Month: August 2009

Weekend over …..

/ Tony / 1 Comment

   S**** has gone back to his flat this afternoon. Mrs H was very upset, which of course made him upset. They are both worried about his bad back, but I think he was glad to get back. We have just tried contact him over the internet, but failed. We did get through on Skype, sort of, but the both video and audio quality was vey poor and broken up. We then tried messenger and could not even connect with the video that way. Then he seemed to go offline. Hi mum vas vey disappointed. Oh well better luck next time. I suppose it could be the weather.

   I’m back to work tomorrow. I think I could be quite busy. A couple of finance reports to do in Excel,  and D*** is on flexi, so I’ll have the downloads to do first.

   I have a Outlook 2007 tutorial on my lap-top, so I think I will print it out tomorrow. It should, along with the reference card help me get used to my new email/contact manager. Touchwood, all the office software seems to be working as it should now. I still have a problem with the bluetooth, and I don’t seem to be able to synch my PDA, but that probably just needs tweaking, and it not such a problem really. If the worst comes to it, I’ll uninstall it and change the USB port that the adapter is in. That often makes a difference.

….. just a little bit more.

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   When I said that Office 2007 installation went well, I may have spoken too soon. I had problems with the Bluetooth, Outlook and my webcam. Now I suppose the Bluetooth and the webcam may be down to installing the RAM, but Outlook was a problem. First I had application errors linked to Visual C++, then I could not import any emails or contacts from Outlook Express. Out of frustration, I uninstalled Outlook and resolved to stick with OE. Then, like the optimist I’m not, I decided to reinstall Outlook. This time everything worked !!!! Unbelievable. Now I’m struggling to understand the need for Microsoft Groove !!! What a name. I have an idea what the program is about, but it installs as default, and I just do not think it is for home use. So that went. Fingers crossed, everything’s working as it should now.

   Eldest came back from the festival early today.  His backKaiser Chiefs has been playing him up really badly over the past few days. I don’t suppose sleeping in a tent helped. He was going back to see The  Kaiser Chiefs and The Kings of Leon, but the back won the day in the end. I get the impression, that he had had The Kings of Leonenough anyway. You could really hear The Kaiser Chiefs tonight. It was very clear, and I think the wind must have been in the right direction. They were on for a good 75 minutes, and from what I cold hear, were singing all their hits. The Kings of Leon on the other hand seemed to be a lot quieter. I was quite amazed too, that their set lasted exactly 1 hour. All done by 10:00pm. Not good value for money for a headline band on the last night.

A wake up call……..

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   We got a bit of a shock at 01:30 this morning. The telephone went, and you know what it’s like, when you just seem to have got off to sleep. Well, I did not know what it was at first, then Mrs H jumped out of bed to answer it. It was S**** from the Leeds Festival. He was coming home for a sleep, and could we leave the door unlocked. It gives you a kind of sick feeling when you get a phone call at that time. Anyway he arrived home at around 02:15, but he was still awake 03:30, listening to an audio cd on his lap-top. He slept right through until 12:00 though. I dropped him off at 02:00pm, but he says he is coming home tonight. It will be better than trying to struggle out in the morning. Mrs H is going to pick up the majority of his stuff at 05:00pm this afternoon, so that will save some time.

   Now for a bit of a rant !!! I have been paper shredding all the old bills and statements this weekend, and am amazed at how much there was. What is really annoying is those unrequested forms from insurance and credit card companies that have all your details already filled in !!!  Why do they do that ?? Do they think that I would be so grateful that I don’t have to fill their form in, that I’ll buy their product ?? Or do they think that I’m so stupid as to not know what details and where to fill them ?? Who in their right mind would buy that kind of product, from companies that are so desperate to sell that the have to sell by junk mail ?? Stop filling my details in !!!!! I don’t want your products, and I don’t want to have to spend time shredding your waste !!

   Maybe more later

Everything seems to work

/ Tony / 1 Comment

   I installed the software this morning. That was a job and a half. For some reason, the software must have been an old(ish) version because, no sooner as it was installed, than that little yellow shield appeared to tell I had updates. All 220mb of them. I then found out, that the Executive version did not overwrite the Home & Student version. all in all it must have taken a good two hours.

   I also installed the new RAM at the same time. That did not take as long. If fact, if you take away the time I spent clearing the dust out of the box, it will have taken no more than 15 minutes from start to finish. Things do seem to be a little faster now. All the Office programs start a bit quicker, I think. I’m having a little trouble with Outlook though. I don’t seem to be able to import my contacts from Outlook Express. I know they are different formats, but I thought I should be able to import all the messages and contacts, but it does not seem to work. I may have to just type them in, although I do not use my Gmail account for much.

