Author Topic: Consumer news and scams  (Read 228006 times)

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Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #450 on: October 20, 2018, 09:35:00 am »
I think we have to treat this with caution.  Reviewers are not paid as such;  they're offered free stuff and have the option to ask for them to be sent free of charge, so no money is involved. 
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline squigglev2

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #451 on: October 20, 2018, 06:51:55 pm »
Perhaps don't know enough (including paid or free samples) to comment that much but I think if you are looking for something on Amazon where you want to find how others have found it,  click for and read the negative reviews as well as the positives. Either may have bias and some negatives (eg. "they sent me the wrong item") may be nonsensical for a product review.  But try, as best you can, to get a balanced opinion from varoius sides.


Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #452 on: October 20, 2018, 07:01:01 pm »
Yep; that's exactly the right approach.  Same with Trip Advisor.  The sites can't control negative reviews so it's always worth reading the 2 and 3 star reviews to get an idea of any potential issues.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #453 on: October 21, 2018, 11:25:02 am »
I've been having a few calls from Talk Talk and the heavily Asian accented person has informed me that my internet service will be terminated on that day and requested that I press button 1 on my telephone to stop the termination so I just hang up as I'm not with Talk Talk anyway

Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #454 on: November 07, 2018, 12:26:33 pm »
Just had a phone call, computerised voice, saying our BT broadband was being cut off today - press 1 for this, press 2 for that, confirmed by BT as fake.

Offline Meleri

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #455 on: November 07, 2018, 05:12:00 pm »
I have had the same Steve, so have blacklisted the number.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #456 on: November 07, 2018, 10:19:26 pm »
I had the same sort of call only mine was from Talk Talk

Offline DVT

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #457 on: November 08, 2018, 08:54:10 am »
Blocking the number won't have any effect as it shows a different number each time they call.

I've received a few recently and the numbers do not correspjnd to where the caller is ringing from - always try and google the number as I'm speaking to the person who calls me!

Had one last week, allegedly from talktalk (who I am with) saying there was a problem with my system sending out messages ... but the number showing on my phone was a Barnstaple STD code, so I asked the caller what the weather was like in Devon!  He couldn't understand why I was asking, so I persisted as he was trying to do his spiel.  He obviously wasn't in Devon so I ask where he was, and he told me London.

So, I asked him to explain how it was that my phone was displaying a Devon phone number.

His comment was that there must be something wrong with my phone.  I replied saying there must be something wrong with his as it has just dialled a number which was on the Telephone Preference Service list.

He hung up!

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #458 on: November 08, 2018, 09:36:34 am »
Wonderful!  ;D ;D ;D
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Dave

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #459 on: November 23, 2018, 06:32:23 pm »
I see that prices at the pumps have come down this week which is great news but filling up at Asda today I notice that the difference per litre between unleaded and diesel is now about 12p a litre, far greater than it used to be. Is this a deliberate green initiative?
Diesel owners are being punished through no fault of their own in my opinion.

Offline Blongb

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #460 on: November 24, 2018, 11:10:10 am »
I see that prices at the pumps have come down this week which is great news but filling up at Asda today I notice that the difference per litre between unleaded and diesel is now about 12p a litre, far greater than it used to be. Is this a deliberate green initiative?
Diesel owners are being punished through no fault of their own in my opinion.

They are being punished for using a dirty polluting fuel to power there cars. There is some justification in using Diesel power to drive large commercial vehicles but none whatsoever in putting it in small family cars. The Public were coned by the motor industry into thinking it was cleaner and less polluting than Petrol. Anyone with any knowledge of the workings of the internal combustion  engine knows that's not true. I've had cars since my RAF aero engine fitter days in 1967 and have never considered or owned a Diesel Powered vehicle. 
Quot homines tot sententiae: suus cuique mos.
(There are as many opinions as there are people: each has his own view.)

Offline Neil

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #461 on: November 24, 2018, 10:27:50 pm »
Anybody who has spent any time in their life being transported in a diesel powered taxi would not contemplate buying a diesel car for any reason, they are junk!

Offline Dave

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #462 on: November 25, 2018, 11:03:02 am »
Whereas I totally disagree that diesel cars are junk, I have been very impressed with all the ones I have owned,I also now realise the polluting side is a health risk, particularly in populated urban areas.
We were lied to in emission ratings, and in previous years gone by actually encouraged to buy diesel rather than petrol cars.Having done so suddenly we are the pariahs of the road and we are being punished by road tax increases, fuel price increases and consequently loss of value of the cars we own.

Offline Neil

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #463 on: November 26, 2018, 12:28:28 am »
My dislike of Diesel engines goes back to the early 60s when a friend of mine was driving a Ford V8 Pilot, his dad had taken out the V8 engine and replaced it with a Perkins bus engine, much better economy but disgusting to be inside, but it was a good laugh when we went round a corner and people at bus stops were very disappointed not to see a bus!

Offline squigglev2

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #464 on: November 26, 2018, 11:23:29 am »
I think the 60s outlook towards diesels is rather dated.  They did move on from there and become practical cars, perhaps more for fleet owners but you can count us in as using them in the household for home use. Mum had 2 Citroen ZX in a row and liked them both round local town and for a longer Norfolk to N Wales run when she took on that route.

Emissions do seem to be a problem with them but my limited understanding is that depends on the emissions we are looking at.  I believe they do outperform petrol cars on CO2 which seemed to be all the rage some time back  but fail badly on the toxic Nox stuff?  See this for example. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43204734

I'm far from clear on this, am not sold (not that I drive) on electric vehicles yet but, probably, and ultimately, the move has to be away from either fossil fuel for driving?