Why is it so hard to buy diesel?

[dmr]

As usual the forum is debating details rather than looking at the bigger picture.

This bloke is most likely not a liar or idiot, but more likely a dreamer or optimist, however he might also be an unscrupulous businessman (we like to call them entrepreneurs).

But, he might have hit on a good idea. We only have to look at Uber and Airbnb to see how a new web/email based company can almost overnight revolutionise (or destroy?) an existing business sector. I suspect quite a lot of people (especially stag and hen groups) would be happy to do a cheap hire like this and take care of the cleaning (or not) themselves. Its no use debating CaRT rules and regulations, if something like this gets popular it will take CaRT at least a year to decide how to respond, and that response will almost certainly be infective.

If nothing else he might have hit on a great way to sell an old overplated boat for far more than its worth.

If anybody wants to offer £150,000 for my boat then please do, I can supply the phone number of a few mates who might be interested in hiring it.

However, to be more realistic, its sad to note that at least one very good and viable hotel boat businesses ended up selling the business for probably less than the value of the boats.

................Dave

[Athy]

55 minutes ago, dmr said:

As usual the forum is debating details rather than looking at the bigger picture.

 

I am not sure that that is the case, nor that it is usual.

What has surprised me is the lack of admiration for entrepreneurs who had new ideas and made them work. It appears that Richard Branson needed a bit of help from his family in his early days (yes, I have read that Wikipaedia article too) and I can perhaps forgive adverse criticism of him, but Lord Sugar? His success, from nowhere to billionaire is surely an inspiration to many, whether they're starting a bed & breakfast business or a boating one. He certainly didn't have rich parents to help him out: his Dad was a tailor in the East End.

I would further mention Chris Blackwell who,, through a succession of good  ideas well executed, sold the business which he started in 1959 for £330 million in 1989. People  such as these show that there's room for a Field-Marshal's baton in every private's knapsack, if the private cares to get off his backside and devote himself to his business.

.

. 

 

 

 

[dmr]

17 minutes ago, Athy said:

I am not sure that that is the case, nor that it is usual.

What has surprised me is the lack of admiration for entrepreneurs who had new ideas and made them work. It appears that Richard Branson needed a bit of help from his family in his early days (yes, I have read that Wikipaedia article too) and I can perhaps forgive adverse criticism of him, but Lord Sugar? His success, from nowhere to billionaire is surely an inspiration to many, whether they're starting a bed & breakfast business or a boating one. He certainly didn't have rich parents to help him out: his Dad was a tailor in the East End.

I would further mention Chris Blackwell who,, through a succession of good  ideas well executed, sold the business which he started in 1959 for £330 million in 1989. People  such as these show that there's room for a Field-Marshal's baton in every private's knapsack, if the private cares to get off his backside and devote himself to his business.

.

 

Clive Sinclair is often regarded as the true inventor rather than the slightly seedy entrepreneur that Sugar is often is seen as, but I have read that Sir Clive started of by selling out of spec/reject transistors to the hobby market.

Most businesses have to take a few risks when they start off, I reckon Branson just chose to borrow a bit of capital from HMRC rather than the banks which sounds like quite a good idea to me.

I do fear that the entire inland waterways economy is a bit of a sitting duck for newcomers to move in and wreck but I don't know what we can do to protect it

.................Dave

[Athy]

4 minutes ago, dmr said:

.

I do fear that the entire inland waterways economy is a bit of a sitting duck for newcomers to move in and wreck but I don't know what we can do to protect it

.................Dave

I've never thought of Surrallan as "seedy"; just because he still talks Cockney rather than proper lordspeak?

Perhaps not writing off every new businessman on the cut as a hopeless, doomed dreamer might help.

[Victor Vectis]

37 minutes ago, Athy said:

I am not sure that that is the case, nor that it is usual.

What has surprised me is the lack of admiration for entrepreneurs < snip >

Years ago I had an Austrailian mate who said "No one gets rich except by ripping off other people"

I was young and idealistic and argued that he was wrong.

Now that I am old (and cynical?) I reckon he was right.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Victor Vectis

[cuthound]

15 minutes ago, Athy said:

I've never thought of Surrallan as "seedy"; just because he still talks Cockney rather than proper lordspeak?

Perhaps not writing off every new businessman on the cut as a hopeless, doomed dreamer might help.

I bought one of his early stereo receivers in the mid 70's.  Sounded good for the money but the build quality was vey poor. They were imported from the far east.

I had to return it to his headquarters  (then in Dalston, East London) on numerous occasions during the warranty period. He refused to repair it when out of warranty.

As far as I am concerned he is a chancer. 

