Greed I guess, and influence/power. Saw a film last week called "Inside Job" about the global financial crisis. Most of the guys featured has so many many millions - once they have 4 houses they want 5, once they have 5 they want 6. Thats greed. Or they left the banking industry to become advisers to the president or in charge of federal state institutions. Thats power.

The point is it doesn't make them any happier than joe average with a roof over his head and pizza in the oven for his tea. Some consolation I guess.

Its beyond me too why once someone has enough to own their own hammock, tall drink and a garden somewhere to put it all in would go back to work again for any more.

Nowt as queer as folk - as I beileve they say.

Because I came from what they used to call a working class family, I always saw the goal of work as to be able to retire comfortably. You do all the things that are expected of you, like turn up on rainy hung-over Mondays, and put in some overtime in order to get through. Hopefully you then advance yourself toward that goal.

The people that didn't want to retire were usually those with great jobs. Film stars, writers or artists, they do what they do because they enjoy it, and because it beats working at Tesco's. If you want power over people then you're a sick f*ck in my book. Look at all the petty jobsworths that spring up like Daffodils every once in a while, why don't they go and do something constructive instead?

My plans went awry when I realised I couldn't work for someone else, so that was that avenue screwed. It's possibly a British phenomenon but there doesn't appear to be any concept of all being employees of the same company. The Japanese have the same uniform, and use the same canteen. Over here it's us and them, executive washrooms for some, versus dingy shit-holes for the workers. Managers wear suits and poncy cologne while the workers look like fuc*ing Umpa-lumpa's in blue boiler suits. Not for me thanks.

That's what makes me laugh when Cameron and Clegg tell us that 'we're all in this together'. Ha! those guys won't even take a pee in the same room as you. They say Clegg speaks six languages, as if that makes him smart. So what's smart about talking bollocks in six languages? That's why I don't work for men in suits anymore.

Besides, there's only so many managers you can bop on the nose before it gets tedious. So I went self employed, and that's hard too. It means that you live off your wits, you have no pension plan, and unless you hit it big you are unlikely to ever retire. Despite it all though that is still the aim - to retire.

I was lucky .....despite being a [sweaty ] "Umpa Lumpa" in a boiler suit ...I retired at 55 after 40 years in the Steel Industry ......with a pension equal to about 75% of my wage then ....it has'nt gone up a great deal in the ensuing 6 years [I'm still only living on about 80% of what I was earning in 2005] .......but hey,I'm happier now than I ever was.
Being able to come & go as I please and answer to no-one is fantastic.....and tbh,I dunno how I actually found time to work.....

What makes my blood boil though .....[and I guess its nuffin to with me really,'cos I'm out of it and they cant touch me ]
But these b*st*rds in power who have now decided to "up" the retirement age ......they've never had a job [not a real one anyway] ....none of 'em.
How many of the old guys I worked with retired at maybe 65 or there-abouts and then died within a few years? .....too bl**dy many,I'll tell you.
My mates Dad [who I worked with] .....he was a great bloke,he retired at 65 and died two bl**dy weeks later.My own Dad retired at 61,and died at 63.
When most blokes reach 65 having a had a hard job for the last 45/50 years most of 'em are b*ll*xed anyway through a lifetime of work [mostly on "shift" work,and doing a hard manual job]
And these b*st*rds [who've never had a real job] want to put the retirement age up to 66?/67? .....
It stinks ....


sorry 'bout the rant on your thread Mr Nail ...

best regards
Terry

It seems that's what this thread is for Tel.

Anyway....drumroll...drumroll...... I've heard from the 'buyer'.

I've spent all week emailing and ringing this guy. The telephone went straight to not available, no ring tone, no answer machine, nothing. Don't you find that odd for a business premises? So here's the exchange between us cut and pasted from the ebay messages page. You know from this thread the efforts I've made to contact this guy, all were ignored, and the phone line dead. I sent this message to him this morning. Make your own minds up.

"Mr Watts.

It appears that you have either not received, or ignored my attempts to contact you. I am as yet unsure which. Should I not hear from you by this evening (Friday) I can only conclude that you are evading purchase. Negative feedback will be left as there were 248 watchers on that vehicle, in addition to the many thousands of 2cv enthusiasts watching on the forum.

Re-listing will have a cost implication. I will therefore have no alternative but to contact ebay to report you as a non paying bidder. Your company details will then be published on the 2cv website to inform those watchers of exactly who it was that messed up the sale.

I regret having to take this action, but you appear to leave me no alternative."

Having been ignored all week, suddenly, and miraculously I get this message, around ten minutes after threatening to expose him.

"I did not bid for your car. If you received a bid under my name I can assure you it was not done by me. I have been away on holiday and upon my return was unable to access my email on my computer because of a technical issue. This was resolved by me this morning and this is the first opportunity I have had to respond. Until now, I had no idea a bid had been lodged in my name.

