Entrepreneur - Author - Editor - Content Writer - All in One Business Agency - Helping SME Businesses and Entrepreneurs To Grow - Specializing in Content Writing - SEO - Digital Marketing- Website Design & Development - Domain Name Sales & Acquisitions - Motivational Coaching & Empowerment
iRenata -Renata Entrepreneur is a personal brand of Renata M Barnes.
Renata has been in business since 1993.
Renata is a businesswoman and published author. She owns many websites and primarily focuses on Digital Marketing, Website Creation, SEO, and Domain Brokering.
Renata is also the Founder/Editor of Cymru Marketing Journal and Disability UK Online Magazine.
Renata offers several services for startups and SME’s.
Renata has a large network of over 10K connections on LinkedIn, compromising of Directors, CEOs, Millionaires, Billionaires, and Royalty. https://www.linkedin.com/in/renata-b-48025811/
In today’s digital age, content marketing has become a vital aspect of any business strategy. Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. As a result, businesses can drive profitable customer action, increase brand awareness, and establish their industry expertise.
If you are looking to create content for your business, there are a few essential steps you need to take to ensure your content is effective in achieving your business objectives.
Define Your Business Objectives
Before you start creating content, you need to define your business objectives. What do you want to achieve through your content marketing efforts? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Once you have defined your business objectives, you can tailor your content to achieve those goals.
Know Your Target Audience
To create effective content, you need to know your target audience. Who are they? What are their interests, pain points, and challenges? Understanding your target audience will help you create content that resonates with them and provides value.
Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research is crucial for creating content that ranks well in search engines. Conducting keyword research will help you identify the keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for, allowing you to create content that is optimized for those keywords.
Create a Content Strategy
A content strategy is a plan for creating, publishing, and managing your content. It should outline the types of content you will create, the topics you will cover, and the channels you will use to distribute your content. A content strategy will help you stay organized and ensure that your content aligns with your business objectives.
Write Quality Content
Creating quality content is crucial for the success of your content marketing efforts. Your content should be well-written, informative, and engaging. It should provide value to your target audience and position your business as an industry expert. Remember to use your target keywords in your content, but don’t stuff them in unnaturally.
Promote Your Content
Creating great content is only half the battle. You also need to promote your content to get it in front of your target audience. Share your content on your social media channels, email your subscribers, and reach out to influencers in your industry to promote your content.
Creating content for your business requires a strategic approach. By defining your business objectives, knowing your target audience, conducting keyword research, creating a content strategy, writing quality content, and promoting your content, you can create a successful content marketing campaign that drives results for your business.
Renata Entrepreneur: A Professional Content Writer
In today’s digital age, content is king, and businesses of all sizes rely heavily on content to promote their products or services, engage with their target audience, and establish their online presence. As a result, the demand for professional content writers has skyrocketed, and Renata Entrepreneur is one such writer who has made a name for herself in this highly competitive field.
Renata Entrepreneur is a highly skilled content writer who has spent years honing her craft and developing her writing skills. She is a versatile writer, capable of writing in a wide range of styles and tones, from informative and educational to persuasive and entertaining. Her ability to adapt to different writing styles and formats has made her an invaluable asset to her clients, who rely on her to create content that speaks to their target audience and delivers the desired results.
One of the reasons Renata Entrepreneur is such a sought-after content writer is her attention to detail. She takes the time to research her topics thoroughly, ensuring that the content she produces is accurate, relevant, and up-to-date. She also pays close attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, ensuring that her writing is free from errors that could detract from its quality and professionalism.
Another key skill that Renata Entrepreneur possesses is her ability to write in a way that engages and resonates with her target audience. She understands that effective content is not just about conveying information, but also about creating an emotional connection with the reader. By using the right words and phrasing, she can capture the reader’s attention and keep them engaged throughout the content.
Renata Entrepreneur is also highly collaborative, working closely with her clients to ensure that their vision and goals are reflected in the content she produces. She takes the time to understand their business and their target audience and uses this knowledge to craft content that speaks directly to their needs and interests.
In addition to her writing skills, Renata Entrepreneur also has a keen understanding of the digital landscape and how content fits into it. She is familiar with the latest trends in SEO, social media, and content marketing, and uses this knowledge to create content that is optimized for search engines and social media platforms, ensuring maximum visibility and engagement.
When landlords try to take advantage especially if it is personal I feel I have to say something.
Today I received a rent increase from my landlord. The contract I signed was valid until the 1st of April 2023 and when I questioned what would happen after that period the agent said there would be a price increase.
I am currently paying £655 and my landlord has just increased the rent to £865
I have redacted the name of the landlord and property address for security reasons.
The Maximum he can increase the rent to is £164.87 for a 2-bedroom property which equates to £819.87 Let’s round it off to £820 which is a difference of £45.00 he trying to overcharge per month.
I checked the prices of flats in my area and this is what I found (Dated 30/03/23):
I have never had an EPC report although my landlord tried to pass off the ground floor flat to be in the same condition as mine and I just handed back the report to the agent. I have never had an EPC inspection on my property, and although I may have one done privately, I have lived at the property for 24 years. I know I should have jumped on the property ladder years ago but things got in the way, long story which I will leave for another day.
I will not list all the things wrong with this flat but will just mention my previous articles about my concerns. I even published a page about Landlords & Tenants Useful links. I think my landlord and his agent friend think I was born yesterday.
This is the state of my walls and I have been told to just wash them down with bleach and soapy water. However each time I do it that it keeps coming back. Furthermore, my furniture is ruined as it also has black mold. I have now contacted ‘Rent Smart Wales’ and am waiting on a reply.
Tenants can ask their landlord to make energy performance improvements based on the EPC recommendations. (I have never had an EPC rating done in the whole 24 years I have lived at the property, although the landlord wanted to pass off the EPC certificate for the ground floor to be in the same condition as my flat).
