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Crisis at Christmas 2011: Party and Video

Jan 8th, 2012 by dompannell

Last night was the Thank You Party for Crisis At Christmas volunteers. It was lots of fun and probably didn’t help the cold I’ve been carrying for the past week or so, but I thought it was time I posted something about what it is we do (lifted from the Crisis website).

In 2010:
- Nearly 3,000 people visited one of nine Crisis centres,
- Up to 200 people a day visited one of five day centres, hosted by our partner schools and colleges
- We slept 500 people each night
- There were 670 healthcare consultations
- 290 guests visited the dentist
- 231 guests saw a podiatrist
- 242 opticians’ appointments
- 351 items repaired by our sewing team
- 1,884 IT sessions
- 307 people did a variety of arts and crafts activities
- 25,000 meals were served to guests over the week
- 338 people participated in sports and games

The numbers are likely to be higher for 2011 and unfortunately, homelessness is set to become more of a problem in the future.

The following video was made at the centre that I helped to run in Stratford, East London. I think it does a pretty good job of explaining why I have spent the last 11 Christmases with homeless people:

Oh and I know most of the people in the video. They are my friends.

Posted in Crisis At Christmas, Homelessness | No Comments »

Well, the flat’s nearly sorted…

Nov 24th, 2011 by dompannell

… although Lucas Fox reckon they did everything they should have done and that the flat was in tiptop condition when I moved in.

Judge for yourself from this video, which I took yesterday after I was shown how to clean the unused (by me) air-conditioning unit that was checked and cleaned before I moved in. Wotteva.

I can’t wait to receive the landlord’s contact details – I was promised them a couple of days ago, but haven’t seen anything in my email inbox yet. I wonder what he’ll make of it all?

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And so, to sort out my Spanish flat

Nov 22nd, 2011 by dompannell

I’ve posted elsewhere about how happy I am with the flat I live in here in Barcelona, but it’s not without its headaches.

The property is managed by “full service estate agency [sic.]” Lucas Fox, but they haven’t delivered on their promise and I pay quite a lot in rent compared to similar places. The list of errors and poor customer service is as long as my arm, for instance:

- the property wasn’t ready on the agreed date, so (my now ex-) girlfriend and I had to hole up in a hotel for several days when we arrived from the UK, expecting to move in
- they allocated (albeit lovely) Spanish/Catalan speakers to manage the property, when, because I travel so much, the only person available to receive them was an English/French speaker (my ex)
- they didn’t check any of the appliances, so:
1) the cooker broke;
2) the boiler broke;
3) the fridge-freezer went on the blink (resulting in a lovely, stinky mess of rotten food following one of my extended stays abroad (thanks to Barclays);
4) the dishwasher broke; we were left with black marks all over new white sheets and clothes, so we assumed the washing machine had broken, but in fact it was the clothes dryer that hadn’t been cleaned for years (they switched the washing machine without checking it, before I realised the reality – the new w/machine being too big for the space in the kitchen, thus messing up the fittings);
5) neither of the loos works properly and one of them is loose;
6) one of the radiators has sprung a leak so it needs a pan underneath it;
7) the oven is too hot for the surrounding kitchen units, so the plastic on the doors melted – solution: take away doors
8) several appliances are electrically charged so they give us minor shocks from time to time and;
9) Lucas Fox insisted on fitting a second air conditioning unit even though we told them we weren’t ever going to use it and that we’d prefer to keep the balcony intact for entertaining.

There’s more I’m sure, but I can’t be bothered to remember them.

Sympathetic Installation

The last point is particularly galling, as we specified that if we had to have an aircon fitted, that it be “sympathetically installed.” What actually happened is that they stuck a great big white plastic pipe up the outside wall to cover the wires. This offended the neighbours so much (we couldn’t work out why there seemed to be an atmosphere in the building) that I was accosted by the official building adminstrator and marched across the road to view the ‘hideous’ installation. I explained that I don’t own the flat and that Lucas Fox were responsible for it. Apparently that calmed the neighbours down, as I haven’t heard much more about it.

What’s more, the lights in my study stopped working for three months during the summer due to faulty wiring (the fuses still blow regularly if my flatmate and I turn on more than two appliances at any one time… it happened three times last night while I was cooking) so, for several months I have been forced to work in the dining room – I HATE THIS, BECAUSE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHUT OFF AND RELAX NOW AND THEN.

The best thing is that it seems to take an average of a month to fix any individual problem. In fact, there are still outstanding issues (the wobbly loo, for example), but Lucas Fox seem to think it’s perfectly acceptable to charge me full rent – the problems in the first six months were so bad that the landlord let us off some rent. He seems blissfully unaware of what’s going on – judging by the number of people who have moved out (I get their mail) over the years, I’d imagine it’s been like this for a while.

Oh well, I have been invited to a meeting at their offices (quite why I have to go there, I don’t know… it’s during my working day and given recent events in Egypt, I want to be by my computers/watching the news as much as possible).

