Monday, December 03, 2012
Little Differences: floor numbering
In Europe ground floor is usually considered the level 0 while in the USA ground floor is numero uno.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Little differences: card payments
One of the things that has confused me the most here In the USA is the way card transactions are handled in restaurants and bars. The transaction happens in the following way:
1. Waiter hands me the bill
2. I hand him my debit card
3. He swipes it and gives me a receipt with a field for tip, total and signature
4. I fill the receipt, sign it and leave
The waiter then has to input the tip on the machine. If he mistypes it I will only find out by checking my bank account statement (if I ever do that).
Never seen this in Europe... In Europe I confirm the amount on the terminal, add tip and then finish by typing my PIN.
1. Waiter hands me the bill
2. I hand him my debit card
3. He swipes it and gives me a receipt with a field for tip, total and signature
4. I fill the receipt, sign it and leave
The waiter then has to input the tip on the machine. If he mistypes it I will only find out by checking my bank account statement (if I ever do that).
Never seen this in Europe... In Europe I confirm the amount on the terminal, add tip and then finish by typing my PIN.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
How NY Times sees Lisbon
A colleague who is passionate about food pointed me to the following two interesting articles from NY Times:
How I Fell for Lisbon
But [sidewalk] tiles like these, used this way, were a revelation. It was as if Lisbon wore a set of jewels that other cities didn’t bother to.
4 Lisbon Restaurants Not to Miss
Cervejaria, in the elegant residential neighborhood of Campo de Ourique, to which few tourists venture, has a menu with a more diverse selection of clams, saltwater snails and even barnacles than I’d ever encountered before.
How I Fell for Lisbon
But [sidewalk] tiles like these, used this way, were a revelation. It was as if Lisbon wore a set of jewels that other cities didn’t bother to.
4 Lisbon Restaurants Not to Miss
Cervejaria, in the elegant residential neighborhood of Campo de Ourique, to which few tourists venture, has a menu with a more diverse selection of clams, saltwater snails and even barnacles than I’d ever encountered before.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
US vs British English
Some different use of words I've noticed so far:
There are also some interesting pronunciations, like the word mobile. Here they almost say moble, in the UK is mobIle, where the I is more pronounced.
- Subway vs Tube or Underground
- Cafeteria vs Canteen
- Trash vs Rubbish
- Apartment vs Flat
- Line vs Queue
There are also some interesting pronunciations, like the word mobile. Here they almost say moble, in the UK is mobIle, where the I is more pronounced.
Little Differences
After 6 weeks in the USA I've been noticing a few interesting little differences between here and Europe. First one was the use of certain different words. I'll keep registering them here under the little-differences label. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, some little differences noticed by Vincent (Travolta):
Monday, September 24, 2012
London Starter Pack
A few of my friends who moved to London/UK asked my advice regarding a few common topics so I've compiled the list of things I've told them and I'm putting it here for anyone else who may find it helpful.
Housing
I've always shared flats in London so these websites may be better suited for people renting a room:
Spareroom.co.uk: my favourite one, offers are filtered and it has a great search engine / alert system. Early bird option is worth the cost as it may help you secure a great deal.
Gumtree.com: Lots of offers but be careful with deals too good to be true. Some are fakes to lure you in to get in touch with an agent who will try to offer you something else (generally more expensive).
Moveflat.co.uk: Not as many offers as the above ones but not bad.
Regarding British tenancy laws, your landlord has to put your deposit in a Deposit Security Scheme (DSS), make sure you ask him for the DSS details.
Final advice: if you see a flat/room in London that you like and the price is good take it immediately. If you don't chances are someone else will. It's a very competitive market.
Foreign Exchange
Transferring money home, or to the UK, using conventional banks may become very expensive as their rates and fees are not amazing. You get better deals using specialised Foreign Exchange providers. I've only used one and I've been very happy with all the transactions I've placed through them.
SmartCurrencyExchange.com: You call them and get a quote for the amount of money you want to transfer (I've got rates as good as 2% above spot price). Transfer pounds to their pound bank account and they will transfer euros the destination account you wish in 3 business days. They also support other currencies.
ATM Machine / Debit Card: I've written about this here (in Portuguese), the summary is you get charged fees for every transaction. If you are doing many (6 or more) it's better to withdrawn as much money as possible as opposed of several small card transfers.
Taxes and National Insurance
The best website to get information about this is HMRC. Some companies will help you get a National Insurance Number, while in other cases you'll have to take care of it yourself.
