Huge wrote:
On 2008-12-31, Derek Geldard wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:07:12 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Medway Council seem set upon driving business away from the town centre, car
parking charges are horrific. Bearing in mind Chatham town centre is
between Bluewater & Hempstead Valley shopping centers - both of whom offer
free parking.

Parking charges are enforced 6 days a week until 10pm,
The message is :

"Come in a car ? **** off somewhere else we don't want you"

One of the few "messages" from local councils I'm happy to go along with.


However the implications of that - and its just the same in Cambridge,
with many cambridge residents feeling as you do - is that overall the
sort of shops that make a market town a market town, have all closed.

On 1 Jan 2009 01:25:46 GMT, Bob Eager wrote:

I can renew repeat prescriptions by email.

We can do ours online and being remote & rural collect from the
surgery/cottage hospital pharmacy rather than the one in town. If given a
prescription in a consultation with the Doc, it'll sent over the surgery's
network to the pharmacist and it'll be ready in 5 to 10 mins, sometimes by
the time you've said your thankyous and byes and walked down the corridor.

Indeed. And book an appointment several days in advance, online.

I have a problem with the inabilty to see your Doctor in less than 6 hrs
M-F but then when I want to see my doctor it's generally because I am
really ill, not just have a cold or a cut finger.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article , The Natural
Philosopher scribeth thus
Huge wrote:
On 2008-12-31, Derek Geldard wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:07:12 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Medway Council seem set upon driving business away from the town centre, car
parking charges are horrific. Bearing in mind Chatham town centre is
between Bluewater & Hempstead Valley shopping centers - both of whom offer
free parking.

Parking charges are enforced 6 days a week until 10pm,
The message is :

"Come in a car ? **** off somewhere else we don't want you"

One of the few "messages" from local councils I'm happy to go along with.


However the implications of that - and its just the same in Cambridge,
with many cambridge residents feeling as you do - is that overall the
sort of shops that make a market town a market town, have all closed.


How would you know?, you always tell us you never come here;!....

True all the same .. local shops going tits up ;(...
--
Tony Sayer

tony sayer wrote:
In article , The Natural
Philosopher scribeth thus
Huge wrote:
On 2008-12-31, Derek Geldard wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:07:12 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Medway Council seem set upon driving business away from the town centre, car
parking charges are horrific. Bearing in mind Chatham town centre is
between Bluewater & Hempstead Valley shopping centers - both of whom offer
free parking.

Parking charges are enforced 6 days a week until 10pm,
The message is :

"Come in a car ? **** off somewhere else we don't want you"
One of the few "messages" from local councils I'm happy to go along with.

However the implications of that - and its just the same in Cambridge,
with many cambridge residents feeling as you do - is that overall the
sort of shops that make a market town a market town, have all closed.


How would you know?, you always tell us you never come here;!....


I did go in..needed to see my accountant - and wandered in just before Xmas.

Spent a dreary hour exploring the 'Grand Arcade', before realising that
as far as spending an hour execersing, it was not as enjoyable as
walking the dogs..who unlike the people in the acrcade, are actually
happy. I didnt find anything I wanted to buy, so I retreteated to the
last things worth visiting at all, the booskhops, bought some books and
a DVD (at orse prices than online), had an overpriced coffee and toasted
oddity in one of them, and buggered off home.


True all the same .. local shops going tits up ;(...

Its the main chains that will go tits up.

Mackays is just about worth visiting. The bookshops also. 'Nomads' still
is a nice shop if you like that sort of thing. Nothing else is worth
bothering with. World of computers gets my trade too, but that's outside
town.

Oh. Another CFL has just popped in here after 6 months.

I think that's going back to normal filament. They last longer.

Anyway, the issue is that market towns exist to serve a catchment area.
Not solely for the benefit of their (non car owning) residents. If you
want to purchase anything that wont fit in a carrier bag, without paying
a small fortune in taxi fares, you need a car to carry it in.

