Comments for Martin A. Brooks http://blog.hinterlands.org The random thoughts of a random techie. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:04:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on A quickstart guide to Systems Management by Bookmarks for August 30th through September 7th | Life, The Universe & Chips http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/09/a-quickstart-guide-to-systems-management/comment-page-1/#comment-238 Bookmarks for August 30th through September 7th | Life, The Universe & Chips Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:04:52 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=232#comment-238 [...] A quickstart guide to Systems Management – [...] [...] A quickstart guide to Systems Management – [...]

]]> Comment on There’s a hole in my door, dear Renault by Arizona Attorney Dui http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/theres-a-hole-in-my-door-dear-renault/comment-page-1/#comment-221 Arizona Attorney Dui Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:36:29 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=210#comment-221 <i>What model of Renault? There’s a known issue where the central locking rod will drop out of the locking assembly if the boot is slammed shut too hard. 15 mins with a pair of pliers to bend the end of the rod over slightly will sort this out. A new lock is completely uncalled for. IMHO you have a case against them for doing work you did not request. Unless they have the request for the work in writing then I don’t think they can insist on payment. You should have insisted that they undid the work you didn’t request, and that you would happily pay for the works you did request but ONLY when they had completed ALL of the works you did request. As they’re a main dealer, I wouldn’t mess about – just approach Renault UK direct and speak to their head of customer services… no one below that level. If you don’t get a result, email / fax the CEO / MD directly asking for a prompt reply and resolution. You may find it helpful to mention your intention of approaching TV / the press with the story if you do not get a satisfactory resolution with due speed – however try to avoid sounding excessively threatening.I hope this helps!Now, can you tell me why my Clio RSi starts misfiring and running very rough whenever it gets to operating temperature but is fine when it’s cooler?</i> +1 What model of Renault? There’s a known issue where the central locking rod will drop out of the locking assembly if the boot is slammed shut too hard. 15 mins with a pair of pliers to bend the end of the rod over slightly will sort this out. A new lock is completely uncalled for. IMHO you have a case against them for doing work you did not request. Unless they have the request for the work in writing then I don’t think they can insist on payment. You should have insisted that they undid the work you didn’t request, and that you would happily pay for the works you did request but ONLY when they had completed ALL of the works you did request. As they’re a main dealer, I wouldn’t mess about – just approach Renault UK direct and speak to their head of customer services… no one below that level. If you don’t get a result, email / fax the CEO / MD directly asking for a prompt reply and resolution. You may find it helpful to mention your intention of approaching TV / the press with the story if you do not get a satisfactory resolution with due speed – however try to avoid sounding excessively threatening.I hope this helps!Now, can you tell me why my Clio RSi starts misfiring and running very rough whenever it gets to operating temperature but is fine when it’s cooler?
+1

]]> Comment on There’s a hole in my door, dear Renault – part 2 by Flash Bristow http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/there%e2%80%99s-a-hole-in-my-door-dear-renault-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-205 Flash Bristow Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:24:47 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=217#comment-205 Why haven't you asked Which? for help? An annual subscription would give you legal support / cover (and in an interesting case like that they might well take it on in return for a photo for the magazine) - they are helpful, the magazine's worth reading anyway, and they can probably get this sorted for less than the cost of Renault's invoice. Why haven’t you asked Which? for help? An annual subscription would give you legal support / cover (and in an interesting case like that they might well take it on in return for a photo for the magazine) – they are helpful, the magazine’s worth reading anyway, and they can probably get this sorted for less than the cost of Renault’s invoice.

]]> Comment on There’s a hole in my door, dear Renault by Flash Bristow http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/theres-a-hole-in-my-door-dear-renault/comment-page-1/#comment-186 Flash Bristow Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:30:24 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=210#comment-186 I would have asked them to reverse the work and give me the car back in the condition we'd agreed (i.e. with the old door handle). And then I would pay for the work I had authorised. And if they couldn't put the old door handle back on, that would be their problem. You might want to contact Which? as they are quite hot on the Sale of Goods Act covering things which were not fit for purpose by virtue of not lasting as long as is reasonable - you might get them to argue your case. And a subscription to Which? would be cheaper than that door handle, and much more enjoyable. I would have asked them to reverse the work and give me the car back in the condition we’d agreed (i.e. with the old door handle). And then I would pay for the work I had authorised. And if they couldn’t put the old door handle back on, that would be their problem.

You might want to contact Which? as they are quite hot on the Sale of Goods Act covering things which were not fit for purpose by virtue of not lasting as long as is reasonable – you might get them to argue your case. And a subscription to Which? would be cheaper than that door handle, and much more enjoyable.

