The recession

[familychoice]

I keep hearing about the recession and the effect it's having on sales this year, yet my attempts at buying presents from a range of online stores over the last few days has been a disaster - nearly everything I've tried to buy has either been out of stock, or in stock until you try and add it to your cart, or the sites offline (Boots, almost continually), or the site crashes when you try and checkout, or hasn't remembered the account you set up a few months ago....or worst of all after finally getting an order in via the phone with one store no order number or confirmation arrives, calls aren't returned until eventually the phone number is taken off the site and all numbers seems to be down.

If shops are going bust then it's not just a 'downturn' in the economy that's at fault, it's a complete inability to run a business.

I'll have to contact my credit card company tomorrow to see if I can stop the £300 I did manage to spend from disappearing into a black hole of incompetence.

[sarahA]

Amazon's been fine

[familychoice]

Amazon's been fine

Actually you're right there - the bits I ordered recently were fine - so apologies to them

The rest are awful though. One of the prezzies I ordered a couple of weeks ago for Mrs FC's birthday didn't materialise (despite being 'in stock' when I ordered) so we called them up and accepted a different product that was offered. It never arrived and instead I've just had confirmation of the 'refund' that we didn't ask for. Madness, shops just don't seem to want our money this xmas!

No wonder Amazon are so successful, the rest of them are a right hopeless shower in comparison.

[Jem]

I've done all mine through Amazon, so have managed to avoid that crap this year

[yawner]

I've done all mine through Amazon, so have managed to avoid that crap this year

hope you've got your adopted dad something nice 

[familychoice]

I've done all mine through Amazon, so have managed to avoid that crap this year

hope you've got your adopted dad something nice 

A bill for 18 years unpaid child support.

[familychoice]

Looks like I won't have to contact the bank, apparently they 'wrote down my email address incorrectly' despite the fact I'm a returning customer and they confirmed my email from my account details when I placed the order. Numpties.

Just checked the couriers progress and frustratingly it seems my parcel has passed within sniffing distance of here at least 3 times so far as it's ferried from depot to depot, and I love the way it's initially taken about 200 miles away when the actual shop is about 60 miles from here.

[familychoice]

Ironically I've just had loads of problems trying to order from Amazon. Logged in, added a load of stuff to my cart, proceeded to checkout then asked to enter my password again. ok, no problem but 'YOUR PASSWORD DOES NOT MATCH OUR RECORDS'. Try again, same message. Request password help, check email and go through the process of changing my password. Try again but 'YOUR PASSWORD DOES NOT MATCH OUR RECORDS'. Try again, same thing, try a third time and bingo, we're in.

Anyone would thinkl I can't typr a passwrd in correcctly.

[Shirker]

I too keep hearing 'the recession' despite the UK not being in recession for quite a while now. Lazy tosser journalists aren't happy until it really is doom and gloom.

[yawner]

I'll only be convinced when they show somebody pushing a wheelbarrow full of banknotes, and the wheelbarrow is worth more than the cash. You know, like in Germany in the late 20s.

[Steve Lampkins]

I too keep hearing 'the recession' despite the UK not being in recession for quite a while now. Lazy tosser journalists aren't happy until it really is doom and gloom.

DOUBLE DIP!!!

[Shirker]

There is no bloody recession and hasn't been but the bloody media keep harping on about it and won't be happy until they've scared people into stopping spending to such an extent the forecast of a double-dip recession finally comes true. Stuffed suits have been put in front of the news cameras almost weekly since early 2010 telling us we're 'on the brink of falling back into recession'. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, but that's still more often than the bloody media.

[familychoice]

Amazingly the thing I ordered arrived today (Maschine Mikro music software/controller). Only problem is:

The controller is warped so it doesn't sit flat on a desk.
The 'free' additional bundled software package was missing.
No details or voucher for the 'free' expansion pack that's promised.

So, two thirds of the software is missing and the hardware's defective. Smart! The shop have been helpful, though they said the extra software was now included on the main disk - it isn't - and they then concluded I must have an 'old' version.

They did suggest I call the manufacturer direct in Germany to which I responded by offering them a punch in the face (not really, but I did start to get a bit cross at this point) so hopefully they'll sort it out tomorrow.

I really shouldn't buy things, it only ends in tears.

[Chris H]

I'll only be convinced when they show somebody pushing a wheelbarrow full of banknotes, and the wheelbarrow is worth more than the cash. You know, like in Germany in the late 20s.

Were the notes green or grey?

[yawner]

I'll only be convinced when they show somebody pushing a wheelbarrow full of banknotes, and the wheelbarrow is worth more than the cash. You know, like in Germany in the late 20s.