The days when you could drive round the market square, park outside
university audio, and load a pair of Spendors into the back, are long
gone. So is university audio. Seems to be a beauty parlour..

Its the silly double think that on the one hand bemoans the demise of
'useful' shops and on the other insists on making taking a car into the
town within walking distance of the shops an exercise in military style
logistics, that gets me.

If Cambridge wants to commit commercial suicide as a market town, that's
fine. Just don't moan about it while castigating the car user as the
Spawn of Satan.

On 31/12/2008 14:12 Frank wrote:

"HALF PRICE" is just to attract silly women and pensioners.

Really? And your evidence is?

--
F

Huge coughed up some electrons that declared:


Tough ****. Perhaps the local council should have thought of that.


Council... Think...

Where do you get these absurd notions?

;-

Happy New Year!

On Thu, 1 Jan 2009 13:12:22 UTC, Huge wrote:

Indeed. And book an appointment several days in advance, online.

But he did write that.

I have a problem with the inabilty to see your Doctor in less than 6 hrs
M-F but then when I want to see my doctor it's generally because I am
really ill, not just have a cold or a cut finger.

Precisely.

I do need to make routine appointments, and that's the best way. But
(for example) the week before Christmas I decided I needed to see my GP
ASAP; I booked online at 10 p.m. Thursday and got an appointment for 9
a.m. Friday.

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

In article , The Natural
Philosopher scribeth thus
tony sayer wrote:
In article , The Natural
Philosopher scribeth thus
Huge wrote:
On 2008-12-31, Derek Geldard wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:07:12 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Medway Council seem set upon driving business away from the town centre,
How would you know?, you always tell us you never come here;!....


I did go in..needed to see my accountant - and wandered in just before Xmas.

Spent a dreary hour exploring the 'Grand Arcade', before realising that
as far as spending an hour execersing, it was not as enjoyable as
walking the dogs..who unlike the people in the acrcade, are actually
happy. I didnt find anything I wanted to buy, so I retreteated to the
last things worth visiting at all, the booskhops, bought some books and
a DVD (at orse prices than online), had an overpriced coffee and toasted
oddity in one of them, and buggered off home.


Yes dunno why they even built that, its got nothing anybody -needs-!..

True all the same .. local shops going tits up ;(...

Its the main chains that will go tits up.

Shops local tits up perhaps .. and that includes the chains..


Mackays is just about worth visiting. The bookshops also. 'Nomads' still
is a nice shop if you like that sort of thing. Nothing else is worth
bothering with. World of computers gets my trade too, but that's outside
town.

Oh. Another CFL has just popped in here after 6 months.

I think that's going back to normal filament. They last longer.

Anyway, the issue is that market towns exist to serve a catchment area.
Not solely for the benefit of their (non car owning) residents. If you
want to purchase anything that wont fit in a carrier bag, without paying
a small fortune in taxi fares, you need a car to carry it in.

The days when you could drive round the market square, park outside
university audio, and load a pair of Spendors into the back, are long
gone. So is university audio. Seems to be a beauty parlour..

Its the silly double think that on the one hand bemoans the demise of
'useful' shops and on the other insists on making taking a car into the
town within walking distance of the shops an exercise in military style
logistics, that gets me.

If Cambridge wants to commit commercial suicide as a market town, that's
fine. Just don't moan about it while castigating the car user as the
Spawn of Satan.

Nuff said;(...
--
Tony Sayer

In article , Tim S
scribeth thus
Huge coughed up some electrons that declared:


Tough ****. Perhaps the local council should have thought of that.


Council... Think...

Where do you get these absurd notions?

Well In Cambridge the Lion yard and the much vaunted Grande arcade are
right in the middle of Cambridge where its difficult to access by bus
and car, as is the Grafton centre..

And they have another error called Newmarket road which is a very busy
road in and out of Cambridge that has a large Tescos and a large number
of retails on retail parks off that and most times its just grid
locked..