I can only presume someone unknown to me has hacked into my computer and used my identity to access ebay. They also appear to have used my identity to access other web sites in my name. I have always been entirely honest with ebay and have never had a problem before. My record with ebay supports this.

I am sorry you have had this problem but can assure you I was not responsible for the bid.

Paul"

My final message was this one. Now maybe I can claim back my fees and re-list the thing. Do you believe him? I sure don't.

I find it very odd that when a businessman goes away on holiday he also pulls out the phone line rather than leave an answering machine to receive his calls. I have attempted to contact you via several avenues including telephone. I do not expect you to buy this vehicle, in fact I wouldn't want you to, there are others that wanted it. I have now begun an unpaid item claim in order to reclaim my fees. I will also post your reply onto the 2cv forum website by way of explanation of why those that bid do not now own this car.

I think that's fair.

Above: The photo that broke my garage door. Grrrrrrr...

Right. I think we're getting somewhere.

I'm not sure of the legalities of it all, but as the winning bidder has clearly stated that it's 'nowt to do with him', then I assume it frees me up to re-list the car. What a performance eh?

Paul Watts is a big-shot in accounting for Baker-Tilly. I could accept that foul play was involved by a third party as he suggests, but then his answers just don't add up...and that's bad for an accountant. Turned off computers don't get hacked, just as turned of telephones don't take messages.

My spare engine was picked up this evening by it's new owner and dyed-in-the-wool 2cv-er Bill Gale, so there's just the car left to go. I'm glad Bill bought the engine I like him - he's mad as a fish. A proper old style 2cv man.

Anyway, I hope to relist it on Sunday evening. Seven days this time as nobody bothered to come looking at it last time, but for one fella who got pussy-whipped out of buying it. That reminds me, can I take my muff off yet? The photo's would look better bout it. Y'know this thread might just crack 20k before it's finished.

Plenty fair, O-N.

It is extremely unlikely that his eBay account was hacked! That's just bizarre. And, it should be relatively easy for him to prove it if it was the case - and I doubt he'll even try

I'd have thought that eBay themselves would be able to verify if it did happen, so he will have a fair chance to counter your 'non-payment' claim as you proceed. If he doesn't manage to, then he clearly didn't have a genuine claim in the first place.

(The only proviso here is that eBay do tend to side with buyers more than sellers; I wonder if they'll just accept his word?! )

Anyways, that's a nice-looking muff you've got there, O-N... (beats a hasty retreat...)

stranger things have happened

Absolutely right, Sean, and I guess O-N should proceed on that basis - (a) because it's the 'fair' way to proceed - just in case it's true, and (b) because it could turn around and bite on him if he jumps the gun. (I love mixed metaphors... )

(And, also, the 'buyer' is very likely reading this thread. "Hello, there?!")

I'm sceptical for the following reasons.

1/ He repeatedly ignored contact, even though I sent emails not only to his ebay account, but via his business email that I found on the web after tracking him down. Fella's like this rely on communications for a living, they have blackberry's, they're never unreachable.

2/ His telephone was off. No answer machine, no secretary, nothing. This guy is partner in a large accounting firm, is it usual to do this when he's away on holiday?

3/ I was ignored until literally minutes after I threatened to post his details online, after which he answered hastily. His answer was that he had been away on holiday (so presumably his computer was turned off) and as I say, you can't hack into a disconnected computer.

4/ It is entirely possible for his ebay account to have been hacked independently of his computer, as ebay is always live. But in his hasty reply he made a mistake. He alleged that 'other sites have been visited too'. Hacking into his ebay account would not give the passwords or url's of other sites he usually visits. E-bay is just e-bay.

What we discussed earlier about 'respectable' people not being immune to less than respectable behaviour is hard to accept initially. This man could afford the car ten times over, so why would he do this? But then why do the wives of Arab sheiks get caught shoplifting in Harrods? Maybe we should just ask Richard Madely.

What you saw here was an illustration in real time which explains my earlier comment about the type of folks I've met along the way. It's also an example of the type of supposedly 'million to one' chance that is for me a daily occurrence. That's why it was easier for me to accept what had happened much earlier than you guys, my scam radar kicked in, and it was right. You still held out hope that rich guys don't lie didn't you? I'll bet you'd still rather believe his tale was true now wouldn't you? It messes with your head a little the first time you see an pillar of the community without his clothes on I guess. Checkout those feet of clay.

Anyway that's all by the by. I knew I was f*cked by Tuesday, all I wanted to do was to clear up my obligation toward him even though he had ducked his obligation toward me. That's an end to it. I'll re-write the add and re-list the car tomorrow, if I delay any longer and the sun comes out I won't want to sell it again. And I have to, I could use the money.

Cant you send the next highest bidder a message saying if you want it, its yours, save you the fees and hassle?