Consumer news and scams

[Michael]

 If you think you have trouble with unwanted phone calls/text I can tell you, you,ve heard nothing compared to what u get here in Goa.
  I've got my usual uk mobile but I don't answer it unless I know the number. Because of the absolutely sky high cost of answering a call, something around £5 a minute.
  I've also got a mobile with a Goa SIM card in it, which I use a bit to keep in touch with my family in uk.
   On average this receives, eight calls and six texts EVERY DAY inc weekends. I don't answer them but I save the numbers and I know them. Sometimes I read the texts but mostly just delete.
  The calls arrive with a noisy bit of Indian so called music. I find that I am automatically charged for this bit of music, not much but in future I am going to find out how or if to stop it.
  Every message text is selling something, even to paying for ladies, presumably young, to call you up at breakfast time .  Thanks, I,d rather enjoy my lie in by myself thank you

[Hugo]

Try talking Welsh to them, Stan. 

Apologies - my Welsh is a bit limited.

Have a go Stan, my Welsh is very limited too but they give up long before I do.         

[Bellringer]

You're right Hugo, I could just keep reeling off words like:-

bore da, prynhawn da, noswaith dda, Cymraeg, or in my case, dim Cymraeg, diolch, croeso, hwyl, and the numbers, and when I have said that, I could repeat them in a different order!!

Thanks for the suggestion Hugo

[Hugo]

It's worth a try Stan, but don't say any English words and see how long they last.     

Try adding this to your repertoire  Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch,  it works every time!       

[Quiggs]

I have just received an 'e-mail' warning of a Phone scam.  You receive a call saying sorry that they missed you as they have something important to tell you and to call them on a No. with the area code'0809' This is apparently is the code for the Dominican Republic and you will be charged £1,500 per minute with a long recorded message to keep you on line as long as possible.  If you challenge the Phone bill the phone company will not reinburse you as you have phoned the No. yourself.   

[Merddin Emrys]

Lots about this here,

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/area-code-809-scam.html

[systema]

If you think you have trouble with unwanted phone calls/text I can tell you, you,ve heard nothing compared to what u get here in Goa.
 

When we lived there we used to get it all the time - we went into the shop (Babutes if you know it) and he put a number in it to stop them as we were charged 1 or 2 rupees even when we did not answer them.

[Michael]

Thanks

If you think you have trouble with unwanted phone calls/text I can tell you, you,ve heard nothing compared to what u get here in Goa.
 

When we lived there we used to get it all the time - we went into the shop (Babutes if you know it) and he put a number in it to stop them as we were charged 1 or 2 rupees even when we did not answer them.

systema. Thanks a lot. No, I don't know Babutes. Which town is it in?

[systema]

Sorry - I thought afterwards you may be in South Goa and it was too late to alter it.  It is in Calangute on the road going towards Candolim just past the church in the middle of the road. (St. Anthony's Chapel).

[Michael]

Thanks

If you think you have trouble with unwanted phone calls/text I can tell you, you,ve heard nothing compared to what u get here in Goa.
 

i

When we lived there we used to get it all the time

systema. Thanks a lot. No, I don't know Babutes. Which town is it in?

thanks again. I know just where you mean, indeed I went past there only last week

[Ian]

If you have a PC back up your data.  Almost one third of those infected with Cryptolocker paid up to save their files:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/28/cryptolocker_victims_pay_up_survey/

[Ian]

If you often forward jokes and cartoons to other folk, remember not to leave any addresses on the emails.  In fact, it's better never to use the CC line on emails. Always use the BCC line or simply copy and past the text.

[Hugo]

That's sound advice Ian.           
I often receive e-mails that that have several other addresses on them but always make sure that I delete every one before passing it on to others.
I just hope that those that I do pass the e-mails on to do the same as me.

[Blongb]

A couple of months ago, I was so feed up with hearing and reading about British Gas exorbitant profit making that I decided to do something about it. Quite coincidently a very nice lady from U-Switch appeared on BBC Breakfast TV and confirmed I’d be silly not to switch suppliers.

So using U-Switch they came up with N-Power as being my best option. Checked my prices and although their standing charge for Gas was very high it was definitely a better deal than staying with BG, so I swapped.

A month later I got my first bill from N-Power which surprised me as I was supposed to be on quarterly billing. In the cold light of day their Bill was almost the same as I would have expected to pay BG.

Pity for them as now  I’m in the  switching mode and because of my experience with U-Switch  I used the Experian web site and this time was advised to switch to Ecotricity, a small independent supplier the U-Switch site  didn’t even bother to list.

I talked to a friendly young operator at Ecotricity this morning, who apologised for keeping me waiting. He told me they are currently being swamped with requests from new customers wanting to switch

The moral of this tale is don’t believe a comparison site will give the best deal for you and don’t give up keep looking.

[Merddin Emrys]

About 6 weeks ago we switched from BT and Scottish Power to Utilities Warehouse, all seems fine, phone and broadband is about half the price, not had power bill yet. They are a Which recommended supplier so I thought I would give them a try! Only downside is the almost evangelical enthusiasm of the nice lady who signed us up, they want you to give them lots of names and numbers to sign more up, not my thing so I ignored that part!