I will calculate how much energy I have lost over the 24 years based on the report I am about to get. I do not trust my landlord to give me a report and I do not trust it will be legitimate.
My Meter Reading On the 1st of April 2023
Electricity: 21268
Gas: 2975
Since April 2018, unless they have been granted an exemption, landlords have not been permitted to rent out homes that have an EPC rating of F or G.
Cold
A cold home cannot be maintained at a temperature between 18°C to 21°C at a reasonable cost to the occupier. Living in cold conditions can cause serious health problems.
Landlords must:
Supply adequate heating in proper working order.
Ensure the property is insulated, meeting a minimum EPC E rating.
Repair broken windows and doors.
Tenants must:
Check if central heating (radiators or air vents connected to a central heat source, such as a boiler) is working properly.
If there is no central heating, make sure there is an alternative type of adequate heating throughout the property, such as storage heaters.
A low EPC rating indicates that your property does not retain heat very well and may be very cold during the winter. (I am not going to ask him to supply me with an EPC report because I do not trust him).
Ask your landlord to carry out some of the recommendations in the Energy Performance Certificate
Damp and mold
Damp and mold can cause or worsen respiratory problems, infections, allergies, or asthma. They can also affect the immune system, particularly in young children and those with certain medical conditions. Damp also contributes to excessive heat loss and puts up heating bills, as well as causing damage to build fabric and contents, including clothes and furniture.
Landlords must:
Tackle dampness including, if necessary, making repairs to the property’s structure and exterior (this includes repairs that are likely to be the cause of dampness and mold, such as leaking gutters) Make sure that the property is properly ventilated
Tenants:
Look out for damp patches on walls and ceilings, mold, peeling wallpaper, and condensation on windows. Check the property is adequately insulated, heated, and ventilated, for example, ensure you can open and close windows securely
Electrical hazards
Faulty wiring and old, untested electrical installations can lead to fires, shocks, burns, and even death. Wired fuses or cartridges present a much higher risk and are a significant fire hazard.
Landlords:
Make sure that electrical installations and electrical equipment supplied is safe at the outset of the tenancy
Regularly carry out basic safety checks to make sure that the electrical installations and appliances are safe and working
Carry out safety checks on electrical installations at least every 5 years (I have had one check in the last 24 years).
Tenants:
Check that the lights turn on and off and check that plug sockets are not coming loose from the wall (The Electrical Safety Inspections should have tested all plugs and sockets – which they failed to do and emitted from supplying me with a copy f the report).
Check there are no frayed or exposed cables or wires
Check there are Residual Current Devices (RCDs) protecting all circuits. (An RCD is a safety device that switches off electricity automatically if there is a fault)
Try to minimize the use of extension sockets and leads as this can be a fire risk
If you feel you do not have enough electrical sockets contact your landlord or local authority
Chemicals and hazardous substances
Asbestos If Asbestos is present landlords should seek professional advice on its removal.
Tenants your landlord should seek professional advice on its removal. You should not attempt to remove it yourself.
Asbestos was commonly used in building materials in the 1950s and 1960s as a material to resist the spread of fire. It was also used in Artex predominantly before 1985. However, it was not banned from use in new buildings until around 2000. Materials containing asbestos are generally safe if they are in good condition but if broken or damaged can release harmful fibers and dust into the air. You can find out more from the Health and Safety Executive (HSWE).
In certain parts of the country, there is a risk to health from exposure to radon gas and you can find more details from Public Health England. Lead from paint or water/waste pipes has the potential to cause nervous disorders, and mental health or behavioral problems. Paint with a high level of lead content tends to be found in older houses and dissolved lead is only likely in acidic (i.e. usually private) water supplies.
Health Issues
Because of this price increase, I can say my mental health has been affected. I am now going into a deep state of depression and to be honest considering I am supposed to be somewhat strong, I feel I cannot hold on much longer.
My landlord claims because of mortgage price increases he has had to increase the rent. Now let’s do the maths say his property is worth £500K and he has remortgaged the property say for 10 years he will have to pay just over £1000 per month but given the fact, there are two properties in the building and he already collects £1800 per month, increasing it at the expense of the vulnerable is unethical and immoral.
Because of my landlord, I am emotionally distressed:
“Call it a cry for help if you will but I am feeling really low”.
I need more work to come in so that I can pay this greedy individual.
To think he suffers from bipolar, he would be more understanding, seeing as he knows my daughter and I have disabilities.
Asking the Universe to help me
Dear Universe/God,
I am willing to see things differently. I surrender my fear and I choose to see this with love instead. Please help me to be a better person and get through this turmoil. Let me be healthy enough to continue my journey and help to motivate and empower others so that they do not feel helpless, at a loss or alone. Please Universe/God help me sell more of my services and get people to buy the one-word dot com domain names I have on my books. This in itself will turn my life around for the better. If there is anyone out that can help me to help the world by investing in me…Renata x
I plan to contact ‘Rent Smart Wales’ to get some advice before sending an email to my landlord and agent. I will also do some research and will add further information to the post including images to further help with my case.
04/04/23
I received a reply from Rent Smart Wales and this is what they said:
Dear Renata,
Thank you for contacting Rent Smart Wales.
Rent Smart Wales has been implemented to improve the standards of the Private Rented Sector by raising landlords & agents knowledge regarding the letting & managing of rental properties. We are not trained to give legal advice on legal matters between landlords, agents, tenants or third parties as this would be acting outside of our remit however, we always try our best to signpost customers to the relevant departments which may be able to offer assistance.
Please find the link for Fitness For Human Habitation Guidance: Property Conditions, as the Part 4 of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 sets out a landlord’s responsibility to provide dwellings that are safe and fit for human habitation.
In terms of EPC’s, since April 1st 2020, most rental properties in Wales should have an Energy Performance Certificate displaying a rating of E or above. If this is not the case, the property is likely failing to meet the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard requirements set by the UK Government.
