We're both moping round the house. Dunno why, it doesn't especially matter. But you know when you're in that mood, you just watch crap TV.
Well, there's crap and crap. Watchdog isn't especially good - all rather lot of huffing and puffing over nothing a lot of the time. I understand they do right some obvious wrongs from time to time.
But it provides unintentional hilarity. They had a feature on people who bid for jewellery from something called Auction TV. This is not the Cubic Zircona from QVC beloved of Jasper Carrott. This is serious stuff.
Basically, this Auction TV displays an item, and you bid for it. They used an example of a watch for which Auction TV set a guide price of �16,000. And it's up to you to bid, much like a tradiitonal auction.
Hey guess what - they took the watch to the Birmingham Assay Centre and it's worth about �1650. There were other examples - people buying rings and so on. Three hundred and fifty people wrote to Watchdog to complain.
You know, I would be really embarrassed to admit to such a monumental mistake in public. Buying is a funny business. I'm a great believer in Caveat Emptor. Sure, I buy online, but the only time I've ever spent over a hundred pounds is with already established reasonably reputable businesses - supermarkets, Amazon, theatres, airline companies etc. If it goes pear-shaped I believe I have some right of redress. In general, the amounts involved are not large. The more I spend, the more careful I am. Online or in Meat Space.
These people have more money than sense. When I bought a watch - for two hundred pounds, with Christmas and birthday money - I looked quite widely places. Probably not an exhaustive search, but about half a dozen places. I tried it on. I had a look what it looked like against my small hands, against my skin colour. I then waited half an hour until the bracelet was adjusted to my size. Not difficult.
I don't know whether these people are greedy or flash. The irresistible lure of a bargain. Showing it off in public. Showing their lack of taste. Their lack of judgement. And then exposing themselves to ridicule by appearing on Watchdog. If it were me, I would have sat in the shadows and asked for my voice to be disguised. They bought jewellery, paying hundreds and thousands of pounds, without even seeing it first!
Bwhahahahahahaha!
