Many thanks for your messages about the farce of Comet’s Repair Service (you can read the first tale of woe here in an open letter to Mr Darke). As a number of people have asked what’s happened next, I’ll fill you in:

I mailed the letter to Mr Darke’s office, and received a reply the same day :

“I have sent a copy of your email to my office for them to complete a full investigation into the matter, of which we will endeavour to respond no later than 3 working days. If we are unable to give a complete response within this time we will contact you direct with an update on the situation.”

On the same day, Adam Spencer from Comet’s Social Media team picked up on the blog post and responded themselves:

“Just to let you know I’ve received your e-mail, and am investigating. I have requested an explanation from the service centre manager, and I will update you as soon as possible. “

So – it’s all good. Action will soon be achieved. And yay for the power of the blog.

On Saturday I received another message from Adam Spencer (the ONE person Comet have employed who takes a pro-active approach and keeps communicating – he’s not in the Directors office, nor a manager, just staff on the online service team from what I gather):

To keep you updated; I have spoken to our inventory team, and they have advised that the part did not arrive on the 25th, they expect it to arrive mid-week, but have been unable to provide me with a concrete ETA. As such, I have escalated your complaint to the service centre manager to see if we are able to offer an alternative resolution. I will update you again as soon as I have a reply.

So we waited some more.

Nothing on Monday.

On Tuesday I received another mail from Adam

As I am investigating your complaint received via Twitter and you blog post, I have also been assigned the letter addressed to Mr Darke.

Your complaint has been escalated to the regional service manager, and I anticipate having a full response for you this afternoon.

I do appreciate the inconvenience the delay is causing, and I will look to resolve the issue with minimum further delay.

And then at the end of the day, after me prodding for the promised manager’s response I received another

I’m still waiting to hear from the regional manager, I have left him a voicemail as well as forwarding the details by e-mail, but am aware he has been in meetings for most of the day. I will update you as soon as he get’s back to me.

I am sorry for the delay.

This morning, feeling sorry for the poor Adam who has me trying not to get sweary in one ear and a non-responsive manager ignoring him on the other, I have called Mr Darke’s office. I spoke (very politely, contrary to popular opinion) to a real live person, who looked up the case, agreed it needed resolving and assured me that a manager will call today to resolve the issue.

Seriously, Comet, is it so hard?

I bought an expensive TV, and paid extra for you to look after it for me.

It broke.

You can’t repair it.

You have a replacement policy in your warranty documents.

Replace the bloody thing with one of the many thousands you have sitting in your stores around the country.

As a gesture of goodwill for the whole mess of a saga, you can also refund the £300 we’ve since spent with Comet on a never-should-have-been-necessary small replacement TV in the meantime.

It’s really not rocket science, or a matter that should take 5 weeks and countless ‘managers’ to solve.

Okay, it’s a well-documented thing that I find Alice a bit… creepy (yeah, I know, *gasp, shock*…well, shoot me).

But.

This umbrella? I like.

The Alice print by Nathalie Lete  is just really pretty – and so cheery on a rainy day.

Large enough for the whole family to take cover under too, apparently!

Available from the awesomely kitsch Lapin & Me for £41

We LOVE Raspberry Red with their fun, funky and comfy children’s clothes. We love them a le-e-etle bit more when they have a big sale on!

Fab Boys long-sleeved tee, up to age 8, reduced to £14.40 with the discount code

Or this stunning girls cord dress, ages 2-6 - down to £27.20 with the discount code

Or these gorgeous Reluctant Dragon pj's, ages 18mth to 5yrs, down to £17.60.

OFFER: 20% Off

CODE: XMASSHOP

EXPIRES: unkown

… LittleStuff gave to you…

A Little Cook’s Kitchen worth £70!

Just go enter on our super-lovely facebook page.

Simples.

See you tomorrow… :)

Oh, LOVE it!

Festive without a hint of tacky.

Fabulous quality Jack Spratt romper from LushBaby, personalised for a special 1st Christmas  in Scarlett Red or Pure White with Glittering Gold Print.
Made in England from 100 % luxury cotton, definitely one that will get tucked away in that memory box.

£22 from the reliably lush LushBaby

The biggest boy of mine – 12 now – has been *yearning* for an iPhone since he started High School. *YEARNS* for one, he does.

Dream on, kiddo.

But Christmas approaches, and his list looks something like this:

iPhone

iPhone

iPhone

iPhone

iPod

iPhone

I sensed that something must be done. Which is where those nice people at Vodafone stepped in, and sent him one of these babies to try out (not to keep, mind. they’re not THAT daft). The Vodafone 858 Smart. Cute huh?

