I give up with some of our leading national businesses and wonder if any of them even believe in customer service or customer satisfaction.

I signed up to a deal for a new landline and broadband provider last December and am still trying to get the £75 incentive that was offered.

Having looked at the huge number of negative comments about this industry leader I am of the opinion that they seem to be oblivious to the poor service they’re providing. I don’t give up easily, so the battle will continue.

My latest purchase for the home was a smart TV from what I thought was a reputable high street and internet retailer.

The reason for buying this particular model was so I could watch and download movies etc using my chosen app. They didn’t tell me I couldn’t download my apps when I went into the shop. Now, as many know, I’m a technophobe and usually rely on family and friends to occasionally help me out when I get stuck. In this instance though the smart TV wasn’t as smart as I’d been led to believe and despite having a section on the screen entitled My Apps, it didn’t really mean that.

So how can leading manufacturers and their retailers sell products to their customers when their products don’t do what they say they they’ll do?

The delivery was made almost three weeks ago and, despite four e-mails advising parts were missing and questioning the purpose of the TV, nothing has been resolved.

I’ve had one call and when the caller didn’t have the technical expertise to answer my questions I was promised a callback which up to the point of writing this piece still hasn’t happened.

It would be interesting to see how many readers have had similar problems with companies who are supposed to be leaders in their fields.

I couldn’t download my apps

Be vigilant about fraudsters’ antics

Fraudsters will go to the extreme when it comes to targeting members of the public by phone or the internet.

We all think it will never happen to us, but these conmen are getting better at it and any one of us could fall foul of their antics. We recently saw an Aberdeen family being duped out £20,000 in a telephone scam.

These criminals pose as banks, credit card providers or the latest one HMRC, better known to

most of us as the taxman.

Don’t become the next statistic, be vigilant and never give any personal information over the phone.

Hotel taking self-contained literally

I drove past the new Hampton by Hilton hotel being built beside the airport and was amazed when I saw it seemed to consist of containers stacked on top of each other, four stories high.

Apparently the containers were manufactured and fitted out in China and shipped to the UK. Would I choose to pay to stay in a furnished container?

I’m sure when all the metal is covered up no one will ever know.

But I do wonder if the cost of the building will be reflected in the price of the rooms. We’ll have to see.