Pet Peeves | Page 209 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

(1) The DWP (Department of Work & Pensions).

The last few weeks have been a struggle while waiting for my Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to be re-confirmed, especially as it hits part of my Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) payment. At the medical which took place at the beginning of May, the assessor showed some surprise that it was needed at all as I had undergone the same assessment at the end of the last year, and the report then had said I wouldn’t need seeing again for at least two years. But you do what you’re told when you’re needing benefits, and she revealed that she wouldn’t be disagreeing in any way with the previous report.

On 22 May I got a text from the DWP that they had received the written report and I should hear within four weeks, which was reached on Tuesday, and still no word. Phone calls to be made next week to find out what’s happening and chase them.

(2) My local Post Office.

I can only get money from a Post Office or a Post Office cashpoint. My local PO, just a five-minute walk down the road. It’s been closed since a week ago Wednesday, and their cashpoint has now run out of money. The shop aren’t saying why it’s shut, when it will reopen, or when the cashpoint will be working again.

The nearest PO after that is about a mile away, but not on a bus route from where I am, and with a great big fecking hill to walk up. Then the next nearest is in Orpington, but luckily it’s on a bus route. Still means a fecking trip to get any money at the minute.

(3) Automatic downloads when you’re on a metered connection (Pay-As-You-Go).

While waiting for my benefits to be sorted I’m having to manage my internet use, which I’ve been doing rather well. Wednesday I had just over 1GB to get me through to today. Easy. Closed Sims 4 because it was running slow and I was getting some very weird looking animations on my modded expansion and content. A 1.25GB game update started to download in Origin, and I straightaway cancelled it. It’s probably to prepare for the Seasons expansion, but since I can’t afford it until the benefits are sorted, not bothered about the update. Spent some time doing other things, and when I looked at the laptop again. Origin had ignored my cancelling it and killed my data which would have seen me through to today. It had stopped at 800MBs, all wasted because I had to cancel it again to get the game to play.

(4) 3, my mobile network for my laptop.

It gets antsy when you’re running low on data and stops connecting. It had stopped the Origin download leaving me with about 300MBs, plenty for light usage, but it’s refused to connect 95% of the time, and kicks me off quickly when it does connect, leaving me with my phone which I struggle to use the internet on because of crappy pop-up keyboard and fat fingers.

Topping-up today, it started using the 192MBs of the previous top-up I had left. The fecking network should allow me to use the data I have paid for until I have no data, not stop me using, or make it difficult to use, data when it gets to around 300MBs. I’ve paid for that 300MBs, you feckers!

 Totally agree, and I’m yet to face the horror of having to switch to Universal Credit, which makes PIP look like a picnic.

Today’s pet peeve is…

No fecking understanding on my part. What data are these sites ripping from those who can access them that breaks European data rules? I see that warning, or one of its variations, usually from American sites, and I do wonder what these sites are up to… and I’d be asking much more loudly if I had access but knew they wanted things from me that European laws prohibit on the grounds of privacy.

Not the only mistake in the film, @AppleScruffJunior. Ahmet Ertegun’s name was misspelled every time it was captioned, and Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters was described as their guitarist.

Not really a BBC doc though, it was made for cinema, and the major funder was Showtime, so they can’t really be blamed.