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Well, today's been a fun day. Had a burst pipe in the bathroom last night so today has been the joy of dealing with insurers, plumbers and loss adjusters. Anyway, the pipe has been capped so on to the actual question(s).....
The house is 4 years old. The plumber said the pipework was some of the worst he'd seen (I know, they all say that)....but he did point out lots of corrosion on water pipes, a couple of "uphill" waste pipes and I agree it does look shoddy. More to the point, the leak was caused by corrosion due to flux having been left on the pipe. This is apparent in other areas so the potential for more leaks soon. I already have two leaking toilets.
We bought the house 6 months ago. It's still under NHBC guarantee but they don't cover pipes after 2 years. Digging around I found the Water Fixings Regulations 1999 which give legal requirements for the initial install which includes "workmanship" standards.
Do you think I would have any comeback on the developers/builders of the property? For something this fundamental to start failing after 4 years I wouldn't have thought was particularly good - there's the issue of further leaks but also contamination of our drinking water....I did wonder why it was blue!
TIA, PST
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Might be worth seeking a free initial consultation with a solicitor on the legal side (half-an-hour is normally the time allowed), pointing out the Water Fixings Regulations 1999 requirements.
Much easier I would think than trying to battle against the builders on your own.
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Have you got an NHBC warranty/guarantee thing ?
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PU - Tried NHBC and they've effectively washed their hands of it....they would cover it from years 0-2 but from 3-10 it basically just gives you house collapse cover...
To give a little more detail I have spoken to the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme and they have been very helpful. The Water Fittings regulations (which I didn't know existed before today) put a legal requirement on developers to adhere to certain standards for plumbing and this is enforced by the Water Supply companies (not the Building Inspectors!).
So I think my first step will be to get a professional inspection of the plumbing done which my water company can do. The second step is what to do with that information. I didn't buy the house from the developers but on the basis that they may have contravened the regulations just 4 years ago I may have a case against them.
Stuart - I will certainly try and get the legal advice - just found this is available on the buildings policy.
I'm not a fan of litigation for the sake of it but if I'm going to be faced with leaking pipes every 6 months and the generally horrendous disruption and consequential damage just because a developer wanted to cut a few corners then I don't think I've got much alternative.
PST
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Have you got an NHBC warranty/guarantee thing ? Have you got an NHBC warranty/guarantee thing ?>>
it is stated, quite clearly, that this only applies for a couple of years.
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PST have been through this with my daughters new house some years ago. The midwife detected fumes in the lounge (God bless her) and the Gas board were called in. They concurred with this and the detector showed heavy CO and placed a "Not to use Orrder" on the gas fire.
They traced the fault to incorrect placing of the flue which is built into the external wall during construction. The blocks were misaligned and didn?t allow the flue gases to get away and were dropping back into the room.
I contacted the builders (A National Company) who didn?t want know and directed me to NHBC. They also had no interest stating it didn?t affect the structural integrity of the house and directed me back to the builders.
They were quite offhand and didn?t want to talk to me about it.
I then contacted and met the County Council Engineer who told me they have no input into the building of new private property.
Having myself worked as a Clerk of Works for the Home Office I asked who would check upon the quality of construction during its progress.
The answer was amazingly that no-one does. The local authority only visit and inspect up to DPC level.
I found this amazing but the logic is that normally the client (in my case the Home Office) appoint their own COW in their own interest to ensure that work is carried out to standards. In private housing there is literally no client until the house has been sold. All work is done by subbies but it appears that the main contractor does not supervise in the normal established manner.
I also contacted Corgi but again no interest shown.
In retrospect my next port of call should have been the H&S Executive but I was running out of time. Several houses in the same estate apparently had the same problem and I suggested they form an action group. No-one did and eventually we fitted a new gas fire with balanced flue.
Perhaps in your case if you could find the name of the installers and go to trading standards they may have some interest. However my own experience is that no-one seems to want to know and suggest elsewhere.
Keep us informed of your progress.
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Wemyss - an interesting story and very similar to mine (although mine's water and yours was gas). Today I had a man round from the local water company - he's responsible for ensuring compliance with the Water Fittings regulations. His views seemed to back up your experiences. He agreed that the pipework was not of the required standard for workmanship but also acknowledged that they only check a very small percentage of new build properties - or may not even do that if the developers can show they used "authorised" plumbers.
And with the pressures of time and cost on these developments then the work often doesn't meet the required standards but they don't know that until things go wrong and by that time getting any recompense out of the developers is an uphill struggle.
