Scotland

Game is a well known high street store selling computer and console games but for those people who live any distance from one of their stores making a purchase from them could spell disaster! Seriously, in this present economic climate is it any wonder that high street stores are failing at an alarming rate when they continually fail to satisfy the very customers that keep their companies alive? Well, Game has a serious problem that is incredibly short sighted of them, they simply refuse to behave as a company and, in practice, behave more like a franchise (and a very cold one at that - worse than the dreaded burger franchise).

Simply put, Game, will not refund faulty goods! Yes it is true, if you buy an item and it is not fit for purpose they simply refuse to replace the said item. How can this be you ask? Well, imagine that you live on a remote Scottish island, let’s say the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides,  and you happen to be in the fine city of Edinburgh attending a hospital appointment. Furthermore, while killing time, you happen to call into Game and purchase an expensive item such as Guitar Hero World Tour. Imagine the horror of finding that the damn thing doesn’t work and then being in the terrible predicament of not being able to have it replaced. Money down the drain I would say! Well this is exactly what happened to a Harris person just before Christmas last year.

When this person contacted the shop they said that they would have to deliver it in person to the store and they would replace it. When this person explained where they lived they were given the customer support number. After many days trying and failing to get through the person sent an email. After many emails to and fro the answer eventually came - return it to the store.

How is a person supposed to buy goods these days? Buying from a store just lands you in serious trouble if things go wrong. It would appear that the only way to buy goods is online and in which case we strongly suggest that people buy from Amazon.co.uk as they are the cheapest and they charge no postage - even to the islands. If there is a problem the item is immediately replaced at no cost to the consumer!

If you live in a remote area of Scotland do NOT, under any circumstances, buy goods from a Game store or their online store - that is unless you are a keen gambler!

Update:

I have just heard that the person mentioned is disabled and housebound so how is he to return the faulty goods?

Nearly every time I travel in Scotland I seem to travel through Fort William. Sometimes I stop for a short while but, more often than not, I tend to just follow the road barely glancing at the town itself but maybe this year I will allocate a little more time to enjoy some of the “touristy” things that Fort William has to offer.

Fort William is the largest town in the Highlands of Scotland and is very much associated with extreme sport. The main reason for this is that the town sits below one of the Scottish Highlands premier tourist attractions, the Nevis Range and, in particular, Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the United Kingdom.

Typically you will find a number of shops catering for the tourist (tartan and the likes) and any visitor to Fort William should, at least, consider a visit to the Ben Nevis Distillery. Below you will find details of three other places well worth a visit if you are staying in Fort William; Old Inverlochy Castle, The Jacobite Steam Train and the West Highland Museum:

Old Inverlochy Castle

The Old Inverlochy Castle was built around 1270-1280, by John “the Black” Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lochaber, chief of the Clan Comyn. In 1431, clansmen of the Lords of the Isles defeated James I’s army in the 1431 Battle of Inverlochy. The castle was also famous, as a stopping off point in 1645, for the royalist army of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. The castle is now a ruin, but unusual, because the layaout has not changed a lot since it was built. Inverlochy Castle was one of the most important castles in Scottish History. In 1836, a new Inverlochy Castle was built in nearby Torlundy. This has since been converted into a luxury hotel.

The Jacobite Steam Train

One of the best ways to see Scotland’s wildest and most spectacular scenery is via the Jacobite Steam Train. The journey from Fort william to Mallaig has been described as one of the Great Railway Journeys of the World. The 84 mile round trip takes you past Ben Nevis, Loch Morar and Loch Nevis. Perhaps the most famous part of the journey is when the train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the twenty one arched, one thousand two hundred feet bridge which was constructed in 1901. The Glenfinnan viaduct and parts of the route were used extensively in the filming of the “Harry Potter” films, “The Chamber of Secrets” and the “Prisoner of Azkaban”.

West Highland Museum

The West Highland Museum has been described as ’small but fascinating’. The museum can be found just off the High Street, in Cameron Square. The museum was founded in 1922 by a group of Lochaber folk who wished to create: ‘A museum of, and for the West Highlands, second to none in the whole country’. In 1926 the present building was bought from the British Linen Bank. The museum has collections which represent a vivid depiction of life in the West Highlands. All people of the West Highlands are represented, from soldiers to crofters, and princes to clergymen. It has been called the most important museum collection in the Highlands.

If you plan to visit Fort William you will find the following sites most useful:

Fort William Hotels - http://www.virtualscotland.co.uk/accommodation/fortwilliamhotels.htm

Hotels & Accommodation in Fort William - http://www.fortwilliamhotelscotland.com/

Fort William Hotels & Accommodation - http://fortwilliam.hotelreservationhelper.com/

Nottingham is the largest city in the East Midlands. Over the centuries it has been home to many different races and cultures. During Anglo Saxon (600 AD) times The Saxon chief (called Snot) gave the town its name at the time - Snottingham. Later, in the 9th century, the town was home to the Vikings and it was one of the 5 major towns they held. 

The city is well known for lace production, during the 15th Century the town become famous for the religious sculptures made from alabaster that were exported. Then during the industrial revolution again it was renowned for the textiles that were manufactured in it. Nottingham remained famous for this trade until the end of the second world war, when cheaper imports became more widely available. More recently, a lot of the buildings used for producing textiles have been restored and put to other uses. 

What are some of the things to keep you occupied when you visit Nottingham?

1.     The Tales Of Robin Hood – This attraction allows you to travel back in time to when Robin Hood and his Merry Men roamed the forests surrounding this city in medieval times. The museum offers a range of films and live shows reconstructing the times of this folk hero and there is an adventure ride to take and you may prefer the experience of a medieval banquet.

2.    The Galleries Of Justice – On this historic site you can learn about 300 years of crime and punishment that occurred in the city. It is situated in the heart of Nottingham’s Lace Market which means you can find it in the city centre. It was used from the 1780’s right up until the 1980’s as not just the courts but a prison as well. You have the chance during your visit to this wonderful attraction to watch a real trial take place in the Victorian Courtroom and witness the prisoner being sentenced and escorted to their cell. You also have a chance to explore the medieval caves below the courts and cells as well.

3.    Wollaton Hall – This can be found a few miles outside the city and also boasts a natural history museum. Dating back to Elizabethan times was the brainchild of Robert Smythson and was completed back in 1588. You can look around the house and the museum of Natural History one is able to explore the 500 acre park that surrounds it. You can also explore the fascinating Tudor kitchens in the hall.

Choose your Nottingham accommodation from this list.