As I sent e-mail to this kiosk company about offer what gives you free water, I received reply:
"Dear Andris,
Thank you for your e-mail regarding your recent visit to our Sheffield "......" Store.
I am extremely sorry for the confusion caused by this incident. To clarify, the "...... newspaper" are currently running a promotion whereby the purchase of their newspaper entitles the customer to a free bottle of water of certain varied but limited lines. It would appear that the cashier was attempting to proactively enable you to save some money by selecting a copy of the "newspaper" and charging for this item whilst providing the water selected free of charge.
However, this should not have been done automatically and an explanation of the promotion should have been given to you with the option to participate or not and I am extremely sorry that this was not the case.
I do hope that this information helps to clarify the incident and if I can be of any assistance to you in the future, please let me know.
Kind Regards
"....................."
This was e-mail I received, but it didn't satisfy me at all. I sent them back e-mail with few ideas to change this promotion. Like cooperating with UNICEF or any other charity organization and send this water to Africa or where else this water is in need. Sent some new project ideas, suggestions and my opinions! For this e-mail I haven't received any response! Sent it twice with asking for answer. No reaction...
P.s. I haven't published companies names, because as I heard here in England there is not such a big freedom of speech! Don't want to get in trouble yet... If you have any idea, want to participate, to do something for about this, please sent me e-mail, or just leave to comment below! Thanks for support! Andris.
_ Yesterday (13/1/2012) I had kinda weird situation. I took my friends daughter to Sheffields train station, and there was well known UK kiosk, where I went to buy bottle of water. Price of water was 1,69£ and when I was going to pay for it, cashier gave me extra local newspaper and asked from me 1,20£! Which means, I paid only for newspaper and I got 0,5l bottle of water for free! What is this special offer? At the moment I did not have any objections, but then I started to think... Water for free in UK? Doesn't it sound wrong?
I mean, if it would be free water in Africa, it would sound just normal and even brilliant!
In Africa there are thousands of people who never drunk clean, drinking water, there are thousands of thirsty people and childs between them. Water is very important for every live creature, doesn't matters animal, plant or human! But only people need clean drinking water. And not only in Africa there are clean water problems. Africa is most urgent place in the world where needs a lot of help. Just type in Google: "Water shortage in africa" and you will learn more than you expected. For more strong people I suggest to type the same and push Google Images. Be ready for horror! :(
So, this "special offer" made me think to write a letter to this kiosk company and learn more about this offer and aims of it! I guess not only me bothers this offer, so have to do something about it! And as letter will be finished and sent, I will be waiting answer with good explanation. Will update it here on my blog.
My version of this "special offer" would be: Buy a Newspaper and You automatically donate one 0,5l watter bottle for Africa! Doesn't it sounds better? Only thing is to change slogan! Any Ideas?
It's around 6 o'clock in the morning, we are leaving from club after awesome New Years party. We are heavily drunk. Getting inside taxi and going home. I reached home, but my friends continues the way to their home, which is in other town.. I got into house and went straight way to bed. New year is done for me! My friends were on the way to their home, when they reached it, my friend forgot hers bag in the taxi. In the bag - mine, hers, and hers boyfriends passports, hers credit cards, phone, and all most important things. Sh**!!! What to do now? How to get our things? Are they lost forever? Shock and fear. There suddenly boyfriends phone rings and it is call from girls phone, which is in taxi. It's taxi driver! He dialled the last called number, and thanks God it was boyfriends number! He offers to come back and give it to them, if they agree pay for taxi or wait till next days morning and pick it up in Sheffields town center. As the place they were is long and far distance away from Sheffield, and it is 1st january, hey agreed with picking up the bag in the town centre at the next day. In a while they decided to call him again to confirm meeting place and time, but girls phone is off.... Did taxi driver changed his mind? Suspicious move what make us think about losing everything again. I am already getting information about closest embassy in the case we need to make new passports, girl called to banks and blocked hers bank cards and internet bank. Waiting. trying to reach girls phone number, but it is still offline. In couple of hours they receive call from girls number again! Taxi driver is on the way to give them back hers bag. He reaches their town and place, and gives back everything whats in! Taxi driver receives some reward for being such a human! Thanks so much to this kind of people. It's made me think, that still there is good people in the world! We were lucky! :)
One more interesting and positive story about UK taxi drivers. Once my friend ordered taxi and it came 45 min later that it should be. Then on the way taxi driver decided to take petrol, which makes this situation worse. My friend gets more mad. But when he gets back in the car he gives chocolate to my friend and apologizes about all situations. Isn't it sweet!? :) After on the way they were singing christmas songs together! :) The happy end!
P.s. If you do have any nice taxi stories, please share with us! ;)