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LauraKingsey

Listed below are comments made by LauraKingsey between Monday, 4th May 2009 and Monday, 19th October 2009.

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What did you think of The One Show? Guest: Bryn Terfel 7:59pm on 19 Oct 2009 Further to my previous message (above) I would like to make it clear I am not against social drinking in the least, only anti-social drinking and the level of drinking which puts people's health and sanity at risk (not to mention that of those around them) and snuffs out lives and talents, some of whom have scarcely begun.

As the ex-girlfriend of a couple of men who turned out to be alcoholics I feel I know what I am talking about, despite my own virtual tea-totin' lifestyle.
What did you think of The One Show? Guest: Bryn Terfel 7:48pm on 19 Oct 2009 [Personal details removed by Moderator]Dear One Show

Further to your excellent feature tonight, I work in a University where the students are virtually foie gras'ed on alcohol from Freshers Week onwards and every tacky bar in town is plying them with leaflets for free and cheap drinks from the moment they arrive.

So even if they have only recently sipped their first legal drink or are not naturally inclined to heavy drinking, all the peer pressure and encouragement to get hammered every night can quickly take hold and turn them into virtual alcoholics long before they complete their degrees (if they do). The scariest thing too is that many -young girls in particular - begin getting tanked up even before they leave their rooms to bouy themselves up for the night ahead. Only this evening I had to stop the car to let three of them struggle to complete crossing the road in front of otherwise moving traffic at 6.10pm - giggling and stumbling, all dolled up for later.

Parents often ask me if this city is dangerous for their young sons and daughters to go out in and I always give the same response. 'If they don't put themselves at risk, it's as safe as anywhere else'.

I want to see alcohol in all bars, clubs, pubs, off-licences and shops, particularly supermarkets sky rocket in price so youngsters cannot afford to get drunk any more yet businesses will still be earning a living as their profit margin will be so much higher (and their cleaning and security bills so much lower!). I also want our existing drinking laws enforced and bar and pub staff prosecuted for serving 'One Over the Eight' with such a substantial fine they would lose their business if they broke it. This money would then be ploughed back into anti-drinking campaigns and treatment of those with alcohol problems. As for alcohol being sold in late night garages - what sort of anti- drink driving message is that sending out? This should be outlawed immediately. along with drinking alcohol in the streets (which is not yet outlawed in enough towns and cities).

Finally I have loads of funky health inspired-advert and campaign ideas if you fancy doing a feature while I try and hawk them to the Department of Transport, the NHS, Student Unions, Mr Sainsbury, not to mention the pub trade. In fact I would be delighted to do my bit against this invidious new cancer in our midst.

best wishes

Laura King

PS: I am saving my drink problem for when I am old and don't care about premature ageing caused by drink any more ;-)
DVLA update 11:16pm on 04 May 2009 If the DVLA are charging for licences and calling drivers 'customers' then they should be subject to the same consumer laws as any other company as they are effectively acting as a 'company' with or without the government alliance.

I was really shocked that they had hitherto been acting is such am arrogant cavalier manner to their 'customers'.

And never mind penalising innocent drivers whose licences are void through no fault of their own but through a fault of the DVLA, what about making sure that any driver who kills a pedestrian loses their licence for life? That would make dangerous or drug and booze addled drivers think twice.

The biggest moral duty of the DVLA should be keep killer drivers off our roads - for life - and demand higher penalties for the dangerous and drivers.
The customer service phone test 11:06pm on 04 May 2009 PS: I do find it shocking that customer service standards are in decline in a recession though. You'd think they'd all need to pull their socks up big time in order to stay in the game when competition is bound to become fiercer than ever.

However we customers are generally a lazy lot. Give us good product, good price, good customer service and a company can probably safely decimate both its complaints AND advertising deparments if it wants to economise as sheer repeat business volume will guarantee it goes from strength to strength, and the best marketing is word-of-mouth between happy customers. If looking after customers did not seem to be last on their list, they'd be laughing all the way to the bank.
The customer service phone test 11:00pm on 04 May 2009 3 may answer the phone the quickest but you try getting any actual service out of them. I have repeatedly complained about my rubbish mobile phone reception to no avail and every time I ask to cancel my 18 month contract I am fobbed off with excuses, often in accents I can barely understand, so I guess it must be a foreign call centre. The signal cuts out at least once during most conversations and I only live outside the ringroad of Oxford. The other day it cut out in the middle of London for no reason (ie not in a tunnel or building). This is the worst mobile phone contract I have ever had and I would advise anyone not to touch 3 with a bargepole! I will try the CSM next. By post.

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