   I downloaded some useful Microsoft Office guides from Custom Guide. It is a great resource for Office training materials. They have a lot of what they call Quick Reference Guides, which are very useful for learning the basics. For slightly more advanced tutorials, I downloaded some  stuff from a site called Office Tutorials. They have a good tutorial for Outlook 2003, which will be useful for work, and I got some stuff for Outlook 2007. I think I may need it. I will now have to think of something useful to do with Access !! Only thing I ever see any thing for is the usual Record Collection database, or possibly an MP3 database. Neither of which I need.

   I really need to get my Geek head on and sort out installing that old hard drive. The more I think about it, the easier it seems. There is just that nagging fear, that something will not go to plan. Silly really. I have added new RAM, various DVD and CD drives, USB cards and stuff like that, but never a hard disk. I suppose, all the other things just slot in, and away you go. A hard disk is a little more involved.

It’s done

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   Well that was quick and painless. A hell of a lot faster than I expected. 502mb downloaded and copied to a DVD in just over 30 minutes. I’m not sure as to what kind of a download speed that equates to, but I’m quite impressed. I’ll not install it until tomorrow, or even Sunday. It may be wise, and I don’t know why, to leave it until I’ve done the RAM.

   No-one on Messenger tonight, which seems odd. There is usually at least one person on at this time of night.

Bank holiday

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   I’m quite glad it’s the bank holiday weekend. It seems to have been a rather long week. Still haven’t installed the RAM, but Sunday looks favourite. This is going to be a short one, as I am going to download the Office 2007 package. I’m not sure how long it will take. Hopefully around 30 to 40 minutes, it all depends on the speed of the server at the other end I think.

   Leeds Fest seems to be going well. I understand that they may have got a bit wet last night, but I suppose, it’s all part of the experience. S**** and his friend came home this morning for something to eat and a shower. He says, that he did not think I would cope with it all. He is probably right too.

   Well that’s it. Wish me luck with the download.

Better than I expected

/ Tony / 2 Comments

   I got home in good time tonight. The roads were a lot quieter than was anticipated. I had visions of 10 miles queues Leeds Festival 2009 on the A1, after the problems last year. This morning was quiet too, although going north, the A1 was very slow and crowded. The Leeds Festival gates opened at 3am this morning, and as I understand it, there was a steady flow from about that time. S**** was dropped of at his friends house, around noon, and they were going from there. Although the whole thing does not get going until tomorrow, there seems to be some music playing this evening. It will be a bit of a test tomorrow afternoon. I need some petrol, and both the petrol stations that I use are on the A64. Not a road I want to go on, as part of it will be still be closed. I also need a haircut, and the hairdresser’s is also on the same route.

   Never got around to installing the new RAM this evening. It looks like it might be over the weekend sometime. I also need to work out when I should download the Office 2007 software. I think it may be a good idea to try on Sunday night, before the Bank Holiday. Still cannot get over the price. I hope that it downloads at a reasonable speed. I have an idea that download speeds sometimes depend on the site they are being downloaded from. It can take ages sometimes to grab a YouTube video.

   My new phone seems to have a lot better signal in the office. I have only noticed a signal loss a couple of times, and considering where I sit, and the amount of metal cupboards and electrical kit around me, I’m surprised I get a signal at all. Talking of electrical stuff, we have the Portable Appliance Tester (PAT) with us this week. And before anyone asks ‘Portable Appliance’ refers to desktop electrical equipment such as computers, desk fans etc, not ………although I do not know how portable a three drawer laser printer is. Well, it has to be the most boring job an electrician can be asked to do. As far as I can see, it is only the cables that get tested anyway. But it takes the guy forever. It’s my desk tomorrow. The last time, it took the tester nearly an hour to get through all my stuff, and he’d been doing it for years. The man we have today, has only been on this since last week !!!!

   Done for today.

Leeds Fest’ is coming…..

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   Well the Leeds Festival kicks off tomorrow. Many of the roads around here were starting to get a bit busier than normal. It looked like a number of people, were already moving onto the site this afternoon, and the music doesn’t even start until Friday lunchtime. Some of the gate bouncers have been in place since Sunday. The guy at the gate on the new access road between Bramham and the A64 was stood in the rain, by the side of his ‘port-a-loo’ at 07:30 morning, and he was still there at 05:00 this evening !!!! There seems to be an air of excitement about the village. It was all the talk at the quiz-nite, especially the people that have not been before. S**** is really looking forward to it. He was busy packing his rucksack with clothes and his camping stuff. Mrs H fussing round, trying to make sure he has everything he needs. That’ll be another 4 nights she’ll have trouble sleeping no doubt.

