Jayesh Gandhi

I have a Vue Cinema account where I set-up reminders to be notified of when upcoming film tickets become available.

Having received an email notification on 10.10.25 that tickets were now available for "The Running Man", I checked online, but tickets for Vue Cinema in my town was not available.

I then received another email notification on 13.10.25 that tickets were now available for "Predator Badlands", again, I checked online, but tickets for Vue Cinema in my town was not available.

I called Vue Cinema on the same day (Mon 13th) to find out if there was an issue with the website. I was informed that Vue Cinema for my town/the tickets for both films may not be showing, since their website is only refreshed at mid-night on a Tuesday.

Having checked Vue's website again today (Wed 15th), still no sign of Vue Cinema for my town, but every other town under the sun is listed!!

I called Vue Cinema again, spoke to Lance and explained the above. He was unable to answer why my town was not listed on their website. I asked for the contact number for Vue Cinema in my town, so that I can do Vue's job for them and investigate whether or not the above movies are actually being shown and whether there is an issue on the website - no such luck there either!!

I also ask why am I receiving email notifications for tickets which are not available, when Vue knows from my account details which town I live in, etc? Again, he had no answer for that other than he can raise it with technical - doesn't help me much!!

In short, if you want a better service avoid Vue and try Cineworld or Odeon for a stress free experience!! - an average review rate of 1.6 says it all!!

Purchasing a vehicle can be very daunting at the very best of times. However, both Luke and Chris at Swansway Bolton were exceptionally helpful from pre to post purchase of the vehicle. They were extremely knowledgeable about the vehicle and responded to all my queries positively and in a timely manner. They made the purchasing experience and enjoyable one. Based on my personal experience, I would recommend Swansway in a heart beat. Well done!

A week ago, I became the proud owner of a brand new Honda Civic Advance vehicle. The dealership who handled the sale were exceptional, so this review is not related to the buying experience, but the vehicle itself.

I was disappointed to learn that Honda had scrimped on several functions in the car, which having spent almost £40k, you would think would be included as standard such as:
Front passenger seat - no height adjustment. Maybe Honda thinks all UK passengers are 6ft tall, hence no need for seat height adjustment?

Vehicle does not lock automatically when walking away - this function is available in USA for the Civic, so why not in the UK?

Vehicle does not automatically lock all doors when driving off - - this function is available in USA for the Civic, so why not in the UK?

Vehicle warns you of changes in road speed limit, but does not warn you of any upcoming speed cameras

No memory seats for up to 2No drivers

No wireless Android Auto - although I understand this function is available on this model and can only be switched on via hidden settings not accessible to the general user (why?)

The above, in my opinion, are some of the main features which Honda should have incorporated as standard for a vehicle of this cost, with the option of either turning the functions on or off left with the user.

It's not a question of UK regulations not allowing the above to be incorporated in a vehicle (my previous cheaper vehicle, Mazda 6, had all of the above included as standard), but I think it's Honda being greedy and placing profits over quality/quantity.

What's more irritating is that, most (if not all) of the above functions come as standard for the US market for the same make/model of vehicle - why????

I required a large Perspex sheet with a detailed bespoke cut-out to enable me to attach a vent hose from a cooling unit.

Having approach several companies who "specialise" in type of work, all but Fabriplas, offered to take-up the challenge - the others found it to be either to technical or simply weren't interested!

Having contacted Jonathan at Fabriplas and forwarding him a technical drawing of what was required, he produced the item with exacting standards.

If you require bespoke work to be produced from plastics, based on my experience, forget the rest, save yourself some time and go straight to this company who won't let you down. WELL DONE!

Having purchased an Eufy E340 Video Doorbell in April '24, this unit become faulty last month in that the top LED light failed to operate in the "Cool" setting.

Whilst it was a bit tedious, but understandable, I had to go through several fault elimination processes as instructed by Eufy technical in a bid to rectify the problem/identify if this was a software or hardware issue. Unfortunately, the fault remained, pointing towards an hardware issue.

At this stage, Eufy confirmed that they would issue a replacement unit without delay - they did not request for the old unit back and ask me to dispose it responsibly.

During the whole process, Eufy were quick to respond to each communication and were very informative. They even sent a follow-up email a week or so after receiving the replacement unit to ensure all was okay. Well done Eufy for being a customer caring company!

Having recently bought 2No expensive Samsung S25 Ultra phones, both phones experienced a fault related to notifications for the built-in Samsung Calendar App in that, we were receiving no audio or visual notifications for scheduled events either prior or at the time of the event.

This was reported to Samsung's technical team, who even after remotely taking control of the phone, were unable to resolve the issue over a period of 2 days. The technical team members concluded that the phones were faulty, provided a reference number and asked me to contact the sales team to have the handsets replaced.

