If you're waiting for any compensation I think you'll be waiting a long time. For nothing.

Think the 'gotcha' is 'normally arrives before 1pm'.

Think it's one to take on the chin, and not use that company again.

It will be interesting the approach the "neutral" BBC take. Invite the BNP to the QT held in a University with an audience of socialist students baying for blood might actually backfire. Too much booing and hissing might mean he can't talk enough and thus show what the BNP are all about.

Or too may protesters blocking his entrance to the studio might be seen in a bad light too.

The reason for the rise of the BNP was evident this morning on the BBC news. The Labour (I think) MP basically said she's ignored everything and everyone who mentioned the BNP. So she put her head in the sand basically and ignored voters real concerns (not the ones she wants to hear). Easy targets then for the BNP.

Same goes here, try to hide them away and people will get disaffected with the current "squeaky clean" MPs and try an alternative. To be honest, I can see a lot of their ideas appealing to people (immigration etc.) superficially. If we only do the "soundbites" all the time (alas a political invention itself so only themselves to blame) then the truth will never get out.

Bizarrely you can't track something on Royal Mail (presumable signed for…) until it's being delivered.

There's no guarantee that even first class will take a couple of days to arrive.

Alas, you'll have to find some shoes locally. And of course the ordered ones will turn up on Monday. Then you'll have to stump up to send 'em back.

Think jam_bo is right, it's something like 14 days before it's lost – and the seller has to initiate the claim. They may refund you straight away, or may wait until they get their money back (in case you're pulling a fast one).

Worth a trip to the sorting office? Maybe they've tried to deliver but postie forgot to tell you?

Well, if you're reinstalling programs then there'll be no need to push them to an external drive first (sorry, being pedantic before someone else comes along and says it more nastily).

Pretty sure you'll not be able to just copy programs files across to the external HDD and then reinstall windows (I'm assuming windows here). There'll be registry settings and all sorts that'll just not be there when you copy back the files.

If you've got the installation disks/files then that's the way to go – just backup any stuff you want to keep – your files, images, mp3 etc.

I've used xxclone quite successfully – it'll write your HDD to an external drive lock stock and barrel, then swapped the disks around and it's worked without problem.

Please…someone…explain this to me?

Don't forget, you should never tell a child he/she has failed any task. Its just a deferred pass (or something like that).

There is going to be a generation of kids getting a rude shock in the real world pretty soon.

Targets aren't helping either. My mates kid was pretty much bullied into doing a subject he didn't like or want to do, but was good at (thus getting the grades up for his school).

It was a whie ago when I did my O'levels (showing my age!). It wasn't pysically possible in the school timetable to do more than 8. Ten does seem a bit extreme.

Though looking at the CSE physics paper in those days, "Name three things that float" hardly inspired me to think it's being dumbed down now. It it has heaven help us all.

Second TandemJeremys option.

http://www.safetysupplies.co.uk/trolleyed/3/

Bolle Contours are pretty nice. Postage a bit steep with these guys, but 7 of us got a couple of pairs each so that made it worthwhile. The Bolle Spiders are okay, the others are a bit "special" looking in the flesh.

the competition would step in with their non union/temporary workers.

Nah, the physical part of walking up the street and pushing a letter through the door is the incredibly expensive bit, companies wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. All the competition want is the automated sorting machines that they can change money for, with little manual labour.

I wasn't impressed with that hand grenade one. I thought the previous "night rider/cylons from Battlestar Galactica" style on was better. Though the hand grenade did use AA batteries if I remember which was more useful.

Sounds like you've got away with any hassles. I dont know if Paypal pass on any of your comments to the seller. I suspect they just looked at the buyers arguments and yours and came down on your side and told him/her that.

Though I have heard many stories of disputes going with the buyer and they are not even expected to return the items they disputed. Basically if eBay think you're wrong you get lose your auction item and the money too.

I like the Smart 1/2 watt superflash ones. The clip is tight enough to clip onto a saddle bag (unlike Cateye). The random strobing seems to give good "noticabilty" to me. Just don't look directly into the big light, it hurts!

a) Yes, they should tightened
b) Yes, you should have checked. Easy for something like that to go unnoticed.
c) Unlikely unless they admit gave you a secondhand item. They may send the chainset away to be "checked" but I suspect no compensation for your knackered frame. (That'll probably be tucked away in the manufacturers terms and conditions on the instructions)

d) No not unreasonable. Might be worth explaining the issue but don't hold breath. To be honest if I'd have seen mud on a new item it'd be straight back to the LBS with it. Now you've got 100miles of your own mud on it it's gonna be difficult to prove anything.

Yep, my mate had a beagle. Land owner gave it to him as it was going to be destroyed as it didn't like chasing things (like foxes!).

Agree with Captain, he was a postie and even he couldn't take it for long enough walks.

Agree with 'pies. £10K for all that does sound a little optimistic. Add in a couple of months mortgage (I assume you need to fund it), solicitors, HIP, estate agents etc. and I'd be looking at more of a selling price to make it really worthwhile.

Looks like you taught a real good lesson there doug.

I'm the 99p first bidder, I admit it. And I always see another STWer on eBay doing the same too!

For what it's worth, I'll occasionally bid midway through an auction if I really want something just to possibly scare away a few punters that hang around looking for the bargains. People will snipe a big price if they think they can get a bargain, a fair few seem to ignore stuff already getting a decent-ish price.

That's the whole point of 99p starting prices. Get people watching/bidding on things then the red mist decends. Been tempted by a (new) Campag chainset that has not sold at starting price £45 twice already this week, when an identical used one went for over that cost because they started at 99 pennies.

Specialized to something called Phat Wrap – mine hasn't got any glue on the back, just a bit of gel that stops it slipping about and pretty comfy too on the CX/road bike.

Maybe "suitable for work Mon to Fri and Sat night out" actually meant the style rather than the hardwearingness of the suit?

I think they might blame the dry cleaners if push comes to shove. The dry cleaners probably have some clause that says they don't accept blame if your clothes come back misshapen.

Alas, it's probably one to put down to experience, but might be worth a shot to the shop managers complaining of the quality of the suit etc., might get something back.

How are you going to make people have a compulsory 10 minute break every hour?! Maybe put a special device that cuts the engine after 50 minutes? Even if workable, people like yourself would just drive faster between 'breaks' to make up for the delay.

Everyone has a perceived "max" they dare go over the 70mph limit. To think for one minute raising it to 80 would mean people wouldn't then apply their logic to the faster limit is naive at best.

Basically this whole argument for an increase. revolves around people thinking they should go faster because they are good drivers, have good car, are perfectly capable, and assume everyone is like them.

Face facts – we don't have a decent police force (in terms of manpower) to crack down on tailgaters, bad drivers, middle lane hoggers.

Wonder if any EasyJet checkin "people" have ever had an argument with a bikebag carrying passenger and opened up the bike bag to discover 'extra' items that they've promptly charged them excess baggage for?!

Not read the emails eBay sent you changing their terms and conditions?

Bssically for the good of the "free market" all 'media' now has to have free postage.

Not sure whay that's meant to be so great. But they've decided.

So yes, just jack up the starting price by a quid or so, like everyone else is going to do. Then eBay can get a little bit more of your auction price as they don't get anything off postage costs.

Given disc brakes would be less aero, how does that work?

Well, if you designed a new fork with one leg (a la Cannondale Lefty) and hid the caliper potentially inside (maybe just the time trial bike) then I can see it being maybe more aero.

And if Parcel Force deliver it I think they charge a £18ish 'admin fee' to send you out a letter to tell you to drive to their depot to collect…

To be fair billybob, it's probably not the postie who doesn't want to carry your parcel. It's probably his boss who is scared of the claims for unfit posties with bad backs in later years.

Still could be worse, rumours from my postie is they are introducing wheelie trollies like the USA and they'll never carry bags again. So the rounds will take twice as long, and where do you 'park' your trolley whilst you go in a block of flats? Oh yes, they are now pairing up posties, and have them in a little van too. Sigh!

Regarding competition – the big companies only want the money making sorting machines, ultimately the postie will still be employed to deliver all the various postal companies envelopes/parcels 'cos that's the expensive labour intensive bit they don't want.

Flog the Middleburns and just buy a Campag/Shimano compact.

To be honest I'd be surprised if UPS would have redirected the parcel regardless of whether it was in the depot or the neighbours house.

Imagine I've stolen your credit card details, then asked your delivery company to redirect a parcel from a valid address to another random place 150 miles way….

Contact the seller. See what him/her has to say first. Either way you could raise a dispute after. eBay will come down on your side, never (rarely) with the seller.

Just keep it sensible and polite. Don't threaten to wee in his slippers or anything. Crazy thing is I don't think you even need to send the forks back to get your refund with a dispute.

There was a girl turned up at our boxercise class a while ago. When we we doing the cirucit she ended up in the middle with the instructor on pads and her with the gloves on. The guy put both pads up for her to start the sparring and she promptly missed both pads and smacked him straight in the face. She looked horrified and never came back!

I was impressed by the other guys in the group bunny hopping that roundabout kerb doing 40mph+.

Don't forget they'd being going downhill for a while and he'd just cycled 100+ miles that day (plus 2000 other miles), so the guys gonna be knackered, tired arms/hands.

Hope he gets better anyway.

Haven't got a bad thing to say about the Bosch washer and tumbler we've got. I'd probably plump for Bosch as the next fridge we purchase.

Small goods are poor though – the toaster and kettle we had were shocking.

Be careful if you're needing a mortgage (which I'm assuming). You might find if you're only there a year then
a) you might end up with a house that doesn't sell quickly if things stay depressed
b) getting stung for mortgage set-up and cancellation fees which might be quick considerable.

To be honest, for a year I'd consider renting. Are you planning on returning to Dorset or Scotland?

can anyone recommend a good GAP insurer?

Anyone but the garage selling you the car – probably a third of the price if you look around.

Had a great barney with the local garage when we bought the last car – they'd nicely added the gap insurance to the price we'd agreed without telling me, then the saleman couldn't actually explain what the change was. We ended up with the finance manager sitting scratching his head too until the saleman sheepishly admitted the error.

Ended up getting an additional discount for my troubles as I was walking out of the garage after that discovery…

Just be careful – a lot of modern amps and micro systems don't have proper turntable inputs these days. It's worth asking that (hopefully) obvious question before you buy anything…

And if Geordynige is in Newcastle then I've got a spare you can have

Clamp size normally 31.8 – pretty much the most popular seatclamp you can find… that'd be fine

porterclough – it's not the iTunes folder, it's the sub folders within – so all the band names – REM, Steps, Kylie, Clash etc. that you need to drop in

Get the instructions out.

My Tosihba is similar, you have to go in via the front, take the keyboard off etc. etc. – it's a great design…..

I feel every business should have a requirement to employ at least one Northener to every 5 southerners. If you are a Northern black lesbian single-mother with a disability the world could be your oyster, the HR departments will be fighting over you to make their quotas up.

Maybe even some of the MPs who 'represent' the North might actually a) live there b) Have visited at some point c) even know where it is….

Open iTunes in a window.

Open explorer, go to your new itunes directory where all the folders for the bands are displayed.

Selected them all (ctrl-a), drag them into the iTunes library again – it'll take iTunes a couple of mins to reindex everything.

That should do it – don#'t think I've forgotten any steps, it's what I did a while ago.

Is it lower prices, or just shops like Merlin desperate to get rid of old stock and generate some business?