So it looks like I will be better off chalking it up to experience and dealing with the potential leaks as they arise. Annoyingly, from the insurance perspective, they will only cover damage caused by the leaks - they will not repair the leak itself, putting it down to wear and tear which is all the more galling when the pipework is only 4 years old. This surprised the water board guy and he's given me details of their own insurers who he thinks would cover repairs - although this contradicts the loss adjuster from my insurers...."no policy will cover you to get the pipes fixed....."
It sounds similar to the tales in the motoring section....plenty of regulations and legislation in place to protect the consumer/citizen but frequently too little resource to actually enforce it.
Hey ho
PST
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- Paint bum of tick with nail varnish & wait 10 - 15 seconds
- Tick can't breath so will release grip on cat to get air
- Gently pull tick off
- Wrap tick in tissue and burn outside, make sure you hear it pop. Tick is full of eggs and if you crush it you're potentially in trouble as the eggs will splat everywhere
- Ask local vet about "Frontline" a preventative you put on the aminal's skin which will protect the animal for 4-6 months
My wife is a country vet, above are her wise words.
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Cheers FM,
Though even more cheers to your Missus - I trust her advice more than yours!!! ;-)
(note Smiley!!)
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Phil
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We use Frontline on our cats, it's good stuff and the cats don't seem to mind having it applied. However - and you probably don't want to hear this - it's half the price in France...
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Frontline is the full monty for ticks, lice and fleas. It is the only guaranteed way to get rid off, and keep the critters off for any length of time.
Its also toxic, and out of personal choice I wouldnt allow it anywhere near any of my pets unless it was a matter of last resort.
I use some drops of garlic oil in Fifi's food. Not had a sniff of fleas, lice or ticks in two years.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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>> .. drops of garlic oil in Fifi's food ..
shows that it suits you and nicole, and your french pets don't mind the pong. will it suit the rosbeef cats though?
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She also likes a small glass of van rouge,
Fifi that is.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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You owns a cat that likes a van rouge - So do tell the truth TVM , you are really Postman Pat aren't you?
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- Ask local vet about "Frontline" a preventative you put on the aminal's skin which will protect the animal for 4-6 months
Surely you mean 4 - 6 weeks?
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Maybe it was weeks, ask the vet when you ask for the stuff.
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A quick google found the following.
"the minimum treatment interval is 4 weeks."
www.nutrecare.co.uk/prod5.asp?prod_id=1707&id=142&...r
click on the various links to bring up a datasheet.
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Years ago we used to use TCP on a cotton bud to get ticks off the Labrador, easy though perhaps check that TCP can be used for cats, some things that are OK for dogs are toxic for cats.
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Does anyone have one of these? I was think of getting her one Christmas, so that she can keep it in the car on these dark nights. The advert says you shake it for about 30 secs and it lasts a few hours. Seem too good to be true. No more batteries.
Would be interested to hear experiences.
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Yes a friend had one - light output is via a cluster of LEDs and not too clever. The same friends bought me a pocket torch which is about the size of a 10p and goes on a keyring. Uses 2 watch batteries to power a single white LED, batteries last up to 15 hours. Alternative to the shaky torch is a wind up version - similar to wind up radio.
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>>Yes a friend had one >>
After a few vin rouge shaking the torch should be easy...;-)
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They are a bit pony in my experience. The light is very weak and doesn't last long. OK for showing that you're there on a dark road, but no use for doing anything or lighting your way when it's pitch.
A small LED battery powered torch is a better buy. I got mine from a walking shop like Blacks and the battery lasts for ages.
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We got a wind up one for about £6 in Lidl, or was it Aldi? Excellent and has two light levels. Had a shakey one which was a bore to activate and gave short duration, poor light.
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MP3 or ipod??
total technophobe here, so please what is the difference between the two and the most suitable for someone to use down the gym, and roughly how much would be needed to be spent to get a reasonable / good one.
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Another technophobe replying! SFAIK an MP3 player is anything that will play music files which are in the very common MP3 format and an i Pod is Apple's brand name for their MP3 player. You can get very acceptable ones in Comet and Currys and don't need to pay the earth for the top of the line jobber from Apple! They are all solid state so there is no chance of jumping and stopping as with CD Walkmen - remember them?
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>>They are all solid stateso there is no chance of jumping and stopping as with CD Walkmen - remember them?
