Bosmere Products Ltd

I don't normally do this, but about a month ago I sent the following letter to a company in the UK. I am still waiting for a reply. I am not expecting to receive one, nor do I expect a refund.

So if anybody out there is googling for Patio Set Covers, and happens to bump into this post...

We had bought a patio set cover for our patio tables and chairs in November 2008, and covered them up using this cover. By February 2009, the cover was falling apart.
Letter follows.

Customer Services
Bosmere Products Ltd,
Unit 5 Mitchell Way,
Airport Service Road,
Portsmouth,
PO3 5PR,
England.

Dear Sir,

I am writing to express my disappointment with the quality of your 6 seater circular patio set cover.

I purchased this cover from Chinnor Garden Centre, Chinnor, Oxfordshire for £39.99 on 4th November 2008 while on a short trip to the UK from my home in France.

Within a week the first of the supposedly heavy duty ties had broken – followed by the other 3 within the next month. Attempts to re-tie the broken cords were useless (they simply snapped again) and now the metal eyelets have ripped away from the plastic cover, now making it impossible to secure the cover even with heavy duty polypropylene rope which I purchased.

On removing the cover, it is also apparent that large areas of the plastic coating on the inside of the cover have completely worn away and it is no longer waterproof.
We do not live in the Outer Hebrides but south of the Loire valley in France, therefore it has most certainly not been exposed to unusually severe weather here!
It is clear that this product is not fit for purpose – it is marketed as being top quality PVC backed polyester, secure in windy conditions and giving full winter protection – it is obvious that after just two and a half months use that it is none of these.

As we live in France and very seldom travel to the UK we are unable to return the cover to the place where we purchased it. I would ask you therefore to refund the cost of the cover.

Yours faithfully
Mr Paul Beach.

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25851

I am a great fan of the Daily Telegraph Cryptic crossword, and have been doing, or attempting to do this crossword, just about every day since I was a student at University.

I was introduced to it by my Grandmother many years ago, when stayed with her in Banbury.

"We" (and I use We, advisedly) used to do the crossword when we had breakfast, usually my Grandmother doing the crossword and explaining how things worked, whilst every now and then I would have a eureka moment. Anyway enough digression.

I found the following web site that specialises in helping people through the Telegraph Cryptic crossword in a way that is much more friendly than normal "specialist" cryptic sites.

Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog

For those of you who don't know Libellule, is french for Dragonfly.