An Olive Branch?

Evening, 

Following my visit last week to the wonderful island of Ireland after my grandfather's departure, it was certainly a visit to see family and recuperate that I think both Mr Warehouse and I definitely needed. But back home in the struggling spring of Mainland UK and with most things organised for the funeral including piecing together an all black outfit that would be appropriate for a funeral whilst still maintaining at some class and decorum about me, there was very little left to do. 

And yet I had to still try and get a hold of my brother. When it first happened, my granddad's death that is, I hoped he has some sense in trying to get in contact with the family, including both my mother or fathers sides. But what with Mr Warehouse and I travelling to Ireland, contacting my brother had slipped my mind in all fairness but as I said last week, in a funny sort of way I had made my peace with my Granddad and his demise, all I wanted is for my brother to have the opportunity do the same and make an informed choice. Last week I supposed that only time will tell. I didn't have to wait long. 

Following my return from County Kilkenny, I called round all family members, hoping to get an update or to find out that maybe given the circumstances my brother had contacted anyone, even just to send a card or to call and give his condolences and sympathies. Nothing. At the very least I thought he might reach out after all these years to our grandmother who had lost not only the love of her life but also the father to their children who eventually grew into the family she now has. But no. 

After speaking with my mother's brother, my Uncle Golf, I was informed that he to had not had any communication from my brother at all since the beginning of the month. I was disappointed to say the least. This was certainly not how our parents raised us and far from what I would expect my brother to act as an bow fully grown man. Talking more my Uncle Golf decided that my brother and I needed to talk and would be most unfortunate circumstances needed to talk and at the very least discuss the details for the funeral and what we both might like to say about our memory of our time with him. And so with this information and coupled with my brothers mobile number, on a evening after a heavy gym session I decided to give him a call. 

Was I nervous? Yes! Was I Anxious? Definitely!  Was I scared? No, he was my little bro! OK well I was a little bit but I think that all of those feelings are fairly normal when you have not spoken to someone who is meant to be one of the closest people in your life in the last four years. I suppose it is kind of morbid in a way that the last time we spoke it was at another funeral. honestly speaking I hope that it was not going to be add another but here I was. In my kitchen. In my flat. Dialling his number Mr. Warehouse stood by me stirring the pot of risotto watching it boil and bubble. It began to ring. With the dialling tone continuing I expected a voicemail to hit soon. 'Maybe he was just like his big sister putting his phone on charge and ignoring it for the whole evening?' I thought. But I barely had a moment to think about that before a deep manly voice answered the phone in a jovial tone. 

"Hiya" The young man said. Shocked, I had not expected my brother to be so receiving and happy about me calling. But oh how wrong I was! On hearing my voice my baby brother proceeded to tell me to "Fuck Off"! Stunned by his outrageous behaviour and inability to control himself and show a bit of respect, I had only a few seconds before he hung up the phone. Attempting quickly to return his call, it went almost straight to voicemail. Leaving him probably quite a lengthy and rambling on voicemail I followed up my communication, although brief with my brother, on a text message. 

Hi Sean it's me, your big sister. 

I know that you don't want to speak to me so I thought I would message you instead. Obviously I'm hoping that you know this already but if not our Granddad passed away recently. On behalf of myself, the family which you are apart of even after all these years but most importantly Granddad himself we would really like to see you. 

I understand if you do not want to come and see myself, dad or anyone else in the family for reasons I can only assume, but at the very least I think you should go and say goodbye to our Granddad one last time. I have enclosed the details below that are on all of the families social media pages as I am not sure if you have seen them. If you have not then you now have all the right information in order to make an knowledgeable decision about what you would like to do for yourself and I hope you do the right thing as a lot has changed in all these years. 

I have spoken to other family members and they have all said that if you would like they are more than welcome to offer you a lift to and from the funeral, crematorium and wake and this is including myself. 

If you end up deciding that you would not like to come to the funeral for whatever reason, personal or otherwise, then at the very least call the funeral directors and they will be able to organise a time for a personal viewing of the body so it is just you and Granddad where no one else will be allowed in. 

It's up to you at the end of the day but I would like to hope that you would still go and pay your respects to our grandfather who loved us unconditionally and irrespective of our parents and what they did or did not do. 

When everything is said and done, I just wanted to make sure that you had a chance to make an informed decision for yourself as an adult. I love you and if there is anything else I can do or that you would like to discuss them please call me. My number hasn't changed. 

'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