cricket1again

Apparantly, there is a highly volatile full moon on the 12th Dec. Tempers are going flare and passions are going to be roused. Sounds like another normal day in paradise.


I don't understand why people get so upset and angry when they haven't met each other so nothing that's said on a forum can be taken personally. It is just words on a computer screen. Unlike real people, at least you can turn a computer off.

Sue

Please, please, please, this isn't being fair to the OP nor to the topic at hand can we let this drop now, thanks

Sue

PS No matter where you all are in the world, Merry Christmas to you and yours

northernbird

Well just for good measure I will chuck in another Sorry.

ezzie

We went shopping yesterday to Merry Hill - a huge Westfield's centre in Brierley Hill in Brum. Nothing too exciting happened there other than being amazed by the evidence of 'left hand not knowing what the right one's doing'....I'm sure that happens everywhere but we just kept running into it at every store yesterday. Perhaps it's the Christmas effect, new staff and long hours. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated during a shopping trip. I won't bore you with the details! One thing we did notice - being in the position of having to take a few items back, is the level of 'sticking to a rule blindly'. A couple of examples - we took back some pen thingos that we'd been told would work with touch ipods (they didn't, just Nintendos). To get a £6 refund we had to give our postcode, couldn't remember the one we're using here so gave our Aussie one, which the system couldn't cope with. I suggested they just put any old Merry Hill postcode in but this prompted scenes of near panic around the till and took around 10 minutes till a senior manager could be found who just pressed a button (presumably the magic one) and provided me with my £6! Then we went to Primark to swap a t-shirt for a smaller size. Didn't have receipt as hubby had flown off with it that day. They didn't have a smaller size on the rack so ds chose same shirt, different colour - nope! The rule is, if you've no receipt you can only swap for the same item and the blue t-shirt had a different code. Fortunately, after another long session a smaller yellow shirt was found, but if we hadn't been so lucky, the rule would have stood and I'd be left with a useless t-shirt. I think we've been spoiled with generous K-mart and Target returns policies in Oz. So if you're heading to the UK...hang onto those receipts!

Interestingly, our shopping trip seemed to sum up a lot about the UK. We experienced staff who knew little about their store or products and obviously had no interest in doing any more than the minimum (or less than), contrasted with staff who were so helpful, knowledgable and cheery that it was almost embarrassing. I find shopping in Sydney a more 'down the middle' experience. This is - and again generalising wildly - how we find the UK compared to Oz.

The UK has a massive variety of experiences, living standards and people, whereas we, personally, find life in Australia is more contained towards the middle ground. Experiences are more predictable, socialising is more standardised, to me there's more of a rubber stamp approach to life - one barbie with friends is similar to going to a barbie with other friends etc. Whereas in the UK, when we meet up with friends, we never quite know how the evening will go, who will turn up or where we'll even end up! The UK really is the good, the bad and the ugly of Europe....I guess that's why we love it so much, if it didn't have all those roller coaster experiences to throw at people, we'd be bored..... comfortable and safe....but bored!

I asked my son about the difference in talking with his English mates compared to Aussie chums - he said it's hard to keep up with the English ones as everything they say is funny and geared to humour. He also said it felt quite liberating to be with them as they say things to each other that would have kids at his school running for a teacher. He said that far from these 'insults' being hurtful, they were used almost as a cement in a friendship. Yes, he said the kids are rougher and tougher and 'into' stuff his friends back in Oz just wouldn't touch, but, they're definitely great company and he trusts them. Also, when they organised something, they all actually followed through - no one wimped out at the last moment preferring to sit and play computer games at home.

This is why we're looking at returning to the UK. In Sydney we have it all(the big house, pool, warm climate, good standard of living, income, affordable energy bills etc, etc.), but whilst we 'have it all', we don't have what we really want, which is that variety of experiences, the banter, the wit and a common pursuit in griping about the weather, fuel costs and Gordon Brown. Add the most glorious countryside and decent black pudding and there's not much holding me back now (ok, apart from jobs and somewhere to live!)

Right, today I'm attempting to look into topping up my UK pension, and re-activating our near empty bank account. I'll let you know how successful I am...

TillyG

That made me giggle... I remember when we first moved here (and even now, really), the return policies really annoyed me - most shops have a "no exchange or refund" policy, I've found. Used to drive me nuts... but now I just don't buy if I'm even slightly unsure about something - whereas in the UK I used to buy a book, top, whatever and think "well if I don't like it, I'll just bring it back, no worries"

rabsody

Funny that, exactly what I thought too. Even now I often shop in David Jones and Myer just because it's easy to take things back. I hate how so many shops won't let you take stuff back here.

I even took a half eaten steak back to Tesco once and got a refund Here, if you take stuff back to woolies you get a half arsed refund without apology rather than the exchanged item and the refund, for you trouble of traipsing all the way back to the shop when something's out of date etc.

northernbird

I haven't ever had to take anything back to Woolies so I hope I never do. I have returned to Target and Big W with no questions asked. They are the only shops I have returned stuff too so I wouldn't know about anywhere else.

northernbird

Don't you start, it has been put to bed now Sam, I would appreciate it if the subject was dropped now.

TillyG

And the annoying thing about getting refunds at Woolies/IGA is that (at least at mine) they insist on giving you the cash, rather than putting it back on your credit card (if that's how you've paid). Annoys me sometimes... especially if it's something like $6.97 - because I'll have paid $6.97 for it on my card but they only refund $6.95 - hate being diddled

Fleaflyfloflum

It is still the same in UK for the most part Tilly. She happened to go to Primark, which is a bargain bucket, cheapo shop. I had a similar experience in there with a pair of beach shoes, but i can assure you that all the others are still excellent at returns policies and nothing like Ezzies experience.
I did it in Marks and Sparks, Argos, Debenhams, Halfords, Tesco, and Waitrose. Not one single problem in any of them. In fact i had to take back a TV aerial to Argos and my grandaughter had ripped the box to bits and lost the receipt. No problems! Just reimbursed my debit card immediately.

Lorna at Vicenza

I had to go back about 5 pages to make any sense of some of the last posts.

All I wanted to know was what Ezzie did next !

Nu-Shooz

She went shopping and bought an ipod thingy pen lol...

This thread is great, love it.

Jules Europe

By the way clueless and under motivated staff are not exclusive to the UK they are everywhere. I quite often go into a shop here and ask for something and usually get a blank expression from somebody.......But then again maybe that`s just me.

St.Georges Girl

That's reminds me of when I had to take some 'fresh' fish back to Woolies. As soon as I opened it I knew it wasn't fresh, the stench was appalling, so I immediately phoned them and all they said was, "bring it back when you're next coming in"! I left it in the fridge (well wrapped) and popped it back the next day. I opened the bag I'd sealed it in so they could smell just how bad it was and the woman behind the 'customer service' counter snatched it off me and told a young guy to take it away. No apology, just the cash placed on the counter. I wasn't even asked if I would like a replacement, needless to say I never bought 'fresh' fish there again. I've since discovered that all there fish and chicken breasts come in frozen.

Have you had no problems without a receipt C? I have taken stuff back without one, although rarely, and been given a credit voucher. Now Target have changed there returns rule and if you don't return goods within 3 weeks, whether you have a receipt or not, you will only get a credit voucher with a use buy date on it.

John Lewis's was like that. Most of the stuff in our house back home was from there as the customer service was so good.

St.Georges Girl

Oh believe it because it is true, by choice mainly.

I am in Perth, WA.