]]> Comment on There’s a hole in my door, dear Renault by Alex Heylin http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/theres-a-hole-in-my-door-dear-renault/comment-page-1/#comment-185 Alex Heylin Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:13:24 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=210#comment-185 What model of Renault? There's a known issue where the central locking rod will drop out of the locking assembly if the boot is slammed shut too hard. 15 mins with a pair of pliers to bend the end of the rod over slightly will sort this out. A new lock is completely uncalled for. IMHO you have a case against them for doing work you did not request. Unless they have the request for the work in writing then I don't think they can insist on payment. You should have insisted that they undid the work you didn't request, and that you would happily pay for the works you did request but ONLY when they had completed ALL of the works you did request. As they're a main dealer, I wouldn't mess about - just approach Renault UK direct and speak to their head of customer services... no one below that level. If you don't get a result, email / fax the CEO / MD directly asking for a prompt reply and resolution. You may find it helpful to mention your intention of approaching TV / the press with the story if you do not get a satisfactory resolution with due speed - however try to avoid sounding excessively threatening. I hope this helps! Now, can you tell me why my Clio RSi starts misfiring and running very rough whenever it gets to operating temperature but is fine when it's cooler? What model of Renault? There’s a known issue where the central locking rod will drop out of the locking assembly if the boot is slammed shut too hard. 15 mins with a pair of pliers to bend the end of the rod over slightly will sort this out. A new lock is completely uncalled for. IMHO you have a case against them for doing work you did not request. Unless they have the request for the work in writing then I don’t think they can insist on payment. You should have insisted that they undid the work you didn’t request, and that you would happily pay for the works you did request but ONLY when they had completed ALL of the works you did request. As they’re a main dealer, I wouldn’t mess about – just approach Renault UK direct and speak to their head of customer services… no one below that level. If you don’t get a result, email / fax the CEO / MD directly asking for a prompt reply and resolution. You may find it helpful to mention your intention of approaching TV / the press with the story if you do not get a satisfactory resolution with due speed – however try to avoid sounding excessively threatening.
I hope this helps!
Now, can you tell me why my Clio RSi starts misfiring and running very rough whenever it gets to operating temperature but is fine when it’s cooler?

]]> Comment on Running an oncall rota by Pigsaw Blog » Blog Archive » Bookmarks for 20 Jul 2010 http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/running-an-oncall-rota/comment-page-1/#comment-181 Pigsaw Blog » Blog Archive » Bookmarks for 20 Jul 2010 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:08:05 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=196#comment-181 [...] Running an oncall rota « Martin A. Brooks"Being part of an oncall rota is pretty much a certainty if you work in the systems or operations team at any IT orientated company. [...] As someone who’s participated in oncall rotas at all levels, here’s how I think one should be organised" Good advice from Martin Brooks (systems_administration management ) [...] [...] Running an oncall rota « Martin A. Brooks"Being part of an oncall rota is pretty much a certainty if you work in the systems or operations team at any IT orientated company. [...] As someone who’s participated in oncall rotas at all levels, here’s how I think one should be organised" Good advice from Martin Brooks (systems_administration management ) [...]

]]> Comment on Running an oncall rota by Adam Thompson http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/running-an-oncall-rota/comment-page-1/#comment-172 Adam Thompson Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:55:57 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=196#comment-172 Gary - It's not entirely unheard of: http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/display/1644404727/articles/fire-engineering/legal-matters/2010/07/murphy-firefighter-arsonists.html Gary – It’s not entirely unheard of:
http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/display/1644404727/articles/fire-engineering/legal-matters/2010/07/murphy-firefighter-arsonists.html

]]> Comment on Running an oncall rota by Gary Law http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/running-an-oncall-rota/comment-page-1/#comment-171 Gary Law Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:34:19 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=196#comment-171 People should be paid for working out of hours, it's only fair. Alternatively, they should get time off in leiu at a good rate -- in fact, this is preferable if you're to avoid "burn out" in the best staff. If you suspect that you're incentivising staff for outages that they'll get paid for fixing, well, do you worry the fire brigade go around setting fires on the quiet? People should be paid for working out of hours, it’s only fair. Alternatively, they should get time off in leiu at a good rate — in fact, this is preferable if you’re to avoid “burn out” in the best staff. If you suspect that you’re incentivising staff for outages that they’ll get paid for fixing, well, do you worry the fire brigade go around setting fires on the quiet?

]]> Comment on Running an oncall rota by Adam Thompson http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/running-an-oncall-rota/comment-page-1/#comment-170 Adam Thompson Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:55:38 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=196#comment-170 Just one point to make - you might like to restrict who has access to the on-call number. This will act as a muppet filter, preventing many of the "my start bar has moved..." type calls, if most of the minions need to get their line manager to call on their behalf. Most people don't care about upsetting some IT lackey, but if they have to disturb their own boss, it's usually for a good reason. If you have a shift team *and* an on-call escalation point, the on-call report should probably include details of who escalated to the on-call support person, as often you'll find some engineers will only contact the on-call bod if it's a real emergency, whereas others will hit that speed-dial button faster than you can say "training requirements". Just one point to make – you might like to restrict who has access to the on-call number. This will act as a muppet filter, preventing many of the “my start bar has moved…” type calls, if most of the minions need to get their line manager to call on their behalf. Most people don’t care about upsetting some IT lackey, but if they have to disturb their own boss, it’s usually for a good reason.
If you have a shift team *and* an on-call escalation point, the on-call report should probably include details of who escalated to the on-call support person, as often you’ll find some engineers will only contact the on-call bod if it’s a real emergency, whereas others will hit that speed-dial button faster than you can say “training requirements”.

]]> Comment on Running an oncall rota by Martin A. Brooks http://blog.hinterlands.org/2010/07/running-an-oncall-rota/comment-page-1/#comment-169 Martin A. Brooks Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:42:45 +0000 http://blog.hinterlands.org/?p=196#comment-169 I agree there's some scope for dishonesty with per-incident payments. Hence my suggestion that an incident is tied to a ticket. That combined with the daily reports, and the trends for oncall incidents over time, should make faking things difficult in the first place, and fairly obvious when it happens. If disks always fill up when Martin's oncall, and never do for anyone else, there's a problem that needs to be addressed. I agree there’s some scope for dishonesty with per-incident payments. Hence my suggestion that an incident is tied to a ticket. That combined with the daily reports, and the trends for oncall incidents over time, should make faking things difficult in the first place, and fairly obvious when it happens. If disks always fill up when Martin’s oncall, and never do for anyone else, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

]]>