Topic for going off topic

[Sebastian Toe]

Our Internet is really playing up today, it is driving me completely crazy!

I had a scam call from "Openreach" telling me that some people were stealing my internet!
A guy with poor English and a heavy Indian accent, his name was Peter Smith, seemingly.
I queried at length with him as to how that could happen. Basically those internet thieves were creeping up to my house and patching into my network.
"Peter" of course could fix it for me for a price.
No thanks, I said that when I see them I'll just set my dogs on them and could he explain why the internet thieves would drive for two miles along a dirt track to my farm, which cannot be seen from the main road, to steal internet that doesn't get above 5 mbps?
"Peter" hung up on me!

[Roses]

I had a scam call from "Openreach" telling me that some people were stealing my internet!
A guy with poor English and a heavy Indian accent, his name was Peter Smith, seemingly.
I queried at length with him as to how that could happen. Basically those internet thieves were creeping up to my house and patching into my network.
"Peter" of course could fix it for me for a price.
No thanks, I said that when I see them I'll just set my dogs on them and could he explain why the internet thieves would drive for two miles along a dirt track to my farm, which cannot be seen from the main road, to steal internet that doesn't get above 5 mbps?
"Peter" hung up on me!

I never engage these people in conversation, I just hang up on them.

My internet connection is very, very slow today. I can't access the iplayer on our smart TV, which is a pain as most of the programmes we wish to watch are on that! Hopefully our eldest girl will see if she can reboot it when her busy Easter schedule is over.

[Sebastian Toe]

I never engage these people in conversation, I just hang up on them.

My internet connection is very, very slow today. I can't access the iplayer on our smart TV, which is a pain as most of the programmes we wish to watch are on that! Hopefully our eldest girl will see if she can reboot it when her busy Easter schedule is over.

I always engage with them for as long as possible.
If they spend time trying and failing to scam me then they are not trying and potentially succeeding in scamming some other unfortunate person.

[Gordon]

I always engage with them for as long as possible.
If they spend time trying and failing to scam me then they are not trying and potentially succeeding in scamming some other unfortunate person.

My usual approach with calls like this is to tell them that we've had some suspicious calls of late, so the line is being monitored and that I've been asked, by the 'authorities', to activate a recording/tracing device that has been installed to monitor any calls that aren't from contacts I know.

That tends to get rid of them.

[Harrowby Hall]

I have not had one of these calls for a long time and that was when I was in France.

I have imagined saying something like: "How did you get hold of this number? You do know that this number isn't accessible to normal callers, don't you?" Then place my hand over the phone and call out "Major Thompson, it's one of those calls again, Do you want it traced?"

I did hear of one person - who having received a call from "Microsoft" kept the scammer on the line "trying to follow" instructions. After a while he was asked to describe what was on the screen and he replied "Just the Apple logo, as usual."

[Roses]

I have not had one of these calls for a long time and that was when I was in France.

I have imagined saying something like: "How did you get hold of this number? You do know that this number isn't accessible to normal callers, don't you?" Then place my hand over the phone and call out "Major Thompson, it's one of those calls again, Do you want it traced?"

I did hear of one person - who having received a call from "Microsoft" kept the scammer on the line "trying to follow" instructions. After a while he was asked to describe what was on the screen and he replied "Just the Apple logo, as usual."

I have been advised by a member of my family who is an IT specialist, that it is best never to engage these people in conversation.

[Sebastian Toe]

I have been advised by a member of my family who is an IT specialist, that it is best never to engage these people in conversation.

I suppose, innocent non IT people like yourself should just hang up.

On the other hand, savvy people can engage them for as long as is convenient in order to waste their time.

[Roses]

I suppose, innocent non IT people like yourself should just hang up.

On the other hand, savvy people can engage them for as long as is convenient in order to waste their time.

Why bother, surely most people have better things to do with their time?

[SusanDoris]

I have had a chest infection and am on second lot of antibiotics. This morning I had no energy, but son came down, bought us some lunch - a selection of pizzas, plus some garlic bread, cleared everything up afterwards .. and so I feel heaps better this afternoon.

