Other Stories Archive

“It’ll never happen to me!” was the naive opinion I held for a number of years, while scoffing at news reports of less savvy users getting ripped off online.

Until I joined Microsoft that is…..

You see we get whizz-bang phones given to us, all Windows powered you understand, and I already had a whizz-bang phone so I had to get rid of it.

I stuck it up on eBay and all was well….for a while.

A few hours before the end of the auction I got an email from a chap in Delhi. Would I mind he bid on the phone and would I kindly consider shipping it to him in India. I checked his feedback and he’d bought about 15 phones from other eBayers, so I thought why not?

 The more the merrier!

He won the phone, paying about £350 or £30 more than it would have cost him to buy it brand new online. That’s where greed and arrogance had clouded my judgement. I smugly wrapped the phone up and winged it on its way to Delhi, thinking what a fool!

Three months later I had a chargeback on my credit card statement from PayPal. It turns out the guy had used a stolen credit card, or been in cahoots with someone else who denied ever sanctioning the charges. It was conveniently so late in the day I’d deleted all record of the transaction. PayPal didn’t want to know, so I was £350 and a whizz-bang phone down and feeling very silly.

Next was during PubCon in Vegas last year – it was a lucrative trip but I wasn’t expecting my debit card details to have been pilfered and a transaction for £147 to have been made for a cash withdrawal in Oregon. Where did they get my card number from? I only used it twice in Vegas!

Lastly and most weirdly involved Google.

I’ve used AdWords a number of times in the past, but checking my credit card statement for December I noticed a $5.10 charge in the US for their PPC product. Then it happened again in January for $10.32!!!

Such small numbers are obviously anathema to me, especially on my salary (not!) so I emailed Google to find out what on earth was going on!

Seventeen, yes SEVENTEEN emails and two phone calls later, they established it was fraud and advised me to close my credit card account and charge back the £7.50.

Now I consider myself quite savvy, spending as much time online and assessing websites as I do, you’d think I’d be able to spot something unsafe or dodgy.

But it can happen to ANYONE!!!

Couple of tips:

• If a deal looks too good to be true, then it probably is!
• Keep all your receipts and check them off your bank statements.
• For big items keep receipts or email confirmations filed away electronically for at least 6 months.
• Always check your statements for transactions you don’t recognise and act on them immediately.
• Don’t buy stuff or take money out when you’ve had a few beers (Vegas!) your judgement may be impared!

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ]

Went for a check up at Specsavers Richmond at the weekend. I do find it amazing how service can differ between franchises, but this lot have always been great at looking after their customers, more so than other branches!

Paying for my eye test, I spotted this contraption. A very simple to use, five question, push-button feedback machine.

It asked how satisfied you were with the waiting time, eye exam and overall experience. It was quick and, dare I say it, quite fun, but I wonder where the data goes to be analysed, and whether they actually act on it.

Having run many a search campaign for high street stores, I’d slip in at least one last question:

Did you view on our website, any of the products you have just puchased with the intention of buying them in store?

The Interactive Media in Retail Group have said that UK stores saw a massive jump in online sales shopping this January compared to last year…

Highlights:

• 75.5% rise in online shopping
• £4.5B spent online last month
• 62% average growth in online shopping over the last 10 months
• 63% over the last 3 months is double the 25% it was this time last year

Could be as a result of sales search terms being up 249% in January!!!

Check out the benefits of joining the IMRG and get you hands on these fabulous reports here: IMRG Sign Up

Athletes and officials at the 2008 Olympics have been told if they write a blog it has to be “dignified and in good taste!” writes MarketingVox

This is the first time blogging has been officially allowed “as a legitimate form of personal expression” and “not a form of journalism.”

Eh?

I was asked today if I could dig out Microsoft’s blogging guidelines. I’m not sure if they’re public but I’ll see what I can do….

No suprise really, but as the UK’s leading search engine, Google has come top in some research published by Nielson NetRatings.

With almost 25m visitors a month, they beat MSN/Windows Live Messenger (14.7m) and eBay (14.5m) as the most popular online property.

Facebook grew its audience 781% from 1.1m to 8.9m but was NOT the fastest growing site.

That crown went to Beat That Quote who welcomed a whopping 1,165% more users than in December 2006!

Download the report here: Winners On The UK Web

From Gatineau…

So I’m working from home today. I have a very nice Polish chap in my kitchen doing some tiling. It’s a bomb site, and an hour ago I was hungry as I’ve been awake since about 4am still jet-lagged.

I can’t cook (in the kitchen) so I thought I’d get a take away. None of the chinese or indians are open at lunchtime so I think….PIZZA!

Only pizza name I can think of is Domino’s! So I go to Live.com and search for it, plug in my details, order a medium “Sizzler” and say I’ll pay cash on delivery. All online – no phone call necessary.

Sure enough in about 30 mins the buzzer goes and my pizza arrives.

Fantastic service, fantastic pizza, fantastic everything except for one thing…….the price!

I gave the moped guy £1.01 which brought the damage to £15!!!!

For a 11 inch pizza!

I could have bought a bigger one from Waitrose for £5 – Wow! What a mark up?!

Can anyone in the US dream of paying $30 for a pizza?

I’m emigrating………………..to Italy! 🙂  

I survived yesterday without my phone.

The only message I had was from herself wishing me a Happy Valentine’s Day!

One, two, three – aaawwwwwwwwwwww! 🙂

Forgot my phone this morning.
Left pocket now in mourning.
Left leg has nowt to rub against,
Full of worry, full of angst.

Not sure I can survive the day?
Surely this means hell to pay?
Feeling naked and bereft,
Feel lop-sided to the left!