CPW's Dunstone admits 'dread' over state of the economy

All the bank's fault?

I think there was a bit more to it than just blaming the banks. While the banks may have been the high profile and public display of the current difficulties, it was government policy that fuelled it all. This government has encouraged people into a debt fuelled spending binge based on ever increasing house prices and nothing else.

Even the "fix" being made involves borrowing staggering amounts of money and selling future taxpayers down the shute with spiralling debts to be repaid out of future taxation, all to bolster Gordon's ego. Couple this with the largesse shown to teh banks, and now being offered to all passing by and it will be many years before the effects of this economic catastrophe (that is NuLabour) are fully felt.

Perhaps if CEOs actually knew something worthwhile, instead of just how to shift blame for their own failings or how to bleat to NewLabour ministers about how they will get their party funding or directorship when they are voted out of office, they may actually be able to justify their salaries. Instead, people who actually need the incomes from these shite companies have to suffer, because people like Dunstone failed.

Outsource to India if you like, I am sure Satyam could use the revenue ... oh, are they crooks too.

Well stop reading things then!

This whole economic disaster is being caused, and sustained, by the news.

People read "holy shit, job losses and economic hell are coming, we're all doomed", worry about their jobs, so start saving money instead of blowing it just in case they get sacked.

Managers read all this bollocks and think "better sack some people, just in case".

So people read more about job losses, and stop spending even more.

The cycle continues, until the whole house of cards collapse.

If all news outlets stopped blathering on about this i bet the economy would quickly recover as people stop fretting and start spending again.

Rubbish ..

I work for the company and got the email yesterday, this is taken completely out of context and the email basically implies that if we keep our heads down and do a good job to get through the economic crisis then we will be in a very good position. I note that this article omits the last paragraph which sums this up. You cant obectively critiscise the company or the email when you only show a part of it in the wrong light.

Come on Reg sort it out and give us some decent articles about news and not hearsay! No wonder I spend more time on slashdot these days with tripe articles like this.

Just got the boot

funny that, just got told yesterday that i was being made redundant from the Talk Talk group.... Figures...

Bull

"Every single one of us is now paying for the mistakes that were made by financial institutions and their regulators over the past decade."

They had their part but the increased reliance on credit instead of capital is what has caused this to ripple outside of the banks. Companies hold little or no cash assets because they expand their business on cheap credit and run their day to day purchasing on cheap credit. As soon as the credit dries up they realise they have not got enough in their cash reserves to pay for their day to day running. Companies that are not up to their eyes in debt and who run their business with sensible cash flow models will survive this while the debt ridden house of cards companies who borrow to cover payroll will fold up and piss off.

Meh

I'm surprised that there are still so many mobile phone shops in the High Street:-

Carphone Warehouse

Vodaphone

02

Phones for you

T-Mobile

3

Nokia

Mobile Phones Direct, Jag, plus loads more regional multi-store and independent retailers not to mention The Link (DGSi)

Can there really be enough sales to justify all these outlets? Some cities have more than one branch! Surely these companies didn't actually think there would be enough demand to keep these outlets profitable indefinitely? If not then why haven't they pulled out with the profit a while ago when sales started to fall?

@way of the dodo

In my experience, they just expend effort and time.

Yes, in their N1 (Angel) shop you get quickly helped most hours of the day --- because there's 5, 6 sellers standing in an otherwise empty shop, eyeing each other who loses "the game" and looks at the customer first. Quick, easy, painless.

All other encounters? Long, slow aggravation. After moving to the boonies, went to local CPW to ask what internet providers they could set me up with and at what price. Well, the providers I could have found online in seconds, but I figured the deals might not. This took ages, before answering the rep insisted in typing in all kinds of personal information, barely stopping before DNA sampling. In a very confused and lenghty mumblification starting 14 (!) minutes later he said as much as I could read from the giant ads behind his back. Time was also take because he kept having to ask the manager whenever we asked something.

I understand the logic in providing your idiot nephew with a job, but why didn't the manager speak to us directly (2yards further) if we could hear him anyway (and had to listen to the jumbled repeat)? Of course the whole process gave me time to reflect on their pronouncing 8mbps as 8 megabyte per second and thus a seemingly blazing service is more of the ambling type, and how I can't waste that type of time, and if I ever could get my data out of their clammy hands again, and also I forgot to water the plants.

Long story short, we still haven't gotten around to getting out of the monthly mobile insurance they talked my partner into, long ago; on the phone they say you have to go to their shop, there they say to do it online, and online it mentions a problem so please phone. Of course, it doesn't actually insure any still existing phone, because changing the covered phone (EMEI number) didn't succeed either.

I'd consider buying some stock just before it sinks, just to spew my gall at the next stockholders meeting.

Paying for their appalling service

When I was trying to help my sister sort out her problems with TalkTalk following the death of her husband (Guardian story here: http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/consumer/story/0,,2179089,00.html ) I tried email Dunstone personally, but the emails bounced back.

Their abysmal customer service is the reason I recommend that no-one goes near TalkTalk with a barge pole.

Danny

@ Joe K, RE:Well stop reading things then!

I recommend you watch the whiteboard videos here:

http://rewtube.com

Re: Joe K

Hear, hear!

Perhaps they would save some cash

If they dealt with stuff like this:

Wifey had a phone from them, and when the time came, she terminated the contract.

They then roll up and ask for some charges AFTER THE AGREED TERMINATION DATE THAT THEY ACCEPTED IN WRITING.

Now, clearly, they are not going to get any cash out of us, even if this goes to court. Why, in that case, have they sent 13 letters and paid a debt recovery company so send us aother 8 and make around 10 phone calls?

I'd suggest someone take a look at the viability and profitability of their collection department. That would save them a packet. Don't bleat, Dunstone. Act.

O

Mine's the one with a CPW employee searching in the pockets for loose change.

Oh dear, what a shame.

> "we need to maximise every sales opportunity"

Ahh, that explains the attitude of the sales staff then. I've seen secondhand car dealers with a lighter sales touch.

I've been inside our local CarphoneWarehouse twice, and as a result I won't be going back.

The staff are so aggressive it's actually unpleasant to go in there.

Want a spare battery for your new phone? Be prepared to fend off a broadband sales pitch, followed by a handset pitch, followed by a contract pitch, followed by... Well I'm sure you get the picture.

@ Well stop reading things then!

Bollocks!

Is he actually serious or does he want a new merc?

If he is why the hell doesn't he get rid of the stupidly expensive outsource operation he runs that goes to india and africa for the talktalk phone service as it will help him improve quality and get rid of the cack?

And why not stop leasing capacity from pricey BT/Virgin(NTL) and move to another provider or reduce some of the ridiculous bonu's mid-high level management get? 36k a month sounds a bit unreasonable now they are facing issues?

A funny echo in here... in here...

Perhaps they wouldn't be staring into the abyss if they had decent processes and clued up support staff with whom one could meaningfully communicate.

After a month attempting to get signed up with them, during which they prematurely terminated my old broadband connection without my permission, I bailed out and went to PLUSNET.

Account set up in 6 hours, temporary dial-up available one minute after that, router arrived within 3 working days, full fat 6.5Mb connection within 4 working days, and a clear explanation of what download limitations are in place.

Now THAT'S what I call customer service.

RIP CPW