The older generation...
My father-in-law is very practically minded - he can build and repair pretty much anything having worked as a mechanic, engineer and carpenter. He has a small flat that he rents out about 30 miles from our home town and his tenant is a lovely lady who had just had a baby. The washing machine broke down so he very quickly ordered one online from Currys or somesuch.

It arrived at my father in laws the next day and he volunteered me to help fit it. I took an afternoon off work and borrowed a trolley from my neighbour who had to spend 20 minutes getting it from the back of his shed. We cleared out f-I-l's car, folded down the seats, heaved the washing machine into the back, drove 30 miles, unloaded it, carried it over soft ground, lugged it up 4 flights of narrow stairs, removed plinths from the kitchen units, spent 15 minutes trying to unscrew the hoses which were really awkward to reach, removed the old machine, lined up then shuffled the new machine into place over 30 minutes, improvised extended hoses, screwed in new hoses which took even longer than removing them, cleaned kitchen of detritus, swear, dirty water, etc, lugged the old machine back down 4 flights of stairs, carried it over the soft ground and heaved it into the back of the car before driving 30 miles home 4 hours later.

In the car on the way back I mentioned that a lot of companies now will deliver to the correct address, install and remove the old machine. Apparently, f-I-l was very aware of this but he chose not to take that option because, "the cheeky buggers wanted £10 to install it and £10 to take the old machine away".

Oh, that's OK then!
(Gusofnavarone always makes a map of france from sarnies, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 9:03, 8 replies)

He's getting his own back because
you married his daughter.
( edjogs Collared doves are shit., Wed 25 Jun 2014, 9:20, closed)

I'm with the old man, on this.
Fitting a washing machine is the work of minutes, and not exactly rocket science.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 10:21, closed)

£20 for the suppliers to do all the work the OP detailed - and the 60-mile round trip?
Absolute bargain.
(Captain Placid 24/7 ball gags, brownie mix and clown porn, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 10:34, closed)

Normally minutes I agree but it was incredibly fiddly. But £10 to deliver the washing machine to the flat would have at least been money well spent. Father in law is 8 stone in wet clothes so you can imagine the fun and games getting it up the stairs. Plus petrol on a 60 mile round trip - 30mpg for a 15 year old Passat? Two gallons of petrol , that's about 9 litres at £1.30/litre. Out of pocket already...
(Gusofnavarone always makes a map of france from sarnies, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 10:50, closed)

Or.. put another way
Would you give up half a day's holiday to do a 60 mile round trip to save £10?
(Gusofnavarone always makes a map of france from sarnies, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 10:52, closed)

Granted, getting it delivered to the wrong house was a stupid decision.
Maybe you should take over the running of his operations, and he can retire to a care home by the sea?
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 11:18, closed)

Certainly missed a trick there...
I'd have taken the £10 to install, then dumped the old machine outside - I'm sure overnight some pikeys would've been by and grabbed it for scrap.

When I was having a new kitchen fitted in the rental property (extensive rental portfolio me - one ex-council house), me and a mate dragged the old range cooker outside, and as we walked back into the kitchen to grab a beer I casually remarked (I wonder how long before some pikey spots that..." I'd barely managed to finish the sentence before there was a knock on the door - apparently we have a polite lot around here - and a large guy in a manky white van asking if he could take it.
( snee held his breath since, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 12:04, closed)

I've just had a new roof, new boiler, chimney removal, remodeling, extension, blah blah blah. I was genuinely surprised how much of the detritus turned out to be pikeydegradable; I really only had to bother getting rid of the bricks.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Wed 25 Jun 2014, 16:35, closed)