Got a call out this morning at 7am to go to a broken down moffett forklift at a farm near Wrexham. Iam in Norfolk so 3hr 45m and 210 miles later I get there to find a blocked in-line diesel filter, 5 minutes to fit a £1.80 part and iam on my way home. Fortunately I like driving.
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daleyd
Member
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- 10,394
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- Wrexham, North Wales
I live in Wrexham, a couple of weeks ago I was on call and had a call that a steel plant near Swansea was down and needed an engineer visit.
Drove down first thing on Sunday morning, spent an hour doing inductions and when done the guy collected me and said “er, yeah it’s been up and running since last night. They changed an actuator on a valve and apparently it’s all ok now…” - so not even my problem
Being philosophical I shrugged my shoulders and took the money for 8 - 9 hours at Sunday rate. As I was leaving I thought that I could have been sat there on Sunday night with it still not working and the production manager jumping up and down, so it could have been worse.
I wasn’t too impressed when I got a summons for driving in bus lane at park trostre driving in (I don’t know the area that well) that landed through the door 2 weeks later
brightspark
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- 41,078
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- yarm stockton on tees
i regularly did callouts up to 90 miles just to tell; someone they had no credit on there leccy key meter 
if i couldnt be asrsed to go i gave them advice on reading the meter when it was on emergency and i still got 50 quid for it if i was woken up and didnt go 
if i couldnt be asrsed to go i gave them advice on reading the meter when it was on emergency and i still got 50 quid for it if i was woken up and didnt go You had better weather than East Anglia today. It was -3 and freezing fog when I left home and -1 and freezing fog when I got back.I live in Wrexham, a couple of weeks ago I was on call and had a call that a steel plant near Swansea was down and needed an engineer visit.
Drove down first thing on Sunday morning, spent an hour doing inductions and when done the guy collected me and said “er, yeah it’s been up and running since last night. They changed an actuator on a valve and apparently it’s all ok now…” - so not even my problem
Being philosophical I shrugged my shoulders and took the money for 8 - 9 hours at Sunday rate. As I was leaving I thought that I could have been sat there on Sunday night with it still not working and the production manager jumping up and down, so it could have been worse.
I wasn’t too impressed when I got a summons for driving in bus lane at park trostre driving in (I don’t know the area that well) that landed through the door 2 weeks later
brightspark
Member
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- 41,078
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- yarm stockton on tees
was 5 below freezing fog going to york this moring at 5 am
1st time in years going to autojumble doing 45 mph with dipped beam lights its normaly a lot faster 
angellonewolf
Member
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- 8,694
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- bristol england
i dont do the long drives as i work no a lot closer to home but do get a few calls x not working and 95 percent of the time its a battery low or someone has turned off the heating etc
the one i realy laughed about i had a call i was away over the weekend boss phoned the oven not working i know your away but you know the place can you phone them so i got the number phoned them they said sorry to disturb you i said dont worry let see what we can do i said go to the box under the stairs cheak that all trips are ok yes ok go to cuboard to thed left of the cooker look in side theres a switch there is that on yes ok one more before going over the cooker on the worktop on the left just to the right of the microwave (at this point i must been on speaker phone)i hear a lady oh look behind all the stacked up food theres a switch turned on and oven working they where so sorry i just said no problem realy im glad it was something we could sort and said to them have a good weekend
the one i realy laughed about i had a call i was away over the weekend boss phoned the oven not working i know your away but you know the place can you phone them so i got the number phoned them they said sorry to disturb you i said dont worry let see what we can do i said go to the box under the stairs cheak that all trips are ok yes ok go to cuboard to thed left of the cooker look in side theres a switch there is that on yes ok one more before going over the cooker on the worktop on the left just to the right of the microwave (at this point i must been on speaker phone)i hear a lady oh look behind all the stacked up food theres a switch turned on and oven working they where so sorry i just said no problem realy im glad it was something we could sort and said to them have a good weekend
I was once called out to a Category A prison on the Isle of Wight late in the evening - living SE London at the time. (Our computers supervised certian aspects of security at the prison). Managed to catch the last ferry out of Portsmouth, and got to the prison.