The sales team processed the paperwork for the replacement, but here's the catch....

Due to the phone colours we had bought, 1No phone would take up to 10 days to replace, whilst the other would take up to 30 days. All was fine up to this point until the sales team confirmed that we would need to send the faulty phones in first and only after they received them would they issue the replacements within 10 / 30 days - how were we suppose to make calls, carry out banking tasks, etc, in the interim with no phones!??? Why couldn't they use the same procedure as that when you buy a new phone and you trade-in your old one, where Samsung gives you 7 days overlap of phones?

Samsung were asked if they could issue the replacement phones first - they refused outright! They also stated that once they received the faulty phones, they would check them and if they couldn't find the fault, I would be liable for the return postage costs! Why would they want to check it again when their technical team had already gone through that process - does the Sales team think their technical team are incompetent or think I'm an outright liar (not sure which is worst!!).

However, I managed to do what Samsung's highly skilled/knowledgeable technical team were unable to do, which was fix the fault myself!!

It gave me great pleasure to (polity) tell Lyne from Samsung Sales what to do with the Exchange paperwork since I didn't need their useless/non-sympathetic assistance anymore!!

If you are prepared to put-up/be treated as a number (and not a customer with sympathy) then by all means, buy Samsung products otherwise, buy an Apple iPhone!!

I received the "Shokz Openrun Pro 2 Mini Headphones" as a Christmas present (bought from a third party retailer and not from Shokz directly). Having tried it for a few hours, on removing the headphones, there was a serious painful weeping blister/burn sore behind my right ear where the rear part of the headphone sat.

On the basis that there was no such sores on the front part of the right ear or anywhere around the left ear, an allergic reaction to the headphone casing material could most likely be ruled-out.

The sore behind the right ear was more or less the same shape/size as the rear part of the headphone. The fact that is also where the battery is housed, lead me to believe that potentially heat leakage from the battery during use may have been the cause of the issue.

Having pointed the above out to Shokz and offering to send the headphone back to them for a full refund and an opportunity to investigate the actual "faulty" product to avoid a similar occurrence in the future, Leslie (International Customer Service Team) responded "We are sorry for the bad experience. We have reported your problem to the relevant department. Because the money you paid is not in our store, we only authorized (retailers name) to sell it".

Translating the poor English language response, Shokz didn't appear to be phased by the physical injury I had faced (despite sending them a photo of this - maybe this is because they know of the issue, but still choose to sell the product)? They also didn't want to inspect the actual headphones and/or provide me with a refund since I had brought it from another retailer and they didn't have the money in their store!!

This company is an absolute joke! It appears they care more about money/selling the product rather than ensuring the safety of their customers/the end user.

DO NOT BUY!!

I own a Belling range cooker, for which I needed a part number, so that a Gas Safe engineer could order the part and replace the same.

I tried calling Belling, but got through to Pacifica - it's understood that Pacifica deals with all Belling related queries (Pacifica are the 1st line of defence for Belling and you cannot get past them to speak to Belling directly).

I therefore spoke to Maria (Pacific Customer Care) who made it absolutely clear that under no circumstances are they allowed to provide any part numbers to civilians (i.e. likes of me and you, the reader). I asked if the Gas Safe engineer called them, would they supply him with the part number, so that he could purchase the item from a supplier. Maria checked with her manager Steve, and the answer was resounding "NO"! However, Pacifica did say that they could send out one of their own engineer to undertake the work.

It appears to me that Pacifica are reluctant to issue any part numbers, so that they can corner the market for their engineers to carry out any repair work and increase their profits!

When I requested to raise a complaint, Maria informed me that Pacifica doesn't have a complaints procedure and apparently, it's not required by law - Pacifica, you are missing the point! If you were a caring company and not a money grabbing one, you would have a complaints procedure!!

Belling, if you are reading this, get rid of Pacifica - they are giving you a bad reputation!!

UPDATE (29.11.24)

Following a reply from Pacifica, I contacted Karen as requested. I would like to thank Karen and her colleagues for finally providing the product code.

However, since this has been a very painful experience pre & post contacting Karen, I have left my rating at one star.

This was a very simple request of trying to obtain a part number where with most companies, this information is freely provided and/or is readily available in the public domain.

I think Pacifica and/or Belling (if Belling are dictating how Pacifica operates), need to seriously consider changing their policy, so that if a consumer requires a part number for one of their products, this should be provided without the bad experience I faced. If they are not prepared to change their policy, then the other alternative is to avoid purchasing Belling and other affiliated products.

If Karen confirms to me that they have changed their policy to freely provide consumers the product code, then I will further update this review accordingly, otherwise, assume no changes to their policy!

