Infamy, Infamy, they’ve all got it infamy
Posted: Mon 28 January, 2013 Filed under: Charm School, Customer Services, Cynicism, D4D™, Legal, Marketing, Privacy, Thoughts Leave a comment »Eighteen months ago, I had to issue a retraction of comments I’d made about the professionalism of a marketing manager and his company, due to some seriously heavy-handed legal threats from over the water.
As a quick “I wonder”, I did a Google search today on the name of the marketing manager and his company. And yes, D4D still comes up as the first result on Google for that search.
When you think about it, that’s really funny. (And is also what I warned them would happen when the legal people insisted I use his name as part of the apology on the title)
After all, this is a marketing manager of a major company – a company whose products also use the name D4D on some of them. He’s also always had the right of reply, I’ve never closed the comments on any of those posts. Nary an acknowledgement, not a rebuttal or apology for damaging the privacy policy of his own company, not even a “thanks for the apology”. Which, I suppose, shows the quality of the man.
And still, there I am, at the top of the search results.
It amused me, anyway.
Dodgy Taxi
Posted: Sat 26 January, 2013 Filed under: Customer Services, Domestic, Driving Leave a comment »On Wednesday, for reasons I haven’t yet written about, I had to get a taxi into Bedford in order to sort some stuff out. (I’ll write more about all that at some point soon)
The taxi was – to be blunt – fucked. It was a minibus-type, based on a Ford Transit. The engine management light was on the whole time, it vibrated worryingly when we went above 50mph (on a dual carriageway), and when it came to braking, there were some *very* nasty noises coming from the brakes – the sort of noises that usually mean “no pads”.
And then there, on the windscreen, was a little notice saying “If you’ve got any concerns about this taxi, email us”, and the email address of the local council’s licensing office.
And so, when I got into work, that’s exactly what I did. I’d taken the registration plate, just to make life easier, and emailed them. Since then, this is what’s happened:
- Within the hour, I’d had a response back from the council, saying they’d look into it. (Pretty much as expected)
- By the end of the day, they’d told me the taxi in question had been booked in for a full vehicle check on the Friday
- By the end of Friday, I got a confirmation that they’d checked the vehicle, it’d failed spectacularly, had it’s plate pulled, and couldn’t go back to being used as a taxi until it had a full signoff from their inspection team. Oh, and the taxi company in question was also being checked now, along with all the maintenance records for all their vehicles.
I’ve got to say, I’m impressed. Considering the same council has taken a month to inspect/repair a couple of very dangerous potholes in one of the roads I commute on – and that’s a month since I reported it – it’s been a real surprise to see how quickly they’ve handled this complaint about a taxi.
Insured (At Last)
Posted: Thu 24 January, 2013 Filed under: Animals, Bankruptcy, Domestic, Finances Leave a comment »It’s taken a long time, but I’ve now finally got the cats insured.
It’s been a worry for a while, knowing that I live by a busy road, and that they can all be little arseholes who would run across in front of a car or whatever. With my current financial situation, something like heavy vet’s bills would absolutely cripple me, so the insurance is a good plan.
I’ve ended up using PetPlan, who offered a good deal, plus multi-animal discount, and a further discount due to having the latest one microchipped and registered.
We’ll see how it goes – and lord knows, I hope I never have to use it. But I’m happier with it in place, just in case I do need it sometime.
Cheese, the Tunnel Blocker
Posted: Wed 23 January, 2013 Filed under: News, Weirdness Leave a comment »Among the more surreal stories yesterday, there’s this one from Norway…
Yes, a truckload of burning goat’s cheese has blocked and seriously damaged a road tunnel. That’s pretty impressive by anyone’s levels.
Holiday Results
Posted: Tue 22 January, 2013 Filed under: 1BEM, Advertising, Cynicism, Weirdness Leave a comment »Sometimes I swear my brain works differently to everyone elses. (Or at least differently to the people who work in advertising agencies) I’ve just seen an advert saying
“Book your holiday with [company] before January 31st, and your first child comes free!”
And my first thought was “Well, I suppose if it’s conceived there…”
Snow Shopping
Posted: Sat 19 January, 2013 Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, People, Shopping, Thoughts, Weather 4 Comments »Where I am now, the snow hasn’t been too bad so far. Some of the roads on the way to work are entertaining (the village where work is based is at the top of a hill, so all routes in/out involve some fun slopes) and the lane to the office is deeply dodgy, but where I live has been OK. Snow, but nothing epic.
Compared to the Norfolk and Suffolk places, it’s been a doddle. It helps that all the roads around here are major – M1, and A421 are the two main ones – which means they’re part of the gritting plan and so on.
Anyway, I hadn’t worried about the snow, but did need to do a small amount of shopping today, just basics of veg, bread and the like – but having seen the media reports of people panic-buying, of empty shelves in supermarkets and the like. (And to be fair, the village shop has/had no bread etc. today)
So I girded my loins, and prepared for a shopping trip into chaos, with the supermarket full of idiots. But it didn’t happen. The roads were virtually empty, which boded well. When I got to the local(ish) Te$co, it was virtually empty. Spaces throughout the car park, and virtually no-one around at all.
Inside the store was the same- really quiet, no problems with stock, and very few idiots. (There’s always some, but well, nothing’s perfect) It was probably the best shopping experience I’ve had in that particular store – certainly the one with the fewest people. I got everything I needed, and only wanted to beat one gormless muppet to a pulp with a tin of beans.
So from my side, it just meant that for all the purported problems with snow, it actually made my life easier, better, and less stressy than usual. Which is kind of odd, when you think about it.