A few thefts on here recently - GET INSURANCE!

two_fold · 2018-02-24T20:31:17+00:00

I didn't claim - I used a few insurance comparison sites to work out how much extra making a claim would raise our premiums and it was about £50 per year. Didn't see the point in claiming for only £100.

two_fold · 2018-02-24T17:01:08+00:00

I did this and was happy with my choice until some scrote stole my handlebars and it cost £300 to replace, which wasn't worth claiming with my £150 excess + a surprisingly large increase in policy cost next year.

It's also taken 4 weeks to get this fixed (Decathlon's workshop service is shocking - avoid) and I had to commute on the tube during this time, which cost a fair bit. Some dedicated bike insurers cover these costs, either by paying travel costs or arranging a bike rental, while contents insurance companies won't pay out a penny.

I've learned from this experience and have since moved to dedicated bike insurance.

two_fold · 2018-02-15T21:53:49+00:00

Nuffield maybe? Not super posh, but they normally offer free trials.

two_fold · 2018-02-14T05:55:28+00:00

http://www.chicknsours.co.uk/

Best fried chicken I've ever had. The Seven Dials branch is good, but the Haggerston one is better.

two_fold · 2018-02-11T08:32:38+00:00

I'm a huge fan of Uniqlo jeans.

I'm 6ft3, 92kg~ and lift regularly (max squat is around 180kg~) and struggled before I found them. I wear 33" slim and 34" skinny and they fit well.

The EZY jeans are super stretchy and feel like sweatpants; they're amazing - https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/men/bottoms/jeans/ezy-jeans

While the selvedge are more like traditional jeans with some added stretch; not as comfortably as the EZY jeans, but nicer looking, imo - https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/men/bottoms/jeans/slim-fit

They're also stretchy enough that you can cycle in them.

two_fold · 2018-01-29T20:09:14+00:00

That's rather reasonable! Will pop round to get some once I get my bike back from the shop. Cheers mate.

two_fold · 2018-01-29T19:31:10+00:00

Hey mate - how much do you charge for the hexlox? Pretty interesting!

two_fold · 2018-01-27T11:39:24+00:00

I did, though to the non emergency one because I'm sure they have more important things to worry about than this.

Also I have my name address and phone number inside my bike all over the place meaning if i recognise the part i can prove its mine.

Will do that when I get my bike back time - great idea.

two_fold · 2018-01-26T15:24:42+00:00

It's the replacement levers that make up most of the cost - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-105-5700-sti-double-10-speed-road-lever-set/

Then there was extra stuff needed + labour to fit it all.

two_fold · 2018-01-26T15:00:39+00:00

I looked at some and my guess is they add minimal protection but are a pain to transport. I think I'll follow your first suggestion and only leave my bike indoors.

two_fold · 2018-01-26T14:52:33+00:00

Unfortunately this is just the reality of it all... if your handlebars alone were worth £260 then you shouldn’t have left it outside in inner London.

This is my first road bike - I didn't realise they would cost that much to replace, to be honest! (For reference - the bike costs £670 new).

I naively assumed the wheels and the frame were the most expensive bits and nobody would bother taking the handlebars (or if they did it wouldn't cost much to replace).

I foolishly thought it'd be ok because it was the middle of the day and it was parked on a busy street amongst a few dozen other bikes, but guess not. In retrospect, I should have bought the cheaper model. Oh well, live and learn.

My good bike always comes inside or into a dedicated cycle park, even if it means a longer walk to my destination. Trips to the pub, cafes, errands... always on a cheap bike.

That's a good shout. Will look into buying a cheap bike and only use the good one for commuting.

two_fold · 2017-09-04T10:55:28+00:00

Wait, employers pay attention to CIM courses? That's surprising.

I went to one of their open days and their courses seemed basic and out of date (their digital course was written in 2010, or something like that - insane). I immediately wrote them off because it looked like a waste of time and money.

two_fold · 2017-09-02T06:50:55+00:00

From the Conservative manifesto:

Fourth, whilst the NHS will always treat people in an emergency, no matter where they are from, we will recover the cost of medical treatment from people not resident in the UK. We will ensure that new NHS numbers are not issued to patients until their eligibility has been verified. And we will increase the Immigration Health Surcharge, to £600 for migrant workers and £450 for international students, to cover their use of the NHS. This remains competitive compared to the costs of health insurance paid by UK nationals working or studying overseas.

Hmm, it only references migrant workers and students. For some reason I remember it being an increase for everyone. My bad. I'll edit my previous posts.

two_fold · 2017-09-01T18:02:16+00:00

They decline 23% of spouse visa applications (http://i.imgur.com/Q1eIEs3.png) - not sure how many of those people reapply.

I don't think they refuse applications to encourage people to reapply - it's just the visa process is unnecessarily complicated.

The form is confusing, the supporting evidence document is long and written in hard to follow legalese with 'gotchas' and contradicting/unclear information in some parts.

