The onset of senility

[Steve Maskery]

I've made no secret of the fact that my brain does not work like it used to. I've made a number of stupid, for which read expensive, decisions. I'm not looking forward to getting proper old, it's bad enough here. Here's my latest cock-up, albeit one with no serious adverse consequences, apart from shame and embarrassment. It really takes the biscuit. Ha-ha.

I bought a packet of chocolate digestives from Aldi. They were horrible, and I discovered that the reason was that the packaging was not sealed, they had been going stale since the day they left the production line.

So I went online and emailed Customer Services, with a photograph. They were excellent. They apologised, asked for the bar code and batch number, which I supplied. I duly received a very nice letter, telling me that they would like to refund my 68p and here is a £5 voucher, too. Can't fault that. I specifically said I wasn't doing this for a refund, I just wanted them to know that they had a problem that needed fixing. Life's too short to argue about 68p.

So today I went to Aldi, spoke to the manager and produced... the letter from Lidl Customer services. I've checked the photo I sent. It's an Aldi packet. It would seem that I have complained to Lidl about an Aldi product, and Lidl have sorted it to my complete satisfaction.

It caused some considerable merriment in the store this evening, and the manager gave me a free packet of biscuits.

I am soooo embarrassed. Can anyone recommend a good care home?

 

[t8hants]

You crafty perisher you have just discovered away of getting free biccies from both stores!

 

[timbo614]

I have to admit there is something about those two names that invites confusion. I mean they both have I,D & L in them albeit in a different order. When we were away recently we saw an Aldi or Lidl (can't remember, see!) I said to the wife, We need to got to Aldi, or Lidl, according to what I've been reading they have some semi-decent tools at very cheap prices (router tables?). We didn't actually go to either, but it was very difficult to remember which shop I wanted.

So don't panic!! We all go there.

 

[DrPhill]

Make a song and dance about it - compliment Lidl (or was it Aldi) for compensating you for a mistake made by Aldi (or was it Lidl). Surely they can milk that for some good publicity.... and you get some more free biccies.....

 

[Stanleymonkey]

New career for you - Extreme Customer services training.

If they can get past you - a glorious career awaits them!!

 

[Claymore]

LOL Brilliant Steve! best laugh for ages.

Brian

 

[RogerS]

Priceless, Steve. But you can still do the Toughie better than I. So all is not lost

Years ago I was sitting alongside a work colleague who was on the phone ranting to RBOS about their cockups, ranting even better than me, he was. After ten minutes of pretty savage, unrelenting ear-bashing the person at the other end asked him for his mortgage details. After a few minutes, I heard the person at the other end politely and in a very restrained voice say that "perhaps Sir had his mortgage with Bank of Scotland as they could find no reference".

Now if you managed to blag Aldi into accepting the £5 LIDL voucher then that deserves respect, sir.

 

[Bod]

Welcome to the real world.
It's not to bad here..

Bod

 

[iNewbie]

I can't believe theres no mention of what the new biscuits were like. I mean...

 

[lurker]

Lidl were pretty smart.
Instead of correcting you and thus potentially losing a customer they gave you a voucher to encourage you into their shop.
..................Once you had worked out for yourself what a pillock you had been. :roll:

I defy you not to have a soft spot for lidl hereafter.

I think most of us are thinking "there but for the grace of God go I".

I certainly don't think any the less of you :twisted:

 

[No skills]

Made me laugh so much I had to read it out to Mrs Skills and make her laugh. Brilliant.

 

[rafezetter]

Gave me a good laugh too Steve - you must recount this to Eric the Viking and R when you next see them if he's not seen it.

 

[Alexam]

................................."I am soooo embarrassed. Can anyone recommend a good care home?[/quote]"


You could convert that large building you have out the back? If ther's space, I will need one soon.

