Posts

CENTURION for PM!!!! He's got my vote, though not sure about the Armed Forces bit, we're naturally a tribal race and need a good ruck once in a while to blow off steam

How about an employer NI contributions holiday for small businesses with 5 staff or less, to try and encourage micro-businesses and 1 man bands to expand.

Then there's benefits... are I'd wear my fingers out typing and it would end up as a rant...

Havent spoke to them in years, but they weren't overly expensive.

You can pay as much or as little as you want for data. Trust me, the less you pay, the worst it gets

3 years in Cyprus, 1 year in the Middle East and various other places for months at a time courtesy of the tax payers

Congrats on the expansion

Retirement??? Nahh you'll die of boredom.

I've heard mould is a big issue in the Bahamas, just need broadband, a webcam and a decent speaker on your daughters pc so she can hear you barking orders from afar

Started training my daughter to take over the reigns. Trouble is she's only 2 this year so it'll be a long apprenticeship...

You've got Blog commentating, but how about blogs themselves? I may not the worlds most active blogger, but it does generate some good links.

Back in the grim old days when we used to do cold calling we used Selectabase

They could customise any list for you from all sorts of parameters, and as far as resellable data goes, it was about as fresh as it can be

Fun? Are you nuts!

Have you seen how Prime Ministers and Presidents visibly age during their terms in office!

All that responsibility, everyone moaning, slagging you off...

hmmm, like running a forum lol

So come on Garlex, if you're the man in charge, what would you do?

We know the Govt's got no spare coffers, a nationwide upgrade will cost a fortune, so unlikely to get any new players. Spoke before about the failed fibre network plan in the nations sewer system.

Public services have already been decimated, so no cash savings there. It will take BT about 50 years at their current speed.

Maybe a broadband tax?

Or how about if a company targets and rolls out infrastructure to a city, then gets businesses to sign up for a 5 year term upfront, to get the cash in, which then gives them the momentum and capital to expand the network? So business reaps the rewards, but longterm, residential will probably be the cash cow.

Maybe we all join forces and set up a huge co-operative!

Move to France?

cheers guys, it's my number one pet hate! Laughing aside, just had 3 call's this morning. "Hi I'm calling you from the Fire Service"... course you are my little commission only money grabbing little toe rag.

We've set honey trap listings and got hit time and time again, we've collected information for Trading Standards, and worked with a genuine charity whose name was being used, but didn't receive a penny! But as fast as they get closed down, they re-open as something else.

The root cause is unfortunately you and me. I fell for it myself a few years ago, paying for some awful advert which allegedly was going to help buy school books.

Because so many of us are a soft touch, it has become big business. Tug at a few heartstrings, let you do your bit for charity, whilst providing you with a service, ie marketing your business, all sounds pretty reasonable.

Instead, you get a worthless advert in a magazine no ones ever seen in the public domain, and very pushy aggressive payment terms the minute you question anything.

Until this scam is publicised across all business channels, networks, forums etc, it will continue to be easy pickings for those with no concious

That said, I'm not anti cold calling, although I'm not a fan, it does serve a genuine business need. All I ask is that no one ever agree's to anything from an initial cold call.

Spending 1 minute doing research on Google can save you a lot of hassle. If you're happy, then call them back

As regulars may know, I tend to get very anal about dubious ropey so called magazine advertising for schools and various emergency services.

Unfortunately it's big business, and to be blunt, it's mainly due to gullible or non streetwise business owners.

Now in the interests of political correctness, no doubt, in amongst all of the scammers that seem to congregate around the North West of England, there is a genuine marketing firm that does actually produce a large circulation hard copy magazine, and does pass funds onto the emergency services, and doesn't try and trick you into taking out an advert

So, any new business owner that hasn't come across this type of sales tactic before, then please toughen up and think before you agree to anything. Especially from a cold call!

Spend 1 minute and do some Google research!

Here is a great set of guidelines from a UK Government Site:


CHARITY SUPPORT PUBLISHING – SCAMBUSTING GUIDELINES

Danger Signs

Be very wary of anyone cold calling you asking you to place an advertisement in a Wall Planner, Diary, Children’s Fun Book, Drug Awareness Book, Magazine for Emergency Services Personnel, Guide or other publication.

They usually claim to be calling on behalf of or associated with a charity who will receive a donation or free books for resale. Alternatively they may be claiming to be from one of the emergency services or promising to distribute their magazine to an audience such as off duty emergency services personnel.

Do’s and Dont’s

DON’T agree to place an advert over the telephone unless you are absolutely happy with the publisher with whom you are dealing and what you are being offered.

DON’T speak to them unless you’ve got time to ask all the questions you want.

DON’T agree to something to get rid of them – you could be making a binding agreement.

DON’T take their word for it that you have placed an order previously or that someone in your organisation has agreed to take an order– this is a ploy used by some companies to trick you.

DO make it clear in ALL telephone calls that you are NOT placing an order – they often record the second “confirmation” phone
call – this is carefully worded to sound like you are agreeing to the order even if you have just requested further information.

DO insist on seeing written details and a copy of the publisher's full terms and conditions before placing an order.

DO ask them some detailed questions about the publication (a suggested list of questions is below).

DO get details including the number of any charity mentioned and check this with the Charity Commission at The Charity Commission for England and Wales .

DO get them to send you an example of a publication they have produced with details of its circulation – if they refuse DON’T agree to go any further.

DO make a record of all contact with these companies – time, date of calls, person you spoke to, what they said etc.

DO make sure all your staff know about this advice on dealing with these cold callers and to be aware of unsolicited invoices.

DON’T feel guilty – there are other ways of giving to charity.

If in doubt DO find your LOCAL Trading Standards at Trading Standards Institute - Home page .

Questions you should ask - but only if you’re interested in placing an advertisement

• What is your name and contact number?
• Where did you get my telephone number/ address from?
• What is the name / address of the company / organisation you are calling from?
• What is the name, address, and telephone number of the company producing the publication?
• What organisation is the publication produced for?
• If this is a charity, get details of the number and check it with the Charity Commission.
• If this is an emergency service get the details of which one in which area.
• Who is the contact at that organisation?
• How does the charity or emergency service benefit?
• What proportion of my fee goes to the charity / emergency service?
• What is the name of the publication?
• What type of publication is it?
• When will it be published?
• How many copies of the version containing my advert will be produced?
• How and where will these be distributed?
• How can I get hold of a copy?