Archive for November, 2008

This Orange has a bitter aftertaste

November 26th, 2008

We have our broadband service with Orange (“Together we can do more”). We have been happy with the service and had not been thinking about changing provider.

Yesterday Orange called us and said they wanted to give us a 10% discount because we had been with them a year. It was nice to see that they valued our continued custom.

Then they had to go and spoil it by saying that once we took the discount, if we changed provider within six months we would have to pay a €70 penalty.

“Here, with my left hand I am holding out a gift to you, but if you accept it, I may end up beating you with the stick I am holding in my right hand.”

So we informed Orange that until they called we had no intention of changing provider but thanks to their twisted notion of appreciating our custom we would now start looking.

Can somebody explain to me just how thick you have to be to become a marketing executive in a company like Orange?

Musing #36

November 7th, 2008

If brain surgery isn’t rocket science and rocket science isn’t brain surgery, how come people think they are so difficult?

Top ten irritating phrases

November 7th, 2008

According to an article in The Telegraph in-line, Oxford University researchers have compiled a list of the ten words or phrases that irritate people most and it’s a nightmare.

At this moment in time, the list appears in a book titled “Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare“. I personally find most of them irritating too but perhaps I’m fairly unique. At the end of the day, though, it’s all down to personal taste and with all due respect to the researchers at Oxford, linguistic taste is as changeable as my underwear (that is, every ten years).

Still, I don’t believe you have to speak English correctly 24/7 but in business it is important, absolutely. It’s not rocket science.

I suspect, however, that the message is lost on many of you. Perhaps I shouldn’t of bothered.