On 22/06/2023 08:44, Chris J Dixon wrote:
> Joe Kerr wrote:
>
>> But how do you charge the mobile during a power cut? Even when fully
>> charged a modern smartphone will only last a couple of days.
>
> Car charger?
>
> Chris

I'll admit I overlooked that option, even though I have the ability and
occasionally use it.

--
Ric

On 23/06/2023 13:21, Nick Odell wrote:
> On Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:54:50 PM UTC+1, Joe Kerr wrote:
> <snip>
>> But how do you charge the mobile during a power cut? Even when fully
>> charged a modern smartphone will only last a couple of days.
> <snip>
>>
> Solar-powered PowerBank, mobile phones for the charging of. It's my understanding that the McToodleses have a very, very, big one. (Oooh - err, Missus!)
>
> Nick
> nickodell49@yahoo.ca

I was expecting somebody to say that. (Didn't you recently say you did
that?) But how many people actually have one? And what is the impact if
everybody goes out and buys one that is then stuffed in the back of a
cupboard and never used?

--
Ric

In message <u7kqrg$28ngh$1@dont-email.me> at Thu, 29 Jun 2023 21:50:55,
Joe Kerr <joe_kerr@cheerful.com> writes
>On 22/06/2023 08:44, Chris J Dixon wrote:
>> Joe Kerr wrote:
>>
>>> But how do you charge the mobile during a power cut? Even when fully
>>> charged a modern smartphone will only last a couple of days.
>> Car charger?
>> Chris
>
>I'll admit I overlooked that option, even though I have the ability and
>occasionally use it.
>
I have also seen hand-cranked chargers. Seem like an excellent idea, but
the ones I've seen are so atrocious build quality that I'm not surprised
they haven't caught on.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep.

On 29/06/2023 21:56, Joe Kerr wrote:
> On 23/06/2023 13:21, Nick Odell wrote:
>> On Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:54:50 PM UTC+1, Joe Kerr wrote:
>> <snip>
>>> But how do you charge the mobile during a power cut? Even when fully
>>> charged a modern smartphone will only last a couple of days.
>> <snip>
>>>
>> Solar-powered PowerBank, mobile phones for the charging of. It's my
>> understanding that the McToodleses have a very, very, big one. (Oooh -
>> err, Missus!)
>>
>
> I was expecting somebody to say that. (Didn't you recently say you did
> that?) But how many people actually have one? And what  is the impact if
> everybody goes out and buys one that is then stuffed in the back of a
> cupboard and never used?
>

I have one and although it spends most of its life in the drawer next to
my bed it is kept topped up and holds a charge very well. It is checked
and topped up to 100% every couple of months and taken with us on
holiday where it lives in my rucksack [1] and is frequentlyly used to
top up phones and tablet that we read on the beach. It will charge each
of them at least once from empty and still have some left over juice.

[1] I am happy to report that the stolen rucksacks and their contents
have all been replaced and Saga Household Insurance already settled the
over £3k bill in under 3 weeks (and over a week of that was me getting
the claim together). No quibbles and decided and paid quickly.

In contrast we claimed for the Emergency Travel Document (not covered by
Saga strangely) and new passport and replacement V5C from our Barclays
Travel Insurance who are asking for original receipts and a copy of the
Shuttle booking. No idea why as we are not claiming anything to do with
that an
d they have the attestation from the Gendarmerie that I was robbed in
France, what more do they need. So still arguing over £200 odd.

On Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:54:46 +0100, BrritSki
<rtilburyTAKEOUT@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 29/06/2023 21:56, Joe Kerr wrote:
>> On 23/06/2023 13:21, Nick Odell wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:54:50?PM UTC+1, Joe Kerr wrote:
>>> <snip>
>>>> But how do you charge the mobile during a power cut? Even when fully
>>>> charged a modern smartphone will only last a couple of days.
>>> <snip>
>>>>
>>> Solar-powered PowerBank, mobile phones for the charging of. It's my
>>> understanding that the McToodleses have a very, very, big one. (Oooh -
>>> err, Missus!)
>>>
>>
>> I was expecting somebody to say that. (Didn't you recently say you did
>> that?) But how many people actually have one? And what  is the impact if
>> everybody goes out and buys one that is then stuffed in the back of a
>> cupboard and never used?
>>
>
>I have one and although it spends most of its life in the drawer next to
>my bed it is kept topped up and holds a charge very well. It is checked
>and topped up to 100% every couple of months and taken with us on
>holiday where it lives in my rucksack [1] and is frequentlyly used to
>top up phones and tablet that we read on the beach. It will charge each
>of them at least once from empty and still have some left over juice.
>
>[1] I am happy to report that the stolen rucksacks and their contents
>have all been replaced and Saga Household Insurance already settled the
>over £3k bill in under 3 weeks (and over a week of that was me getting
>the claim together). No quibbles and decided and paid quickly.
>
>In contrast we claimed for the Emergency Travel Document (not covered by
>Saga strangely) and new passport and replacement V5C from our Barclays
>Travel Insurance who are asking for original receipts and a copy of the
>Shuttle booking. No idea why as we are not claiming anything to do with
>that an
>d they have the attestation from the Gendarmerie that I was robbed in
>France, what more do they need. So still arguing over £200 odd.

We apparently have 5000 wats distributed among various batteries
solar-powered charge banks, kept plus 2 solar-powered charge banks.
I've just been shown one and it as big as a moblile phone. And about
to be filled again. We can run fridge, computers, phones etc and
charge the car too, slowly. But, if no electricity, then no petrol
either.

On Friday, June 30, 2023 at 8:54:52 AM UTC+1, BrritSki wrote:
> On 29/06/2023 21:56, Joe Kerr wrote:
> > On 23/06/2023 13:21, Nick Odell wrote:
> >> On Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:54:50 PM UTC+1, Joe Kerr wrote:
> >> <snip>
> >>> But how do you charge the mobile during a power cut? Even when fully
> >>> charged a modern smartphone will only last a couple of days.
> >> <snip>
> >>>
> >> Solar-powered PowerBank, mobile phones for the charging of. It's my
> >> understanding that the McToodleses have a very, very, big one. (Oooh -
> >> err, Missus!)
> >>
> >
> > I was expecting somebody to say that. (Didn't you recently say you did
> > that?) But how many people actually have one? And what is the impact if
> > everybody goes out and buys one that is then stuffed in the back of a
> > cupboard and never used?
> >
> I have one and although it spends most of its life in the drawer next to
> my bed it is kept topped up and holds a charge very well. It is checked
> and topped up to 100% every couple of months and taken with us on
> holiday where it lives in my rucksack [1] and is frequentlyly used to
> top up phones and tablet that we read on the beach. It will charge each
> of them at least once from empty and still have some left over juice.
>
> [1] I am happy to report that the stolen rucksacks and their contents
> have all been replaced and Saga Household Insurance already settled the
> over £3k bill in under 3 weeks (and over a week of that was me getting
> the claim together). No quibbles and decided and paid quickly.
>
> In contrast we claimed for the Emergency Travel Document (not covered by
> Saga strangely) and new passport and replacement V5C from our Barclays
> Travel Insurance who are asking for original receipts and a copy of the
> Shuttle booking. No idea why as we are not claiming anything to do with
> that an
> d they have the attestation from the Gendarmerie that I was robbed in
> France, what more do they need. So still arguing over £200 odd.

I recently read somewhere - I think it might have been in a legal newsgroup - that some companies have an active policy to deal with complaints by ignoring them or stalling or obfuscating right through the phone calls, correspondence, the letters before action etc. Only if it reaches court do they step in and offer to settle. So many people give up their claims before the final stage that they save a huge amount of money that way. That doesn't sound like impressive customer service but I rather get the impression that many of the general public just shrug and use the same companies again however badly they have been treated.

