The Postal Preference Service was created to keep us away from all those unsolicited and unwanted mailshots. So what is their role now? A circular from them in association with Royal Mail includes a lifestyle questionnaire requesting information on all those intrusive personal details many of us have purposely avoided answering when sent by those firms that sell on our details. This one is worse than ever in this way. "We will pass your preference information on to as many companies as possible." Insult is added by providing an 0870 national rate telephone number. A separate sheet of survey questions offers free coupons for answering questions supplied by your favourite brands. We consider this unacceptable as a way of boosting Royal Mail business and no doubt raising money for the Postal Preference Service, even though the Office of Fair Trading decided the link with Royal Mail was not unfair competition for other firms in a similar line of business.
As a long-term and Carol, member of the Camping and Caravanning Club the writer objects to the bribes offered to or persuade him to apply for a Bank of Scotland credit card. Those who are accepted will get £5 (around a fifth) off their membership subscription, guaranteed for the next five years. The obvious temptation is to apply for the card and then to use it only to pay the club subscription, but that seems to much of a hassle. The standard borrowing rate is 15.9%. This practice somehow seems unfair to ordinary members who are content with their present credit cards even though the £5 is being paid by the Bank.
An American insurance company is backing yet another funeral plan. You have the choice of paying £10, £15 or £20 a year, with a supplement to include a wife and up to four children aged 6 months to 16 years. It is clearly stated that "This is an annual payment and is subject to renewal by you and the underwriters. You may be invited to renew your membership annually... previously paid premiums will not be refunded." There is the possibility that the plan conditions at some time after December this year will be at greatly increased premiums. Additionally, if the signatory dies having taken out a family policy then the policy itself ceases and a new one would have to be taken out, if the family wished to continue cover.
At last there is a scheme for schoolchildren to obtain a card to verify their age which will be acceptable at present in 62 areas of the UK, and rapidly expanding. The information is confirmed at the pupil's school and sent with a photograph to the firm Photo-Me, which is helping to run the scheme. There are three cards for ages 12 & 15, 16 & 18 and over 18. They also include the date of birth and a photograph. Though it would be possible to forge them, there is enough security detail to make this difficult and expensive. The cards become particularly important in view of the Licensing (Young Persons) 2000 Act where almost anyone supplying alcohol to someone under age can be prosecuted, not just a licensee or the people employed by him. The card also works the other way round so as to allow a youngster to y get into cinemas or buy goods he is entitled to by law.
Have you noticed how the knobs and controls on radios and cassette recorders seem to get ever smaller and more fiddly? For the blind this can be a problem. Up to now the British Wireless for the Blind Fund has only supplied suitable equipment on free loan but now its new trading arm can supply them by mail order. There are three models, a Harmony radio cassette recorder at £64.99, a RP28 radio with pre-set facility at £100 and a Prelude CD/radio cassette recorder at £110. For further information the contact number is 01634 832501 or e-mail carol@blind.org.uk.
In September the Christmas stocks were beginning to creep into the shops and several charity catalogues had been received. There is a great anxiety not to let anyone else get an advantage. One of the more serious press releases was from the World Society for the Protection of Animals which warned against the threefold increase in factory-style small cage forced production foie gras farms over the past decade. It seems the UK is one of the biggest importers, consuming over 50 tonnes in 1998. The director of the World Society for the Protection of Animals campaign to remove it from Christmas menus says: "People may think of foie gras as being a taste made in heaven but it is a product made in hell."
Despite new legislation the scams continue. Following control of the timeshare industry, holiday clubs have taken their place. These persuade holidaymakers to part with thousands of pounds for holidays which never materialise. They promise a lifetime of cheap holidays in exotic locations, but deliver nothing. A student contacted us as she wanted to change her mind about a course at a private postal college, which was being subsidised by a contribution from an Individual Learning Account. The college refused a refund of her £25 deposit when she tried to change her mind and would not return the £125 subsidy. When the course arrived it was the wrong one. Students would also appear to need protection from making rash decisions.
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