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Saturday, 31 August 2013

Sign of the Times as Motorists Follow The Sat Nav's Wrong Directions


A Council in Cornwall is having problems with visiting tourists, more specifically tourists in cars blindly following their satellite navigation systems down narrow country roads, or taking them the wrong way down a one way street. This has got to be such a problem that temporary road signs have been put up for confused motorists, showing them the proper direction, and telling them to ignore the satnav. It would seem that even when scraping the sides of their cars through rutted country tracks, or heading down a one way slip road with cars coming towards them, motorists still follow the strident tones of the GPS instructor. Now Councillor Armand Toms, (plural for Tom-Tom?), is pushing for the traffic laws to be changed with the Highway Code to include satnav signs. Fellow council members at East Looes have also expressed concern following the opening of a new roundabout and one way system that managed to confuse some navigation devices sending motorists the wrong way heading straight into oncoming traffic. 

Mapping out the right route 

Blame cannot be fully placed on the “eye in the sky” as it is the motorist who is responsible for the control and direction of their car. And yet it is amazing how people let technology steer them as they move from point to point. There are some brilliant devices out there in the marketplace at the moment with new products coming on line almost daily. No wonder the consumer is bemused and bedazzled by the range and application of the gadgets that can be purchased to make our lives simpler. It becomes all too easy, however, to forget about peering over the rim of your laptop, or looking up from tapping away on the mobile to take stock of the world going on around you. Sometimes you come up against obstacles and dangers before it is too late to realise what is going on and collisions occur. 

Keeping it simple 

Don’t get me wrong – I think technology, access to the web, information and updates are great and I use them as guidance points to help guide me around the various hurdles and obstructions that I come up against on a daily basis. I interact with friends and family thousands of miles away at the click or two of a button and I wouldn’t change that for the world. But I am choosy about what and who I take advice from, and when I need some help I want to access it as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is where iRateiSlate comes in as an extra pair of eyes keeping me informed of potential pitfalls, updating me on the latest consumer advice and support, without having to trawl through a mountain of information to find what I want. Nor does it sound like the bossy third form English teacher every time you log on for a little direction and support.

We all need a little signposting from time to time but ultimately it is up to us to be in control of what is happening and the route we take. Passing on invaluable advice and feedback on our experiences, along with praising good service and getting a response to our complaints in a simple, effective manner that costs us nothing, has to be the ultimate consumer service for me. What do you think?

Wednesday, 28 August 2013

When it is NOT so good to talk -the latest telephone scam


The latest scam to hit the headlines is that of “vishing”, where a caller will try, over the telephone, to get information out of consumers by pretending to be from a legitimate organisation such as a bank or building society. Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) estimate that around £7 million has been lost to vishing alone, out of the £36 million increase they attribute to crimes involving online banking and online and telephone purchases. The difficulty is in working out what is legitimate and what is not. The fraudster on the telephone attempts to get information out of you regarding your account details, card information, pin number as well as date of birth, full name and so on. This information is then used to ransack your account or to carry out identity fraud.

The Invisible Sham

Many of us are much more aware now of what we throw away in our rubbish bins or recycle as this can be used to “steal” someone’s identity. There are stickers you can get from the neighbourhood watch team or police to put on the front door warning off any cold callers. Burglar alarms, window locks, bolts and gates may serve to protect our physical property but the increasing problem is the thief you cannot see.

Our laptops and PC's have got a range of firewalls and virus checkers but we still can get spam emails or spoof emails warning us of a virus. How many of us have been emailed from a frantic but very generous individual from outside the UK needing our help and our bank account details to rescue their family from certain destruction? I personally seemed to have won the Euro Millions at least three times which is a miracle, considering I have never played the lotto let alone signed up on line to do so. Obviously to receive my winnings they need to pay this straight into my bank account so if I could just let them have the details... 

Deal or No Deal?

 Now they are on the telephone posing as a legitimate finance organisation or even a telephone or internet provider. And the trouble is, they are very good at it, which makes it hard to spot as a scam. According to a Which Report on 27 August 2013, four out of 10 people they spoke with found it really hard to spot the fraudster when tasked with a genuine call and a fake call. Many of us carry out banking online, have contact with our internet and telephone providers so we do expect to get a call from them from time to time. The advice from FFA UK is that a genuine telephone caller from a bank never asks a customer for their 4 digit pin number and certainly will never ask for money to be transferred from one account to another. They also say that if in doubt just put the telephone down.

So some definite food for thought and yet another scam to be aware of, and if you do think you have had a fake call then log onto the FFA UK website for further help. It’s either that or avoiding the telephone which is not really an option unless of course you’ve always had a hankering to keep carrier pigeons.

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

Points make prizes - or Do They?