What did the iPhone-aholic think of it? Well, I’m not sure, actually, because apart form a quick breathy “ohhh, COOL phone!” it was whisked off behind a bedroom door, not to reappear for ages.

By which time it was all App-ed up, personalised, filled with music, and tucked into the back pocket of a saggy pair of jeans *eyeroll*.

So – he’s been using it for a couple of weeks. Would he recommend you wrap this and pop it under the tree for your own adolescent?

Erm… YES! (cue bored teen eyeroll with that ‘duh! inflection guaranteed to get him thwacked by the nearest adult)

So – whaddaya get?

Well, you pretty much get everything they want.

It’s a pay-as-you-go smartphone with apps, navigation, social-networking and multimedia.

On 29th and 30th October 2011 the Green Giant and his mate Colin Jackson visited the Trafford Centre in Manchester  to encourage families to get their 5-a-day veggies every day.

A fantastic time was had by all with top tips for 5-a-day, meeting Colin Jackson and 193 families gave the Green Giant a High Five!

Fantastic!

So, if you want to want some top tips from the Green Giant on getting your family their 5-a-day every day, like their Facebook page here!

*sponsored post*

Loo-o-o-ok!!!!

Retro Red metal racing car – just a great toy for the little car lovers, and definitely an heirloom in the making. Made of steel, no less, it has a working steering wheel, long lasting rubber tyres (no damage to your floors!) and finished with scratch resistant powder coating for the toughest of races.

For age 1+ we simply LOVE it.

Available from the amazing I Love Toys site at a corner under £70

Our competition celebrating the launch of three new fabulous LittleLife Todder Daysack designs; Giraffe, Dinosaur and Clownfish ends tomorrow. We are giving away a LittleLife Toddler Daysacks to five lucky winners.

… LittleStuff gave to you…

A Big City Garage worth £55!

Just go enter on our super-lovely facebook page.

Simples.

See you tomorrow… :)

… LittleStuff gave to you…

A Wonderland Castle worth £85!

Just go enter on our super-lovely facebook page.

Simples.

See you tomorrow for the 12th and final day… *sob*

(Reviewed by Mr Laura – who is Head of Juicing Operations in Chez LittleStuff…)

Now, as a man, I’m no a slouch in the kitchen. In fact I know my way round pretty proficiently, and am not afraid to tackle anything. As far as I am concerned the key to success in the kitchen is to be organised (Laura will often laugh at my precise way of laying out all the exact ingredients before I start, but she can laugh off… my cooking, my way…)

So when it come to the use of appliances, they need to be easy to use; something that does exactly what it says on the tin. What I can’t stand and have no time for is appliances that require a degree to work them, an instruction book so thick it could probably hold up my house in the event of a landslide. Like most of us men, I just don’t do instruction books.

So on being presented with the Phillips Avance Juicer, my mind became full of thoughts of fresh juice throughout those dull dark winter months; something good for the whole family without costing a fortune (yes, a money saving idea, something else us guys quite like to achieve!).
Anyway, I dutifully collected a large number of bottles to store the contents of my labours and over the next few weeks when out and about with the family in the car (always remembering to carry a few dozen carrier bags), we often made emergency pit stops to collect roadside Help-Yourself offerings of a plethora of fruit… free! My favourite kind of stuff.

So having collected said fruit, I set about the task of juicing!
The Phillips Avance Juicer? Works like a dream.

It so simple to use (bloke friendly, no huge instruction booklet either). You simply put the juice jug underneath the spout, plug in add fruit and you’re away. It comfortably takes three to four whole pieces of fruit at a time, applying gentle pressure down the receiving shoot and juice flows quickly and easily into the jug.

There’s even a very convenient little window on the side so you can see the build up of pulp; when the window is full it’s time to stop and empty out.

But even this operation is extremely simple – there aren’t masses of parts to remove (in fact only four pieces). Within moments you have removed the cover, emptied the dry pulp (yes  every last ounce of goodness from your fruit and leaves only dry waste which you can recycle), rinse the main blades under the tap, a quick clip together and you are away again.

My one and only gripe is perhaps that I had to do this rather frequently, but then I was dealing with a large amount of fruit!

After use, those same four parts fit neatly into your dishwasher for a proper deep clean, the main chamber requires only a quick rinse and hey presto, you’re done! Simples.

