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Edited by Dynamic Dave on 29/08/2009 at 20:49
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SWMBO's specs have broken - bought from one of the major chains, ca. £350 for two pairs, and on one pair the frame has actually broken. She's had them 13 months, and the shop initially said (a) not repairanble (b)'out of warranty, go away', the usual bovine stonewalling, refused to tell her the branch managers name, etc,etc.
When they realised she wasn't going to go away, it became 'they may be repairable, leave them with us', which is the current situation
£175 a pair for specs is a lot of money, and I know that she's knackered without them and always treats her specs with care, they haven't been abused - is it unreasonable to expect them to last more than 13 months ?
If she gets no joy, do you think she would have a case under the Sale of Goods act ?
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They should last more than 13 months, I'd say as a specs wearer. It's surprising the shop is being so difficult. If they're part of a chain go to the head office.
£175 a pair isn't peanuts. Often lenses are more expensive than frames so I doubt the shop is looking at megabucks to put things right.
BTW: some of the major chains operate through franchises. You're entitled to know exactly who you've been dealing with. Ask again.
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SFAIK no pair of spec frames costs more than £20 to make! All this garbage about 'designer' frames and having sad logos on the arms is just a load of tat! What about the ones that aren't frames? Just 2 arms and a bridge, rivetted onto two rimless lenses - how much can they really cost? Opticians are one of business's biggest areas for overcharging and high profits.
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Try Glasses Direct.Used for last 4 years.Superb.
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I wear specs full-time and got fed up with opticians' pricing, esp. having done some work for a frame wholesaler that revealed the level of markup. I now get mine from goggles4u.com, and each of my last two pairs cost $26 (US) including coated high-index lenses and a light tint. Delivery was a bit slow (they came from Karachi!) but I notice they now deliver from London and the price has jumped a bit, to a whole £20. I have noticed no difference in lens or frame quality, or fit. Use your existing frame dimensions as a template and get a copy of your prescription, and off you go...
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Thankfully, when she returned the day after, the response was 'we will repair them at no cost to you, they need to go to our repairers', i.e., we've sent them back for a new frame.
dissapointing that the initial response was so crap in this day and age
also SWMBO has a fairly complex prescription and is a bit of a luddite when it comes to buying stuff off the net, I think it will be the High Street until the end of time.....
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i've used eyebuydirect.com and goggles4u.com
prefered the quality of eyebuy. i just bought 2 pairs of prescription flexible titanium frames, one with a tint and one with reactions type. both came to about 100 quid. excellent service and quicker than specsavers, and you get a good quality hard case and cleaning cloth.
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I'm pretty certain this has come up before in the forums. Therefore I'll reiterate the fact that I have a friend of long standing whose optical business undertakes the manufacture of spectacles for many of the area's retail outlets - in fact there's at least one other similar business in the town.
I don't need to wear glasses, but the other half does, and my friend supplies her with top notch frames and lenses with all the features she requires for a third of the price in the shops. He's still making a reasonable profit.
The outlets he supplies make at least 100 per cent profit on each pair of glasses, with the only real involvement consisting of undertaking an eyesight test for individual customers. Once my friend has the prescription and frame selection the rest, as they say, is history.
I don't like using the word rip-off but I don't hesitate in this instance.
To add to the sense of annoyance, one major spectacles retailer had a town centre shop in my town, but pulled out some years ago without any warning apart from a notice on the shop door - customers had no option but to travel several miles to pick up glasses which had been ordered just before the closure.
Yet, within two or three years, the same nationally known retailer had opened a new shop in the town and, what's more, in the same street.....
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I booked in a job for Wednesday but no idea who for or when. I usualy write them down but I was in a shop at the time and had no pen and paper and just knew I would remember it, but 6 phone calls later I have gone blank.
Now I think I have a good idea who called me so if I don';t get my memory back I shall try calling them. Either way I am going to look pretty stupid :(.
Any suggestions in either jogging my memory or dealing with it? I don't want to have to phone every customer who has called me :p.
The problem is the more I think and try and force it out I get a bit upset and confused, I imagine this is how people with dementia feel. In my case I don't think it is anything like that, just plain disorganised and stupid :).