Please also check on our resources page for more information on the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. Rent Smart Wales is not able to provide tailored advice in relation to Renting Homes; however if you do have any further queries once you have completed the training and read through the information above, you can email the Renting Homes team at Welsh Government on rentinghomes@gov.wales. Alternatively, you could seek independent legal advice.
If you wish for your data to be deleted, you will need to contact the Information Governance Team for Cardiff Council who can be contacted by emailing foi@cardiff.gov.uk or writing to Improvement and Information, County Hall, Cardiff, CF10 4UW.
If you require any further advice or assistance please contact us by phone to 03000133344, through the Contact Us Form on our website www.rentsmart.gov.wales/en/contact or via post to: Rent Smart Wales, PO Box 1106, Cardiff, CF11 1UA.
Citation: Schoolgirls were left in tears after a male teacher inspected their skirts, according to reports. Rainford High School in St Helens has come under fire for enforcing its uniform policy which requires girls to wear knee-length skirts, with many parents and pupils claiming male teachers were involved in the inspection of the skirt length.
My Views: I did not bother making a comment on MSN as they censor what you write and this is what I think about the above article and the personal experience I have had as a schoolgirl and then on as a mother.
The teacher at the school provided he was not taking any photos and had the right to check the length of the skirts as long as he did not take a tape measure out and was physical. If it is the school’s policy that the girl’s uniform should have a knee-length skirt then it should be abided by. Parents are helpless if the skirt leaves home as per the letter but gets rolled up to be on par with fashion. I remember buying my daughter black shoes which had a gold trim and were told to get a new pair. The school refunded me because I could not see it in their terms and conditions.
If parents and school kids are outraged at today’s article on MSN then the next bit will shock readers more.
My own interactions with teachers
When I was in school some 45 years ago there was a PE teacher that would watch the girls have a shower and then would line up the girls against a wall in their towels to inspect their posture as she claimed. For the girls that did not wrap themselves up properly, they would end up going commando. It haunts me to this day and who was I going to complain to at the time? I could not tell my parents as it was embarrassing. I could not tell another teacher as I would be accused of being a snitch. The headteacher was no better as he was arrested for pedophilia according to some sources although researching online I have found one headteacher from that school is not the same one that was head at the time me being there. I can not get a reliable reference to what I have heard so, unfortunately for now it is simply hearsay until I find a source.
Punishment with a cane
Furthermore, I even had punishment by a cane for pulling a prank when I was about 14. I am not saying I was not to blame as the bullies in my class made me put the blotted paper soaked with quill ink on the end of my ruler and flick it which landed on a schoolboy’s arm. I ended up having three whips to my left hand as my right hand was spared for writing. Quill ink is permanent so his school shirt was ruined, no wonder his mother did not like me when I later started dating his brother some four years later.
Losing a loved one is an experience that can be incredibly difficult to bear. The pain of separation can linger on for months or even years, leaving behind an unfillable void in one’s heart. The process of grieving is complicated and different for every individual, but one thing that is universal is the longing to be with the person who has passed away.
It’s not uncommon for people to experience a strong sense of missing their loved ones after they have passed away. The feeling of emptiness that comes from their absence can be overwhelming and persistent, and sometimes it can feel like nothing will ever be able to fill that void.
Grieving is a natural and necessary process that helps us come to terms with our loss, but missing someone who has passed away can feel like a never-ending process. It’s a painful reminder of what we have lost, and it can be challenging to find comfort or solace in the midst of our grief.
There are many ways to cope with missing a loved one who has passed away. One way is to embrace the memories and cherish the time that was shared. Celebrating the person’s life, passions, and accomplishments can be a way to honor their memory and keep them close to our hearts. Sharing stories, looking at old photographs, and talking about the person can help keep their spirit alive and ease the pain of missing them.
Another way to cope with missing a loved one is to find ways to connect with them in spirit. Some people find comfort in writing letters or talking out loud to their loved ones as if they were still present. Others find solace in practicing mindfulness or meditation, which can help to quiet the mind and focus on the present moment.
For some people, seeking support from a professional can be helpful. A therapist or grief counselor can provide a safe space to process emotions, work through feelings of loss, and offer guidance on coping mechanisms.
In addition to these methods, it’s important to remember that grief is a process and there is no “right” way to deal with missing a loved one who has passed away. It’s okay to feel sad, angry, or even numb at times, and it’s okay to take the time needed to process these emotions. Remember to be kind to yourself and to seek support when needed.
In conclusion, missing a loved one who has passed away is a natural and difficult part of the grieving process. However, losing a loved one through a breakup or divorce can also be traumatic. It’s important to remember that the pain of separation may never fully go away, but there are ways to cope with the pain and honor the memory of the person who has passed. Whether it’s through embracing memories, finding ways to connect in spirit, or seeking support from professionals, there are ways to find comfort and peace amidst the pain.
Inspiration
I watched a film the other day Emilia 2.0 and it made me wonder why we cannot already upload our subconscious minds to AI.
Imagine logging in and being able to connect with the people that have passed away. Imagine having a conversation with someone even if they may not be in the physical form,
Currently, it is not possible to upload the subconscious mind to AI, and it is not clear if this will ever be possible, although the likes of Elon Musk and Neurolink tells me they are already working on it.
I have often wondered if I was to phone my parent’s number would they answer, even though in reality that number was sold the moment it was cut off?
If we can communicate with people all over the world using a small device called a smartphone, imagine if we could communicate with people that have passed on.
The subconscious mind refers to the part of the mind that is not in the conscious awareness of the individual but still influences their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It is a complex and poorly understood aspect of human psychology, and while there has been much research on the topic, it remains a subject of ongoing study.
On the other hand, AI (Artificial Intelligence) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines. While AI has made significant strides in recent years, including in areas like image and speech recognition, natural language processing, and decision-making, the technology is still far from being able to fully replicate the workings of the human mind.