As the UK banks have discovered, working in PR means that I am somewhat… er… pedantic when it comes to keeping email records. I assume, therefore, that Lucas Fox will acknowledge that it has not kept its contractual obligations, resulting in A) considerable discomfort for its tenants and B) a substantial loss in value for the landlord’s otherwise lovely property. If not, I guess I’ll just blog about it.

It’s not a bad place, I mean, even my mum liked the flat when she came to visit. And nowadays even the neighbours are friendly.

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Posted in Client Service, property management | 1 Comment »

Drummonds (RBS) the movie (part one)

Oct 24th, 2011 by dompannell

So, now that I’ve got the Barclays shenanigans out of my system – and Metro Bank is proving to be MUCH more responsive – while I’m waiting for them to call me during Spanish office hours (as opposed to lunchtime!) I thought I’d share what has been going on with Drummonds/RBS for the past seven years.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

I’m really pleased to say that I was able to show the unedited version to my Mum, who came to visit me in Barcelona last week – it’s frightfully annoying having members of your family pigeon-hole you as stark raving bonkers just because a bank can’t get its basic processes right. I’ve told her that I’m making a DVD of the videos I’ve made (properly edited now that I’ve got some better software) so that she can make Dad sit down and watch it… he’s had me down as a loon all this time, which is especially annoying since he has given me some great business advice over the years and invested a lot of time and money in me.

I wish they'd taken more care of my cheques.

Once again, any feedback about my filming/editing technique will be gratefully received, as I intend to turn the vids into training materials, so that banks across the world can learn how to avoid screwing people… just common sense really, but then, common sense isn’t very common, etc., etc.

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Posted in Banking, Client Service, debt | No Comments »

Barclays the Film (part two)

Oct 21st, 2011 by dompannell

Well, I did receive a phone call last night, right at the end of the working day – in other words, it took 13 days to come back to me after a conversation during which I was told that Barclays had hoped to come to a decision back then, but that I (and all employees/suppliers) would have to wait another week. Presumably, it wasn´t for a training course on A) social media or B) client service management.

YOU CAN WATCH IT HERE – all feedback on the quality of the video will be appreciated, as the intention is to use it as language training materials.

I´ve already edited the next one, which is on a different UK bank.

It´s a bit later than planned, as Orange España have cut off my mobile phone, mobile internet and the wifi in my flat, so I´m using internet cafes and my office. When I have finished with banks, I´ll post some of the more hilarious dealings with telecoms companies…

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Barclays the Film (part one)

Oct 14th, 2011 by dompannell

I just posted the first part of a series of short films that I intend to publish about my dealings with the UK banks over the years – it’s been pretty rough at times.

YOU CAN WATCH IT HERE.

The idea is not to seek revenge (although I do expect compensation, but really to flag how poor a service the banks provide to individuals and small businesses.

I hope you enjoy watching the films. I apologise for the sound quality and the tacky iMovie transitions, but I’m forced to use what I’ve got/free stuff.


EDIT: I’ve received quite a lot of feedback about this film: the pauses are too long and distract from the message, so I shall fix that in the final version… I’ve already sorted out the faulty link.

I’m using my Magic Mouse for part two, so hopefully I’ll be able to have more of Duncan – it’s quite tricky to edit in iMovie ’09 without a proper mouse.

Also, for the record (again): Barclays have offered me £200 in compensation. I have told them that if they cover my costs as well, I’ll happily accept their offer. In the meantime, I’m having fun learning how to use my Canon D60, which is good because I want to use it professionally.

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Posted in Apple, Banking, Canon D60, Client Service, debt, Magic Mouse, Photography | 2 Comments »

And so, to the big guns…

Oct 4th, 2011 by dompannell

… I just wrote to the wonderful Kate Hoey, MP – as well as living in Spain, I am a UK taxpayer with a flat in her constituency and the intention is to start a training centre there. I pay a lot of tax, actually. I think income tax is fair… mind you, I don’t pay myself all that much. I need to reinvest in my company.

I’m now going to call Barclays, who rang yesterday and left a courteous message, albeit to the number I asked them not to use. Later today, I will start the process with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

On Thursday I will make a couple of short films, which I intend to post on YouTube.

 

Hopefully, someone will start to see sense and pay me what they owe me.

Oh, you’d like to read what I sent? OK, here it is in full:

Subject: Big Bank hurts growing business

Dear Ms Hoey,

I am writing to ask for your help.

I am the founder/MD of the Buzz family of companies: Buzz Method Ltd; Buzz Tools Ltd and Buzz Method Learning Ltd (there are several more planned, but some are more capital-intensive than others so must wait).

We do business globally, but are based in Waterloo and Kennington (the correspondence address is 88 Lower Marsh). I have a flat on Westminster Bridge Road.

