someone can build it, I can strip it down and rebuild it.. Sharp intake of breath, stiff upper lip, pull back shoulders and get stuck in.  Hours later - job done, 2k miles further on she is still purring like a dream or growling in exuberance.       Modern engines / technology - Pah!!!!

So you go for it, you know you have it in you

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

On behalf of the women of the NBN, I would just like to say that we know exactly what you're up to when you make a pigs ear of the cleaning, cooking, shopping etc, you pretend to be so useless at it that we will turn round and say "Just leave it, don't bother, I'll do it myself" ..........You may have a smug grin on your faces thinking how you have won another 'battle' but fear not we will make you suffer in more ways you could ever think possible

And another thing, women don't nag, if you just do as you're told in the first place the word 'nag' wouldn't exist

Grace

p,s  Im indoors said to me "You never bring me breakfast in bed" I said "If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the ruddy kitchen"

 

Grace - the above is arguably imho one of the best posts you have ever done on the NBN, And I love it to bits

Us 'Men' even if we will never admit it, secretly know you are absolutely spot on

Griff

[Bound2Please]

Griff dont make Her head swell to much or she will become to ................... oh eeck climbs outa hole ive just dug.

Charlie

[Hockham Admiral]

6 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

 Now to my mind, an engine is an engine, if someone can build it, I can strip it down and rebuild it.. Sharp intake of breath, stiff upper lip, pull back shoulders and get stuck in.  Hours later - job done, 2k miles further on she is still purring like a dream or growling in exuberance.       Modern engines / technology - Pah!!!!

So you go for it, you know you have it in you

Griff

 

Bloomin' eck, Charlie... you don't mess about do you!    

[BroadScot]

1 hour ago, Hockham Admiral said:

Bloomin' eck, Charlie... you don't mess about do you!    

Indeed !!!

 

[BroadScot]

2 hours ago, Bound2Please said:

Griff dont make Her head swell to much or she will become to ................... oh eeck climbs outa hole ive just dug.

Charlie

Griff, Charlie, report to the Mods Office on Monday morning!  May I remind you gentlemen that Gracie lures you in, and, before you know it, its buy her bottles, no.....cases of wine, and you are expected to drive her to any and every shoe shop south of Watford Gap ! 

You, gentlemen, will be giving the rest of us poor down trodden males a very bad name !!!

Iain

[addicted]

8 hours ago, Gracie said:

On behalf of the women of the NBN, I would just like to say that we know exactly what you're up to when you make a pigs ear of the cleaning, cooking, shopping etc, you pretend to be so useless at it that we will turn round and say "Just leave it, don't bother, I'll do it myself" ..........You may have a smug grin on your faces thinking how you have won another 'battle' but fear not we will make you suffer in more ways you could ever think possible

And another thing, women don't nag, if you just do as you're told in the first place the word 'nag' wouldn't exist

Grace

p,s  Im indoors said to me "You never bring me breakfast in bed" I said "If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the ruddy kitchen"

Gracies What's good for the goose etc., When first married my new husband asked me press his suit trousers. I had already discovered that I loathe and detest ironing with a passion. So this request didn't go down well. I merely asked in all innocence " do I have to turn them inside out to avoid making them shiny?" He pressed them himself and never asked me to do it again. Result!!!

regards,

Carole

[Gracie]

What a girl  Also another bit of 'advice'......when ironing his best shirt, try not to leave the iron in one place a tad too long until it leaves that nasty brown burn, I haven't been asked to iron a shirt since  I did discover this by accident, honest

Grace

[grendel]

I havent been allowed to do the washing up at my parents since chipping a denby mug as a child.

[Timbo]

In my second marriage I discovered 'Pressjitsu' or Oriental Combat Ironing. I had been delegated the task of doing all of the household ironing. After the wife had moaned that 'I had not ironed her underwear' I carefully folded her knickers with the fold along the gusset facing inwards. I applied household soap to the inside of the seam and then liberally sprayed the gusset with starch. I then surgically applied a hot iron to the gusset to create an inward facing razor sharp crease. The true Pressjitsu warrior now composes a serene face and watches his opponent dance, hop, squirm and wriggle through a day at work...saving the coup de gras for the evening where you calmly ask 'got ants in your pants?'.

