How VERY Disappointing

Hiya!

Today's blog post isn't really the usual fun laid back post, it's actually a bit of a moan about some really bad customer service and bad practice from a well known company, it's one I definitely think you need to read!

I'll set the scene, its Black Friday - a famous tradition in America and one that is just touching down here in the UK, not only Black Friday but also my payday, literally a great day on so many levels! I was searching the best UK Black Friday deals when I came across a website I haven't used before but one that I know is relatively popular - www.very.co.uk.  They had some fantastic offers, some of which seemed too good to be true...because, well, they were!

They had the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.2inch screen with £200 off at just £120! Obviously this caught my eye as a great Christmas present so, I clicked buy now (naturally). After entering all my details and signing up for an account I reached the screen shown below.

 When shopping on Very, you can either sign up for a credit account with them which means you don't pay upfront but pay for items in installments, or you can pay using your credit/debit card (red circled).  Not wanting a credit account, I clicked to pay with my credit card, it was at this point where things started to go wrong. I was greeted by a 'technical error' which I am fully aware happens on the internet, however it's 2013 so surely they have a great customer service team on Twitter?! *tumble weed* It took some time for a reply to my tweet and when I got one, well 'useless' somehow came to mind.

Yay, a smiley and a kiss, surely that will help?! Sadly not this time Ellie (the Very social media person). I totally get that it isn't the social media teams fault, however they are indeed the face of the brand so some flack will undoubtedly come your way! When they finally saw us mere customers as fit for a reply, they told us there was no issue and to try again, so try I did, et voila it worked, I could now pay, oh, ermm, only if I was prepared to pay another £150 on top of the advertised priced...

I would say it is relatively safe to say for a first time buyer with Very I was pretty shocked and with such a big sale event, it makes it look somewhat like a quick way of them getting promotion for their 'amazing' prices.  Amazingly shoddy. I absolutely DO NOT recommend Very.co.uk and would go as far as to say you need to avoid it at all cost, their social media is plagued with complaints about stock and undelivered items.  I actually managed to get the same tablet at a lower price than their sale price on Amazon who I would say appear to now be a far more reliable source.  As for buying Fearne Cotton's latest scatter cushion, well, maybe get a similar one from a competitor.

Sorry Very but you are VERY disappointing and a complete letdown. Have you had issues with Very? If you have I want to know! Please comment below or drop me a Tweet @SamSquireBlog.  

On a lighter note...
Dont forget to hit YouTube tomorrow as my vlogs will be starting! Wooooohoooo!

See you next time!

Fra La La La Laaaa La La La LA!

Hiya!

So we are pretty close to December and I am reaching Christmas overdrive! I have barely started my Christmas shopping yet but literally can't wait to get my tree and decs up next weekend! Have you started your Christmas shopping? I hope you're not one of these that is done with their shopping by June and have it all wrapped by July.

In this post I'm going to show you how to create a smart-casual look for your work Christmas party! Click on the links provided to head through to buy the look. I'm all about a smart, slick look this year, brighten it up with a bonkers jumper, though! 

The Shirt: For the look I used a plain blue Oxford shirt, there are loads around, I find River Island and ASOS have the best ones at the moment, Oxford shirts give a really nice tailored fit and a really modern look.

The Jumper: I'm big on slightly wacky jumpers this year, pictured I wore the snowflake jumper from Burton, at £25 it is about in line in price with all of the other brands.  I just also purchased a really great one from Next, it was also £25 and I am becoming such a big fan of sweaters now. 

The Blazer: My blazer is actually a previous season one from Burton, it is a tweed/herringbone pattern and goes really great with the red jumper, you don't want to mix too many colours in one outfit! My current favourite party season blazer has to be this one from ASOS, I think slim fit blazers are so much better for the party season.

The Jeans: Any skinny fit jeans will work great, I wouldn't recommend a chino, mainly because I think the denim works well with the look. Avoid light denim, you don't want to wash the look out, black or darker blue jeans work really well.

The Shoes: These shoes have appeared on the blog before, and its mainly because I am a massive fan of them! These are my Lagunas from ALDO Shoes, they are absolutely perfect for a party, and noone will take you on in them (I joke).

Accessory: I wore these black and gold collar tips to give the outfit a bit more of a smart-casual look, these were originally from River Island but they don't appear to be selling them anymore.  Collar tips are great, they are perfect for 'blinging up' (so sorry for using that phrase) an outfit that is otherwise somewhat plain. 

So that is it! What is your favourite look this party season? Also, what do you think to the christmas look on the blog? I can confirm it will be getting a heck of a lot more festive on here as the weeks go on! 

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel (SamSquireBlog) for loads of festive things as I will be doing Vlogmas this year, and follow me on Twitter to stay up to date @SamSquireBlog

See you next time! 

I fell off a chair....

Hiya!

First off, I have been ridiculously unorganised for some reason this week, so this blog post is a few days late, muchos apologies amigos!

As you know from my last blog post, I will be doing Vlogmas on my YouTube Channel.

I am super  excited to get going so I uploaded a sneaky peek into what the channel is about, you can check it out below! 

I had major issues when trying to edit due to being too lazy to use my Mac. Therefore the quality of this isn't what I wanted it to be but they'll improve as I get more into the editing process! I have created a little timetable to show which type of video is which day of the week!

