I liked the razor so much it was a shame about the carry case

For some time now I had been meaning to buy myself a new beard trimmer. (Not a razor - so the gag in the title doesn't really work but WTH)

A few days ago I found myself in a branch of Boots that had a display of many trimmers. In consultation with the knowledgeable assistant, I settled on a Remington. Good name, good reputation and the late Victor Kayam had been so impressed ....

All went well at first. The trimmer trimmed adequately. The adjustable trimmer comb adjusted satisfactorily. The cleaning brush cleaned efficiently.

Then I decided to pack it away in its little fabric pouch and pop it into my wash-bag ready for my holiday. In went the trimmer. In went the moustache comb and cleaning brush. In DID NOT go the charging cord and plug. The pouch is too bloody small!!!
What a farce. Did it not occur to the doubtless university-educated and highly trained designer of this product that someone might want to use it elsewhere than at home? Where a carry-pouch would in any event have been redundant! Or was it designed with the continental 'small plug' market in mind and no-one could be bothered to adjust the spec for the UK market? Whatever the inadequate reason for this major blunder, it is all too symptomatic of the shoddiness of modern products.

BLACK MARK REMINGTON!!

Low cost airlines - are they an NHS plot?

I've just been through the trauma of booking a cheap flight. Needless to report, my stress levels rocketed and my blood pressure went off the scale.

It's not just the irritating, petty charges and rules that upset me; it's the underhand way they are introduced. Why do I have to wait until I have spent 30 minutes wading through the complexities of the booking system before I find out what I will have to pay for the privilege of taking luggage with me? Depending on the airline involved, this item alone can make a previously apparent best buy uncompetitive. Do they really think I am not going to ditch them? Do they think the hassle I have been through (and will have to repeat with their competitors) will outweigh the fury I feel at their mendacity? It won't - I will trudge from airline to airline until I find the least despicable operator to give my money to.

And it will not necessarily be the cheapest. So the fact that UneasyJet appears at first glance 4p cheaper than Rypoffair will not save them when the baggage deal turns sour. And the aforementioned Rypoffair will have to be vastly, vastly price competitive to save them being dumped in favour of a slightly more expensive Beami who at least treat me like a member of the human race, albeit an oppressed minority member.

So, is it all a plot to drive me to an early grave and thus save the NHS a few quid on the drugs they currently supply to keep me going? It wouldn't surprise me; and it has to be a more likely conspiracy theory than that junk about the twin towers.