The angry thread

[Newportnobby]

Sorry, Richard, but I didn't know whether to use the 'funny' or 'sad' rate so used both.
£675 per month?   I shouldn't think Buckingham palace costs that much
Mind you, Her Maj does get £300 or so winter fuel allowance on that.

[Malc]

I made a typo when inputting my meter readings a few years ago and got a £1400 bill. Scottish Power must have thought I had started up an Aluminium smelter in the back garden. Took several phone calls to sort it out.

[Newportnobby]

How did they discover aluminium?
They tell me they smelt it.

(Taxi for Nobby)

[The Q]

We have a mobile home in the garden, EVERY year they come up with a huge estimate of the following years Bill. Last year it was used for two weeks when relatives came for a visit.. This years estimated Bill over £1000...
All it has on the rest of the time is the frost guard heater, in the kitchen and the water boiler also set to frost..

[thebrighton]

Just had an email from British Gas concerning the price increase after Ofgen raised the price cap. Just the 63% increase for us! Time to put on an extra jumper and have the heating on even less

[Trainfish]

I'm thinking about getting thicker tights. Nothing to do with the heating cost as you should see the price of them 

[guest311]

yet again, the amazon scam is going the rounds
'if you don't pay £79 you amazon account will be cancelled. if you want to retain your amazon account select option 1 to speak to a customer services agent'

right, I don't have an amazon account, I don't want an amazon account, and I am not so stupid that I'd select an option from your message which would most likely link me to a number charging £10 a second.

when, oh when, are the companies who produce these scams actually going to be dealt with ?

there are some people who will lose hundreds, if not thousands through these scams

[TrevL]

I have two pensions, Old Age, from the government, and RAF, also for the government, these are my only incomes.
So how come HMRC, a government agency,  can manage to get my tax code wrong and I end up owing them £400plus???
This of course has to be paid back, so they are now going to adjust my tax code so they can get it back over next 12 months, leaving me an extra £35 a month out of pocket.  Why didn't they just get it right in the first place?? (insert expletive of your own choice)

Carrying on from this, I apparently owe HMRC a little over £2000, which equates to £40 a week I'll be worse off, I'd really like to know who is responsible for this monummental high level chicken?

[dannyboy]

I also have two pensions from the UK, Old Age and Police.  A few years ago, I received notification that I had underpaid by about £200 the previous year, so they took it back the following year by adjusting my tax code. The year after that, I was notified that I had over paid in the year in which I was paying back the under payment.  Work that one out! . As you say Trev  .

[Bob Tidbury]

I had a similar  phone call to  say my Amazon account had been debited by £769 I asked him whos account ? He said your account ,so I asked him who he thought he was talking to ?
He said Sir it is your account .
I said how do you even know who I am he said because we have rung your number on the account and want to confirm that the transaction is correct .
I told him it couldnt be MY account as I dont even have one so why dont you go and get a proper job instead of harassing people ,he said well Sir now that your account has had that  amount  debited we will take it you approve ,thankyou if you need to contact a supervisor press 1 Which is when I had enough fun trying to,wind  him up and put the phone down .
Its about time something was really done to stop these scammers once and for all .
Bob Tidbury

[Malc]

In the good old days of dial telephones, our switchboard used to get occasional obscene phone calls. The operators had a small box that they used to hold near the mouthpiece and press a button. It emitted a tone that caused the exchange to send ringing volts (17hz at 80v) down the line into the ear of the offender.

[daffy]

In the good old days of dial telephones, our switchboard used to get occasional obscene phone calls. The operators had a small box that they used to hold near the mouthpiece and press a button. It emitted a tone that caused the exchange to send ringing volts (17hz at 80v) down the line into the ear of the offender.

Nice!

Would an air horn have a similar dissuasive effect, or would I just damage my phone mic? 

[Malc]

You would probably damage your mic. The advantage of the old system was that 17hz at 80v in your earpiece makes their ears ring without affecting your phone at all.

[daffy]

Thanks for that info Malc. 

I'll just have to stick to the sporty approach of keeping them on the line for as long as possible while I do something else.

[woodbury22uk]

I have a Tomy Sound Spray which looks like a small aerosol can but emits a selection of sounds. My favourite is the police siren which, held close to the phone mouthpiece seems to get unwelcome callers to hang up. Reserved for persistent international callers using false local number caller IDs. Mostly they just get the answering machine, but occasionally the Sound Spray gets some exercise.