Course what Cambridge never had and prolly will never now get is a
proper ring road system, which was prevented by the greenwash element,
with the large shopping centres and retail parks built -outside- the
centre which is now sodded up with traffic which wouldn't be there if
the shopping wasn't there to attract it.

In fact its still a superb world class city and is well worth visiting
but as to the traffic .. no that won't be sorted as long as they have
holes up their a**es as me old dad used to utter sometime in 1960 and it
was bad then;!...


;-

Happy New Year!

Yes.. Don't they just come and go too quickly as you get older;!..
--
Tony Sayer

Bruce wrote:
wrote:

Why are british retail staff so bad? Because you cant fire them for
being bad. Simple as that.


On the contrary, their employers *can* fire them.

But they don't get fired, because no-one who is available to replace
them would be any better.

If that were true, all store staff would be hopeless. But theyre not,
some are perfectly ok, some are downright good. (I tend to gravitate
toward those shops.) And it seems to be true at all quality levels of
retail stores from cheapie to fancy.

Managers often share the defeatist attitude that no-one else will be
any better, and the result is tolerance of ongoing incompetence & work
at a snail's pace. And since most minimum wagers have no motivation to
ever do better, they just cba to do anything more than they really
must. Its a bad cycle, those who repeatedly **** customers off and
waste time need to be sacked. Let them look for jobs in an industry
sector where its less of an issue. Retail does require some people
skills, at all levels, and one of those is to not talk out of your
rear to the customer and waste half their day by not having a clue
what youre doing.

We know why it happens of course, it takes management time to sort out
bad staff and give them all the info they ought to have in order to
provide competent service. Thats usually seen as an unnecessary cost,
but in reality its quite the opposite. Watch any incompetent staff
member and you'll pull your hair out over the amount of time (& thus
money) they waste through not knowing what theyre doing. It really is
better to give them a clue and weed out the time wasters, of which yes
there are many. Make the business's position on this clear at job
interview time and many of the worst wasters will be put off and go
off to competitors.

And its not hard, just pair the staff up, making one responsible for
coaching the other. Anyone who knows the basics of their job can do
that sort of coaching, just being there to answer a persons's
questions when needed. It saves more time than it consumes, and you
get happy cutomers.

You always need a last stand backup, and in this case it has to be
firing. If staff keep acting against the interests of the business,
good bye. The purpose of staff is to help a business flourish, to act
for the business instead of just for themselvse, and for that they get
paid.


NT

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:01:50 +0000, Derek Geldard wrote:

BTW The way some stores expect you to keep *the packaging* for however
many years amazes me. Do they all live in disused WW2 aircraft
hangers or what ?

You know why they want that and instruction books etc etc don't you? It's
so they can take your return, bung it through the shrink wrap machine in
the back of the store, and sell it "as new" again.

So if taking something back to a store like that write in the instructions
that the goods have been returned on such and such a date and why. Or
scrawl on the box, in thick black marker, "Return to XXX, splinge wurdle
broken" OWTTE.

I'd rather stores did check the goods, repack and resell. Most are
returned not really faulty. The goods are just as good, and it results
in lower retail prices as its one less expense for them.


NT

"Rod" wrote in message
...


My favourite Tesco-ism of the moment is their claim to have custard
cheaper than Morrisons. (78p instead of 79!) And completely ignoring the
BOGOF which actually makes Morrisons only a smidgen over half the price.
But they all do that...

Custard is 7p (seven pence) in asda and its quite nice.

Owain wrote:
Rod wrote:
But there are problems - such as what happens when a pharmacy is out
of stock, especially on a multi-item prescription. Because you cannot
then simply take it to the next pharmacy for fulfilment.

But the pharmacy should then be able to do a live stock enquiry of all
the other local pharmacies :-) and electronically forward the order.

I really wonder why the public sector lags so far behind. If Argos /
Tesco / Amazon can do it, why can't gov.uk?

And special instructions (e.g. as mentioned in another post, being
willing to accept only one 'brand' of a generic) - which cannot be
specified on an electronic prescription.

