Firkindolloper

I went to the RNLI College Restaurant on Wednesday 22 October with a friend. Lovely views from top floor restaurant.We ordered a pot of tea for 2: it was lukewarm so I went back and mentioned it to the girl who was serving. She said the water needed changing(?). We asked for another pot, for which she charged me. To prevent making a scene, I paid by card. No receipt.
I went for a sandwich which was hard around the edges, although in date.
To cap it all, I checked my bank statement today and the girl charged me 2 different prices for the tea!
So lukewarm tea, hard bread and 2 different prices charged for the same item. Never again and I would warn people about the standard there.

On 15 August I received a new remote which was, apparently, ready to go. It completely stopped my box working correctly. I tried all the usual steps, disconnect the box, the hub and the remote. I tried to re-pair it. That did not work. My old remote does not fully work either.
I tried to call and got the most useless bot on the web. Eventually I got to chat to a customer services rep (in India) who was clueless. I made a complaint and next day the manager called (also from India) who said she had arranged an engineer visit for 18 August but no engineer turned up. No surprise there. I went through the bot rubbish again before another chat with a customer services rep (yes, from India) who has set up (allegedly) an engineer visit for 28th August. I am without full control over a service I pay for for 2 weeks.
So, to refresh: a useless bot, 2 clueless customer services reps and the useless customer services manager. When my contract finishes, I am leaving Virgin Media. They are the worst outfit that I have ever dealt with. Did I say they were clueless?
They have replied: I actually used all the options they have suggested and they did not work. No Whatsapp, useless bot on the phone and I don't use Facebook. Basically, they pretent to be able to be contacted but it is easier to get an abused child from Social Services than to actually get to speak to Virgin Media. Yes, useless......
I could do with an engineer to come before 28th as I can't record anything, can't control the sound and the box tells me there is something wrong and to "call us on UNKOWN". Really!! I took a picture of the screen and wish I could show it here. I can't actually say what I would like to about Virgin Media but useless is the polite version.

I have just had a cold call from Fox & Sons Poole where they asked how my property search was going despite the fact that I have never even contacted them, given them my details or asked them to call. I am not even looking for a property!
If I was ever buying a property in the Poole area I would give this lot a wide berth.
I have just checked and see that they are part of Connells group of estate agents. Panorama did a programme about their "activities" on Monday 14 July 2025. Worth a look before you go near this lot.

Fraudsters! I was selling an Iphone 12 and Iphone X, both in pristine condition, in original boxes with accessories (they had screen savers and Otterbox protected since new). I sent them off in the hope that they would come near the £300+ cash listed (subject to condition). They offered £10n for the Iphone X and £70 for the Iphone 12 because they had"marks" on them. I know they did not as I would never have sold them. I paid for them to be returned and then the hassle began.
The offer was increased by £20 overall but I insisted I wanted them back. I kept emailing and having replies saying I would save the postage etc if I took the offer.
After 2 weeks+, I got fed up and accepted a slightly increased offer due to the fact that my wife said to do it. I guessed they had already sold them and then tried to wear me down. If I lived closer to them, then they would see an angry man! I am sure they do that with everyone who tried to sell them a phone.
These people are fraudsters in my opinion and anyone who deals with them should be aware. DO NOT TRUST THEM!

Flight crew were excellent but Customer Services the opposite. No response to emails or telephone calls.
My suitcase was damaged by baggage handlers between Alice Springs to Melbourne to Sydney but Qantas would not compensate me or even take responsibility for the damage. My suitcase is now ruined so I will have to purchase another one.
My opinion of Qantas has dropped considerably and I won't use them again.

I recently bought a warranty from Warrantywise at a good price but the information stored by them had to be amended so I contacted them and Olivia C put it right very quickly. Always a good service from Warrantywise and this time was no different.

I dealt with a chap called Nathan Ramplee during my purchase of a car warranty from Warrantywise. Nathan listened to what I needed and tailored my warranty accordingly. He was easy to talk to, helpful and professional. A credit to warrantywise

At first I thought I would have to jump through hoops to be refunded but it turned out to be a simple process.
Refunded.me guided me through the process and quickly arranged the refund, for which I thank them. Having read some of the comments on this platform, I was sceptical but I found that they are a professional company who do an honest job.

I used Moneysupermarket to obtain quotes for car insurance and chose Allianz (they were not the cheapest). I filled in my details on their website, created an account and then they declined me. This is the first time this has happened in over 40 years of driving yet they waited till I had spent time giving all the details. I was unable to contact them - no surprise! I cannot express how angry I am with this lot as they do not say why they cannot insure me. It could affect future applications for car insurance.

Update: They cannot explain why it was refused and stated I did not have an account, which was rubbish. I did have an account but no policy. They sent me videos of how to etc which is most patronising as I have has car insurance for over 40 years and know my way around sites. When I asked them to delete my account - which they now accept I have - and delete my data, they sent me another video.
After my angry reply, they now are in the process of removing my data from their site.

