The message
from Bill contains these words:


Joe public are a strange breed, in a previous life my wife's daughter
lost the key to the padlock that was holding her bike secure in the
middle of Bedford. I went down with a small anvil, hammer and chisel, a
couple of minutes later the lock was off and the bike gone. Centre of
town on a Saturday, no one batted an eyelid.

Why am I not surprised?

Last May some swine living at 7 Hardwick Road in Bedford ordered a
bicycle on the internet quoting my name and the number of one of my
credit cards.
Somewhat surprisingly, the bicycle retailer sent the bicycle to that
address without any checks.

Phoned Bedford's "finest" where a female grunt told me in no uncertain
terms that the Bedford Police couldn't care less and wouldn't even take
details.

Lessons to be learned

1. Bedford is a good place to steal bicycles -- the police are ready to
state officially that they aren't interested

2. Do not use a Citicard of any description -- months of talking to
personages in an Indian call centre have achieved absolutely nothing but
promises to talk to "the concerned department" -- to which I respond
that the problem is that the department is not concerned.

3. Do not use a Shell Mastercard -- Shell aren't interested either



Bedford --- bicycle theft capital of the world! :-)