5G Fake News or a Food For Thought?

Evening All, 

Following our last catch-up last week, I eventually heard back on the contractual changes being put in place in order to action Furlough amongst employees. Thankfully I am not one of them and continue to serve both my country and my company for another few weeks at least. I am continuing to work in whatever capacity that I can but for the most part, this is doing my normal job, full time and fully paid! As long as I am doing something, my bit if you will, then I am happy. And as I said, with no kids, childcare issues at nil, twenty-minutes drive from the office and having never taken ill since working for the company I would like to hope that this will continue for as long as it can, and fingers crossed that is soon so we can all go back to normal. 

So as I now welcome in week number two as officially working from home and Day 19 in self-isolation (not by my choice I might add) I am starting to get into a bit more of a swing of it. Admittedly it is still weird and strange, working from home with my little desk set up with Mr Warehouse's gamer headset and a picture of the dogs in the corner. Odd to think that this is my new norm. Only a few weeks ago, life was normal. I was eating out and cocktails at restaurants with Miss Hackney and Miss SugarCoat, Cups of coffee and Cinema trips with Miss Tweedle-Dee - All just a distant memory. I never thought that life would be as different now. 

As a nation, we are still awaiting another chat with our dear Boris (Johnson, our Prime Minister, and a secret hunk of mine) although after coming down with the dreaded COVID-19 Coronavirus and being sent to ICU at London's St Thomas Hospital, I doubt that it will come very soon. That being said we, as the British Nation tuned in yesterday to listen to Liz (Queen Elizabeth II) talk us through what she described as a different challenge to those we have faced before. The BBC broadcast went on with the Queen who is now ninety-three bless her said the "painful sense of separation from their loved ones" that social distancing was causing for people reminded her of the experience child evacuees had during the Second World War.

Although the last week had got me thinking outside the box?! What happens if this was created? Manufactured? Constructed by a sick individual in order to gain financially or get their rocks off on the hundreds of thousands, if not millions by the time this goes out dying. Or worse - What if it is multiple people? An organisation? Illuminati maybe? No?!

A website called Wired.co.uk dived deep into the speculation that seems to be hitting social media around the links between 5G and the deadly COVID-19 Coronavirus. From an interview with an obscure Belgian doctor to apparent arson attacks in the UK, the conspiracy theory that 5G is somehow linked to the coronavirus pandemic has spread unlike any other and gained a huge following by celebrities alike including Dancing On Ice judge Jason Gardiner, Actor Woody Harrelson and Boxer Amir Khan. Even TV Darling Amanda Holden tweeted it before revoking it saying she "didn't know what it was about".

Now I know what you are thinking - What? Phone signals and 5G and Coronavirus flu? That is the most ludicrous link anyone can ever make, especially for someone such as myself who loves a Shane Dawson Conspiracy Series on YouTube! But hear me out as the more I read into it the more it seems plausible. It started with a Belgian newspaper (Het Laatste Nieuws) who published an interview they had done with Kris Van Kerckhoven, a GP doctor from a small town near Antwerp on 22nd January this year. 

Headlined with "5G is life-threatening, and no one knows it” which has now since been deleted from its website caused waves that have burned through social media and the internet. But it has not just remained online, oh no as the wild conspiracy theory has now broken out into the real world because not only did this Belgian Academic claim that 5G was dangerous, he also said it might be linked to coronavirus which was soon to sweep the planet. Obviously, at the time of publication, the outbreak was barely making international news. It wasn't relevant in the western world. So far the Virus had claimed just nine lives and infected 440 people with almost all of them in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The Belgian news article went on to state that since 2019, numerous 5G cell towers had been erected in and around Wuhan. 

Now Dr. Van Kerckhoven did caveat the statement with the notion that he had not checked all of his facts and that it should not be taken as gospel, however he had suggested the link and therefore the touchpaper was set on fire. Quickly picked up by anti-5G campaigners, Facebook and many other outlets linked to and quoted from the article. And so the snowballing and (forgive the pun) Chinese whispers started. Claims were made that this was proof of something very dark indeed happening with the rollout of 5G, an upgrade in mobile technology superseding its predecesors (3G and 4G), enabling faster browsing and allowing us to do things like watching videos, stream music or scroll through timelines, all whilst on the move. But this idea that Dr. Van Kerckhoven was peddling wasn’t new. In fact, it has been bubbling away quietly for a few decades. Someone's old chip shop paper you may say, especially when compared to the unfounded concerns about high-voltage power lines in the 1980s, mobile phones in the 1990s and that dreaded millennium bug that was going to end the world. 

