I desperately wanted to get rid of my hideous old, rotting wooden house sign and finally made the leap of buying a new one when I waited in all day for a courier. I finally called DHL and asked where it was – to be told it was back at the depot as the guy couldn’t find my house. The next day, after putting up a temporary house sign that was visible from the road the DHL guy found my house. So I started to look for a new sign.

I could not believe the choice of house signs available on the net! I bought my wooden sign from the net a few years ago and there wasn’t half the companied selling signs there are now! I finally settled on a company called Rustic Stone as I liked their rustic slate that they use. Anyway, to cut a long story short, my house sign arrived, hand picked random shaped Welsh slate with immaculately engraved text, holes drilled etc. for a reasonable price. Anyway, they were obviously happy with it as it now features on their web site. Take a look at and the other house signs. Mine is the Riverside house plaque featured in the images on the right. I recommend the signs they sell as they are so unusual.

I have used Interparcel for ages with mixed results. Often OK but God help you if something goes wrong! I have just used them for the last time ever.

2 parcels were booked for delivery by TNT as they were both very heavy. 2 days late picking up (which is just by the by). The under trained or under brained courier somehow managed to stick her barcode label to the wrong parcel, even though it was clearly labelled correctly and both parcels ended up at each others addresses.

I let Interparcel know and they didn’t respond (I emailed as the phone waiting time was 14 mins!!). I called the TNT depot myself and let them know the issue. Even so, they managed to utterly destroy one parcel. Costing me £245. The other parcel eventually arrived over a week later. No chance of compensation for the items as they are slate and that is a restricted material (another way to wriggle out of every eventuality) – i.e., you send at your own risk. But, I feel that they should at least refund the fee due to the mix up. At the very least they should bloody respond to the help request!

2 more emails to Interparcel and they still won’t even respond.

AVOID INTERPARCEL AT ALL COSTS!

I honestly doubt that any of the others are any better. They are all so slippery when it comes to any sort of guarantee, claim, complaint, anything. There really is a gap in the market for a courier company that gives a toss. I feel like I am held to ransom by them all.

I have transferred all my business to parceltogo.com – I doubt they are any better but I won’t use Interparcel again out of principle. It’s just a lottery as to when it happens to you and the frustration begins.

I wonder if anyone else has noticed the similarities between Terry Simmonds and Peter Griffin?

Take a look at the attached and tell me if you can’t see similarities. Apart from Peter looking sober (in comparison) the match is a spitting image. Obviously Terry Simmonds has put on weight since both photographs were taken.

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Parcelforce Complaints Form is a Waste of Time

I wanted to vent this here and to let people know what a heartless, rubbish company Parcelforce is.

Just before Christmas one of my customers commissioned me to make a memorial stone for a memorial service for a dead colleague. I made the memorial and sent it using Parcelforce whom I have account with.

My customer called me understandably upset that the memorial did not arrive in time for the service. Even though it was sent to arrive three days before the service. On checking Parcelforce’s online tracking I saw that the parcel was not delivered due to it being improperly addressed.

Improperly addressed! When you use Parcelforce now, if you are an account customer, all bookings are taken online and you cannot enter a wrong address. You enter the postcode and then you select the number of the road or the house name. It just so happens that my delivery was to a stately home and it was the only address in that postcode!

To add insult to injury, my customer had called the Parcelforce depot where the parcel was held up to arrange a redelivery and enquire why it had not arrived when it was supposed to be, was given a torrent of abuse!

I took time to compose a formal complaint to Parcelforce and submitted it using their online form and they didn’t even bother to reply.

Subsequently I have found a better company and I have never used Parcelforce since. Neither have I paid their last two bills – though I suppose that I will have to, as it’s not worth sabotaging my credit rating over.

Glasgow to host Commonwealth Games

Looks like Glasgow will be holding the Commonwealth Games. I am taking a wild stab that it will be Glasgow hosting the commonwealth Games – it’s going to be announced in 20 minutes and are currently favourites to win. Nigeria are also in the running for hosting the games but they won’t stand a chance against the Scots. Forget me if I am wrong!

Get Chris Moyles out of Here!

Chris Moyles hinted this morning on his show that he is going into the jungle on “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!”

I hope that he does. I would like the whole nation to see how petulant and annoying he is. I really, really do not get why the so called (self acclaimed) “Savior of Radio 1″ is still employed by the BBC as a DJ but I guess it’s just a matter of taste.

It would be great seeing him in the jungle, watching the others eying him suspiciously every time he goes near the food supplies.

Wait, maybe he’s not going as a contestant but one of the disgusting dishes? He could keep the camp going for quite a while – two or three series is my guess.

David Beckham squeezes his balls

I had to laugh when I saw The Sun this morning. They show a pic of David Beckham pulling his shorts up with the headline “Becks shows off his ball skills”. As well as showing his (what I thought was modest – but what do I know?) pant load (the front load, not the back load) he scored two goals as well, three if you count the extra thousands he will make by showing the bulge of his knob!

The Sun also goes on to say that Victoria must be very proud of that tackle. Um, were they looking at the same picture? So, is this Victoria’s Secret?

Emily has quit X Factor

Emily has dramatically quit X Factor today after videos were shown of her beating a girl up and threatening a boy. Sharon says she’s deeply saddened by the outcome.

Emily’s “Happy Slapping” antics where she punched and kicked a girl after throwing her to the ground came to light in the newspapers earlier in the week. It’s also said that some sort of knife threat was involved in a similar incident.

Goodbye Emily, unless they rename it as Xtremely Violent Factor you have pissed on your chips. No doubt you will be a star on youtube.com

Jade Goody Warns of Slimming Pill Dangers

I just heard Jade Goody on the news saying about her slimming addiction and abuse hell. I find it difficult to be sympathetic to Jade Goody as she is such an annoying cow. However, I do find it sad that she has risked long term damage to her body with a higher probability of have a hear attack or a stroke. I don’t even wish that on Jade Goody, let alone her family.

Is that the headline that will resonate through tomorrow’s tabloids? There is bound to be copious speculation as to whether Sir Ian Blair’s resignation will be called for.

Sir Ian Blair resigning might not be a bad thing

TJ said earlier on his web of lies and SEO myths website.