Oh. Maybe someone will invent a "notes" field some time soon.

Owain




O I do agree! But the problem with "notes" is that there is no point at
which the patient has access. (The GP would not do this - it is just a
courtesy that some pharmacists will go the extra mile to ensure same brand.)

But even the main on-line companies do have bad points. I can't help
contrasting Toolstation's dynamic stock check at a specific branch with
Screwfix's 'if you really care, ring us'.

If anyone is interested, there is quite a lot of info he

http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/eps/faq

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

wrote:

If that were true, all store staff would be hopeless. But theyre not,
some are perfectly ok, some are downright good.


I agree. There just aren't enough good ones to go around, and few if
any available on the jobs market.

The message
from Owain contains these words:



Phone number? Why would I want a phone number? Phone calls cost money.
I'd rather have a 3-hr turnaround on emails, with *useful* responses.

Depends on your phone plan. Phone calls don't necessarily have any
marginal cost, unless they're to 0870 or 0845 numbers.

The message
from Rod contains these words:

Appin wrote:
The message
from "John" contains these words:



If Primark can sell items at a certain price - then how much more
should a
better quality item really cost? (given that they are probably made
in the
same far eastern country on the same machines)? Using M&S as an
example the
answer seems to be about 10 times more. The shipping and distribution
element would be the same.

About the only thing that can be said is that M and S have a wider range
of sizes and fittings. Ordered on the internet through Quidco or
whatever and a small but meaningful discount means you can avoid dealing
with idiots face to face.

Until you have to take them back because their sizing is so wayward. (I
know you can send them back but that is even more effort.)

Can't say I've had that problem. Their suit sizing seems to work well
for me. In any case, nearest Post Office is 1/4 mile away. Nearest M &
S is more than 40 miles away and no parking within easy reach.

The message
from The Natural Philosopher contains these words:


Its the silly double think that on the one hand bemoans the demise of
'useful' shops and on the other insists on making taking a car into the
town within walking distance of the shops an exercise in military style
logistics, that gets me.

If Cambridge wants to commit commercial suicide as a market town, that's
fine. Just don't moan about it while castigating the car user as the
Spawn of Satan.


Quite. For some of us, given the choice between on the one hand,
driving a round trip of 20 -100 miles to a "nearby" market town and
being unable to park other than at vast expense and a long way from
town-centre shops, and on the other hand, shopping via the internet, the
latter is usually preferable.

Bruce wrote:
wrote:

If that were true, all store staff would be hopeless. But theyre not,
some are perfectly ok, some are downright good.


I agree. There just aren't enough good ones to go around, and few if
any available on the jobs market.


Good staff are made as much as found. Its not hard to do.

The business also needs ways to pick up on demotivation - this
unintentionally ruins many a good employee.


NT

On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:00:17 +0000 Bruce wrote :
Why are british retail staff so bad? Because you cant fire
them for being bad. Simple as that.

On the contrary, their employers *can* fire them.

But they don't get fired, because no-one who is available to
replace them would be any better.

There's a very good book by Julian Richer, of Richer Sounds fame,
in which IIRC he says that retail staff stay an average of 10
months in any one job. So they have barely got up to speed before
they move on. So, he points out, most shops have a less than well
trained staff and spend a load of money on hiring and training.
His philosophy (has anyone worked there to confirm) is to pay
well, treat staff well, and make work a fun place to be: by doing
this you get enthusiastic people and keep them, whilst your rivals
are fixated on what the minimum wage is and can you get away with
paying less.

--
Tony Bryer, 'Software to build on' from Greentram
www.superbeam.co.uk www.superbeam.com www.greentram.com

wrote:
On 31 Dec,
Tony Bryer wrote:

One did in 1971 when I was working for the AA. We had queues
round the block, stayed open to midnight, with overtime for
everyone who wanted it.

Was that the one run by Emil Suvandra, who escaped to Cyprus with the
loot? If so it still owes me £6.