Nick
nickodell49@yahoo.ca

On 30/06/2023 21:05, Nick Odell wrote:
> On Friday, June 30, 2023 at 8:54:52 AM UTC+1, BrritSki wrote:
>> On 29/06/2023 21:56, Joe Kerr wrote:
>>> On 23/06/2023 13:21, Nick Odell wrote:
>>>> On Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:54:50 PM UTC+1, Joe Kerr wrote:
>>>> <snip>
>>>>> But how do you charge the mobile during a power cut? Even when fully
>>>>> charged a modern smartphone will only last a couple of days.
>>>> <snip>
>>>>>
>>>> Solar-powered PowerBank, mobile phones for the charging of. It's my
>>>> understanding that the McToodleses have a very, very, big one. (Oooh -
>>>> err, Missus!)
>>>>
>>>
>>> I was expecting somebody to say that. (Didn't you recently say you did
>>> that?) But how many people actually have one? And what is the impact if
>>> everybody goes out and buys one that is then stuffed in the back of a
>>> cupboard and never used?
>>>
>> I have one and although it spends most of its life in the drawer next to
>> my bed it is kept topped up and holds a charge very well. It is checked
>> and topped up to 100% every couple of months and taken with us on
>> holiday where it lives in my rucksack [1] and is frequentlyly used to
>> top up phones and tablet that we read on the beach. It will charge each
>> of them at least once from empty and still have some left over juice.
>>
>> [1] I am happy to report that the stolen rucksacks and their contents
>> have all been replaced and Saga Household Insurance already settled the
>> over £3k bill in under 3 weeks (and over a week of that was me getting
>> the claim together). No quibbles and decided and paid quickly.
>>
>> In contrast we claimed for the Emergency Travel Document (not covered by
>> Saga strangely) and new passport and replacement V5C from our Barclays
>> Travel Insurance who are asking for original receipts and a copy of the
>> Shuttle booking. No idea why as we are not claiming anything to do with
>> that an
>> d they have the attestation from the Gendarmerie that I was robbed in
>> France, what more do they need. So still arguing over £200 odd.
>
> I recently read somewhere - I think it might have been in a legal newsgroup - that some companies have an active policy to deal with complaints by ignoring them or stalling or obfuscating right through the phone calls, correspondence, the letters before action etc. Only if it reaches court do they step in and offer to settle. So many people give up their claims before the final stage that they save a huge amount of money that way. That doesn't sound like impressive customer service but I rather get the impression that many of the general public just shrug and use the same companies again however badly they have been treated.

Or maybe they simply CBA to actually _read_ what you send them.

It's far easier to respond with a pile of boilerplate rubbish, than to
actually read, digest, and respond to what you say.

On 30/06/2023 22:12, Sam Plusnet wrote:
> On 30/06/2023 21:05, Nick Odell wrote:
>> On Friday, June 30, 2023 at 8:54:52 AM UTC+1, BrritSki wrote:
>>
>> I recently read somewhere - I think it might have been in a legal
>> newsgroup - that some companies have an active policy to deal with
>> complaints by ignoring them or stalling or obfuscating right through
>> the phone calls,  correspondence, the letters before action etc. Only
>> if it reaches court do they step in and offer to settle. So many
>> people give up their claims before the final stage that they save a
>> huge amount of money that way.  That doesn't sound like impressive
>> customer service but I rather get the impression that many of the
>> general public just shrug and use the same companies again however
>> badly they have been treated.
>
> Or maybe they simply CBA to actually _read_ what you send them.
>
> It's far easier to respond with a pile of boilerplate rubbish, than to
> actually read, digest, and respond to what you say.
>

On balance I think that is more likely. Plus they have a standard from
that they send for listing belongings with all sorts of details about
where purchased, original cost and receipt etc, replacement cost, all
completely irrelevant except what I paid for the Emergency Traveld doc,
new passport and V5C, so as it would have required printing the PDF,
filling in almost nothing and then rescanning to send I didn;t bother.

There will be a complaint going in when they've paid it and a search for
a new travel insurance provider.

I complained to BT yesterrfday about the free full-fibre upgrade that
wasn't free. I either had to pay a £10 delivery charge for new kit or
pay £2/m extra for phone calls. It ended up with an upgrade to 150Mbps
(currently a reliable and perfectly adequate for us 50), no landline
anymore (we have never used it anyway, so no loss), no delivery charge
and then she said that my BT Sport subs. was reducing by £4/m.
Result ! Better broadband and cheaper...

In message <kga4vsF8h28U1@mid.individual.net> at Sat, 1 Jul 2023
09:04:12, BrritSki <rtilburyTAKEOUT@gmail.com> writes
>On 30/06/2023 22:12, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>> On 30/06/2023 21:05, Nick Odell wrote:
[]
>>>huge amount of money that way.  That doesn't sound like impressive
>>>customer service but I rather get the impression that many of the
>>>general public just shrug and use the same companies again however
>>>badly they have been treated.

