Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Coze

Well fuck you very much O2!

I got the Dell Streak in August 2010 on a 2 year contract (been on a contract with O2 since August 2007 but been a Pay As You Go customer since they took over from BTCellnet in 2001-ish). By November 2010, the LCD screen had cracked in one corner. I went on O2's website and it was full of complaints about this phone and how it had cracked in one corner due to poor design. I returned mine for a replacement and got a new phone 3 weeks later. I was annoyed so made a complaint and when they were still not helpful, I went to the ombudsman. It dragged along and eventually I gave up.

Anyway, I had my new phone.

November 2011, the screen cracked again. I spoke to a very rude man at the call centre who eventually agreed to accept a return. I sent the phone back and then O2 made the mistake of asking me for feedback... I was then contacted by the aftercare team who chased up my repair and got my replacement phone out to me very quickly.

Great.

Not great.

Yesterday, the LCD screen cracked YET AGAIN. I just called O2 and spoke to an incredibly rude(and drunk-sounding) man who said any work is now billable (like fuck) and there is nothing at all wrong with this phone. I asked for his name. He refused. I asked for the complaints department. He refused.

I am now returning it and am seriously considering my next move.

I certainly will not be renewing my contract in August and will actively discourage everyone I know from ever using O2.

Wankers.

**Quick Edit**

The phone monkey informed me that the Newport branch would be open to accept a return today. I went to the store and guess what... Yup! They are closed til the 28th. What a tool. Formal complaint being written now...

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your holiday season!

So I'm off Ambience Spa

As it happens, it is currently closed while the owner looks for new premises.

But - fuck me! - it's all gone tits up!

Where do I start? Well, I went in to have my lashes re-tinted and permed. The first time, they were great and lasted months. This time, It has been a few weeks and the curl has already gone and I have several distinct blond full-length lashes on each lid. These must have been missed by the dye because my lashes don't grow that fast...

Then there is the pedicures... My toe nails have gone from being so tough that it is difficult to cut them to so weak and brittle that they look absolutely vile. I am sure all that grinding away on them has done serious damage.

Her concept of time was also way off; I would go in for treatments and she would get started over an hour later than planned. I work 6 days a week and don't like wasting the 7th, standing around waiting for her to stop gassing and to do what I pay her for. What would I know, though.

But that is the least of my problems!

She started doing microdermabrasion so I went along for a treatment. It went kinda like this.

(Before treatment) Me: So I can wear make-up after this, yeah?
Her: Yeah.
(During treatment) Her: So yeah you wont be able to wear make-up tomorrow.
Me: But I have work tomorrow...
Her: Oh you'll be glowing...

I was covered in a hideous bumpy rash that took a week to calm down. Everyone in work thought I was contagious and avoided me...

After it subsided, though, I realised she had left me with a white mark across my cheek. It had not been there before so it was not a scar and I distinctly remember her going over this area just as the machine cut off at the end. I thought I would give it a while to calm down but it has been several weeks and it still looks as though I have been glassed. I am having to wear much heavier make-up than normal and am suddenly very self-conscious about my face (I have never cared before). So what the fuck did she do to me? Should I sue? I am thinking yes; she obviously lacked experience on the machine. She wanted me to have a whole course of microdermabrasion but seemed to really struggle with the concept that I work long hours and need to look professional at all times.

Best thing? I cancelled all further appointments with her and started ignoring her texts. While I was at the Whitesnake gig, she texted me and asked me to model for her the following Saturday. I asked what it entailed and she said just a bit of painless hair removal. What she actually wanted was for me to allow her to practise eletrolysis on me while she was trained on a new machine. Fuck right off with that shit! I am no one's guinea pig.

I am still ignoring her texts and considering my next move.

I think it is time I consulted with a lawyer.

GlitzyLips = waste of money

I love trying new cosmetic styles out. With the industry I work in, having a bash at something new gets me and the product noticed. So when GlitzyLips first appeared, I thought I would give them a go.

Basically, they are lip foils and they look pretty good on. I loved the colours so I placed an order of over $100 at the beginning of November and waited. I was aware they would ship towards the 3rd week of November so was willing to give it a bit of time. But then nothing happened. No shipping notification, no update to say there are delays, nothing.

I tweeted them about it and they said they would get back to me that day. They did not. I gave them a few days (I was busy in work anyway) and then went to Paypal (so lucky I paid through them as I would otherwise have just kissed this money goodbye). I opened a dispute and was contacted by the company owner who said she would get back in touch the following day with an update. This was on the 9th. Guess what? Yup! Not got back to me!

Thanks for that.

Paypal are now reviewing the case.

This is not the only thing that annoys me, though. Around the same time GlitzyLips appeared on the market, Violent Lips also made their grand entrance. Basically, Violent Lips are temporary lip tattoos so you get a design rather than just colour. The company was founded by a pair of young sisters out in California. I figured I would try them too and they arrived within a week of being ordered plus I then placed a second order that arrived within 2 days. Their customer service is excellent and the range is great. The product is even much better than you would expect. The thing that annoys me though? Whoever controls the GlitzyLips Twitter account has on several occasions retweeted unpleasant and outright nasty comments about Violent Lips. How unprofessional of them! They cannot compete with these teens so they encourage nasty comments!

Ugh.

So anyway, I'm done with them. They had their chance. Now I want my money back.

Don't buy GlitzyLips. They are literally a waste of money.

Whitesnake - Newport Centre, December 7th 2011

So I'm not dead. Though I did have a bout of hummus poisoning the other day and wished I would die... Never buying ASDA hummus again...

In episode 38 of "Educating my nephew", I took him to see Whitesnake.

Oh yes.

I have always thought David Coverdale was a wanker but fair play to him, it was a bloody good show. It was kinda like "An Audience with Old Cov" rather than a full-on rock show but I do love it when they interact with the audience. I hid behind my handbag to avoid his lewd comments...

Support was from Red, White & Blues and they were really quite good. Decent simple blues rock with a lot of passion. I will try to get their CD sometime...

Whitesnake were on before 9pm. Their intro was The Who's My Generation. They then came out and played a solid 2 and a half hours. There was a good mix of old and new plus Deep Purple's Burn for Jon Lord. There was an extended fret board wank-fest but then an amazing drum solo made up for that. No encores but we didn't need it. David gave us what we came there for.

OK, he does not have the range he used to but he can match Halford with the screams and I still have tinnitus.

They made it a really good Christmas show with fairy lights, a mini Christmas tree, Santa throwing out t-shirts, and they finished by the whole band singing I'm Dreaming of a Whitesnake Christmas a cappella.

All in all, it was fucking great. My nephew loved it and, OK, I would be mortified if I woke up under Dave but I have always liked men in black jeans and white shirts....