I decided to try Expedia for the first time for booking a package holiday (flight & hotel) to Prague since they were marginally cheaper. However, I had some queries related to cabin & check-in luggage, so prior to booking, I decided to call Expedia for some clarification.

I tried 3No sets of phone numbers (020 3564 4855 / 020 3788 0445 / 020 3027 6612). The issue I had with the contact numbers was that, they all appeared to go to the same recorded message with 4No options, none of which were related to pre-booking queries i.e. all the options requested Expedia's 15 digit booking reference number before you get to a human.

Without the 15 digit reference number, the call would end, so it was ALMOST impossible to speak to anyone. However, pressing random digits on the keypad, I did manage to setup a call back, which I got after approximately 1hr. The caller was unable to assist since in his little world, he didn't deal with "flight+hotel" together and was also unable to put me through to the correct department. He requested that I went through the options again!

Having the patience of a saint, I went through the above process again, managing to set-up another call back. Sure enough, about 1hr later I get another call from Expedia and sure enough, the caller was unable to deal with a package holiday, but this time, the phone went silent during transfer to the correct department, so after 10mins of holding on, I hung up!

If Expedia are absolutely useless pre-booking (i.e. when they should be bending over backwards for your business), I can't imagine the trauma you would have to endure for any post-booking queries (i.e. when they are least likely to speak to you after robbing you of your hard earned money)!

The moral of this experience is, avoid Expedia at all cost and if you can, pay that little bit extra and go with a more competent, reputable, helpful provider. Trust me, it'll be worth the hassle free experience!

The good news is that, the other provider who I have spoken/decided to go forward with offers a price match guarantee and therefore, I will get back the difference between Expedia and the other provider - win win situation (at least Expedia came handy for something!!).

I have a "Hills Industries" 3-arm rotary line dryer which served me well for over 20yrs without issues, however, the pvc line finally gave-up and snapped. With the frame still in excellent condition, I opted to purchase a PVC(outer)/Polypropylene(inner) 2.8mm diameter x 45m replacement line.

The replacement line turned-out to be slightly smaller in diameter than the original, but I opted to use it nonetheless.

Having threaded almost the full 45m, the end product was a taut line which held its' shape under load i.e. wet/damp items of clothing, towels, bed sheets, etc. However, whether the line will remain taut or start to stretch/sag over time remains to be seen. If it lasts a similar period to the original line (i.e. 20yrs), it'll be worth every penny!

Back in January 2021, I had purchased 3No Blackout Roller Blinds and was very pleased with the product. However, recently, I experienced a fault with two of the roller blinds where the plastic "Brakes" on one side of blinds had snapped (this part ensures the blind sits firmly flush to the window sill).

I contacted customer service via email and explained the issue. The customer service assistant who responded back, understood exactly the problem and confirmed that she would send out replacement parts at no charge.

This kind of customer service is very rare today and it is for this very reason why I have used/recommended Order Blinds to many friends and family.

Keep up the good work!

This company is absolutely useless. A parcel was posted to me via DPD from West Drayton on Tue 02.01.24 and was expected to be delivered in the North West on Wed 03.01.24. Having waited in all day, it was established very late in the day that due to "local" delays it would not be delivered as expected and an update would be provided in 24hrs - it hadn't even left the Heathrow depot, so how can they call that LOCAL!!

An update was received on Thurs 04.01.24 stating that the delivery would between approx. 1330-1430hrs and when that slot passed by, it was then revised to approx. 1530hrs, after that, radio silence!

At the time of writing this article on Thurs 04.01.24 @ 1845hrs, there is still no indication of when the parcel will be delivered (if at all today - there is a risk the driver may exceed his working hours!!!).

I have now spend two days staying in to receive the parcel and the fact I need to go to bed @ 1900hrs for a VERY early start in the morning won't help if the driver comes knocking @ 2200hrs tonight!!

DPD are an absolute shambles - ONLY USE THIS COMPANY IF YOU ENJOY BEING LET DOWN!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

When it comes to chasing Quidco on where your overdue cashback payments are, they are about useful as a chocolate teapot!

I am overdue 2No cashback payments for 2No genuine purchases made 8mths and 6mths ago respectively. When I chased Quidco for the status of the payments, all they said was, "it's with the retailer" - they didn't even offer to chase the retailer; in other words, it's not Quidco's problem! I wonder if it's because Quidco have already received their "cut" and therefore, there's no incentive to further chase the retailer on our behalf?!?

My concern is that with time passing, there will be a point where Quidco will state, "unfortunately due to the time lapsed, it's too late to claim the cashback"!