At present, it is not clear how the subconscious mind could be uploaded to AI, or even if it is a desirable or ethical pursuit. While some scientists and futurists have speculated about the possibility of creating conscious or sentient machines, these ideas are still largely hypothetical and subject to debate.
In conclusion, while the possibility of uploading the subconscious mind to AI is an interesting idea, it remains in the realm of science fiction at this time, and it is not clear if or when it may become a reality.
Missing My Old Life
I miss my parents and my brother.
I miss the house we all grew up in.
I miss the food my parents made.
I miss the people that I loved and cared about that no longer are in my life, like my mum, dad, my brother, and my ex-husband that passed away.
I miss the feeling of security and stability.
I miss my younger self.
I miss the body that I once had.
I miss being happy.
My Journey
I have this urge to recall and back up every memory I have. This will be a reference for my loved ones once I am no longer an earthly being.
Imagine if there was something out there that could help us record our thoughts. If we cannot record our thoughts and memories we should at least write them down online so that when the time comes we could activate our voices to sync with the information we wish to share.
Imagine writing a biography of your life and converting it to audio and then having AI talk in your voice and answer questions with data from the subconscious mind.
If this was already invented I would gladly log in and chat with my loved ones that have passed away. Even if it was not real it would give me comfort just hearing their voice.
Imagine
Imagine being a spiritual being and being able to go where you wanted to go without boundaries or limitations. If this was possible I would want to meet all my loved ones in the house we once had. I would want to also communicate with the people I left behind.
My Goals
My goals are to find a way to upload all my memories and my subconscious mind and turn myself into iRenata 2.0 For now I will just have to stick to writing my biography and turning it into audio. I aim to do a series of podcasts on different subjects in the near future.
Rebuilding My Life
I am trying to rebuild my life after making some grave mistakes. I am on a path to prosperity and am trying to put all my bad memories aside, although I will share them in the book I am in the through of writing. I will leave no stone unturned and the people that have harmed me in one way or another will have their five minutes of fame. My words cannot be undone once they are published.
I am paving the way to a new life where I will finally find happiness and security, I am a ‘Phoenix Rising’.
British Gas (trading as Scottish Gas in Scotland) is an energy and home services provider in the United Kingdom. It is the trading name of British Gas Services Limited and British Gas New Heating Limited, both subsidiaries of Centrica. Serving around twelve million homes in the United Kingdom, British Gas is the biggest energy supplier in the country and is considered one of the Big Six dominating the gas and electricity market in the United Kingdom.Citation Wikipedia.
Key People: Chris O’Shea (Chief Executive, Centrica Consumer) Matthew Bateman (Managing Director, UK Home).
BRITISH GAS
PATRONISING UTILITY PROVIDER.
Today I contacted my utility provider British Gas to move my payment date to another date and was met with a patronizing reception, as I will explain.
I was told I did not have a payment plan in place even though I have been paying monthly from day dot.
She also said I need to have a smart meter even though I have heard about smart meters being hacked and as an Editor of Several Publications including www.disabledentrepreneur.uk I have concerns about my security as I get attempted hacks every day:
I disagree with anything that potentially could get hacked even smart fridge freezers. printers and smart TVs can get hacked.
My Bills
My bills are generated quarterly in arrears and as per the screenshot below, all I owed from January’s bill is £132.67.
This would be the same as me paying the bill off as soon as I received it, yet I was then told the usage of my gas from the time my last bill was generated was £45.03.
This should be reflected in my next bill and has nothing to do with the bill that was generated in January 2022.
Regardless of whether I pay the bill quarterly in one go or monthly it should be for that period in question.
I was paying £65.00 per month but now I have been told I have to pay £90.00 per month to include my usage to date spread over a 12-month period of perceived usage.
Why complicate things, when a bill is generated it includes the usage for that period, so why do complicated calculations?
I am happy to review my bill every 3 months that is not a problem.
For example, if a bill comes to £200.00 for the quarter then you should have the option to pay it off in one go £200 or pay it in 3 monthly installments of £66.67, not all this future usage BS.
Now let me do the maths.
I owed £132.67 from my last bill in January 2022 until I made the phone call today which shot to £177. 00
Had I kept my mouth shut and not tried to move the payment date my bill would not have inflated today.
Had I kept my mouth shut and just paid the £65.00 as normal without any communication or moving the date the outstanding payment was for £132.67 which was divided by two month’s monthly payments until my next bill would have been £66.35 per month but the woman “Sonia” I believe although I could be wrong added the usage to date which would have been added in my next bill in April of an extra £45.03 so now because I wanted to move my payment date to the 15th of the month another bill was generated just to be spitefulconsidering my usage is supposed to be a bill in arrears, it is unfair to generate two bills for the same period/quarter.
It will be interesting from what date my next quarterly bill will be generated and will see if the £45.03 that was unnecessarily invoiced today will be reflected. If they do not subtract the £45.03 from the next bill they will be essentially scamming me.
This corporation is not helping the consumer and likes all my articles it is only fair that this information is shared with the public on social media. But first I am waiting to be affiliated with a competitor before making a dent in their pocket.
My current usage should have been reflected in my next bill in April.
Yet to bump the price up of my current bill the woman added my current usage to date even though I should be billed in April for this.
Patronizing and Judgemental
British Gas is aware I have a disability so the next thing I found very patronizing, rude, and judgemental, as I said in my last post about Virgin Media it is high tide I have a Wikipedia page so that people actually know who they are dealing with.
When I said I that £90 per month on Gas was ridiculously high “Sonia” said and I quote “we are all in the same boat and that some of us have to work for a living”, insinuating I was unemployed. If some celebrity questioned their bill one would not judge them yet someone who may not have a celebrity status gets judged, work that one out. She even continued to say “I could get help with benefits”, she was making assumptions and trying to judge me even though she did not know who I really am. The phone was on the loudspeaker and my daughter heard this, so I corrected the woman and told her I am self-employed there was a pause, and then she said “oh ok”. I asked for a transcript of the conversation and was told she would put me through to someone but that never happened because I guess she thought better of it to stir the nest. I did not get an email on the 8th just a couple of text messages on how to manage my usage, so this tells me no transcript is going to be sent, they certainly do not want me to contact my solicitors.