[Athy]

57 minutes ago, cuthound said:

I bought one of his early stereo receivers in the mid 70's.  Sounded good for the money but the build quality was vey poor. They were imported from the far east.

I had to return it to his headquarters  (then in Dalston, East London) on numerous occasions during the warranty period. He refused to repair it when out of warranty.

As far as I am concerned he is a chancer. 

The "pile it high, sell it cheap" method - as practised successfully by an earlier London Jewish entrepreneur, Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco, which hasn't done too badly.

If he'd been a real "chancer" he wouldn't have repaired it during the guarantee period! You'll perhaps have noticed that a majority of radio and T.V. goods, which in those days were largely made in Britain, Germany etc., are now imported from the Far East, so he was a leader in that respect too. Even some Roberts radios, Heaven forfend, are now built in China or somewhere near there.

[cuthound]

3 minutes ago, Athy said:

The "pile it high, sell it cheap" method - as practised successfully by an earlier London Jewish entrepreneur, Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco, which hasn't done too badly.

If he'd been a real "chancer" he wouldn't have repaired it during the guarantee period! You'll perhaps have noticed that a majority of radio and T.V. goods, which in those days were largely made in Britain, Germany etc., are now imported from the Far East, so he was a leader in that respect too. Even some Roberts radios, Heaven forfend, are now built in China or somewhere near there.

He made his name and money on the personal computer bubble of the 80's, and sold the company before the bubble burst.

Since then he has seems to have traded on his name to become a TV celebrity.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, cuthound said:

He made his name and money on the personal computer bubble of the 80's, and sold the company before the bubble burst.

Since then he has seems to have traded on his name to become a TV celebrity.

 

Indeed. 

What does his company make/sell these days? I can't think of a single thing. In fact is it still called Amstrad?

[Athy]

Yes, he's an astute businessman who has done very well. Knowing when to sell is a skaill which too few business people possess. According to his Wikipaedia write-up he does still own a sizeable business empire, which is run principally by his sons (well he is of pensionable age now).

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Indeed. 

What does his company make/sell these days? I can't think of a single thing. In fact is it still called Amstrad?

No it's not. I did look on his Wiki page but can't remember the name of the companies which his family owns. I would think that he invests his considerable millions in other companies nowadays.

[Neil2]

I had an early Amstrad amplifier, in those days it was the absolute bollox.  I reckon Pink Floyd (among others) owe Alan Sugar a debt of gratitude as those cheap Amstrads enabled everyone to listen to Dark Side of the Moon at real volume.    

 

Edited September 3, 2017 by Neil2

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, Neil2 said:

I had an early Amstrad amplifier, in those days it was the absolute bollox.  I reckon Pink Floyd (among others) owe Alan Sugar a debt of gratitude as those cheap Amstrads enabled everyone to listen to Dark Side of the Moon at real volume.    

I listened to Dark Side of the Moon in 6 channel surround sound... I went to the live concert in Brighton  

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, WotEver said:

I listened to Dark Side of the Moon in 6 channel surround sound... I went to the live concert in Brighton  

There is no dark side of the moon really.  Matter of fact, its all dark

[RLWP]

1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

There is no dark side of the moon really.  Matter of fact, its all dark

 Gerry O'Driscoll

"There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun."

[WotEver]

I went to Brighton. Pink Floyd said there was, so there is!

So there. 

[rusty69]

4 minutes ago, WotEver said:

I went to Brighton. Pink Floyd said there was, so there is!

So there. 

You lucky b@#&std

Edited September 3, 2017 by rusty69

[WotEver]

1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

You lucky b@#&std

"Time" was amazing. I still clearly remember the sound pinging around the room even now. 

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, WotEver said:

"Time" was amazing. I still clearly remember the sound pinging around the room even now. 

I only ever saw them after Roger had left, but  ain't as old as you

[WotEver]

Just now, rusty69 said:

I only ever saw them after Roger had left, but  ain't as old as you

Lots of folk aren't. Many are older. Age is but a number. 

[rusty69]

Just now, WotEver said:

Lots of folk aren't. Many are older. Age is but a number. 

Not if you wanna see PF live it ain't 

[WotEver]

1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

Not if you wanna see PF live it ain't 

 

[rusty69]

4 minutes ago, WotEver said:

 

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

[MtB]

13 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

 

I love that lyric. Nice easy song to play/sing on geetar too.

[Ex Brummie]

It's good to see how Mr.  Grumpy's original post has reverted to pleasant conversation.

[nbfiresprite]

6 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Indeed. 

What does his company make/sell these days? I can't think of a single thing. In fact is it still called Amstrad?

Amstrad was sold to BSkyB in 2007, Now mainly knocks out sky box's and dish's.  The computers that were made by this company were a pain to repair, thanks to non standard design and parts used.