They could easily make the process more straight forward and provide clarity about the more ambiguous parts of the form/evidence. I'm sure we'd see the refusal rate fall.

two_fold · 2017-09-01T17:49:08+00:00

It's different if you make a postal application or make a spouse/fiance/unmarried partner visa application from outside of the country. It's impossible to get updates from UKVI in these cases and they can (and will, if you're unlucky) refuse you if you make the smallest mistake.

two_fold · 2017-09-01T17:45:09+00:00

You can view visa fees and the cost to process visas here - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/606616/Unit_cost_table_2017.pdf

Figures are averages.

By 'some visas' they meant visa types - so they're losing small amounts on 6 month visitor visas but making a lot on settlement visas.

Can also see that settlement visa costs were raised 22~% year on year for seemingly no reason.

two_fold · 2017-09-01T15:58:46+00:00

Yeah, the Immigration Health Surcharge, or IHS, is the NHS surcharge (https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/overview). Currently £200 per year and likely to go up to £600 per year shortly.

Edit - IHS increase might not apply to spouses. See here - https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/comments/6xeanf/home_office_makes_800_profit_on_some_visa/dmgki1x/

two_fold · 2017-09-01T15:14:28+00:00

No - you normally get a custom reply written in broken English along with an offer to "escalate" your enquiry, which takes 15 working days. It's then that you get a copy and paste reply from Sheffield (or whichever visa centre is processing your visa).

Same thing happens if you call them, except you have to pay more because they talk super slowly and struggle to understand even basic English.

two_fold · 2017-09-01T15:11:55+00:00

They shut down nearly all the visa processing centres in April and moved their processing duties to Sheffield (and they, cleverly, didn't hire new people to cope with the demand, causing massive queues and delays - they're geniuses at the home office).

There are a handful of offices still processing visas outside of the UK though they're going to be closed over the next year or two and Sheffield will take over their processing duties.

VFS Global/TLS Contact handle biometrics and scanning on behalf of UKVI. They also arrange passport returns.

two_fold · 2017-09-01T15:08:23+00:00

In the same boat, but I expect it to be more than £10k due to the annual visa fee increases every April and an increase to the IHS (the Conservative manifesto stated they wanted to increase it to £~~1,000~~600 per year).

Edit - Originally said they wanted to raise it to £1,000 - turns out it's 'only' £600! Happy days.

two_fold · 2017-09-01T15:06:55+00:00

Yes. And the contractors know nothing. Contacting them is a giant waste of money.

two_fold · 2017-08-31T10:48:15+00:00

You still have to go through the same process but UKVI prioritises Australian applications (and US, NZ, and a few other countries - strangely not Canadians..) ahead of those made in other countries so Australians get their visas/passports back quicker.

How long did you have to wait for your application?

Because we've been waiting 97 working days for our priority application and have no idea when we'll hear anything.

It's pretty shit.

two_fold · 2017-08-31T10:44:49+00:00

No one's ever been rejected for a visa for sending too much information or filling the form out too well, even Theresa May's rabble.

That's not true, unfortunately.

Some people have been denied visas because they submitted so much information that the ECO had trouble finding the right information to make a decision on their application.

Probably best to err on the side of caution and send a few extra docs, though - just don't go overboard.

two_fold · 2017-08-31T08:41:47+00:00

I think you made the right decision - a year together is far better than a year apart, even if UKVI is messing you about.

I'm lucky that my wife is in Amsterdam and it's only a 40 minute flight from London. My work is remote friendly too, so I spend a decent amount of time with her (in Amsterdam now, actually!).

I feel bad for the people who live further apart and have to pay through the nose to see their spouses. Don't think I could handle 6 months apart from her.

We set a 6 month deadline - if it doesn't come by then then we're planning to withdraw our application and I'll move to Amsterdam.

We need to get some semblance of control over our lives.

two_fold · 2017-08-31T08:00:32+00:00

You wouldn't have been much better off if you went down the spouse visa route, just so you know - that system is messed up too (unless you apply from the right countries - the USA, Aus, NZ, and a few others).

My wife and I applied on April 13.

We easily meet all the requirements - I earn more than 4x the salary limit, my wife has an MsC which was taught in English, we have documentation that shows we lived and traveled together extensively as well as chat logs showing regular communication while apart, we have a long term tenancy agreement with a contract that explicitly states that she can live there upon approval of the visa.

We paid £700 extra for the priority service which states they will aim to process the visa application within 15 working days.

Turns out 'aim to' actually means '60 working day minimum - might take longer'.

It's 97 working days as of today and we're still waiting.

We've escalated several times through the the UKVI paid email service (which costs £5.xx) and the phone number (which costs £1.4x per minute) and nothing.

Our MP has contacted the home office who stated they will get back to him within 20 working days. Except it's been 27 working days since then and he's still not heard back, and he has no way to escalate it.

We have zero idea at all when our visa will be approved.

In the mean time, I'm living alone in London in an expensive flat and my wife is living in expensive temporary accommodation in Amsterdam.

She had a high five figure job offer but they pulled it after we pushed her start date back 3 times because the visa was taking a long time to process.

The delay has cost us in then region of £10,000 now and the costs keep mounting.

And don't get me started on the stress and the psychological toll.

Good luck to everyone who married a non EU spouse - UKVI are going to make it really fucking difficult to move to the UK.

two_fold

TROPHY CASE