The Gamers Arms

My guess is that the business model doesn't really work for one person. Some ingredients won't last a full week, so then you're paying for two deliveries of small amounts of ingredients (making it look expensive), or only eating for half the week (so it's not as useful a solution). The amount of packaging doubles (and these sorts of companies are routinely judged on the amount of plastic they use), as well as them having to keep stock of single-serving products for a limited audience.

I think they're fairly up front about it being suitable for two or more people; there isn't an option for single person orders when you go through their sign-up process.

This is what they have to say about it:

https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/grocery-de ... one-person

The smallest of our food delivery boxes serves two people, but that’s great if you’re a single-person household.

It’s really not great. This is completely misleading.

Huh. I can't find a single page on their website that links to that. Literally every link I tried ended up on a page where 2 was the minimum number of people.

Fair enough then.

Just be a fat-arsed Yankee and eat twice as much

Who says I didn't?

My electricity company raising the standing charge 80% next month. I am on a low income so I cannot afford more than £40 a month electric—no heating, no hot water, very little oven use. Because I am a low user, they have cynically targeted the standing charge instead. This is on top of Day and Night increases of 41% and 35%.

Utterly cuntish fucks.

Jesus, that's an insane increase! I assume providers are going to use Ukraine as an easy excuse to just fuck everyone for gas and electricity.

I think energy companies are looking for any excuse to recoup the increased costs they'll have had these last few months. Obviously the government did what our government does and threw the most vulnerable under the bus rather than spreading the burden.

I was pretty thankful that I signed up with a 2 year fixed-price contract when I moved house last year, so I've been protected from all of this bullshit, and I'm desperately hoping it's resolved by the middle of next year when it ends. I'm still fed up with the company though; the whole reason I chose this specific contract was that it came with a free Nest smart thermostat, and I've not received it. I did ring them a few months back and they said they were having supply chain issues, and while I know worldwide freight has been an issue in the last year, I don't think it ought to have taken an extra half a year.

There's also the fact that I can reduce my monthly direct debits using SSE's app... but only by £5. They're already taking literally twice what they need to, even when you consider that it's based on the most expensive months of the year. It already feels like a scam that they charge me monthly, keep my money in a pot, and then they charge the actual energy usage to that pot every quarter. I'm currently £400 in credit with them with my next bill due in the next few days. The bill covering November through to January will be £200 or so (the app is actually excellent for tracking your usage, you can even look at individual hours worth of use if you really want). Actually speaking to them required a half-hour wait in a queue last time I tried, and that's the only way I can make alterations.

...I know none of this seems remotely important in the context of ruinous price increases.

It is a mess, and the only people protected are those making the profit! This standing charge increase is the customer paying for the Energy companies' insurance to help protect those who lost their supplier last year, the Supplier Of Last Resort process. It fucking stinks.

The other frustrating part of this is, I have no way of finding out if I'm successful, or keeping track of the Warm Home Discount process, so I've spent the winter not using that money until it is confirmed (supposedly) next month....it would be of utmost help to know it is in place before the winter when it is needed most...

Property markets (rental and sale).

When I was a trainee, money was thin and I was flat-sharing etc. which was fine, and it seemingly was easier because you have a tighter budget so you view the X that fit within it and that's your choice.

Now I'm fortunate enough to be able to get my own place and there's fuck-all good enough. I was in an expensive city before too but now I am lucky enough to be in a cheaper city where options should be great.

Greg Wallace.

Snowy wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:46 pm

Greg Wallace.

If there's one thing on TV I find truly irritating, it's Greg Wallace calling female contestants 'mate'...

The entire UK version of Masterchef should be erased from existence.

We could just air the Australian one instead, it's a completely different show and the cooking is amazing.

I'm not a huge fan of Greg Wallace (with the exception of the comically large spoonfuls of food he used to shovel into his mouth - that's a man that seems to like his food), but I really do dislike Masterchef UK. It's everything I hate about the presentation of these televised talent competitions, where everything is designed to build the drama or tension.

eny wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 23, 2022 4:04 pm

My electricity company raising the standing charge 80% next month. I am on a low income so I cannot afford more than £40 a month electric—no heating, no hot water, very little oven use. Because I am a low user, they have cynically targeted the standing charge instead. This is on top of Day and Night increases of 41% and 35%.

Utterly cuntish fucks.

Mine's just put my standing charge up by 100% and the unit charge by 30%. Two kids working from home so the electric meter goes around like a bloody catherine wheel. Hope the CEO's are enjoying keeping warm around bonfires of our money.