Here it is:

Monday - Reviews

Tuesday - Follow me Vlog

Wednesday - How To's

Thursday - Miscellaneous 

Friday - My New Fave Thing

Saturday - Follow me Vlog

Sunday - Commenting on Things

That is the days and the type of video I'll be uploading on the day!  I cant believe how quickly I have reached 100 views on my current video, the power of social media is craaaaazy! Please don't forget to subscribe to my account you can Click Here to be taken to the sub link.  I always love to get feedback so please let me know what you think about the channel and the videos. 

I know it's a short one today but I'll get back into the swing of things next week, I've had a stinking cold (manflu) so I've been feeling very sorry for myself.

See you next time!

Christmassy Announcement!

Hiya!

Christmas is fast approaching and so is December so I thought this was a rather apt time to let you in on a little something called Vlogmas.  Basically you do a daily vlog for each day of Christmas! This year I have decided I'd give it a good old try, with each days vlog being uploaded on the morning of the day after (Monday's vlog uploaded on a Tuesday morning). 

I'm not yet sure on a name for the YouTube channel so any suggestions would be massively helpful (comment below, it can be your early present to me).  However you wont even need to go to YouTube to view it! There will be a dedicated SamSquireBlog.co.uk page JUST for the vlogging side of life, I am literally making it that easy for you to watch my face for 25 whole days. Lucky Devil. I'll also update you on all the deets as usual via Twitter @SamSquireBlog. I am super excited to get going with it!

I went Christmas shopping today and as we all know I am what I refer to as a 'Christmas Enthusiast' basically meaning utter nutter at Christmas time. You can imagine my gigantic bauble sized meltdown when in John Lewis and I saw this lot...

...Literally crazy excited!

Anyway that's all for this little update post, comments below or drop me a tweet as usual! 

Must Haves - Posh Party

Hiya!

Now we all love a party I should hope and so I have got 3 things you literally need in your life this party season.  These aren't just normal things, these will posh up most outfits, they are for parties so posh that they are referred to as 'pardies'.  Click the image of the product to head over and buy it! Thanks to ASOS for sending me all the bits and bobs for their Looking Sharp campaign!

This gold piece of fantasticness is the Casio A159WGEA-1EF Digital Watch, they are so retro looking and really finish off an outfit, smart or casual (Or even smasual).  No picture will do the gold finish of this watch justice, it's a really full colour and the great thing about these is they are unisex! This is currently on sale at just £37.50 and would make a great piece for a Christmas party or even a stocking filler for Santa to bring!

I am a collar-tip convert! I was always really unsure of men wearing collar tips, however with a smart blazer and shirt they look really good! The gold a black looks super smart but team them with a denim shirt and you've got yourself a really great casual look too! Collar tips aren't expensive, these are just £4 (Was £8) and are a really great mens accessory!

How about these? Possibly the most exciting thing I have ever received, thank you so much ASOS for these amazing ALDO Lagunas! ALDO have a great selection of shoes and I personally think they have a really sophisticated party look to them rather than that old 'I am an office loafer' look. The matte leather offset with the patent leather gives a really great look then framed by studs it gives the shoe a casual yet smart and elegant look. I love these so much they may become my work shoe - I'm not sure how well these would go down in retail! These are the luxury item for this blog post, at £95 they aren't cheap but they are amazing quality and you totally get what you pay for when it comes to shoes!

What I want to know is what is your favourite mens party look for christmas? Are you a sharp suit or a geeky sweater kind of guy? Drop me a Tweet or comment below! My full christmas party look will be available to view on the ASOS website very soon as part of their #TonightIs Looking Sharp campaign!

Isn't it getting chilly now? Not a fan of the mornings and nights getting darker! Wrap up warm and I'll chat to you soon!

'Tache On!

It’s November, or for us men, Movember.  For me, unfortunately I can’t seem to grow facial hair, any that I do accidentally grow ends up looking extremely threadbare, I therefore steer very clear of it and remain clean shaven. However, if you’re planning on growing a handlebar only a penny-farthing could be proud of then this post is for you!  I have compiled a list of the top 3 men’s essentials for this ‘tache-tastic month.

 

Gillette Fusion Proglide 3-in-1 (£15 Boots) 

Trim it, shape it or shave it all off with this, the Swiss army knife of shaving.  It lets you sculpt easily with the Braun trimmer. And, when Movember’s over, you can use the wet-shave end to shave that caterpillar off!

Movember ‘Mo wax’ (£5 Penhaligons) 

Sculpt your handlebar, trucker or horseshoe with the Mo Wax in association with Movember.com. £2 from each tin is donated to Movember, and it’s a necessity to keep your ‘tache looking and smelling fresh.

Moustache Comb (£28 Murdock) 

No one likes a tangled tache so keep yours sleek and crumb-free with the Abbeyhorn comb by Murdock London. After it’s combed, style it with some wax to ensure swooning*.
*Swooning cannot be guaranteed

Are you doing Movember? What 'tache are you growing? Comment below or drop me a Tweet @SamSquireBlog.

Finally, look at me with my .co.uk! I thought as my blog has had a facelift (more Bruce Jenner than Pete Burns) I'd get myself a new domain, so I did, what do you think of the new layout?

See you next time!