The Vultures Descend.
Am very annoyed right now. You will see why. But first, good news; I have found a new house and will be moving in the next few weeks.

Now for the bad news.

I will start by talking about the DVLA cos I think poor treatment of "customers" over the phone by folk whom I AS A TAXPAYER pay to keep in their f'ing job is f'ing appalling. The least they can do is not talk in a patronising, bored shitless and arrogant tone of voice.

I sent my licence off for the address to be updated. I left the necessary time before getting in touch and asking where it had got to. So I ring up and ask and they tell me they sent it in November and that I would have to pay them £19. I have to pay £19 because I didn't call within 3 months. Now it doesn't take a genious to work out that November is not yet three months away. So after 5 minutes of worming it out of the patronising get, I managed to find out that the 3 months is in fact 12 weeks from the date they received the licence.

So, folks, be warned.

I got a letter today, saying ever so casually that a certain company wanted £412 off me for the privilledge of moving out of this unsafe house and into a new one. I will be questioning this tomorrow but I think companies just see my coming and think "right, now how many ways can we charge this lad something".

ALSO, MOT is due on car. ALSO, car repair costs are due next month. ALSO, I'll be paying two rents. ALSO, I need to somehow hire a van but I don't have my driving licence do I?!

So next month I am going to be paying at least £1,194. Now, take the time to work this out. To afford all of that I would need to be earning at least £20,000 a year. Needless to say, I'm not. Needless to say, it's a f'ing high price to pay to have peace of mind, to be able to go outside on an evening, to be able to sleep all night without interruption, to have a house that doesn't freeze me halfway to hypothermia and most important of all to be happy.

Why is it that if you can be taken advantage of, companies just go ahead and do it. Whether it be a customer's naivity about your actual legal rights or just a 'simple' pressure sell to old people. Why, when it is perfectly possible to run a moral business do folk have to go for the cruel option; the option where a business is run on fear; the option where exploitation is a common occurence.

Is this really the level that we, as humans, feel obliged to sink to? I would have thought, that being able to think would give us an advantage over other animals. But no. Oh no. That would be far, far, far too easy. It's hard to be nice. Apparently. It's hard to do the right thing. Apparently. And society tries, subconciously, to drag all the good souls down with it when really they should be looking up to those few good people and encouraging, nurturing, but most of all LEARNING from them. THEY are the ones we should idolise and try to copy.

The world doesn't have to be so f'ked up.