I tried haggling the price down and when I said I am happy paying £65 as I was paying she said she would put me on a payment plan of £78 spread over 3 years, but that would affect my credit score, so seeing as I was backed into a corner I told her I wanted to protect my credit score and I agreed on paying the £90 ( £90 x 2 Months till my next bill comes to £180 and not £177 as my outstanding balance suggests) but agreeing on these charges would have consequences for ‘British Gas” because I told her I would be publishing an article and she then patronisingly said “but are you sure you can pay the £90 to which I replied I will eat 30p Ramen Noodles if I have to to” (sarcasticly – although I think she thought I was being serious). She even went on to say “you would not go to a supermarket and get £100 worth of groceries and only pay £65, she continued to say that prices are going to go up again next month” Put it this way by the time I am finished with this company they will wish they never started on me and they lose more that £90 per month as I am in throughs of affiliating myself with one of their competitors. She even went as far as asking if I had a carer or support worker (it was not any of her business and this information about my disability should be made available to every tom, dick or harry to read), obviously, she was not aware of who I am. To think a simple task of moving my payment to another date would cause all this hassle and emotional distress is unbelievable. I dread to think about people who do not have a way to defend themselves from these corporations that use bully tactics. I will be also enforcing they remove all my data to it has the bare minimum before looking for another provider.
“I always give my clients affordable payment plans and I certainly do not post their late payments on credit agencies“.
British Gas should generate a bill and give the option to pay it in 3 monthly installments, spread the cost over 6, or 12 installments, or pay it outright. Either way, there will be usage generated in the shortfall.
Meter Readings
My meter is located inside my open porch outside my building. It is about 8 feet above the ground towards the entrance to the front door. I was told because I have not given a meter reading my bills are estimated. So I replied that I had already explained to someone previously that someone would have to climb a ladder and they said they would send someone out to do this. There would be no contact with anyone the engineer would just have to climb a step ladder to read the meter. He would not even need to ring the doorbell.
Yet the woman today said because of Covid “British Gas” is not sending out engineers to read the meters and it is my responsibility. to do this.
So how would she explain all the meter readings during Covid Regulations in 2020/2021 as in the screenshot below:
Why should I do British Gas’s job, Covid regulations have now been relaxed so there is absolutely no reason for an engineer/meter reader to not come and read the meter and they should not use “Covid” as an excuse. I have had workmen come to my property including the Gas Engineer to check my boiler so the “British Gas – Covid” excuse is pathetically lame.
I replied I will have to climb a ladder myself and she replied “please don’t hurt yourself” like she really cared (not).
Caring For the Environment
I was told that seeing my payment plan had changed and I refused to set up a direct debit that they would send me out a payment card, (I just bin them) I said that “British Gas” is not helping the environment causing carbon footprints and eco emission sending out something that was not warranted by myself.
I have their bank details and can access their website so why send out plastic and why not save the environment and the trees for all their paper and envelopes? The woman said she is sending it out just in case I ever go out and want to pay over the counter…really?
Obviously, they have money to waste sending out wasteful plastic cards and letters, charging astronomical prices for their bills which the consumer pays for and it all comes out of the consumer’s pockets. The value of the gas coming out of the ground does not increase in price it is the greedy corporate fat cats that increase the prices to line their greedy pockets.
If you want to lodge a complaint, be prepared for what you want to say.
Firstly write your complaint down and add all evidence with the times and dates.
Send an email to British Gas do not forget to add your customer account into the header of the email: generalenquiry@britishgas.co.uk
Wait a few days for a reply, you should have an autoresponder email saying yours has been received.
If you do not get a reply to your email proceed to phone them. Call between 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday on this number: 0333 202 9532
Write a review on Trustpilot, I have noticed British Gas does reply to your reviews.
If you are still dissatisfied with their decision you can send a copy of your email to their head office recorded and signed for: Complaints Management Team. PO Box 226 Rotherham S98 1PB
If you still feel you have run into a dead end and all else has failed you can contact the Ombudsman. Call:0330 440 1624 Textphone:0330 440 1600 Email: enquiry@ombudsman-services.orgGo online:ombudsman-services.org/energyWrite to Ombudsman Services: Energy, PO Box 966, Warrington WA4 9DF.
My experience today was far from pleasant and to make matters worse the woman “Sonia” if that is her real name was patronizing and judgemental. I have learned that one should not judge anyone or assume regardless of who they are or what they do.
“I want a transcript or phone recording of what transpired today”!
Theemotional distressthis operator put me through, I felt physically sick after putting the phone down from her.
My daughter who overheard the whole conversation and suffers from “Multiple Sclerosis” said she is never moving out as she never wants to deal with utility companies after hearing what played out today and that she would have definitely relapsed had she had to deal with this herself.
“Oh did I forget to mention I own this Domain Name”?
UPDATE 09/02/22
UPDATE NO 1:
I phoned to double-check if ‘Sonia’ had actually updated my payment plan I asked about my telephone call yesterday and the guy I spoke with said it was being processed 3 hours ago. He was very offish with me from the moment he answered the call and when the call ended he simply hung up without a thank you or goodbye. I reckon they have read this article as I told them the website I was going to post my disdain on. Let’s just see how long they take to send the copy of the phone call I had yesterday. Will update you in this post as and when I get any feedback.
UPDATE NO 2: I received the recording that was only 6 minutes and 5 seconds long but I was on the phone for approximately 59 minutes as per the screenshot proof below:
UPDATE No 3: (14/02/22) Despite me giving explicit instructions for whoever was in charge of giving me the copy of the whole recording to email me as I am not accepting phone calls, the person who I now know to be Sonia tried phoning me. She then sent a text message saying she will phone me at 2 pm today.
