Taxing Affairs

People complain about the Inland Revenue. Of course they complain about the taxes they have to pay. But they also complain about the level of service they get from the people in the tax office. Sometimes they might question the level of intelligence of people in the tax office. Here’s an example of why they… Continue reading Taxing Affairs

Sky Broadband Update

It’s probably time for an update on my Sky Broadband situation. I last wrote about Sky on 16th April. That was the date of their second failed attempt to connect me to their broadband. It was the date that I decided to cancel my order and go elsewhere. First the good news. I was considering… Continue reading Sky Broadband Update

Recorded Delivery

Do you ever use the Royal Mail’s Recorded Delivery service? And, if you do, do you ever take advantage of the the fact that your delivery has been recorded? I mean, do you go to their web site and check that the delivery has taken place? Or do you just assume that it has all worked unless… Continue reading Recorded Delivery

Loving Bose

I bloody love Bose. I never owned any of their equipment – it’s always seemed a little overpriced to me – but their customer service is great. They keep giving me stuff. My wife has a pair of QuietComfort 3 headphones. She thinks that they’re great. But we often need to get replacement parts for… Continue reading Loving Bose

Message to ADT

When someone sends you an email through a contact form on your web site, it’s nice to send them an automated response thanking them for their message and indicating when you might get back to them. It’s simple enough to set up and it’s what customers have come to expect. It can, however, run the… Continue reading Message to ADT

OLB Non Enrolled Non Endorsed 1

When communicating with your customers, it’s important to look at the information that you’re sending from their point of view. Are they really going to be interested in the information that you send? Earlier today I finally got round to unsubscribing from the MBNA marketing emails that have been annoying me for months. To confirm… Continue reading OLB Non Enrolled Non Endorsed 1

Customer Relationship Failure

I generally don’t like getting marketing email. Whenever I buy something online or sign up to a new web site, I always make sure that the “please send me email” is not checked. This doesn’t, of course, stop me getting marketing email but it does give me the moral high ground if I choose to… Continue reading Customer Relationship Failure

Waiting For Donut

Google are naming versions of Android after cakes. My G1 is currently running version 1.5 – or Cupcake – and apparently version 1.6 – Donut[1] – is imminent. Every morning when I turn my phone on I’m hopeful it will tell me that an over the air update is available. Every day, so far, I’ve… Continue reading Waiting For Donut

Headphones on the G1

[This is here as a public service to other frustrated G1 owners] In December, when I wrote about my first impressions of the G1, one of my biggest complaints was that it had a completely non-standard socket for headphones. It came with a set of headphones which fitted the socket, but they were some of… Continue reading Headphones on the G1

Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall

Long-time readers will know that I am not averse to contacting companies to complain about bad service that I receive. This isn’t a particularly fulfilling hobby as you very rarely get any kind of satisfaction. But recently it’s becoming even less satisfying than before. I’ve noticed that email conversations with customer service reps are becoming… Continue reading Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall