Crazy Utility Suppliers
My new house has four different suppliers for gas, electricity, telvision/broadband/phones and water, as is fairly typical in the UK.
I’ve now got them sorted, but sometimes you wonder what sort of muppets designed their systems.
- One supplier needs me to sign a contract, but they don’t have any means to send the contract to an address other than that of the property. And as the property has had tenants in it, good knows where the contract went to! I would vote for the rubbish, if my previous experience with tenants is anything to go by.
- One wanted me to sign on on-line for good reasons, but after two hours I gave up, as they kept asking who was my previous supplier, when obviously there wasn’t one. They also said I should phone a particular number, which had a fault. After I’d finished, they asked me to fill in an on-line survey, which I did truthfully. As it didn’t ask for my name, phone number or e-mail address, I doubt I’ll get an apology for the time I wasted.
- The water company were OK, but tried to sell me things I’ve never needed before.
- On a first call, nPower were short and to the point, so after I’d given up on the other energy company, I phoned them back. I did a combined gas and electricity deal, which may not be the cheapest, but it took me just ten minutes on the phone with a salesman who seemed much more competent than the rest combined.. He also informed me that my new house had a prepayment meter and arranged a suitable date for its removal.
It just goes to show that you can win some and lose some.
It would certainly help if some companies had properly designed systems.
How Do We Get Rid of this Waddling Woman?
So Ann Widdecombe is still in Strictly Come Dancing! I just think she’s had her fun and now is the time for her to go. So do the judges, but the British public keep voting her back in!
My bet on Pamela Stephenson is still there and I’m hoping she goes all the way!
American Dream
This series on BBC 2 has been fascinating.
One particular interview was with a black American fighter pilot, who after being shot down over Germany was sent to Colditz.
Brian Cant has Parkinson’s
There is sad news that Brian Cant, the former BBC children’s presenter has Parkinson’s Disease. But he is also to get a richly-deserved Children’s Bafta.
Ann is Still There!
Isn’t it about time that Ann Widdecombe was voted off Strictly Come Dancing! I suppose the cost of the viewers’ votes help to support Children in Need, but surely we’ve had our and she should go!
At least my bet on Pamela Stephenson is still running and her odds are showing her as third fvourite after Matt Baker and Scott Maslen.
I live in hope, but is Ann going to beat them all? I hope not!
Moving Phones
Obviously, as I’m moving, I will have to change my phone. Here I’m on BT, but in London, I’ll be using cable for broadband and TV, so it would seem logical to use that for phones as well.
I hadn’t realised that I will be able to move my number, but I can. So I won’t have to tell a lot of my contacts, what my new number is! It will be a great time saver.
Gluten-Free Television
I don’t ever take my television with adverts, unless I actually really want to watch the program. So of the major programs on ITV like X-Factor, Downton Abbey and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, I’ve not seen a single episode.
Today my son came up the M11 and he was watching a channel showing endless repeats of Frazier, which is a series of which I’ve never watched a single minute. Nearly all of the adverts were for products that I couldn’t eat, except for one for the Halifax Bank, for which I have no need.
I actually wonder whether these adverts have any positive effect for the companies involved as many households would actually be turned off by them. There was one advert for Iceland, that really convinced never to go near the shop, if all their customers were like those shown.
It’s Gibbon Time
It was good to see the Goodies in all their glory on Saturday. C used to like them and was always amused by the references to gibbons, as were the children.
Racing Shoots Itself in the Foot Again!
I wanted to watch the races from Longchamp today, but it is not available on free-to-air television, probably for the first time in several decades. So there is an hour on BBC2, but most races will not be shown live.
It is on Racing UK, but you have to subscribe and the number of races I want to watch is not worth that!
But let’s face it, it really takes stupidity with a sport like horse racing, to have two TV contracts, one which shows some meetings and the other the rest!
So I’ll watch the football!
My Bet For a Winner is Pamela Stephenson
The BBC has just announced the line-up for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
My money is on Pamela Stephenson, who showed she can dance, years ago in Not The Nine O’Clock News But perhaps not in the way required!
The Anonymous Widower 