Fire Auto Marine. That was back in the late 60's, couple of my mates had
their car insurance with them. He tried to leg it back to Ceylon IIRC but
they wouldn't have him. Think he got 10 years.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

In message , Owain
writes
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I've had brilliant info off the guys selling direct over the
net.Hint: if there aint no phone number, don't buy!

Phone number? Why would I want a phone number? Phone calls cost money.

I'd rather have a 3-hr turnaround on emails, with *useful* responses.


Whilst I tend to prefer email, sometimes, a phone call can sort things
out straight away instead of multiple email exchanges, and sometimes the
phone is the only way to get sense.


--
Chris French

On Thu, 1 Jan 2009 09:17:34 -0800 (PST), wrote:

I'd rather stores did check the goods, repack and resell. Most are
returned not really faulty. The goods are just as good,

Not on items I've bought "as new" but have been returns. A kettle that
leaked, the fact it was wet inside when I opened the "sealed" box should
have been a clue. Sound card that was horribly noisey and another persons
scribblings in the manual.

and it results in lower retail prices as its one less expense for them.

Eh? The return will have had a refund paid. The new sale will just bring
in the same margin but with the added expense of staff member(s) taking it
back, issuing refund, checking, repacking, restocking on the EPOS system
etc.

What I object to is being sold something at full price and "new" when it
it isn't. Bung it on a "Managers Special" shelf with a reduced price and
label saying why the item is there and I can make an informed decision to
buy that item knowing it is used, ex-display, missing box/manual/part or
WHY. Failing that there are plenty of companies about that sell "returns"
by the pallet load, sometimes checked sometimes not. It's called being
open and honest with your customers.

--
Cheers
Dave.

wrote:
On 31 Dec,
Tony Bryer wrote:

One did in 1971 when I was working for the AA. We had queues
round the block, stayed open to midnight, with overtime for
everyone who wanted it.

Was that the one run by Emil Suvandra, who escaped to Cyprus with the loot?
If so it still owes me £6.


The story is he
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Savundra

Tony Bryer wrote:
On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:00:17 +0000 Bruce wrote :

Why are british retail staff so bad? Because you cant fire
them for being bad. Simple as that.

On the contrary, their employers *can* fire them.

But they don't get fired, because no-one who is available to
replace them would be any better.

There's a very good book by Julian Richer, of Richer Sounds fame,
in which IIRC he says that retail staff stay an average of 10
months in any one job. So they have barely got up to speed before
they move on. So, he points out, most shops have a less than well
trained staff and spend a load of money on hiring and training.
His philosophy (has anyone worked there to confirm) is to pay
well, treat staff well, and make work a fun place to be: by doing
this you get enthusiastic people and keep them, whilst your rivals
are fixated on what the minimum wage is and can you get away with
paying less.

Trouble with 'making work fun' is it means working at a fraction of
the speed people can reasonably do. Very true that long retention
equals ability though.


NT

wrote:


Trouble with 'making work fun' is it means working at a fraction of
the speed people can reasonably do.

Utter cock.

coughed up some electrons that declared:


Trouble with 'making work fun' is it means working at a fraction of
the speed people can reasonably do. Very true that long retention
equals ability though.


NT

Though I see the complete reverse far too often. The keen and conscientious
employee who is ground down by continuous dick-headery.

This may manifest as:

a) Preventing an employee from adding (even trivial) improvements to their
workflow (the "we've always done it this way" or "I don't want to go out on
a limb, so get head office approval")

b) Endless and needless ********: reorgs, politics, mergers.

c) Turf control, even by peers.

Then again, I have worked mostly for the government and universities. But
I'm assured all are quite existant in the commercial sector.

Cheers

Tim

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Thu, 1 Jan 2009 09:17:34 -0800 (PST), wrote:

I'd rather stores did check the goods, repack and resell. Most are
returned not really faulty. The goods are just as good,

Not on items I've bought "as new" but have been returns. A kettle that
leaked, the fact it was wet inside when I opened the "sealed" box should
have been a clue. Sound card that was horribly noisey and another persons
scribblings in the manual.

cowboy practice


and it results in lower retail prices as its one less expense for them.

