Data and Dixons

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m a geek – that means I’m also aware of things like the Data Protection Act. However, it appears that the cretinous morons lovely staff in Dixons Group (Link, Dixons, Currys, so forth so fifth) aren’t.

I went in to pick up a couple of things I needed, bought them, and then got asked “what’s your full name, please?” followed by a request for my address, including the postcode.

“Why?” quoth I. “What do you need it for?”
“Oh, it just goes on your receipt”. (Which rings with the dull plop of bullshit)

So I provide the name and address details “Mr Yuck Fou. Address? Peeoff House, Clayton Street” and then track down a trained chimp manager.

“What do you do with all this personal information you gather? And can I see a copy of your data protection information, please?”
“Oh, um, yes, ha-ha-ha, um, well, we don’t like ha-ha-ha sell it on, or um like anything. Um. Ah. Data Protection Information? I’m ah uh um sure it’s on here somewhere. Look, ah, this is it… oh, um, no it’s not. I’m sure I’ve um seen it ah somewhere. ”
“So if I give you the name and address, I won’t get junk mail from reputable companies incompetent keffers like MasterCare then?”
“Oh, well, ha-ha-ha we don’t need to sell the lists to them – we ha-ha-ha um own them. I’m sure I’ve um seen this ah uh data protection thing. *Still flicking throught he leaflet that has nothing on the DPA – I’ve already checked*”
“right – I want my details taken off your system By law you have to have a section for opting out of any mailing lists and so on.”
“Oh ah um yes well I’m not sure we can um do that because ha-ha-ha you see um it’s all information on our um tills, so we can’t um well just like go and um ah remove it, um, can we?”
“Why?”
“Um ah well, yes, um, it’s because well we need the information. *seizes a ray of blinding hope* Ah, look, um, why don’t you write to our um head office at *wields leaflet* this um address, and they’ll make sure it’s taken off the um customer data um ah thing for um you”
“OK, I’ll do that. And can I take your name please?…”

I’m obviously becoming clairvoyant, because in the very near future I can see a shitty letter floating off to Dixons, with a copy fluttering in the direction of the Data Protection registrar.

Isn’t that spooky?

Coincidence?

Shock rise in HIV figures – released on the eve of World Aids Day.

Days

There are some days – the ones where you forget that your ADSL modem uses “0,38” to dial up instead of a sensible phone number – when wine is the only way to improve a day.

And today the honour goes to Goats do Roam Rose – both bottles of it.

It’s that kind of day

Go out, sort out new hard drive form computer, purchase same, do food shopping (see below), want to kill people (ditto), put extra credit on phone and gas meter, buy paper, pay paper bill.

Come home, look at various blog sites, discover it’s actually Buy Nothing Day.

Bugger.

Abusive?

Pop quiz:

When walking round Tesco doing a quick “oh bollocks, knew I’d forgotten something” shop, (one that’ll qualify easily for the “8 items or less” queue at the till), and you suddenly discover you are in an aisle completely blocked by idiots with trolleys, try to turn round and discover that the cretins have managed a complete pincer movement, and you’re now blocked in on all sides, what happens when one of the participants turns round, gives you a simpering grin, and doesn’t move an inch?

Is the reaction “It’s OK, I’m used to shopping in the presence of retards!” to be seen as a) excessively abusive, b) not abusive enough, or c) just about right?

Discuss…

Feeling the love

Just a quickie quackie (Abuse Gert for that one) via ScaryDuck.

Bearing in mind, I have absolutely NO interest in football, I can still surmise that this pic (it’s 230ish K, so those on dial up may have to wait, but it’s worth the effort) shows someone scoring a goal, then running in celebration to the part of the pitch where the opposing team’s fans happened to be caged standing…

My favourite is the guy in the Gap top…

What kind of hallucinogenics was yesterday on?

Obviously yesterday was a very strange day indeed.

Looking at the logfiles, I come up number one in Google for Attention deficit bollocks, Number one (in germany’s google) for its only to wake my neighbours up, and only about fifteenth (couldn’t be bothered to count exactly) for “what is the plural of moose”. The fact people were typing in these queries is slightly distubing, althou nowhere near as weird as some of ScaryDuck’s recent search entries.

Oh, and I also have to wonder just what the International Atomic Energy Authority were looking for here…