{new question, so moves to correct place in the thread - even with a "Please Note" message right at the start of the thread you seem to have forgotten ;o) }
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 25/08/2009 at 01:04
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I think the best you can do is wait for them to call them you to ask where you are, then apologise profusely, tell them you were distracted at the time, then bend over backwards to help them out.
A little white lie - or the truth perhaps? - can't do any harm.
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I have just spent 20 minutes on google maps looking at all the roads in Manchester. Then I saw the road suddenly clicked as did the customer. I then used my accounts to find the address :).
Feel a lot better now.
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I do a job where my customers can phone at almost any time. When I go out I divert my calls to my mobile.
Without trying to sound clever, I always have a job docket and a pen in my top shirt pocket.
Incidentally, Barclays Bank have for quite a long time now been giving away free pens. Just go into the bank and they have pen dispensers on the writing stations
Edited by drbe on 25/08/2009 at 07:31
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A betting shop is another good standby for free pen and paper.
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Rattle, having just read your other posting - don''t go anywhere near a betting shop.
I've always used the practice of "phone me back in two minutes and leave all your details (whatever details you need - name. address, number and problem) on my voicemail - as I am in the car, betting office or on the bog" (delete where applicable)
Edited by Pugugly on 25/08/2009 at 09:02
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Surely the answer is to carry an MP3 player where you can simply record a message?
I've come late to sed gadgets @ 57 years young, but after threatening to throw the critter at the wall or return it to Amazon - I've finally got the hang of it now & itsa great little # with FM radio as well = Sandisk Fuse.
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If you know roughly what time they 'phoned you, wouldn't it be fairly simple to look at your call log to discover their number and call them back?
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>>A betting shop is another good standby for free pen and paper. >>
Depends on how much you win or, more likely, lose....
Either way I am going to look pretty stupid :(. >>
Bypassing the Windows of opportunity again...:-)
Edited by Stuartli on 25/08/2009 at 10:57
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Or just get them to text name and House name/number and postcode. Or do what I did get a PA to sort that stuff out for you ! :-)
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I did have a rough idea when they called me which narrowed it down becuase it was a BT landline. So when I studied the map of that area I saw the road and it clicked.
I usualy store it in my mobile phone but its a bit tedius and as I was quiet just trusted myself to remember.
I think I need to start eating more fish.
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I think I need to start eating more fish.
That won't help as they only apparantly have a memory of 7 seconds - well, goldfish anyway ;o)
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That won't help as they only apparantly have a memory of 7 seconds - well goldfish anyway ;o)
I'd forgotten about that !
Ted
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You're lucky it was a BT landline with the number in the correct area for you to look at a map. I have one number at home that is nothing like the local BT code. Some of the local businesses must be using C&W because their numbers are often 0161 975 xxxx. Again our area code is not 975.
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Returning directly to the question - it's often best to do, or be thinking about, something else for a while rather than worrying directly about the thing you're trying to remember.
I don't begin to understand the process, but it generally works.
However, if you write something down, all you have to remember is where you put the piece of paper...
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Agree with Pug, some options are
1. Phone back and leave message on voicemail
2. Text me details
3. I have your number now on my phone, I will call you straight back
4. Use the conversation recording feature on your phone?
5. Top pocket, blank sheet of A4, folded 2 or 3 times and that becomes your best work tool!
In my supermarket days, every manager and supervisor used that, no matter what they were doing, checkouts, filling shelves etc that became their way of taking notes. Also very useful for writing down the key financial information in case you meet your Area manager in Aisle 20!
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I can't remember why I'm reading this.
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i always tie a knot in my neck to remind me of things
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No Job is valid unless its accompanied, or confirmed by an email from your Client.
If they cant email, because the PC is that broken, then its an immediate call out and the subsequent fee for such emegrgency is paid.
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So long as the competition doesn't offer more favourable conditions..............
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their numbers are often 0161 975 xxxx. Again our area code is not 975.
Often wondered, why are there no 0161 area codes beginning with 5. IE.
0161 5** 1234....bit off topic, but what the heck.
I was charged by SWMBO the other day to put the washing on the line when the washer had finished, as she was going out. I wanted to go out as well and knew I'd forget when I got back.
I solved the problem by putting the kitchen bin so I couldn't open the kitchen door...saw it and remembered..........no wrath invoked.
So Rats...get a kitchen bin and put it on your driving seat when you leave the car !
