Classic Torque - Readers Letters
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OLD
MOGGY Dear CMMI am trying to trace
an old family friend, a split screen moggy, who's registration number
was ONC 400. CAUTIONARY TALE Dear CMMI thought that you
might be interested in this cautionary tale. A customer asked me for an
early 1960s positive earth radio for his 1960 Vauxhall. He said he had
bought a radio from a trader at a big show, he was assured that it was
right for his car, it even had Vauxhall on it, and he had paid good money
for it. |
I have just received
two replies from my ad on your online service, both claim to be agents who will
pay by "cashiers check" and arrange shipping, one reply is non specific
and the other from west Africa! Do any readers have any experience of this type
of reply, I am very wary as I am constantly receiving e-mail and letter scams
from Nigeria and Eastern European countries making all sorts of ridiculous offers
in an attempt to get your bank details, presumably with a view to emptying my
bank account.
Yours
D. Cowell
*That's exactly what they intend to do; this is another email scam
going the rounds of many sites on the web; they pick-up various email addresses,
and intend to send you a fake cheque (as if you would let any goods go without
seeing some hard cash). We seen several examples of the emails they send out.
Pathetically, one started "Dear sir/madam - We are willing to buy the item(s)
you are selling at full price..." Another seemed to offer a money laundering
service offering $10,000 above the asking price (this email was sent to Helen
in our admin dept!) 'to cover incidental costs etc.'
This is, verbatim, another email sent to CMM: "i'm very much interested
in purchasing your advertised product tagged at[price].i'm an international
dealer importer and exporter in varieties of goods,the payment is by certified
america cashier check.if the payment term is pkay by you,kindly email me your
full name,address and phone number to proceed with payment right away.as regard
the shipping,i have a reputables international shipping companies that ship
my consignments.he will be coming for the pick up as soon as the payment is
concluded.i will like to know the present condition of the product in order
to speed things up as soon as the payment is made.so if you're okay by this,kindly
get back to me in time." In this case, the software this snake was using
failed to spot a price (We didn't advertise anything) and so didn't slot it
in his letter.
You can spot these fakers a mile away - just use your common sense!
We'll leave this letter on our on-line site as a word of warning to others!
THAT OLD CHESTNUT
Dear CMM
I know that it's an old
chestnut, the sort of thing that Spannerman roasts before the roaring
fire down at The Chequered Flag, but the question of "Pay and
Show" has raised its ugly head again. This time it's not some modest little
car show - but Bromley Pageant.
The event, which I've attended for many years now, usually with a classic, is
this year asking the club and marque stands to fork out a fiver per car "for
administration". Billing itself as the biggest car show in Europe by virtue
of the fact that it marshalls non-stand, one make cars together in lines to
add to the display, means that anyone can feast their eyes on thousands of classics
on the day.
But... why should those on a stand have to pay for the privilege of being there?
I know that in this day and age a fiver is next to nothing, but we come back
to the principle here. Enthusiasts like myself spend a lot of money on maintaining
and caring for their classics. It's great to show them at venues like Bromley
to an appreciative audience. Why, then, do the powers that be insist on raking
in even more cash on the day?
The Pageant has traditionally charged any car attending, provided it's not on
a stand. And stands usually involve work and expense on the part of those showing,
so that the spectators get value for money. Forget the autojumble - it's long
been a joke at Bromley - but if your fancy lies towards garden tools, mobile
phones, swings, slides and fast food, then you'll be happy enough.
Concerted action is really the only way forward. To any seasoned attendee, boycotting
one show on the calendar won't affect you in the slightest - but it will make
a heck of difference to the organisers, who will be faced with empty pitches.
Yours
Man of Kent
(Name and address supplied)
*We contacted Jason Lunn, Event Director of Bromley Pageant who replies: "Since
taking over Bromley Pageant a few years ago we have invested heavily in solving
the long standing traffic issues and improving the organisation of the event
and the benefits of the improved traffic plan have been obvious to all. Investment
doesn't stop there with admin staff to organise the entries, plaques to pay
for, rent of the venue, insurance, etc all of which continue to rise above inflation
each year - not to mention the increasing costs of Health & Safety.