Knocking on the (great big doors) I was told that the shift had changed and there was nothing in the log about me comng - would I please go away. Fine I said, sign my service report to confirm that you are refusing me entry and I'll be on my way. (contract complied with !)
By now it's about 2 in the morning, no chance of getting a bed for the night so I hunkered down in the car on the ferry slip way awaiting the first ferry back to civilisation.
Arrived home with a stiff neck and a sense of futility . . . !
Knocking on the (great big doors) I was told that the shift had changed and there was nothing in the log about me comng - would I please go away. Fine I said, sign my service report to confirm that you are refusing me entry and I'll be on my way. (contract complied with !)
By now it's about 2 in the morning, no chance of getting a bed for the night so I hunkered down in the car on the ferry slip way awaiting the first ferry back to civilisation.
Arrived home with a stiff neck and a sense of futility . . . !
redlig
Member
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- 4,118
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- wiltshire uk
Drove to Plymouth one day ( 175 miles each way) to sort out a 6ft 6inch bouncer at a gay night club up on the moor. 1000cc m/c. Persistent complaint of flat battery and non starting ,dealer changed everything . Bloke fuming as it usually happens in early hours of morning . " It will do it now watch" sure enough guy switches on ,hits started button and bike turns over until battery is flat. I shoot the breese for 5 minutes then switch on ,turn off the lights which are on full beam , close the throttle and prod the starter button .Result instant start up and running like a dream. Quick lecture on how to start his bike and he slinks away. Best bit was rejecting the warranty claims from dealer and kicked a few backsides for incompetence, and signed a mechanic on training course.
I was called out to a fault at the Dyce (Scotland) control centre where our computers were monitoring pressures and temperatures of the undersea pipelines from the oil fields. Computer down, and for insurance reasons the oil wasn't allowed to flow,
Living SE London, drove to Heath Row, booked a flight to Aberdeen (change flights at Edinburgh) Fog at Edinburgh - diverted to Glasgow. Glasgow now fog bound. Overnight train to Aberdeen via Perth.
Arrived knackered at the control centre at some ungodly hour - fixed 'fault' in five minutes (Drive belt broken on Burroughs fast access disk drive)
Then spent 3 days trying to sleep in the departure lounge awaiting a flight back to civilisation - do I miss those days - no not really !
Living SE London, drove to Heath Row, booked a flight to Aberdeen (change flights at Edinburgh) Fog at Edinburgh - diverted to Glasgow. Glasgow now fog bound. Overnight train to Aberdeen via Perth.
Arrived knackered at the control centre at some ungodly hour - fixed 'fault' in five minutes (Drive belt broken on Burroughs fast access disk drive)
Then spent 3 days trying to sleep in the departure lounge awaiting a flight back to civilisation - do I miss those days - no not really !
Iam very surprised someone hasn't quoted your first sentence and cut the rest.
premmington
Member
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- 6,113
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- Norfolk
Took dogs out at 3/4pm this afternoon - freezing fog - very bitter.
Just took them out again 8pm for last run of the day - lot warmer - I was over dressed to be honest...
Barking Mat
Cuddler of hedgehogs.
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- 13,379
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- France, Brittany.
One and a half hour drive, Russian client, all I understood was fridge problem.
I turned up, he couldn't close the fridge door.
I removed two bottles of beer.
Drove back.
I turned up, he couldn't close the fridge door.
I removed two bottles of beer.
Drove back.
We sent a team out to Russia to commission some computerised printing equipment before the Berlin Wall came down. The client it turned out hadn’t got the infrastructure in place to take it so decided that our team couldn’t leave. This went on for weeks.
needless to say future projects were cancelled as no staff were prepared to be effectively imprisoned.
needless to say future projects were cancelled as no staff were prepared to be effectively imprisoned.
