Monthly Archives: July 2009

Internet, Michael Jackson

Domainers trying to profit from Michael Jackson’s death

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Michael-Jackson-June-23-2009Now I realise that many people will be trying to make money on the back of Michael Jackson’s death, it’s one of the sad aspects of human nature. Someone in the public eye dies, someone else tries to make money from it. I don’t have a problem with that, what I do have a problem with though are idiots who haven’t the faintest idea what they’re doing.

Just after Michael Jackson died last month, many domain names were registered by prospective domainers hoping to profit from it. Again this is OK by me, it’s a little sick, but OK. However, the types of domains registered and the sort of money these idiots believe they’ll get for them is ridiculous.

For example, domains such as jackotribute.co.uk and jackolives.co.uk were registered by people trying to make a quick profit. They’re rubbish!

Worse yet are the prices asked for these crap domains on eBay. If you search eBay for domains, you’ll see dozens of them for sale, with this one being the worst of all. In case you’re reading this blog many months after the auction ended and eBay have removed it, here are the details.

Username ‘bennyboy_cult_art’, from Stoke on Trent, is trying to get £900,000 for three Michael Jackson domains… that’s not a misprint, £900,000! £300,000 EACH.

What are these domains that cost over a quarter of a million pounds each?

MichaelJacksonBlackOrWhite.net

MichaelJacksonInLovingMemory.net

MichaelJacksonMoonwalker.net

You have got to be kidding me? These are absolute shite. The guy must be some sort of retard. Just read the description this imbecile wrote for these domains:

These domain names have been thouroughly reasearched keyword wise and As you presumably know, Michael wrote a lot more songs than he released. This is to secure his childrens’ financial future. All this stuff will be appearing on the market during the next few months/years.

This is your chance to participate on it!

This AMAZING investment gives you a fantastic opportunity to create a Michael Jackson focused website whether it be a forum, one dedicated to memorabilia, a fansite or a tribute to THE king of pop. His talent had no boundaries and he will be immortalized forever as a true legend.

Use the Buy It Now option or feel free to make a sensible offer.

Serious buyers only please. Please be aware it is for the 3 domain names only and creating the website etc is the sole responsibility of the buyer. I will transfer the ownership of the domain names to you after payment has been received/cleared. There are no transfer fees, however you may need a Fasthost account (you can create one for free).

The line “feel free to make a sensible offer” had me in stitches. I wonder if he’d accept half a mil for the three?

What an absolute gimp.

Many of the other domains on eBay are as bad, or worse, and have similar prices. These people are living in a world of their own. I actually own a Michael Jackson domain, but I bought mine over a year ago. It’s michaeljacksonmerchandise.com (which is considerably better than any of the rubbish domains on eBay right now) and I have no intention of selling it, unless of course Michael’s record label wanted it as they’re using michaeljacksonmerch.com for their official merchandise site.

Domaining requires skill, experience and timing, the idiots who are playing at domaining on eBay right now haven’t a clue.

General

I’ve been watching cricket, forgive me

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The last few weeks I’ve done something I never, NEVER, thought I’d do.

Relax, I haven’t quit drinking. I’ve been watching cricket. I’ve always considered cricket deathly dull and switch off whenever it’s on. I didn’t even watch any of the Ashes in 2005 when England won it, such was my disinterest in the ‘sport.

However, I’ve been watching the current Ashes Test series and am actually starting to get into it, even though the first Test was a very predictable draw. I can’t explain why I’m watching it, I just am.

With that in mind I found this latest advert featuring every cricket fan’s favourite drunkard, Freddie Flintoff. If you head to eBay afterwards you can even bid Freddie’s boat from the video.

Complaints

HDNL Website gone down

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If you’ve tried to access Home Delivery Network’s website this morning to complain about their shoddy service you’ll have noticed that the website is down, as you can see below. Presumably the website has crashed under the weight of customers wanting to complain about the lack of delivery of their HDNL parcels, or perhaps the fact that their parcels have arrived damaged.

Maybe even they’ve gone bust? Who knows. If you are looking to complain to Home Delivery Network then you can reach them on the following phone number, a phone number that you won’t find on their website.

Home Delivery Network: 08448 111 816

Tell them I sent you!

hdnl

Complaints

Carphone Warehouse York

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Looking for the Carphone Warehouse in York? Thought as much, you might want to read this review of their service before you continue and perhaps revise your intentions to shop there.

Over a year ago I wrote a post about how Carphone Warehouse in Newport had tried to rip me off, before finally admitting they were wrong after I went to their complaints department.

The post has obviously struck a chord with other dissatisfied Carphone Warehouse customers leaving over 40 comments about their experiences with shoddy service from the company.