Eh? The return will have had a refund paid. The new sale will just bring
in the same margin but with the added expense of staff member(s) taking it
back, issuing refund, checking, repacking, restocking on the EPOS system
etc.

Eh? It depends on the size and buying policies of the business, but
frequently they wont be returning bad stock to the supplier who either
sold it to them trade, exported, or auctioned. While it doesnt make
much sense to put in the labour required to test a low value sound
card, for some goods inspection and repack does make economic sense.


What I object to is being sold something at full price and "new" when it
it isn't. Bung it on a "Managers Special" shelf with a reduced price and
label saying why the item is there and I can make an informed decision to
buy that item knowing it is used, ex-display, missing box/manual/part or
WHY. Failing that there are plenty of companies about that sell "returns"
by the pallet load, sometimes checked sometimes not. It's called being
open and honest with your customers.

Well, I'm all for choice. Many people do choose dishonest suppliers.
Some bother to find out first, some don't. Realistically its not about
to go away.


NT

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember F news@nowhere saying something
like:

Or some p*llock who wants a Bloody Mary at 05:30 while the rest of us
are waiting for bacon butties before boarding a flight at 06:00. And the
staff made sure he got it made according to the recipe sheet which they
had to go and find.

Luton Airport: avoid!

********.
In the above situation, have people lost the ability to speak up against
the idiots? A bit of Rab C is just what's needed.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

I do like the looks you get when in a so called posh hotel and the suits
are just coming down for breakfast at 0700 and we are proping up the bar
knocking the pints back surrounded by wet/dirty outdoor gear after coming
through the door 30 mins before. Can never be sure if they are looks of
"what are THOSE scrufy people doing here" or "Have they been there all
night?".

More like, "Dirty *******s can't be arsed to go and scrub up a bit."

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Owain
saying something like:

There is a hard core of book lovers who want to see books before buying,
but Waterstones are going to have to beef up their back ordering
systems. If Amazon etc can get a book to me within a week by post then
Waterstones should be able to get a book to my local branch by the 2nd
day - not 3 weeks later as seems to be the case.

Amazon have this amazingly cost-effective on-tap delivery system for the
final leg. If Waterstones were to do that for every book that needed to
be delivered internally, I suspect their margin might be seriously
chewed up, and having more vans on the road, ditto.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Tony Bryer
saying something like:

A touching reminder of the UK in the 1960s is still here in
Australia - lay bys. If you see something in a shop that you want
but can't afford it, you pay a deposit for them to hold it for
you. So quaint.

Perfectly normal with every shopkeeper I've dealt with in the UK.
Tends to be more in the specialist market - cameras, hifi, etc, but
not one of them has ever refused me.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

You know why they want that and instruction books etc etc don't you? It's
so they can take your return, bung it through the shrink wrap machine in
the back of the store, and sell it "as new" again.

In some cases, that's the way it works. B&Q supplied some PIR carriage
lamps, with a 50% failure rate - on looking at the boxes, it was obvious
they'd been returns. I hadn't bought them, was just fitting them.

So if taking something back to a store like that write in the instructions
that the goods have been returned on such and such a date and why. Or
scrawl on the box, in thick black marker, "Return to XXX, splinge wurdle
broken" OWTTE.

I (luckily) have space to play this game and always keep the boxes. I
scrawl on them in big FO indelible letters, the date of purchase and how
much warranty. I've not had one refused yet.

Owain wrote:
wrote:
... Very true that long retention
equals ability though.

No, it can just mean the employee has worked out to do the minimum
without getting fired.

Owain


Exactly.

Every employer knows the one. Always in more or less on time, always
polite, always agreeable. Always phones in and brings a doctors note
when sick.

Just never produces any useful output.

