Dear Jac – Page 85
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Dear Jac
Huge unexpected bills can give you a helluva jolt
Retailer Jonathan James, vice-chairman of the Association of Convenience Stores, wants me to 'plug' his fight with Powergen because he doesn't believe he should pay for the company's mistakes.
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Dear Jac
Unthank says 'no thanks'
Campaigners in Norwich are celebrating after Tesco's plans to build an Express store in the city were thrown out by councillors for a fourth time.
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Dear Jac
Terminal illness - there seems to be no cure
Jatin Desai has lost his PayPoint terminal. The London-based retailer refused to cave in when PayPoint insisted he remove a 3R top-up terminal.
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Dear Jac
And here are further beefs on those inserts
Irene Hewitt wrote from Bardney News that it is not the official inserts that she and most of her customers object to. It's the catalogues that add the weight.
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Dear Jac
The real deal? Get it in writing to be certain
If you get an offer from a cold-calling rep that sounds too good to be true, then rest assured it will be exactly that.
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Dear Jac
Head off those rating bandits at the pass
Just when I should be writing about jolly things like the jingle of tills, I find it's the jangle of spurs instead. The cowboys are back in town.
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Dear Jac
Indies have the edge
Independent retailers need to show customers that supermarket shopping is "last year's model" and demonstrate how they are beating the multiples on environmental issues, local sourcing and community involvement.
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Dear Jac
Andrew's 'never give up' ethos serves him well
I don't know if Andrew Renham has a motto but if he has it must be along the lines of 'never give up'.
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Dear Jac
Have you heard the postman's knock?
I've seldom witnessed such group anxiety as now while that grim reaper, the Post Office, scythes its way through the country, slicing up stores, people, lives.
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Dear Jac
This looks like a dodgy (and phoney) deal
Rehana Ali, a subpostmistress from Manchester, rang to say that her husband signed up with a Bradford-based agent for a cashback deal on two mobile phones through Orange.
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Dear Jac
Do I need a new licence to branch out next door?
Mohammed Asif wrote to ask: "If I decide to purchase the shop next door and knock it into one store, do I need to apply for an alcohol licence for next door?"
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Dear Jac
A heavy weight for paper boys and girls to bear
If you do home newspaper deliveries (HNDs) then you won't need me to add anything to this already weighty subject.
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Dear Jac
Payzone decides to say it with flowers
This was a nice result. Michelle Bailey from Stoke-on-Trent sent a message to our website to say: "I spoke to you a while ago about problems I was having with Payzone.
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Dear Jac
Shock, horror...more power struggles
Harry Goraya had the shock of his life when he got an electricity bill from EDF for £18,000.
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Dear Jac
It’s not over yet
Retailers can still influence the decisions of the Competition Commission Grocery Inquiry, which is due to publish its final report in May 2008.
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Dear Jac
Now here's a thought - the bank helps out?
The bank riding to the rescue? Good idea. It suggests all sorts of possibilities.
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Dear Jac
Take my advice - there is plenty of free help around
When offered something free one usually wonders, where's the catch? But, at advice level, there is quite a lot of free stuff around.
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Dear Jac
To refund or not to refund, that is the question
My notebook this week seems to be full of stories about getting - or not getting - ones' money back.
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Dear Jac
ECG - a hardy perennial that has sprung up
Scams are costing people in this country billions of pounds a year - Radio 4 says so.
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Dear Jac
A new scheme that you can vouch on?
A regular correspondent from Hertfordshire had a rant about PayPoint, which he regards as a necessary evil so doesn't want to rile them.