There must certainly be an element of that. At least with (only car? not
sure) insurance, I think there's been legislation in the past year or so
that the must give existing customers the same deal they offer new ones,
but I suspect they'll have found ways round that )-:.

>> Or maybe they simply CBA to actually _read_ what you send them.
>> It's far easier to respond with a pile of boilerplate rubbish, than
>>to actually read, digest, and respond to what you say.
>>
Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
possible less.
>
>On balance I think that is more likely. Plus they have a standard from
>that they send for listing belongings with all sorts of details about
>where purchased, original cost and receipt etc, replacement cost, all
>completely irrelevant except what I paid for the Emergency Traveld doc,
>new passport and V5C, so as it would have required printing the PDF,
>filling in almost nothing and then rescanning to send I didn;t bother.

Filling in in handwriting? If it could be done with text, there are PDF
editors about (and I think some word processors - recent versions of
Word maybe? - can input PDFs), so the actual printing-and-rescanning
stage could be avoided.
>
>There will be a complaint going in when they've paid it and a search
>for a new travel insurance provider.

Good.
>
>I complained to BT yesterrfday about the free full-fibre upgrade that
>wasn't free. I either had to pay a £10 delivery charge for new kit or
>pay £2/m extra for phone calls. It ended up with an upgrade to 150Mbps

Depending how public-spirited you feel, you could also report it to some
appropriate body. I recently was sufficiently cross about some
Morrisons' "pineapple and coconut juice" (no weasel words like "style"
or "flavour") that actually contained 15% and 5% respectively (the bulk
being apple and grape juice), that I reported it, but it's a palaver.
The ASA don't deal with what it says on packaging. Trading standards
offload you onto Citizen's Advice, which I am not happy about - it
doesn't seem the appropriate body, and they're a charity, but I did it
anyway. I subsequently _have_ received a communication - from trading
standards - that said basically he thought I _do_ have a point, and
he'll be taking it up, and will keep me informed.

>(currently a reliable and perfectly adequate for us 50), no landline
>anymore (we have never used it anyway, so no loss), no delivery charge

So if no landline, they effectively got their £2/m anyway.

>and then she said that my BT Sport subs. was reducing by £4/m.
>Result ! Better broadband and cheaper...

I don't pay for any TV content (beyond the TV tax, which I am happy to
pay). What do you need BT Sport for - the cricket?
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Veni, Vidi, VO5 (I came, I saw, I washed my hair) - Mik from S+AS Limited
(mik@saslimited.demon.co.uk), 1998

On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 11:27:44 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
wrote:

>Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>possible less.

More annoying is emails from companies, O2 currently, that say do not
reply to this email as it is not monitored, and where there is no way
to email them.

Also currently wanted to email First Direct to send a screen print of
their really awful website. I use a PC not a )(*&(*&)(*&)(&** mobile
ap. Used to be a way toemail banks etc. Not now.There is a form or
online chatbot,neither of which take photos or screen shots. So I just
sent it on twitter ;). Yesterday I tweeted at the PDSA who make it
impossible to contact and book a date for a poorly pet. Reregister
form didn.t work. Then it did but system still says the mog is not one
of theirs. It has been 11 nuggering years now!

On Sat, 01 Jul 2023 13:31:54 +0100, Vicky <vicky.ayech@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 11:27:44 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
>wrote:
>
>>Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>>the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>>above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>>whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>>boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>>them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>>possible less.
>
>More annoying is emails from companies, O2 currently, that say do not
>reply to this email as it is not monitored, and where there is no way
>to email them.

'More annoying are' I suppose but I meant the fact is annoying,
although each email like that is too.
>
>Also currently wanted to email First Direct to send a screen print of
>their really awful website. I use a PC not a )(*&(*&)(*&)(&** mobile
>ap. Used to be a way toemail banks etc. Not now.There is a form or
>online chatbot,neither of which take photos or screen shots. So I just
>sent it on twitter ;). Yesterday I tweeted at the PDSA who make it
>impossible to contact and book a date for a poorly pet. Reregister
>form didn.t work. Then it did but system still says the mog is not one
>of theirs. It has been 11 nuggering years now!