DAPPH
as dyslexik as I'm daft
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- 7,493
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- Near to Cross Hands Llanelli SouthWales GB
Unlucky on the bus lane fine , there's not many in that area .I live in Wrexham, a couple of weeks ago I was on call and had a call that a steel plant near Swansea was down and needed an engineer visit.
Drove down first thing on Sunday morning, spent an hour doing inductions and when done the guy collected me and said “er, yeah it’s been up and running since last night. They changed an actuator on a valve and apparently it’s all ok now…” - so not even my problem
Being philosophical I shrugged my shoulders and took the money for 8 - 9 hours at Sunday rate. As I was leaving I thought that I could have been sat there on Sunday night with it still not working and the production manager jumping up and down, so it could have been worse.
I wasn’t too impressed when I got a summons for driving in bus lane at park trostre driving in (I don’t know the area that well) that landed through the door 2 weeks later
Farside
Badly Welded Man
- Messages
- 6,131
- Location
- Ireland
Got put on a plane to the Orkneys, where a service engineer was already stumped at the behaviour of the Coast Guard's gen set.
I knew the control panel inside out - been building the bloody things for a few years - sat in front of the panel, mentally traced the wiring and pointed to a relay.
"Change that."
It fired up and ran perfectly. Took me five minutes.
So-called service engineer should have been able to do that.
The worst part was sharing the drive back down, he drove like an arrishole.
I knew the control panel inside out - been building the bloody things for a few years - sat in front of the panel, mentally traced the wiring and pointed to a relay.
"Change that."
It fired up and ran perfectly. Took me five minutes.
So-called service engineer should have been able to do that.
The worst part was sharing the drive back down, he drove like an arrishole.
Hopefuldave
Intergalactic pot-mender
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- 2,545
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- The Shed of Danger, surrey, England
Made a trip from Surey/Hampshire border (Odiham, being exact) to the Ford Trucks axle plant in Wales, entire computer network for the factory down - in the days of 10Broad36, Ethernet over cable TV hardware - when i arrived the green light on the head-end amplifier was out, so I changed the fuse in the plug....
frank horton
V twins are great but 4"s rule.........
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- Crete, Greece
I went from Manchester to some awful prison in Yorkshire.....not so far really....
they said there was a smell of Diesel in the away carpark.....
the one way valve on the genny day tank had stuck open, 5,000galls of red everywhere via the overflow inc a stream.....
lucky I took wellies.....
pumped out the floor of the container, cant rememeber how many 45gall drums of red I took home.....he he....
Stupid thing, there are 2 stop valves in line but nobody knows how to use em......!!!!!!!!!
busy yesterday, working alone, taking part of the shelter down for the new w/shop...weather was a bit poor max, 22º..still in a T and shorts tho.....
they said there was a smell of Diesel in the away carpark.....
the one way valve on the genny day tank had stuck open, 5,000galls of red everywhere via the overflow inc a stream.....
lucky I took wellies.....
pumped out the floor of the container, cant rememeber how many 45gall drums of red I took home.....he he....
Stupid thing, there are 2 stop valves in line but nobody knows how to use em......!!!!!!!!!
busy yesterday, working alone, taking part of the shelter down for the new w/shop...weather was a bit poor max, 22º..still in a T and shorts tho.....
Trevorleach
Member
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- 1,462
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- UK
Our local recovery company got in their wrecker from Kent onto the ferry and a couple of hundred miles into France, opened cab door took one look, and pushed the broms brake button, then got into his truck and drove back home again!
Reported fault was brakes will not release, and on the older volvos once you have built the air up you have to push the broms button to keep the brakes off.
Reported fault was brakes will not release, and on the older volvos once you have built the air up you have to push the broms button to keep the brakes off.