   Have been given a fantastic offer from Microsoft. Because the Council I work for, is now part of a Microsoft collaboration scheme, all staff are able to download a copy of Office 2007 Ultimate for home use. We can use it while ever we are an employee or while ever the Council is part of the scheme. The cost to the user of this offer, is an amazing £8.50 to download !!! Now as I intend to stay with the Council until I retire (which will be at least 9 years) I think it is an outstanding bargain. The caveat is, that if I leave the employ of the Council, I should stop using the software. How will they know, if I’m still using it ?? By that time, there will have been at least another 8 new versions, and I should think it impossible for Microsoft to have the wherewithal to monitor the possible 10,000+ copies that could be in use by employees ! The only problem I foresee, is the time it takes to download the software …… all 508mb. I will have to pick a time when the internet is quiet.

   My new RAM arrived today. I’ll try and install it either tomorrow or Friday. I’m hoping it will make a bit of difference to the speed. It will take the PC up to 2gb of memory, which is the highest the motherboard will run. I will then have to decide whether or not to install one of old hard discs, that I have in the loft. It is not hard to do, but I think I will try and get some advice from one of my ‘Geek Sites’. Just to be on the safe side.

Back again ….

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   Well, as expected, the quiz-nite went well again. We got 37 points, which is a record for our little (sic) team. Of course, we did not win. That was never on the cards, but that’s not the point. R** won the bingo though. I don’t think she really knew what to do/say when her numbers came up.

   It’s strange though, seeing people, that I know from the primary school, when I was on the PTA. People that you remember as little kids, that are now grown up and quite mature and sensible. Makes you feel a little old. I think what is worrying though, is that I know the faces, but not the names. Must be an age thing.

   All done for today.

…… continued

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   Today went as well as it should have. No problems with the handhelds over the weekend, which is a good thing. I thought we may had an issue with one of them,  but it seems to have either corrected itself, or more likely it was an user error. Everyone seemed to be in a happier mood than usual. It is not good really, when a managers staff enjoy his holiday more than he does !!!!!

   R*** was back from his respite today, and he is still very much the same as he went. Still the random attacks without any apparent reason. One minute anger, the next laughing.

  Managed to get some music and some ringtones on my phone today. It is not the same as the old phone, as it is a completely different operating system. So the way I managed the files before bears no resemblance to the way I do now. The Nokia PCSuite will not connect via bluetooth, which is odd, so I have to use the USB cable, or connect through the Blue Soleil bluetooth manager. Only another two days to go, before I am able to utilise the full package. What’s the betting, I don’t use it to it’s full potential. I think I may use the calendar option though … we shall see.

   The new TV is performing well. We found out how to get the radio on through the Freeview, and how to use it a picture frame. I am going to put some pictures on a memory stick, and see if we can get a slide show.

   Still no Skype call from S****. He knows his mum wants to say hello, but he seems to be avoiding the issue. He was on MSN yesterday, but seemed to go offline when I went online. All it takes is for him to sign in for a while, and she would be happy. Well for a while anyway. I wonder if he has got a job yet. I texted him, but no reply as yet. With me still not used to this phone, I don’t know if he got the message.

   Right, I think that is enough for one day.

TV update

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   A quick update on the new TV. We are going to get the new Sky box. Apparently it is a Sky + box. We have also been told, that we can put the old Sky + box in R***’s room. He will then get all the benefits of Sky + also. Not that he’ll use it, but it would be good to save some of his favourite programs that come on when he goes to school.

   It also looks like we will go for an upgrade to High Defination (HD). Mrs H thinks that for what it costs a month/year, it’s not too much to worry about. I’ll have to get the thatre sounds sorted though.

Busy day…..

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   Well we got the new TV today. Looks quite good and the picture is great. We have had to move the screen around a little so it does not block out any more light, but it is quite watchable in its current position. We have been trying to get S****s surround sound to work. It has been partly successful. We can get the theatre sound with the DVD, and with the analogue TV channels ie the Freeview, but we have not had any luck with Sky system. I think it may be something to do with the way the SCART cables are plugged in. May have to have juggle them round a bit.

   New mobile seems quite good. It has been a bit of a struggle to connect via bluetooth. The PC suite is not the most intuitive, but I can always connect by the USB cable. There is a lot to learn though. I still have to work out how I can get my old ringtones onto the new phone. I also need to know how to get access to the applications that appear to be on the thing.

Successful, but expensive day …

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   A day out in Harrogate today. We bought a new TV !!! We have gone for a Sony Bravia, 40” LCD model. It’s not going to go on the wall though. To be honest, I don’t really like wall mounted screens. S****s always look out of place, and the one at work is similar. No we are going to see what it looks like on the current stand. We get an option to ‘upgrade’ our Sky box to a Sky HD box, but unless it’s a Sky+ box, it will not be worth it, and we don’t want to be paying another £10.00 a month for HD. Going to pick it up tomorrow as we were not prepared to fork out £25.00 for delivery !!

   I upgraded my phone too. Mrs H convinced me to go into the ‘3 Store’ to have a look. Fifteen minutes later, I came out with a new Nokia E71, a new 18 month (+ 2 month) contract, and a free Pay As You Go (PAYG) sim card. As from Wednesday, I will have 200 minutes calls, unlimited 3 to 3 calls, unlimited texts and unlimited internet access. All this for £20.00 a month. It is the phone and contract I have been looking at for a while.

   I also ordered some new RAM for the PC. Play.com finally had the 1gb module I needed. It had gone up in price, by £1.00, but it is still a good price. Looks like it will be delivered next week. It has been an expensive day !!!!!

   Eldest had his ‘house/flat warming’ party last night. Sounds like it went quite well. We have not spoken to him, but I texted him at lunchtime. He said it was around 6am when the party broke up. I don’t know if anyone stopped  after that, of if they went home then. Mrs H was hoping that he came on line tonight. She wanted to try and talk on Skype, but he went offline around 8:30pm, and has not been back on.

   Have changed my blog theme again. I will see how this one goes. I am going to try and indent each paragraph, just by a couple of characters. See if it scans better.

   All done for tonight.

Bit of a break….

/ Tony / Leave a comment

The youngest is away on respite this weekend, so it’s a bit of a break. He went off this afternoon, and will be back on Monday around 10:00ish. Mrs H has a day off on Sunday, so we have the weekend all to ourselves.

I’m not sure about this new theme. I quite like the plain look, but I don’t think that this is the right one. I’ll checkout some the others over the next couple of days.

Spike is off for a week, so that’s good. I think we will enjoy his holiday a lot more than he does.

Nothing much else really.

OMG … my phone

/ Tony / Leave a comment

Well, I only went and trashed the memory card for my phone. All I did, was … well I don’t know what I did really. Or even why, all I remember is the memory card flying across the desk, and the phone telling me the card was not formatted !!!!! I lost all my pictures, ringtones and music. I can get all the music back, as they are on the PC, and so are some of the tones, but it is such a bore having to put things back. To top it all, I had backed up the settings on the phone, to the card.

Crossed wires with the eldest last night. I thought, R**** was bringing him home (to this house), but what he actually meant was his flat, or as he calls it, his home !!! Told him, not to say the when Mrs H is around. That would finish her off I think. So I don’t think I got much sleep after waking up around half past two. He managed to get his broadband up and running, so we should be able to speak to him on Skype. That’s relying on him turning Skype on of course. May try talking through MSN messenger, although I’ve only ever used the cam without sound.

I don’t think there is any more to say.

A longish day

/ Tony / 1 Comment

Well I was tired, before I started today. Yesterdays late night seemed to do for me a little. Work went okay. The usual minor irritations caused by people who just rush things, without checking all the facts.

Eldest is at a gig in York tonight. A lot of his drama friends have gone, because R**** is one of the performers. I hope he not too late getting in. He has to be up early, as I’m taking him to his flat. I think everyone has to be up for work tomorrow, so they may not be late. Mrs H is not too pleased with him though. He must have been up even later, after we got in, as he did not get up until one o’clock. She was hoping that they might go out during the day somewhere.

There does not appear to be anyone to chat to tonight. Very strange. Not of my contacts are signed into MSN. There is usually at least one person logged in. I had a quick peep in Chat, but that was very quiet.

Youngest has been fine again, although he has just had a bit of an ‘episode, when I told him to shut his PC down.  However, it was not as intense and as extended as usual, so I guess that it was just something that upset him. He does not seem to holding his ears as much either since they were syringed.

The email I get from the ‘Money Saving Expert’, was not up to much this week. There was a link to a free Lily Allen download. I got it, but it was a big disappointment. It is some kind of dance remix, and not the originals. There does not seem to have been many offers from MSE the past few weeks. Some of the offers seem to be a lot of work for very little.

