h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry to hear that Z.

Z, I'm so sorry.

Z

Z.

for Z and his family

Sorry Z, thinking of you and yours.

So sorry, Z.

I'm so sorry, Z.

for Z

Whilst we don't have much in the way of drive through stuff here (fast food outlets are about all I've seen). There are a ways to pay for things utility bills and mobile phone top ups that don't involve going into a bank. I'm thinking of all those pay-point outlets in newsagents and supermarkets. Get them to swipe another card and add what you need onto the bill for the regular shopping. I've even seen a vending type machine that works with this system for topping up pay as you go charges for mobile phones in the student union here at work.
Most pharmacies here will do repeat prescription collection from the doctors if you're on regular medication. I don't bother, though they keep giving me a leaflet promoting it when I get my stuff from the pharmacy.

The other way us GB types tend to pay bills is by direct-debit from our bank accounts.
You don't even have to leave the house, let alone drive anywhere

The utility company takes an average year's costs, divides by 12 and then debits this amount from you account every month.
At the end of the year there's usually a 'reckoning' up or down - but sometimes they just let you carry on the debit/credit into the next year.

One thing I learned about dogs when I used to have a paper round was Excitable Yorkshire Terrier + Glass Front Door = CRASH!

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Wow. Whoever came up with that idea had obviously had a common sense failure.

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Here in Blighty drive-thru fast food is still considered something of a novelty.

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C'mon... it's distinctly un-British if we don't have to punish ourselves at least a little bit.

Odd students: one of J's student friends once drove to the shop.
Which was less than 100 yards away.
In t-shirt, boxers, dressing gown and slippers.
Because he couldn't be bothered to get dressed.

*s Z*

L's granddad died yesterday, so she was pretty distraught (although when we saw her and J last night he was trying to convince her that fudge is *not* a vitamin and, no, he wasn't going to take her Fudge Mountain... basically she was being weird which means she's coping well).

Excuse me? Drive through chemists? We've got drive through fast food, and I understand one of the banks is trying drive up cash points. That's it. Post boxes? Err, not really. Certainly not designed to be. Most of them are set to the back of the pavement. I've seen people pull up onto the curb so they can just open the door and lean out, but frankly it looks a bit awkward.

I agree that dobies aren't agressive- mine doesn't actually seem to know *how* to growl.

for you and yours Z- I hope it all passes easily with the minimum of fuss.

for Z.

Z

No drive-up anything in my neck of the woods, although I believe there is a golden arched one in Slough.

The way to pay utility bills is to set up a direct debit with the gas company, who then refuse to believe your readings (and the readings of the man they sent round to take a fresh one when they didn't believe ours was so low) and base your estimated usage on that of the Ukraine and start taking £300 a month out of your bank account. You then phone and remonstrate with them, and the muppet you are talking says he doesn't know how to fix it and will refer you on to his manager later. This doesn't happen and you continue to lose huge amounts of dosh every month. At this rate we won't need to pay for any more gas for at least four or five years.

{[j'au]} for Z

We had a similar problem once, Kelli. They refused to believe that our consumption was what we said it was and wanted an extra £30 a month more than we reckoned we needed to pay. We had all our bills/readings for the previous 15 years so were on very firm ground. We told them we wouldn't take out a DD for what they wanted - and they agreed to our figure in the end.

Oooh - it does feel good to occasionally win a small battle with these guys

& , Z!

- - -

>the main problem about a pit bull is always the human that trained it.
Nail on the head, Lil! The two problems, actaully as I see it, are owners who want to project their machoism (well, they're most often men, sorry to admit it) to the world by having a fierce, dangerous dogs - and then the breeders who cater for them by breeding dogs based on dominance.

We had some friends who had the nicest Rottweiler, very sweet with kids and well trained, obviously, too. AM, our friend, got so irritated by all the remarks about her dangerous dog that she eventually succumbed to the lure of irony. Walking down a shopping street with the dog and her 3-year old daughter, an elderly lady said: "Oh, how do you actually dare having such a dangerous dog when you have small children. AM offhandedly replied "Well - originally, we actually had twins..."

>The utility company takes an average year's costs, divides by 12 and then debits this amount from you account every month.
Much the same procedure in Denmark. Plus, most of bills that come regularily can be "subscribed" to a payment system run by the banks. That way, you get an overview in the beginning of the month about what's going to be paid that month - and can cancel individual payments if you wish. If you don't they just happens automagically And the irregular ones we just do by Internt banking. Haven't paid a bill in person in years

>base your estimated usage on that of the Ukraine

well teuchter, yes in princible its a good ideah, for the banks that is, but they can then hold up to 1 and 1//2 times the amount aggreed so if your 3 month payment is set at 200 they can have as much as 500 hundred of your money in their account be for they have to pay it back.

Even worse if you move into a place with a key meter and you find its been set to reclaim a debt fromthe previous tenent after you have ben there a couple of years as with a key meter you only get a bill once a year 2003 (excepted as informed changeing computer system )

Do all of mine now via the web as well as corrispondence, easier to keep track of complaint letters that way.

Z and L familys