I had a little break because I was trying to stop myself posting during the week, when I should be at the workshop finishing the series of woodland creatures - possibly the most rewarding thing I have done for years, ironically commissioned toward the end of my career.
I am going to see if I can limit my posts to weekends only, but - also ironically - the weekends seem to be the time when people with real lives live them. Traffic is very slow on weekends - especially Bank Holiday ones.
You and my clients fulfil a need I have to be listened to, because conversations in pubs usually amount to the participants trying to be patient for long enough to get their word in. The widespread use of cocaine has exacerbated an already dire drop in the quality of what passes for socialising.
My phone provider is a company called Giff Gaff. It buys space from a huge network (O2) then sells it cheaper than O2 sells it for. It has no contracts, but takes a monthly subscription by direct debit. I pay £7.50 a month for everything, which is about three times less than most basic contracts. It is a very good service and you have no communication with any real people - either in India or elsewhere - which is fine by me. If you have a problem, you go to a forum and seek the help of another experienced customer who sorts it out for you in a very friendly manner.
The downside to Giff Gaff is that they treat you like a 15-20 year-old. When you make a payment, they send you a text saying something like - 'Nice one!' Any recorded messages from them are done in a comic Geordie accent.
They have been pestering me to take a short, 10 minute survey with them for months, enticing me with the possibility of winning £100 worth of Amazon vouchers. I finally gave in the other day, and began the survey during a quiet moment in the pub.
First question: Are you Male, Female or Other? I ticked 'Male'.
Next question: How old are you? I typed in '66'.
Next question: There was no next question. The screen said, 'Thank you for sharing this information. We are sorry but you do not qualify for this survey'.
Now let that be a lesson to you for telling the truth when answering quizzes - when it comes to age always tell a lie.
ReplyDeleteYou would think I was old enough to have learned that lesson.
DeleteOh no Tom ..... I hate it when that happens .... it reminds me of how old I am and how we are not needed anymore !!
ReplyDeleteHow long will your woodland creatures take to make or is that like asking how long is a piece of string ?!!!
So pleased that you're back .... I've missed you. XXXX
It's a piece of string situation. Anyway, it is going to last as long as they keep asking for them, which I hope will be for as many positions as there are to take them. Badger next...
DeleteDo you feel like St Francis of Assisi?
ReplyDeleteNot really. More like E.H. Shepard.
DeleteOoh. Much better!
DeleteBetter than Disney...
DeleteWill you post a photo of the woodland scene when it's finished please?
ReplyDeleteSadly I am not allowed to.
DeleteScrew 'em. That's what I say.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're back, Tom. I was afraid you might not come back.
How could I keep away?
DeleteThis made me laught greatly as I had a similar experience recently Tom.
ReplyDeleteI imagine it happens more as time goes by.
DeleteYes, I answered my age question on a survey recently, and was survey terminated immediately.
ReplyDeleteI think you talked before about the attitude of your woodland creatures, that they were more realistic than comic. I hope they look like I see them in my imagination. Especially Badger.
What makes it so irritating is that they beg you to answer the questions, then when you finally give in they cut you off. If they didn't ask in the first place we all would be happier - young and old.
DeleteAs if the opinion of a person of a certain vintage doesn't count. Well! Who needs Amazon vouchers anyway?
ReplyDeleteI don't use Amazon, but they still try to get me to sign in all the time. The last time I used Amazon books, I bought a book about the medieval monk, 'Adelaide of Bath'. It weeks to arrive from the USA and when it came, I found that they had found it from a woman in Bath, had it sent to the USA then re-packed and sent back to me. Her address was in the fly and was a ten minute walk from where I live. They were just middle-men.
DeleteI had a call two days ago.
ReplyDelete'Hello, is that Madame X?'
'No, it's more like Monsieur X'
Phone went dead.
I had a scam call from an Indian once, and he said, am I speaking to Mrs Jackie Stephenson? I said, "Yes you are. What's your name?" He said - after a short pause - "Stephenson."
DeleteThe worst is when you complete a 'we are trying to improve our ....' survey and they start asking questions that are obviously only useful to their advertizers.
ReplyDelete'We are trying to increase our income...' would be more acceptable.
DeleteYou can complain to your anti-discrimination-of-old-people-bureau, Tom :-)
ReplyDelete(If you were an American, you might get a million dollar "compensation for personal suffering").
Honestly: they are daft.
Maybe with ticking "..or Other" you would have got more attention (I could have told you that in "Vera's mock-Geordie accent, but I prefer that you understand my comment. Then - I hope -my opinion counts.
Well it counts to me.
Delete