Today I received a comment on the post with one of the worst examples of poor service from Carphone Warehouse that I have ever read, and wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to read it. The original comment can be read here, on the Carphone Warehouse Complaints post, and here it is in full from Jayne.

Carphone Warehouse in York most certainly have not heard of Customer Service!

I bought a PAYG mobile on 26th June for my daughters birthday on 3rd July – she loved it but the screen kept ‘flickering’ so I recharged it fully on 4th July. When I turned it back on there were lines on the screen so I took it back to CPW.

They told me that I had dropped the phone and it was not covered under warranty. I most certainly did not drop the phone! it was not out of my sight for the 24 hours it was in use. I then saw a Manager who said that I may not have dropped the phone but that it had been damaged and was not covered. There was no damage to the casing or the outside of the phone so I am intrigued as to how he ‘knows’ that I damaged the phone.

He would not budge, he would not agree to repair or replace the phone and when I pointed out that our family had 4 phones currently and always bought our phones from CPW but wouldnt in the future, he accused me of trying to blackmail him!

Anyway, I have contacted Trading Standards and have written a letter to CPW quoting the Sale of Goods Act 1979 asking for a full refund (I bought a phone elsewhere when they wouldnt help) – – fingers crossed I will get a refund but I will not take this lying down!

CPW – for the sake of £50 you have lost at least 4 future customers and probably many more as I tell everyone I know what happened and will continue to tell people until I am a satisfied customer (i.e. have my £50 back)

General, Michael Jackson

Jabula South African restaurant

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This weekend I finally went to the South African restaurant in Ellesemere Port, called Jabula. I’ve tried to go here several times in the last few months but as they’re always booked up on a Saturday night, unless you book at least seven days in advance you won’t get a table, or you’ll have to make do with one very late in the evening.

So, once again I didn’t bother booking and instead went on Sunday morning for a breakfast cheesecake. I know you’re not really supposed to have cheesecake for breakfast, but we only went there for coffee and were offered something from the desert display. They had at least three different cheesecakes and I can never turn one down.

I opted for the summer fruits while my girlfriend had the baked toffee, and I have to say these were probably the best presented cheesecakes I’ve ever seen. They came with ice-cream, cream and fresh fruit.

cheesecake01

cheesecake02

It probably wasn’t the best tasting cheesecake ever, that honour goes to an Italian restaurant in Ealing (where I should have been going tomorrow morning after the Michael Jackson concert tonight).

The cheesecake at Jabula was certainly enough to make me want to go back and try some of the African food, such as the crocodile stir fry, which hopefully I can do soon.

In case you were wondering, yes this idea was John Chow’s and yes I did keep the receipt 😉

CSA

CSA say I have to prove I’m not working

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You’re supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but where the CSA are concerned you have to prove your innocence. I just had a call from a very rude woman who wanted to know why the CSA hadn’t been paid.

This is of course despite my former employer telling them twice and me telling them once that I no longer work.

Ironically enough she demanded that I prove that I’m not working. I begged the question how can you prove you’re NOT working, and she had little idea except for going to the job centre.

As if.

Could I perhaps show her a payslip that I don’t have? Could she speak to an employer that doesn’t exist? Who knows, yet she ended the call by saying as the CSA were not told that I’m no longer working, by me or by my former employer, that I’m still liable for the full deductions.

How on earth does that work? I no longer work at Just Search. I am not employed by them. The CSA have been told this on THREE separate occasions.

She even apologised for the fact that they hung up on me twice before, shortly before she, yes you guessed it, hung up on me.

You can’t make this stuff up, really.

CSA

CSA issue a DEO, even though I quit over 2 months ago!

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It’s been over two months since I left my job, in part due to the unreasonable behaviour of the child support agency and the fact that they refused to speak to me, and they’re still chasing my former employer to deduct money from my wages.

I notified the CSA that I was leaving in April this year, via letter, which you can read here. My employer also notified the CSA that I no longer worked there. You’d think that would be enough for the child support agency, but no, despite being told twice, in writing, they still can’t take in any information and have just contacted my former employer with a payment schedule for a deduction from earnings order.

How many times do we have to tell these idiots the same thing?

The irony is that the DEO also comes with a stern warning stating that if you move house or change job you must notify the CSA within 10 days or face a £1,000 fine and a prison sentence. What’s the point in telling them? They don’t frickin’ listen anyway!

I’ve had it with the CSA. I told them I was leaving my job, almost three months ago now, and don’t have anything else to say to them. If they want to speak to me they know where I am and they know my number. They can get in touch anytime, night or day.

I’m listening…