[Roses]

I have had a chest infection and am on second lot of antibiotics. This morning I had no energy, but son came down, bought us some lunch - a selection of pizzas, plus some garlic bread, cleared everything up afterwards .. and so I feel heaps better this afternoon.

Jolly good.

[Sebastian Toe]

Why bother, surely most people have better things to do with their time?

I consider potentially helping others, less fortunate than myself , to be a good thing.
But that's just me!

[Roses]

I consider potentially helping others, less fortunate than myself , to be a good thing.
But that's just me!

I very much doubt the way you are handling it is going to put them off calling others.

[Sebastian Toe]

I very much doubt the way you are handling it is going to put them off calling others.

I never claimed that it would do that.
All that I can do is reduce in a small way, the number of people being called and potentially scammed.

[Roses]

I never claimed that it would do that.
All that I can do is reduce in a small way, the number of people being called and potentially scammed.

If it pleases you to think that, no problem.

[Sebastian Toe]

If it pleases you to think that, no problem.

If it pleases you to think otherwise then no problem also.

[Roses]

For our Scottish posters, in particular, I have just seen this, it is so very pretty.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48065113

[Harrowby Hall]

For our Scottish posters, in particular, I have just seen this, it is so very pretty.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48065113

In japan, this is the season for haname - in their thousands, people congregate to see and walk among the cherry blossom. Offices will decamp and go and have lunch parties under the blossom (the office junior will have been sent out with instructions to bag a good place and claim it by spreading blue groundsheets.

Cherry blossom emphasises the evanescence of life. I have witnessed haname in Tokyo and Kyoto.

[Robbie]

Sounds like shoe polish; smells nice.
To the be.st of my memory I was only scammed once, a small sum but i didn't have much money a few years back. Not nice anyway.

i've just been discharched from hospital which was a nightmare.  I cried when I left. Yes I  know, big baby but if I never see the place again I won't be sorry.

I can't imagine patients being so badly treated.

Can't do much for a few weeks.

Hope you all enjoyed Easter.

[Gordon]

i've just been discharched from hospital which was a nightmare.  I cried when I left. Yes I  know, big baby but if I never see the place again I won't be sorry.

Glad to hear the nightmare is over, Robbie, and hopefully you're now feeling much better (and are doing what the medics advise). 

[SusanDoris]

Glad to hear the nightmare is over, Robbie, and hopefully you're now feeling much better (and are doing what the medics advise).

Most definitely seconded. Whatever the nightmare was, thank kgoodness you are on the healing side of it.

[Nearly Sane]

Sounds like shoe polish; smells nice.
To the be.st of my memory I was only scammed once, a small sum but i didn't have much money a few years back. Not nice anyway.

i've just been discharched from hospital which was a nightmare.  I cried when I left. Yes I  know, big baby but if I never see the place again I won't be sorry.

I can't imagine patients being so badly treated.

Can't do much for a few weeks.

Hope you all enjoyed Easter.

Hate hospitals, though I admire those who work there. Hope you are feeling better. Take care.

[ekim]

Sorry to hear about your hospital experience, Robbie.  I hope you make a speedy recovery.

[Enki]

Hope your hospital experience is well behind you,  Robbie,  and you're on the mend.

[Roses]

My husband and I are very grateful to Buckley District Nurses who provide him with an excellent service, they are lovely people who go above and beyond the call of duty.

[Roses]

What a fun few days we have had, NOT! My husband had a suprapubic catheter installed on Thursday, as his regular one kept blocking, he was supposed to be a day case in spite of having a general anaesthetic. However, as he clearly had an infection they didn't release him until Saturday morning. Since he has been home his right leg has got more and more painful, he suffers from nerve damage in that leg, due to being paralysed down his right side for a few months after his brain haemorrhage in 2006, but it didn't usually bother him too much. He has gone from being able to go for long walks and do most things for himself, to hardly being able to walk at all. I am not sure exactly what the problem is, whether it is the effect of the anaesthetic, or the antibiotics he is on. But I do know if this goes on much longer I am not going to be able to cope. We are awaiting the arrival of the district nurse and see what she has to say about his condition.