Before Christmas, my friendly postman tried to deliver a parcel when no-one was home. Instead of leaving the parcel propped up by the front door to be buried under the falling snow, inviting passers-by to steal the potentially valuable item or slinging it into our dustbin, this time he helpfully left a note asking me to collect the package from the local sorting office or ‘request a redelivery’ on a subsequent date using a form on the Royal Mail web site....
At the weekend, I purchased a new printer after replacing the ink cartridges failed to reinstate the ability to print in black on my Canon IP4000. Previously, I’d researched which printers had decent Linux support and decided on an HP Deskjet 3050. This is a wireless printer so I hoped that the Windows PC’s in the house would be able to print directly and the management of the printer (inkjet levels) would be easier....
British Airways, shocked at missing out last year’s trophy, have launched a superlative campaign for 2008. Agency: Itchy & Scraatchi. Cost: £25,000 found in a digger after the completion of T5. Gate 3 - Newcastle airport. Together we can work wonders Off to a gentle modest start. Together we can get people talking about T5 That is certainly true. Together we can make T5 world famous Some wag has added a prefix of ‘in’....
Another in the recently launched and incredibly unsuccessful ‘30 second guide’ series. After learning all about data warehousing, I didn’t see Sue for a while. I assumed she was working elsewhere on a long term project. However, after 18 months I finally managed to track her down. For some inexplicable reason, she had left IT (and data warehouses behind). She lived, alone but content, in a Crofter’s cottage in a remote part of Scotland making tartan rugs....
I was travelling on a train in Stockholm today when a man walked through the carriage selling something. Unlike London, he wasn’t flogging copies of the ‘Big Issue’ to feed his dog or demanding money with menaces. Instead, this gentleman simply proceeded to place small cards on each vacant seat. He did this very quietly and politely and then returned to his original position. Despite craning my neck and desperately trying to look at the cards while simultaneously trying to look completely disinterested, I couldn’t actually discern what was on offer....
Agency: London Rubber Company Location: Heathrow T4 toilets. Durex Featherlite Durex Ribbed for Extra Sensitivity Durex Extra Safe Durex Gossamer Durex Lager & Lime Durex Chicken Korma Nurofen Obviously two of the above are fictitious but the Nurofen is genuine. A great idea to counter that age old objection - ‘Not tonight dear, I have a splitting headache’. [ This blog is brought to you by Tom Hanks who actually has lived unnoticed in Heathrow Terminal 4 for the past 8 years, sleeping on chairs by night and queuing in various parts of the building by day....
In an earlier post, I moaned about Dell’s opaque pricing model on their UK Web site. However, people (especially me) are very quick to moan and complain but often slow to give thanks and appreciation. I subsequently contacted Dell Customer Services to complain that the invoice was for a different amount agreed on the phone (strong case) and the fact I discovered that I could configure an identical PC for an even lower price (weaker argument)....
Imagine walking into a department store to buy a TV. You weigh up all the possible options and decide which model you want. The price of this TV is 457GBP. The assistant says ‘That will be 457 pounds, Sir’ as she takes the credit card payment and arranges delivery for next week. You then happen to go up to the second floor and see the identical TV for 422GBP. That’s 35GBP cheaper than what you’ve just paid....
Airports are pretty dull places. Last Wednesday, I found myself at Heathrow T2, at some unearthly hour in the morning. I wandered round Dixons to have a quick look at the latest gadgets and kill some time. I happened to see a couple of items I was interested in. The first was Microsoft Office 2003 for Student Edition (3 user license). I had already seen this on Amazon at 91GBP and Dixon’s tax free price was 110GBP which was, err, twenty pounds more expensive....
A lot of people make a lot of money out of customer relationship management (CRM) but here is a real-life example of how customer service affects the relationship with the customer. A few weeks ago I ordered a wireless USB card and a CD (Antics by Interpol) from Amazon. I received the normal ‘Your order has been dispatched’ email within 24 hours. I waited for 10 days but nothing turned up which was unusual because normally Amazon deliver pretty promptly (even with the SuperSaver option)....