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"At Home With Your Computer"


-pops-
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Yesterday, my son received a sales promotion pack for a loose leaf "collect week by week" computer book called "At Home With Your Computer". He showed it to me last night and I thought what a load of rubbish.

This morning I received a similar one myself. The pack contains sample pages from the learned tome, various bits of advertising junk and a letter from "Konrad Whiting" who describes himself as an IT -Consultant saying how wonderful the product is.

Before moaning on any further, I should point out that my address is on the Mail Protection Service list and should not receive junk mail.

Looking at the sample pages of both my and my son's pack it quickly becomes obvious that the whole thing is grossly out of date. There is not a single mention of Windows XP - the whole thing is devoted to W98 and an occasional mention of ME. A page entitled "Using Internet Explorer" uses IE5 to exemplify.

Another page "Add ClipArt to your work" begins "ClipArt adds style to any text doument" Well, sorry it doesn't. ClipArt is all to often used in the wrong place and makes most text documents look cheap and tacky. I can just imagine one of my legal reports with ClipArt in it :(

On a page "Help my computer's crashed" there is the advice "Next, check your keyboard connection. Pull it out and plug it back in gently but firmly. You don't need to restart your PC." That advice is WRONG. The only devices that should be hotwired are USB and Firewire. The illustration accompanying the text is quite obviously referring to PS/2 connections. These, and all other connections should be made cold (with the device switched off) and even USB and firewire ought to use the "Safely Remove Hardware" function.

I could go on with more examples of this but, let me get to the point. Apparently, according to my son, there is someone on PCA having trouble with the firm distributing this stuff who are trying to claim payment for copies of the product that haven't been asked for and are thus "unsolicited goods".

If anyone gets caught up in this, don't take any threats you may receive from anyone about payment. Provided you didn't ask for the stuff, there is no obligation on you to do anything about it. You don't have to pay nor do you have to acknowledge anything at all to do with it (probably best not to anyway). Even if you are threatened with legal action for non-payment, you are within your rights not to do anything about it. Note: this is provided you didn't request the product.

The law pertaining to unsolicited goods has changed fairly recently and provided you didn't order or request the goods they are regarded as a gift to do with whatever you want. You do not have to pay for them, send them back, or keep them safe for a minimum period of time.

Having read some of the outdated information on these things, I doubt anyone would want them anyway. Who needs it when you've got Windows Forum :rolleyes: :)

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Received exactly the same pack myself yesterday morning. Had a thorough read through and binned it. :( The first thing that came to my mind was. Who sent it because although it looked like the normal mail shot it was actually addressed to me by name. Not been able to link back to source though and I'm quite careful to whom I give my e-mail and postal address. :angry:

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Thanks for that information -pops-. I will keep an eye open to see if there are any further mail-shots from this company. If there are I will contact them to enquire why they are sending out un-requested and out of date material to my home, also how they have acquired my details.

Because of the quality of the cards [Material not content]It does seem they are aware of us having Computers Rather than the normal shot in the dark. j. :angry:

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Its rare that I sign anything at all, even rarer if I suspect it may involve parting with money so, no for me.

Also, my son is even tighter with money than I am and he got the stuff as well. Son lives in London, I live in south west Surrey. Our surname is the only thing that may connect us.

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No for me as well. I haven't even enquired about anything that could lead to the mail-shot and that is what it was, rather like the Readers Digest you get now and then but don't bother to reply to.

There wasn't anything in the pack to suggest I return it if I didn't want it. Just the fact that they have used my full name instead of the usual "To the occupier".

I often receive the offers from several PC mags. to sign up for the first three issues at 1p per issue then pay by standing order or direct debit but those go in the bin as well. :lol:

[Edit] It seems that -pops- and I have more in common than our health problems. I'm referring to the "Tight" bit! :lol:

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A couple of years ago I recieved this first aid kit through the post.... totally unsolicited. Something to do with buying the kit will help third world charities. They wanted around £38 for some bandages and a pair of blunt scissors.

I kept the kit in a safe place and wrote them to pick it up as I didn't want it. Then the threatening letters started, each time the amount going up because of the 'legal costs' involved. I stuck to my guns and eventually they gave up and went away.... but I dread to think how many other people were caught out. I found out later that it was a scam by the way and no money went anywhere near a charity.

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Another one to beware of is the charity clothes scam. We frequently get plastic bags left with a request to fill them with anything which we no longer want, so that the goods can be sold for charitable purposes. These usually come with a printed bag with an address and telephone number, and are from Age concern, Salvation Army, or the local hospice etc. Recently we were left a plain plastic bag with a leaflet giving a telephone number, and a registered charity number. I checked out the name on the INTERNET, and found that it was a scam and the registered number was false. Needless to say I informed the local police of the stated collection day, and they were arrested with a lorry full of goods.

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One thing to remember regarding unsolicited goods, is that there is no longer a requirement to write to the company asking them to collect the goods. You can now completely ignore any letters, and NOT reply. It is much better to do this, than it is to have any contact with them at all. They will have no option eventually, but to go away, no matter what dire threats they have issued in the meantime.

One thing which does annoy me, and it is in fact a genuine charity, is receiving Christmas cards in the post with a request to buy them. These requests usually come from an association of foot painting artists. As I say it is a genuine charity, but no one can possibly afford to support every good cause, and this one plays upon peoples consciences. We support Children in Need, Age Concern, The Salvation Army and the local hospice, I'm afraid that that is it, that is where we draw the line.

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