Crummy Direct Line Ad

[polygonum]

Harvey Keitel prostituting himself for Direct Line insurance.

About 12 seconds in you get a more or less decent view of the cistern with the problem.

I don't remember ever seeing a cistern with its water supply going in halfway up the right side. In my experience they usually are near the top, or are bottomfeed. It doesn't even look to me as if it could be a ballcock - rather one of the other float valve technologies. Makes the lame joke even lamer.

Pillock in the house doesn't even appear to have tried putting a bowl or bucket under the leak.

"If you are an idiot, buy Direct Line's Emergency Plumber proposition."

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Wouldn't most turn off the water long before it started running down the stairs? ;-)

[ARW]

Never underestimate how stupid some people can be.

I was called out last night at 7pm as "their electric kept tripping and it needed sorting ASAP as they were having a party"

I got there - power was on and so I asked a few basic questions. 30 seconds later I had discovered that the RCD tripped every time they tried to boil the kettle. It cost them £60 to be told that their kettle was knackered.

[polygonum]

I'd hazard a guess that not even trying to turn off the water (when they could have done so) might result in their insurer failing to pay out.

[T i m]

Isn't that called 'mitigating the losses'?

I don't suppose they (the insurance Co) would expect you (personally) to get on the roof and put a tarp over a storm damaged roof but they might expect you to get someone professional to do so asap to prevent any further damage / cost.

Cheers, T i m

[ARW]

I thought the advert was suggesting that Direct Line would get a pro in ASAP to do it for you.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You thought that too? ;-)

If it had all happened with no one in the house, fair enough. But when they show you the bloke has attempted to do something about it, so in, and obviously for some time as he's phoned the insurance company and someone has arrived from it.

But then those making TV never did understand reality.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You think the two comparable? Like everyone has ladders and tarps lying around? However, anyone who isn't an invalid of some sort is capable of turning off the water.

[T i m]

Yes, you are probably right (I'm not sure I've seen that particular ad) but I was speaking 'generally' with this sort of thing, or at least it used to be that way if them doing it for you becomes the new insurance 'hook'. ;-)

That said, I'm pretty sure that many here could respond to most water leaks much quicker than anyone who had to be sent there, including the Fire Brigade and especially an 'emergency plumber'. ;-)

I met an old guy the other day (helped him with a computer problem at his home as a favour for a mate) and sometime later he lost his electric due to a water leak from the loft (water running out of light switches etc).

The shame was that he would at one time have been able to fix that sort of thing himself but now at 92, he wasn't 'allowed' (by his Mrs and family) to get in the loft and do so.

Ex Army Tank Commander and still fully marbled etc but just not so steady on his pins. ;-(

He is selling his motorbikes as well as his sight isn't what it was.

Cheers, T i m

[ARW]

The OP gave a link to the ad.

[David Lang]

Ain't that the truth!

I would say 10% of my customers don't know where the CU is and prolly

15% don't know where the stopcock is.

[dennis]

If you are invalid you can have a sure stop fitted then its as easy as flipping a switch.

[T i m]

Ah (now watched), ta.

No, I'd not seen it and would probably have 'switched off' if it was on as I can't think of an 'emergency plumbing' situation that I couldn't sort myself (and back to my original thoughts re 'mitigating your (insurance companies) losses', and your own / inconvenience, if you are able yourself).

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Sorry, what two? The para above only covers the idea of ensuring the losses are mitigated (whatever the potential loss and whatever the most practical solution).

Quite (or should be able, assuming they know where the (right) tap is, can get to it and turn it). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , ARW escribió:

Usenet is write-only for D i m .

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Look at the paragraph above it. After all, you quoted it. No point in quoting something if you've not read it. ;-)

There is that. Never ceases to amaze me how stupid some can be. At least everyone reading this group should know where their water turns off. But perhaps they're too busy with OT stuff to learn. ;-)

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , David Lang escribió:

I looked at a house to buy recently. The electrics looked rather old so i wanted to see the CU. The agent didn't know where it was and I could find it nowhere, so she said she would give the seller a call and let me know so I could go back and see it if I wished.

It was under the kitchen sink, jammed up part behind the sink bowl.

[Roger Mills]

I would have thought so - or at least tied the ball in the up position.

Besides, it shouldn't have leaked from the cistern if there was a decent overflow.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Or just kept on flushing the loo until the expert arrived. ;-)

[Roger Mills]

You mean the normal household policy?

I assume that Direct Line's emergency plumbing insurance would fix the plumbing problem regardless - but not the collateral damage - so you'd still need the household policy for that. That insurer may well take a dim view of your failure to turn off the water.