banned from forum...alls well that ends well!

[seoirse2002]

Many of you will have seen my previous post regarding my being banned from another forum which shall remain nameless for posting a wanted ad for an iphone 4 twice.(they called it spamming)
I didnt want to go the ebay route but used ebay to check completed listings as I was on a sim only deal and just wanted to buy the iphone 4. From my research I found that an iphone 4 refurbished by apple or an insurance replacement...ie a new phone(without accessories) sells for between £200-250 so I set my budget at £225 tops..my monthly sim only deal from o2 gave me 300 mins but no data etc. so my average monthly bill from o2 was around £23 which I was happy enough with despite now wanting to pay £225 for a phone.
Over a period of 2 years I would have spent £777 which included buying iphone 4.
Not totally trusting the bay(one hears stories) I started to look online and found a website that offered the iphone 4S for 49.99+£26pm over 2 years....total cost to me?=£674!!! over £100 cheaper than my original route,and an iphone 4S which is far superior
But the best thing is: unlimited minutes,unlimited txts and 1gig of data!!...(thats on o2,but similar deals for other networks and I get to keep my number)
Im sorry for the long post,but now Im calling/txting my family in Dublin for free via an iphone app....my wife,who is Hungarian is doing the same,iphone to iphone calls/txts are free and Im sure there are lots of things/apps I havent found out yet....You may wonder what all this has to do with hi fi?
I can now sit in my chair and control my squeezebox touch from the phone,I also now have an apple remote for itunes,I can now let the phone hear a song on the radio and identify it for me...the list goes on...by the way,the website in question is a subsidiary of the carphone warehouse so its legit. I can share it with you all here....Being banned from the forum in question done me a huge favour so I would personally like to thank the moderators of said forum...you know who you are::cool:
oops messed up the link....think Ive got it right now http://www.mobiles.co.uk/refer.aspx?refer=cust72604810

[Mr Kipling]

Well it might great for people in the West to be able to buy and enjoy Apple products, but spare a thought for the poor Chinese workers and the conditions they have to endure for that i-phone, i-pad or whatever: 65p an hour, basic 48 hour week with up to 24.5 hours overtime, publicly humiliated in front of fellow workers if your productivity isn't up to scratch, 1 day off in 13, urged to sign an "anti-suicide pledge".

http://m.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-workers-treated-inhumanely

[seoirse2002]

Oh....thats put a damper on it for me...but I have to say that all over the world there are workers that are exploited in a similar way,and I doubt if any of us can guarantee that they have not bought one single product with a similar history.
In fact,its going on right here in the UK,maybe not to the same extent,but put into context,the principle is the same...what next,now some of us are not sure if we have eaten horsemeat...
Pretty much every distasteful story we read in the news these day regarding exploitation,dodgy dealings,sharp practice and dirty tricks are all about the accumulation of money,and its rampant here too.

[Macca]

Well it might great for people in the West to be able to buy and enjoy Apple products, but spare a thought for the poor Chinese workers and the conditions they have to endure for that i-phone, i-pad or whatever: 65p an hour, basic 48 hour week with up to 24.5 hours overtime, publicly humiliated in front of fellow workers if your productivity isn't up to scratch, 1 day off in 13, urged to sign an "anti-suicide pledge".

http://m.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-workers-treated-inhumanely

Let's boycott every product made in China then. That will really improve their standard of living. :scratch:

[Mr Kipling]

Yes George, exploitation is a fact of life. And yes it happens here in the UK. I know from personal experience. I work in a small factory where once upon a time there was a majority of full-time English staff and when more staff was required they would be recruited from an English agency and if they showed a willingness to work (a lot of idiot young ones didn't) would be kept on. Things changed however when foreign workers started to arrive when we started to get an increase of work in. Overtime was only available for the foreign workers as they were paid just normal rate . The full-time staff were told there would be no more overtime for them. The agency staff were working 7 - 6 Monday to Friday and half day Sat. and sometimes Sunday as well, and taking homework too. The foreign agency who supplied the staff started to buy houses nearby and the workers had to rent one of their houses in order to work. Previously they were free to rent English properties. Charging £60 a week and 5 to a house covered the mortgage.

And so it was for a good 5 years, and then a big contract was won and the owner needed some of the full-time staff to train the foreigners and other full-time staff for a particular job. Then, overtime was available for everyone - but still at the basic rate. Some full-time staff wouldn't do it. After the Christmas of that year when we came back after the holidays, the full-time staff were given new contracts to sign setting out that there wasn't any overtime rate and we would have to work as and when required, making no difference between full-time and agency staff, and if we weren't happy, the door was there. . .

And that's how things remain, apart from the fact that the contract went elsewhere after 18 months and foreign agency and full-time staff were dismissed.

[Barry]

Let's boycott every product made in China then. That will really improve their standard of living. :scratch:

I try to avoid buying anything made in China - but it's difficult.

My computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor are designed by Dell, and all are made in China. So too, the broadband modem and Freeview box. :doh:

[bobbasrah]

I try to avoid buying anything made in China - but it's difficult.

My computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor are designed by Dell, and all are made in China. So too, the broadband modem and Freeview box. :doh:

You have to think a little bit further than "Made in China" though.... Made in UK, became Ireland, Romania, Phillipines, Taiwan, etc, etc, this time next year maybe some distant outpost such as Wales....:eyebrows:
Ethics and good business parted company many moons ago, geography is merely an additional transport costs to consider on the balance sheet. Beef Lasagne anyone.....:rolleyes:

[seoirse2002]

You have to think a little bit further than "Made in China" though.... Made in UK, became Ireland, Romania, Phillipines, Taiwan, etc, etc, this time next year maybe some distant outpost such as Wales....:eyebrows:
Ethics and good business parted company many moons ago, geography is merely an additional transport costs to consider on the balance sheet. Beef Lasagne anyone.....:rolleyes:

Beef Lasagne?.....last time I had it it gave me the trots!:lol:

[synsei]

My Valhalla amp was made in China. Moral grounds be buggered, I am not sending it back... ;)

[hifinutt]

I try to avoid buying anything made in China - but it's difficult.

My computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor are designed by Dell, and all are made in China. So too, the broadband modem and Freeview box. :doh:

mmm, my lovely pre amp is made in china !

[Barry]

mmm, my lovely pre amp is made in china !

What is it Phil?