  • Buzz Method, is a hitherto successful communications company that works with PR agencies and directly with technology and other vendors to help them sell more. Indirect clients include the Egyptian government agency ITIDA (I handled their Crisis Communications during the Jan 25 revolution), [EDIT: a sizable South East Asian telco] among others, although we also also enjoy working for start-ups, helping them to raise the value of the company before seeking finance.
  • Buzz Tools designs and develops corporate class web sites and web applications for all sizes of company.
  • Buzz Method Learning is my baby – it combines language learning with professional skills training at a price/quality that is difficult to match, let alone beat.

All was going well until my debit cards (I don’t like borrowing) disappeared in May. I reported the loss to Barclays that day in my branch.

Everything has stuttered to a halt as a result: I currently spend most of my time in Spain where I have recently launched Buzz Method SL: we intend to drive business to the UK and need to be established in Europe/elsewhere in order to do so. Therefore, I was forced to stay in London until my new cards were issued.

Through a series of administrative errors, which they have admitted, Barclays took four weeks to deliver my cards. By that time, I had opened a business account with Metro Bank (that’s a separate horror story) and moved the company’s money across.

Unfortunately, due to my inability to pay an employee, Buzz Method lost a contract that was guaranteed until the end of the year worth an additional £54K. When I added up the total costs this morning, they come to around £100K, notwithstanding the damage to my business reputation, the loss of my credit rating and the stress that the situation has put me under (I’ve taken up smoking again to get through it).

Prior to coming to Barcelona, I had a warchest of £200K. Today, I am in hock to friends to the tune of £1,700 and that’s not counting supplier debts.

Barclays appear to be stalling, but I need to pay people (there are around 20 Buzz employees, albeit not all full-time).

I am on the verge of winning two major clients, but will not be able to service them unless Barclays pays me substantial compensation to cover my debts.

A lifelong Labour Party supporter, I remember you coming to support my neighbourhood when the rose bushes were suddenly pulled down in Archbishop’s Park.

I hate asking for help, but if Barclays continue to drag their feet, I will have failed – RBS almost made me bankrupt in 2004 and I refuse to give in again. Buzz is poised to be a global success and will create jobs in the UK and in particular in your constituency.

I would be grateful for any additional pressure you can put on Barclays – I am blogging every step of the way at www.dompannell.com and on Twitter, which  seems to be having an effect.

Yours sincerely,

Dominic Pannell

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Posted in Banking, Client Service, debt | No Comments »

So, the complaints are in…

Sep 29th, 2011 by dompannell

… formally.

Barclays proved to be much more modern than RBS/Drummonds: they actually own… wait for it… a FAX MACHINE!

Of course, I don’t have one of these dust-gatherers at home, so I collected various documents electronically (my accountant had to email a summary of the invoices, as I posted them off a while ago), loaded them onto a USB and popped round to the local Workcenter to print them out and fax them off.

I guess not having email has the advantage of eradicating spam.

It also has the unintended consequence of stalling compensation applications.

Oh, I see…

Barclays do offer an SMS alert facility: I’ve literally just received three notifications to remind me that they’ve forgotten to cancel my direct debits/standing orders… presumably, they’re fining me for not having sufficient funds.

Oh, such fun!

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Posted in Banking, Client Service, debt | No Comments »

On a brighter note

Sep 27th, 2011 by dompannell

I thought this was quite fun.

 

It brought back lots of happy memories.

Posted in About Dom, Crisis At Christmas, Drinks, Homelessness, Rugby | No Comments »

Desperately Seeking a Flatmate

Sep 26th, 2011 by dompannell

Since I have been royally screwed by the UK banks, which has cost me/my company over £100K, I am forced to look for someone to come and share my apartment in Barcelona.

  • 120m2 with tall ceilings
  • Two bedrooms (flatmate gets the main one, as I travel a lot)
  • Fully fitted (and working) kitchen
  • Two bathrooms – one with shower, the other with bath
  • Utility room
  • Study – where I try to keep my business affairs filed away (the lights aren’t working at the moment, so it can get a bit messy, as I have to work in the living room)
  • Living room
  • Small terrace (unfortunately obscured by an unnecessary air con unit
  • Located in Eixemple Esquerra above one of the best restaurants in town

I don’t have many requirements, but I do have some, all the same:

  • Must speak several languages, preferably at least one that I don’t have
  • Must like music, including but not limited to: Bob Dylan, the Scissor Sisters, Vivaldi
  • Smoking is not a problem, provided it’s done on the terrace
  • Must be able to eat more than I can
  • Must drink like a fish, but know when to stop (and tell me to STFU/go home as appropriate)
  • Must be world class in logistics management
  • Must be world class in client service management (I travel a lot, so there can be quite a bit to handle)
  • Shouldn’t get too upset if I bring girlfriends back
  • Is preferably blimmin’ gorgeous (personality)
  • Has amazing eyes

If you know someone who fits the bill, please tell them to contact me on FaceAche.

Right. It’s time for my Japanese lesson.

 

 

 

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Posted in Banking, Client Service, debt, Drinks, facebook, property management | 2 Comments »

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