Steve Boothby

I got excited when I realised I could send quite a sizable parcel to my child in university using Royal Mails' 24 hour tracked service & and for ONLY 30p could have it collected from my house. The collection happened on thursday 25th sept 2025 so I expected it to land the following day. Needless to say that it didn't. Their online complaints form is designed to make you give up after having spent hours banging your head against the wall at all the irrelevant questions you have to answer. Surely you should simply need to confirm who you are and give them the tracking number. They should then be able to work out what you paid for and see where the parcel is in their system. It is now Sunday 28th Sept 2025 and I have the following message on my tracking "We have your item at Coventry PFW National Hub and it's on its way."
When you dig into it you discover that this 24 hour delivery is merely an aim and there is no mention of the likelihood of that happening. It should be advertised as something else and you shouldn't have to go through the small print to find you've purchased a product that really has no delivery guarantees attached. I wonder what % of parcels achieve their stated aim? There are items in the parcel that I would not have put in had I known how long the parcel COULD take. It should be sold as 24-however many hours it takes service. Come on Ofcom, why are you allowing Royal Mail to do this?

I have been having Bupa health checks every couple of years for a while now. This last one was not as good as some of the previous ones. It was in Ringwood rather than my usual Southampton. The first young lady I spoke to (who takes all of you vitals etc) was very thorough and pleasant but it fell apart when I spoke to the Doctor. He never really seemed to listen to anything I said. Asked me if I minded having the findings shared with my Doctors which I said was fine. They weren't shared for some reason which, considering I failed a FIT test, was very concerning. When I was lying down to have him feel my stomach I mentioned a dryness I'd been experiencing in my mouth. He used a spatula to look and my tongue, shined a light on it then carried on with my stomach without saying another word. He was very uncommunicative. RESPONSE TO YOUR RESPONSE. IT'S NOT THAT IT DIDN'T MEET MY EXPECTATIONS. IT WASN'T VERY GOOD. I HATE IT WHEN COMPANIES SAY THIS AS IF MY EXPECTATIONS WERE TOO HIGH. YOUR REPONSE LOST YOU ANOTHER STAR.

Our car was damaged in the car park of a hospice very near to renewal time. (We'd already had our quote). My wife phoned them to tell them that there were CCTV cameras & the hospice kept the data for a month. We had intended to only claim if we had someone to claim against. A decision that should have been made more obvious when being logged on their system. The next thing we get through the post is a a revised premium some£100 dearer. We've all become aware that protecting your no claims doesn't really have any effect. They still increase your premiums but tell you it's because you've made a claim??????? So they increase your premiums because you've made a claim whilst taking your money for protecting your no claims discount. Anyway that's not the half of it. They seem to be pushing the can down the road by claiming that they've spoken to the hospice who've said they only keep CCTV for one week. They are now no longer communicating but have graciously instructed HALO that they can repair our car and expect us to pay the £450 excess. The repair is likely to cost below this. We mainly wanted LV to obtain and view the CCTV but my guess is that they would rather make profit from us than to help us. To make it clear the Hospice have signs up and a person to contact that states they keep CCTV for 30 days. It should be easy for LV to prove to us what they've been told and they have been sent the signs. Will they prove it to us or not?

Had a chat with a financial advisor of theirs for about an hour on the 4th of April. He said he would send me some payment terms details (didn't arrive) also that he would text me a Credas request to verify my identity (didn't arrive) and that he would also send me details about creating the authority for him to act on my behalf (didn't arrive). He also made an appointment to speak to me again today at 10am but guess what? That's right, he didn't call. My pot obviously wasn't worth his while. I expected different after having told him the anxiety that I had experienced dealing with Prudential. To top it off he's now no longer contactable via his website email address.

Overpriced for what it is. The images they show are not the same as the product. On my book case you can see the fittings. The image they show they are not there. It's cheap Taiwanese stuff made of some oak and some oak covered MDF. The shelves look like they're made from laminate flooring. From now on I am only going to buy what I can physically see.
*****update*******
I have now reached a mutually amicable solution and thank them for their attention. Very quick response from Holly in Sales and customer service.

Sent me an email to say I had 167 points to use. Each point is worth a penny. However you can only use 100 points at a time. What a con. Means I really only have a pound as a discount and I'll have to forgo the 67p. Why the penny pinching?