Friday saw the culmination of years of studying, choosing options and taking mock and actual academic exams for students across England as the A level results were announced. Many young people had logged on early to see whether their grades would get them that much coveted place at university, whilst parents and guardians spent an equally sleepless night. Staff at the Universities Colleges and Admissions Service (UCAS) manned the telephone from dusk until dawn it seemed, answering calls from anxious students who had not quite made the grade. Then finally the news came the report that A level grades were down slightly on last year, but this was apparently in line with central government thinking? Even though, more than a quarter of students who got their results this week obtained A* or A’s, this was reduced for the second year running following the Government’s determination to end “grade inflation.”

Some of the young people interviewed were understandably upset as they did not get the required grades to take up their university places. A few of them may go back to school to retake their qualification and others were hoping to get another offer through the UCAS clearing system. Further anxious times ahead for the prospective university student and their financial support system. In January this year the Government Office for Fair Access published figures showing that within higher education institutions, 64 out of 122 were planning on increasing the average cost of fees by around £900 per student. As a result of increase in university fees there has been a rise in the number of students taking “gap years” to try to earn some money before they return to studying.

Investment in the future 

This has had a knock on effect on the universities themselves as Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, president of Universities UK commented recently. He pointed out that several HE institutions who had previously advertised places requiring grades of A-B now found that they had several courses they could not fill once the exam results came out. Places were then offered to students with C and D grades to ensure courses were not left empty. This followed on from figures published relating to the top 24 “elite” Russell group of universities showing that in September 2012 these institutions had around 11,500 vacancies.

Universities have enjoyed a certain amount of central funding over the years but the world of academia has had to step into the economic recession ring to meet the challenges of the commercial world. Many of them have done so very successfully whilst supporting their student population at the same time. Others have continued to raise their educational fees and then have started to see empty chairs in the lecture halls.

American educationalist Derek Bok once famously said,” if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Let’s not be ignorant of the fact that the young people of today are the building blocks of our economic growth in the future. They need to be signposted onto the appropriate courses, vocational programmes, work related qualifications, further and higher educational degrees depending on their abilities, their interests and their potential. They are the consumers of tomorrow but we need to ensure they are not financially and educationally penalised today.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this

Saturday, 24 August 2013

Holiday Weekend Not a Red Letter Day For Many Consumers

The news today about strikes planned for the Bank Holiday weekend from the Royal Mail causes mixed reaction from the press and the general public. The disputes are linked to possible closures of Crown Post Office services which make up about 3% of the Post Office services and deal with around one fifth of its customers. The Royal Mail cites their 37 million pound loss as the reason they are looking for job reductions of up to one and a half thousand people, along with staff having to accept a three year pay freeze. Union officials speaking on behalf of PO staff say that over 80% are in favour of strike action, which could be long term, leading up until the Christmas period. This is in reaction to the Royal Mail plans to potentially close post offices or to franchise them in partnership with retailing organisations.

The original Royal Male service

With the decline in “snail mail” and the increasing use of electronic messaging, and private courier services for deliveries, it has been a challenging time for the Royal Mail, who came into being as a service established by King Henry VIII in 1516. No doubt with the number of wives he matched and dispatched over the years, the Master of Posts was kept very busy with wedding invitations and condolence cards.

Nowadays this government owned postal service is due to go the way of many of our public amenities and be floated on the London Stock Exchange. The Royal Mail’s chief executive, Moira Green, has endorsed Business Secretary Vince Cable in this decision to sell off the Royal Mail by stating that the public will, in her words, “be able to invest in a great British institution.”

The £1 stamp?

Funnily enough that’s what we have been doing surely over the years as we have paid our taxes to the government? Then there is the possible increase in price of stamps. Under the Postal Services Act 2011, the Royal Mail is the unique service provider of stamps in the UK and has VAT exemption on the sale of these items. This exemption will remain regardless of whether the Royal Mail is in private or public ownership, however there is a good chance that private delivery companies will challenge this ruling. If this is the case and 20% VAT is added to stamps, a first class stamp will cost 72 pence. Those who are lobbying against privatisation are mooting an additional 30% increase if this goes through, leading to a £1 stamp in the next few years.

Rural post offices and posties can be a lifeline for rural communities and for those who are housebound, they also can be a customer service nightmare with missed or late deliveries and counter staff with all the charm and people skills of Basil Fawlty. However, they have been around for a very long time and for the most part do carry out an excellent service. Selling them off like the family silver is not a long term solution although disrupting services to their customers with strike action may also tarnish their reputation. Privatisation or public ownership – post your views on line today.


