Definitely the complications that were putting me off!
T.
x
Aw, that’s a shame that the microwave bottles are no good, they’d be great is they performed as well as water.
Not really ironic at all that the newfangled alternatives don’t work as well as the old fashioned original product, is it!
Do you put just about boiling water in your bottle? I know they say on them not to, but I always do. Wait… I scrolled up, you said near-boiling so yep. I wonder if there’s some kind of magic contraption out there: something cheap to buy; safe and sturdy; folds down flat for storage; plus other ideal properties, that could be repurposed to hold the hot water bottle while you’re filled it, so you could hold the kettle with both hands.
Oh, I like the lateral thinking there - maybe it’s NOT a lighter kettle, or even a kettle-lifting contraption I need, but something to hold a hot water bottle!
Never thought of that, and indeed it would solve the problem, as lifting the kettle two-handed would be fine, but I can’t at the moment, because one hand is needed to support the hot water bottle. I can’t think of any vessel I’ve already got in the house that would be the right size and shape to stand it up in.
I thought for a moment I’d sussed it, as I thought of the oven rack for the combi oven - on legs, and has quite wide parallel bars. But although the HWB would (I think) fit through it when empty, fill it up, and it will be stuck there! Damn, that’s that idea out the window. Wonder if there’s anything else in the house that might do it? Pity I don’t have a large, oblong vase.
And yes, I am naughty, and use boiling water, even though it says not to. Never had a problem with that in itself, but of course, it would be that much more dangerous if I ever did drop the kettle!
T.
My lateral thinking worked/was useful?! Awesome! I hope the perfect THING presents itself, that would be amazing.
All those “life hacks” that you see everywhere online that repurpose items to great effect, never seen a one for a safe way of holding an HWB upright and secure for filling.
Ah, what’s this…
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Homecraft-Hot-Water-Bottle-Stand/dp/B00314UOQ2
Currently unavailable, OF COURSE, and no price shown but that doesn’t look like it would cost much, and it looks like it should be safe to use.
Good grief! Things you never knew (or guessed) existed!
I’ll stick a watch on that with Camelcamelcamel (Amazon price drop alert thingy), in case it comes back in stock!
Good find!
T.
Damn! Another site says it’s been discontinued, or they haven’t heard from the manufacturer for three years.
Another company called Fashy (German, apparently, although it doesn’t sound it) make HWB stands, but they only fit their own proprietary HWBs, which they emphasise cannot be used with boiling water (and one reviewer says that if you do, they stink). Hmmm.
T.
Fingers crossed it does! Horribly suspicious that it won’t because the 2 reviews for it for 2012 : / SO typical to find something that seems to be ideal, then find it’s not being made any more. Do you know anyone who’s handy with fabricating metal and can make you one? lol.
There’s one on this site 126 Life Changing Gadgets to Help Regain Independence in your Home but I feel distrustful about them. Probably because I’ve never heard of them and I can’t find any reviews for them online, their “forum” that they link to at the bottom of the page, for which they say “The iCare4 forum lets people talk about and discuss all aspects of homecare.” looks to simply be a sly way of themselves linking to their own products >.>
I may be misjudging them, but it seems kind of fly-by-night to me. : /
Yeah I saw those but dismissed them because it didn’t look very secure, and it said you need to hold the neck of the bottle so wouldn’t be of use to you would it.
I’ve been down this road before, with finding the PERFECT item that I was looking for, only to discover that no-one on the PLANET was manufacturing it any more!
Hmm…there’s another option yet, Ebay!
I don’t trust Ebay - I’ve read far too many horror stories! Although buying a HWB stand for a tenner or something isn’t as risky as ordering a computer. If it doesn’t turn up, or is rubbish, you’ve only lost the tenner.
I’m already having trouble with a site (nothing to do with disability aids) that took money but didn’t deliver.
I ordered a latch-hook rug kit on Boxing Day, to do in the dark evenings. They debited my card at once, it still hasn’t turned up, and they’re not responding to email!
Their website was slightly amateurish, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt, as I reckoned that if it was a small family-run firm, concerned mostly with arts and crafts, they might not be that tech savvy. I should have trusted my better judgement, that a bad website means don’t do it! For some reason, I thought they might be passionate sellers, if a little naive.
They do, however, have a Facebook page. Although I don’t like having to do it, only a matter of time before I publicly shame them on there. Perhaps that will get a reaction?
Tina
I don’t blame you with feeling that about Ebay, I’ve used it a lot over the years, and it’s very plain to see that there are a lot of dodgy people on there. But there’s no HWB stands other than that Fashy one, anyway.
Can you do a chargeback on your card payment? Ah, you said debit, not credit card, so I guess not? I know you can cancel credit card payments but I’ve got no clue about bank payments to be honest. I’d go for shaming them, once you’ve got your money back! lol.
Thanks for looking, anyway.
No, with the rug people, it was credit card, but under £100, so not covered by the joint liability thing, whereby the cc company has to refund, if the seller won’t/can’t.