In any event, I decided to chase both retailers on 27.09.23 and do Quidcos' job for them. One of the retailers, "Stella" were absolutely clueless on the matter, so no progress. The other retailer "TravelTime" said they passed the query onto a manager to look into. In fairness, TravelTime came back to me today (28.09.23) and confirmed that due to a backlog, there was a delay in the cashback payments. They did however, confirm that payment would be made today to Quidco - it remains to be seen how long it will take Quidco to pass this on to me! - see how easy it is Quidco!!!!

Having used the services of EPC Man in the past, Olly carried out an inspection for the renewal of an existing Energy Performance Certificate. As usual, he was punctual, polite and efficient in his work. The certificate was followed promptly on payment.

I would recommend this company without hesitation.

Harwood Heating Services Ltd is a family run business based in Bolton and were contracted to remove the old boiler and install a new boiler with some additional works. Scott & Tom arrived on time as pre-arranged and were very professional, courteous and conscientious throughout the installation work. On completion, they explained how to operate the boiler and timer functions. Together with the office team (Jane & Megan), this is one company I would recommend in a heart beat - keep up the excellent work!

I opened a single new Vinted account for the first time today and listed 6No Polo or T-Shirts for sale with photographs of the front/back/labels of the garments (all genuine items). A few hours later, I received notification from Vinted that my account had been "Definitely Blocked" due to "fraudulent activity". Having tried to establish the reason why this action was taken, I received an automated response from Vinted stating "In case of definitive block — unfortunately, we will not be able to help.".

So it transpires that Vinted can block accounts without actual cause, but on (wrongful) suspicion alone, and not give the account holder the opportunity to have the decision reversed.

There is also no contact number to speak to anyone, so Vinted are completely shielded and free to make whatever decision they wish with no comeback!

Avoid these cowboys at all cost and spend your time & effort selling your pre-loved items on a more reputable website.

For the younger generation who are only familiar with online banking with FULL access where they can transfer funds, open accounts, etc, and don't wish to deviate from this, then avoid banking with HSBC - they don't allow the account holder to close their own account(s) online (Yes, I know, what a shock in the 21st century!!). Unfortunately, with their online chat being as useful as a chocolate teapot, you have to travel back to the 20th century to close an account where you call customer service, be on hold for 45mins (this was the case for me), jump through hurdles of security questions and then to top it off, wait further for the customer assistant to close the account for you! - what next, emails via carrier pigeons! In all, the whole experience took 59mins.

My wife who also wishes to close an account and will most likely have to endure the above, so to avoid the same waiting time, I arranged with the customer service assistant for someone to call my wife at an agreed time - true to form, no one called!

How HSBC survives as a bank is beyond me - all customers of this bank, do yourself a favour, if you want decent banking experience, leave HSBC and move to another bank.

Having purchased a Windows Bundled package, I had issues activating the license key for Office 2021 Pro Plus (to be clear, this was not as a result of the product that I had bought). Mary at Win & Office (and other members of the team) were very helpful in that they provided me with assistance in completely removing any residual old keys from my previously installed old Office product, which was preventing the new key from being activated. They were fast in responding and VERY efficient in resolving the issue.

This was the first time I have used this company and the way they handled the issue, I would not hesitate to use them again (I would give them 10 stars if I could)!! WELL DONE.

At the time of enquiring about a Cruise for 6No adults, Andy Ruiz of Destination2 couldn't be more helpful. He provided all information requested in a timely manner and just as important, a competitive quote. As a result of this service, I opted to go forward with Destination2 for the booking.

However, when the Booking Confirmation documents were received, I had a simple query, which was relayed back to Destination2 for clarification. However, despite sending several emails (1st email was on 22.09.22), Andy Ruiz nor anyone from Destination2 responded to the query, so much so, that I ended up calling the cruise operator directly on 14.10.22, who answered my query whilst on the phone.

Whilst Destination2 excelled during pre-sales, had they performed the same post-sales, they would have deserved 5-stars, but due to their poor/non-existing performance post-sale, I have rated them a generous 3-stars.

If post-sales service is just as important to you as the pre-sales service, then you may need to think twice about going forward with Destination2

I had Smart Gas & Electric meters fitted a couple of years ago by a supplier who was unable to resolve issues with the Gas meter and then the supplier subsequently went bust.

In came Octopus Energy as my new supplier a couple of months ago. I reported the Gas meter issue to them and Fraser very kindly and promptly started an investigation into the issue and very quickly arranged to have the Gas meter replaced.

Unfortunately, the new meter was not communicating with the in-home display unit, so in stepped Max (M.L). With a few IT wizardry from their end, the problem was solved remotely!

Octopus Energy have managed to resolve an issue with my gas smart meter in a matter of weeks, where others had failed to do so over a couple of years - well done to Fraser & Max for their efforts. EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!