Beware of a SCAM!

So minding my own business and working away at my PC when the phone rings and who is it, well no-one for about 10 seconds so I nearly hung up, but then on comes a cheery Indian lady telling me I'm in the final to win an Audi, did I remember entering? Well yes, but I know for sure that I would have checked the button to protect my data (where's my proof!!)

Anyway so she starts telling me my DOB, Address and inside leg measurement..... followed by some facts about lottery winners. Then went in for the sell.....

So she directed me to this site www.eurochance100.co.uk I have to say a bloody awful looking site, so I say, ok well now I have the site I can read through the conditions and FAQ before deciding.... What I really did was type the site into Google to come across this forum entry http://tinyurl.com/scameuro

Ok ok, so it is a con, even someone who worked for them posted here confirming that it is a well done con, but what pisses me off is the fact that my name is now on a database list that is being sold to any taker so I fear for the flood of calls I'm probably going to start getting from this call centre....

Anyway I arranged for her to call back tomorrow when I won't be here and used the wonderful BT Choose To Refuse service to bar the last called number (some dodgy 0800 number anyway! ok for your reference it was 08009886006)

You've been warned, so don't get roped in!

The M25 Speedway

I have to say that the last few weeks has been pretty tough, working away for 3 days a week really takes it's toll on you when you are missing your little one, anyway 7 weeks old and growing well.

So I'd like to highlight the dangers of traveling on the M25, any of you who have driven in France, Holland, or Germany know how those guys drive, there seems to be this rule of driving on the inside lanes, oh yes, Britain has that same rule, one that the majority of British drivers seem to ignore. Anyway traveling back 2 Friday nights, starting from Gatwick then followed by Heathrow the next week on the M25 it has amazed me how ignorant the British driver is. Firstly the need to drive like you are a formula one driver at speeds that should put you in jail and secondly the fact that you will drive at that speed at one a meter away from the car in the fastlane, then have the cheek to flash them for you to continue on your illegal conquest. It sometimes reminds me of DeathRace 2000.... these drivers working hard on becoming the next road kill, what's more some are doing it in cars that are probably not going to pass their next MOT.... Ok so in Germany they can drive what ever speed they like, yes, but the roads are designed to see at least 2 miles ahead, unlike the british roads where sometime you can't even see 200 yards ahead!

It wouldn't surprise me either if some of these speedway drivers are texting or on the phone at speeds in excess of 100mph, so for those guys and girls you should take note of this video, what's more you should make sure your children watch this video as soon as they start to drive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0_7qC6YFo

And another thing, this one I will probably try and get one of my marketing friends to blog about... But White Van Drivers (something I have not experienced in europe yet) these guys, and I'll use our faith utility companies like BT & Virgin as they should be able to survive any bad publicity, these White Van Drivers who are always in a rush to get somewhere and who want to sit right up your arse on the motorway, these guys puzzle me, using BT or Virgin as an example their vans are mobile advertising units, they are plastered with the companies name and telephone number, even their website, so the van & it's driver is representing the company, you could be well positioned to call the company and complain, or better still remove your business based on the poor marketing the Van & Driver is doing.

Many times have I longed to call one of the lift companies where a White Van Driver has been driving (and advertising) their company on the rear bumper of my car to make out that I am one of their clients and am displeased with the way their vans/drivers conduct themselves on the road.

So for all you company owners who give vans to your employee's with you brand plastered all over it, remember I and any of the thousands others could be your client or a potential client that you then don't get if one of your Vans/Drivers harass us on the road!

All aboard, well expect you women with prams

What is it with bus drivers today, it's not like the prams that we use today are anything like the good old Silvercross ones of the days of old, yet our busses are not designed to correctly accommodate any more than one woman, child & pram.... Just the other day my partner jumped on the bus with our little one only to be met by an angry (or stupid) driver who closed the doors on her before letting her on, when asked to let them on the driver responded with 'well you didn't tell me you wanted to board' well come on, what the hell was I doing at the bus stop making a move to the door to get on! Dumb arse! And then a second lady boarded and place her pram in the only place available to her only to be told she couldn't do that she would have to move it, sensibly the lady had placed it so it didn't block any other passengers from getting on or off.... yet the driver made her put it bang in the way of everyone!

