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Praise, vent & warnings

Archives for August 2015

It was only a pound, but...................
More frustrated than Vent Praise or Anger. Throughout the summer, a well known fast food chain has been actively selling £1 raffle tickets from table to table. Initially the seller didn't know when the draw would take place, but eventually found out and I bought a ticket. A week after the draw was due to take place, I…
Waiting in queue for cinema
Went to cinema on Saturday night. Average of 4 minutes per customer to sell tickets. 4 minutes! It's not like there's a specific time that a film starts or anything. Each customer was a couple more or less (ordering and paying as one) so it's not as if it's a large group and somebody counting out coppers. I wasn't bothered…
Check your receipt if you buy any Homebase offers
Today I bought some plants and bulbs in Homebase. The bulbs were "3 for 2" with the usual "cheapest item free". I purchased 3 packs @ £4.99 and 3 packs @ £3.49, I expected the discount to be £8.48. This is how it works in M&S, Tesco, Sainsburys etc. Instead I received a discount of only £6.98. On questioning this at…
Freezing cold Sainsburys store
This particular Sainsburys is very cold. Its so cold that the staff wear long sleeved uniform, with several layers underneath. One of the colleagues I regularly chat to when we bump into each other in the town says her asthma has got worse by 20% in two years, based on the peak flow measurement and it has been so cold past…
Hacked e-mail spam tricked friend
I'm fuming yesterday someone hacked into my yahoo account and sent out a link from email address. A friend thought it was from me and paid £200 which I assume they'll never see again. The link was for Searching profits and after googling it certainly looks like a scam. I'm so upset friend was so gullible and fell for this,…
Praise To Dunelm - Free Coffee
I bought a rather large amount of household items yesterday in store. However when checking my receipt once I got home, I found out I had been overcharged by £8. Not a major amount, but a 4 mile trek back to the store to get a refund was not ideal. However, full praise for Dunelm Mill, without asking they gave 'us' a £5…
Tesco apologies after worker tells gay couple " You people are disgusting".
Supermarket Giant, Tesco in Brixton, South London, apologised to a gay couple, who claim they received homophobic abuse from staff, over a peck on a cheek. http://www.itv.com/news/london/2015-08-08/you-people-are-disgusting-tesco-worker-tells-gay-couple/ Every little helps!! Any thoughts?????
Scam "Ringing from Microsoft about your errors"
Just had a scam call from an Indian chap. "Hello, I'm ringing from Microsoft about the errors on your computer." Oh, really? I said. "Yes, can you switch your computer on please?" OK, I said. I waited for several minutes saying it was slow to start up today. "What icons are showing on your desktop please?" Er, Recycle Bin,…
Game And Their T-Shirts
Popped into Game recently with my son, who had some birthday vouchers to spend in there (£50 in total). He opted for a lego game and a t-shirt. Now my son is 8 but he's small for his age and the smallest tee they had was age 7-8. I took the tee from the packet when a member of staff strolled up to me. He told me I wasn't…
National Trust
Went to Walmer Castle yesterday, asked whether we wanted to let them to Gift Aid the tax back if so that would be £1 extra. Why? This also applies to English Heritage.
Avoid USELESS Scrapcarcomparison.co.uk AND "JR Vehicle Services"
Well apparently their collection agents Since the "offer [was] accepted". 7 days later no phone call. I have to call their agents direct who say they've received the booking but not sure if they even want it and will get back to me. 3 days later I contact them again, they'll take it but don't know when, they'll contact me…
Warning: Kirkwoods Solicitors (Stanmore, London)
Went in to Kirkwoods Solicitors (Stanmore) to try and get four documents certified for a mortgage renewal. Kirkwoods wanted to charge £100 to certify four documents that later found out typically cost £5 a go. Thought £100 was a bit steep so popped over the road to another firm (LMK) who charged me £5 a pop (apparently…
The cane Factory, Hooton, Wirral
Superb service from these guys! We bought a suite eighteen months ago, hard choice from their huge range, and had a good price as it was December. On Saturday I noticed that the bottom of one of the chair had a gap between the struts. Checked the rest, to find a very slight gap on the other chair. We called in on Monday,…
Vent - Opaque vs Transparent
Why is it that some people find it so hard to use the correct word? What is it about these two words that causes people to swap their meanings? There have been several posts on MSE forums where people have used opaque when they meant transparent. (This is the usual incorrect usage). /grammar-nazi ;)
Vent: Pearson/Edexcel
I recently put in a certificate request for a qualification I did through my company last year, via Pearson/Edexcel. Pearson charged £50. And the wait was 9 days. Turns out I am on the system but the grades hadn't been submitted by my company and so Pearson could not produce a certificate. Fair enough. However, they only…
Kids Pass - AVOID!!
There is a scheme called Kids Pass that, for a discounted membership £19 instead of £59), you can get two for one offers, kids eat free etc etc... All well and good you may think, but you don't get the full participant list unless you pay the membership fee. Once you do this then you get access to the app and the offers.…
VENT - Tesco / TalkTalk broadband RESOLVED
No notice of my tariff ending, until latest bill received- and they whacked on £6 a month.. As TalkTalk will be taking over, it seems Tesco uninterested in trying to 'retain' customers- claiming not allowed to offer 'free' b/b anymore? A quick search shows MSE have a much better deal with TT anyway, if I am a new…
Rant: PO sending Broadband offer to the Deceased.
A little rant about the Post Office and an offer received in the post today for half price Broadband. You may have an inkling that something is not quite normal regarding this offer. The name on the offer is my FIL who passed away last year, The only link with his name and my address was when I closed his accounts and they…
CAB rang me!
Lovely man by the name of Patrick Wilson (I think that's what he said - strong accent, very hard to understand) rang my mobile this evening. Said he was ringing from the Citizen's Advice Bureau as they had been told I had unsecured debt and he could help me. He had been given my number by the lovely people over at the Debt…
Vent stolen item
Dear all, Can you believe this ....on trip from Scotland to London ( slow drive down with family & friends) stop off at Wolverhampton town centre for my drivers window to be completly gone ( entire glass lifted out) whilst I took the kids to the loo. Broad daylight, passing traffic & pedistrians. Will I be visiting this…

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MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

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