Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Blackcats

 I thought of you this morning when I received a customer satisfaction survey from the V media people.  My dad is the customer not me and has been with them since they were NTL 30 years ago.  One question asked whether I thought they rewarded loyalty - well the frustrations of hours on the phone trying to re-negotiate an outrageous proposed price hike poured out into my answer.  Then on the next page they asked a similar question - I politely suggested they refer to my previous answer.  

I'm sure no-one will ever read my responses but it was cathartic.

foxgloves

Apparently Mr F has received a survey from them too, @Blackcats. I am considering writing to Ofcom to raise the sheer randomness of their broadband pricing. Is it £61? Or is it £36? Because I don't think it is fair & transparent pricing that there is 'suddenly' a big discount available when customers get in touch to say that an increase of 108% is too high. Either it costs 'X' or it costs 'Y'. Anything else is obfuscation & with such a large price disparity, I can't see that this approach is anything more than a rip-off.
F

foxgloves

@Sun_Addict - Your tomatoes should get there. I still have oodles of green ones & they're still forming.
I wonder if the aforementioned chain is having supply issues then. Mr F said that in several cases, it wasn't just no stock on the shelves, but the item labels had been removed too, which rather points to more strategic supply problems. While we were debt-busting, we always shopped there, but we wouldn't do it now as there'd be way too many items we wouldn't be able to get. 
The other cheap supermarket - there is a branch on the edge of our town but we don't use it as it is out of our way compared to other options. 
F

Makingabobor2

foxgloves said:

Apparently Mr F has received a survey from them too, @Blackcats. I am considering writing to Ofcom to raise the sheer randomness of their broadband pricing. Is it £61? Or is it £36? Because I don't think it is fair & transparent pricing that there is 'suddenly' a big discount available when customers get in touch to say that an increase of 108% is too high. Either it costs 'X' or it costs 'Y'. Anything else is obfuscation & with such a large price disparity, I can't see that this approach is anything more than a rip-off.
F

Totally agree with you FG.  Every year DH has to ring them and haggle and we always get a much better price,   We are currently paying £ 40 a month for internet/phone/basic TV package.  Who knows how much they will try and put it up to next year.  We have been with them for over 17 years and have had to haggle every year. 
My sister has the same package as us, but is paying over £60, it makes no sense at all

foxgloves

Same here, @Makingabobor2. We have been with them since they were NTL. The broadband speed is really good, no complaints there at all, but that's all we have. No landline & no TV package, so you can imagine our reaction when we read what they were intending to charge us! It feels like they stick a pin in a random sheet of figures then double it & add their shoe size! 
F

Makingabobor2

foxgloves said:

Same here, @Makingabobor2. We have been with them since they were NTL. The broadband speed is really good, no complaints there at all, but that's all we have. No landline & no TV package, so you can imagine our reaction when we read what they were intending to charge us! It feels like they stick a pin in a random sheet of figures then double it & add their shoe size! 
F

Yes, its totally mad. Why should you be paying more than us if you only have broadband?  Makes no sense at all. 

milann

We’d been with said company since they were NTL too, but recently moved as they were having a joke with the pricing and t’internet began buffering a lot. Moved to a company trialing in our area for virtually half the price 😁👍

badmemory

They do it simply because they can & they often get away with it.  You have to wonder what the purpose is of the regulator.  Basically they have put the fox in charge of the henhouse & so they are not independent.

foxgloves

It is infuriating & seems utterly random. I think I will still write to the regulator, nevertheless, to make a bit of a nuisance of myself. I want to hear how they justify this practice.
F

foxgloves

Afternoon Sunbeams,
Just finishing my coffee out on our shady courtyard bench, so thought I'd chat to you before going in to clear up the kitchen, which I've left in a mess. Today's budget-helping efforts:
*No Spend day. I know Mr F has bought a bottle of water, but that will be from his Spends, rather than the budget.
*Watered the veg garden.
*Did a laundry load to give us an extra change of summer outfit while the weather's so hot. I love free line-drying. Intend to try & keep it going for as long as possible into the Autumn.
*Today's garden pickings: Small bunch of coriander & a basket of basil.
*Made 5 more pots of pesto. Now added to the others in the freezer. It freezes well & as each pot is enough for two portions, there are quite a few meals there. I should get a 3rd cut from the basil if I'm lucky. It's planted in a row in front of the greenhouse tomatoes so it gets plenty of water.
*Dinner went into the slow cooker at 10.30 - Smoky chipotle black bean chilli. Was glad I'd prepped the tomatoes when I did the ones for the batch-cooked pasta sauce yesterday, as it meant I didn't need to start plunging & peeling again this morning. Will serve in tortilla wraps with grated cheese & either salad or garlicky stir-fried courgettes on the side.
*Done 1 survey. Will have a final check before I sign out, but will be cashing out of PA later today with a July total of £61-20. That will make a very nice addition to my Personal Spends. 
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
Right, I'd better go & sort out that pesto-strewn kitchen now. Poor Soot doesn't like this weather at all. @PiP. I think you asked me the other day how they were finding the heat. He starts off on the front room windowsill on his crochet blanket with the windows locked open for some air, but once the sun moves around to the front & the heat builds, he keeps moving around trying to find somewhere cool. He will be glad when it's cooler. Ash copes much better in weather extremes because he lived rough for quite a while, so he's spent the morning on the sofa & is now hidden away in the garden in one of his sunny dens. Probably won't see him until tonight. Well, much as I'd prefer to chat than clear up the kitchen, I know I shan't fancy the task later, so I am off to get on with it with the promise of coming back outside with my book afterwards.
Love to all, keep your pence in your purses!
F x