The higher capacity players have a hard disk inside, so not solid state. They can suffer premature failure if they get bounced around a lot.
Having looked into this quite recently I'd say the higher priced models from various companies are, unsurprisingly, better than the cheap jobbies in most cases. It's true they all play music, but the more expensive ones usually have some advantage in sound, size, weight, ease of use, battery life, aftermarket gadgets and so on. If you're spending more than pocket money on one have a listen if you can, use the controls, and see what suits you. Also check what file formats they play, whether they can be used as a portable hard drive etc. etc.
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To be honest if it's just for use down the gym, and you're not bothered about the ultimate usability or fashion statement then I'd just get one of these cheapie mp3 players, for example:-
www.mymemory.co.uk/memory/MyMemory/1GB/USB/MP3/Pla...r
1Gb is enough for a couple of hundred songs, cheap enough to avoid sackcloth & ashes if it gets broken.
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I have one of these under a tenner models - sound is surprisingly good:
tinyurl.com/rh2bv
Until quite recently it was also being supplied with a Secure Digital card for very little more..:-( I paid £12.99 but it's dropped in price since.
It can also be used as a memory card reader/writer with SD cards; I use one of the cards I have for my digital camera with the player.
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... Until quite recently it was also being supplied with a Secure Digital card for very little more.
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it still is, as per your link in a previous ihaq - see
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=46...6
www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=77...8
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>>it still is, as per your link in a previous ihaq ??
Thanks for that.
The addition of a 512MB SD card for just £3.50 has to be quite a bargain, especially as my 256MB SD card from the same source cost me £20 including p and p about 18 months ago...:-)
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If you just want to rip tracks from your own CD collection any model will do the basics. If you want to purchase music from legal download sites you'll need one that supports a file format with rights management. Usually this will be WMA/DRM for Napster, Virgin, Tesco etc. but Apple Itunes and Sony use their own proprietary systems.
We've found Creative Zen Nano (256mb to 1GB solid state) and Zen Micro (5gb hard drive) to be excellent provided the useless OEM earpieces are replaced.
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I know that by posting this I have reached the onset of middle age, but does anyone know if there are lyrics on the new Killers and Razorlight albums that you wouldn't want an 8yr old and a 10 yr old to hear?
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I'm sure that, theoretically, if they do have such lyrics then the box in the shop should have a little black and white 'parental advisory - explicit lyrics' sticker.
Whether that in fact always happens I couldn't say for sure.
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I've just got my daughter to check if they have 'explicit' warnings on the Napster downloads for these albums and they don't, so in theory they wouldn't get the 'parental advisory' stciker on the physical versions in the shops.
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Thank you for doing that.
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www.lyricsondemand.com/r/razorlightlyrics/
www.lyricsondemand.com/k/killerslyrics/
Check for yourself. If you are really bored you can learn the lyrics yourself and annoy your kids.
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Where can you buy strips of self adhesive flexible magnetic stuff - either in sheets or strips - the sort of thing that bendy fridge magnets are made of . I've seen some in the last couple of weeks but can't remember where.
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Large stationers sell it, with the rather unlikely name of 'Magnetic Paper'! I bought it in A4 sheets and it is thick bendy rubberised magnetic stuff which can be cut with good scissors. We used it for a task board at work - magnetic white board it was ideal.
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Alternatively, depending on how much you need, try a vehicle signwriting place and ask for offcuts.
V
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When I was at primary school, the boys occasionally played a rough game called Bung the Barrel.
Did anyone else play it? Has it vanished? Is it too rough for our Health and Safety concious society?
I can, of course, post details of the game on here if anyone wishes me so to do.
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It sounds like something sailors do with the ship's boy.
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In Volume 145 I asked a question about garage doors and IanJohnson, helicopter, Pugugly, TVM, henry K and Hugo were kind enough to offer suggestions.
I can now report that after much research I settled for a GRP door made by Wessex Doors and supplied through www.thegaragedoorking.co.uk
The efficient handling of my enquiry / order / delivery by both firms has been first class and I have no hesitation in recommending them both.
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Our kitchen mixer tap (a cheap one) is sealed by two different sized o-rings. The trouble is, it isn't sealing too well after 18 months and dribbles all over the sink.
I know the size (more or less) but don't know where to go from here. I've not seen them on sale - or I haven't looked hard enough. Web sites talk of rubber , silicone and goodness knows what other types. I presume I just want vanilla rubber. Should I just get a jumbo pack of mixed sizes from the web or is there a shop or shop chain (S London) I could use?