Het Laatste Nieuws editor Dimitri Antonissen soon took down the article from publication and the website stating that “the quotes were unfounded and we regret the fact that the story was online for a few hours”. But it was far too late, the cat was well and truly out of the bag and running for the fucking hills. So? Does 5G worsen the effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus by weakening your immune system? Is it true that 5G outright causes coronavirus-like symptoms? Is the coronavirus lockdown is being used as cover-up to install 5G networks that can tap into and listen to everything? Is that Bill Gates bloke in on it all? Or is it that this is all an Illuminati mass-murder plot to kill off the weak and vulnerable so as to control populations and ergo ease in the idea or a new world order?

Who Knows. Truth be told no one does, and honestly, most of it sounds like utter shite. But, just maybe, if someone wanted to create something so devastating, so awful - They probably could. And if they wanted to unleash a deadly virus on the world, what better time to do it?! Starting it off in China, one of the world most controlled populations, bursting at the seams with people, all ready to go home to their families for Chinese New Year. With no sea to cross and not much-limited travelling, it wouldn't take much for the infected to start travelling to other parts of the world. Where is easiest to get to without boat or plane from China - Europe. And in Europe right now we are in Winter, admittedly coming into spring but most people around this time will have sore throats or coughs. A normal cold you might think on any other year but this. Just a thought. Just an idea. Just a theory. But nevertheless, a theory that has infiltrated every level and type of celebrity culture and could be used as a clever cloak for the dagger that the governments of the world hold?!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Spending Time and Saving Money!

Good Evening, 

What. A. Week! With several colleagues off on annual leave for their holibobs, and virtually skeleton-management in the office for the majority of the week it was certainly one for the books, not to mention a couple of engineers taking leave and a handful of sick-days. Yes, my week as the service desk manager (sort of, not really) was eventful to say the least. I shall not go into the in's-and-out's of what the week entailed fully and what customer issues I dealt with (fairly well all things considered) but I will certainly hand out credit where credit is due and my engineers were amazing and so helpful and understanding. I couldn't ask for a more helpful and lovely bunch of guys! I think I handles things well, although I am slightly less reluctant to share now that my work friends have come back from their travels. 

One thing I certainly don't have to hand over to anyone is the household chores. Oh and sometimes I wish I did. Now Mr. Warehouse is great at getting the housework done and in all fairness there is very little I have to do at home apart from the things I enjoy such as baking, cooking dinner for us both, Tidying up, Taking out the rubbish, feeding the dog and taking her for walks (most of the time anyway) and making packed lunches. However these limited amount of tasks I take on through the general household running is added onto my long list of things to keep in check, such as meter readings every few weeks, checking and comparing the prices of our monthly outgoings including TV, Broadband, Gas, Electricity and Water. It is my job to make sure that we are paying the right amount as well as any debts that are accrued over a period of time and make sure that they are settled in good time. I am also the one to negotiate the bills when they become slightly too high. 

Now this is something that some people, especially in Britain, may think of as quite controversial even in many circumstances be considered as rude. That's right, we are talking about the good old fashioned art of haggling. Now I fully understand that we are not standing in the middle of a market in Marrakech, arguing the toss over whether that handbag costs two goats or four. Nevertheless I feel that those that do not have off with any company that provides them a service deserves to be punished by paying so much for something I can get for so little. In Britain it feels like we are ingrained to believe that the price on the sticker is the price that you should pay, and whilst in many circumstances especially with retail and on High Street it is not common practise it is not to say that I have not tried my dab-hand at asking for a discount in stores. 