So now I have to reschedule a very important meeting because British Gas is too lazy to shoot me an email and they take for granted that people will just pick up the phone just because they are phoning.
I now have a very unhappy client, a very important Director having to wait around until Sonia calls.
I think she thinks I am a nobody or a “sweetheart” as she called me in the first recording.
Let’s just see what transpires from the call once I put her in her place…
A few minutes and she phoned me…
….I got a call from Sonia who said the call was only recorded for 6 minutes and they did not record the rest of the 53 minutes of the call by coincidence 🤣 because they are covering up what was in the call. Basically, I think she may have some say on how much of the call I should have.
She went on to say they do not correspond by email, although I have had emails in the past from them and that she is deadlocking the complaint, meaning I cannot discuss the complaint with British Gas after 24 hours and I have to deal with the ombudsman.
She was totally complacent about me rescheduling my meeting, watering off a duck’s back so to speak.
Oh well, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Let’s see how much business they lose when I start marketing their competitors.
If you have similar stories to share just give send me a message using the form below:
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company that provides telephone, television, and internet services throughout the United Kingdom. Virgin Media headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 a recent joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica.
The key people are John C. Malone (chairman) and Lutz Schüler (CEO).
Virgin Media Sub Standard Service.
Virgin Media is on my radar yet again, and after being put on hold for more than half an hour I decided to publish this post as the woman I spoke to laughed when I said she does not know who she was dealing with.
When she finally came back to me she said she would put me through to the tech team but what I was connected to was the “Gadget Rescue Helpline” where at the beginning of the message this was a chargeable service and they would tell me how much it would cost before carrying out any work.
So seeing as Virgin Media has pushed my buttons again here are my screenshots, with the first being my internet speed where the women claimed my reading was incorrect, so I am imagining things now?…….really. Even if my reading were incorrect it would not explain the super slow internet connection.
I also asked her to confirm that I had the fastest internet speed and she said seeing as Virgin Media have recently merged with O2 my internet speed was no longer the fastest and my package had changed. No one had informed me about this, no letter, no email, and no push notification to my mobile, absolutely nothing, she had the opportunity to upsell but did not.
I have a gut feeling I was talking to Virgin Mobile rather than the Virgin Broadband Department as she quoted my speed to be really high and that could only mean she was checking the speed from a mobile phone.
The speed from the mobile phone is always going to be faster than a laptop or desktop computer because of the way the gadgets are built.
The second screenshot is of two bills I have paid, yet both are saying they are overdue.
I am dammed if they slap on a £10.00 late payment charge even though I do not owe a single penny.
This is called scamming and I will be sure to phone them back again tomorrow just to show them this post.
RESOLUTION.
My internet speed has not been resolved, I rely on the internet to do my work so to have a substandard connection I do not see why I have to pay a single penny to this company whilst considering they are in breach of their terms to provide me a service that works.
From now on for every hour my internet is not working I will charge a fee of £100 per hour or £400 per per day because in my terms and conditions anyone preventing me from carrying out my work in a sufficient manner is liable to compensate me.
It is high tide I create a Wikipedia page as I am finding people are not taking me seriously.
This company do not want me to start posting all over the internet considering I have over 10K followers on LinkedIn and bad reviews spread like wildfire.
Virgin Media reviews on TrustPilot speaks volumes.
Obviously, these people I am referring to the Chairman and CEO are too high and mightly to deal with such trivialities but if the shoe was on the other foot and they had a business that heavily relied on a good broadband connection, i.e website designer, marketing, domain brokering and content writing, video creation and rendering, they would soon be singing a different tune if it affected them directly.
I am with O2 for my mobile and have never had a problem, so was very surprised that they merged with this shambles of a company.
So you are perhaps thinking if this company is so bad why do I not leave? and the aswer is simple, to get another provider to set up a new broadband connection is not an overnight process. I cannot be offline at all as I support businesses by having chat open and help with inquiries, plus the fact I have to market and manage websites is virtually impossible to achieve without an internet connection.
One thing for certain I will never recommend this company “Virgin Media” to anyone.
The bottom line is they need people like me to give them good reviews.
It will be interesting what they say when they finally read my post.
Disappointed Boy – Emotional Distress – Frustration
AMAZON REVIEW
I normally post reviews on my marketing website but this is personal.
Yesterday I had an Eastern European Amazon Driver stick his two fingers up at me and refused to give me my parcel (Krupnik).
I was expecting two parcels yesterday and had a notification from Amazon that my one parcel failed to deliver. I looked out of my window and noticed the driver outside so I ran downstairs and waved him down. I asked could he please give me the parcel and in his very broken English he refused, said no, waved his hand up in the air and what looked like him sticking his two fingers up at me and drove off. His hand was up and his two fingers were separated in a V shape.
I then tried to phone Amazon customer service and both times I got cut off, I then used their quicker option via the text link, that’s a joke, I ended up with a robot. I then proceeded to phone again (the third time) and managed to get through and the person I spoke to said she would escalate it with the delivery manager who phoned me and said both deliveries would arrive by 10 pm yesterday.
So, 10 pm came and went and nothing so I phoned back again and was told it is still out for delivery even though the cut-off period for deliveries is 10 pm. I stated I was not going to wait all night long, so the customer service said it would be re-arranged for today (24/12/21).
I then went to sleep and this morning noticed an email to say the one parcel had been delivered to a resident on (23/12/21) at 23.28 hours. Seeing as I was asleep and my neighbors are on holiday is must have been delivered to the Ghost of Christmastide.
With now a total disdain towards Amazon at this point, I phoned back again today (24/12/21), the first time I could hardly hear anything as the connection was so bad and the phone got cut off, the second time I rang every other word the person said “please hold” proceeding to connect me to music about four times and eventually I got so sick and tired of him messing around and I ended the call. On (the third attempt), I spoke to someone and he was really understanding, he said if the parcel was not delivered today he would re-arrange delivery for tomorrow (25/12/21) and gave me credit of £5.00 for my trouble.