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B&Q, in the water tap component section.
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L\'escargot.
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B & Q might be ok.
Plumb Center is a more specialist store geared to the domestic plumbing market. Loads of them around.
Go to www.plumbcenter.co.uk/plumb/index.html and put in your postcode to find your local one.
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Try any plumbers merchant. they usually have a plastic box / tray with a wide range of O rings.
Just ignore any comments about " its cos you buy cheap rubbish". Tell them its for a poor OAP grandama.
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Thanks all. I'll take a look in my local Plumb Centre tomorrow and report back.
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Asking on behalf of a friend of the family, having been married for many years their partner has sadly passed away. They had/have a mirror will which reads something like the following though much more flowery of course:
I XXX leave all my estate to YYY and YYY shall be the sole executor of my will.
Clauses
1/ If YYY passes away within 28 days of me then AAA and BBB shall share my estate equally and be joint executors of my will.
2/ If YYY predesesses me then AAA and BBB shall share my estate equally and be joint executors of my will.
3/ If either AAA and/or BBB predecease me then their proportion of my estate shall go to their children.
YYY needs to know how much involvement is required from a solicitor, does the solicitor need to "read" the will on the basis that XXX has left their estate to YYY and YYY is the sole executor? Capital Gains is not an issue because the total value of 50% of their joint estate (i.e. the 50% being inherited) is less than the threshold.
Is a solicitor's letter required re transfer of accounts, share certificates etc?
Any other thoughts appreciated.
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Meant to underline "I XXX........." through to "......go to their children." only!
Sorry.
{Amended - DD}
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Dead easy. No solicitor required.
You're confusing capital gains tax (CGT) and inheritance tax (IHT), btw, but don't worry professional tax exams are written to confuse those who've been on long courses and still confuse them... more on this later.
I presume by 'partner' you mean they are unmarried/not civil partners (if same sex) - not that it makes much difference, but if they're married/CPs then the IHT threshhold doesn't matter? This is what your friend needs to do.
1. Register the death. You will then get forms required for probate automatically.
1. Work out the entire value of the estate - and prove that it's less than the IHT threshhold which is what, something over £250,000 ish. The form will tell you what to do about valuations.
2. Complete probate form, and IHT form, and send them off.
3. Turn up to swear probate when summoned, some time later.
4. Run off with lolly.
There is no CGT on death. Forget about CGT. Forget about gains. What things originally cost is completely irrelevant. (It means when the history of what something cost has been lost, it doesn't matter any more.)
IHT is payable on the value of the death estate - i.e. the value in the market of all the assets owned by the deceased, less all the debts of the deceased.
HTH.
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Sorry to hear of friends bereavement - Sadly I have had too much similar experience myself over the last few years .
Solicitor involvement not necessary in most cases.
YYY will need to get the will from the solicitor if it is stored at their office.
YYY as executor of the will needs to get one original and around 6 'certified copiesof the death certificate from the registrar and then visit or notify the banks, building societies ,insurance companies and all the companies in which they have joint accounts and notify them .
A standard letter along the lines of
' I regret to advise you of the death of XXXXX
I enclose a copy of death cerificate. can you please arrange to transfer account / bonds / shares / ref ******* into my sole name.
In my experience the process is relatively straightforward. Most companies are very sympathetic and helpful and will advise if there is a problem at which time YYY can take advice if necessary..
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And yes , Mapmaker is absolutely correct about probate, quite a straightforward process when the estate is below the threshold.
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Many thanks both, yes I meant IHT and yes they were married so the threshold does not apply.
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If married, and all goes to spouse (as it does) then you can guess at the valuations - house, car etc., no need to pay for a valuation.
The inheritance tax and probate forms you will find very easy to deal with. Banks etc. will be quite another matter. You might imagine that nobody ever died with a bank account - whereas presumably 2-3% of all customers die each year. Some will just send you a cheque, some won't know what to do.
Get hold of a copy of the Which? guide to probate & IHT.
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Dead easy. No solicitor required.
>>
"dead easy" intended pun ? ;-)
"no solicitor required" - assuming that the beneficiary does not wish to vary the will to maximise the "lost free iht allowance" on first death of a spouse.
note - joint accounts (and joint property) should be very easy to transfer across, normally, ordinarily, usually,in most cases, no will or probate required prior to transfer.
Get hold of a copy of the Which? guide to probate & IHT.
ditto. i.m.o a must. very good value and very good idea.