No need to thank me for the advice
Ted
EDIT...Now why didn't that come out under Rob's post ? Thats where I clicked it.
Edited by 1400ted on 25/08/2009 at 16:26
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If you view threaded you see it is. But because there are other replies to another thread that has replies they appear before yours in the flat view.
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I booked in a job for Wednesday but no idea who for or when.
Get yourself organised and computerise your paperwork. I'm told it's the up-and-coming method, especially for computer servicing businesses!
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I keep meaning to start a custom system which allow me to book all jobs in online, I have my phone if I am out.
My business number starts in 0161 660 this is because its a VIOP number it is great because it dosn't cost a single penny.
I did have an 0845 but I think it put too many people off dialing.
I booked a job in today for next week and I just used the phones calander to write it down, normaly I would not have bothered knowing I would remember it but I have learnt my lesson. I am getting too old to remember six different appointments.
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Rattle, I'd consider sync'ing the phone calendar with a computer based calendar. Automatically of course. Then you effectively have one calendar to manage. Do the same with contacts.
I sync my phone with my work laptop (therefore the Exchange server) and my Mac. If I had an iPhone I might consider using MobileMe and an Exchange server at home.
Edited by rtj70 on 26/08/2009 at 20:30
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I use this really innovative bit of kit. I expect once they catch on they'll be an overnight success. It really helps you to manage your life and can be obtained for as little as, well, nothing.
It works like this, when you get an enquiry from a customer which may require you to visit them or vice versa, you simply check the sections relating to the days and times which suit both you and the customer. Then you write the relevant info in that section along with other useful back up data such as their email address, phone numbers etc.. If you subsequently need to delete that entry or move it that is no problem. If you want to add further information to that entry this can also be simply and quickly done without even the need to switch it on. You can also keep these devices in your pocket or briefcase or indeed on your desk, whereever it suits you at the time. They have a one year battery life and you can safely use them on aeroplanes or at filling stations.
They are called diaries......
;-)
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 26/08/2009 at 20:48
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As you seem to know what you're doing/have friends who do when buying, then I suggest a trip to an auction might be worthwhile. You will probably find that second hand prices are several times auction prices - though the choice won't be as good as it is for buying violins.
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As you seem to know what you're doing/have friends who do when buying then I suggest a trip to an auction might be worthwhile.
Thanks for the idea, but I think the problem is that the particular model we are after, and possibly others in that price range, just doesn't come on the second hand market very often. Also, I suspect the people that are selling them know roughly what they are worth and can sell them via other means where they are likely to get more money back.
Having said that, what sort of auction should I look for? I've never been to one.
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"Know what they're worth." Generally that phrase actually means "knows how much a second hand dealer will ask for one" rather than "knows how much a second hand dealer will pay for one". A general rule of thumb for expensive second hand items is that the dealer wants twice what he paid for it. My suspicion is that you will get twice as much instrument for your money (or more) as you will get at a dealer.
Christies, Sothebys, Bonhams for a start. Search their archives so you can see what things go for; don't be put off, they don't only sell things for millions, most of their stuff is quite "affordable". www.the-saleroom.com searches most of the UK's decent salerooms.
(You might do better if you change him onto the violin; there are many more of them around.)
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Focus, spoke to my tame trombonist, who tells me that Conn are the very best and therefore the most expensive. However, King and Conn are made by the same people. King are very nearly the same standard but obviously rather less expensive (in relative terms) as they do not have the 'name'.
So if you see a King, take a second look!
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So if you see a King take a second look!
Yes, I was starting to think along those lines myself. I've saved a search on ebay for the Conn, and I'll keep checking other websites, but if nothing turns up then we'll have to widen the search. No great hurry though.
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Christies Sothebys Bonhams for a start.
Thanks Mapmaker. So far I've seen 2 Conn 88hs in at least good condition - one went for £995 on eBay, and the other sold for £1000 privately. New ones are 'only' £1700 online, so it doesn't really leave the dealers that much scope for mark-up. My son had a blow on a second hand one in a good local music shop at the weekend - they want £1200, although when I asked about its history they said 'we found it in pieces upstairs'. Mmm...
(You might do better if you change him onto the violin; there are many more of them around.)
