Name and Shame List of MESSED UP UK Companies

1) Barclays Bank

IF you do not want people to get the 6.50% AER Tax Haven ISA at the end of 2007-2008 tax year for an ISA on that tax year, then DON'T BLOODY ADVERTISE AND PUT PEOPLE ON BOARD!!!

DON'T YOU DARE TO BLAME CUSTOMERS FOR THINGS THAT YOU DID WRONG!!!

Sending me a letter 5 days before the so-called must reply date of MAY 20, asking me to go contact a branch for more information, which I subsequently did a day before the deadline, and then 2 months later telling me the application was failed because I *failed* to contact you for necessary details is definitely NOT ON.

Maybe I should consider contacting the FSA.

2) Virgin Trains

IF you don't want people to buy £20 single ticket between Manchester and London on weekend then DON'T BLOODY ADVERTISE AND PUT IT ON SALE AND PRETENDING THERE'S SOFTWARE ISSUES FORCING PEOPLE TO PAY 3 TIMES AS MUCH!!!

Fine you admitted there's a technical glitch in the website and suggests me to refund the ticket, but why are you quoting a single ticket that is costing the same as a return ticket with exactly the same conditions when:

a) there's the exact same advanced ticket I wanted to buy in the first place that is available (and I proved that it is available as I was able to buy it in a subsequent call to Customer Service)

b) I have already bought a Saver HALF-RETURN. Anybody with more intelligence will see the next best option (assuming the advanced ticket is unavailable) will be to refund the tickets I bought and issue a Saver RETURN

What's annoying me now is that you:

a) admitting there's issues with the staff, and then decided to charge me £10 for the refund of the expensive single ticket as stated in the ticket condition WHEN IT IS YOUR PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE

b) said to process it immediately but after a month I have seen no actions being taken

c) after a month I still have NO reply about the other ticket.

Good candidate to report to the rail regulators.

Potential Companies:

1) Carphone Warehouse - where is my £90 automatic cash back after over 1.5 years?

2) South West Trains - trains never on time, staff are rude, one appears to be racist or discriminating against sex, age, being a LU customer, being a monthly ticket customer (who pays more than annual), people closing gate prematurely and giving an attitude that they are definitely right, always running below capacity with no apologies whatsoever while asking for more money each year

Updates on Whys...plus comments to comments....

Thanks for ppl who left me comments, but there are some things I would like to clarify/add (so it might be a bit *long* today)

First things first...UPDATES:

1. HSBC always have bad track record of doing NOT what the customers asked for. My credit card just expired and after three days, visiting the bank twice and calling card services twice, being firstly told card was sent out in August to the address that I only changed on 28th September, then was told it was sent to my home branch, the card was found to have never arrived at the branch and have to go through the painful and time consuming process of reissuing the card....as predicted by my little angel. Our combined experiences included sending the cards, pin numbers etc to an address we told them NOT to send to, never did what we told them to do but did everything that we don't want to have. Anyone having connections please tell those i***ts (people) in the call centres and branches to get their acts together, speak clearly and do what customers requested them to do PROPERLY. Meanwhile I have to wait 7 working days for my new card and have to resort to using my debit card.
2. I did not exaggerate on the disconnections on my wireless card, and as I was wondering if it was my wireless card problem I changed to use my slower, older generation built-in wireless card. However, the hostel connection have a silly system of banning all accounts that tried to use 2 or more computers (technically 2 different MAC addresses...eg 2 wireless cards) to connect. Great that I told them in the morning and they got it fixed efficiently by the time I came back this evening but poor customer service when I was told off for not testing it out first before *complaining* in the evening. It's worst when you're trying to tell me off with a smile on your face.

Now for comments hehe..:

1. All O2 contracts (old or new) will be charged 20p/min or more for calling 08 non-geographical numbers and 07744 (and a bunch of other numbers...check O2 website). An...unfortunately my phone is tied to a contract which lasts till Nov. Network I'm in now is one of the three best (and probably the only three worth connecting) and they all charge these numbers....annoyingly. Mel...I know...seems like these are the only ones we can use (which will be more expensive than before)....or get a calling card and use the London local access number...which will also end up to be more expensive if you don't use up the credits. *sigh* even my parents will be more expensive to call me now. BTW they only start charging from 28 sep so of course in your sep bill those calls are still *free*.
2. An...internet connections failure will not stop me from writing Xanga and my previous contents aren't deleted, but yes I do type kinda fast if you ask my friends and last entry did prob take around 12 mins
3. Me staying in hostel 2-3 minutes from Notting Hill Gate station. £105.50 for double room with 3GB weekly allowance of Internet and 2 meals (breakfast + lunch/dinner). Breakfast worse than MDH, with only cereal and toast (which tastes crap), other meals just think of it as MDH food....but cheaper.
4. It was TFL Electronic Engineering 4 years program. They employed Reed to do recruitment and these people NEVER reply my emails. I guess I could call them but it's 0845 number . I just feel graduate programs are better because they are structured so you can more easily find the job you really want to do, and they have full support and better for chartered status. Ng ji ar....I just think that for direct entry jobs the employer have exact idea about the job so if it turned out the job isn't exactly what you are expecting then it's difficult to switch...and they might not give you much support. You know written description of everything is NEVER what the reality is.
5. GREAT DISCONNECTION AGAIN...WHY IT ONLY STARTS WHEN THE RECEPTION IS CLOSED???
6. Biggest problem with my computer is not enough RAM and processor might be slow too. This computer only has 248MB RAM and when freshly booted up already 280MB RAM used up...AND it's basic necessary programs (not even things like MSN). I should have gotten a new computer last year...then last year won't be as painful...tho *somebody* didn't listen.
7. 5 MINUTES LATER IT STARTED AGAIN...HOW CAN I WORK LIKE THIS??? (I HAVE PROOF FROM MSN LOG)
8. Unfortunately An....people in central London don't really drive because traffic is horrible and because of the high cost of maintenance due to parking (can be £2 or more an hour...on the streets) and CONGESTION CHARGE.

MORE Whys.....

Why does everything seem to go against me especially the past few days? Taking these two day's examples are enough to illustrate the extent.

• One company gave me the final hope of joining a graduate training program in October, but instead on 1st October they are inviting me to one in November, which is most likely for graduate program that starts in September 2008. AND the recruitment agency the company hired doesn't answer my emails.
• O2 decided to charge extra for non-geographical numbers like 0800, 0845, 0870 etc instead of using my contract minutes on 28th September, JUST WHEN I NEED TO CALL THESE NUMBERS THE MOST.
• Laptop in worst ever state (SUPER SLOW) when I have to use it and can't use my desktop (no space, see next point). Programs keeps crashing, wireless keeps disconnecting, so frequent that it disconnected 10 times in an hour.
• While others are staying in comfortable homes, because of my uncertainities I ended up staying in a hostel, sharing a room with an unknown person, in a room smaller than the one I was in for the past 3 years, with only a crap bed, tiny bed side table (NO Table), small wardrobe and crap meals that are comparable to the catering in IC except much cheaper. Worst thing is there's no cooking facilities and they don't provide 3 meals a day so I am always forced to eat out once a day....so gonna shorten my lifespan
• Thanks to point 1, it looks like I am going to stay here for quite a while...and that it also gave me an extra problem of what I should be doing now.
• Wireless crashed TWICE during the short time of writing this
• Station that I take the underground serves two underground lines....and it's always ended up with many trains on the line that I DO NOT WANT to take.
• When I am in a rush, London Waterloo station decided to have a security alert and cancelled all trains.

I am so going to have a mental breakdown soon.....wish my little angel is around...really miss you and the happy times we had before we moved......

WHY CAN'T WE HAVE HAPPY LIVES LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE???

Why do we have to experience all these issues and problems when many other people are problem free and having happy time at work or further study and continuing to achieve their goals and dreams...just like what they planned???

WHY???

WHY???

Why isn't ANYTHING going in the way I wished for???

Why isn't ANYTHING running properly???

My plans / hopes / wishes aren't that unreasonable. I'm not asking much....no....not at all.

Seeing how most other people managed to have their wishes granted and now living quite happily with other issues to worry about, I always feel unhappy. I must say the past few months had been some (if not all) of my most depressing time ever, and I have no idea how long this will continue......

Details to follow later......

What has gone wrong?

Nothing is going right.

Is everything that I choose from interest always turn out to be the worst choices? This goes with the final year project which I don't see ANY way of finishing.

Why are all the courses that I chose this year so difficult? Why it seems like none of the courses are taught well, with crappy lecturers, crappy lecture notes that either have no connection with the lectures, or simply an equation list of a "not so clear at explaining concepts" book, or so unclear that after reading five times and putting it in front of you the exam questions can't be answered or many algorithms with only proves and NO examples (and forget about the past papers answers as they have no clear steps as well)

As to job hunting....don't mention it. I'm not like some people who can apply five jobs in one day because they can just copy and paste answers. Ones that I do never seem to be the same. So what if I spent a lot of time doing a number of applications in January and February. It just resulted in me totally behind in study schedules and final year project.

Did I just become more stupid this year, or it's just that I'm always having bad luck...

Exams not going too well...Final year project looks grim...and while most people can have a nice last summer holiday and plans set I am totally lost and no idea what I should do or even where I should be in 2 months time...

 I no longer know what is the right choices or what I should be doing