On 01/07/2023 13:31, Vicky wrote:
> Also currently wanted to email First Direct to send a screen print of
> their really awful website. I use a PC not a )(*&(*&)(*&)(&** mobile
> ap. Used to be a way toemail banks etc. Not now.

On a somewhat related topic, I know someone who recently opened a
savings a/c with the Principality BS. Apparently - unlike as with most,
if not all, banks and BS's - when making an online transfer of money
into the account one does not give the A/c Number and the A/c holder's
name, but in place of the latter put "Principality." So if you make a
mistake with just one digit your money will presumably be happily
credited to someone else!

--
Jenny M Benson
Wrexham, UK

Vicky <vicky.ayech@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 01 Jul 2023 13:31:54 +0100, Vicky <vicky.ayech@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 11:27:44 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>>> the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>>> above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>>> whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>>> boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>>> them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>>> possible less.
>>
>> More annoying is emails from companies, O2 currently, that say do not
>> reply to this email as it is not monitored, and where there is no way
>> to email them.
>
> 'More annoying are' I suppose but I meant the fact is annoying,
> although each email like that is too.
>>
>> Also currently wanted to email First Direct to send a screen print of
>> their really awful website. I use a PC not a )(*&(*&)(*&)(&** mobile
>> ap. Used to be a way toemail banks etc. Not now.There is a form or
>> online chatbot,neither of which take photos or screen shots. So I just
>> sent it on twitter ;). Yesterday I tweeted at the PDSA who make it
>> impossible to contact and book a date for a poorly pet. Reregister
>> form didn.t work. Then it did but system still says the mog is not one
>> of theirs. It has been 11 nuggering years now!
>

We now have our emergency telephonic instrument connected to the hub; when
the power goes orff, it senses the hub has dropped out and switches on with
a battery supplied sim connection. It is a (Motorola FW500 M’lud.) I
understand that the roadside connection panels do not have any emergency
powering so it is as well that a sim is used for emergencies and even if my
network equipment is still powered from our own battery back up and solar
powering, we still would not have been able to send communications through
the roadside connection panels under such circs. Now, whether the emergency
services one might wish to contact have power backup …..

--
Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan

In message <u7p9q5$2uihh$1@dont-email.me> at Sat, 1 Jul 2023 13:30:45,
Mike McMillan <toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> writes
>Vicky <vicky.ayech@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Sat, 01 Jul 2023 13:31:54 +0100, Vicky <vicky.ayech@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 11:27:44 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>>>> the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>>>> above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>>>> whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
[]
>>> More annoying is emails from companies, O2 currently, that say do not
>>> reply to this email as it is not monitored, and where there is no way
>>> to email them.

Even more annoying is () when they either don't say "don't reply to this
email" until right at the end, where you might not see it as you think
it's part of the pages of bumph they add onto the end, or don't tell you
at all, but eventually you get a bounce message saying "you wrote to an
address that isn't monitored".
>>
>> 'More annoying are' I suppose but I meant the fact is annoying,
>> although each email like that is too.

(I didn't even pick up on it - I guess I assumed you meant the fact.)
>>>
>>> Also currently wanted to email First Direct to send a screen print of
>>> their really awful website. I use a PC not a )(*&(*&)(*&)(&** mobile

Indeed. I currently do not have in my possession a "smart" 'phone, and
strongly suspect I'll not remedy that situation: yes, to some extent I'm
cutting off my nose as someone else said, but it's a principle.

>>> ap. Used to be a way toemail banks etc. Not now.There is a form or

Yes, they are toenails, aren't they, or worse.

Lack of effective communication point is becoming more and more endemic.
I guess you can always print the offending screen shot and send it - by
registered post; but why should _you_ have to spend both time and (not
insignificant) money when you're telling _them_ they're at fault?

There was something on TV this morning about people who don't _receive_
things - not delivered goods, communications; the situation is very
insidious, because _you_ don't have a contract with Royal Mail in these
circumstances - and the sending party don't feel inclined to sue (or
whatever) Royal Mail on your behalf. Things like where you don't respond
to a summons in time and are fined (or worse), or miss a month's
pension, or countless other situations, where you're in deep trouble
(financial or otherwise) because you didn't respond to something you
didn't receive (either in time or at all). For once, the panel didn't
really have any solution, other than to say that the person who missed a
month's pension ought to get it eventually.

