Cllr. Gavin Ayling

Some people (paranoid people) are worried about the intelligence of Tesco’s clubcard system and its ability to know a lot about you. And, to be fair, it could know a lot about you. But you have a choice so I don’t really care that much, frankly.

I felt I had to say that, though, before I mocked the system that issues vouchers. To the best of my recollection I have never bought anything from Tesco that contains gluten; not on someone else’s behalf and certainly not for myself.

So it should come as little surprise that I received an ‘Extra Points’ voucher with my latest ClubCard statement for the Free From range. But I did find it amusing that right above that voucher, is another. For Weetabix.

You’re worried about Tesco’s data gathering? I’m not worried on that form!

As if to prove my last post true, Kwik Fit have provided some excellent service to me today.

A couple of days ago my car started making some horrendous metallic noises. I thought, actually, that a part of my car was dragging along the ground. When I got to the gym (for that was where I was going) I checked the underside and could see nothing too loose. I did, though, discover that the exhaust pipe gets quite warm (mind your fingers says the voice of experience).

At lunch time today I took my car down to the Kwik Fit on Old Shoreham Road in Hove and they took a look at it while I returned to work. When they phoned me back they told me that there was a bracket loose and that they’d welded it back on. I asked what the damage was (you know, to my wallet) and they said “Oh, no charge for that“.

So this is a big thumbs up to Kwik Fit and it’s multinational parent company, Ford Motors.

I have a frequent debate with one particular person about large companies. Her argument is that where they behave in an unethical way or in a way which, were it an individual, would be illegal, they should be rebuked somehow (our discussions never extend to what form that rebuke should take).

And now the Trade Unions, having failed at ruining domestic businesses thanks mostly to Mrs Thatcher (for all her social-engineering faults) are going to try to destroy multinationals instead in a new form of traditional socialism: TUC on multinational businesses.

But I remain confused by this attitude. The trade unions, even now domestically, believe that in private companies where there is genuine competition (and not oligopolies) direct action is a reasonable response to poor behaviour by companies. Surely, actually, companies are the greatest examples of genuine free democracy? Information about publicly listed companies is available to all and, just like Acts of Parliament or decisions made at local government, the people do not read them — they have better things to be doing. But they have access.

So, when people choose to shop at Evil Corp. plc, they are choosing to support exactly what that company is doing. When people boycotted Nestle in the mid-90s, they were reacting, democratically, to what they considered unacceptable behaviour by that company. I am proud to admit I joined in with that boycott and evangelised too.

Trying to react, from within, and unilaterally against a company (as Trade Unions might) is to defeat the general will of the buying public who are exercising their democractic beliefs. Much like terrorism or violent protest (as opposed to civil disobedience, voting and peaceful protest) trade union action is a disproportionate response against what the majority want. And, hopefully, the tyranny of the majority will be avoided by the twin impactors of minor intervention by the State (regulation) and the empathy of that majority acting in the interests of all.

I was appalled, incidentally, to read in Scientific American a while ago (and it came back to me as I wrote today) an article which stated as fact that pure libertarianism was an outdated and simply wrong ideology. I intend to tell you not only why it is not wrong, but also what impact it has on speed limits, in a future post. Please keep comments related to speed limits for that post.

A couple of weeks ago I asked Everest windows to come around and give me a quote. I made it quite clear to the salesman I was not expecting him to play games with the price. Give me the best price and let me shop around.

My property has three standard windows, a squat window and a bay. The quote came in at £13,000 and some change. He then said, that if I bought all the windows at once, that would go down to £8,500 and some change. I balked and the price instantly dropped to £7,400 due to their ’summer sale’ which, coincidentally, ended the next day.

So I said thank you and sent the chap on his way.

Then during the week I was phoned and told that they may be able to provide a substantial discount so I agreed (I had to be in all morning for another purpose) and the same chap arrived this morning.

The price is now £5,500-odd but only if I sign up today because (get this) the summer sale ends tomorrow! So I said that that was great, an £8,000 saving! Can I have a quote and I’ll compare prices. Nope — this price is now only.

So my question is this: If I want to compare prices between companies, do I have to have all the salespeople at my home at once? I cannot get a price from any particular company without signing up before comparing prices. This is no way to run a business.

I will buy my windows from the cheapest company that makes the best products who doesn’t give me an ultimatum price.

I said a while ago that I’d chosen not to go with BT because they were rubbish on the phone when setting up the account.

Well it seems that they did set up an account and a Direct Debit Instruction (now cancelled) and collected one month’s line rental! The bloody cheek!

Now while talking to them I have been told “We do not care about our customers after 8pm” although their phone lines are open until 10pm. I was transferred three times (without being told why) before the last lady hung up on me (probably justifiably).

Apparently their is a “Wholesale Department” (I don’t care) who are the only ones who can cancel my “order” (I didn’t make one). There was a whole series of other pieces of information I couldn’t (as a customer) care less about… The customer just wants a reasonable request dealt with. If an agent is unable to deal with that aspect of the business and the department that can is closed, then provide the poor people on the phones with a way of putting a message through to the now-closed department. Does that sound like rocket science?

Anyway, I phoned back and ‘Vikram’ said he needed to transfer me to the ‘higher department’ (Why?). He insisted and then transferred me to a line where a machine voice said “I’m sorry. The department you have called is now closed. Sorry for any inconvenience.” And promptly hung up on me.

Update

Would you believe it, I tried again (hey, it’s a freephone number, and I quite enjoy testing a company’s rubbish service) and the lady who answered (whose name is unpronouncable sadly) was very helpful and apologised profusely. Why didn’t answerers 1 - 4 manage that?

I’ve been trying to buy some paint recently. Who knew how hard it was to tell what a paint colour looks like without buying testers?

Why don’t big companies like Homebase and Focus provide samples on display in the shop actually painted onto plaster? The big brands that rarely change their colours would be able to charge a little more for their paint because people aren’t having to buy testers… Or would the lighting conditions at home still make you want to test it out? Who knows!

Who knew, too, that I would like DIY when I started doing it…?