Radio 5, A Few Minutes Ago.

[Prof]

They just had a debate between Domonic Littlewotsit and a woman who sounded like she must be a HPC`er. Dom was trying to tell us not to stop spending. The woman countered his argument with lots of bearish facts and figures. She warned of very tough times ahead. Very frightening for any sheeple listening.

Could someone please provide a link to the BBC Radio 5 "listen again", as it was very interesting to hear what she had to say on national radio. I have to go to work now, so I`ll let you guys take over.

[waitingandsaving]

Think you have to wait for the programme to finish before you can listen again (don't think you can rewind as it were).

That Dominic Littlewood really grates. I saw his "don't get done get Dom" programme yesterday afternoon (I know, I know, just turn it off or change the channel, but it's cathartic to shout at him sometimes). It's like a poor man's Watchdog, combined with watching small business men getting bullied into offering low prices.

Yesterday they had a minister who agreed to a phone upgrade over the phone, didn't ask whether it was a different phone tariff, and found upon receiving his first new bill, it was up from £12/month to £20. Apparently "Buyer Beware" doesn't come into it anymore, it was Carphone Warehouses fault, and Dom sorted it so he kept the new phone, went back to his old tariff, got a refund from when the tariff went up, and by way of apology, got a years free line rental. Now maybe I'm just bitter because I take responsibility, and ask how much something's going to cost and say "no" if it costs too much, and perhaps I resent it when someone can't be ar5ed to find out the facts, and gets rewarded for their incompetence.

However, what really grates me is when he goes into a shop on behalf on someone who is out to buy something in particular, he talks to the salesman, and is fairly pushy about getting a discount. He says thank you very much, and walks out down the street to another shop selling the same product. He's then really pushy, and gets them to beat the previous price, and then pushes even further. If I was the small business man (it's always small independent shops, never a big chain store) I'd feel a bit narked. They're pretty much down to cost price in some cases (the shop owners tell them so), and he's still after free delivery or something. yes there's flexibility I guess, but if we all went around being ar5ey bullies, then all the small businesses would go bust.

Maybe a small business owner out there could let me know if they don't mind pushy discount hunters, or if you resent them a bit?

Dom Littlewood can't afford a recession, as all his programmes revolve around money being spent, and I believe from a previous thread, all the money he's made is tied up in property investments

Spleen Vented

[yellerkat]

Yesterday they had a minister who agreed to a phone upgrade over the phone, didn't ask whether it was a different phone tariff, and found upon receiving his first new bill, it was up from £12/month to £20...

Must have been Alastair Darling.

[yaakov]

...

Yesterday they had a minister who agreed to a phone upgrade over the phone, didn't ask whether it was a different phone tariff, and found upon receiving his first new bill, it was up from £12/month to £20. Apparently "Buyer Beware" doesn't come into it anymore, it was Carphone Warehouses fault, and Dom sorted it so he kept the new phone, went back to his old tariff, got a refund from when the tariff went up, and by way of apology, got a years free line rental. Now maybe I'm just bitter because I take responsibility, and ask how much something's going to cost and say "no" if it costs too much, and perhaps I resent it when someone can't be ar5ed to find out the facts, and gets rewarded for their incompetence.

...

Spleen Vented

which minister admitted to being so incompetent and naive?

Edited March 12, 2008 by JimmyMac

[corevalue]

which minister admitted to being so incompetent and naive?

I think he means a minister of the cloth, like the Bishop who found his fortune after getting an email from Nigeria.

[yaakov]

I think he means a minister of the cloth, like the Bishop who found his fortune after getting an email from Nigeria.

oh right

[waitingandsaving]

I think he means a minister of the cloth, like the Bishop who found his fortune after getting an email from Nigeria.

Sorry yes - should have clarified, not a polictal sort, but a religious one, he had quite a cute hat on, so I'm guessing Greek/Russian Orthodox or somesuch.

[Moo]

Maybe a small business owner out there could let me know if they don't mind pushy discount hunters, or if you resent them a bit?

Not an owner, but very close to that end of things.

Suffice to say, it's a case-by-case situation. Whilst we don't sell Mars Bars, the difference is probably best described as follows...

Ask for 20% off one Mars Bar? No, sorry, and future requests are ignored.

Ask for 20% off quite a lot of Mars Bars? Okay, let's talk.

Ask for 20% off a lorryload? Sure.

Ask for as many free Mars Bars as you can carry, because you're a school\charity\church? No, and don't expect it to be a totally polite no*.