They are useless, they know they are useless; They even know that you
know that they are useless. They just need a job, and whatever it takes
to keep it.

Tim S wrote:
coughed up some electrons that declared:


Trouble with 'making work fun' is it means working at a fraction of
the speed people can reasonably do. Very true that long retention
equals ability though.


NT

Though I see the complete reverse far too often. The keen and conscientious
employee who is ground down by continuous dick-headery.

oh yes, demotivating people that do care is a big problem. But its not
as one sided as is sometimes portrayed, the scenario of the employee
that wants to make things better but doesnt understand what theyre
doing and proposes changes that would cause big problems is all too
common. And of course they think its your fault if you say no.


NT

chris French wrote:
In message , Owain
writes
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I've had brilliant info off the guys selling direct over the
net.Hint: if there aint no phone number, don't buy!

Phone number? Why would I want a phone number? Phone calls cost money.

I'd rather have a 3-hr turnaround on emails, with *useful* responses.


Whilst I tend to prefer email, sometimes, a phone call can sort things
out straight away instead of multiple email exchanges, and sometimes the
phone is the only way to get sense.

When I was still working, I always tried to visit the person that I
wanted to phone. I was in charge of a big expensive project and when I
got a problem, I found a phone call could never resolve anything but the
smallest problem. So I did a face to face and came away every time with
a solution.

Dave

On Sat, 3 Jan 2009 22:26:16 UTC, Dave wrote:

chris French wrote:
In message , Owain
writes
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I've had brilliant info off the guys selling direct over the
net.Hint: if there aint no phone number, don't buy!

Phone number? Why would I want a phone number? Phone calls cost money.

I'd rather have a 3-hr turnaround on emails, with *useful* responses.


Whilst I tend to prefer email, sometimes, a phone call can sort things
out straight away instead of multiple email exchanges, and sometimes the
phone is the only way to get sense.

When I was still working, I always tried to visit the person that I
wanted to phone. I was in charge of a big expensive project and when I
got a problem, I found a phone call could never resolve anything but the
smallest problem. So I did a face to face and came away every time with
a solution.

I've always done that. You build up a relationship with the person,
which is always good. They can put a face to a name, and it oils the
wheels. Besides, It's the way I work and I like doing it!

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

In message , Dave
writes
chris French wrote:
In message , Owain
writes
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I've had brilliant info off the guys selling direct over the
net.Hint: if there aint no phone number, don't buy!

Phone number? Why would I want a phone number? Phone calls cost money.

I'd rather have a 3-hr turnaround on emails, with *useful*
responses.

Whilst I tend to prefer email, sometimes, a phone call can sort
things out straight away instead of multiple email exchanges, and
sometimes the phone is the only way to get sense.

When I was still working, I always tried to visit the person that I
wanted to phone. I was in charge of a big expensive project and when I
got a problem, I found a phone call could never resolve anything but
the smallest problem. So I did a face to face and came away every time
with a solution.

Not really much of a useful approach when you are buying something mail
order though
--
Chris French

In article ,
Derek Geldard writes:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:07:12 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:


Medway Council seem set upon driving business away from the town centre, car
parking charges are horrific. Bearing in mind Chatham town centre is
between Bluewater & Hempstead Valley shopping centers - both of whom offer
free parking.

Parking charges are enforced 6 days a week until 10pm,

The message is :

"Come in a car ? **** off somewhere else we don't want you"

Yes, Dunstable did that when I was working in that area in the
80's/90's. The customers did **** off, shortly followed by any shops
worth visiting (and it did have a very good shopping centre until
that point). It now has a high street full of derelict empty
premises, except for the boozing establishments which are all
that's left in the town centre. When I first worked there, there
were 3 supermarkets in the town centre (Waitrose, now a derelict
Kwiksave, Tescos, now a derelict gym, and Sainsburys, now a Wilinsons),
plus a Co-op department store (demolished and replaced by a row of
shops, now mostly empty), and a number of excellent independant
specialist shops (notably clothing and kitchen/cooking), all now
derelict.