"It is unfortunate but Bromley Pageant can no longer sustain free entry
to all those clubs wishing to show their vehicles but I don't think a nominal
administration charge of £5 is going to stretch anyone these days and
it barely covers the true cost of staffing the show and administrating the entry,
essentially we will make no profit from this charge.
"It is also sad to say that some clubs have become unreliable in turning
up for the event. We are constantly over subscribed 2 to 1 on stands available
and it is not fair to those clubs that we can't fit into the show in advance.
"One Make entries suffered a similar problem until a charge was introduced
by the previous owner many years ago and a small charge has stopped the problem
of gaps in the show. Having gaps on the day for 'no shows' is detrimental for
any event.
"We know that this decision will not be popular with some and that is unavoidable
and I apologise. For the future of the show, to ensure continued investment
and to stop these gaps in the event a charge has to be made and to state that
we are 'raking in cash' simply is not true.
"I would add that we are already recieving our club and car entries as
usual so application levels are unaffected.
"Expect more organisers to do the same. Its a simple choice, support the
shows and be fair to organisers and the events will continue, or there won't
be any shows and anywhere to show these beautiful vehicles anymore which would
be a shame for all concerned."
A RESULT!
Dear CMM
I have just been reading
David Landers column in February`s CMM (Issue 227), as always most
interesting and thought provoking.
Decided that we would try our cars on askmid.com as suggested. Our everyday
car, upon which the insurance was renewed three and a half months ago, was retaxed
last week at the post office using the current insurance certificate provided
by the insurance company.
When we pushed in the registration number to askmid.com, surprise, surprise
it is not on the database as being insured. A quick call to our insurance broker,
with whom we have dealt with for more years than we care to remember, and within
five minutes he was back to us, saying the insurance company insisted that the
car was on the database - oh no it wasn`t. At his suggestion a way around the
impass was to alter slightly the conditions of the policy, which they are obliged
to transmit immediately to the insurance company by email, in the hope that
this would result in the vehicle being placed on the database. A reduction in
the value of the vehicle by £5 is enough to justify this alteration apparently.
We will try askmid.com in a couple of days to see if this has worked and will
keep you informed. Very many thanks for bringing askmid.com to our attention
as this may well have saved us from a embarrassing encounter with the DVLA snatch
squad.
Yours
Alan Fairclough
via email:
maryalanf267@hotmail.co.uk
*Alan emailed again a few days later saying: "Further to my recent email
reference problems with an insured car not being on the MID database, I am pleased
to advise you that thanks to our brokers bright idea of altering the conditions
of the policy without altering the premium, ie reducing the value of the car
by £5, has had the desired effect and happily not only is our vehicle
insured it is now officially insured.
“Again many thanks for your column, otherwise we would have been driving
around blissfully unaware that it could well have been taken away by the DVLA
snatch squad at any time.
“Keep up the good work.”
David Landers is duly delighted!
CLARKES MILLDear CMMWith reply to your
plea for information on Clarkes Mill, (Letters Issue 227, February
2008) there was a mill of that name in Banbury. They had a mill down
by the station in the town, and a mill down on the canal wharf in the
town. I cannot remember the make of lorries they used, the colour may
have been brown with cream writing. I think they were bought out by Lampreys
of Banbury. The mill by the station was bought by a printing works and
was later burnt down. The one by the canal has now been redeveloped. THAT SIDDELEY Dear CMMIn reply to Frank
Cooke’s letter and his lovely wandering Armstrong. I'm pleased to
say that I doubt if it's the car at fault, but the type of tyres fitted.
His Armstrong Siddeley will be fitted with crossply tyres, they have a
very rigid sidewall which has very little ability to absorb impacts from
uneven road surfaces (i.e. ruts), and therefore makes the car more difficult
to control on such surfaces. Whereas his modern car is fitted with radial
ply tyres with amuch more flexible tyrewall which enables them to absorb
such impacts as potholes, ruts, etc and therefore easier to control. |
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