The whinge thread

[giraffe]

I just can't see how someone driving into the back of me makes me more of a risk.

[LAT]

No it does seem rather unfair. I'd certainly consider shopping around.

[gill216]

There was something on tv about this not so long ago. The fact that there has been an incident reported is enough to affect your premium - even if it's a no blame incident.

That's why I was recently keen to settle without involving any insurance company.

We were bitten by that bug many years ago. We were in bed when our car was bashed. I heard it and it was snowing at the time. Colin dragged on clothes and raced up the street because he knew they'd get stuck even just for a short while. He got the reg of the car and we rang the police. The pc was standing in our house when a message came over his radio to say that the car had been stopped a couple of miles away because its head light was missing. Colin handed said head light to the pc as he'd picked it up outside our house.

That was settled knock for knock as the evidence was "inconclusive".

[giraffe]

I just don't see why they tell you it doesn't affect your no claims bonus and then put the premium up. It's a total con. The fact that I refused to let the insurance pay for a courtesy car because I didn't need it just adds insult to injury. If I had let the driver's "friend " fix it like he wanted to then the warranty on my car would have been invalidated, and as he wasn't sure of his own address I didn't trust him to pay up anyway.

[gill216]

This conversation prompted me into sorting out my e-bike for winter. I've brought home the most expensive part - the battery. It would cost in the region of £300 pounds to replace. I paid £597 for the bike complete. I have it insured all risks on our home policy. Null and void if I leave it in one the most secure of secure metal secure caravan sheds for more than 30 days. I can bring it home and stick it outside in a wooden shed that anyone could get into with very little effort. I can't get bicycle insurance because it's considered motorised.

It really gets right up my nose when you try to do things the "right way" and being penalised for doing so.

[Bunnylump]

Cleaning the wedding dress. £150.


Yes, you did hear that right. CLEANING the wedding dress. £150.

[giraffe]

Why would you clean it? Is she planning to wear it again?

[Bunnylump]

Well, if she wants to sell it, she would have had to clean it (the bottom got all muddy when she was having her photos taken in the garden.) And it was just such an awful thing to put such a beautiful dress away in storage (if she decides to keep it) when it was all muddy. But I really did think that was taking the ....

It strikes me that if ANYTHING has the word "wedding" attached to it, the price instantly triples. Clvrlad - be warned!!

[giraffe]

Mine went in a dress cover in the loft for a few years and then when we moved house I think I threw it away.

[gill216]

Can she have it shortened and dyed instead? Could it become a dressy dress?

[Bunnylump]

Not really. Mind you, mine (which was made for me by my aunt) was designed so that I could remove the lace and then wear it as a summer dress. I did remove the lace, but it felt all wrong to wear it again, so I never did. And now I can't because it's so SMALL.

[Snoopy]

A friend of my daughter ran a charity ball and everyone wore their wedding dresses and the men dressed up as well. Although I didn't attend I watched them all leave in their finery. It was really good seeing the different styles over the years. Those who couldn't get into their dresses either visited charity shops or wore bridesmaids or other glamorous outfits. I believe they raised about £4000 and are hoping to do it again.

[LAT]

I once enquired about getting one of my daughter's ball gowns cleaned as she had spilt some wine on it. The cost wasn't cheap (but nowhere near £150) but they said they couldn't guarantee getting the wine out. So I brought it home, bought some silk detergent and washed it carefully by hand myself. With pretty good results too.

[Bunnylump]

That just made me laugh. It was the "one of my daughter's ball gowns" bit that tickled me. I've never, ever even WORN a ball gown (or for that matter, been to a ball!

[LAT]

Didn't K have a summer ball in her last year at school? Or at university?

[Bunnylump]

Oh yes, SHE is the same. Has been the proud owner of at least two ball gowns. It was just the thought that I'd NEVER done anything like that, even by my advanced years, and to be honest it's unlikely that I ever will. These young people just don't know how lucky they are, do they? I might add that MY wedding dress cost me £25 and we didn't even have an evening reception! Oh, and MY honeymoon was in Wales. Slight difference from St Lucia?

[clvrlad]

MY wedding dress cost me £25 and we didn't even have an evening reception! Oh, and MY honeymoon was in Wales.

sounds ok to me.... must suggest it to kendra

[LAT]

When I got married the cheapest dresses I could find were about £40 but there was a fairly good choice for that price.
Our honeymoon was one night in a hotel outside Dorking followed by 3 at a B&B in Chester!

[giraffe]

We had 3 nights in Paris, memorable mainly for the journey there, by train and hovercraft. Never been on a hovercraft since and nothing would persuade me to, and we still laugh about the very annoying talkative woman who sat opposite us on the train, and clearly wasn't listening when they told her to collect her bags at Calais. She was last seen running down the platform in Paris trying to get a train back to Calais!

[Bunnylump]

MY wedding dress cost me £25 and we didn't even have an evening reception! Oh, and MY honeymoon was in Wales.

sounds ok to me.... must suggest it to kendra

Thing is, it SOUNDS pretty naff. But I LOVED my wedding day, and so did everybody else! I didn't WANT a day long thing, I wanted it to be simple, short and lovely. So we got married at the local registry office (although I must admit we are very lucky with that because it's a listed building in Hemel Hempstead and looks like this )

Then we had a home-made reception at Heath Barn (which my Mum got for free because she taught at the school it's attached to)

We had salads and sandwiches followed by a wedding cake which had been made by D's Dad. And no, he wasn't a baker, he was an executive from a carpet company!!)

I didn't have a bridesmaid, D didn't have a best man. We picked two of our friends as witnesses and that was that.

Then we left for our honeymoon. And it was WONDERFUL.