His half-brother is the drummer in death metal band Sylosis (see youtube) - he's still living with us at home when he's not touring Europe, and while a trombone is just about acceptable, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't allow a violin in the house :-)
Actually son has just started learning a stringed instrument - the electric guitar, of course.
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My younger offspring reached Grade 8 level in both violin and piano and also played the flute for school productions (the school bought the instrument especially for her at the time).
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I sold a laptop on ebay a couple of weeks ago, it was in very good condition and only a few months old. I sent it via Parcel Force and insured it up to £300. The item was well wrapped, if anything I over packaged it.
The buyer paid via paypal.
Today i had the package delivered back, although not as well packaged as I sent it.
I have had no contact off the buyer to say they were sending it back.
I opened the package and found the screen had a big crack in it and looked like it had been hit as there was not a scratched or chip on the outer case - so it looked like it has been broken from the inside. Also the laptop had dust and hairs present so has been opened and possibly used. There are also minor scratches present on the outer case of the laptop.
Whats the best thing to do? Shall i contact the buyer? Is this a scam?
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How was it delivered back to you - registered mail?
Has the buyer in any way acknowledged that he has received it yet?
Is it absolutely definitely the same laptop you sent (as opposed to the same model)
Has there been any query raised through Paypal?
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How was it delivered back to you - registered mail? via parcel force signed
Has the buyer in any way acknowledged that he has received it yet? no - but i check on tracking number and he has signed for it on 21st August.
Is it absolutely definitely the same laptop you sent (as opposed to the same model) as far as i can tell yes.
Has there been any query raised through Paypal? Nothing raised at all
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Send details to ebay now, just to keep them informed.
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>>Because .............>>
Just might be someone switching a similar, already damaged model and then trying to get the money back.
Have you checked out the hard drive yet (I presume that you wiped it before sending)?
Even so, a hard drive could be switched so you get your old one back.
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looks the same laptop - although im not 100% its the same lid. It looks like it has a lot more scratches on it.
hard drive has exactly the same progs on. I have a feeling he will bang in a paypal claim and say it was broken on arrival and then im stuck with a smashed screen.
Why do paypal always go in favour of the buyer all the time. really winds me up.
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Audi...Try posting your question here. There are a lot of experienced EBayers to respond with advice.
Good luck
answercentre.ebay.co.uk/forum.jspa?forumID=8008
Ted
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Does it have the serial number etc. or any other uniqueness (MAC address springs to mind). I wonder If they bought yours, swapped hard disk and then sent it back with their broken one.
Not saying this is what happened but easily done and an eye opener for people selling computers if true!
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just checked the post box and they have sent a seperate letter saying 'we are returning this damaged unsuable laptop having been professionally advised to do so. on collecting the package from the sorting office we were dissappointed to discover the screeen was broken'
they are seeking the full amount back + the postage and packaging.
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I would advise them that you are not happy with the situation and that you are referring it to PayPal and e-Bay, especially in view of the fact that the laptop was properly packed for transport purposes.
Also inform the courier regarding the stage it has now reached.
Why would they collect the parcel from the sorting office (surely any packaing damage would have been evident then) and, also, who provided the "professional advice"?
Edited by Stuartli on 26/08/2009 at 18:47
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Why would they collect the parcel from the sorting office
if you aren't in and don't have an approved 'Safe Place' they will leave a calling card and return to the depot and normally try to re-deliver the day after.
it is standard practice with the couriers i have worked for.
i don't like the sound of what has happened. if the buyer denies responsibility the thing to do first is make a claim on the courier insurance and once it has paid refund the purchase price only. i wouldn't refund the postage cost unless i knew i would get it back from the insurance.
the OP said the insurance was for 300 quid, what was the sale price?
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sale price was £334. but he also wants £15 extra for sending it back to me.
im feeling mildy peed off at the moment!
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>>I wonder If they bought yours, swapped hard disk and then sent it back with their broken one.>>
Which is what I suggested just might have happened in a posting earlier today.
If it is the case by any chance, then it's absolutely despicable behaviour.
But nothing surprises me much these days now about how low some individuals will sink.
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If this is what has happened then I'd be off to the police. But how to prove it?
Even if you knew the serial number and MAC address of the wireless and Ethernet connections...