IRS: For people whose only source of income is their salary they don't need to fill IRS forms. Taxes will be deducted from your salary and HMRC will repay you some tax back if you started working half way through the fiscal year or if you leave London before the fiscal year ends.
You got a Per Annum offer but now you are wondering how much you'll get in the end of the month after taxes? Check listentotaxman.com. BTW, contrary to certain continental countries, in the UK you'll only get 12 salaries per year. There are no extra subsidies for Xmas or holidays month.
Getting Around London
Don't forget to buy an Oyster Card once you get to an Underground Station.
tfl.gov.uk: TFL handles Buses and Underground and they have a great journey planner on their website
Barclays (Boris) Bikes: For £45/year it's a great way of travelling in London!
Getting out of London
By plane, check skyscanner.net to find the best flight rates, don't forget to chose "London All" as this will find flights to/from all airports around London.
By train: NationalRail.co.uk
By bus: MegaBus.com, low cost buses, NationalExpress.co.uk, normal coaches service
Health
UK has the reputation of having one of the best Health systems in the world. It's called NHS and you can use their website to find out all you need to know.
Communications
Calling home from your mobile phone/landline can be expensive. There a few other cheaper methods:
Skype.com: obviously you can use Skype to make calls using the internet but you can also use it to call to phone numbers (rates)
Voipcheap.com: A cheaper way to call phone numbers from the web is Voipcheap, not only the rates are better thank Skype's it also offer freedays to call landlines for free. If you have a slow internet connection you can also call a Voipcheap's local phone number from your phone and then dial the number you want to call using your voipcheap credit.
WhatsApp/Viber: have a smartphone with an internet connection? Chances are you are already using one of these apps. They are great to keep in touch with folks back home either by sending messages of phone calls.
Living Costs
So you got a big offer to work in London, but how much does it actually cost to live in London?
Expatistan.com: Expatistan helps you compare the cost of living in your present city to the one you are moving.
Shopping
You got yourself a flat and now you need to buy some appliances, bed linen, gadgets, etc. Where to go?
argos.co.uk: There are many Argos in London and chances are there is one close to you. There will find very good prices on a very wide range of products. You can oder what you want to buy from the website, go to one of the shops, pay and collect.
amazon.co.uk: With free delivery on so many items it's hard not like Amazon. Probably the best website for electronic products, media and books.
ebay.co.uk: Most renown for its auctions ebay also lets you buy from shops, including shops in China that will sell you incredibly cheap adapters and gadgets. After you search for something click on the "Buy Now" tab and this will show you item for available for sale.
Enjoy your stay in London and have fun!
Housing
I've always shared flats in London so these websites may be better suited for people renting a room:
Spareroom.co.uk: my favourite one, offers are filtered and it has a great search engine / alert system. Early bird option is worth the cost as it may help you secure a great deal.
Gumtree.com: Lots of offers but be careful with deals too good to be true. Some are fakes to lure you in to get in touch with an agent who will try to offer you something else (generally more expensive).
Moveflat.co.uk: Not as many offers as the above ones but not bad.
Regarding British tenancy laws, your landlord has to put your deposit in a Deposit Security Scheme (DSS), make sure you ask him for the DSS details.
Final advice: if you see a flat/room in London that you like and the price is good take it immediately. If you don't chances are someone else will. It's a very competitive market.
Foreign Exchange
Transferring money home, or to the UK, using conventional banks may become very expensive as their rates and fees are not amazing. You get better deals using specialised Foreign Exchange providers. I've only used one and I've been very happy with all the transactions I've placed through them.
SmartCurrencyExchange.com: You call them and get a quote for the amount of money you want to transfer (I've got rates as good as 2% above spot price). Transfer pounds to their pound bank account and they will transfer euros the destination account you wish in 3 business days. They also support other currencies.
ATM Machine / Debit Card: I've written about this here (in Portuguese), the summary is you get charged fees for every transaction. If you are doing many (6 or more) it's better to withdrawn as much money as possible as opposed of several small card transfers.
Taxes and National Insurance
The best website to get information about this is HMRC. Some companies will help you get a National Insurance Number, while in other cases you'll have to take care of it yourself.
IRS: For people whose only source of income is their salary they don't need to fill IRS forms. Taxes will be deducted from your salary and HMRC will repay you some tax back if you started working half way through the fiscal year or if you leave London before the fiscal year ends.
You got a Per Annum offer but now you are wondering how much you'll get in the end of the month after taxes? Check listentotaxman.com. BTW, contrary to certain continental countries, in the UK you'll only get 12 salaries per year. There are no extra subsidies for Xmas or holidays month.
