DaveH Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 A few years ago now my friend Stuart0742 was in a position where British Gas were paying him to use their gas!! Obviously he knows the details better than me, - something to do with having all the gas appliances removed to move to Economy& electric but Mrs0742 insisted on keeping just the gas 4 ring cooking hob as it was more convenient than an electric hob. This meant that his bill, due to minimal gas usage was only around £2 - £3 with no standing charge. Someone from British gas phoned him up and offered him a £12 discount on every bill if he switched to paying by Direct Debit, which he did. As his discount was now bigger than his bill it meant that British Gas were paying him to use their gas it took years before British Gas realised their mistake and insisted he change his tariff to one with a standing charge This week I have had a similar offer from Virgin Media I already have their landline phone, cable TV and broadband Internet They phoned me up to offer "Virgin Mobile", their mobile phone service. I don't use mobiles much, just for emergencies while out and about so I use PAYG tariffs. They offered me their cheapest contract, free phone, 100 free texts + 100 free minutes + extra 100 free Virgin to Virgin network minutes for £8.50 a month to customers who already have the other 3 services (normally £10 a month) So its going to cost me £8.50 a month, - I have never used all that time and texts in a month ever. However, as a loyal customer who now takes all 4 of the Virgin services I am entitled to a discount on my bill every month for as long as I remain a customer taking all 4 services. The monthly discount is £13.50 So by paying them an extra £8.50 a month they will pay me back £13.50 To my reckoning that means I've been given a free mobile phone, been given as much free use of it as I'm ever likely to need and they are paying me £5 a month for the privelige Sounds like a good offer to me Anyone else ever been this sort of offer where a company ends up paying you to use their services? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 I supose this one is financial speculation rather than getting something for nothing. 2 years ago when we went on holiday to France I bought rather more Euros than I needed and came back with quite a lot, - about 250 Euro's worth I had bought them at about 69p per Euro so they had cost me about £172 or so. I was faced with the decision as to either exchange them at a less favourable rate and get about £160 back, or keep them for our next European holiday. I chose to keep them for our next holiday, by which time, due to Britain's unfavourable financial performance in a recession the exchange rate was 85p per Euro. So if I cashed them in now at this rate I would get about £212, making me about £40. I still chose not to do this but to take my Euro's abroad, where prices were still relatively lower and so get extra value out of my "£40 for nowt" he he he he laughing all the way to the bank lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markbaby Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 In the 1980's I decided to save a few Argos catalogues with a view to looking back on them over the years. A few years ago I had a look at the five catalogues which I had saved in the loft, in mint condition and decided that all the stuff that was in them was more than covered on the net, so I put them on ebay and amazingly they raised £142 in total, they cost me nowt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted November 19, 2009 Author Share Posted November 19, 2009 In the 1980's I decided to save a few Argos catalogues with a view to looking back on them over the years. A few years ago I had a look at the five catalogues which I had saved in the loft, in mint condition and decided that all the stuff that was in them was more than covered on the net, so I put them on ebay and amazingly they raised £142 in total, they cost me nowt! Excellent example Markbaby. Anyone ever been given a "freeby" like this which later turned out to have some resale value therefore producing a 100% profit when you sold it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 I was recently looking for a short October break for my half term holiday. One of the possibilities I was looking at was going to France so I was looking on the P&O Ferries web site at their Dover - Calais crossings. Because it was in a school holiday holiday there were no discounts or special "Go to France for a fiver" offers, - we would have to pay full price. Only myself and MrsH would be travelling and the quotes I got were as follows A 2 adults (foot passengers) = £118 (that's £29.50 per person each way) B 2 adults and a car = £60 (thats £30 each way) Both of these prices are for the same time sailings on the same ferry on the same day and are standard prices. How does that work then? It's cheaper to take a car across the channel which weighs about a tonne than to travel unencumbered. Now to my mathematical mind Cost of car = cost of 2 adults and a car - cost of 2 adults So, cost of car = B - A Or, cost of car = £60 - £118 = - £58 (minus £58) So, here is my latests money making scheme, conceived after consuming yet another bottle of wine (Italian wine this time), where I make money and P&O ferries risk going out of business. I take my car to Dover, put it on the ferry and then get off. My car goes to France but I don't. In Calais as there is no one to drive my car off the fery it comes back on the next sailing. I then get on the ferry, drive my car off and claim £58 off of P&O Ferries as this must be the price (minus £58 = they pay me £58) for just the car alone. If I did this often and regularly I would soon make a lot of money. Either that or P&O ferries would soon realise that their pricing is absolutely stupid. Alternatively it may not be as stupid as it sounds and could explain why Sea France Ferries no longer take foot passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukelele lady Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 I was recently looking for a short October break for my half term holiday. One of the possibilities I was looking at was going to France so I was looking on the P&O Ferries web site at their Dover - Calais crossing Alternatively it may not be as stupid as it sounds and could explain why Sea France Ferries no longer take foot passengers. I didn't know that Dave, when did the Sea France stop taking foot passengers? I prefer Sea France to P & O Ferries because it's cleaner and more comfortable. Like any other holiday if you go during the school holidays you always have to pay more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted September 24, 2011 Author Share Posted September 24, 2011 I didn't know that Dave, when did the Sea France stop taking foot passengers? I prefer Sea France to P & O Ferries because it's cleaner and more comfortable. Like any other holiday if you go during the school holidays you always have to pay more. I last travelled on Sea France by foot in 2002 and they were still doing it then but currently if you try to book online the option to be a foot passenger no longer exists, the nearest to it is a "passenger with bicycle" , presumably for Frenchmen with a clapped out old bike with some bread in the basket on the handlebars, a hooped sweater top, a beret, a moustache and a string of dried onions or garlics hung around his neck. I also prefered Sea France to P&O for the same reasons. You can also cross the channel with Norfolk Line but I have never used them. I don't think this one is to do with school holidays at all, - it's just that I would expect to pay more to take my car across the channel with me and not less. It seems a ridiculous pricing policy. It makes taking a vehicle across with you the only way to do it if you want to save money and yet the car is extra weight / cargo on the ferry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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