Maybe I should google for UK Bus Rules for Prams!

Airport Duty Free My Arse!

Over the last 2 weeks I've spent a little bit of time in the airports
around the world, yes hardly the most exciting way to spend my time, not only am I having to be up at stupid'o'clock when I travel, but I have to then spend my time queueing at the airport just to get to the departure lounge... well that in the UK anyway, the European airports seem so much more organised!

So today I'm going to have a slight moan about the prices of duty free, undoubtedly if I were a smoker (which thank god I'm not) then their would be a huge saving to be made on the little cancerous sticks, so I will leave tobacco out of this, I'll even leave wines and spirits out since I haven't needed to but any of that juice for at least a year (although coming back a month or so ago through the Channel Tunnel I did look at buying some wine, I have to say it did go back on the shelf, cheap it was not, in fact far from it, at almost 15 euro a bottle, I nearly fell over!) anyway I digress, looking at aftershave, perfume and electrical items....

No I know that the pound is nowhere near as strong against the euro as it used to be, but I picked up a bottle of Diesel for myself knowing I was running a bit low of the love spray at home, paid my cash at the counter thinking I must have a bargain, only to get home and look it up online.... I'd been done! The same bottle from an online store in the UK worked out with delivery almost 10 quid cheaper! I was devastated!

So the following week, a different airport I started looking at some electrical items, specifically a nice HD video camera to capture my baby's growing days (or was I hoping to capture something funny to sell to Beadles About or whatever it is these days) anyway, again I'm doing the math in my head for the euro to sterling conversions.... and low and behold I could probably by it in Curry's or Comet cheaper, in fact, I would have to say it wasn't far off list....

So when did airport duty free get so expensive? I'd hate to look at some of the clothing, have you noticed how Gatwick and Heathrow only have the real high end stores in there, Burberry, Harrods etc etc, yeah take the VAT off that and it is a little cheaper, but cheaper of already expensive doesn't make it cheap!

UK Mass Baby Industry....

Well, on the way back from a recent business trip I was wandering around Amsterdam airport after missing the earlier flight home by 10 minutes and started flicking through the racks of children's clothes and toys, when it dawned on me that the UK was actually ripping us consumers off in a really big way.

I ended up purchasing some small milk storage containers for only 1.50 euro knowing that they were such a bargain after looking on a UK site only days before that were £7.50..... and yes they were exactly the same!

No point in blaming the VAT because it just won't wash here.

When did a 99 ice cream become so expensive!

Well, I have to say, I'm not one to moan, but come on, I remember a 99 being well, 99p hence the name, so you can imagine my shock and despair when I went to the park yesterday and treated myself to a 99 only to be asked by the 2 Polish girls serving me (well the traditional Turkish or Greek owner was taking a nap in the front) ask me for £1.80..... yes £1.80 omg, I should have just got Magnum, at least then I would have had a substantial ice cream, but no, there is something about having that lovely whipped, white, creamy ice cream sitting on top of a cheap as chips waffer cone. SO the unit cost of my £1.80 99 waffer coned ice cream was probably less than 10p since there was no packaging or distribution costs involved.

When did they become so expensive!

I have to feel sorry for kids today who won't probably enjoy as many of these lovely ice creams as parents have better things to spend their money on (like the mobile phone for their kids or the latest games machine!)

All I can think is that I am glad my partner didn't want one as well, as I would have been taking a trip back to the car for additional funds, or that I didn't choose a double cone or a posh cone (like the ones on a Cornetto) as I would have definitely shot the budget and told the girls to keep their ice cream!

reBlog from jefflazerus.com: Observations on the changing world of printing and marketing

I found this fascinating quote today:

My new friends at Tunicca have a post about Jacek Utko with a video of his presentation at the TED conference. Utko’s presentation is in itself worth watching, and once you are on the TED site check out some others as they are ALL very thought provoking. Assuming you want to think, that is.jefflazerus.com, Observations on the changing world of printing and marketing, Aug 2009

You should read the whole article.