Tigger had suggested I meet her after work and I was happy to do so. It would make up for the annoyances suffered earlier in the day (see previous post).

Here is my bus

Timing is everything and I left in good time to make up for any unexpected delays along the way.

Aboard the 153

I caught the trusty 153 in St John Street. This took me to All Hallows Church in London Wall where,…

Aboard the 100

…within one minute, I caught a number 100. The tide is running in my favour today and I will be early at the rendezvous!

The temperature has hit 28°C but it is now 5 pm , which is the hottest moment of the day, and it will begin to cool now, even if only slightly.

St Katharine Docks

Leaving the bus, I walked down to the dock as I usually do. If I was hoping to see waterfowl, I was again disappointed.

The atrium

It was very warm still so I entered Tigger’s office block where it is cooler. I have photographed the atrium before but, rising so high, it always impresses me.

When Tigger joined me, she came bearing ice cream. So we sat in the atrium and consumed it.

Old Spirit Quay

When we went out for the bus, we saw there was a while to wait so we walked down to the bus stop before our usual one. I had time to take some photos of what I think are fragments of an old system of docks. The one above is called Spirit Quay.

Hermitage Basin

This stretch of water is called Hermitage Basin. What goods were loaded or unloaded here in the days, now long gone, when the docks were vigorously in action? In the photo you can perhaps make out what looks like a collection of junk in the middle of the water. It’s not junk: it’s a…

A coots’ nest

…coots’ nest! An adult pair has painstakingly collected items from here and there to make a water-level home where they can rear their young. You can see that one is sitting on the nest while the other keeps a watchful eye on the environment. I like coots: they are very active and keep busy. For their size they can be very aggressive towards other birds (coots or other species) they think are invading their territory.

Artwork – no details

Beside the basin is this artwork. It looks like a loop of cable of the sort for typing up big ships. I could find no information about it, though.

Aboard the 153

A 100 came and carried us to Liverpool Street Station where we changed to a 153. The bus was at the stop while we were still some way away. We waved and hurried and caught the bus. London bus drivers will often wait for you like this – it is one of their more endearing qualities.

Back at the Angel

And here we are, back on our familiar turf at the Angel, a place I have grown fond of and am happy to call home.

As I recounted on July 29th (see A week to forget), I took my Dell laptop back to Curry’s because the original fault – which they claimed to have repaired – had reappeared. By dint of insistence, I managed to get them to take it in for repair again. I was told by text yesterday that the laptop was ready for collection.

Morning in Chapel Market

This morning, I went first to the post office in Chapel Market. Curry’s had persuaded me, against my better judgement, to pay for one month of “Currys Care”, supposedly because that would gain me certain benefits if ever they failed to repair the computer within 10 days. I then received a letter saying that they would be taking monthly premiums from my bank account until July 2028! Unless, that is, I notified them in writing to discontinue the policy. Hence my visit to the post office – to send the required letter by “Signed-for” post to be sure that they could not pretend never to have received it.

Aboard the 73

Having done that, off I went on the number 73 bus to Tottenham Court Road.

Arriving at Curry’s

I reached the store just after 10 am when they open. I half expected them to be closed just to frustrate me. Guess what happened next.

Frustrated again

I went to the repairs counter and found the above notice. I called for a manager. The manager could do nothing to help (well, what do you expect at Curry’s?). He did say that there should be someone available to hand back my computer after midday. In the meantime, I have returned home again. I will have lunch and then try again.

The intelligent thing to do would be to phone the store and ask if there is now someone available but… have you ever tried phoning Curry’s? They do not reveal any phone numbers for individual stores. Going down several layers on their website, you can find a general number: 0344 561 0000.

This gets you into the familiar “Press 1 for this”, “Press 2 for that”, etc spiral. I tried various combinations and eventually, after typing in the repair number and my phone twice, was connected to a person. I explained that all I wanted was to know whether there was someone at the store able to hand me back my computer. The answer was only to be expected: “Er, we can’t actually contact individual stores…”

If there were such a thing as an industry prize for How Not To Run Customer Services, Curry’s would win with special mention in the category How to Frustrate the Customer.

There was nothing for it but to take the bus again…

I reached Curry’s and found a queue at the counter but at least there was someone on duty there. After a longish wait, it was my turn. I collected the hated laptop and went home.

p>Last time, they replaced drivers. This time they have replaced the touchpad and updated the BIOS. Do you get the impression, as I do, that they are stabbing in the dark, hoping to repair it more or less by accident? Time will tell whether they’ve been lucky this time around.