I did think it was the cheapest price anywhere - that, too, should have sounded alarm bells. I don’t usually go for rock-bottom prices, and maybe it was only because it was Boxing Day, and I was a little too full of Christmas spirit, in more ways than one. But I don’t mind helping a small UK business, instead of always going to Amazon. I just never expected I’d never hear anything again. I know I ordered over the holiday period, so could the order somehow have “got lost”? If you have online ordering, surely you don’t just “lose” orders that didn’t happen to be placed on a working day? And holidays or not, they’re well behind us now, so no excuse for not responding to emails.
As it doesn’t look as if I will get my money back through more diplomatic channels, I’ll probably go for shaming them first! If they have any interest at all in public relations, they should want to ensure that any customer who feels driven to complain publicly also agrees very publicly that it was all made good.
Tina
You’re very welcome! It felt good to be useful, even if the end result was a bit of a let down. At least you know now that there’s other options out there, and you might yet spot a THING that would work, fingers crossed!
Good luck with getting the rug debacle sorted out, whatever method you go for in the end, lol. I wonder if any other customers had the same issue…is there any indication of that on their Facebook page, comments from disatisfied customers or anything?
No, that’s the odd thing!
I can’t find any reviews of them (positive or negative), but there’s no negative feedback evident on the FB page, and certainly no statement saying: “Please bear with us, as we’ve had a computer glitch over Christmas”, or anything like that.
If they were aware of any customer service issues, you’d think they would have said, as candid communication goes some way to placating frustrated customers.
Their website claims that “most” orders should be dispatched with 3-5 working days, and if, for any reason, it’s going to be more than 14 days (they don’t state whether working or calendar), they will notify you, and give you the option to cancel.
So I’m being generous, and assuming the days between Christmas and New Year weren’t “working days”, for them, as they weren’t for a lot of people.
That would mean the effective order date (when they first picked it up) would have been Monday 4th Jan., and it should have gone out later that week. Even if they sent it 2nd class post, it should have been here by now. Yet still no delivery, and no email saying: “It looks like being more than 14 days; do you want to cancel?”
Tina
Have you breathed fire in their direction yet?
No, they definitely don’t work weekends - that’s assuming you can believe anything on their website - and I only sent the last salvo by email on Friday morning, so on the grounds of fair play, I’ve got to give them a chance to reply.
Though if it’s already a second enquiry, and the customer’s beginning to sound cross, you’d have thought they’d have made some effort to acknowledge that by close of play on Friday, even if it was just to say: “We’re looking into it”.
Suspiciously, the kit has disappeared from their sales listings, so either I bought the last one, or they realised somebody had goofed, and they’d advertised something they don’t have.
That makes it worse, in a way, as presumably somebody has seen the order, to make them say: “Quick! Take it down off the website!” But didn’t see fit to tell the customer whose money they’d taken.
By now, I would have expected: “Sorry for our mistake: the item you requested is not available”, OR: “You bought the very last one; we’re sorry to hear it has not arrived” - and either way, a refund offer.
Not this silence, which is pathetic. They do have a landline number, but it’s up in the Midlands, so will cost ME money, just to complain they’ve already cost me money! I do not want to phone them, and pay for the privilege.
They’ve published two contact emails - I’ve now tried both! If there’s no response by Wednesday, at the latest, I think it’s time to leave a note on their Facebook page. I won’t be rude - that is, I will, but in the nicest possible way. I will make clear I’m doing it because they’ve had my money for a month, and aren’t answering emails. I suppose I’d better check my credit card statement first, just in case they’ve refunded it on-the-sly, without having the guts to actually own up to anything.
Tina
Ooh, good point about checking for a ninja refund. Hope this all works out in the end, REALLY hope you get an effusive apology on Monday, and your item, delivered by personal courier into your fair hand, for free, AND a full refund…
That’s all likely to happen, right?..right?
Hi tina we have one of these they work well.
181937577349 ebay.
Hi,my neighbour has one of those boiling water out of a tap things and has no kettle. I agree with you on the frustrations of picking up heavy kitchen equipment.
I am overwhelmed by the amount of discussion a kettle has generated, and sorry I haven’t been able to reply to everyone individually.
But at least I know I’m not alone with this. When people ask what MS is like, I sometimes say: “As if somebody turned the gravity up”, because literally everything has got heavier - including my feet…and the kettle!
Tina
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Look at the Snugglesafe microwaveable pad. It’s marketed for pets, but I use them myself. Microwave for 6 minutes and it stays REALLY hot for hours. No kidding. I’ve left it in the bed, and it’s still been ‘tepid’ 24hrs later. Stays warm longer than any hot water bottle I’ve ever had in the past. Not cheap (about £17), but well worth the money. No risk of scalding from boiling water or leaks either. It says to replace them after 2 years, but mine is about 7 years old now and still going strong! One word of warning. Do not use it uncovered as you will burn yourself. It comes with a fleece cover.