All Dear Jac articles – Page 50
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Dear Jac
Good luck is rubbing off
Congratulations! You have sold a winning National Lottery ticket! That would be a good letter to receive from Camelot, wouldn’t it?
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Tune in and pay the piper
Vivek Bhakta writes from Sharoe Green to ask what the score is with music licences: "I am a Londis retailer in Preston, Lancashire. I wish to play music (only the radio) in my shop. Kindly suggest what licence I need to go for. I believe...
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Just pick up the paperwork!
Robert Gordon, financial controller of JG Ross Bakers which runs four convenience stores and 21 bake shops in Aberdeenshire, got in touch to air his frustration with Payzone. The group are with Barclaycard, terminal-wise, but last October...
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Dear Jac
What’s in a name? Quite a lot when it comes to Tesco
Has anybody ever come across a property company called Portenstar? Kirin Patel, whose Londis trades at Chessington, Surrey, says rumours are rife that Portenstar is after change-of-use planning permission for a just-under 3,000sq ft disused…
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Know a good photocopier fixer?
Ah Lanwall, as you know, one of my all-time favourite companies. I have a few new stories and I will bring them to you in time (still no real court cases, but a few pending threats). But this one is of a more practical nature.
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Those lazy, hazy happy days
I don't know about you but I thought the royal wedding was luverly. Sunny day, faultless pageantry, with good-looking happy people, millions not rioting in the streets and parks. What was not to like? Hopefully, the four-day weekends and sunshine...
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Is this scam the oldest in the book?
You have to grudgingly admire the audacity and dexterity of the sleight-of-hand merchants that try to do you out of tenners. Do 10 shops a day and you've made a hundred quid. Mohammed Sajid says he always reads this column for news on the...
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: The news hits the headlines again
Andy and Lynn Thurston, who run Gemco News at Braintree in Essex, have had it up to here with news distributor John Menzies. The couple were previously serviced by Smiths News and thought the service good, but the territory shake-up has left much...
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Dear JacDear Jac: Those blooming debts
The debt collectors are now threatening Flowerfete retailers on behalf of the liquidators KSA Recovery. Fresh Bouquets Ltd, t/a Flowerfete, went into voluntary creditors’ liquidation on February 18, leaving a number of retailers in the lurch on…
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Milking it for more
Following my reports on Medina Dairies making sudden demands for payments from previous customers, I got a comprehensive fax from Cliff White, White’s News, East Sussex.
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: When banking gets personal
Mark has emailed to say: “I enjoy reading your articles in C-Store. There’s one this issue (April 15) ‘Nod, tip, wink’ about avoiding bank charges. I know that the banks very much disapprove of this practice, that personal bank accounts are for personal use...
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: What price should you put on loyalty?
As some of you will unfortunately know, I can’t always fix it. Sometimes I can tell you straightaway as in, no, the energy company/bank/insurance underwriter will not listen to me and won’t care what I write about them. Short-sighted of them, I know.
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: And another thing...
Further on the subject of red tape, I’d like to add my voice to the clamour in our various trade press over the promised bonfi re from the government. They’ve counted them all up.
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Dear Jac
Dera Jac: Scammer time is here again
You can call this once bitten, twice shy, says Jignesh Patel who runs Shreeji in London’s Kentish Town. A big, nicely dressed, softly spoken guy came into his store during a busy period and cashed in some scratchcards. While this process was taking place he walked around the store picking
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Scammertime is here again
You can call this once bitten, twice shy, says Jignesh Patel who runs Shreeji in London's Kentish Town. A big, nicely dressed, softly spoken guy came into his store during a busy period and cashed in some scratchcards. While this process...
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Keep on taking their pictures
Given the number of rules and regs and their forever updating, changing face, it’s no wonder we can’t all keep up. Mahesh Patel rang from Yogi Smurti Newsagents in London’s Shepherd’s Bush to say ...
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Dear Jac
Don’t take risks with your staff
Risk-taking is sometimes considered a good thing entrepreneurs are known for it and Lord Alan Sugar wouldn’t give you the time of day if you weren’t prepared to take a few flyers.
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Oops - gotcha!
The spoof story on page seven in our last issue got a handful of you wanting to believe that Tesco had launched a symbol group for indies. Some of you really wanted to put the Tesco name over your door. Oh, and one outraged person complained about...
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Nod, tip, wink
I've had tips similar to this one I received from Maqsood Akhtar before, but it's worth repeating. A few years ago his bank charges for his business, Blackthorn News in Rotherham, suddenly went from about £7 a month to £120. When he complained his...
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Dear Jac
Dear Jac: Are dairy’s demands just milking it?
Have any of you received a solicitor's letter on behalf of Medina Dairy, demanding sums of around £300+ to prevent court proceedings? I ask because a retailer, who wishes to remain anonymous, has received such a letter and believes there are others...