Being mature enough not to hold a grudge against Poole Audi, I saw a car there and paid a deposit. The salesperson Laurent Reynolds did his best to enable me to buy the car, not aware of my past history with them until I mentioned it, just before I was about to pay the balance and collect the car.
When he called, I was told that I was persona non grata there, and they were not to sell me a car. I made the choice of asking for my cash back and sadly cancelling the sale. It shows that Poole Audi had instructions not to sell me a car again because I gave them, and rightly so, a one star rating. This rating does not reflect on the efforts of Laurent Reynolds who was great to deal with. Unfortunately the company are not, however, they can put things right by allowing me to buy the car if Mr Elms sanctions it. All it takes is a call/text/email and I can pay in full, cash. No hard feelings and my review will reflect this when/if I hear from them.

Update 8pm 7 Jan: Nothing heard from Poole Audi and they have sold the car since this review. Disappointed but not surprised as they never wanted to sell to me.

Great service from Forest. Good price, good product and fast delivery. The delivery man was polite and professional and is a credit to the company.

About an hour ago I contacted Hendystore Portsmouth regarding a car. I did this via Autotrader and have a link to the advert.
Within half an hour, Hendy raised the price by £550.
I had intended to go to see it tomorrow but that is not going to happen.
Warning: Be Careful dealing with this lot!!

I Can't fault APC really. The parcels were delivered in time and in good condition. Driver was polite.

I have been with IPVanish for a few years now and never had a problem until this week but it was quickly resolved.
It is well priced and has plenty of connection options so a sound package for me.
I will renew my subscription when my current one runs out.

Checked warranty deals on Motoreasy and found a god one, in my opinion. I spoke with a chap called Craig just to clarify other deals that may be available and he couldn't be more helpful. I bought 2 warranty packages and am delighted with the ease of which I managed to do so and, of course, the help from Craig.

This review is for the replacement car I bought from Poole Audi. I needed it in a hurry so it did the trick, for now. Unfortunately, it cost way more than it is worth due to the cost to change from a car that I would not drive due to steamed up headlights - a feature apparently - they were not sealed. 4 cars now I have bought from them; never again.
Anyway this car is ok so far. Helped by the second hand sales manager and salesperson - both good - the car was ready for when needed.
3 weeks on and I am still waiting for the complete service history documents - they were incomplete when I bought the car and should have been up to date. I also await my second year warranty documents. Sales are all over you when you buy - after sales desert you. Not surprised considering my last experience. Another poor show from Poole Audi.

Top marks for Crisjermar B of Ticketmaster. I bought some resale tickets for a gig that was due in a couple of days. I tried to add them to Apple Wallet but it would not add the moving barcode with Apple Wallet pop up stating that the ticket belonged in someone else's Apple Wallet. Clench....
I contacted Ticketmaster who assured me, more than a few times, that I should use their App and it was the first time that this had happened. First time for everything.
Anyway, we went to the gig and used the App and there wasn't a problem
Thanks to Crisjermar B at Ticketmaster for his patience, reassurance and professional help.

This began on 6 February 2024 and is still ongoing 21 March 2024.....
I bought a 2021 Audi Q3 TDI from Poole Audi. Salesman did his job and was good: polite and professional. Cash sale was straightforward but not happy with what happened after I accepted the car. Firstly, I had to clean the leather seats as they were not up to standard and the inside smelled like old sweaty training shoes, which I also cleared. I tried to contact them but no response after 6 days as I was not happy about the car. Later I found out that there was a feature that wasn't explained at the time of purchase( headlights that steamed up and cleared by a fan in due course!). When I got home the headlights were steamed up. I couldn't believe it. Not bad for a car I hardly owned and would not drive I was far from from impressed as a previous purchase was first class. I attempted to have Poole Audi take the car back but that was not an option apparently. Since I wrote the first part of this review, things began to happen.
Update: I heard from Poole Audi who said I would have the "Audi experience I deserve" and the General Sales Manager said he wanted "to put things right" for me. The After Sales Manager who dealt with it was also decent: patient and tried to accommodate me but I needed a car quickly so I managed to agree an exchange with Poole Audi for an older and cheaper car with older technology (and sealed headlights).
I received a partial refund but I lost £3k in the deal. I have now received the rest of the partial refund but still losing the £3k. Still not happy about that as I thought it would cost me a few hundred pounds maximum to cover their costs. Robbery! I am also awaiting updated in house documents after 13 days. So much for "putting things right" and giving me "the Audi Experience I Deserve". Massively disappointed that I paid so much for that experience. Obviously I rightly deserved it! Prospective Audi purchasers should take care when looking at a new/newish car from Poole Audi. You should go elsewhere. Buyer beware.........

I bought a Lightline Jacket which is described as “highly water resistant” yet my jacket let water in through the shoulder seams in light showers. It is still being sold with this description. I contacted customer services who said it wasn’t water resistant. Really?
The jacket is good in cold dry weather but I bought it due to the water resistant statement. I will never buy another Mountain Equipment product.

Easy process, quick sale.