* Too busy to explain why I'm not an evil swine. Suffice to say we get a lot of these requests, and given that there are cheaper (if less capable) versions of our product out there, we see no reason to roll over. Look at it like this. If you ran a BMW dealership, you wouldn't sell a charity a 7-series for the same price as a Kia Picanto "because they really like BMWs, but have to think of stray bunnies".

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

Think you have to wait for the programme to finish before you can listen again (don't think you can rewind as it were).

That Dominic Littlewood really grates. I saw his "don't get done get Dom" programme yesterday afternoon (I know, I know, just turn it off or change the channel, but it's cathartic to shout at him sometimes). It's like a poor man's Watchdog, combined with watching small business men getting bullied into offering low prices.

Yesterday they had a minister who agreed to a phone upgrade over the phone, didn't ask whether it was a different phone tariff, and found upon receiving his first new bill, it was up from £12/month to £20. Apparently "Buyer Beware" doesn't come into it anymore, it was Carphone Warehouses fault, and Dom sorted it so he kept the new phone, went back to his old tariff, got a refund from when the tariff went up, and by way of apology, got a years free line rental. Now maybe I'm just bitter because I take responsibility, and ask how much something's going to cost and say "no" if it costs too much, and perhaps I resent it when someone can't be ar5ed to find out the facts, and gets rewarded for their incompetence.

However, what really grates me is when he goes into a shop on behalf on someone who is out to buy something in particular, he talks to the salesman, and is fairly pushy about getting a discount. He says thank you very much, and walks out down the street to another shop selling the same product. He's then really pushy, and gets them to beat the previous price, and then pushes even further. If I was the small business man (it's always small independent shops, never a big chain store) I'd feel a bit narked. They're pretty much down to cost price in some cases (the shop owners tell them so), and he's still after free delivery or something. yes there's flexibility I guess, but if we all went around being ar5ey bullies, then all the small businesses would go bust.

Maybe a small business owner out there could let me know if they don't mind pushy discount hunters, or if you resent them a bit?

Dom Littlewood can't afford a recession, as all his programmes revolve around money being spent, and I believe from a previous thread, all the money he's made is tied up in property investments

Spleen Vented

Sell me your wife for £4 and I want her wrapped.

[waitingandsaving]

Not an owner, but very close to that end of things.

Suffice to say, it's a case-by-case situation. Whilst we don't sell Mars Bars, the difference is probably best described as follows...

Ask for 20% off one Mars Bar? No, sorry, and future requests are ignored.

Ask for 20% off quite a lot of Mars Bars? Okay, let's talk.

Ask for 20% off a lorryload? Sure.

Ask for as many free Mars Bars as you can carry, because you're a school\charity\church? No, and don't expect it to be a totally polite no*.

* Too busy to explain why I'm not an evil swine. Suffice to say we get a lot of these requests, and given that there are cheaper (if less capable) versions of our product out there, we see no reason to roll over. Look at it like this. If you ran a BMW dealership, you wouldn't sell a charity a 7-series for the same price as a Kia Picanto "because they really like BMWs, but have to think of stray bunnies".

Thanks for the input, and you're not an evil swine for saying "no" to a discount.

Generally they seem to be big one off purchases. Yesterdays examples were a petrol lawnmower - original price £300, got it down to £245 plus a litre of oil and a can to put the oil in I think. Then there was a computer printer, original price over £500, got it down to £460ish inc vat and they threw in local delivery as well, but you got the impression that it really was the limit, and they weren't making any money on it. However, the lady buying pointed out that she would give them repeat custom when she came in to buy new printer cartridges. I doubt that the lawnmower lot will get repeat custom that they'll make a profit out of though - and that's what annoys me most I think.

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

Thanks for the input, and you're not an evil swine for saying "no" to a discount.

Generally they seem to be big one off purchases. Yesterdays examples were a petrol lawnmower - original price £300, got it down to £245 plus a litre of oil and a can to put the oil in I think. Then there was a computer printer, original price over £500, got it down to £460ish inc vat and they threw in local delivery as well, but you got the impression that it really was the limit, and they weren't making any money on it. However, the lady buying pointed out that she would give them repeat custom when she came in to buy new printer cartridges. I doubt that the lawnmower lot will get repeat custom that they'll make a profit out of though - and that's what annoys me most I think.

How about the line, "I'm sorry, obviously a man like you can't afford quality."

[Guest X-QUORK]

I'll only give a discount if I'm getting something in return from the customer i.e. a large order.

I'll let some other b*gger go bust giving discounts.

[Tummybanana]

Isn't exposure of product range on a national BBC programme worth 20% off?