Decided to get a quote from Octopus for an ASHP. Was quoted £4100 via their on line tool. (Add to this the government subsidy of £7500). Decided to look into it and arranged a survey having paid a fully refundable £200 deposit. I have no idea why they do this as you can simply cancel and get it back?
Very soon I had a lovely, friendly lady call around but unfortunately I really struggle with accents and she had one. I learned very little from her but she did her measurements and tests and left in a polite and professional manner.
A few days later I signed (on line, which is a ridiculous system) having briefly been run through the report and survey plan by my contact at Octopus. The plan of my house (on line) was impossible to make out. You could see the layout but none of the writing was readable. I pointed this out but was told it would be readable when the PDF was sent and it was. I signed as I was assured that I was still able to cancel the installation right up until the day before and still receive a refund. I was also impressed that they were intending to change 11 out of the 14 rads in my property. This Friday pm call was very rushed and I totally missed that they were intending to fit a Cosy 9 pump. All the surveyor had mentioned was a Daikin and indeed the plan of my house (when I got a readable one) showed a Daikin with a Madoka thermostat. It was only amongst the spec later on in the contract that a Cosy 9 was mentioned and (In my opinion) they are horrible to look at and were only released towards the end of last year so aren't a proven entity as yet. For me it's hard enough making the jump from a conventional form of heating to an ASHP without the added uncertainty of a newly design pump. I also expected to have a controller at home as I have on my Bosch boiler in order to set up the system in the way of scheduling the heating and water. I was rather disappointingly told that it would be controllable by an app. I hate this also. They have increased the warranty of the Cosy9 from 5 to 8 years which is a clear indication of their uncertainty of how long the things last and they're hoping to get more sold by doing this.
I have told them to cancel but when ever I speak to the person I've been dealing with he always intimates that I have up until the last minute to cancel and treats me like I'm still thinking about it. I have been given no clue as to how long it's likely to be before the installation starts anyway. It's not the Octopus I'd been lead to believe it was. He knows I don't want the Cosy9 so why are they not offering alternatives?
As a final note, the first estimate I got was on my account on their site and this is now gone. It simply allows me to re-apply and now gives my totally different options:

1) Turbo install £5637

A Cosy Turbo install uses higher flow temperatures to make the most of your existing radiators and pipework.

Quicker and cheaper to install, but costs more to run.

2) Eco install £7673

A Cosy Eco install prioritises energy efficiency to reduce your running costs and includes upgrades to your radiators and pipework.

Cheaper to run, but longer and more expensive install.

How accurate can these figures be? Surely they must be loading the price to cover any contingencies?
UPDATE! YES THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO BUT YOU WON'T. EXPLAIN HOW THIS HAPPENED.

Started my contributions in 1988 and recently decided to avail myself of George Osborne's new rules on taking 25% of my pension tax free NOW!!!! Spoke to their call centre on Feb 5th and was told "The first step of the process is to make sure you have an information pack. This provides details of your pension; it gives you the value of your plan and your different options at retirement." also "This pack will be sent by post and should be with you by 24/02/2025." I was sceptical having seen some of the awful behaviour that has been reported on social media but I was right to be. It didn't arrive so I contacted them again. I asked whether it had been actioned and was told that they could see it had been actioned and that they would get it to me as soon as possible. As soon as possible would have meant I had it already. Come on Prudential or M&G or whoever you are. I have heart and anxiety issues. The former being affected by the latter and your procedure is not helping. UPDATE! If you are unable to explain why this hasn't happened how can you say you'll do it? I am going to seek financial advice and hopefully get the fund moved somewhere more competent. UPDATE No 2. You are sending me to an email address that appears nowhere on your site whilst asking my to attach my policy number. Your own site states that the service offered there is secure. Why would I send details to your suggested site. Also am I connected here to the same incompetents that have so far not managed to fulfil a simple request? Also how are you showing nearly 4 stars with over 50% one star ratings? UPDATE # 3. Even when I did finally get my options pack it was full of inaccuracies such as showing a year to be 9999 and a totally missing first option (the one that would have shown the biggest amount of tax free withdrawal) which simply had zero figures all through it. The sooner I get my money out of this company the easier I'll breath.

Finally closing my account. Ebay has turned into a Temu like company. I ordered 2 outdoor solar powered lights and one stopped working after 6 weeks. I asked to return and was told due to it being over 30 days I couldn't. They offered no other solution and just ignored me. This contravenes UK consumer law.

Wish I could post a photo to give people a laugh. Ordered what was shown as a Christmas ornament carousel. What I received was a flat piece of perspex with the image of the thing I ordered printed on it.

Went in to their Christchurch branch on Sunday 17th of March for a mooch. Saw a couple of bird feeders showing £10.99 but reduced to £6.99. Queued to buy them but the guy serving was taking customer details for a home delivery and, as he seemed to be the only member of staff in the store, I left to visit some other shops first. When I returned there was only one person in front of me so I picked them up and waited. When he scanned the first bar code they came up at £10.99 so I questioned that it said £6.99 on the shelf. He held a leaflet up to me and said (with a French accent?) "Yes but only if you sign up to this." I put them back on the shelf and he put his head down with no further communication. I come from a retail background and I really can't understand this data gathering ethos and that a sale is allowed to die simply because a customer wants to keep hold of his data and not pay £8 for the privilege. The data is very rarely used in a manner that drives further sales and, honestly, how many apps or cards do companies expect us to have? This is Robert Dyas, a store that has no unique retail purpose and would hardly cause a flutter if it disappeared from the high street. Why not be a company that advertises the fact that it is very good value and doesn't think paying for a loyalty scheme is the best way to run a value for money business. Robert Dyas were still likely making a good profit on selling them at £6.99 so do they really think that adding £4 because they aren't getting your data is wise? Why is there no effort put in to retrieving a sale that looks like it's heading out of the door? Business is making a profit and I do hope Robert Dyas are collecting data on those who want to keep theirs and will, one day, give up on following supermarkets and realise they're not owed a place on the high street.
Having received a response I have to say it's totally inadequate and fails to address what is a growing problem in retail. It's clear to me what Robert Dyas are doing. I am questioning whether it's wise.

