Category: Rants

Paul, Jason and I decided to go for a few drinks in Liverpool. We decided to catch the train – turns out we could have gone in a limo for less money.

The problems began at Ormskirk train station where there was an absolutely massive queue for the ticket office and the train was just sitting on the platform waiting to go. We decided to hop on the train and buy a ticket online. Turns out you can’t do this on Merseyrail. You can do it on pretty much every other train operator in the country but Merseyrail are a bunch of robbing bastards who would rather take the income from fining their customers rather than fixing their systems to accept e-tickets.

We all received a fine of £107.90 which is reduced to £57.90 if paid within 21 days. So it cost £173.70 for the three of us to do a 30 minute journey. But at least we got some nice receipts and a blog post!

The mission to make sure that somebody googling "Darren Steele" gets to me and not the gay choirboy that was bullied and ultimately hanged himself is proceeding nicely.  My ranking has risen to the dizzying heights of number 2 on the google search results but I suspect it will be a little tricky to displace the bbc in the number 1 spot.

Hope springs eternal and all that.

Somehow, and I’m not too sure how, but somehow,  I managed to lose the SIM card that I use for doing data stuff whilst travelling.  It’s invariably in a phone in my cupboard somewhere – or tucked into that condom pocket of a pair of jeans that I haven’t worn for a while – nevertheless, I can’t find it and it’s pissing me off.

So I called those helpful little girls and boys in Carphone Warehouse and mentioned that I’d lost it so they passed me over to the O2 sales team who told me it would cost me 15 quid for a new SIM.  I’ve lost hundreds [ well probably not hundreds but quite a few I reckon ] of these little rectangular plastic bastards with a little bit chopped out of the corner and never has anyone asked me to pay 15 pounds for the privilege of receiving a new one.  In fact, it happened just a few months ago when I lost my phone and SIM that is from a direct contract with O2.  They couldn’t be more helpful.  A new SIM was sorted out and sent out to me the next day.  Could it be that due to my average bill on that SIM being about 200 quid they were pretty keen to keep me as a customer?  Or could it be that unlike Carphone Warehouse, O2 seem to have a fucking clue?

So they want me to give them money so that I can use the SIM to generate data on their network which they will then charge me money for.  Fuck that!  If they want my cash then the bunch of pricks can send me a new fucking SIM,  Jesus!

The situation now is that I’m waiting for the contract to end [ September ] and in the meantime have to pay them the line rental on the SIM – ho hum.  Then promptly on 7th September I will jam my foot into the anus of Carphone Warehouse and tell them I’ll be taking my custom elsewhere.

Carphone Warehouse have crap customer service and I’ll not be dealing with that bunch of pricks again…once I’ve cancelled my contract.