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letter continues...
as we are returning the laptop within seven days we trust this matter can be dealt satisfactorily and amicably resolved within seven days. we trust that it will be. please make the cheque payable to *****
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cheque? i thought they paid by paypal. did the BUYER actually recieve the item? have you checked the buyer's history? does the purchase seem out of norm? if you send the money make sure it is via paypal, i think you have a bit more protection.
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cheque? i thought they paid by paypal. yes they did pay via paypal
did the BUYER actually recieve the item? yes i have checked parcelforce website and have a signiture .
found this on the net regarding ebay scams ...
I have found another scam which this user is using they will buy a laptop from a seller and then 30 days on post a dispute saying that the item is broken when you can clearly see its not via the images on the listing.
The scam works like this.
1. Buyer buys a laptop the same as one he has which is broken.
2. Removes the parts to make a good working laptop
3. 30 Days later opens a dispute with PayPal saying the goods are damaged.
4. PayPal gets buyer to send damaged goods back and refunds buyer (Buyer sends the sellers laptop back with the damaged parts)
5. Buyer now puts the working laptop on ebay and makes money.
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have you checked the buyer's history? have they been on the bay for long? what is their feedback like?
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Paypal don't always side with the buyer as I found to my cost (nearly £300) when sent an item which was seriously faulty. Despite my 10yr / 200+ feedback @100% against the seller's few months / 3 feedback they let the money go.
It's becoming a minefield and I am no longer with eBay/Paypal.
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If it's a scam they are very greedy scammers, seems like they are after a cheque from you AND a refund via paypal when they open a dispute.
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member since dec2005. they have 1 feedback rating.
I should of stipulated a feedback of 10 or more. May not have made much difference in this case.
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only 1 feedback in four years sounds odd.
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not sure if i smell a rat on this one. after typing in their names on google, an article came up from a Christian website/magazine from May 2009 about how they were in povety and trying to survive on £30 a week after they both lost their jobs and cant afford to pay the gas/elec.
this is very bizarre.
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how they were in povety and trying to survive on £30 a week after they both lost their jobs and cant afford to pay the gas/elec.
Seems odd then that they are splashing out on a laptop.
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scam.
I will bet that they've just swapped the screens around. Tell ebay/paypal that the case on the returned item is different as per your comment.
Personally I would be emptying my paypal account and closing it down also close any bank account linked to the paypal account.
I take it that they are nowhere near you? I'd try ringing their local police and see if they will do anything.
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It might be worth checking the MS certificate of authenticity - they should be able to tell you when it was originally authenticated, which might be a clue as to whether it is still your laptop.
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Does Unibond No More Nails tape ("permanent" variety) work very well on non-porous surfaces? Does it ever set hard?
Edited by L'escargot on 27/08/2009 at 08:27
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When we turned-on the tv this evening, a message appeared on the screen saying 'No Signal' and when we used the remote to select any channel, the message at the bottom of the screen said 'No Events Available'.
We have checked the obvious things such as aerial plugged in and aerial still in place on the roof.
Any suggestions as to what could be wrong? Is it our set (Panasonic flat screen) or a fault at the transmitter?
TIA
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We get this for a few minutes several times a day. In our case it is work on the transmitters for the digital changeover. If you google for "bbc transmitter info" any work in your area should be published. Or your transmitter may have a fault. try another tv, if it is the same it it is probably the transmitter.
Edited by Old Navy on 27/08/2009 at 22:36
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Leave it on for a bit. You'll get some white noise, the screen will flicker then it'll cut to a dodgy looking bloke stroking a cat who'll say....." We been expecting you...."
I expect it's not you. It'll be part of the switchover. We get some channels sometimes, some channels all the time and some not at all at the moment.
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Bad news....I've tried what you suggest (Old Navy) and reception on upstairs portable on a different aerial is normal.
I wonder what is causing the problem on the Panasonic.
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Try the Panasonic on the aerial you have proved is working. Or try the portable on the Panasonic aerial to check it is OK.
Edited by Old Navy on 27/08/2009 at 23:26
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Another thought, (from a total non expert), try switching the Panny off, and unplug it for a few minutes, It may just have confused electronics and need a reboot..
Edited by Old Navy on 27/08/2009 at 23:44
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I'm in the Winter Hill area (I can see the transmitter, which is about 15 miles away, from the end of my road); regularly, at the moment, the main LCD will bring up "No signal" for a few seconds around the same times in the late evening.