I am more likely than not to ask for a discount over the phone as I did this week with my car insurance provider. Keeping the conversation short and light I was able to get a discount of around £300.00 of my car insurance premium for this year which has certainly made me better off this year round, even with my no claims discount not fully intact. I started the conversation with the gentleman I spoke to asking him how his day was and politely explaining to him that I have received my renewal quote and after talking with some other insurance providers that they were able to match the same policy I was one and was coming in substantially cheaper than my current insurer. I followed up by asked him if there is anything he could do in terms of a discount as I did not want the hassle of moving provider. After checking through my details and making sure that nothing has drastically changed since last year, he was able to provide me the same level of service with ten-months cover including vehicle legal cover for myself and all passengers in my car as well as the courtesy car, should anything go wrong. After all discounts and reductions put onto my account I was still left paying less than I did last year and that was even with the crash I had in January and claim on my insurance. 

I was thrilled and after a phone call that lasting less than twenty-minutes I was able to save myself nearly enough for a small holiday. But alas this is not the first time as I am forever calling up and checking with insurance providers, or utility companies that I am on their cheapest tariff and paying as little as possible. My top tips for haggling is don't be afraid. What is the worst they could say - No?!

Male or female, flirting doesn't hurt or simply being friendly. Despite what you think they are a human being at the other end of the phone so have fun with it and ask them how their day is or what they were up to at the weekend. These are all ice-breakers and help the call-handler to see you as a nice person who just wants to cut back a bit. Lets be honest everyone is trying to cut back most of the time and explaining that you are saving for a holiday of a lifetime or a big old family Christmas are always plausible excuses for why you need to cut down on your outgoings and will again help in building the rapport with the call handler. Being rude will get you no-where and more likely than not will make the person on the other end of the phone want to cut off your service, not decrease its value. 

Explain that you have done your research and looked into other providers that are able to give you the same service or better. In most circumstances the call operator will ask you what prices you have been quoted from competitors. Be honest and explain to them that you have seen quotes online and through other providers for between 10% and 25% less than your current provider. Do not bite off more than you can chew and lie about the extreme values that you will be able to save by shopping elsewhere as the call handler may well ask you to suck it!

Stress the importance to you that you do not want to leave and that you have been a customer with the company for some time, assuming you have for example. Everyone can relate to how stressful it is trying to move providers even if it is something as simple as car insurance. By explaining that you are willing to take your custom elsewhere the company will be more likely to at least match the "offers" you have seen elsewhere and may even better it. All in all, hopefully the call operator will see that your loyalty to the company and lack of funds will encourage them to help a brother out! 

Don't worry because if you are not able to get a discount or what you want financially in terms of a reduction, get them to throw something in for no extra cost such as upgrade on TV package, phone extras such as more minutes or data or maybe even free breakdown cover! Again stay polite. It is not in my remit to give you a reduction or discount on your bill just because you have asked for one. A corporation or company is out to make money from their customers and you asking for discount means there is less after profit margin that the shareholders can use to go on holiday to Marbella next year! Don't get upset or angry if they refuse you want your asking them for - Remember you are essentially asking the company for favour and to reward your loyalty. 

Lastly, there are two ways that the conversation with the Company could end. Lets start with the happy ending that you wanted - You got it cheaper! Well done. Hard work is essentially over and you can look forward to the many months of savings that you may incur as a result of what could have been quite a quick phone call or Internet chat. But don't enjoy it too much just make sure to remind yourself when the deal or offer runs out so you can call the company back and ask for further discounts for reductions to keep your bill low. 

The other side of the coin is the Not-So glamorous ending of "nope". If the call operator utters those fateful words "If you can get it that cheaper elsewhere then should you like me to put you through to disconnections / the cancellation team?" Don't Panic! Usually this part of the play means that you will be put through to what is internally known as customer retention's. Basically put, these are the people that have real bargaining tools in order to keep you as a customer. And if all else fails and they still can't help you with what you are looking for in terms of a discount, reduced bill or freebie then a simple one-liner is all you need. Explaining to the customer retention's call operator that you just need to check with your husband, wife or partner that it is OK to cancel the services. Again finish politely and thank them for their help. 

Now please don't expect this to work miracles as it is only used as a mechanism in order to afford some of life's smaller luxuries. Instead of paying through the nose for life's necessities ask for something back in return. How many of you are sat at home with the same old providers of bank accounts, home insurance, TV and other products that you have never thought of calling and haggling down the price for. Go on, I encourage you to go fourth and save pennies ... 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Suck It Samsung!

