Harry's South Pole Hero's

I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting Prince Harry, so this is definitely not personal. In fact I admire the fact that he was prepared to put himself through the undoubted hardship of trekking across the South Pole. He could have so easily stayed at home in a palace somewhere. I also admire the fact that he has a proper job which must be quite dangerous & is certainly not cushy.

That said, I do object to the title of this ITV documentary. The people who took part are hero's. They don't need endorsement by Prince Harry or anyone else. They have paid a high price for their membership of the armed forces, as have so many before them. To have the courage to put themselves through a further gruelling test of physical & mental stamina & courage simply emphasises what outstanding human beings they are.

All too often the media seem incapable of letting "ordinary" people tell their own story on their own merits. Somehow the media moguls seem to think that we will only watch if a "celebrity" is involved. We, the public, aren't so shallow. We are perfectly capable of following the exploits of non celebrities. In fact that actually makes the story more meaningful in most cases.

Good for all the people who took part in the programme. Good for Harry too. But he wasn't the star & the programme commissioners should recognise that.

TV - Turning a Deaf Ear. or Two!

I am intrigued. I wonder if anyone else has noticed how many TV programmes have stars who only whisper & seem incapable of normal speech? This will reveal the quality of some of the programmes I watch, which might not be wise. They are hardly erudite. To name but a few - "Revenge", "Person of Interest", "Hostages". It seems to be only the male stars who have laryngitis. Fortunately the women don't seem to be similarly afflicted. So it is possible to guess the gist of the conversations.

Even on good days I'm a bit deaf in one ear. Currently I need to have the dreaded syringing done in both. Lip reading isn't one of the skills I've picked up over the years & although I used to do a bit of signing, but these programmes aren't signed. I find myself cupping a hand behind an ear. I have considered making an ear trumpet.

Added to the sexy whisper these are American programmes by an large, so there is also the language difficulty. As George Bernard Shaw said - "Two countries separated by a common language". Then there is the speed of delivery. American films & TV programmes always seem to be pushed for time. Possibly because the adverts take up so much time. Or maybe scriptwriters are paid by the word, so actors have to gabble to get the episode in the appropriate time?

The sum total of all of this is that I am getting quite adept at guessing. Perhaps I should stick to documentaries. But then I'd be moaning about the intrusive music, the repetetive computer generated images, the bad acting, & the fact that the producers think the audience has the brain capacity of an gnat!

A new Kitchen - Utter exhaustion

I'm usually a glass half full person, but this weekend has been a trial of strength & determination which nearly reduced me to a quivering wreck. I was really pleased that the fitters carried all the boxes of stuff into the kitchen before they left. If they hadn't I doubt that I could have done it. As it was my pacemaker simply couldn't cope with just putting stuff away & cleaning up a bit.

In doing that I discovered that the under unit lighting looks dreadful - all the black wires showing. To be fair you don't see it when you are standing, But I imagine you will when sitting at the table. There is something wrong with the electrical load too - the fuse box tripped 4 times over the last 2 days. I also discovered that some of the self close doors don't. The main problem is the larder cupboard, so I can't put anything in it till  someone puts it right. The Installation Manager couldn't come on Friday as promised by the Area Manager, no one had checked his diary. So he's now coming on Wednesday.

I did a mega food shop yesterday intending to cook myself some tasty, real, food for supper. But when it came to supper time I was too exhausted to cope with the cooker instructions. So I ended up with frankfurters because I could cope with the hob! Must get to grips with the technology today, before I'm too tired to wrestle with it all.

At least I'm going to Maryon's for a proper Sunday lunch today so that should set me up to wrestle with the cooker & combi microwave.

A New Kitchen - A step Closer?

No response to emails yesterday about connecting appliances. Apparently it had been stuck in the managers "Drafts" & not sent till late afternoon when I had logged off. This morning it's been agreed that my excellent electrician will connect up the appliances & certify the electrics & Wren will pay him. The supposed issue about the combi microwave didn't exist. So, by tonight I will be able to cook & store food in the fridge freezer.

Finally a response form the Area Manager, who is sending out the Installation Manager for a site visit. Just waiting for a response to my request for a better price on the quartz worktops as some sort of compensation for all of this hassle.

It's such a shame. The designer was good, the product is good, the fitter was good. What let the company down was the lack of communication, information & joined up thinking. Successful companies have learned the lesson that the core of their success is really good customer service & satisfaction. If that's in place the customer will recommend the company & the business will grow by word of mouth, (& modern communications technology). If it's not at the heart of their company ethos & mission statement, the business will get a poor reputation & ultimately suffer the consequences.

My kitchen will be lovely when it's finished. I will enjoy working & eating in it. But that won't be for about another month & it's already been going on over a period of 3 weeks. I doubt this would happen in northern & eastern European countries who have a meticulous work ethic. British companies have improved customer service enormously. Maybe I've just been unlucky - but I doubt it.