>>> online chatbot,neither of which take photos or screen shots. So I just
>>> sent it on twitter ;). Yesterday I tweeted at the PDSA who make it

Twitter still works to some extent, but I think companies - and bodies -
are learning to ignore even that )-:. Reminds me - I haven't yet tweeted
asking the BBC to tell me what the new energy cap is PER KILOWATT-HOUR,
rather than this silly "typical household" figure. (I've also noticed
they're giving those figures in both pounds and dollars; I thought BBC
News only joined with BBC World overnight, but it must be daytime too.)

>>> impossible to contact and book a date for a poorly pet. Reregister
>>> form didn.t work. Then it did but system still says the mog is not one
>>> of theirs. It has been 11 nuggering years now!
>>
My dentist sends out an invite to fill in some forms before an
appointment - in which the link to the form is purely an online image of
text. (I've tried to tell them that's no good for the disabled, but of
course they don't understand.) And when I got them to email me the link
to the form, I logged into that, and entered my DOB, and it said
something like "now enter the code we've sent to ..."; of course no such
code appeared on my landline. [I _have_ had a - spoken - code on my
landline, I forget who from: might even have been PayPal.]
>
>We now have our emergency telephonic instrument connected to the hub; when
>the power goes orff, it senses the hub has dropped out and switches on with
>a battery supplied sim connection. It is a (Motorola FW500 M’lud.) I

So it's basically a fobile moan.

>understand that the roadside connection panels do not have any emergency
>powering so it is as well that a sim is used for emergencies and even if my
>network equipment is still powered from our own battery back up and solar
>powering, we still would not have been able to send communications through
>the roadside connection panels under such circs. Now, whether the emergency
>services one might wish to contact have power backup …..
>
They probably do, even if only vehicular. But I doubt the mobile network
your SIM connects via has anything like the backup duration an
old-fashioned telephone exchange does. So the emergency services may
work, but you still won't be able to reach them.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Q. How much is 2 + 2?
A. Thank you so much for asking your question.
Are you still having this problem? I'll be delighted to help you. Please
restate the problem twice and include your Windows version along with
all error logs.
- Mayayana in alt.windows7.general, 2018-11-1

On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 16:53:50 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
wrote:

>> More annoying is emails from companies, O2 currently, that say do not
>>>> reply to this email as it is not monitored, and where there is no way
>>>> to email them.
>
>Even more annoying is () when they either don't say "don't reply to this
>email" until right at the end, where you might not see it as you think
>it's part of the pages of bumph they add onto the end, or don't tell you
>at all, but eventually you get a bounce message saying "you wrote to an
>address that isn't monitored".

Yes that was what happened with 02

On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 16:53:50 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> a
gribouillé dans la poussière...

>when I got them to email me the link
>to the form, I logged into that, and entered my DOB, and it said
>something like "now enter the code we've sent to ..."; of course no such
>code appeared on my landline. [I _have_ had a - spoken - code on my
>landline, I forget who from: might even have been PayPal.]

I once had a full telephone number sent to my landline, which would have
been fine had it been uttered one figure at a time. Sorting out 'One
billion*, six hundred and forty-six million, seven hundred and twenty-three
thousand, one hundred and thirty**' took many replays to write down :(

* initial zero was not spoken.
** please don't dial this number, it may actually exist somewhere.
--
Penny
Annoyed by The Archers since 1959

Penny <spam@labyrinth.freeuk.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 16:53:50 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> a
> gribouillé dans la poussière...
>
>> when I got them to email me the link
>> to the form, I logged into that, and entered my DOB, and it said
>> something like "now enter the code we've sent to ..."; of course no such
>> code appeared on my landline. [I _have_ had a - spoken - code on my
>> landline, I forget who from: might even have been PayPal.]
>
> I once had a full telephone number sent to my landline, which would have
> been fine had it been uttered one figure at a time. Sorting out 'One
> billion*, six hundred and forty-six million, seven hundred and twenty-three
> thousand, one hundred and thirty**' took many replays to write down :(
>
> * initial zero was not spoken.
> ** please don't dial this number, it may actually exist somewhere.

Was it perhaps your bank balance … or debit?:-(((

--
Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan

J. P. Gilliver wrote:

>Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>possible less.

My pet hate is replies omitting (and usually failing to take any
account of) the original text, even worse when it is from a web
form, where you only have the text if you have personally copied
and pasted it somewhere.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham
'48/33 M B+ G++ A L(-) I S-- CH0(--)(p) Ar- T+ H0 ?Q
chris@cdixon.me.uk @ChrisJDixon1
Plant amazing Acers.

Chris J Dixon <chris@cdixon.me.uk> wrote:
> J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>
>> Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>> the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>> above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>> whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>> boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>> them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>> possible less.
>
> My pet hate is replies omitting (and usually failing to take any
> account of) the original text, even worse when it is from a web
> form, where you only have the text if you have personally copied
> and pasted it somewhere.
>
> Chris

I believe there is an obligatory training course that all companies send
their webform designers and ‘help centre’ staff on before releasing them on
the unsuspecting hordes of nuisances … err…. Customers. I also believe that
this course was designed and managed by Virginontherediculous!

--
Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan

On 02/07/2023 16:28, Chris J Dixon wrote:
> J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>
>> Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>> the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>> above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>> whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>> boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>> them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>> possible less.
>
> My pet hate is replies omitting (and usually failing to take any
> account of) the original text, even worse when it is from a web
> form, where you only have the text if you have personally copied
> and pasted it somewhere.

Yes. Learning to copy & paste the text into a text document somewhere
is one of those things we all learn the hard way.
Better still, if you _have_ to use an on line web form, construct the
text in a text document first, & then copy-paste it into the form.

In message <u7s61s$3bpu8$1@dont-email.me> at Sun, 2 Jul 2023 15:45:00,
Mike McMillan <toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> writes
>Chris J Dixon <chris@cdixon.me.uk> wrote:
>> J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>>
>>> Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>>> the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>>> above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>>> whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>>> boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>>> them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>>> possible less.
>>
>> My pet hate is replies omitting (and usually failing to take any
>> account of) the original text, even worse when it is from a web
>> form, where you only have the text if you have personally copied
>> and pasted it somewhere.

And software obviously used by many webform designers strips carriage
returns - so text I put in, if it _does_ get quoted back, is a horrible
solid block, not the nicely spaced paragraphs I typed. I _expect_ this
now, so I default to putting
\\
wherever I enter a blank line.
>>
>> Chris
>
>I believe there is an obligatory training course that all companies send
>their webform designers and ‘help centre’ staff on before releasing them on
>the unsuspecting hordes of nuisances … err…. Customers. I also believe that
>this course was designed and managed by Virginontherediculous!
>
"Bus Driver's School", Bob Newhardt ... (-:
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

While no one was paying attention, weather reports became accurate and the
news became fiction. Did not see that coming. - Scott Adams, 2015

J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
> In message <u7s61s$3bpu8$1@dont-email.me> at Sun, 2 Jul 2023 15:45:00,
> Mike McMillan <toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> writes
>> Chris J Dixon <chris@cdixon.me.uk> wrote:
>>> J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>>>
>>>> Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
>>>> the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
>>>> above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
>>>> whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
>>>> boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
>>>> them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
>>>> possible less.
>>>
>>> My pet hate is replies omitting (and usually failing to take any
>>> account of) the original text, even worse when it is from a web
>>> form, where you only have the text if you have personally copied
>>> and pasted it somewhere.
>
> And software obviously used by many webform designers strips carriage
> returns - so text I put in, if it _does_ get quoted back, is a horrible
> solid block, not the nicely spaced paragraphs I typed. I _expect_ this
> now, so I default to putting
> \\
> wherever I enter a blank line.
>>>
>>> Chris
>>
>> I believe there is an obligatory training course that all companies send
>> their webform designers and ‘help centre’ staff on before releasing them on
>> the unsuspecting hordes of nuisances … err…. Customers. I also believe that
>> this course was designed and managed by Virginontherediculous!
>>
> "Bus Driver's School", Bob Newhardt ... (-:

Have you heard “The Driving Instructor”? Mrs. Webb must have been quite a
driver!