Part of it may be due to the switchover, which starts early November, and some to varying signal strength; the digital transmission strength from Winter Hill is stated to be 1/87th of the analogue transmission.
These breaks only seem to affect the MUX which carries, amongst others, Sky News, Sports and Sky 3.
Edited by Stuartli on 28/08/2009 at 00:58
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The problem with freeview is you always need a very strong signal. I had a major problem trying to get digital TV cards to work. I spent £70 on one in the end (I have a 22" monitor so it seemed silly buying keeping my old 21" CRT tv) and TV/Monitors were more than twice the price at the time.
The problem I got is I just did not get any decent signal, one minute it would work the next it didn't. My solution was to feed a standard freeview box into it via S-VIDEO.
Also on the subject of winterhill of us Northwest people I think we will need to tune our equipment quite a lot in the next few months but I am sure there will plenty of adverts on Granada warning us about that.
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the digital transmission strength from Winter Hill is stated to be 1/87th of the analogue transmission.
Our aerial has very poor reception for digital and we use Winter Hill. I too know digital power is way down so when analogue goes we may have a better signal.
Not really a problem because we have Virgin Media anyway but it would be useful at times.
Then again a few months back we had a local thunder/lightning storm and a friends house was hit and something caught fire. We don't have anything plugged into an aerial at the moment anyway due to the poor signal.
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All digital transmissions (until each transmitter undergoes the switchover) are a fraction of the strength of the analogue transmissions.
The switchover will bring high signal levels, but sometimes too strong a signal can cause as many problems as one that is too low as those using an aerial amplifier have found...:-)
Re the aerial ("poor reception for digital"); if this is an old aerial, it will probably be a narrowband type and will need to be replaced with a wideband aerial (sometimes tagged digital aerial by the trade for marketing purposes).
In my case, the main LCD TV, a 21in CRT connected to a Freeview set top box and my computer's PCI Freeview TV card are all fed from the same aerial in combination with two aerial amplifiers.
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You can check out the UK Freeview transmitters' facts at:
www.ukfree.tv/txlist.php
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We have a similar setup. We have two arials one for the downstairs and one for upstairs. But the one upstairs has three TVs of it via a two two way boosters.
So the cable comes in through my rooms room so that then connects into a two way booster, one goes to her freeview box, the other goes to my sisters room. In my sisters there is another booster, the input cable from my mums booster and then one cable that goes into her tv. The other output cable goes to my room into my freeview box. The reason for the two seperate boosters is the house is long and narrow, my mums room is the end room so if I had a three way booster I would need to two two thick co-axial cables next to each other. The solution I have wired is a lot neater but when the signal increases I have a horrible feeling it may no longer work.
I might end up installing a free-stat dish but I hate dishes.
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I have a loft aerial and have a masthead amplifier to give an adequate digital signal to the four rooms which have aerial sockets. I was told by the installer that this amplifier boosts the signal at the aerial before it is degraded downstream, (I get no digital reception if it is switched off) I was also told that I probably will not need the amplifier after the digital switchover.
This may help -
www.aerialsandtv.com/index.html
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OP, I suggest you follow Old Navy's suggestions further up thread i.e. try the Panasonic on the portable's aerial, and if it's still dead power down for a few minutes and then reboot. If still not working do a factory reset and rescan.
Those in the Winter Hill service area might find the information in this 'Digital UK' newsletter useful; although it is fairly technical, as it is aimed primarily at aerial installers & suchlike.
tinyurl.com/qssocd
Edited by SpamCan61 {P} on 28/08/2009 at 10:59
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One reason I know we don't get a good signal for DTT is if you check what transmitter we use here, it's not actually Winter Hill for analogue - we use one of the relays and these of course don't yet broadcast DTT signals.
But I'm not bothered anyway because we have cable TV ;-)
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That's odd, daughter in B'ham called me about 9:30 last night with No Signal but she's on Virgin cable. New cable box, new TV. Faffed around a bit then told her to try SCART instead of HDMI and it seemed OK. Weird...
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I've just been for a stroll round the Backbridge estate.....