PS
The next thing I knew was a conference call late this morning with the area manager, the showroom manager & someone else, (didn't catch what she did). Wren isn't going to pay my electrician, they are going to refund me a sum of money which they say was the appliance installation cost. But as I was never told what this was, they could just pluck a figure out of the air. They are reducing the extra cost of the worktops by £233. Hopefully the missing door & lights will appear & the fitting of the cornice & cooker hood can take place next week before the fitter goes on holiday.

So, with a fair wind & a bit of luck, by the end of next week all that I'll be waiting for is the worktops & splashbacks. Just 3 weeks for what was supposed to be one weeks work.

A New Kitchen - "Don't count your Chickens!"

Good news - Washing machine on an extension lead so 2 wash loads done & plenty clean knickers! Bad news - no appliances actually commissioned. Fitters & tools gone.

I obviously shouldn't have been so self congratulatory that a site meeting had cleared up all the issues over Wrens fitter & my electrician doing the electrics. My electrician is coming tomorrow to do the lighting - great. But I really want to be able to cook & put food in the fridge freezer. (An over priced pasta take away last night was the final straw & my taste buds are rebelling).

More good news - I have been able to unpack quite a lot of my kitchen contents & put them into cupboards. However, I needed to be restrained, because I don't want stuff in the electricians way & have to move it again.

Bad news - the replacement worktops have been quoted at £2,500 more than the ones that were no good. They are a better quality it's true, but after all the hassle I've put up with I would have thought that they could do a better price than that. Tomorrow will be the 16th anniversary of camping upstairs. Currently Wren have an extra 20% off the sale price & I have been advised that if you still have an open contract they have to apply that to you. I'm not holding my breath, but if anyone knows do tell.

A New Kitchen - Oh Dear

After the site meeting, the fitter suggested putting the worktops onto the base units so I could see what the whole thing looks like - A good idea. It hadn't been possible in the showroom when I ordered. I had, however, pointed out in December that the edging strip, which was either a grey / beige stripe, (awful), or just a dark grey, (also completely the wrong tone for the warm, glittery, gold flecked top), wasn't good. The beige colour in the striped one was much better if I could have it without the grey stripe. Anyway I never got a response, so ordered & hoped it would work because I really like the "Galaxy Dove" worktop itself.

The edge just didn't work with the warm sage colour of the units & the exposed wood which the wine rack is made of also made the edging look worse. So we have to have a plan B. Fortunately Wren will take the worktops & upstands back & I can chose something else & pay the difference. It just means more delay because they will have to be made specially. Now it's down to choosing the colour for the walls & the glass splashbacks. The sage coloured glass the designer had suggested wouldn't look right. You can't just have clear glass with the wall colour behind, because apparently flies can get behind the glass & expire in full view!

Decisions, decisions. But I have got 3-4 different worktops to chose from & I have been out to get some matchpots of paint. Just waiting to hear from my electrician & decorator now. Supposedly the appliances will be fitted by the end of today, a temporary worktop will support the sink & hob & the rest of the base units will be covered by cardboard sheets. There is no shortage of that!

A new Kitchen - Site Meeting.

I rang and asked for a site meeting with the showroom & installation managers this morning, after I discovered from the fitter that there are 2 documents which I've never seen, never mind had copies of  - An installation Summary, about joinery, plumbing, gas & electric installation etc & a Guide to Supplimentary Works Charges. A copy of the Initial Assessment had also not been given me. Most of the issues which have arisen would have been avoided if I had been given these in advance. I would have known exactly what Wren's responsibilities were & what I should arrange privately.

A "full and frank discussion" ensued about all the problems I've had. A lot of stuff came to light as well as the documents. So now, hopefully, Wren, the fitter & I all know what's got to be done, who's got to do it & who's paying. (Not me).  It probably won't be finished before Thursday. Then my decorator has to come in before the final cornices & splashbacks are installed. At that point I will have a beautiful, new, designed by me kitchen - Maybe.

It's all about giving information in a timely way, communication & oversight / project management. Especially when Wren admit that it's a bigger, more complex kitchen than they normally fit. I've been flagging up the problems all week in writing. As they say - it's not "rocket science". The thing is I've ended up being irritated, frustrated & inconvenienced because I didn't have enough information to be able to ask the right questions.

Apparently, on some paperwork, which I didn't have, someone anticipated that the job might take 7 working days. I've always thought it was 5. So there is built in aggravation there & Wren don't do a schedule of works / timeline like most builders I've worked with.

It's such a shame, because I think the product is good. I actually think the fitter is experienced & does a good job. It's the admin / organisation which is rubbish & when you are camping out, eating take aways, in a mess, anything which prolongs that is bad news. But then, "no pain, no gain".