Arrived on time and as ordered. Website confused me a bit. It wasn't entirely clear to me that the required text belongs in the special instruction box but I took a punt for a tenner and got what I ordered. Thanks very much.

Ordered a double oven from them and was delighted that it could be delivered next day. It arrived but when I opened it the doors were out of alignment. The packaging had already been opened as evidenced by the internal bag just being loose and the polystyrene being broken. Also the box had a white sticker with the part number and "good" written on it making me thing it had already been returned to them. It seems that they now keep very little in stock and prefer to drop ship from the manufacturers with over a weeks wait. It's now going to take a week to get it collected and, once back at the warehouse, anything up to 2 weeks to get a refund. They also don't make the returns process easy.
Following Currys response I have to say that I have explained my issue in my review. If Currys have a better solution then offer it. It's not good enough to type up my money for 3 weeks because of your failure to deliver a quality product. Please don't just respond here trying to make yourselves look helpful. Thanks.
I am now continually being bombarded with messages claiming to be DELIVERING to me on 17th Jan. You should be collecting the faulty cooker. Why keep telling me that you are delivering?

Just purchased a Samsung 50 Inch UE50CU7100KXXU Smart 4K UHD HDR LED TV from Argos.
On the Argos site it states " Smart TV features
Voice control - works with Amazon Alexa, works with Google assistant." and on the Samsung site it states "The following TVs have Alexa built-in:
All 2023 Neo QLED, QLED, Crystal UHD, Frame TV, and Smart Monitors." Mine is a 2023 Crystal UHD model. Yet it doesn't have Alexa built in and no one is prepared to explain why it doesn't. I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a way of achieving a small amount of voice control via my pre existing Alexa device and a Samsung app they call Smart things but I think there is a lack of technological know how on the part of Samsung's customer care reps.

Ordered more of their roman blinds and they always get the sizing spot on. I do, however, have an issue with some of their fittings. On the Roman blinds they clip into place and this can sometimes be quite hard to do. I struggled so much that I managed to break a couple of the fittings. However (and I see this as a mark of a good company) they sent out replacements with no fuss and quickly. Thank you. I'll be back.

Bought one of these for my 15 year old daughter because it's site shows the Trustpilot logo with 16870 reviews at 5 stars. It did very little for her so I came on here to find it has far fewer reviews than it claims. Hope Trustpilot kick them off but I doubt it.

EDF have been absolutely useless in regards to fitting smart meters that give the customer a useful In Home Display and I have spent months being ignored on Twitter by their agents. Having said that, the introduction of the app giving me back some help in checking my usage APPEARS to be working well. Thanks.
*******************UPDATE***************************
EDF HAVE TOTALLY MUCKED UP. THEY HAVE INTRODUCED A NEW APP AND YOU MAY AS WELL NOT HAVE IT. FIRST OF ALL THE DAILY, WEEKLY MONTHLY DATA FOR GAS, ELECTRIC OR BOTH THAT YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO SEE IN A GRAPH HAS LOST ALL OF MY DATA. IT STARTED TO RECORD IT AGAIN AND NOW THE DATA DISAPPEARS AT THE END OF EACH MONTH AND THE INFO THAT IS THERE (FOR THE CURRENT MONTH) SHOWS COLUMNS ALL OF THE SAME USAGE (EXACTLY). THEY CLAIM TO BE SORTING IT OUT TO GIVE ME THE INFORMATION I REQUIRE BUT WON'T SAY WHETHER THAT MEANS I'LL GET MY OLD DATA BACK. THIS MEANS THAT IF THEY CHANGE THE APP IN 6 MONTHS THE SAME COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. MAY 21ST WAS WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED THIS "EXCITING" NEWS AND I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHY THEY THINK IT'S EXCITING. THEY'VE SIMPLY STOPPED SUPPLYING A SERVICE THEY PREVIOUSLY SUPLLIED. ALSO YOU CAN NO LONGER VIEW YOUR PREVIOUS BILLS ON YOUR PHONE WITHOUT DOWNOADING A PDF.

SCAM!!!! SEE AN ITEM FOR £90, CLICK ON IT, PUT IT IN YOUR BASKET AND GO TO CHECK OUT. END UP IN AMAZON AT NOWHERE NEAR THE PRICE.