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Excuse me chipping in here! Please don't foget to inform all agencies or former employers who are paying pensions, winter heating allowance, State retirement pension etc.
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A tip.
Keep the valuations as low as you think you can get away with. It might not make any difference at this stage as long as it's below the IHT threshold, but some people (conspiracy theory specialists) reckon that HM Government keep a log of what person X got left in a will. So, when person X pops his / her clogs sometime later and there is a discrepancy in the value X's estate, they can come chasing for evidence of where the money all went.
I think the idea is that if X gets left £300k and a couple of years later dies with only 10p - they come looking for the balance and want proof of where it all went.
Conspiracy theory or not - it sounds very plausible in the current economic / political climate.
SWMBO and I are already thinking of developing a very bad and very public gambling habit for this very reason.
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Thanks to all re the answers on probate, here is another one for you:
I guess i could work it out though I reckon someone already has therefore perhaps saving me the trouble, how much does an 8Kw shower cost to run per minute? Dont worry about the varying cost per unit etc, just a rough cost per min.
Many thanks.
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how much does an 8Kw shower cost to run per minute? Dont worry about the varying cost per unit etc, just a rough cost per min.
assuming you pay about 10p per kilowatthour, your shower will cost about 80p per hour or roughly 1.5p per minute.
say under 2 p per minute in round figures.
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>>say under 2 p per minute in round figures.>>
A round figure would be 2p...:-)
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about 80p per hour or roughly 1.5p per minute.
Probably only half that amount because the heater will cycle on and off.
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L\'escargot.
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Another electrical consumption query - I've just had a leaflet from my supply company stating that my mobile phone charger sucks 100kW hrs. a day from the socket, even when the phone is fully charged. I think they must be exagerating, but is there an electrical boffin out there who can advise?
P.
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Err, if you left your kettle running 24 hours a day then it would manage 72 kW hrs. Your mains ring can normally supply about 3 kW to a single device as a limit.
My phone charger is rated at 70 mA, which is 17 watts, give or take.
Assuming that it draws that regardless of whether it is charging a phone or not, then it is drawing 0.4 kW hrs a day. So about 4p a day, roughly.
They are out by a factor of approximately 250.
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.. They are out by a factor of approximately 250. ..
i suspect that if perry mason asks his detective to investigate, he will find that the leaflet actually talks about annual consumption. ! :: ;-) ::
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Annual consumption? Obvious really. Duh! :-)
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>> .. They are out by a factor of approximately 250. .. i suspect that if perry mason asks his detective to investigate, he will find that the leaflet actually talks about annual consumption. ! :: ;-) ::
Ah, that will involve Perry's sidekick getting himself in trouble in some redneck outback with a corrupt sheriff, just like always happens ;-).
I think many recent mobile phone chargers are clever enough to 'power down' when not actually charging the phone, so consumption drops from the typical 15W to 1W or less. Either that or I'll rip out the central heating and just us ephone chargers as radiators...
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Only if it gets VERY warm!
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pmh (was peter)
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Your supply company are a load of wallies! Check your bill closely! If your phone charger is using as much as they say (it isn't) you must have your own personal power station for the big stuff in your house!
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Thanks, all.
I thought the figures were way out - I've just worked out could run my quick-boil kettle(2400W) for about 40 hrs. on 100kWhr..I shall, as advised, check my bills very carefully!
P.
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I too received that leaflet, and spotted that straight away. E-mail sent to their head of customer services - reponse outstanding.....
100 kWhrs / day requires a steady supply of 4.2kW - more than you can get out of a 13 amp socket!
--
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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A lot of brand names have lost their capital letter and become everyday words that are included in dictionaries. I can remember the first ballpoint pens ~ made by Biro ~ being introduced. What similar instances can you bring to mind?
--
L\'escargot.
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Sorry guys ~ please transfer to " I have a question".
{Done - obviously. DD}
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Hoover, Xerox, Cromalin .....
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Hoover, Xerox, Cromalin .....
Ah, yes. But can you remember when they weren't common usage, and were still exclusively brand names?
--
L\'escargot.
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But can you remember when they weren't common usage, and were still exclusively brand names?
Cromalin, yes.
Jeep is another one.
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Didn't 'Jeep' as a brand name derive from the generic 'gp' (general purpose) designation for the Willys four-wheel-drive vehicle used in WW2?
P.
