children, cross-stitch and chocolate. Chickywiggles debt-free diary

chickywiggle

i gave up on that agessss ago (it's hard enough remembering my NSD's lol) but I reallllly need to tighten the rains again as just done the latest 0% interest balance transfer and we've spent £4000 in 6 months on cc. ARGGGGGGGGGG.

Flat_Eric

chickywiggle wrote: »

i gave up on that agessss ago (it's hard enough remembering my NSD's lol) but I reallllly need to tighten the rains again as just done the latest 0% interest balance transfer and we've spent £4000 in 6 months on cc. ARGGGGGGGGGG.

I haven't reviewed my spends with a fine toothcomb but when I do, I'm sure I'll be able to see where i have wasted money.

I'm not sure I'll be keeping track of my cash spends every month. too much head scratching/hard work. and don't get me started on credit cards !!!

chickywiggle

Park Resorts............. and so the saga continues.

I think my latest e-mail to the CEO sums it up pretty well............... can you see the steam coming out my ears???

xxx sent me a 'free short break' as a gesture of goodwill following my original complaint. As cross as I was that he still backed up your resort manager and did not thoroughly investigate my issues raised I was happy to accept this thinking we could take the children away for a bit of a summer break.


However after trying to book our holiday (for the 8th July) I remain very disapointed and angry with the service I have recieved.

Willing to give you a second chance I sat down with my family and chose our park - xxx- (based on on-site facilities, location to the beach, public transport links - as we don't drive, and other factors), checked available accomodation on the required dates etc
I phoned yesterday lunch time to book the break. After waiting on hold (from a mobile) I gave all the information to the assistant who answered the phone. This included details of my previous holiday and the dates/ venue of the one I wished to book as she had to fill in a form to send to head office to prove my free break existed. At the time of phoning there was various accomodation free on the site for the dates we required.

I asked the advisor if we could possibly get a upgrade of the weekend as we were going to have to take a large downgrade in the accomodation. I also said I would be prepared to pay a small amount towards this to extend the holiday (as I know the holiday is a 'short break' but thought Park-resorts may have some flexiblity assuming the accomodation was available - which it was at the time I called).

During the afternoon another advisor phoned me wanting me to once again ask all the previous questions. I advised I had already answered everything in detail.

24 hours later someone has returned my call and wanted all the details for the break i wished to take AGAIN and advised me the only accomodation free at the park on the dates we wanted is a bronze caravan. I asked if they could use some discretion and add the weekend on as it was a massive downgrade (from a silver plus 3 appartment) and was told there was no possibility of this (end of discussion) ....... my earlier conversation had clearly been a waste of time as it seems none of my documented information was passed on or that this request for the additional days had been followed up with a manager who could make the decisions before your advisor called me back.

I was offered an alternative venue in an inconvient location with a shocked response when i said no i couldn't change my time off work (it is virtually impossible for us to get the same week and we cannot now get time off together until next year) or the location I wished to take my holiday to accomodate Park Resorts.

You make it as hard as possible to book the free break - having to phone up (as much as possible i deal with internet bookings as due to work commitments and rising phone costs I don't have the time for phone calls back and forth), having to pay (from a mobile) to give numerous details that then get ignored, then being called to give the same details again, eventually being phoned back 24 hours later by which time the holiday we wished to take had been sold.

I am now stuck with a weeks holiday from work and having to find alternative accomodation at short notice (at a cost of around £500) to avoid having to tell my children they are not going away after all.

Whilst I am aware this break is 'subject to availavbilty' there is little point me accepting if I cannot use it.

I have no wish to contact yourselves again regarding this matter as I have been met with brick walls, accusations of lying and a distinct lack of customer service from every body involved in my complaint.

I would now ask you to consider a refund of my original holiday to enable me to book the week away that suits me and my family with an alternative provider as Park Resorts have made it impossible for me to enjoy any further holiday with themselves.

I look forward to your reply.

chickywiggle

todays CEO to feel my wrath............... SKY
................i await his response

Dear Sir,

I hate to have to involve company management where possible but feel I am getting no-where with your staff on the ground and am fast loosing patience and trust in SKY. I have been left with no option but to write to yourself if the hope you may be able to assist in my complaint as neither your 'live chat' (when it works) staff or facebook team seem able to assist.