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

Isn't exposure of product range on a national BBC programme worth 20% off?

Not if you're going to be inundated with a customer base consisting of *****ers trying to take the food from your children's mouths as a pastime.

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

Dom Littlewood - a spivvy used car salesman, now poacher-turned-gamekeeper?

Cockbadger...

[dredwerker]

The new Kirsti and Phil for us HPC posters to hate. That is why I started that one show thread.

[The Masked Tulip]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.s...ive/morning_wed

1 hour 35 minutes in or there abouts.

Edit:

I would not bother. There was very little, girlie kept going off to Cheltenham to talk to numpties who were whinging about some horse race being cancelled. Very little on the economy. Waste of time IMPO.

Edited March 12, 2008 by The Masked Tulip

[joey]

Dom Littlewood - a spivvy used car salesman, now poacher-turned-gamekeeper?

Cockbadger...

Dom Littlewood who recently stated on The One Show "There won't be a Property Crash because we have learnt from the last time" . He has walked into Michael Fish's shoes. (for anyone who dosn't know Michael Fish google his name and hurricane 1987)

Edited March 12, 2008 by joey

[DinosaursAreAwesome]

I have to say that if Dom is the best that the BBC can do in the way of an 'expert' analyst nowadays things must be pretty bad. Perhaps no other expert is prepared to tarnish thier reputation by predicting an impossible outcome?

Seriously, how much credibility does this guy have to the sheeple? Surely not as much as Sarah Beeney- who predicts a crash by the way- or the economists from the money show or whatever, i mean on a basic level a person in a suite with an education must seem more knowledgable and convincing than this cockney joker? So why aren't they using those guys?

[Bare Behind]

The woman on it was very good and she even used the word depression! (I'm fairly certain but as it caused me to serve the car - 9.26am I even noted the time)

BB

[Prof]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.s...ive/morning_wed

1 hour 35 minutes in or there abouts.

Edit:

I would not bother. There was very little, girlie kept going off to Cheltenham to talk to numpties who were whinging about some horse race being cancelled. Very little on the economy. Waste of time IMPO.

Try 1 hour 9 minutes onwards. It is worth bothering, well I thought it was !

[Not Long Now]

Dom Littlewood can't afford a recession, as all his programmes revolve around money being spent, and I believe from a previous thread, all the money he's made is tied up in property investments

Spleen Vented

Yep - and here's the proof:- http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/busi...icle2935430.ece

2 Million quids worth of property to be exact.

What’s better – property or pension? Property, without a doubt. I have no faith at all in pensions. I wouldn’t recommend a pension to any child of mine. The only reason I have a pension is for tax reasons.

At the end of the day, if you are self-employed then you can obviously get a lot of tax allowance from a pension. Generally speaking, I think they are an absolute waste of money.

...and he's sold a house to Phil Collins' brother.....what a claim to fame. I actually quite like the guy to be honest. If he can help someone who's had to give up work due to illness or injury and has been screwed over by the Insurance Company, then good on him

But lets not forget that he's a second hand care salesman with no financial background or real investment skill by the looks of it. He has the gift of the gab and that seems to be about it.

He'll get hurt by this house price crash....and I won't have a huge amount of sympathy.

Also came across this link: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle1034261.ece

....where he presents a programme about people who've made a property fortune. This was 2004, and maybe where he got the idea about property being a good investment from. You were a bit late by then Dom me old China!!

[hpc-craig]

Maybe a small business owner out there could let me know if they don't mind pushy discount hunters, or if you resent them a bit?

I work in a small shop and give discount at my own discretion. If its a large order to a good customer, I will round it down to the nearest pound/five pound. We are a small hardware shop and often get people who we've never seen (painters etc from outside the area), saying 'Give me it at trade price'. usually a box of polyfilla or something. I politely say no and sometimes they don't half go on. The usual classic is

Them: 'I could get this from my local builders merchants for nearly half of that price'

Me: 'Ok, so why didn't you'

Them: I ain't driving 20 miles for some filler.

Some of them get a real cob on.

I don't mind people asking for a discount, as long as the order is worthwhile, they are friendly and don't go on about it if i say no. I will start to resent a customer the second they start to insist on discount as if it is their given right.

I would absolutely LOVE dominic (his ame doens't deserve a capital) to come into our shop asking for discount on a lawnmower, or something of large value as there is no room for discount thanks to thin margins.

I would politely decline and stand my ground. I would love to tell him to f*ck off, but as it's national telly and shops like ours have a good reputation to keep, then I'd best not.