Three days before we went our separate ways I practised pressjitsu on every pair of knickers, slacks, jeans and trousers the woman possessed. A year later and I bumped into the ex wife with her new husband of ten months at a gig we were playing. The ex danced about, squirmed, wriggled hopped from one leg to the other the whole night. The coup de gras was delivered. 'Got ants in your pants?'. Her husband replied 'she's been like it for a year...all through the wedding ceremony'.

On that day I became a pressjitsu Grand Master.

[addicted]

That has to be one of the most evil yet funny things I've eve read. It begs the question " what sort of mind dreams  up a trick like that?

Regards,

 Carole

[Gracie]

Carole, I imagine a very sick mind indeed, I think, for our own well being and peace of mind, it might be best that we don't ever get on the wrong side of our Timbo And I won't be asking im indoors to iron my underwear anytime soon either lol

Grace

 

[BroadScot]

If you think Tim is evil with starch, can you imagine what he is like with one of those Archeogical trowels !!! 

Iain

[grendel]

11 minutes ago, BroadScot said:

If you think Tim is evil with starch, can you imagine what he is like with one of those Archeogical trowels !!! 

Iain

sharpened like a razor, like his wit...

[addicted]

41 minutes ago, Gracie said:

Carole, I imagine a very sick mind indeed, I think, for our own well being and peace of mind, it might be best that we don't ever get on the wrong side of our Timbo And I won't be asking im indoors to iron my underwear anytime soon either lol

Grace

 

I'm 100% with you on that Gracie, Frightening just thinking about it. What else is he capable of coming up with one asks, however it's a purely rhetorical question as one doesn't want to know the answer, it doesn't bear thinking about. I do wonder if the ironing system had anything to do with them going their separate ways 3 days later. if so I'm amazed it took that long!!!

Regards,

Carole

[addicted]

7 hours ago, Hockham Admiral said:

Bloomin' eck, Charlie... you don't mess about do you!    

My father never bought a car that he didn't feel obliged to strip the engine of. In 1953 ( the year is significant) he arrived home with a bright green MG. My mother being very superstitious nearly fainted at the sight of a green car." Fear not" said father When I've finished stripping the engine, I'm going to re-spray the bodywork" What colour we asked, "Bronze" he replied. and he and the car disappeared into the garage at the bottom of the garden.  The car wasn't seen Again for several weeks. This spraying venture was a great novelty, metallic finishes were practically unheard of at that time, involving him mixing his own paint  involving all manner of Alchemy. Finally when no part of the car remained untouched it was time for the unveiling followed by the Sunday drive out to the country. When it came out of the garage, my mother announced "it isn't bronze at all,  it's Gold! !"Less than impressed by her lack of enthusiasm for the new colour,  my father somewhat tersely said "nonsense it's bronze, get in"  Off we went. While driving through the  Hertfordshire countryside somewhere we passed a group of cyclists taking a breather by the roadside, they all got out their handkerchiefs and waved  at us as we went by. "Did you see that?" shrieked my Mother ," They think it's the b****Y golden coach! Take me home at once I've never been so embarrassed in my life!!!" Whereupon she sat on the floor and refused to move until the car and she were back in the garage. It re- emerged a week  later a much more muted shade of Bronze, and drew many admiring glances for  all the right reasons. My father may have been a bit colour blind (to be fair I think the poor light in the garage played a part in the drama)  but he knew his way round engines . He was a spitfire mechanic in the RAF during WW2

Regards,

Carole

[grendel]

I once bought a transit parcel van, its speedo only went up to 99,999 miles, but as far as we could reckon, it had seen that at least twice, so the engine was stripped and rebuilt with the next size up cutting piston rings, by the time we got rid of it it had passed 99,999 again.

one ofmy volvo 340's had a warped cylinder head, I could change the head gasket in 30 minutes by the roadside, I even had a spare engine (just as bad as the first) that I could swap over in the garage in just over an hour.

engine work - yes I could, but only out of necessity nowadays.