This 9 litres of juice is just one session with a box of apples - I have a freezer crammed with around 40 litres of fresh home made apple, pear and berry juice.

I just can’t recommend the Phillips Avance Juicer highly enough; it’s robust and simple to use, it looks good too. Yes £200 is a big spend up front – but how much do you spend on fresh fruit juice every winter? And is it REALLY fresh? Straight-off-the-tree fresh?

And of course this is just the fresh fruit juice we’re talking about – the juicer comes with a fab  Juicemaster book, which describes the benefits of juicing, and the juicemaster detox diet.

Best of all – especially for us common sense blokey types – well, it does exactly what it says on the tin!

Philips Avance Juicer HR1871 is available from Amazon for £200

I’ll pause while you gaze a little.

Just beautiful, aren’t they?

I was thinking they’d make a wonderful gift for the grandparents, but actually…  I would LOVE one of these for myself.

I have three boys, and they are all mad keen on the skate park.

But.

(*whispers*) They’re all a le-e-tle bit afeared of the whole skateboard thing.

No, they’re all MUCH happier when they have a handle to hang on to.

And of course there comes a time in every child’s life when they realise that the fantabulous Ben 10/Fifi/ ScoobyDoo scooter they’ve been hurtling around on just isn’t quite cutting it on the social front anymore.

For your 8yr old, that green plastic scooter they had when they were 5 is NOT going to be taken to the Skate Park. It’s NOT up to bunny hops. And they refuse to even take it out any more, telling you the old lie

“Oh, no, I’m not really into scootering any more, it’s for babies”.

Pfffft.

This is the point that Razor step in.

If you’re not au fait with scooters, you’ll have to trust me on this.
Razor are Where It’s At.

Socially, they’re deemed “coooo-o-o-ol” by Those Who Know.

More importantly to any sensible parent – you actually get what you pay for. Solidly built to stand up to any amount of Jayhop-and-Grind practice (Impressed, arencha? *smug face*), they can get continuously hammered at the skate park and STILL carry their tired legs home smoothly.

And this particular model, the Ultra Pro Lo Scooter? This is about as good as it gets. Designed specifically for stunt riding, this is about as tough as a scooter can be (which, regardless of your child’s trickery levels, is one of the key features for me).

Want the geeky tech bit?

“The rigid down tube increases stability and ride performance. The deck is double-welded to the down tube and thicker for superior strength. The bearings have been upgraded to ensure a smoother ride and the grips are low profile to enhance mobility.”

Razor is the most trusted brand in scooters for a reason, and I honestly won’t get anything else for my boys.

 Razor Ultra Pro Lo Scooter Currently available on Amazon at 20% off plus free shipping – £79 on the BunnyHopping Nose.

So – December approaches, the advent calendars are out of the loft (you HAVE got yours out already, yes?) and there’s no more escaping it.

Christmas Shopping looms.

Sometimes you know just what to get – but often you don’t. Sometimes you just want a small something extra, a little something different, quirky, unique – and that’s where we come in. For the next four weeks we’ll be firing off ideas at you, a mix of products we’ve seen and reviewed and totally recommend – and other stuff we’ve just spotted and instantly LOVE.

You can get a head start by checking last years Gift Guide – they may be ‘so last year’, but they’re still gorgeous (and do shout if you find something that no longer exists!)

Oh, and don’t forget the Advent calendar of comps starts on Wednesday. You do NOT want to miss it – a brand new comp every day in the run up to Christmas, and some of the prizes are spec-tac-u-lar. We’re SO excited for you!

In the mean time – stick with us.

It’s going to be FUN.

(those fab letter blocks are available from Etsy for just under £24!)

… LittleStuff gave to you…

A Brambledale Farmworth £45!

Just go enter on our super-lovely facebook page.

Simples.

See you tomorrow… :)

… LittleStuff gave to you…

A Rosebud Village Hospital worth £60!

Just click on the picture to go enter on our super-lovely facebook page.

Simples.

See you tomorrow… :)

… LittleStuff gave to you…

A HappyLand Ready To Play Village Set worth £60!

Just click on the picture to go enter on our super-lovely facebook page.

Simples.

See you tomorrow… :)

And yes, before you ask.

I look EXACTLY like Miss Pink Trousers down the front there as I bounce and skip round my Zumba-lounge.

Mmm Hmmm.

Zumba Fitness 2 (Wii)

… LittleStuff gave to you…

A Wooden Art Easel worth £50!

Just click on the picture to go enter on our super-lovely facebook page.

Simples.

See you tomorrow… :)