Were the notes green or grey?

come on Chris - everything was black and white until the 1970s 

[Dom]

There is no bloody recession and hasn't been...

Well technically there has, as a recession is simply defined as three quarters in a row where there's zero or negative growth overall. But as you say, it's the media's whole "doom and gloom" perspective that makes it sound far worse than it is. And as soon as someone calls them on it, and points out that aside from the major government spending cuts there hasn't been as drastic a change as they say, then they excuse their lies by saying things like "well you won't notice the effects of the recession for a long time to come".

Yeah, there have been job losses, and people have had their houses repossessed, but I'm quite sure that the scaremongering by the media is the biggest (but not only, of course) cause of it all. As soon as they declare the end of the world, companies start getting worried and make people redundant, and banks start tightening up like a cork in a wine bottle. If everyone stopped their knee-jerk reactions, things wouldn't be "as bad" as they are now.

(PS. I'm no expert at all.)

Also, I ordered a few things from Amazon yesterday. I have to say, to the best of my recollection I've never had any problems with them.

[familychoice]

Also, I ordered a few things from Amazon yesterday. I have to say, to the best of my recollection I've never had any problems with them.

That's because you're not me.

[Jem]

FC, does anything ever go right for you?

[suedenem]

FC, does anything ever go right for you?

I think suppliers see his name and think that they can take the biscuit.

*gets coat*

[familychoice]

FC, does anything ever go right for you?

Absolutely nothing, no.

I think suppliers see his name and think that they can take the biscuit.

*gets coat*

I think you're right, I must have a giant inflatable arrow above my head that says "Please rip me off". I am the god of Customer Dissatisfaction. I am the originator of the phrase: "This product you've sent me is FC'd"

The only 'benefit' to continued problems with anything I buy or subscribe to is that I am now a Complaints Ninja. I can take apart any carefully structured excuse provided by customer services and reshape it to my own requirements whilst getting hefty compensation in the process.

[edit] I just saw what you did there...

[Shirker]

There is no bloody recession and hasn't been...

Well technically there has, as a recession is simply defined as three quarters in a row where there's zero or negative growth overall.

I meant to say, "hasn't been since 2009" but that bit got lost. But since the last quarter of 2009 there has been no recession, so two years recession-free despite the image the media constantly give. Your definition is close but not quite, it is two successive quarters of negative growth, and we haven't had that since the end of 2009.

Really thoroughly pissed off with the media in general as they won't be happy until they've scared people with enough recession stories to get them to stop spending and finally create another one. (Not sure it can be a 'double dip' with two non-recession years in between, but the media types would wet themselves with excitement if they can scream 'double-dip' from the rafters).

[Jem]

[edit] I just saw what you did there...

Took me a minute as well 

[sarahA]

Amazon are fine, it's the third party sellers that let things down. Ordered a pressie for my Dad from there, arrived no problem, ordered some batteries off the third party seller that were recommended. Posted on 2nd December. Still waiting. Thankfully they're only a couple of quid but it's still the hassle of chasing them up. Not sure how long I should wait before asking them. Has postage started to get affected yet?

[Steve Lampkins]

As I am buying from abroad, I always try to buy things that are sold by Amazon directly. I just feel more comfortable and confident about it.

[sarahA]

I take it all back, they arrived today, 8 days after posting. I guess it is December and we're still getting cards for Thomas's birthday that was on Monday, so it's to be expected.

As I am buying from abroad, I always try to buy things that are sold by Amazon directly. I just feel more comfortable and confident about it.

Always buy from Amazon direct if I can. Have had a couple of bad experiences with third party sellers, and so 99% of the time stick with Amazon or at least those that are fulfilled by Amazon, as you know it'll get processed and dealt with quickly. However, these were just some batteries and Amazon weren't selling them plus apparently they're about 4-5x the cost in the shop (so my Mum said when she told me what to buy!). Still, all here.

2 presents left to get and we're done!

[Whatever]

Bought a baby swing direct from amazon and waited a month initially, then they said it would be another month, then a week later they cancelled the order and said they couldn't actually get the product! Not impressed.

[Steve Lampkins]

Hope you're buying through the DDN link up there. I just bought some headphones through it. Hope it registered it properly.

[Whatever]

Can't get the link on Tapatalk on the iPad. Will buy on a pc next time.

[yawner]

Hope you're buying through the DDN link up there. I just bought some headphones through it. Hope it registered it properly.

Thanks Steve 

[sickpuppy]

Judging from the hell that was Christmas shopping in Belfast I'd say people are quite happily spending money in bricks and mortar shops.