Getting Around London
Don't forget to buy an Oyster Card once you get to an Underground Station.
tfl.gov.uk: TFL handles Buses and Underground and they have a great journey planner on their website
Barclays (Boris) Bikes: For £45/year it's a great way of travelling in London!
Getting out of London
By plane, check skyscanner.net to find the best flight rates, don't forget to chose "London All" as this will find flights to/from all airports around London.
By train: NationalRail.co.uk
By bus: MegaBus.com, low cost buses, NationalExpress.co.uk, normal coaches service
Health
UK has the reputation of having one of the best Health systems in the world. It's called NHS and you can use their website to find out all you need to know.
Communications
Calling home from your mobile phone/landline can be expensive. There a few other cheaper methods:
Skype.com: obviously you can use Skype to make calls using the internet but you can also use it to call to phone numbers (rates)
Voipcheap.com: A cheaper way to call phone numbers from the web is Voipcheap, not only the rates are better thank Skype's it also offer freedays to call landlines for free. If you have a slow internet connection you can also call a Voipcheap's local phone number from your phone and then dial the number you want to call using your voipcheap credit.
WhatsApp/Viber: have a smartphone with an internet connection? Chances are you are already using one of these apps. They are great to keep in touch with folks back home either by sending messages of phone calls.
Living Costs
So you got a big offer to work in London, but how much does it actually cost to live in London?
Expatistan.com: Expatistan helps you compare the cost of living in your present city to the one you are moving.
Shopping
You got yourself a flat and now you need to buy some appliances, bed linen, gadgets, etc. Where to go?
argos.co.uk: There are many Argos in London and chances are there is one close to you. There will find very good prices on a very wide range of products. You can oder what you want to buy from the website, go to one of the shops, pay and collect.
amazon.co.uk: With free delivery on so many items it's hard not like Amazon. Probably the best website for electronic products, media and books.
ebay.co.uk: Most renown for its auctions ebay also lets you buy from shops, including shops in China that will sell you incredibly cheap adapters and gadgets. After you search for something click on the "Buy Now" tab and this will show you item for available for sale.
Enjoy your stay in London and have fun!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Why you should stay away from Talk Talk
This article is probably the one I have the least pleasure writing but is a deserved one.
A month ago I moved to my new flat in Limehouse in which the internet is provided by Talk Talk. We have their (advertised) 24Mb service. From the beginning I felt the speed wasn't very fast but for normal web navigation it was bearable. It was when I had to send my first email with a 5MB attachment that I noticed something was definitely wrong. It timed out a few times and when it finally was sent it still took some 15 minutes or more. I decided to take their speed test to find out our speed was actually 1.5Mbps dowload and 0.02Mbps upload. Called them, endured the standard obvious questions and finally the guy told me there was an issue and he was going to fix it in 48 hours. Two days later, nothing, new call, obvious repetitive standard questions and finally a helpful guy who recommend us to connect our router directly to the test socket. That implied disassembling our BT wall socket but that night we saw 8Mbps download speeds and 0.24 Mbps upload speeds, the fastest we ever got!
A few days from then slow speeds again, for example, it was impossible to do a Skype video call and even sound calls were difficult. We called them, answered the same repetitive questions and this time they sent an engineer who might have charged us £50 if the issue was inside our flat! The guy came 2 days later, brought his own router and did tests for a hour. After which he concluded the issue was not at our place but probably on the local exchange. He also filed some sort of report so the issue would be fixed.
After a few more days without any improvements we called them. At every call they would always give us the same BS about checking our wireless connection or about trying connecting with the cable, etc, etc. This time the phone operator had the nerve to say he could fix anything! 5 min later he admitted he couldn't actually fix it, LOL! Then he said he would escalate it. Later we got a text message asking if it was fixed. Obviously it wasn't. In another phone call the guy asked me to change the Router Wireless Channel, I tried to explain him that wouldn't fix the issue and even so he insisted me to do it...
More or less at the same time I exposed our situation to @TalkTalkCare on twitter, they asked the standard boring questions and provided me a form. I filled and.... you can guess: nothing!
We finally got tired of this, my flatmate called them (yes, they tried to ask the scripted questions even though we have a long story with them) and asked to speak with a manager. The manager said our connection was "normal" even though or download speeds were varying between 2-3Mbps, our upload speeds between 0.02-0.15Mbps and since we had internet no reason to complain. He also said he could send another engineer for £130!!! My flatmate asked "will that guarantee the issue is fixed?" Answer: "no". Since we were not having the service we hired we asked to cancel it and get our money back. Unfortunately Talk Talk charges £140 for contract cancelations!!! Their solution? Subscribe their fibre optic service. In my book this is only comparable to extortion.