Can I please state first off that although we are paying for sky talk as cannot get the broadband without it, we are unable to use it. The issue was that the calls were constantly crackly (to the point you couldn't have a conversation) and whenever the phone was used it cut the broadband out. This was raised with your staff when SKY was first installed but they were unable to resolve the issue without us paying an extortionate call out fee.As we have no need for a landline phone we chose not to follow it up. This has not been a problem for any company for the last 5 years, until now.

Due to having a busy working pattern and small family it is easier to conduct our correspondance via the internet whereever possible and SKY appear to be the only company I have encountered who fail to use this efficiently.

Although the account was signed up in my name, my wife tends to deal with all the day to day running (again other companies can handle this, SKY find it impossible)

In April 2013 we were offered a new SKY box. My wife completed the form and sent it in, unfortunalty she made the fatel error of putting her mobile phone number on the form instead of mine.
After a month of being hounded by an unknown number with no voicemail left as to who it was she answered the call. It was one of your advisors who refused to talk to her until she passed the security check (YOU phoned HER remember). Not surprisingly she did not know the password and asked for the security question - she was refused due to not being the account holder. As the conversation was going round in circles she asked the advisor to phone me - he contnued to ask her when she would next be in the same room as me so he could call her number and speak to me. When she advised we work opposite shifts and the 2 nights a week we do see each other for were not going to be convienient, repeating that if he simply rings an alrernative number he would reach me.
she checked he had my number (and was assured he did ) and put the phone down.

2 weeks went by and no-one had called me (or her) so I sent an email in asking for her to be added to the contacts and to call me (giving my number again). The helpful reply was "

We are unable to add another name to a Sky account. If your wife wished to speak to us on your behalf, she could do so as long as she can confirm your existing password. It shows on the account we attempted to contact you regarding marketing. I have noted this into your account and this team should contact again soon.

Kind regards

Johanne"


Now as at the time I couldn't remember the password this was not going to be an option.


Fast forward to 2nd June (with still no contact from anybody) when I tried to contact your 'live advisor' to discuss it. He spent at least 10 minutes telling me I had to phone in and to use my free sky talk service to do so. The concept of no landline phone and a faulty line were ignored and he continued to say this was the only option. I asked for an advisor who could sort out the issue to phone me and resolve it, but was told it was impossible for him to pass on a contact number to anyone, again if I wanted to use my free sky talk service the call would cost me nothing.

On the same day I completed an e-mail asking for my SKY Movies package to be cancelled at the end of the promotional period (July 2013) and was informed this again could only be done if I phoned you. No doubt by the time I have bought a landline phone to plug in and use, which you will not be able to understand anyway due to the faulty line, I will be informed it is now too late and will be billed at full cost for a month (which we currently cannot afford).

I have tried to access a 'live chat' agent to cancel the movies today and have so far been waiitng over an hour with it claiming to be unavailable - but there is the option to once again email and cancel the movies (strange as I thought you couldn't do this???). Your facebook staff inform me they canot deal with it and I have to phone in.


Unless I recieve a phone call on xxxxx (my number not my wife's) in the next 48 hours (I am at work until 8pm tonight but will be free on Tuesday and Wednesday) we shall be cancelling the entire package and speaking to other providers with the intention of switching our phone/ broadband and TV and obtaining (what can only be) a better customer service.


I look forward to hearing from you.

chickywiggle

Park Resorts - update

The day after sending my email to the CEO...............they rang me...... they had found a suitable caravan.

AMAZING........ what did they do??? plant a caravan seed that grew overnight????

So holiday booked..............lets hope this time it's better then the last.

chickywiggle

SKY - update

new HD box installled within 5 days of sending the e-mail.

Offer of half price broadband and phone (you know - that phone line we can't/ don't use)......... well that should just about cover their price increase in September. :rotfl: Personally I would have pressed them for free movies or sports (or a reduction in TV package cost) or a fibre broadband for the price of our current one..... .or at least a free wi-fi dongle (we've just had to pay £15 for one to be able to make the box extras work) but my husband just nods along and accepts anything.

