Mess Bills

[brakedwell]

I left Brize Norton for pastures greener almost thirty years ago. While on a nostalgia trip, editing slides, I got to thinking about those damned mess bills. (Today is the tenth!) Can somebody tell me if you still have to pay standing charges even when you have been down the route for most of the month. I imagine far fewer people live in these days and assume the system must have changed since 1974. Thanks in anticipation.

[BEagle]

Must be an ex-Proteus person with a nom-de-PPRuNe like that!

Yes, you still have to pay standing charges. About £20 a month, I think it is, even if you live out and never go near the OM. But Direct Debiting means that you won't get caught being away on the 10th!

More people live out these days for sure - Cheltenham being popular with many.

As for the OM itself, there are virtually none of the facilities you would remember from your time. No batting staff, no early morning calls nor cup of tea, no full time receptionist. But you'd recognise the magnolia paint, hideous carpets and curtains, tatty fittings, brown water, dim lighting etc in the bedrooms.

I lived-in briefly in 1983-4 but escaped as soon as I could. I wish that the OM was the same now as it was even then - but it isn't. And it's now 'contractorised' as well - about which I won't pass comment.

[Archimedes]

Don't mention contractorised messes, BEagle...

New inmates at the PLC will soon discover some of the fun. Mine included eating and drinking for free for four months since the contractor confused my no. - held on a not-so-snazzy ID card - with that of another OM member.

He received various threatening notes until he threatened to raise a grievance on the computer system here for every meal, Kit-Kat and drink he'd been wrongly charged for. This automatically raises penalty points for the contractor, who realised that this chap could, single-handedly, raise enough penalty points to cost them several thousand pounds.

Eventually, they realised that the OM member popping in to the contractor's office to say 'I'm sure this is wrong - I have eaten/dined/bought Kit-kats this month' and the OM member popping in to say 'I have not eaten this much/bought this many Kit-kats' might be connected, and resolved the matter. About two weeks after we two puzzled Mess members came to the realisation of what had happened, informed the contractor of the problem and been rebuffed since 'that can't happen on the computer system, Sir'. Yes it bl@@dy can!

And now, I find myself being billed for dry cleaning when I have never availed myself of the in-house service (preferring to have my own clothing returned to me - but that's another story).

[brakedwell]

Thanks for the info mon braves. I'm not surprised things have changed for the worse on the OM front. It seems to be par for the course these days. I expect the pubs in north Oxfordshire have gone up the swannie too. Cheers.

[4PON4PIN]

Must be ex 511 pilot.... "One", or "matters" go DOWN the swannee!! ;)

[brakedwell]

4PON4PIN, out of the choice of two you picked the wrong one, and I used to enjoy swimming against the flow, especially when under the command of a certain little navigator from Scotland.