( It's a Mondeo by the way ) But seriously, coming as I do from a land where many houses are built from stone, I still find the exposed brick built buildings of my adopted home town a little, well...unfinished looking. The question though is re engineering bricks. I notice that the first few courses of my house are constructed of them but the rest are common or garden ones.
A couple of questions if I may be indulged please ?
Why are these bricks needed at all and how do they differ from the standard ones ? I expect they are harder and stronger anyway ?
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And better at resisting water penetration. It's quite common to find the lower courses to be engineering bricks. Do you have a slate dpc as well or are the engineering bricks being used as the dpc?
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Well, I had to go and look but I can't see any sign of slate. Wonder how they make those posh bricks ?
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From the Brick.org FAQ's
I want to specify engineering bricks on a project because I believe they will be more durable. They are very dense and will not get so wet, thus preventing them from spalling. Why are there not more buildings built of engineering bricks if they are so durable?
For clay bricks strength and water absorption are not properties that give a dependable indication of frost resistance. More importantly there are many bricks of only modest strength (7-20N/mmî) and high water absorption (20%-30%), which have excellent resistance to damage by frost action. Some bricks of relatively high strength and low water absorption are nevertheless only moderately frost resistant. There is no dependable correlation between strength or water absorption and frost resistance.
The two categories of frost resistance, F2 (Frost resistant) and F1 (Moderately frost resistant), referred to in BS EN 771.1:2005 Specification for clay masonry units' are classified by declaration. This is as a result of observation after a number of years in use or sometimes for new products by subjecting them to a specified frost resistance test. Click here for the latest version from BSI British Standards.
Engineering bricks are classified only by their compressive strength and water absorption. There are Class A engineering bricks that have a compressive strength greater than 125N/mm² and water absorption less than 4.5% by mass and Class B engineering bricks that have a compressive strength greater than 75N/mm² and water absorption less than 7%.
Traditionally they are used in civil engineering applications. They can also be used as damp proof course (DPC) bricks and in the structural design of brickwork to resist lateral loads and large vertical loads.
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Well I had to go and look but I can't see any sign of slate.
Slate or engineering bricks were used in the past as a damp proof course. For the last few decades pvc sheeting has been used and is often difficult to see. From your previous posts HB I imagine you living in an identikit 80s estate, and so my best guess is that the engineering bricks are just an architectural detail suggesting the permanence of a previous era.
Wonder how they make those posh bricks ?
Are you talking about special shapes? If so, then they just use special moulds.
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Yep OC, mock tudor, block paved, upvc'd the whole shebang.....Quite depressing really....
No, I meant the engineering bricks. I was wondering how they are made ?
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check this out, looks amazing! look at the second ingrediant at 30 seconds, home they don't get a rum deal!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar1Rh3yYyno
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Making bricks is similar to making cakes.
Choose your ingredients, mix, and bake at the right temperature for the right length of time.
Cheap simple ingredients for a Tesco Value sponge cake. ( commons )
Add a bit of colour if you want it to look prettier. ( facing bricks )
More expensive stuff for your christmas cake and a slow cook. ( engineering bricks )
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Local brickworks have closed down, there used to be about 150 chimneys, now there's 4.
Apparently the local clay had a high level of oil which went towards 'self firing' to the detriment of the environment in sulphur pollution.
I suspect they'll be extracting the stuff for oil when I'm long dead and gone.
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I needed a couple of bits (e.g. headphone splitter) so looked on eBay. I won two auctions for said items, first for £0.01p and second for £0.24p. Both are free postage, from Hong Kong.
How can they make money on that?
(Yes, I know the items might not arrive, but I've placed similar orders before and no problem)
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How can they make money on that?
I can see a headphone splitter for 1p and free postage, but there's also a but-it-now price of £1 - perhaps people generally can't be bothered to wait for the end of the auction and pay £1. Even that seems cheap though considering the free postage from HK.
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I went to buy another one from the 1p place and I can't, it says "You are currently winning or have bought the maximum-allowed number of this seller's items in the last 10 days."
Just I was thinking of running him out of business by buying all his stock... :-)
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>>..headphone splitter..>>
Do you mean one of these?
www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1214
About £1.50 from any good TV or audio retail outlet.
I use one to supply sound output to the computer speakers or headphones as necessary (turn one off and the other on as required); saves having to constantly swap jack plugs.
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