Yesterday, I telephoned EE about my phone account and the fact that my PAYG direct debit does not seem to be crediting to my phone. Had a long conversation with a very nice chap called Kumar and told him that I had been topping up when my phone said to, but had forgot that I had a DD. I asked what was happening to the direct debit I am paying. After several chats with his manager, he explained that I had something switched on my phone that had used up the last £25 top up in a week or so ago, but they said they would re-credit me with £23 as I obviously did not realise it. Very nice of them. He was very concerned that he could not trace the direct debit and said I should check with the bank on Monday, which I inteded to do.

However ............. overnight, I realised that the DD was fot my iPad and not my phone. DuuuuuuH!
I wil have to call and explain my error.

Malcolm

 

[Eric The Viking]

We've all been there at some point Steve. ScrewFix, Toolstation -- somebody sold it to me and it's going back!

. . .

I revealed my own inner idiot recently:

We have a new (to us) 2010 Toyota Avensis tourer, wot I'm really pleased with. Satnav, Bluetooth, reversing camera, and a nice (petrol) engine - they've come on a bit since we got a people carrier for the family back in 2002. As one of us absolutely must have a car available for work, I bought an extended warranty from the RAC for it - I'll never get caught like that again, but that's another story.

Anyway, the Domestic Controller is not extremely tall: 5' 1/4" (and woe betide anyone who forgets the 1/4"!), so there's a fair bit of driver's seat shuffling and adjustment when we swap over. It has a lumbar support in the seat back, and when I got to use the car after a few days (finally!) I found this was sticking into the small of my back.

There's a rocker switch on the side of the seat: pushed one way, there was a healthy whirring of motor somewheree beneath my bottom, and I could feel the thing getting worse. Pushed t'other way, silence. Re-read the manual - no, I didn't misunderstand it.

Hmm. Not having this...

... so I rang the RAC. "Sorry sir, we don't cover seating components in the vehicle." Brief but polite argument ensued. This turns out to be in the small print I wasn't shown, until after I'd signed and paid for the warranty (so not a valid part of the contract then).

I rang the dealer who sold us the car - couldn't have been nicer: "This is the second time this week the RAC has done something similar to one of our customers. Leave it with me I'll chase it." That was the MD, and I'm sure he was quite genuine (they'd only recently started doing the RAC thing).

Later that day I was bumping along over the Somerset Levels. It wasn't exactly comfortable. I thought I'd have one more go at the switch. Forwards: "whirrr!". Backwards:"_____!".

But I thought I felt a slight something, so this time I persisted. Sure enough the lumbar support reduced slowly, and after a minute or so driving with one hand on the switch I was, at last, comfortable.

The penny finally dropped: the thing is pneumatic! Push the switch forwards and an air pump inflates a bag in the seat upholstery. Push it the other way and it (silently) opens a valve to let the air out again, but quite slowly.

With awesome timing, at this point (somewhere near Shapwick, on the peat, on the bumpiest bit) the MD of the dealership rang me back. He'd found out what was "up" with the switch from the local Toyota agents...



E.

It's a great car BTW, very pleased so far (5 months or so). Just wish it had roof rails.

 

[ColeyS1]

These stories are making me chuckle I just went to get the weeks dirty laundry, carrying the washing up bowl to carry it in.

Coley

 

[joethedrummer]

Oh dear,
Recently rang Enterpise car hire to extend rental period of a vehicle only to have a young lady say they had no details of myself or said
vehicle. I continued saying that you must know me and gave more details upon which she said that they did not have any of that
particular vehicle but she was sure that Europcar did and gave me their phone number,,,,OOOOOOPS,,
,,,,joe,,,

 

[whiskywill]

I am not on the mains and have a septic tank which had just been emptied a couple of years ago when the departing lorry hit my driveway gate and cracked my brick built pillar. He actually returned to the house to tell us and advised that we call his head office to sort it out.
The following morning I called and explained what had happened but they denied any knowledge of it. Assuming that the driver had not yet reported it I gave them a few days before calling back only to eventually find out that they had not emptied the tank. I had gone with a company that had given a lower price.