Tesco again

So I've been logging into Tesco bank to deal with my Tesco credit card for the last couple of years and also Tesco.com for shopping. It's an unfortunate situation because the security Tesco uses is simply alphanumeric so I have to use different password structures to that which I use everywhere else and most online systems would consider Tesco passwords weak.

Over the several days Tesco Bank has been offering me a security upgrade to my computer which given a total absence of detail I have pressed the "no thanks" button but yesterday and today the "no thanks" option is no longer an option.

It's upgrade or upgrade.

Sill no detail.

So reluctantly I press the button and get a "sorry there has been a system error" - 2 days and 2 reboots so pretty sure it's no me. So I end up phoning Tesco, at my cost, to be told they are experiencing long queues (not the first time I've tried, there always seem to be long queues but then we're used to the checkouts being half manned so why would the phones be any different) and I finally get through and the lady politely explains that I have to entirely re-register for my existing account.

So am left wondering why I would re-register for an account I already have where more than half the effort in moving provider is the registration process or just spend five minutes on the internet finding a new provider, excellent plan, good relationship building Tesco.

Pizza Hut

Another retail gripe, for the last year or so we've had a large sheet of paper listing pizza hut deals through the door about every third week.

Why is it that the local pizza hut, 4.2 miles away can't deliver to us but still sends us offers?

Get it sorted.

Supermarket price promises

Everytime I visit Sainsburys they justify their excessive prices (my nearest is Haywards Heath, surely the most expensive in the country) by printing a ream of ticker tape telling me I've "saved" some money.

Not to be left out my usual haunt of Tescos has started doing the same. Today I spent £18.30 and apparently saved 59p. There's no indication of how I saved 59p or consideration of the fact that in that location doing the shopping I was doing there are no alternatives within reasonable driving distance.

It's interesting as there was an article in the Times last weekend suggesting that shopping costs are tumbling. I'm not sure where they are tumbling and what products one has to purchase to see tumbling but I have to suspect tumbling is not happening in Sussex at the moment, in fact from my credit card bills I can prove they aren't tumbling anywhere except upwards.

Is there a price war on? Picture the conversation :

Supermarket 1 : "we're going to add 50% to the price of beans"

Supermarket 2 : "we're going to undercut you, 45% here we come"

Is that a price war because that's what I see (to be honest I can't tell you about beans, pretty sure milk has stayed fairly static but anything else...).

What's more annoying is there is no indication of a way to tell the supermarkets to stop wasting money on paper and give me cheaper prices in the first place.

Tips to supermarkets :
1) Give me good prices on good products - I know you need to make a profit but stop taking the p*ss.
2) Stop wasting money on endless bits of paper.
3) You frequently control a geographic area so if you put staff on checkouts people will come to your shop.
4) Get over yourselves, if there were better choices we'd be off elsewhere but there simply aren't so we put up with you.

Windows 8 Media Center

There is a nasty rumour circulating on the net that Microsoft are going to make Windows Media Center a pay for option in Windows 8.

What is worse is that DVD play back will be blocked without the purchase of Media Centre.

I use Windows 7 media center, the shortcomings of WMC are as long as your arm, without thinking too hard my top bug bears are the failure of the music library to update reliably and the poor interface for larger music collections.

I've replaced the Movie functionality with MediaBrowser;  I have tried its music support but it is unusable at present (I suspect mainly because useful options are pay for but the default options don't encourage me enough to think my money would be well spent) but for movies it is brilliant.

The only other modification I have made is to the menus to get rid of the extra rubbish that Microsoft keeps trying to push on me.

I have worked extensively with both MediaPortal and XBMC but their shortcoming is that you have to work extensively with them whilst out of the box with very little effort Windows Media Center works and anyone could configure it properly.

So, having made a working Media Center which seems to have a strong user base it strikes me that it would not be practical to charge a high enough premium to genuinely fund improved professional development whilst it is going to slow down take up of Windows 8 (and when the Kinect gets integrated to the Windows 8 interface that would be a shame) and / or drive take up towards Media Portal / XBMC and for a lot of enthusiasts off of Windows.

So surely that rumour must be mistaken.

Fractal Design

About 6 months ago I purchased a Fractal Design R3 case, great looking all black case, featureless front door, sound proof layers on the panels. A pleasure to install into and some nice attempts at minimising dust inside. However, a common feature of reviews is a note that the clips holding the covers over the front fan bays won't stand up to much use. Sure enough, they have died after only half a dozen uses but on an off chance I emailed Fractal Design via their website and lo and behold they replied asking how many clips I needed and posted them in short order. Would have been easy to ignore the email and take no action but for the second time in the recent past I've gone away a happy customer and am saying so publicly, well done guys.

Reebok Customer Service

A rare positive comment!

The motor on my Reebok Fusion cross trainer has expired, on investigation a couple of teeth from the acrylic cogs had parted company with the cog so was losing traction. I emailed Reebok fully expecting (a) no response (b) a "just buy a whole new one" response.

Instead within 24 hours I had a response telling me that my call had been passed onto their parts business with the contact details listed.

So 2 days later I finally thing I really ought to ring and whilst looking for the number in my email I discovered an email from the parts people saying "yes the part you want is available, call us on...." which I had missed.

24 hours later and the part is in my hand and 1 day on it is fitted and working.

It would have been very easy to tell me to buy a new cross trainer and lose a customer, plenty of other businesses out there would but instead I have had a positive customer experience, saved several hundred pounds by using a replacement part and am happy (that won't last of course but that is just me).

Microsoft Explorer Mouse

I have just purchased a Microsoft Explorer mouse.

Primarily this was to replace either the MS Natural 6000 I use at home, which is falling apart or the Trust mouse I use at work (who knows what model, just has a number on the bottom (14835) which is also falling apart and is eating AA batteries at an ever growing pace.

The Natural mouse is a great shape but I'm not great a sitting my hand on the mouse so isn't ideal and when I do consciously put it in the palm of my hand it is too small so I'm not using my finger tips to press the buttons. That said is an excellent mouse which is shown by its continuing relatively high price. The rubber coatings though are falling wearing off - just as they ae on my Trust mouse.

Enter the Explorer mouse. This is a great shape and sits in the palm of my hand much better than anything else I've tried before and supports my little finger fairly well so I'm encouraged to sit my hand on the mouse this time. It uses BlueTrack technology to improve tracking on various surfaces - the Natural mouse is ok on most surfaces but A4 paper defeats it - gives me a reason to keep my desk a least a little clear of junk. The trust is pretty Trustworthy all in all, can't say I've had any problem with tracking but reception can be a bit hit and miss. The Explorer mouse is better, much more positive, my beech effect, melamime worktop still throws it a little but not so much that I'm searching for another surface.

Issues? Build quality. As mice go this doesn't cost in the league of the gaming mice but given you can pick up a mouse for a couple of pounds the £20 for this is not cheap and I am sad to say this is not up to the solid build quality of previous MS mice, it feels light, the plastic feels cheap, the buttons click positively but actually vibrate the whole surface. I quite like the slightly rubberised surface but that will wear off as in past experience so I suspect in another year I will be looking for me next mouse.

Shell Diesel

Once again I made this same mistake. There I am driving along and the fuel light goes on. So I pull into the first petrol station I see and fill up - Shell Diesel, standard variety. Why do I keep forgetting! I consistently get around 10 to 20% less miles per gallon when using Shell fuel. Note to self, keep driving on, ignoring the low fuel light until any other station is found....