Men - pffffft

chickywiggle

I am SOOO putting a complaint in to OFSTED about my sons school/ nursery.

A while ago he had a holiday - the school wanted to charge me fees for this despite 3 members of staff having been told and denying it.
I eneded up writing to the headteacher as I had recived a phone call demanding the money be paid and an 'unauthorised absence' letter.

First off he is not of legal school age yet so if I want to take him away in term time I will.
Secondly if the school can't read/ loose a letter or listen when a parent tells them something then that's not really my fault.
Third - I asked for a receipt for my payments so I know they have been recieved.

From having worked in schools and nurserys I am well aware this is not too much to ask for.

the headteacher agreed with all these points and assured me the staff in question had all been spoken to, have been made aware of the imporatance of communication and will be issuing receipts.

This was all find until the June half term.

I made my first of 2 payments after the hald term. Stating with it that I would like a receipt.
..............................no recipt was issued.

A couple of weeks later they sent me a letter out about his hours in September and replied that they should be well aware by now he is not attending the school in September (as all the school places have been confirmed and he will not be on their list). I once again asked for acknowledgement the letter had been recieved AND asked for a receipt for the money I had paid.
.......................no response.

I have sent in his last fees today. along with an accompanying letter that as they had not issued a receipt i had worked it out myself (with the breakdown).
Stating also that he was on holiday in a couple of weeks time and that I have deducted this amount.
AND asking for acknowledgement within 7 days that the account was now clear. Stating I would be contacting the headteacher again if I had no response.


**note: his fees are put in an envelope that he has to give to the teacher (or on occasion I pass it on if I see them - a rarity - they don't like to give parents the time of day if they can help it. I assume they then pass this onto the office staff.. therefore I cannot ask for a receipt at the time. *****

we were late today so his nursery enterence was locked - fortunatly the other enterence wasnt. Along with a couple of other parents I went over to the office under strict instructions to sign him in.
Now the office area is barly big enough to swing a cat in let alone take a pushchair in so you have to leave other children outside and out of view.

I stood at the desk while 3 members of staff continued their conversation. they then turned round saw me ....... one turned to sit at her computer and the other 2 went to walk away!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eventually I got their attention but can I fill in the form,............. NOOOO.

"is he staying all day" - yes, as per his contracted hours that he has done for the last year.

"what is he having for lunch" caused a problem
- packed lunch.
- that he's brought himself?
- yes - same as every day.
- you can order him a school dinner if you want!
- why when I've made him a pack lunch??



the last parents evening we were told we could have 5 (pre-arranegd) minutes with the teacher as she really was too busy to give you any longer.
...........needless to say we declined!!!

Roll on September and a transfer to a school that knows what it's doing!!!!

chickywiggle

SKY

OMG I cannnnot belive the monkeys these people employ to front their team..............

asking Sky via facebook to clarify prices on a package and geting fobbed off with being given a link that didn't answer my question - their response:
:eek::eek::eek:

"We do know how our packages are organised, but we have an online shop so you can self serve and work things like this out yourself, there is a bundle builder which will let you add the services you want and it will show you what it costs. Cheers John"

That's like going into Tesco and asking someone to confirm an offer is on B1G1F and being told to go look at the shelf edge label.

chickywiggle

hmmm which book to take on holiday Lindsey Kelk "I heart London", a Sophie Kinsella book (just finished "got your number"), Sophie Hannah "the other half lives", a Terry Pratchett novel ..................... or something else????

chickywiggle

I'm backkkkkkkkk....... but it's farr to hot to do anything today. 28' with no wind.

Tesco helpfully delivered my shopping this morning but with no sliced ham or chicken (their chiller cabinets had broken down) and no eggs (i forgot to order any) :mad: need to go to the shop and buy it all but pffft the kids don't want to move (and I don't blame them).

someone invent a supermarket that delivers the same day (like iceland but where i can do my shopping from the sofa and they deliver it).

takeaway is out as had that farrr too much this week. And I must not eat any more chips for at least a month.

i don't have any bread, but do have bread rolls.

I have LOTS of potatoes that need eating up, I could make mash but don't want sausages with it as had a bbq yesterday.