What happened is that the copious free car parking attracted a
class of shopper from the outlying villages which allowed such a
town centre to thrive. Once those shoppers ****ed off, you're left
with a very much smaller customer base who can walk into the centre
of town, plus a completely different class of customer who comes in
by bus, neither of whom can sustain a thriving shopping centre, and
it all folded.

Local council officers have their heads so far up their own arses
their dentists have to do their training via a klein bottle.

http://www.maa.org/CVM/1998/01/sbtd/article/tour/klein/klein.html

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 08 Jan 2009 01:23:30 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Derek Geldard writes:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:07:12 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:


Medway Council seem set upon driving business away from the town centre, car
parking charges are horrific. Bearing in mind Chatham town centre is
between Bluewater & Hempstead Valley shopping centers - both of whom offer
free parking.

Parking charges are enforced 6 days a week until 10pm,

The message is :

"Come in a car ? **** off somewhere else we don't want you"

Yes, Dunstable did that when I was working in that area in the
80's/90's. The customers did **** off, shortly followed by any shops
worth visiting (and it did have a very good shopping centre until
that point). It now has a high street full of derelict empty
premises, except for the boozing establishments which are all
that's left in the town centre. When I first worked there, there
were 3 supermarkets in the town centre (Waitrose, now a derelict
Kwiksave, Tescos, now a derelict gym, and Sainsburys, now a Wilinsons),
plus a Co-op department store (demolished and replaced by a row of
shops, now mostly empty), and a number of excellent independant
specialist shops (notably clothing and kitchen/cooking), all now
derelict.

Sounds very much like the way the nearest town to me is heading.

What happened is that the copious free car parking attracted a
class of shopper from the outlying villages which allowed such a
town centre to thrive. Once those shoppers ****ed off, you're left
with a very much smaller customer base who can walk into the centre
of town, plus a completely different class of customer who comes in
by bus, neither of whom can sustain a thriving shopping centre, and
it all folded.

Agreed. But I do wonder why people are prepared to drive a 70+ mile
round trip just to get free parking?

--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Owing to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
See http://improve-usenet.org

Mark wrote:
On 08 Jan 2009 01:23:30 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Derek Geldard writes:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:07:12 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Medway Council seem set upon driving business away from the town centre, car
parking charges are horrific. Bearing in mind Chatham town centre is
between Bluewater & Hempstead Valley shopping centers - both of whom offer
free parking.

Parking charges are enforced 6 days a week until 10pm,
The message is :

"Come in a car ? **** off somewhere else we don't want you"
Yes, Dunstable did that when I was working in that area in the
80's/90's. The customers did **** off, shortly followed by any shops
worth visiting (and it did have a very good shopping centre until
that point). It now has a high street full of derelict empty
premises, except for the boozing establishments which are all
that's left in the town centre. When I first worked there, there
were 3 supermarkets in the town centre (Waitrose, now a derelict
Kwiksave, Tescos, now a derelict gym, and Sainsburys, now a Wilinsons),
plus a Co-op department store (demolished and replaced by a row of
shops, now mostly empty), and a number of excellent independant
specialist shops (notably clothing and kitchen/cooking), all now
derelict.

Sounds very much like the way the nearest town to me is heading.

What happened is that the copious free car parking attracted a
class of shopper from the outlying villages which allowed such a
town centre to thrive. Once those shoppers ****ed off, you're left
with a very much smaller customer base who can walk into the centre
of town, plus a completely different class of customer who comes in
by bus, neither of whom can sustain a thriving shopping centre, and
it all folded.

Agreed. But I do wonder why people are prepared to drive a 70+ mile
round trip just to get free parking?

I am afraid this is the consequences of stupid town planning: it's the
same in Cambridge. The residents get all arsey about cars and traffic
and parking, so they make it a nightmare for out of towners: the next
ting that happens is that no one wants to come in at all, and they
complain about shops closing.

We just buy online almost exclusively.