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jeep originally meant just enough essential parts
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Plasticene, snopake, bluetack.
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When I first used Google it was not a verb.
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When I first used Google it was not a verb.
In English there is no noun that cannot be verbed.
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>> When I first used Google it was not a verb. >> In English there is no noun that cannot be verbed.
But that doesn't mean they are all verbs, does it? It's a long way, linguistically, from using Google to googling something or someone. The latter involves the invention of entirely new conceptual frameworks and presuppositions.
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JCB
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Heroin is a brand name? Who exactly did they register that trade-mark with?
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Heroin is a brand name? Who exactly did they register that trade-mark with?
Apparently it is a brand name, or at least was in the Victorian era I believe - there was something on the box about it the other night.
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I've just had a look in my MIMS (Monthly Index of Medical Specialities) and it's not listed, so I think the trademark might have lapsed!
On the other hand, the correct name is Diacetylmorphine, so I guess Heroin must be a trade-name, or at least have been one at some time.
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Aspirin was a brand name like Heroin. Both discovered by a bloke working for Bayer. Apparently he was Heinrich Dreser and head of Bayer's pharmacological laboratory.
opioids.com/heroin/heroinhistory.html
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There's been debate for years past as to who actually discovered Aspirin. Its widely believed that Dreser was named instead of the actual Jewish inventor (whose name I forget) on the patent application. In the early 1930s, it didn't suit the n*** party's politics to have useful inventions issuing from a state-controlled company attributed to Jewish employees.
An a motoring related note: Diesel engines and Diesel fuel, named after Dr. Rudolf Diesel.
Erlenmeyer (conical) flasks and Bunsen burners are two more.
And no, I don't remember any of the above being invented!
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You can snopake, google and hoover with Snopake, Google and a Hoover respectively. (I have left out Xerox intentionally because of the difficulty with 'an' Xerox in the same sentence). A Google using 'google' & 'verb' produces some fascinating links.
But what the h... does this have to do with motoring? Ah, I remember, 'Jeep'. But I do not see how to use this as a verb. Any clues please?
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pmh (was peter)
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You can use "jeep" as a verb in a grammatically correct sentence, but it would be meaningless:
"The last time I jeeped something like that was 1972."
Hence my point about conceptual frameworks and presuppositions.
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But that is as meaningful as stringing a random collection of letters together and then givingthe random collection of letters a meaning. I trust that the swear filter will let this through.
"The last time I xyklaped was in 1972".
I was was going to use xylop but googled it, only to find it exists as a name!
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pmh (was peter)
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Some nouns may have become regularly used on a generic basis but many companies, including Hoover, still take great exception to such use in publications or on TV or radio.
You can bet that those in charge of such media will soon receive a letter pointing out that it is a trade name.....
Note to pmh - this thread is NOT about motoring. See the notes at the start of the thread.
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What's for you won't pass you by
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Yes, but the sentence is still grammatically correct to the extent that although we don't know what "xyklaped" means, we can process the rest perfectly well. Language is about context as much as anything else and a few additional sentences might give us enough of a clue to work out what "xyklaped" means. Science fiction writers do this kind of this kind of thing all the time.
Sorry to hear you haven't done it since 1972 anyway.
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Can anyone please recommend a mobile that is a) simple (talk or talk and text only) and b) has a good battery life between charges? My modern Nokia runs out of juice in two weeks, even if it is not used.
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Err, you think two weeks is not a good standby time??!
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>>Err, you think two weeks is not a good standby time??!>>
But even if not used?
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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It's still having to do plenty of communication with cells, less so if it's not being moved around admittedly.
My current phone needs charged every couple of days when used normally. Judging from being on holiday, it might last six days if not being used. I don't think that is brilliant, but 2 weeks sounds outstanding to me...
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It may make a difference if you leave it where it is receiving a strong signal. (It should operate a a lower transmit power when communicating with the base station).
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pmh (was peter)
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Two weeks is a good battery life if the 'phone is on standby- it should be even longer if the 'phone's switched off. As for ease of use,I have a Sony Ericsson T230 (bought for £10 at a boot sale) that has a very user-friendly interface, very easy to talk and text. From ny experience any Sony-Ericsson would be a good bet.
P.
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Admittedly an older phone, but my Nokia 3310 lasts for up to a week on standby and some considerable time if not switched on (it's for emergency purposes only).
I do find that, after every four or five charges, allowing the battery to be flattened to virtually zero boosts the subsequent life between recharges.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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