Apparently, Amazon does deliveries on Christmas Day?
I then waited for my delivery today (24/12/21) as discussed by the agent I spoke to and one of the items was delivered (Krupnik), so I phoned back yet again (fourth attemptto resolve the issue of the missing chocolate controller) seeing as I no longer had a tracking number for the parcel that went astray.
I ended up talking to someone who had an attitude saying he could not help me completely contradicting what the previous agent said. I insisted on speaking with his supervisor who said he would issue a refund, so why could the previous agent not do that rather than say he could not help me? Furthermore, the supervisor continued to say the item could not be delivered for Christmas Day, that he had no control over the third-party seller.
I said what about the little boy that no longer will have his Christmas present and he said I could re-order the same item and have it re-delivered for Christmas Day, totally contradicting the first statement he made.
I said that the previous agent said he would re-order it for me and waiver any delivery fees seeing it was Christmas Day, yet the supervisor I spoke with (24/12/21) said because it was a third-party seller he had no control over the delivery meaning they would give a £5.00 credit in one hand and take it away in delivery fees in the other.
I replied Amazon has successfully ruined someone’s Christmas and he replied but we gave you £5.00 credit and a refund as if I really care about the £5.00 and I had at this point the impression I should be kissing his feet and be totally grateful for the half-hearted apology and for the £5.00 they so generously gave me.
If I was to re-order the said item again I would have to pay the delivery fee to get it on Christmas Day, so what compensation have I had for my inconvenience and the emotional distress this has caused me.
**Furthermore when I tried re-ordering it again the price of the item increased and was not guaranteed to arrive on Christmas Day.
This is a total insult to what I have personally gone through in the last two days.
Will I consider developing an eCommerce platform in 2022 and give Amazon a run for their money, the possibility is worth considering and I am more than capable of doing so. Will I lessen the amount of business I do with Amazon remains to be seen?, what they fail to realize is I have more than one account as I run several businesses and spend a lot of money, so I will be eagerly awaiting a response from them?
In total, I phoned four times yesterday and a delivery manager also phoned me. Which was 5 communications and a further 4 phone calls on the (24/12/21)and I spoke to 4 people, 3 of which I had a conversation with, so in total 9 people over the fiasco of two parcels, the first parcel being Krupnik Wisniowy/Cherry Vodka Liqueur, 50 cl that the driver refused to give and gave me the two fingers, and the second parcel Chocolate Gaming Controller Set Novelty Chocolate Gift (Single Controller).
This is absolutely disgusting customer service and no one should have to go through what I have gone through.
PERSONAL NOTE FROM ME!
This is not how you should treat your customers and every customer brings in a profit, hence you should treat your customers with the highest regard regardless of what business you are in or how much they spend.
I should not be escalating it to the top of the ladder but had Amazon had a complaints email I would much rather have sent a complaint there and worked myself up the ladder if needed.
Staff needs to be trained in customer relations and no member of staff should be disrespectful or rude to a customer. If a member of staff has troubles at home they should not bring them to work and most definitely should not take out their frustration on a customer.
If a customer then raises a complaint you should not add further insult to injury!
ADD ON 25/12/21
Amazon NON-ECO FRIENDLY
To make matters even worse I gave my daughter as part of her stocking filler presents the following item: ORDER NUMBER 202-5033871-6416352 Saviland Acrylic Powder and Liquid Set, Acrylic Nail Kit. The outer packaging was sealed and so was the bottle as can be seen in the image below.
The acrylic liquid bottle (Monomer) had over 3 quarters of the solution missing. There was no spillage in the box it came in, although the box stank of acrylic solution.
So now I am having to send it back causing me further inconvenience having to take time out of my busy life to mess around finding a drop-off point.
If it shows clearly that the bottle is sealed then returning it is pointless as it cannot be resold as the whole box is open.
So Amazon is not very eco-friendly when they create carbon footprints to send back items that will end up in a landfill somewhere.
Granted Amazon may deliver in electric vehicles most of the time but returns are not done through them but through third-party couriers, who may not adopt the same principle. Amazon should review returns digitally so that it does not cause further damage to our planet. When an item is damaged and cannot be resold the recipient should simply have photographic/video evidence. It is not difficult to do this as the majority of the planet owns smartphones nowadays.
Finally seeing as I am on the Amazon Warpath if the recipient of the delivery is clearly is over the age of 18 they should not be made to show ID, yet every time I get delivery for my energy drinks I am asked to show ID. Obviously, delivery drivers are like sheep they do not have an ounce of common sense between them. Amazon should only enforce this rule if the person receiving the said parcel looks under the age of 18 and not a grown-up person that is nearly 60 years of age…Totally Ridiculous in my opinion…
It is getting to be beyond a joke having to deal with Amazon time after time.
27/01/22
NO RESPONSE FROM CEO ANDY JASSY
I never did get a response back from ‘CEO Andy Jassy’, obviously, he will see this as trivial and think he is too big for his boots to respond or get his minions to make contact.
It obviously shows that Amazon does not care about their consumers and what they have to deal with.
If on the other hand the shoe was on the other foot so to speak and I read something negative or derogatory online about myself or the company I represent I would try to reach out to the person to try and resolve the issue and get them to write a good review after the issue was resolved but to blatantly ignore someone shows a lot about the CEO and the company he/she represents.
It just shows the difference between a CEO and a Leader!
I have been with this company for a few years now and initially was bound by a contract in which I am now free to leave whenever it suits me. Up to just over a year ago, the service was acceptable but since Lockdown of last year, the service is appaulling.
I have over the last year or so given this company the benefit of the doubt that the issues I have been facing are being rectified.
Now considering most people are now working from home you would think they would get their act together and anything below the service that you signed for is against the consumer rights act 2015 and you have the right to get some of your money back if not all.
For me, I pay for the fastest internet going, and no way I reach those speeds ever.
