A Brighton Boy Blogs

Monarch Airlines: smashed luggage, customer care vacuum & derisory compensation

Jon Silver — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:52:00 +0000

When an airline destroys your suitcase on your outbound flight, you’d like to expect that they’d be not only apologetic but also perhaps actively help you find a replacement for the journey home. Alas in Monarch’s case they failed on every step of the way to customer service satisfaction. We reported the completely smashed International Traveller [...]

Why the Royal Mail Deserves to Die

Jon Silver — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:53:34 +0000

I’m finally turning away from Royal Mail for most of my business carriage. I’ve tried to remain loyal, after all it’s one of those Great British Institutions, isn’t it? But when it’s this painful, you’ve got to wonder… are Royal Mail management really trying to commit commercial suicide? It certainly looks that way from here. We [...]

Transport Solutions in a Flash of Inspiration

Jon Silver — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:29:05 +0000

Sometimes, just occasionally, inspiration comes along and in a flash you have the answer to a whole raft of problems, all at once. It was a bit like that for me one morning as I fought my way up the A23/A27 slip road trying desperately to move from the right hand lane across three lanes [...]

ScrewFix Direct: no-show kitchens & belligerent staff

Jon Silver — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:51:18 +0000

I took the advice of my builder & in November bought a selection of ScrewFix Direct ready-assembled kitchen units for my house renovation; then I waited, and waited, and despite three delivery dates being quoted, none was satisfied. When I was told it would be December 20th, I cancelled the order. The staff member who [...]

Esporta Brighton – unfair notice periods and forged signatures

Jon Silver — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:08:47 +0000

Since we decided to leave Esporta Brighton, we’ve had no end of threatening behaviour from the company and its debt collector ARC Europe. This isn’t anything unusual, they’ve done it to lots of people – just try a Google search. Esporta’s membership contract says that they can terminate a membership with one month’s notice, but that [...]

If SatNav was Royal Mail, we’d all be lost forever

Jon Silver — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:47:02 +0000

The Royal Mail is the arbiter of all addresses. If it’s not on their database, it doesn’t exist. Thankfully my studio is on the database. So are quite a few other businesses in the local area. However it doesn’t stop the Royal Mail’s employees from deciding that they’re all based here, despite a very clear [...]

London to Brighton Bike Ride turns bad

Jon Silver — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:14:28 +0000

Years ago – in 1981 – when I was a mere fourteen years of age, I started doing the London to Brighton Bike Ride. Living in Brighton, we’d get up very early, catch one of the special trains to Clapham Junction, and proudly start the ride. Depending on the mood of our little group of [...]

Belkin – probably the worst brand in the world

Jon Silver — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:32:10 +0000

Just a quick public information notice: Belkin makes the most unreliable, poorly designed, unmitigated rubbish in the world. It’s true. I have owned several items by Belkin, none of which has ever worked properly, and have always given them the benefit of the doubt. But the Belkin Vision N1 router is the last Belkin device [...]

BBC Science & Nature Programmes and The D Word

Jon Silver — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:31:50 +0000

The BBC has long been known for its excellent science & nature programmes. I grew up on them; some thirty years ago David Attenborough himself introduced me to Darwinian evolution through the process of Natural Selection in his seminal series “Life on Earth”. Yes, that was back in 1979 when I was just 12 years [...]

Smash EDO protest and Proportional Policing (post G20)

Jon Silver — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:11:24 +0000

Having witnessed the Police presence in Brighton today for the “Smash EDO” protest, which led me to have to drive a 10-mile diversion to deliver my girlfriend to work, I read with interest the statement issued by the Brighton & Hove City Commander, Chief Supt Graham Bartlett, as follows: “Once again, during a demonstration organised by [...]

Oh look, the name changed

Jon Silver — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:39:17 +0000

Yes, a new title for the blog… Same old rubbish to read though. Enjoy.

Scammers and Google AdWords Advertising Resellers

Jon Silver — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:01:46 +0000

Well well. Barely a day goes past when I don’t get a call from some cocky arse (generally from Manchester) who tells me that they’re calling me on behalf of Google and that they can get me to the top the search results. Apart from wasting my time and interrupting my day and concentration, they’re [...]

Adur Council Bin Men Command Sussex Police

Jon Silver — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:05:28 +0000

Incredible. This morning (about half an hour ago actually) I witnessed an Adur Council refuse collection vehicle being driven into my childrens’ school at we arrived. The driver was self-righteously waving away parents dropping their kids off at school as he drove the wrong way up a narrow road which everyone voluntarily treats as a [...]

Kafevend puts it right

Jon Silver — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:08:15 +0000

Sometimes I get great service from a company and I’ll write about it. When I find serious fault with a company, I tend to report it on here too. If that company demonstrably puts things right, I tend to report that as well. Alas, that doesn’t happen very often. But recently I had a call [...]

The Future of Air Travel – Someday, All Flights Will Be Made This Way

Jon Silver — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:30:09 +0000

I love taking my shoes off at the end of a busy day. It’s the first thing I do when visiting my friends’ houses. But through the airport security, when I’m already being made to carry my outdoor coat, having removed everything from my pockets and decanted everything including drinking water and each of my [...]

Secret Diary of A Christmas Humbug

Jon Silver — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:30:15 +0000

0800 GMT: Yay it’s Christmas Day. I’m alone because my girlfriend is working today, and this year my sons are with their mum for Christmas day. I am going to make it a really good one. 0801 GMT: Get up, get dressed. Talk to the girlfriend when she phones from work, whilst I’m standing over the [...]

The Cock Inn, Ringmer – pub grub worth eating

Jon Silver — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:26:50 +0000

My first memories of pub food was chicken-in-a-basket at a pub near Clayton. That was 1976, food-in-a-basket was all the rage, and my dad furiously sent ours back because the chicken drumsticks were not merely raw, but still slightly frozen in the middle. Thankfully things have largely improved since then, but as you’ll see if [...]

Blackmail, bribery, integrity and honesty

Jon Silver — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:19:46 +0000

Sometimes I have a negative experience dealing with a service provider. When I do, I tend to report it here, honestly and fairly. Of course I try to report the positives too, they just get a bit outnumbered. What I absolutely don’t do, however, is to accept offers of money or any other kind of [...]

Food Hero of the Month: David’s A27/A270 Link Road Burger Bar, Portslade (Brighton & Hove)

Jon Silver — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:42:49 +0000

Some people reading my writings about food might think I’m a bit of a food snob. I can see how that might be misconstrued, so here’s something that might redress the balance. I’m not someone who dines out on the finest haute cuisine and the finest vintage wines every night of the week. I just enjoy [...]

YO! Sushi Brighton vs. Moshi Moshi Brighton

Jon Silver — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:30:44 +0000

15th September 2008: It was a Monday evening in Brighton, it was getting late for dinner, and we fancied sushi. Moshi Moshi would have been our usual destination, but being closed on Mondays we remembered YO! Sushi in Jubilee Street and decided to give it a try. Perhaps a little glimpse at the competition might [...]