Somebody please restrain me.....

Dragonfly I guess we are all prey in terms of the constant fight to get your hard earned money into someone elses pocket in exchange for something you don't really need but have been indoctrinated to want.
NfkDumpling If that is the case I would love to have been able to tell my masters that. Sadly none of them will be alive today so I will just remain grateful that they steered me onto the path they did. Attributed to him is good enough for me.
Kitty That quote is perfectly suited to our politicians and can be applied to many situations. I'm thinking of the closure of rural post office counters and many examples within the NHS. Thank you for sharing.

A similar thought is the one about knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Excellent quote and out of curiosity and nothing better to do, I Googled it. And it's not him! Just attributed to him but no one can find out where from.
And I had so hoped to be able to impress my SiL with it!

Only on Gransnet could Currys, JL and John Ruskin inhabit the same space! Love it. Never thought if myself as 'prey' though, PS.

"There is nothing that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper and people who consider price alone are that mans lawful prey". That or words to that effect were a quote by John Ruskin I believe, assuming my schoolboy memory is correct. It is equally applicable to products or services and something I try to bear in mind whenever I buy anything.

Don't JL still promise to match any local price "never knowingly undersold" ?
Also they give you a guarantee without asking you to pay for it, instead if putting pressure on to buy a guarantee (in other words, that is where they are making the profit on an apparently cheaper item)

JL really can be the cheapest. Don't be fooled I ordered something to arrive before 10.30am and as( I'd been renovating my house they delivered most days for months). I had a call one morning Hello CJEL its John here. sorry John who? John you're john lewis delivery man, I'm running late do you really need it by 10.30 or could I bring it by 11!!!!!!

Some years ago the late Mr.G and I ordered a fridge freezer from C. The lady assistant was all over us like a rash while we made our choice, until the point when we declined to take out an insurance, whereupon she turned into the woman from hell. The smile disappeared, she became surly, slapped down the paperwork, told us to sign 'there' and turned her back. Go back there again? Never. JL all the way.

I told the guy who eventually rang to apologise to me that his company's service and customer care made British Gas look like saints. He seemed very hurt by that remark.....

The freezer tale reminds me if a similar incident with - what a surprise - the same C company many years ago. We bought a fridge and I saw the van drive up but no one knocked at the door. Instead I heard a shuffling sound and a lot of huffing and puffing. I opened the door and there was one small man trying to slide my freezer on a blanket down the incline to my front door! I remember telling him this was unacceptable he could damage himself as well as my freezer and told him to ring for reinforcement which he duly did. If I remember correctly someone came to help and it was eventually installed. I had a run in with the same company again much later on but they've had their comeuppance in our area - their premises is now a pet food store!
I then discovered John Lewis - so much more professional and very reasonable

Thanks PS. I reckon it'll be John Lewis in future!

Dragonfly1 A lesson learn't perhaps. On the matter of "watching the pennies" I'm with you 100% there which is the main reason I will only use John Lewis. Identical prices to other outlets but light years ahead on customer service. Glad to hear you have now reached a satisfactory conclusion.

Well I certainly won't be using Cs again.

John Lewis - every time, longer, freer guarantee, great service, great follow-up. Never go anywhere else.

Update - freezer door was sorted on Monday but because I got no apology from C's I kicked up a bit of a polite fuss. Well, polite for me. Anyway, just had a phone call, grovelling apology and refund of the 30 quid I paid for the job. Result.

Well done Aka - the nerve of some folks. Lucky you could prove it wasn't your fault.

Dragonfly I put the whole matter into the hands of my insurance company. Also, I could prove that I was in the store at the time the incident was said to have taken place, thanks to a till receipt and a withdrawal from an autobank. If the incident had happened as he said, instead of driving off as he claimed, I had actually gone to the autobank, gone into Sainsbury's, did my shopping, had a coffee and cake at the cafe!! Not a likely scenario you'd agree.

Aka thanks to you I am now going to report the incident to the Police! Watch this space!

Nice one Elegran

Charleygirl A young man came to service my boiler and check the radiators and their controls. For the control on one radiator he would have to bend down and reach about nine inches behind a desk, which was about six inches in front of the radiator. He told me he was going to put in his notes that he could not check that one as it was inaccessible.

"Is it?" I said. "I can reach it OK when I want to change the setting, or switch off the PC at the power point beside it, and I am 74." It turned out that he could reach it too, when he tried.

Jobsworths! I reckon my two clowns today just wanted to finish early, as was implied in an earlier post. What annoys me even more is that their customer service phone number is a premium number.

Dragonfly1 I bought my present washing machine from the same company about 6 years ago. It was delivered, they were to take the old one away- no problem I thought. There was a sharp intake of breath from one of the fellows whn he saw that the powerpoint was behind the machine but more than half way up the wall. I agree, not very convenient but this flower would not unplug it for health and safety reasons. My kitchen would have to be submerged in water more than half way up the walls for it to be a problem! I unplugged the old one and plugged in the new one. What a pair of idiots.

I'm afraid I have to watch the pennies, PS

That's why I only buy from John Lewis and they deliver on a Saturday too. Perfect service, never a quibble and always exactly as it said on the tin with helpful delivery staff. No contest really.

AKA , Lordy THAT is a wee bit scary , and something to be aware of.
Mind you the Stuff people get up to makes one shudder and how we have to be ever , ever alert .