'Ello 'Ello, 

So after constant phone calls to Samsung Head Office's every day of the last fortnight pretty much, it would seem we have some progress. You see a while back I wrote about my first few days being on holiday in Lanzarote with Miss Tweedle-Dee and Miss Tweedle-Dumb entitled "The Chinese Man Stole My Change & Other Tales of Brits Abroad!" In it I described what was to be the beginning of nearly four months worth of issues with my mobile-phone maker - Samsung. 

Issues with my phone started on the Monday in late June, just days before I flew out to Lanzarote, and after completing a very simple system/software update on my beloved Samsung Galaxy Note4, upgrading the operating system from Android Lollipop to Android Marshmallow it decided to knock out all my contacts leaving me unable to access my address book, call log, or even my key pad to call 999 for emergencies. As worryingly frustrating as this is I also lost all my contact names so if I was able to make any texts, which was difficult as the system would just crash after a few seconds of being in my messages, I couldn't know for sure who I was texting as my names-to-numbers had been lost. Annoyingly after several calls to Samsung, over ten-hours (the night before my holiday was due to begin) in total backing up all my phones data, one factory reset and an unsuccessful restore of data my phone was still broken. 

Sitting at work on the morning of my half-day holiday, I was less than six-hours from boarding the plane and yet my phone was still not fixed. Explaining in full to Samsung my issues and the fact I had attempted to back my data up on my phones unsuccessfully the night before the gentleman helped me through yet another factory reset and a half restore of my phone's data. Unable to complete the restore I was told someone would have to remote onto my phone the following day and that it would be OK to do even if overseas as all I would need was a strong internet connection my end and a strong internet connection back here in the UK call centre. Needing nothing more I left work and headed to the station with my half-fixed phone, boarded my plane and begin to try and relax on a well earned holiday with my Tweedles. 

The following day Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I headed to the beach to feel the sand between our toes on our first full day in the beating sunshine. It wasn't long before I had a phone call although due to my phones problems I was unable to answer it so hoped and prayed someone would try calling back later, which, a few hours later they did. Speaking to the gentleman that called he asked me to open my Laptop. I explained that I did not have it with me as I was out for the day and was told I did not need to be near it for the remote session with an engineer to commence. This was apparently incorrect information and as such I would need to be near my Laptop in order to perform the data restore to my Samsung Galaxy Note4. Explaining that the following day would be a pool day at the hotel and I could be near my Laptop most the afternoon if needs be I was promised a phone call back the following afternoon, but as I am sure you can expect, no phone call came. 


Continuing my holiday as normal as I could with limited access to my phone, I struggled to relax and enjoy myself. Attempting to take photos, videos, send messages back home or even use the calculator to split the bill for dinner was an increasely hard uphill struggle. By our last night on the Spanish island, not only was my phone shutting down, restart and freeze automatically on its own, but it also was conducting a full factory reset without authorisation which, in turn, deleted everything including all my music, contacts, Apps and holiday photos. Everything. Gone. 

Getting home in the very small hours of the following Friday I had a driving lesson and sat for a further two hours on the phone to Samsung in an attempt to get it resolved. Due to the fact that my phone was now shutting down, restart and freeze automatically on its own with no prior warning I was told I would need to bring it into the
Samsung store in Milton Keynes. So, scrapping all prior plans I had with Mr. Warehouse and others, my other half and I headed over to Milton Keynes bright and early on Saturday morning to get some results. After all I was told during my hundred-and-twenty-minute phone call that if they could not fix it in store then they would send it away externally for fixing and I would be able to make use of a replacement phone which was already waiting for me in the Samsung store. Although on arrival into store this was far from the case and after attempting their own repairs for the phone it was clear it would need to be sent away. 

"So how do I go about getting this replacement phone then to see me through until mine comes back then?" I asked. 
"I am not sure what you are on about Miss? We sometimes have devices we can allow customers to use whilst their's is in for repair but we dont have any in stock at the moment, Sorry." The kindly sales person said. Enraged I blathered on about what I was now meant to do and after travelling to Milton Keynes and wasting my entire day I was certainly far from a happy customer. Blowing up I poured out about the issues I had constantly had with Samsung and their frankly shockingly poor levels of customer service. I left the store that day unhappy and unable to 'simply go and buy a replacement phone' as the patronising sales person had told me to do. Upset I channelled it through on Monday morning as I penned a five page letter explaining all the issues and problems I had encountered. 

