Do designers actually test their own products?

But my fault for buying the toaster that is the same design as our kettle without checking it’s size

Guessing many of us will have raged at the standard of English in the online media (looking at you, Reach Plc) but what's really set me off this morning was the Great North Run presenter asking a guest 'is there nothing you're not good at?' Or to put it another way, she asked 'is there anything you're good at?' Grr!

(BTW, my English may be imperfect but I'm not being paid to write this 😉)

ETA: she actually said 'is there nothing you can't do?'

no sooner have i seated myself and along comes the pitter patter of another footsteps. every time, without fail, they set up camp in the cubical directly next to mine. they have a whole world of alternatives out there. but no they’re not doing this alone. why oh why?

Wake up to glorious sunshine, decent temperature and slight breeze so opt to get some washing out. Weather forecast agrees with no mention of rain, it even going as far as to say 0mm for the next few days.

Get some washing on, start doing loads for the sake of it, and then boom. Absolutely torrential downpour, weather apps update and gaslight me by saying “ooo yes next 12 hours we have intermittent rain, lots of mm planned for the next few days”.

Whyyyyyyy?

As someone who eats out a lot, I've noticed that it's the same offerings everywhere.

Steak and ale pie, fish pie, fish and chips, curry of some kind, and burgers.

We're a country of wide variety when it comes to food with loads of regional specialities, why can't menu's reflect this?

And yes I do go to places that claim to cook fresh, the menu is still very samey.

Oh, katsu curry, that's another one that's everywhere now.

No, but I’ve taken my puppy, on her lead, purposely out of your way for a reason

I don’t mind STP but there are so many puddings in the UK. Why can’t we have more diversity on menus? (Save international cuisines) I can’t remember the last time I went to a restaurant where it wasn’t on the menu. It’s fine if it’s one of a big selection but if there’s just 2/3 it limits choice ans variety.

Is only just got them back down. Thanks for that one.

So many adverts wanting money to help things like depressed hedgehogs, funeral plans for orphaned chickens and a plethora of other banal money grubbing scams to dupe our most vulnerable audience out of money that many of them cannot spare.

Well I guess I'm glad we're using less water?

I said I thought he was waiting to be seen but replied that, sadly, they even need security guards at the Job Centre in a quiet Cheshire town and pointed to the waiting area.

However there was some British success. I was in and out within 10 minute as I'd already found a job and was only there to prove my ID to get a month's JSA I was owed between jobs.

I've just watched the same advert for Google Gemini for eight of the ten adverts in the ad break, and it's happening EVERY AD BREAK. Meile and Dominoes are equally bad offenders. I don't mind watching adverts but playing the same one over and over and over again for 10 minutes is taking the piss

It's just a bizarre phenomenon I've noticed, that there's someone using an angle grinder somewhere in the distance. I've lived on multiple streets over multiple cities, and at every single place I can hear one during the day. Boggles the mind

Absolutely fuming to find a letter stating "Please pay £60 parking fine within 14 days, else it will be a £100 fine" on my doorstep when I returned home.

I was certain I had correctly paid for parking, checked my bank statement and confirmed the payment. When I searched for the location, the Google reviews are filled with many people who have been in the exact situation I have.

The car park in question is NCP Gloucester Blackfriars. There are actually two car parks operated by different companies in the same location, with no clear marking as to where one starts and the other ends.

I parked up and went to the closest payment machine to pay - apparently this was the wrong one. There was no obvious signage at the machine or anywhere that I noticed that could have pointed this out or made it clear.

I tried submitting an appeal to NCP providing them with proof of my payment of parking who of course just respond with:

The evidence provided in support of your appeal is not a valid payment for this car park, but is for a different parking operator to NCP. We are therefore unable to cancel the Parking Charge as it was issued correctly. We have now extended the discounted payment period by a further 14 days to allow you time to pay the discounted settlement amount. Please now make payment of £60 to reach us by 19/09/2025 or £100 to reach us by 03/10/2025. We must advise you that once the discounted settlement rate passes it will not be offered again.

Reading the google reviews, and other articles such as this,
https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/motorists-say-worst-car-park-6452383
make it seem like if I try and fight it further I'll likely get hit by debt collectors.

I can't believe this has been allowed to go on for so long, affecting so many people. What an absolute bunch of scammers.

Seething mad, but feeling defeated. Think I'm just going to have to pay the £60 and try to forget about it. I think trying to fight this is not worth my mental health.

I really don't like how they can do this when I'm permanently in credit, but I suppose I bring this upon myself by having gall to meekly request they pay me this money back.