So today I phoned and emphasised who I am and what I am capable of doing.
I gave them my website address and said I have a lot of connections on Linkedin nearly 10K to be precise and will make sure this company loses business if my internet goes down again.
If I am losing business then it is only right they should too!
I said I will publish random dates screenshots of all the times I have had no internet or the connectivity issues were lagging.
I have already written about them before on my marketing site:
However, I have never done anything like share it on Social Media.
They are now pushing my buttons and it is time I spoke up for the nation.
I do not think they realize who I am and if it happens again I will be posting on Linkedin and on every social media platform as well as making sure Lutz Schüler the CEO gets to read it.
Companies pay me to generate leads and I am good at it.
I charge £300 per hour for my services which equates to £5.00 per minute if you take today’s conversation into the scenario at 32 minutes talking to Virgin that is £160 that they owe me for interrupting my work, my business, and wasting my valuable time.
I have a responsibility to my paying clients to have chat open on their websites and for people to message with enquiries. This potentially can lose business for my clients if my internet goes down.
I am not calling their bluff,I am being serious, if my internet goes down one more time I will go out of my way to let everyone know on this planet about this company.
This Is This Evenings Speed.
UPDATE 16/07/21
So today I phone up yet again and this time I am told the reason for the issue is because my devices are not distributed properly across the bands. Apparently, I have two bandwidths and he goes onto say I need to do this that, and the other. I replied I pay for a service it is not my problem or my job how I get the service and I should not be messing around with bandwidths. This is the classic example “it’s not us it’s you” scenario and I turned around I do not have time to mess around so the call ended.
It is funny that the numerous times I have phoned up before no one bothered to mention this to me.
According to the customer services person this is what he was trying to say:
Connections best for 5 GHz band:
Gaming consoles
PCs
Smartphones
Smart TVs
Connections best for 2.4 GHz band:
Smart speakers
Smart home devices
Security cameras
I as a consumer should not be messing about with this and it should automatically detect what devices are being used.
Further Update: 20/07/21
So today yet again I end up phoning them again and did not even bother screen-shotting my screen only to be put through to someone who was trying to wriggle out of admitting fault. He said he need to send an engineer and I point blank refused. He then insisted I justify myself to him why I did not want an engineer.
I said there is nothing wrong with my cables and the modem was not faulty unless they send out second hand refurbished routers and wait for this he only replied he could not guarantee if I had a secondhand or refurbished router or not”…………. wtf.
He then went onto say that the previous person I spoke to last week gave me misinformation as the router automatically detects the GHz and there was no need for me to do anything. Obviously, the a##e does not know what the elbow is doing.
He continued to ask if I have any devices that are IOS and he said well that is where problem lies because of weak security and that I needed to configure the Virgin Security Setting.
I replied I do not have time for this and needed to get off the phone but he was not letting me end the call.
It is as if they are purposely hired to tick of customers.
I told him to send me the instructions via email and he said he could not write an email to me yet in the following screenshots it looks like he wrote out part of the email. So lie after lie and by some miracle, my wifi is working properly this afternoon so it cannot be anything to do with any faulty cables or equipment, and just to prove a point I will end this update with a screenshot of my internet speed.
For further reading about increasing interent speeds do read this article:
I did a social experiment yesterday by sending a link back to this website via text message to my family to see their reactions and not one of them responded, interacted, commented, shared, or liked my website. The message was delivered and opened.
I did this experiment not only to show brand awareness as some members do not know exactly what I do as they have never made an effort to find out, so I wanted to show them my personal brand rather than send numerous links to all my websites and blogs I own.
This would show valuable assets by having exact match searchable keyword and phrases domain names as well as developed websites. This would have also shown them a portfolio of digital real estate that I own.
So I was extremely disappointed that I had no response which prompted me to write a post on my other site and explain why people may not want to support you or give you the encouragement you need. https://disabledentrepreneur.uk/support-encouragement
All I can say is not only did they choose to ignore me they also opted out of spreading my personal brand awareness which would generate traffic and make me more visible it would have also helped my readers by spreading awareness about their disabilities, physical and mental. It would have helped empower more visitors to subscribe to the site.
Obviously, I do not rely on anyone helping me generate traffic, I am an SEO expert after all and I am not going to cry over spilled milk but I do learn fast and find ignorance distasteful.
Lesson Learnt.
People can scroll past my content all day long if they want, but if I reach out to certain people purposely, at least have the decency to respond, it says a lot about you if you don’t.
The critical time path is not set in stone, but depending how many websites I manage will depend on how many hours I have to dedicate in any given month. I simply do not have any spare time.
Phone Calls
I have noticed people of late randomly phoning me at all hours of the day and night even though I clearly have my business hours set on my websites.
They phone me without scheduling appointments and are oblivious to time zones even though it clearly says I am in the UK.
I cannot answer the phone as I could be in the middle of meetings or migrating or coding and cannot be disturbed. I have since put my phone on “DO NOT DISTURB” so apologies for any convenience caused but I cannot talk to you unless you book an appointment at least 24 hours in advance. Furthermore, consider putting what you wish to discuss in writing via email rather than calling.
“My Business is purely Online B2B, I do not do physical face to face meetings”.
Finally, I cannot be away from my computer as I have an online chat option that I manage for my customers so cannot take time off work or walk away and chat for 5 minutes.
Five minutes away from my computer could be the difference between a company losing businessor not and everything is trackable. I do not want to be in a position to have to explain to a business owner that I missed a chat with somebody.
I could outsource my work but I won’t because, from previous disasters stories which I have written about on my marketing site, from clients I have spoken to, I have a promise to all the businesses I manage I will not outsource work or give any virtual assistants and developers my work unless I know them personally and they are on my books.
Do not assume I can take time off work to socialize. If you are working for someone you have a guaranteed wage, whilst a self-employed entrepreneur does not, so please consider the person’s circumstances before judging or making assumptions.