--
Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan

In message <u7ttms$3l5bf$1@dont-email.me> at Mon, 3 Jul 2023 07:34:52,
Mike McMillan <toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> writes
>J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>> In message <u7s61s$3bpu8$1@dont-email.me> at Sun, 2 Jul 2023 15:45:00,
>> Mike McMillan <toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> writes
[]
>>> I believe there is an obligatory training course that all companies send
>>> their webform designers and ‘help centre’ staff on before
>>>releasing them on
>>> the unsuspecting hordes of nuisances … err…. Customers. I also
>>>believe that
>>> this course was designed and managed by Virginontherediculous!
>>>
>> "Bus Driver's School", Bob Newhardt ... (-:
>
>Have you heard “The Driving Instructor”? Mrs. Webb must have been quite a
>driver!
>
The point of mentioning the first one was it supported Mike's concept of
a training course that specifically trained in the bad behaviour. But
yes, the latter is a classic too - "the light blinded you. The flashing
light blinded you. The flashing red light on the car behind blinded you.
Yes, officer, she was just telling me about it."

Triggers me to go seek them. BDT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5TTA4f7Q3E; DI:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaUYQZR-y7I - yes, a classic. I'd
forgotten it was that long (8m) - but it passes unnoticed ...
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

If something works, thank an engineer. (Reported seen on a bumper sticker.)

J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
> In message <u7ttms$3l5bf$1@dont-email.me> at Mon, 3 Jul 2023 07:34:52,
> Mike McMillan <toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> writes
>> J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>>> In message <u7s61s$3bpu8$1@dont-email.me> at Sun, 2 Jul 2023 15:45:00,
>>> Mike McMillan <toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> writes
> []
>>>> I believe there is an obligatory training course that all companies send
>>>> their webform designers and ‘help centre’ staff on before
>>>> releasing them on
>>>> the unsuspecting hordes of nuisances … err…. Customers. I also
>>>> believe that
>>>> this course was designed and managed by Virginontherediculous!
>>>>
>>> "Bus Driver's School", Bob Newhardt ... (-:
>>
>> Have you heard “The Driving Instructor”? Mrs. Webb must have been quite a
>> driver!
>>
> The point of mentioning the first one was it supported Mike's concept of
> a training course that specifically trained in the bad behaviour. But
> yes, the latter is a classic too - "the light blinded you. The flashing
> light blinded you. The flashing red light on the car behind blinded you.
> Yes, officer, she was just telling me about it."
>
> Triggers me to go seek them. BDT:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5TTA4f7Q3E; DI:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaUYQZR-y7I - yes, a classic. I'd
> forgotten it was that long (8m) - but it passes unnoticed ...

The difference being that the bus driver requires little intervention to
have the running-for-the-bus won’t be a passenger attempt to catch the
moving bus other than for the won’t be passenger to run just slow enough
that the bus driver need not accelerate very quickly to avoid the wbp
jumping on. Similarly the bus driver has the standing passengers tumbling
to the front of the bus involuntarily just by
brake-accelerator-brake-accelerator techniques. Whereas, the on-line form
is there, looking at you and you have to participate greatly - only to be
ignored by the people at the other end of the form.

--
Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan

On Sunday, July 2, 2023 at 4:28:08 PM UTC+1, Chris J Dixon wrote:
> J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>
> >Definitely. Their email systems positively discourage discourse: one of
> >the most infuriating bits of text I often encounter is "please reply
> >above this line" (usually as about the first line). I often copy their
> >whole response to above that line, so I can reply to it properly. As for
> >boilerplate text - I not infrequently use that specific word, asking
> >them not to use any such; that only works about 50-60% of the time,
> >possible less.
> My pet hate is replies omitting (and usually failing to take any
> account of) the original text, even worse when it is from a web
> form, where you only have the text if you have personally copied
> and pasted it somewhere.
>
>
A big vote of thanks then to Grand Central Trains who, when I notified them of a web-site problem using their web form, replied from an intelligible email address and copied all the contents of my original message in the reply. They also solved the problem and we ended up having a very comfortable journey from Brighouse (where?) into London King's Cross.

I wish I could say the same about the return journey. They cancelled both the train we were booked on and the one after that and we ended up with a pass for a rival TOC involving two changes, one with only two minutes to spare.[1]

Nick
nickodell49@yahoo.ca
[1]Okay, so we just had to walk five metres across the width of the island platform to greet the new train but we didn't know that would be what happened when we set out.