Christ, what a gig....

FarleyUK

Played three gigs over Friday and Saturday with both bands; all went very well, but when I finished loading out on Saturday night at 1am, the car didn't start.... and I'm stuck facing oncoming traffic, on a hill, on a blind bend.

Took 20 minutes to get through to someone on the AA 'emergency' number, they said they'll be there in an hour, 3 tops. Eventually at 0545 I was told it would now be 0830.

Was then told at 0745 it would be 1030 earliest.

Needless to say, i had a severe sense of humor failure at this point, and after re-explaining things to them - rather loudly - did they arrange for a 'manager technician' to attend to the car at 0945.

Eventually I was towed to a garage at midday, but the technician couldn't believe they kept me waiting for 11 f*cking hours to get it sorted.

The AA - Absolute Arseholes.

I'm still bloody exhausted

Dominic

Agreed

Funkfingers

Any day now, you will receive a customer satisfaction survey e-mail. 

FarleyUK

Funkfingers said:

Any day now, you will receive a customer satisfaction survey e-mail. 

I hope so...! Already sent them an email and a Facebook post....

fandango

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

BloodEagle

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

  Im giving this a strong WTF?? Very strange post 

FarleyUK

BloodEagle said:

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

  Im giving this a strong WTF?? Very strange post 

Yeah, not quite sure where that's coming from....

My band mates had to travel  a fair way to get home, and they left before me. I messaged one of them and he kindly brought me two big mugs of tea at 3am. However, I had to stay with the car due to the AA giving me the bullshit timelines. We tried to fix it ourselves, but no dice.

Better?

fandango

BloodEagle said:

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

  Im giving this a strong WTF?? Very strange post 

EDIT: Eleven hours and not one of his mates showed?!?!?!?! Of course this is a WTF.

So your saying folk should be happy to sit patiently throughout the night, but not bother to use the mobile to call some favours in???? Strange world indeed.

fandango

FarleyUK said:

BloodEagle said:

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

  Im giving this a strong WTF?? Very strange post 

Yeah, not quite sure where that's coming from....

My band mates had to travel  a fair way to get home, and they left before me. I messaged one of them and he kindly brought me two big mugs of tea at 3am. However, I had to stay with the car due to the AA giving me the bullshit timelines. We tried to fix it ourselves, but no dice.

Better?

Sometimes it helps to give a few more details. To me the original post sounded like you were abandoned. Period. And not just by the AA.

Glad to hear you do have some mates after all.

Bridgehouse

We all now know who to PM next time we break down in the middle of the night

CHRISB50

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

I'd hazard a guess he's got far more mates than you.

Lestratcaster

Reminds of a gig last year where my gearbox went en route to the show. Played the show and called the RAC to come out. Thankfully I didn't have as long as a wait as you did, maybe 1 hour tops. Was towed back home, got in around 3am. The mechanic who came out couldn't believe how on earth I got from London to Brighton with a bad gearbox/clutch though.

hassleham

If one of my band mates was stranded with a broken down car, I would be turning round to help them out regardless of what time it was! I hope that they would also do the same for me..

Lestratcaster

hassleham said:

If one of my band mates was stranded with a broken down car, I would be turning round to help them out regardless of what time it was! I hope that they would also do the same for me..

All mine fucked off home! It was a Weds night show and people were citing work as the reason not to stay around.

PC_Dave

fandango said:

BloodEagle said:

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

  Im giving this a strong WTF?? Very strange post 

EDIT: Eleven hours and not one of his mates showed?!?!?!?! Of course this is a WTF.

So your saying folk should be happy to sit patiently throughout the night, but not bother to use the mobile to call some favours in???? Strange world indeed.

R u ok hun?!?

fandango

CHRISB50 said:

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

I'd hazard a guess he's got far more mates than you.

You can hazard what you like. And who said numbers was the issue? It’s the quality of friends one has that matters far more. Having thousands of friends isn’t going to help you, if only one gives a hoot.

As it is, i have enough resources to ensure i won’t be sitting around for 11 hours, that’s for sure. If you or anyone else wants to do that, be my guest. I won’t stop you, but if you were a friend and needed my help, then Id be happy to oblige, despite you spouting off like a dickhead.

Handsome_Chris

So, @FarleyUK , how did the gig go?

BloodEagle

fandango said:

CHRISB50 said:

fandango said:

Oh dear ..... and your bandmates were where? Yet you were waiting all night? Are you Billy No-mates in disguise? 

Assuming you did try your mates, it's a sorry sad state that they never came to help you. Lonely old world.

At least the AA eventually turned up. More than can be said for your mates.

I'd hazard a guess he's got far more mates than you.

You can hazard what you like. And who said numbers was the issue? It’s the quality of friends one has that matters far more. Having thousands of friends isn’t going to help you, if only one gives a hoot.

As it is, i have enough resources to ensure i won’t be sitting around for 11 hours, that’s for sure. If you or anyone else wants to do that, be my guest. I won’t stop you, but if you were a friend and needed my help, then Id be happy to oblige, despite you spouting off like a dickhead.

Genuine weirdo tbh

Fretwired

RAC are the same. Only called them out once ... it will be six hours. We're busy today. I called a local garage instead and cancelled my membership.

ESBlonde

Many (?teen) years ago we were booked to gig just north of Bristol in Yate. We were a big soul band and went as a 6 piece without the singers as we were backin a Blues Bros due from the Great Yarmouth area.
I had my large 4 wheel trailer with the 6k PA, 24kw lights and all the backline towed behind my 3 Ltr straight six Volvo 760. However going past Colchester downhill I got 'a bit quick' and a glance in the mirror revealed a ton of trailer dancing from one side to the other and completely airbourn between steps as the fishtail got out of hand! I gingerly slowed and got into a layby because two rims and tyres on one side were beyond saving. It was interesting how all the traffic behind pulled back while this big tbox on wheels danced down the A12.
So we call up the other car with the horn players in and ask them to get us to find a tyre place in a hurry. This was when saturday afternoons ment no service from the quickfit types. We ended up unable to get a pair of replacement tyres (we only had one spare and that looked dodgy and no jack to suit the trailer). So one of the Guys rings the AA who duly turn up and load the trailer on a truck and take it to the Gig in Yate 3.5 hrs and 185 miles later we unload the sick trailer outside the venue, load in the gear and play the gig.
Then after the gig we had the same problem, only now we're 200 miles from home in the middle of the night and two flat tyres. So One of the blues Bros call the RAC and says these people are travelling with us etc. RAC turn up and load the trailer, but the driver is soon ending his shift (2 AM in the morning), so he takes my trailer to Bristol and in a layby unloads and another truck loads the trailer onboard to head back to Suffolk. Off he heads at the gallop and I get lost in traffic!! remember I don't have his mobile No and he doesn't know where I live (I wasn't the RAC member). About an hour later we pull into services before the fuel runs out (3 Ltr motor), and who should be there but the truck with my trailor. We exchange details and off he goes again while I fill up. He was pushing that truck and it was 40 mins before we caught him again. We escorted him the last part of the journey and arrived home with the trailer safely but still with two buckled rims and knackered tyres.

So nobody hurt, and all the gear got there and back safely and a gigging road story was born. We were Lucky.

Lesson learned, never go fast with a loaded trailer even if you want to get set up for a gig. Always carry a spare, and a wheel brace and a jack to suit.

joeyowen

ESBlonde said:

Lesson learned... jack to suit.

Loud and clear mate