Gripes
Public Sector Strikes
The people I have spoken to have mixed feelings about those that went on strike yesterday. Some say that they are lucky to have a job in today’s tough climate and if I have to work longer why shouldn’t they while others sympathise with them. I was open minded until around 1.00pm yesterday afternoon when 1000 local protesters marched through the streets of Northampton causing a back log of traffic and adding 45 minutes to a journey I should have completed in five.
As I sat in my vehicle waiting for the roads to return to normality it did get me thinking about all the parents who had to find an extra days child care or who had to take a day off work and those waiting for an operation. If the public sector want our sympathy maybe they should reflect what their actions mean to everyday folk.
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Never Knowingly Under Sold?
It is a strange fact that as you get older good customer service becomes increasingly more important to you. When you are going through your late teens and early twenties you don’t give a damn about customer service, it is all about the cheapest possible, bargains and deals. Recently I purchased quite an expensive TV from John Lewis, it went wrong and their customer service was like none I had experienced before. My phone call went straight through no pressing one for this and two for that, the person on the other end was sympathetic and understanding and they arranged to drop a new TV off at the same time as collecting the old one. No waiting for it to be checked and repaired a complaint dealt with better than I could have imagined.
I was hoping to always shop at John Lewis after that experience and with their “never knowingly under sold” price promise I thought it would be a good idea to put it to the test. For those unsure what this is it is a price match promise, there are terms and conditions that apply but basically it is a promise to match anyone else’s price as long as it is in stock and that it isn’t an Internet only deal. I was after an LG belt drive washing machine, I had found one at £599 that I liked with an online company that also had a store 50 miles away. The same machine was in John Lewis priced at £750 so I filled in their online form and waited for an answer.
I received an email back with a code to use stating that they were willing to match the price, great I would give them a call and make arrangements. On making the call to place my order I discovered that first you have to pay the full John Lewis asking price of £750.00 and then when the item arrives you call them back and the money is refunded to your account within 7 days. On top of that they could not give me a delivery date, just that it would be at least 7 days but within 14. I asked the usual questions like you would but it was like banging your head against a wall. I called the original company who had it listed for £599 and a sale was made and the machine delivered less than 48 hours later.
I guess John Lewis don’t want to make the price match too easy to obtain but they might wish to look at it being called a “Never Knowingly under-sold” promise. Surely now that I have pointed out to them a competitor with a cheaper price John Lewis should reduce their price accordingly or it makes a mockery of the never knowingly statement?
Tags: Second Hand Prices
I don’t know what it is with some people when it comes to selling second hand items, do they seriously expect to get near to the original full retail asking price when it comes to selling through the classifieds or is it me who is being unrealistic? I was doing a quick search through the AV Forums and I found an advert where someone is selling an Intel i5 2500k processor. Okay it is only three months old but they are asking £140 and no offers when today I could get a brand new one for £159.95. Is a £19.95 reduction for a second hand processor a good bargain, I don’t think so I would rather spend the extra £19.95 and have peace of mind.
You have to also remember that when purchasing new the price is actually £133.29 + VAT at £26.66 one could argue that as the VAT has already been paid by the original purchaser the item only really has a value of £133.29. Surely the minimum discount given to anything second hand has to be a figure that exceeds the current rate of VAT? When the seller was made an offer by another 3rd party he politely refused saying he purchased it just 3 months ago for £180.00, maybe he did but the fact remains you can purchase new today for a smidge under £160 – come on people, when listing classifieds for sale please get a grip.
Dale Farm Illegal Travellers
So a week ago the Essex council got the go ahead to evict the travellers from Dale Farm, the total cost is estimated to be a staggering £18 million. I have mixed emotions about this; on one hand I fail to understand why we are all calling them travellers when they are refusing to travel, surely they are plain and simple Gypsies? On the other why not leave them there, where are they going to go now? Wouldn’t you hate to open your curtains tomorrow morning and find them camped over the road on some grass verge opposite your house? At least leaving them where they are the crap and rubbish is all in one place rather than spread somewhere different every other week.
This is another bone of contention with me, when they cause so much mess why don’t the authorities impound their motor vehicles until they clean their own mess up, if they don’t clean it up then sell the motor and put the funds towards the clean up costs. My own family (my late grandmother) comes from a background of travellers but not the ones that leave filth everywhere and go round knocking on doors hoping to fix your drive or lay you a new lawn. They are fair ground travellers, they are educated, their children attend schools, they pay their taxes, safety and national health regulations are always strictly enforced and they belong to the showmans guild.
Now a snippet that some may not realise, did you know that the illegal travellers gypsy site is right next to a legal one? Between 1992 and 1996 planning permission was granted for 34 legal pitches on a site known as Oak Lane. The illegal 51 pitches are just over the road from the legal ones so doesn’t it seem a little silly to move one lot on while granting the other half permission to stay? The above image is of Dale Farm, the the left as you look at it is the Oak Lane legal site and to the right the illegal unauthorised area – Seeing it like this would you not leave them where they were rather than waste £18 million of tax payers money?
Pointless Facebook Comments
I only discovered facebook this year, I have known about it for quite some time but it was one of those things I kept meaning to get around to joining but never did. During the few months I have been active on facebook I have been in touch with some old friends and family members who I had lost touch with so in all I would have to say it is a social media site which I do owe a lot to and that can work great.
One thing that really bugs me though is the status of some people, posts that others make and I ask myself why? Looking through today, one of my contacts has commented “I am so p*ss*d off” it goes without saying that several people have then posted “are you okay“, “hope you are okay” and “why what’s up?” – Then the same person who states that they are p*ss*d off comments “I can’t say on here” - Well I have to ask why mention it in the first place?
Another classic from a few days back, it was posted at 2.00 in the morning “I am so annoyed I can’t get to sleep“… Well try turning your phone or PC off and stop checking your facebook page and writing to it, lay down and close your eyes that might just help.