Eldest has just rung (unusual for him) to let us know that he has been invited to the after gig party. I thought that might happen. He says R**** will give him a lift home. He will just have to go on the bus tomorrow. I hope his flat-mate tidies up a bit, or more likely tidies up a lot.

I’m getting a little tired of this theme, so you may see something different in the next day or two.

Done for now.

Quiz nite … yeah

/ Tony / Leave a comment

A good night tonight. Of course, we did not win … we left the winning to the usual crowd. But  still a fun night. A lot of S****’s friends turned up, and I think they turned up because he was there.

Here’s a thing though. I got a message from K**** on MSN messenger. It was really nice to hear from her. Sounds like she is on the mend now. Funny though, I did not know she was on MSN !!

R*** has his ears syringed today. It sounds like it was a great success. I think he seemed a lot happier tonight. More than usual. Fingers crossed that we may have hit on something here.

Well I think that is it for tonight. I’m typing under the affluence of incohol.

Survived

/ Tony / Leave a comment

Work, today went quite well really. Much better than expected. The ‘desk-mess’ I was dreading did not materialise. If fact, it was quite clear for a week off. It was as busy as I had thought, which was good.

The trip to S**** was very quick. I texted around 11:00,The Hope, York Road, Leeds to let him know I was coming, but he was still in bed when I got there. I arrived  at 12:15, and by 12:30 was in the Hope Inn, having a pint !!!! It was quite funny. I told him I was not stopping, as you do, and his reply was “There’s not much point you coming all the way upstairs then”. All I could do was agree. So I shut the door and went !! I think he went back to bed !!

Youngest lad has been very good tonight. No problems to speak of. It’s 11:00pm, and he seems to be in a good state of mind. However, we have been here before. He could change at any moment.

Eleanor of Aquitaine Did I mention, that I bought a bargain book from the Martin House charity shop ? It is a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, by Marion Meade. Why such a bargain ? It has never been opened. The spine is in perfect condition and at only 80p, it amounts to a saving of £8.19. Now that’s a bargain. So who is Eleanor of Aquitaine I hear (some) you say. She was the wife of Henry II, mother to eight children, of whom the most well known are Richard Coeur-de-Lion and the ‘evil’ Prince John. This period in history is one of my favourite eras. However, with the fantasy novel I’m reading at the moment, it may be a while before I get around to reading it.

All done. Lets see what tomorrow will bring.

It’s over ……

/ Tony / Leave a comment

Well that’s my holiday all done. It’s been a hard week all told, and I’m not looking forward to going back. It will be quite a busy day tomorrow, what with D*** being off. I’ll have more jobs than usual, but it should make the day pass quicker. Must remember to get some petrol in the morning, although the warning light should come on when I start up.

R*** has not been too bad today, however we did have a bad episode, as usual, at tea-time. It’s now 10:40pm and he is a little angry, although he did not create as much fuss as I expected, when I shut his PC down. He is quiet now, let’s hope it lasts.

I am going to see S**** at lunch time tomorrow. I have some paperwork for him, and a couple of other things. I hope he is up when I get there. I’ll ring about 11:00am. That should give him plenty of time, to do whatever.

Just watched the last Indiana Jones film. The jury is still out on that one. It was certainly not as good as the others. It did not seem to have the usual WOW factor, that the other films had. Still it was quite watchable, although I don’t think Mrs H was too impressed.

I’ve tried out a couple of different Instant Messaging clients over the past couple of days. Had a go at Digsby, which I mentioned before. Too much going on I fear, I had to drop it. I then tried a client called Trillian Astra. That was very similar, just too much for what I need. So I said goodbye to that too. Looks like I’m going to stick with Microsoft for the time being.

My good friend A*** has just signed in on MSN. Have not chatted with her, for ages, must be at least a month. A nice person. She is one of the first people I chatted with, when I joined the Lycos chat room.

Well I think that is it.

Our language corruption

/ Tony / 2 Comments

Why do we still allow the media to corrupt are wonderful language. On the Guardian website today we are told


Trooper’s death brings Afghanistan fallen to 200

Grim milestone reached when soldier wounded in an explosion in Helmand died in hospital

Since when did our fantastic soldiers become ‘Troopers’. The Americanisation of our language is on the increase. It is everywhere. At work, we no longer have a Personnel Department, we have ‘Human Resources’ we are now commodities, not people. Then there is the food industry. What does ‘Pan Fried’ mean ??? How else can you fry something, except in a pan ? Is there such a thing as ‘Steamer Fried’ ? Of course, as you now see ‘Oven Fried Chips’, some people would say, that is the reason. But we bake or roast in an oven … we don’t fry.

Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not against different countries having different takes on a language. No my problem is with the British media, that try to appeal to the overseas market, by trying to change the way we speak. And because it is a respected medium such as The Guardian (and they are not alone, the BBC are one of the worst), the changes find their way into everyday language.

Rant over for now

Nearly over…..

/ Tony / Leave a comment

Only one more day, and my holiday break will be over. In some ways it doesn’t seem like a week, and in others it seems longer. I’ve not done much today …… come to think of it, I’ve not done that much all week.

Youngest has been fine for most of the day. Awoke in a bad mood, but I think that was a left-over from last night. He’s been quite reasonable this evening, and at the moment (10:30pm) he is laid in bed watching TV.

Downloaded a new IM client today to try. It is called ‘Digsby’. I have it set up, but I’m not too sure. The Twitter updates did not seem to come through as quick as they should. I did not get as far as setting up the facebook plugin though. This needs further investigation, and I think a good look though the help pages.

Eldest rang today. Mrs H was pleased, although she thought I had asked him to ring. As if. I don’t think he realises how much she misses him. I really do think, a couple of phone calls a week will keep her happy. He is supposed to be going out on Wednesday night, to a gig in York. I’ll, hopefully take him back to his flat on Thursday morning. He needs to be back for 8am, ready for the broadband coming. I hope that all goes well, and they get it set up properly. I wonder if he will come here on Tuesday for the quiz. If his friends go too, then it will be quite a good night again.

I think that is is for today. Three posts …… not bad going.

My Tomato Sauce

/ Tony / Leave a comment

This is the first of a number random postings, with a recipe that I like. It will be categorised as Cooking Time.

Tomato Sauce – serves 3 to 4

You will need:

  • 1 x 14oz tin of tomatoes (chopped or otherwise)
  • 1 medium onion – finely chopped
  • 1 or 2 rashers of smoked bacon – finely chopped
  • 1 large clove of garlic – finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
  • salt & pepper to taste
  1. Gently fry the onion, garlic and bacon in the oil until cooked, but not coloured.
  2. Add the tomatoes and sugar, and bring to the boil.
  3. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often.
  4. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
  5. Blend to a smooth consistency, using a liquidiser or blender.
  6. Season to taste, and use as required.

This sauce will keep well in the fridge for 2 days, or it can be frozen.

For a more rustic sauce, you can omit the blending at stage 5, and use a potato masher to break down the tomatoes.

Cold calling …. don’t you just love them

/ Tony / 2 Comments

When I say ‘love them’ ………

I got one yesterday. Knocked on the door around 3:30pm, I could see him through window, and knew at once, that he was selling something. And from the look of his clothes, he was not very good at it. I decided to have a bit of fun

I opened the door, and the guy took a step back, with one hand up.

“Don’t worry … It’s nothing to get alarmed about” he said, with a big smile on his face.

“Why should I worry ?” I asked.

“I just like to reassure people. That’s all” was the reply. “I’ve come to upgrade your broadband.”

“And what broadband is that ?” I queried.

“Your Broadband is now free !!!!!” he announced. “Did a tall guy come on Friday to let you know ?”

“No !” said I

“Well your local exchange has been updated, and now it is free !!” he proudly announced.

“So you assume that I have a broadband connection do you ?”

By this time he was beginning to look a little puzzled.

“Who are you with ?” I asked

“C******* W********.” he said.

“How then can you upgrade my broadband ?”

“Who provides yours then ?” he ventured.

“S**. “ I replied.

“Did you know that if you dial a number with S**, then it costs you 7p a call, even if you do not get through ?”

“I’m not interested. Thank you.”

There then ensued another exchange of his views on why I should be interested, before I closed the door. I can’t think of any occasion when I would purchase anything from someone knocking on the door. I think it was a shock to find a male person answering the door at that time of day. It was the out and out lies or misinformation, that I object to. Lie number 1: ‘… local exchange has been updated’. The exchange has not been just updated. From what I could see on the website, that particular unbundling took place in July 2008. Lie number 2: ‘and now it is free’ . It is not free !!!! I would have to sign up to C******* W********, for my broadband, and from what I know, it is only the lowest package that is free. Lie number 3: ‘…cost you 7p a call, even if……’. It was that one that did it.

Just love them.