A few weeks later I received a snotty and frankly rude reply explaining that regardless of my medical situation of the time and needing a phone to contact doctors or hospitals should I need their services I would not be able to get a replacement device as promised by the previous call handler. I was pissed. Calling the number on the bottom of the letter I spoke with Mr. Samsung who was dealing with my case since the person who had originally wrote to me was since sunning her own self on a holiday of her own. Promising to help me he arranged for me to go into the Samsung store in Milton Keynes and collect a replacement device to use whilst mine was in for repair, although this was after some weeks of fighting for it and explaining many different times that it was important I had a phone to make contact with people should I become severely ill. 

Smoothly I went into the Samsung store in Milton Keynes and handed in my phone at the beginning of August. A week later I called for an update, since I had not had one from Mr. Samsung at Head Office. I was told by the store girl that my phone was sent away as promised although they were unable to fix it so were sending a replacement back in the form of either a new or refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note4. Another week passed and so after two-and-a-half weeks of it being with Samsung I decided to call again for another update. Only this time no-one answered the phone. Ringing and ringing and ringingand ringingand ringing. Six hours in total I spent trying to contact the Samsung store in Milton Keynes. No answer. So I got on the blower to Mr. Samsung at Head Office again and ripped him a nice new anus, explaining yet again my troubles with the poxy company who prides itself on being "market leaders" in innovation?!

Day after day after day I wouldMr. Samsung at Head Office call Mr. Samsung at Head Office just to hear what excuse he may have this time for where my phone is and why the Milton Keynes store was not answering their phones. On the brink of giving up and with my phone being in apparent transit for nearly three weeks I was subsequently told that actually it had only been in transit for four days and that an estimated time of arrival back to store would not be possible. 

Last Friday was my last straw and after being constantly pushed from pillar to post, told silly excuses and pointless reasons as to where my phone was and why it was not yet with me I was growing tired. Demanding a satisfactory development by three O'clock I warned that failure to do so would result in me taking it higher be it to the CEO or the Press but I wanted results and I wanted them today. Three O'clock soon loomed over my desk from the clock above it and just as I was about the angry phonecall to my dearest Mr. SamsungSamsung I received an incoming call from an unknown number. Answering the call I heard a familiar voice. It was Mr. SamsungSamsung. He had a soloutionresult for me. For some unknown reason, of which I have still not been told fully, Samsung, along with Carphone Warehouse (whom carried out my repair and who have supposedly still have my phone) would credit my account with £450.00 to buy a brand new phone with. Sceptical at the prospects of buying a like-for-like brand new phone for that price, I obliged and proceeded to spend my Friday night browsing Samsung online, relucant to buy a phone, or anything else for that matter from them ever again. 

The following morning I woke and made the trip yet again to the Samsung store in Milton Keynes. Walking into branch at the crack of opening time I approached one of the sales girls and explained "How she could help". Sure as to be there was not phone that was in the Samsung store under that value which as a result lead to me calling Carphone Warehouse and asking them to transfer the money. I just wanted the money, to cut my losses and leave store with either cash or in the knowledge that the bank transfer was completed. I was denied this although was told I could go to any Carphone Warehouse store and select any phone or accessories to the tune of my "voucher". Five minutes later I am in the Carphone Warehouse store in Milton Keynes and choosing my new phone - A Huawei (pronounced Wah-Way) P9 and I am in love. Although I did need to go to another store over twenty-minutes away from the city centre to collect it. With it being close to closing time, raining and with only two young and fairly unprofessionally mannered store people I wanted to get in an out and home. Successfully spending all of my "credit" on my new phone, in-car charger, spare cable, screen protector, GooglePlay voucher, in-car holster, a starter pack and a set of headphones. 

At present I have had not a single problem with my new  Huawei P9. I love it and am so glad my problems with Samsung are now finally over - Funnily enough I haven't heard from my friend Mr. Samsung?! Wonder why?

 'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx