Golden blades….. And pretty amazing service once again

Update April 2024. I’ve been back to this place and I can absolutely confirm that the edge that this place had when it first opened has not diminished it was still great service it was great grooming and barbering if that’s even a word and I think it could become a well visited place

Original blog as below

it’s nice when you find a new business that has opened up and you give it a go and it does exactly what it says on the tin so to speak in fact when you walk out of this particular Turkish barbers you will end up feeling in my opinion like a king

I used the chair up the end

All the usual services that a Turkish barber can offer including a shave a haircut a shampoo having your nose waxed on the inside having your ears set on fire and all the other potions lotions and things to make you smell great and feel great

This amazing barbers has a Facebook page as to all local businesses and they can be found at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554750707726

Very easy to find on the main road

So if you fancy a bit of a pampering session and you’ve got about an hour and a half which is what these guys gave me then it’s well worth a visit and no I was not sponsored for this post

Golden blade barber in felpham way,No appointments Just walk in

Opening times

Monday—Saturday 9am -6:30pm
Sunday 10am-4:30pm

Address :
101 felpham way
Bognor Regis
PO22 8QB

The good the bad the ugly and the amazing team that somehow managed to save it 😁

So I promise that this will be my last write-up about my stay at parkdean resorts in warmwell in Dorset and I’m going to try and do this as honestly and as openly as I can there’s gonna be a lot of pictures that will show things like moisture and mold and paintwork in need of order and there will be pictures that show access that was not easy to do with for some of our party… But it’s not all bad because although it took a lot of sorting out on our part when we actually spoke to the right person at warmwell things got sorted and things got done and surprisingly this was after a meeting with the general manager who was keen to tell me what the team at the site could not do…

Cut electrical cable in the bathroom… This got sorted

Damp/ mould in bedroom 2. This got sorted out. (Apparently the cleaners missed it)

Another damp room

Panels of the walls coming away. This was fixed and sorted

Mould and damp in the bathroom

Bath seal didn’t seal

Very steep loose access

Flaking paint

So some of the things were just a little bit inconvenient things like the flaking paint and some of the mold in areas that couldn’t really easily be seen however when it came to a health and safety issue with one of our party being asthmatic and a sufferer of long covid we just could not endure living in a damp lodge for two weeks so we reported it.

I go by the name of old man Leslie but on this trip was also my mummy and she’s a lady of significant years who walks with a stick and just could not get out of the lodge without somebody holding her arm for support trying to walk up and down steep access. So rather than my mum being stuck in the accommodation and unable to go out on her own and walk her dog we mentioned this as well.

We reported all these things to reception and in fairness they were quite keen and quite quick to sort out some of the issues however when it came to the big issue of access and health and safety that had to go to the general manager and he basically told me that all he could actually do as there was no way he could put in an access was to give us a discount off the cost of our holiday and that was pretty much it.

This is where I think it’s only fair to mention the amazing team of ladies on the reception desk at this site and also the maintenance team because it was then who managed to have a rail installed for my mum so she could get out of the property it was then who replaced the furniture which was damaged in the property and it was them who did a really really deep search to try and find us alternative accommodation on the site until they knew that they could fix the problems.

It just goes to show that when you end up talking to the right people not necessarily the people at the top of the tree things can get done and although there were a few teething issues the way in which this was handled was amazing and we felt only right at the end of our trip to leave a small gift for the team for their support and their help as they had managed to turn what could have been a potentially horrible and unsafe vacation into an enjoyable stay.

As is my policy I will not name the individuals but they do know who they are and I’d have told them that I will be publishing this blog and I will send a copy to them

The amazing handrail that they built for my mum

Just so mum could walk her dog and actually get out of the lodge

Obviously this is not a sponsored post and we acknowledge that we did receive a discount against the money we had already paid. Which we are anticipating receipt shortly

This post is simply to show that even when you turn up somewhere and you think things might not be good and might not be as you’re expected it’s definitely worth looking to talk to the right person not to get angry with them not to scream and shout at them but to talk something through and things do get done

Thank you to the reception team of parkdean warm well site for your help support and understanding

Skiing on a summer day, who needs Snow?

So here is the other half of the blog about things that you can do when you are at the Park Dean resort which is known as Warmwell. The main reason that we chose this site for our main break this year was the fact that connected to it or within it, whichever you prefer is an independently run ski slope for dry skiing and this just looked like something that would be a lot of fun for the two boys to learn and to hone their skills ahead of some winter holidays that they have coming up early next year.

All I can say about the ski school at the resort is it is absolutely excellent the staff there are keen to take absolute beginners and get them on either skis or on snowboards and they work with them and they help them and they are supportive yet they are also fun and they make it exciting for children and young adults to learn

One of my sons had already skied previously so he was at an advantage that he could actually put on a set of skies and demonstrate to the staff that he was at the right level of safety so he was allowed to go off on the slope pretty much under his own steam.

Our second son had never strapped skis on before and had never strapped A snowboard onto his feet before either but within four days he was able to come down the slope from the top and have a good safe fun time on both

Just in case you’re asking no I didn’t put skis on and I certainly didn’t put a snowboard on but my boys made sure that I came down in what they call a Ringo

Which is a large donut and was basically about as close to anything faster than wanted to get but if you’re going to go to a site make sure that you give the girls and boys at the ski slope and knock because as I said their prices are amazing their support is excellent and whoever you’re going to send down that slope will pretty much have a good time.

And as always this was not a sponsored blog in any way and we received no reward for it apart from the fact that all three of us had a great time when we were at the slope and you can assess the risks for yourself but it was an amazing way to spend what turned out to be about 8 hours

When we got home we found that it turns out it’s not just us that enjoyed it but TripAdvisor rates this place as one of the top five things to do in the area http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g190817-d4354119-Reviews-Warmwell_Holiday_Park_Ski_Slope-Weymouth_Dorset_England.html

Parkdean holidays….saved by a subcontractor that actually helped

Update 15/8/2023….found out today that this fault was reported 2/3 holidays ago and that parkdean were aware of it..as it was checked on 14/8/2023 for electrical safety it’s seems that parkdean didn’t mind people staying in it in the mean time…we certainly were not advised of it as unchecked and due for inspection.

So pleased that the subcontractors were able to fix it

Park dean holidays warn well….happy to have guests in a lodge with bare electrical wires in a bathroom. Didn’t seem quite right to us so we thought it best to report from a safety perspective. Did this on the day of arrival and were told by the maintenance manager that there was a new appliance(radiator) on order and it would be fitted Monday. Well that didn’t happen. No sign of the maintenance manager from park Dean.

Fortunately we had a subcontractor turn up to say he was there to check the item was electrically safe. He knew nothing about fitting a new unit. But when he saw the situation and spoke to our “grandma” he took it on to go and find a heater and came back to fit it .

In so pleased that the contractor was human about this…. Such refreshing service. Well over and beyond the centre staff….. Thank you

Just to be clear, the service from the engineer from duffett was excellent…… Just a shame it took a dangerous situation and a park Dean site that just didn’t want to know, to sort it

So you have found my blog…. It’s one without any pictures and I would love to hear your comments once you’ve read it

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

A bit of a new style for me but I’m gonna give this a go and see if I get any responses it’s a simple question and I’m just curious if you can answer below in the comments

what is your favourite thing about you

I don’t need to know what other people think of you and I don’t even need to know what you think of each other it would just be nice to have somewhere positive where people can say for example that they are friendly, they are honest they are whatever positive value they think they are….

I’m going to put this across all the categories and all the tags of my blog, the good ones and the bad ones and I’m curious to see what comes back.

When you find a service that really is that good….

This one is a little bit unusual as it’s not a specific product and it’s not a specific place that I am recommending but for those that are of a certain age like myself you will realise that sometimes you have to buy services in to do things and perform tasks that you used to do easily yourself

Recently I have determined that I cannot, as well as we used to decorate or do as much heavy work in the garden as I have done previously.

what started out as a conversation with a friend about helping with a small job has turned into me finding one of the most versatile general tradespeople that I know and although they are a friend of mine I feel that I should let you guys and girls out there in West Sussex know about them

Definitely worth making contact

www.freshcolours.co.uk is thier presence online and the man that you need to talk to as his number online and his name is Mark

There are also all usual links to Facebook and other sites available from the webpage

Decorating carpentry plumbing and construction work I’ve used this company for all of them and have no reason to complain at all the work has been excellent there are lots of photos of their work on their web page and I would say if you need them then give Mark a call

He’s a little bit of an update for you that in April because we were so pleased with what fresh colours have done before we had them back into doing other job for us and again service was excellent the price was amazing and the job well you can have a look on their website for the pictures the minds the blue and white kitchen

When you go back to a place, hoping it’s improved……

As me and Mrs Oldman Leslie were out doing a bit of shopping to get the parts to finish off the amazing decorating at home after we had www.freshcolours.co.uk in to do some painting. We made the pilgrimage to the hard water store. Arranged the parts we needed to get.

Typical winter afternoon🥶 in West Sussex so we thought about popping Into Costa coffee on the shripney road in bignor Regis

Nothing wrong with the coffee. But the service is a different matter

All we wanted was 2 drinks, and for one of the team to drop it over to us when ready. as im a little wobbly when carrying trays

I was just a little surprised that whilst I was sat waiting for our drinks to come over .to see the drinks go to another table and having waited 10-minutes when I went up to the counter to see where they were the staff just looked very blankly at me and made no apology at all

I then asked another one of the staff if I could have a paper copy feedback form to complete so that I can get a response from Costa and unfortunately at time of writing this hasn’t been given to me either

So as I mentioned there is no problem with the way the product tastes but basically has anyone who is followed by Brian eno it’s all about the service and this place that doesn’t seem to matter

Foot note … When we left, I asked again form the feedback form and I was told quite abruptly that any feedback I had I should leave online

So here is my feedback if you want nice coffee and great atmosphere and people who actually want your business in bognor Regis then head to the high Street to the London road coffee shop which is amazing and if you just want to sit and have something served at you which might be drinkable then Costa coffee is where to go.

A definite tale of 2 halves Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa

Everyone looks forward to their summer break, and the news is full of people having #staycations. Not sure possibly about getting on a plane just yet. Or maybe looking as if we were for a short break somewhere nice, Just to unwind and relax.

So a group of 05 of us picked a day to get together and thrash out what we wanted for a break / all of an age where there were no children or babies to consider and we had someone to look after the pets

We decided that for the accommodation description and the facilities on site the cheddar-woods-resort-and-spa- looked like one of the best and were pleased that we could get a lodge.

The best way I can think to review this 4-night break is to be factual and at this stage NOT Name Specific people as I think some of the negatives we experienced were down to training

• Accommodation – very Clean & Tidy. Nothing was broken or worn out I will admit to writing the date in the dust on top of the extractor fan though. so, if I had to find 01 thing inside, that would be it

• Fixtures – Excellent, No wobbly fences or balconies. Posts were all solid and sturdy
• Setting – Excellent, Nice that although there was a short walk to the car, there was no car noise at the lodge
• Beds – this one is a bit subjective, only that the mattress we had (double) was soft and I like a firmer mattress. So, all Ok I guess as only for 04 nights

• Facilities – Pool and sports complex – Clean, tidy and well managed however last session was 6PM during peak summer hols. so, no sessions for grownups to swim. We couldn’t see either an early morning session

• Site generally – neatly kept and clean however it needs some investment in the access system that is meant to allow you onto the site via #ANPR on your car. This only worked once for us and involved a trip to reception each time. Once we had spoken to the manager, suddenly for the last day it was all fixed

• Bar – just like many others from a price perspective. and not a massive selection. But OK I guess as most nights were either off-site or at the lodge

• Restaurant – The Achilles heel of the place. Looked good, so we went on the first night and booked in advance for the 3rd night as well.

o The staff told us of an hour+ wait for a table which was Ok. We had to chase them up at the allotted time
o The table had not been cleaned properly, so we asked for that to be redone. we were served quickly with drinks, and our order was taken
o When we asked about how long to wait, we were told 10 Minutes which became 25+
o No one seemed to want to explain why or tell us any update.Or ask us if our meal was OK
o The food was Basic and didn’t look like it had been prepared on the spot , simply reheated
o When I raised these points at the end of the night and the restaurant told me they would offer a refund, I did accept it. I hadn’t asked for it .I Moved the other booking and hoped that would be an end to it ….

Later in the break, I had the misfortune to deal with the restaurant again for a service that was advertised for delivery of food to the lodge. To be told that this service wasn’t running anymore and that any adverts for it would be taken out of the lodges. I asked to speak to a manager about this and I got a meeting the following Morning. I explained that the “staff “had told me that I could possibly have been told what I was told about the delivery service and that they couldnt even give a guide to how long we would have to wait for food if we ordered takeaway ( as the restaurant was busy )
Suffice to say when i met with the management. they listened to us, acted up on our points raised and made us an offer to Placate us.
In Summary. For a short break, I think it’s unreasonable to have to spend in total about ½ a day sorting out a company’s problems, I’m not sure whether this was due to training from the https://darwinescapes.co.uk/ team, or compliance to the standards of the www.hoseasons.co.uk/ brand. I would just add that for the short break in somerset when you are looking for a relaxing break, I would give this site a Miss as there are better around

www.cheddargorge.co.uk/ and the caves are well worth a look www.cheddargorge.co.uk/explorer and make sure you leave enough in ” the tank ” for the Jacobs ladder

That part of the country is full of places to visit, and we had good days in the “gorge”.

https://www.cheddaronline.co.uk/

For the Wallace and Gromit fans

We had an excellent #seasideday at #westonsupermare
Just give this site a swerve or be prepared that you might have to raise points to get the smoothest experience for you and your friends

We Only went 3 Miles – we were glad it was with……

2 days – what a short time to use a company and for them to prove to be so good. Well over and above what I personally would expect. This crowd certainly deserve a shout. We thought we had a booking with a rival firm to move an elderly relative. I won’t name them because at the 11th hour they “got a better offer ” and dropped us. That gave us chance to look for another service. removals aren’t something that you use every day so we took to the www and friends and https://good-moves.co.uk/ were recommended. Decent price for the job ( not the cheapest, but as you know, sometimes you get what you pay for in this world ). Very Hardworking ( on a hot day ) movers

Highly recommended

The gents turned up as promised and very carefully packed all the items, they even took notes of where things were so that they could describe exactly which box to look in when it came to unpacking

They took account of the “4 legged house member “that inadvertently gave them and us a problem to sort out (a small medical issue ) and this just helped to show just what a professional bunch they were in a crisis

No Immediate plans to move again for a while, but if I do, or anyone asks me then ill know where to send them https://good-moves.co.uk/contact-good-moves-removals-and-storage-littlehampton/

we weren’t paid for this blog, the opinions are ours and we feel that for us this business was excellent so we share it with other people that may find this usefull

“So I’m at home today, won’t be going out and I’m still wearing perfume! Why? Because I can!”

One of the problems of lockdown is that you just don’t go out, or at least some of us aren’t supposed to.

The disadvantage to that is that you kind of forget how nice people generally look, their eyes, their smiles ( behind a mask ) sometimes and how nice people smell. Some lucky people can do this without Cosmetics. a multi billion dollar industry globally . I manage to avoid ( not because I’m beautiful either ).

Some people think they Need a little assistance to enhance what they were Put on the planet with. They turn to bottles, Jars, lotions and Creams for  that help

As you know ” Products ” …

That’s not what this little blog is about.

Its all about service that is Impressive

This time found almost by Fluke a lady who is selling perfumes and a range of Beauty & Beyond Products.

“We sell designer inspired men’s, women’s and unisex fragrances, home fragrances, cosmetics and makeup.
All products are cruelty free.”

Now I’m No way brave enough to say that Beauty & Beyond is the best or Cheapest place for cosmetics. I’m a little long in to the tooth to think that a small amount of make up can make me look adorable .

However when I heard about the lady behind Beauty & Beyond I wasn’t very suprised to see how well it set up . All the usual social media channels for information and products and ” Nice service ” that’s the important part , when there are many places you can buy a product online.

When you can’t venture out into the real world.It has to be the service you get that Matters . Or at least it does to me , that’s why I wanted to tell you about Beauty & Beyond . Especially if its good service that has helped to build that global Brand

So in answer to my initial thoughts when I received the Small gift from Beauty & Beyond , Knowing more about the person than the product “Should I blog about beauty products…. its not something I Know a lot about”. Became very easy to answer

“I think I don’t need to know a lot about the products as there is a whole world of information out there .

I just need to know who to ask..My Buddy Francesca .
It was her that came up with the Amazing Quote.Drop her a line, Say Hi , fire questions at her.

Park Dean resort’s – Nodes point – Isle of Wight. Be sure of what you are getting before you arrive

We Have used Park Dean resort’s before for a holiday, when we had to book a UK holiday due to the covid restrictions preventing us from taking our overseas trip. We thought that this would be a good break for us.

We selected the accommodation that we wanted online. And paid accordingly, we made a couple of covid calls to make sure everything was fine for the booking. We even confirmed (or so we thought) the location of the accommodation we had.

This is where it all went wrong, we were either misled, or lied to about the location we had. We asked for somewhere Central, near the entertainment and facilities. We were stuck in a field about a quarter mile down a steep hill.  When we raised this on arrival, the staff were very keen to get the general manager involved. Emails were allegedly sent, updates were promised. We were told that the recorded calls would be listened to

However, and here is the thing, for a site that deals with 3 and 4 and in our case 6 day holidays.I was informed that they have a 7 day window to respond to issues raised. We won’t be holding our breath for any sort of update

We made the best of the holiday, and as a venue, the island didn’t disappoint plenty of dog walks, beach trips and stuff to do.

However, and this is only my opinion based on the pictures I have added. This site needs a big overhaul and Money spending on modernisation and cleaning

Thick cobwebs in our kitchen

The Safari tent sleeps 6 so there was plenty of space for us 3 and the dog

But only cereal bowls and crockery for 3

No tin opener, no plug on the sink, no bowl to wash up in so we used the pan. No WiFi even though the mast was 20 feet away. It took 4 days to investigate this and no actual fix.

Confusingly, the kitchen tap, shows hot and cold, only does cold water

Oh look, they repaired the loo roll holder that was hanging off the night before

The shower block, shower wall coming away, you can’t see the grime in the photo (sorry)

The shower that won’t give you hot water after about 10 am, as per the staff I asked

My overall thought is that Park Dean are basically all about the money & have no interest in customer service or responding to questions raised of them

I do acknowledge that because we spent 2 hours + on the phone to customer service prior to arriving waiting for someone to answer they did give us a small discount off the cost of our holiday

This was primarily because one of their staff had phoned us and did not have all the information to hand that she needed therefore we thought that it was a #phishing scam

As with some large organisations I think that the people who are dealing with customers at face-to-face level need to have the ability, the authority and the power to actually resolve issues for them locally ,efficiently and in a timely manner . As opposed to hiding behind terms and conditions

this would have given us a whole different experience of parkdean. More like the one we had had previously

as it stands at the moment me and my family will not be using park Dean again and would discourage others

Update 01-09-20 despite being promised a call on the Saturday (7) days. We had to phone in to chase it up. No calls were being listened to, and as per parkdean, they would not have told us what accommodation location we had.

If you are thinking of a UK holiday. My suggestion if you are looking at parkdean. Be absolutely sure you know what you expect. If possible, look to any of the other suppliers of camp holidays. The service couldn’t be any worse.

When service is good, Tell People …especially if its a traditional trade.”The New Forge”

Lots of products are billed as ” the Ultimate ” in their design, Promise all sorts of things about how long they will last. About 17 years ago I bought one such product, a nice simple charcoal BBQ. Nothing too exciting there, I won’t reference the company as although the unit has worked well for many years when I contacted them for a new part, It was very much a case of we don’t do that Unit any longer and cant help you. ” would you like to buy a new one “….. such a shame that the after sales was poor Shame, as the BBQ is still good and very useable. and even I can cook an OK BBQ on it

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So I applied some thought to it and came up with a solution involving an Oil drum that would hopefully get me back up and burning for another 10 Years. Lots of cutting, welding, brazing and Forging ( is that the right word ) and what I thought would be a big bill would be required. I tried to do the cutting with a Grinder, Not a pretty job at all, so who could rescue my ” Bodge “.

To make it work, I had to find a ” forge “.Not exactly the most IoT trade you might think. But the one I found and was recommended to me by a friend as its always good to recommend, but still to use someone who has an internet presence

Based in West Sussex they can take on all sorts of real work, not just the little domestic Jobs.

I’m pleased with what they have done for me. the price was good, the quality is excellent and the job was done exactly when ” Les ” ( that’s who you need to speak to or email ) said it would be.

Thanks to the New forge for a Great Job, I’m happy to pay your bill , and let the Blog world know this was not a sponsored post

So why is it that things have to change.? its not a serious issue, but …….

After  composing  this blog, I have this thought…”My grumpy old man training ”  seems to be ramping up…

Here goes

It appears that as you get older especially in the case of “Old man Leslie” there are things that you believed would always be around that aren’t…This might be people that pass on which we have seen too much of recently, this might be the friends that you either move away from or fall out with.
This might be businesses that close. today in my case it was one of the things I’ve done for many many years. Since the early days in the last millennium when I first met what became “Mrs Oldmanleslie”, there have been places we have been to, and things we have bought as we haven’t had a lot of funds. we were being careful with our money, way before MSE and the Web made it easy to find the bargains

Today in my case it was one of the things I’ve done for many many years. Since the early days in the last millennium when I first met what became “Mrs Oldmanleslie”, before there were Junior “Oldman Leslie’s” to think about. there have been places we have been to, and things we have bought as we haven’t had a lot of funds. we were being careful with our money, way before MSE and the Web made it easy to find the bargains

There have been places we have been to, and things we have bought as we haven’t had a lot of funds. we were being careful with our money, way before MSE and the Web made it easy to find the bargains

Anyway, I have referenced before the great service that we used to get from what we knew as the” meat man at ford ” we have used him for Many Years,  and always had good product and service. The

The company is here, and I understand why they have to have a Fb, Instagram, and all the other new channels, as they are a great business, and they have offices all over the place in this part of the world. My only thought is that it’s not just a place to go to visit to get the meat for Christmas, or for the Monster sized BBQ packs in the summer. It was the old emotional connection of standing there in December, on not exactly the warmest of days, waiting for that special deal that I always thought  I was getting. Sad to see them not at Ford any longer, worse still to see some other crowd selling meat.

I guess that as a business they have to look at where the money comes from, and if people like me only go to a market once in a blue moon, it will, of course, dwindle to nothing.  So am I, and those like me to blame for this, I think not in this instance as ” Ford market ” has evolved from the heady days of  ”  £2.99. any bag any holdall ”  and the massive £0.20 p per person admission to the ” club ” .. and buying mysterious unknown things in black bags ….Through the eBay generation and to the time when there are smartphones in every pocket. From the 2 long lines of market traders on both sides selling all sorts.

It has now become  what appears today to be a Massive ” boot fair “ but still a great place to loose a couple of hours  on the occasional  Sunday morning if you are  in west Sussex  and anywhere near Arundel and fancy buying that unfound antique

 

I just wish Malpass were still there and that things didn’t have to change, That we could still buy the “same old stuff”.  I guess this is one of the things that is innevitable as I get older

And just for the record, I received no payment, No slabs of gorgeous beef, none of  their sticky  ribs , fillet steak or otherwise for this blog, it’s just the thoughts of ” me ” and my reminiscences of halcyon days gone by…and not just  buying meat.

ASDA – FERRING – NOT supporting customer in store food donations to charities.It really isn’t about the money,Service counts for so much

Today unfortunately I have to blog about some  appalling customer service.And a shocking Lack of support for local charities shown by my local Asda Store

I had the misfortune to go to visit my local Asda Ferring to return a product which was broken.My issue is not about the actual product although I will come on to that in a short while my issue is how appalling the service was.

I had also visited the store with my youngest son to look at the Halloween goods and decorations for the house that he wanted to buy

The product i was returning was simply a pair of jeans that I had worn about 5 or 6 times the problem with the jeans was that the little tag on the zip has broken and therefore they were not usable

This should surely be a simple procedure of Taking Back the broken jeans and exchanging for a new pair however as there were none in my size available at the store  that were out on display I picked the next best suitable pair .I tried them on and decided I would take those when I went to the customer service desk who makes the transaction I was charged an additional £10.00 extra because the selected pair  were different to the ones I brought back and the ones I have brought back were possibly at the lowest price they have been sold at  since I had bought them.

I was not happy about this and therefore I dared to question this with the person who has done the exchange (Sam). Then colleagues were called   and there was lots of going to warehouses and looking for stock and another person at the customer service desk that came to help me who said “we would sort out of Goodwill” because of the mistakes.

Finally somebody came back from the warehouse with the exact same style of jeans I had brought into the store and it was a simple exchange and swap this you would think would be the end of the problem however when I went to see the lady who had told me about the Goodwill she genuine  gave me a £3 Goodwill Asda card. So trying to show my son that you pass these things on  when you get the opportunity , I told him to go and get something from the shop ( and we would top it up ) that we could give to a food bank  or a charity or some other good cause that the store was collected for.

Whilst I was talking to the lady in the store about my disgust that there was not a food bank I could give a small amount of shopping to she actually said to me that if I wanted to talk to the manager of the store he was actually walking towards us and my comment quite loudly when he came past was it’s no good talking to the managers here because nothing gets done surely this would have been some form of maybe a trigger or something that the manager could have observed and may be stopped and said is there anything I can do but no unfortunately the manager of  Asda Ferring just walked on by.

This is the whole reason for me blogging about this sorry incident I think it is disgusting that  if people want to buy food and donate to a charity of the stores choice  then there should be a facility for them to be able to do that in-store

As a family  we have done this at a Tesco store I believe we’ve also done it in Salisbury’s as well however it appears that Asda Ferring store don’t want to support the local food banks and charities that are around them at store level  and they don’t want their customers to  either  .

So in a very brief summary I personally would not use Asda Ferring because the service is terrible they’re solution is to throw  you a good will gift card at you, and then when you want to pass that on to somebody else or to another organisation and help those less fortunate you can’t do it so just for the record we gave the gift card to the next person that we saw came into the shop we pointed out (Sharon)  as the lady who had said probably that we shouldn’t do this and lady and husband that we gave it to were really really really pleased. Asda Ferring my opinion is you need to sharpen up your customer service. Whilst for you as part of the massive multinational  Chain, its all about the Profits. This is not the case when it  comes to your customers. I  also now have to explain to a young child why we can give to a charity box or trolley  in your store.

No, I was not paid for the blog, The opinions are mine based on events and service I experienced Yes, we did  give away the gift card to some one we didn’t know

 

 

A firm is only as good as its Staff, and when the man at the top is this good….

This blog isn’t going to help you with a great day out; it won’t even tell you where to get a decent meal, or a coffee in town. There is a saying that goes something along the lines of “if you get great service” then tell people. So here goes.

6 years ago ( so it’s not  just a flash in the pan, recent thing ) we had some work done on our little house, Mrs ” oldmanleslie” decided she wanted the kitchen we had inherited  to be updated, she could live with the dust, lack of services, upheaval  etc. etc. as long as she got  the nice shiny kitchen she chose. Part of this of course was choosing the flooring, so of we went to a local place to choose the best for us. We hadn’t used this company before so we thought we would give them ago.

They listened to what was wanted, where it was to be used and an idea of what we had to spend on the job. As a result they recommended that we use 

All I can say is that for the first few months it was fine, and then it started to crack, shrink and in some parts lift. In my opinion there are better flooring solutions out there available. I would NOT  recommend Karndean

This is the point where I became glad we had used the right fitters for it. As a simple call to the fitters and they came and sorted out the concerns, NOT just a fix, But a fix to the customers (Mrs oldmanleslie’s) standard.

 

My reason  for wanting to tell of how good the service is from this company. Here we are 6 years down the line and I’m told  that they have popped in this afternoon to sort out the last of the last reported issues.

So I now have:

• A smooth Kitchen floor. This is handy when we come  down and its dark to raid the fridge.
• A happy wife who has sorted her problem kitchen floor
• An opportunity to tell people that  if you are looking for great service at Good prices( not always the cheapest) and you can find them. Then call Sargeants….

Just for the record, in the time since I contacted Sargeants for the kitchen, We have used Sargeants for other small rooms in the house. I have not asked them to do any work  or provide service for free, I am choosing simply to tell about great service from a local company to the Bognor Regis ( UK ) area. There may be other companies in the area that are just as good. but i think you would have to go  a long way to beat the service we have had.

 

 

 

So when you ask……you definetly get – London road coffee shop, Bognor regis

I prefer to shop where possible at the independent stores in town, I guess if everyone did, and didn’t use the large chains all the time, we would be a better place, that s just my opinion….any way, as I have previously claimed to have found the best coffee and the best place to have it on the planet,

I had written off that side of my Blog. Until this morning when me and my long suffering wife were out in town and wanted a coffee as we had a few minutes spare …Only one place for it. And its a place that never disappoints Service is always good, the staff are really friendly, and the prices aren’t too bad either

So why Blog about a shop….

Well I like to be a challenge sometimes and I as I had my ” freebies ” from the loyalty cards, I d

decided to ask the barista ” can you make me a nice cup of coffee that you have never made before ” . Daunting when she said she had been there for 5 years …
What can I say, the lady took the challenge and made for me what she called a Vanilla Americano with a flat white top… simple enough I guess, but tasted lovely.

My recommendation if you are in Bognor on holidays, staying at #Butlin’s for a weekend, or is a local, just popped out for a few bits, in Bognor then it has to be… And for the record, although it was s freebie coffee from my card , I wasn’t ” given it ” . Its just that this place is so good

The London Road Coffee Shop

If you get great service – Tell as many people as you can – Alleyoops of Worthing

And today i think it’s a good  one to blog . Because the service is THAT  good, and the guy there is THAT Helpful .

What a great  Place to Buy  Skate parts and boards – Alleyoops – Worthing 

Those that  follow  my blog will know that  me and the family  ” skate “, it’s just one of the things we do .We have skated in many places around  the world, and the UK , and as a result  we have to buy  spares and stuff for our skates.

Now in this part of the world there  are 2 main ” shops” that you can go into  for bits that you need, and i have bought  from both of them , I wish i had found the second one first, as  in my opinion the service is just a whole lot better

The shops are  ESP ( in chichester )   and  Alleyoops  (in worthing )

Now  before I get slammed for a negative blog , let me qualify  this  for you , as not negative .I bought skates in ESP, and I wasn’t in any way displeased with them . My son uses them, has skated marathons +  in them and they are great skates ( just for the record  they are blade runners )
and they are a great brand . This Blog is not to detract  from ESP, simply to say that if, for you  it comes down to service  and help is what  you need , Maybe like me  you like to support the high street  then there is more than one place you con look around here

Now we find  that we are looking for a Long-board for him, so we went back to ESP, having done our WWW research on the  models we wanted to have a look at . As soon as we mentioned that we had looked on the www , we were told that ” no one would be selling at the prices we were quoting , Bit of a shame that i had  the www page on my mobile , and we left with the feeling that  ESP didn’t really want to actually advise us on a board.this was a surprise

So when we were in Worthing  this weekend and we saw Alleyoops  me and number 01 son popped in, yes, we bought some skate  spares that we needed , and we had been before  but 6 months previously for other spares. the man in the shop recognized us.  told  Number 01 son to  get down the boards he wanted to look at , let him ” test them”  and  was really helpful  on advice .

So we  have now identified the board we want, and know where we will be getting it, In fact i have had a look online when I got home and  although the Alleyoops  website is not  fully up yet, I’m sure that  the prices are keen. and the service is as I say  BRILLIANT

Also as a nice thing, every person that bought goods  in Alleyoops , I heard the guy actually say Thank you to each person . How  ” old school ” is that ..Brilliant

So for a  Huge range of Roller Skates, in lines, including Rollerblade.  aggressive skates, Ice skates, Hockey skates

 

Alleyoops of Worthing  ( right on the seafront, opposite the pier )

Alleyoops South Coast Ltd
Unit 2 Marine Parade,
Worthing,
West Sussex,
BN11 3PU
Tel – 01903216194 (Mon-Sat 10:30-17:00  Sun 11:00-16:00)

This is NOT a sponsored blog, I have received no Payment  or goods for it

what a great little place, in a lovely little village -” jerichos”

On a late summers afternoon, when you are strolling through a large village , and you see the usual brands of Tesco, costa, boots,whsmith and a few others, you might be surprised to see a little independent shop  doing so well, …. well we found  Jerichos. What a great little place, not only selling sweets  that i hadn’t seen for ages, but selling some of the imported stuff that you just cant get in the UK . The village is rustington in west Sussex its a quaint place but im not sure if village does it justice for its size.

There is plenty of parking, plenty of shops , and most importantly plenty of places to look around..Any way back to Jerichos. Great selection to choose from . Prices not too bad  ( £1.00 for a can of cherry dr pepper )  which i  don’t think was too bad . Gave the boys the modern equivalent of  a few pennies they could spend, as I’m not one of those dads that takes kids to places then says they can’t have this or that . and let them go and choose the bits they wanted  .I’m not to  sure about the ” yoo hoo” but it sounded nice.

 

Sorry I cant give you pics of what the boys had, it’s all been scoffed ( I suppose it doesn’t hurt once in a while )

But one thing I did get which I have been looking for  for ages, is the  bag that has the descriptions of the jelly beans from Jelly Belly  so I can now  get started on the pot I got given earlier in the year that  had no flavours listed on them

Any way, like all good businesses there is a www for  jerichos   and of course , a face book and all the usual  tweet stuff, I just thought that in the spirit of having found somewhere nice , I would share with you , I have not been sponsored for this blog

Fish Finger Sarnies & a root beer float …….So this ones an important Blog for me, Where to spend the hard earned Pennies

Don’t worry, oldmanleslie isn’t about to go and get  all serious, well not overnight any way. For the first time in my blog, there is conflict ., ( shock horror )

I’m based in  west Sussex, and this time  of year, we are blessed with a lot of sunshine, so days out , at the shops, on the beach, an evening stroll along an almost deserted prom ,
and yes that really is our local prom and the sunsets are that good

and at the end of the prom you find

The Lobster pot.

There are many reasons to go here  on a sunny day in summer, or for a refreshing  autumn stroll. And i have blogged  about it before 

One reason to go is the Amazing Fish Finger Sandwiches, that they do. I suppose i am ” not very wellinformedoldmanleslie” but i didn’t know you could get these…. so to find them on my doorstep was  a bit of a coup

Putting the Lobster-pot  aside for a moment, I was keen to  see what the good people at sparks yard had done to improve their offering  in Arundel. Now i know some bloggers only review freebies, well that’s not the way it works with “oldmanleslie”  its nice to get freebies of course, however  why should business  have to fork out for  opinions…..Any how  Back to the loft

Mrs Oldmanleslie and I Parked ” down by the river ” in Arundel, and had a nice stroll   along the banks of the river , up through  Arundel. avoiding the  multiple coach loads of students & visitors to the castle…. and there it was, clearly visible  from the end of Tarrant street

so now the facts, Easy access to the shop , although parking in Arundel needs looking at . easy  wheelchair access to all floors of the shop  and restaurant  via their own lift,  Always  clean inside.  Well refurbished  top floor restaurant that we tried to just pop into. we were soon asked if ” are you Chris ”  and shown to the reserved Table  by the window that they had ” reserved for us ”  I have to say Mrsoldmanleslie liked that ”  We were served well,  quickly but not  invasively . and  we were left to order our food. After a nice chat with what turned out to be one of the owners

 

” stop, Hammer time “

for the  first time as a blogger  i should have taken a picture of something i was about to consume , ( I didn’t )  so you will have to believe me that £2.50 for a drink  was the best value in a long time. Imported root beer that you can buy in the shop , used to make an ice cream float, with a curly straw, now that’s the taste of childhood .

A quick look down the menu for food, and there it was. The fish finger sandwich….. so apologies to Andrew and the team, I’m sure that everything else on the menu was fine, and maybe we will  be back soon to try it, however that’s a favourite with all us Leslie’s, so  there in lies the dilemma

Go for what you know, and now have a choice of venues that both serve excellent  food, or risk going off “Piste ” and getting something you don’t like ?

We are going to have to go back and find out i guess, it certainly wont be a hard choice and when a place is just that little bit too far away  to walk to, it makes it all the more special to be well looked after  by them.

So I can’t take credit for the images ( taken from the www)   and i cant  take credit for the effect on the waistline ( that’s  your responsibility

however Either way, if you are in west Sussex for holidays and looking . Just remember 

On the beach in Felpham = The lobster-pot

Shopping and  touristy things in Arundel  = Sparks yard  / The loft 

Either way ” the fish finger sandwiches are excellent,” and the root beer  just seals the decision  for me 

its all about the Sharing” especially when they are this good ” hotelchocolat” the summer fusions sleekster

So the purpose of a sponsored blog is to have some one send you a product, you fully evaluate it, and leave an honest opinion, I have to admit, I cant do that here today…..

Why ? you may ask. well as followers of my blog will know, it really is ” all about the sharing” and i firmly believe that if you are in this for any other reason, then you should have a re think..

So any way, I was asked to provide feedback on a new selection from the people at hotelchocolat

I was given a choice of what  was sent to me , and I went for  the  summer fusions sleeker. I knew i was to be sharing these out  at work , to get the most opinions, and therefore went for  what looked like the best selection

Now at this point I would like to show you  lots of pictures of people enjoying choccy,  but I cant, I would like to tell you that some people said  that they were to rich in taste, but  they didn’t, so I cant , I would also like to tell you that I personally enjoyed  every one, But as it’s all about the sharing I cant. even do that

What I can say is everyone that had some  loved them, the comments were all good, from the MD  and right across the board.

The Hotelchocolate website where these lovely chocolates can be bought   describes them far better than i can as

“A collection of 28 chocolates to compliment your summer in the most delicious way. Packed with fresh, fruity flavours, indulgent caramels and nutty pralines, it’s the ultimate taste of summer! Perfect for warm afternoon picnics, sharing during the long restful evenings, or as a dinner party gift – if you can bear to part with it, of course.”

 

I would just say that although i was sent a box to review , and  there was no real way for me to return the product, overall, with the nice  packaging  in pastel colours, with the  attention to detail , including a card for me, and the brilliant way  they are presented in the box, although they are £24.00  for a box, this shouldn’t be thought of as expensive,  just ”  reassuringly well  priced for quality  ”

My only regret  is that  just as when i was a small ” oldmanleslie” and I finished the last choccy on the layer, i wished there had been another layer underneath , And as we dont have long boozy afternoons at work, i cant  say how good these would be after a long BBQ session, i can only imagine

Thanks to the nice people at Hotelchocolate ,

Great news from the “music business” this one makes me happy

Me, im not the worlds biggest fan of live music & festivals, But to those that like them, I salute you .

It seems that  as reported  in the UK Press, the grand daddy of all festivals is getting its  green credentials in order .

Banning Plastic bottles might not  seem like  much, but just think of  the  reduction in landfill

The full article  is on the guardian pages 

Advice on landfill and other waste issues which you can get via the wfaa  of which the Tempcon are members

Today has been a good day…..so far

So for a guy who works for a UK manufacturer  that supplies monitoring equipment,that isn’t exactly a dynamic product…..so far today,I have had a good day… I guess its all down to where the  things we supply  are used, How they  are used, and i find increasingly the Relationship  with the user 

 

Sure, you can do a lot by email, tweet, FB  and even Blogging, But i think that there are times when there is NO substitute  for getting  around the table with some one, Involving a coffee, and  actually talking to people

Today so  far has  been People researching global climate, international Dr’s of research…..and life critical fire training applications……all of which  have been with people whom i have known for a long time

So if  you want to have a browse across the website  for a UK Manufacturer that is 30+ years in business and  give  us a chance……. who knows, you could be the next great relationship  we have

all this , And its only 1 pm

Yes, today has been good so far.

 

it just gets better…..

Just a short  blog today , it turns out through all the various Channels of sponsorship and donations, the boys and girls that Skated / Scooted and otherwise for Littlehampton Shopmobility  raised well over the original target they were aiming for . so  if you saw the earlier blog and sponsored us , Thank you

If you want to help a local Charity, you can still donate at  this link
Also, as a follow-up , it seems the good people  at Sparks Yard
in Arundel are also running  a weekly give away in the run up to the opening of ” the loft ”

The Sun is shinning in Sussex, the people are out in littlehampton, The forecast isn’t too bad for tomorrow …..all in all, not a bad part of the world to be in today

what a great place for a fathers day Gift ….

So we all know that  its fathers day soon enough, me, i know what i am hoping for, and i know  that i will enjoy fathers day, cos in the oldmanleslie house, its not about the money, its the smiles and the nice times.

Any how, the reason for today’s blog, is a website that i wanted to tell you about, UK-based,  Ships globally, and  offers what i think would be Ideal gifts for Dads  for father’s day, Things that are a little “Gadgety” ” geeky” and scientific. From Brands that are world leaders.

for example ,  weather stations for the garden at prices that wont break the bank , traditional Gifts that look good & work well.  and gadgets that tell you all sorts about the weather where you are.

I will  add that they are now under the Brand of Tempcon , They are UK Based , and they are good when it comes to all things Customer service .

Might be worth a look for a father’s day Gift, they are even running a competition to win a weather station on their facebook page 

If you do  have a look, let me know your thoughts, and don’t forget to tell them where you saw this Blog

This is NOT a sponsored Blog ,

Such an Inspiration ……………………

Just a bit of catching up on the Blog to do this morning, so  a few things that have been  on my mind this week, Shall i clog up people’s emails with individual Blogs, or just drop it all into one Blog ?

So here it comes, a mixed up Blog  :

Firstly and most important to me , its  only a month  until me and my Boys go out for our annual  trip to good wood for a bit of a skate .  this year  we have been offered  help by  quite a few  people , all skating, Scooting  & wheeling in support of  littlehamptonshopmobility.co.uk.  we will be trying to live Blog  on the day , but I’m not promising , as it’s all about the Skating for me for one day  only.   And also that for the first time in a long time, there are 3 generations of ” oldmanleslie” including the proper one out for the day, doing good things, and having  fun

Like every thing else, there is of course a button  to if you want to support us  financially. Just click-through here 

Second thing for the week.

We  all think that our dad is the best  in the world, they are always special to us for many reasons. Just because  “it’s all about the Sharing ” i am going to share with you  a little secret, My Dad IS the greatest in the world, I have absolutely  no doubt about that, But I’m pretty sure that i can tell you  who the Number 02 best  dad is as well,  This dad is a TRUE  inspiration , and if you dig around a little on the web  you will see why

Then , during the week i had a bit of a downer ,Nothing too serious , i just heard on local TV news about  thegooddeeddiary. this is a positive thing  that a guy in the UK  is doing and it is to be praised, the downer was the thought that followed, ” isn’t it a shame that this isn’t the ” norm ” any more ”  and wouldn’t it be good to get back to it . Possibly Luke Can Keep it going and inspire others around him. Good deeds don’t have to cost money, we can all do them , just even 1 a day

But i ended the week on a positive, and it wasn’t  a sneaky latte, or  a free day out, it wasn’t  even something that i had been sent from a  PR /company to review. it was because i went  last weekend  in the pouring rain to see  the boys and girls at malpass meats. I will send them a link  to  the blog, however i just thought it was worth  a mention that  the steak we got was  Mouth watering” cooked of course by Mrs Oldmanleslie” and  over the last 20 years of  buying from them  i have always had great  meat,  cracking service . you might in fact call it ” legendary ”

 

 

When you find somewhere that’s Good, tell as many people as you can

so when its this good, tell everyone about it……………

That’s a big claim, based on personal experience, NOT a sponsored blog, I wasn’t given a freebie for this.

To me , service is important, i don’t mind paying a fair price for decent service, and today i did exactly that , a new business opened in January of 2014, i hope they are here for a long time to come, 

For the last few years i have had a lady  that came to the house  and “did us all at once “

I decided  to go look for a proper barbers , found the ” new salon” in town, part of an international  Chain…. thought i had a good cut, but then today when i came out of  the new place i found, i remembered  that feeling of ” sharp” when you have a decent cut

 

Thanks to the boys  at Bilsham Barbers for a great Job, I will be back

if you want, decent service, a sharp cut, and a good ” old skool ” feeling, pay them a visit.

What a great Thing for someone who has been driving for 20+ Years

Earlier this year whilst looking around the WWW, I came across an offer on HUKD for a spot of Driver ” training “. like most of the prematurely Silver surfers out there that find these sorts of things and think its brilliant, I clicked to investigate it.

I drive as part of my Job, Not millions of Miles a year, but enough for me and more than some would want, I’m lucky that i have a Great car. At Christmas, i don’t always mind being the Duty driver

Any way, back to the training, i set up the account, and waited to hear back, it only Took about 2-3 days then I met Wendy , the driving instructor you can Contact her via

This lady was amazing, i thought i was obviously the best driver on the road, and that i drove perfectly, Turns out there is room for improvement and on a 2 hour session Wendy managed to Point out so many little Things i was doing that could be improved, it really spurred me on. This year i will be asking Santa for an IAM membership and i will keep you posted  on how that goes I can only imagine that if you were 17 and looking for a Great teacher to show you How to drive , as opposed to just getting you through your test, Wendy would be one of the best.