I've been speaking about speeds because those I can objectively measure on their website but that's not the whole story. Quite frequently the connection is down momentarily where I have lots of ping timeouts, I drop out from gchat and msn messenger and downloads/upload get dropped. It's quite sad that in this day and age Talk Talk provides such a bad service and is not willing to do anything about it. It seems I'm not the only one complaining according to this article from BBC.
If we ask me why Talk Talk is called Talk Talk, my answer has to be because they talk a lot and don't do anything.
PS: My flatmate just told me that today a so called Talk Talk "specialist" phoned her, said he had just fixed the issue and asked her to confirm if it was fixed. She answered she would need at least a week since the speed varies and he was offended by it. Later during the call she asked for a refund and he said we weren't paying for our broadband as in the invoice it only said phone line. That's brilliant, apparently we hired a phone line and the broadband comes as an offer, love you Talk Talk! Our speeds tonight, before a 5 min connection failure:
A month ago I moved to my new flat in Limehouse in which the internet is provided by Talk Talk. We have their (advertised) 24Mb service. From the beginning I felt the speed wasn't very fast but for normal web navigation it was bearable. It was when I had to send my first email with a 5MB attachment that I noticed something was definitely wrong. It timed out a few times and when it finally was sent it still took some 15 minutes or more. I decided to take their speed test to find out our speed was actually 1.5Mbps dowload and 0.02Mbps upload. Called them, endured the standard obvious questions and finally the guy told me there was an issue and he was going to fix it in 48 hours. Two days later, nothing, new call, obvious repetitive standard questions and finally a helpful guy who recommend us to connect our router directly to the test socket. That implied disassembling our BT wall socket but that night we saw 8Mbps download speeds and 0.24 Mbps upload speeds, the fastest we ever got!
A few days from then slow speeds again, for example, it was impossible to do a Skype video call and even sound calls were difficult. We called them, answered the same repetitive questions and this time they sent an engineer who might have charged us £50 if the issue was inside our flat! The guy came 2 days later, brought his own router and did tests for a hour. After which he concluded the issue was not at our place but probably on the local exchange. He also filed some sort of report so the issue would be fixed.
After a few more days without any improvements we called them. At every call they would always give us the same BS about checking our wireless connection or about trying connecting with the cable, etc, etc. This time the phone operator had the nerve to say he could fix anything! 5 min later he admitted he couldn't actually fix it, LOL! Then he said he would escalate it. Later we got a text message asking if it was fixed. Obviously it wasn't. In another phone call the guy asked me to change the Router Wireless Channel, I tried to explain him that wouldn't fix the issue and even so he insisted me to do it...
More or less at the same time I exposed our situation to @TalkTalkCare on twitter, they asked the standard boring questions and provided me a form. I filled and.... you can guess: nothing!
We finally got tired of this, my flatmate called them (yes, they tried to ask the scripted questions even though we have a long story with them) and asked to speak with a manager. The manager said our connection was "normal" even though or download speeds were varying between 2-3Mbps, our upload speeds between 0.02-0.15Mbps and since we had internet no reason to complain. He also said he could send another engineer for £130!!! My flatmate asked "will that guarantee the issue is fixed?" Answer: "no". Since we were not having the service we hired we asked to cancel it and get our money back. Unfortunately Talk Talk charges £140 for contract cancelations!!! Their solution? Subscribe their fibre optic service. In my book this is only comparable to extortion.
I've been speaking about speeds because those I can objectively measure on their website but that's not the whole story. Quite frequently the connection is down momentarily where I have lots of ping timeouts, I drop out from gchat and msn messenger and downloads/upload get dropped. It's quite sad that in this day and age Talk Talk provides such a bad service and is not willing to do anything about it. It seems I'm not the only one complaining according to this article from BBC.
If we ask me why Talk Talk is called Talk Talk, my answer has to be because they talk a lot and don't do anything.
PS: My flatmate just told me that today a so called Talk Talk "specialist" phoned her, said he had just fixed the issue and asked her to confirm if it was fixed. She answered she would need at least a week since the speed varies and he was offended by it. Later during the call she asked for a refund and he said we weren't paying for our broadband as in the invoice it only said phone line. That's brilliant, apparently we hired a phone line and the broadband comes as an offer, love you Talk Talk! Our speeds tonight, before a 5 min connection failure:
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