Friday, 23 August 2013

Customer Service Takes a Back Seat

Most Bank Holidays start with the thought of trips to the seaside, or getting the lawnmower out and finally tackling the wasteland that used to be the garden, or wielding paintbrush and paint and finally finishing decorating the spare room. For the retailers of this country it is yet another opportunity to fill the television screens with tempting offers of new sofas, wall to wall carpeting along with coordinating furniture all at a reduced price or special offer. Or are they? Just as thousands of people had checked this weekend weather forecast and decided to forgo the bucket and spade in favour of a trip to the nearest retail park, there comes the news that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are investigating several companies who have allegedly misled many consumers into thinking they had found a bargain.

Retailers sitting pretty

Buying a new sofa or carpet is not a spur of the moment purchase. In fact many of us have to make do and mend whilst we save up to replace this type of home furnishing. Usually once the children have grown up and stopped using the settee as a substitute trampoline, horse, playpen or spare table, then it is safe to get out the bank book and decide to splash out on the two seater in pale cream that would complement your décor, rather than keep buying yet another washable cover for the saggy brown chairs inherited from your parents. Once lured down to the bright lights of the furniture stores, then the opportunity to track down a bargain with amazing reductions, plus the managers 5% discount every Saturday and Sunday lunchtime, is irresistible. However as the Bard once wrote and is famously misquoted ever since, “all that glisters is not gold”, and sadly this would seem to be the case for some of the sales prices.

We didn’t bargain for that!

Just as you think you have spotted an authentic bargain then think again, as six High Street stores are being investigated for advertising reductions, from previous higher prices, which are not genuine. Perhaps many of us are so busy checking out the interest free credit offers that we do not question the somewhat amazing reductions available and indeed why should we? The advertisements appear on the television and newspapers usually before the start of a long weekend, pictures of happy families having nothing better to do than to spend half a day trying out a range of settees. Flyers shoot through the letter box promoting a multitude of carpeting to choose from and we set off, tape measure and credit card in hand, to try to find a good deal.

Not any more, as we await the findings from the OFT with somewhat bated breath. We should also be questioning the validity of other “bargains” that we have picked up over the years and clarity on the practice of “inflating” the reference prices of goods which has to stop.

The word “settee” comes from the Old English word, “setl” which referred to long benches with high backs and arms. In the future I will be checking carefully to see exactly what the pricing of reduced goods refers to, and will definitely not “settle” for second best. Once I get a decent bargain, then it will be time to roll out the carpet, providing it is at a reasonable cost of course. I await your comments with interest.

ABI Exposes Rip-off Annuity Rates

Big UK insurance companies offer up to 30% below best market deals for pensions who convert savings to life-time annuity; even ABI director general shocked by differences 

It is not often that a trade association publishes data that shows up some of its own membership in a poor light, but that seems to be exactly what has happened in the insurance industry. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has decided to publish the rates that its members offer to any pensioners who are considering converting their savings into an annuity. This would pay them a fixed amount each year for the rest of their lives. The figures, which have been published for the first time, have revealed the shocking fact that some of the UK's most important insurance companies are offering pensioners rip-off rates that fall almost a third below their competitors. Otto Thoresen, director general of the ABI has confessed that even he was stunned at just how wide the variation in return was.

Consumers need to shop around before choosing an annuity and not just automatically stay with their current pension provider 

Consumers are constantly being reminded to shop around, especially before choosing any financial products, but the widespread differences here highlight just how important it is for another retiring, or approaching retirement age, to shop around before committing. Industry commentators have noted that consumers almost never get the best deal by remaining with their current pension company. Furthermore, consumers are advised to seek independent advice before opting for an annuity at all, some of which are offering just 3% or less for a 65-year-old person with a life expectancy of 25 years.

Many consumers unaware that the capital does not automatically transfer to partners on death and risk losing large sums because of this. Another pitfall facing those with annuities or considering moving to one is that the main capital does not automatically transfer to the pensioner's partner after death. He or she must specifically request this to happen.

 Market leader Hodge Lifetime not included in table as it is not an ABI member

Although there have been some complaints that the ABI's annuity table does not include some of the best performing products, as the companies offering them, such as Hodge Lifetime, are not members of the association, it does give consumers the tools to make a much more informed decision about which annuity, if any, might suit them best.

Scottish Widows / Clerical Medical / Halifax offered worst rates 

The table uses figures for 12 different customer profiles and the sums quoted are based on the prices that were offered two months ago. They reveal that well-known provider Scottish Widows / Clerical Medical / Halifax offered by far the worst rate, providing just £839.52 in annual income to a single 65-year-old with no health problems, living in Manchester, who invested £18,000. Other poor performers included NFU Mutual, providing £890.76 annually, Wesleyan Assurance Society paying £905.16, Phoenix offering £910.00 and Abbey Life giving £910.16.

Reliance Mutual offered best rates, closely followed by Reassure 

Reliance Mutual topped the scale, offering the same pensioner £1,099.92 each year, closely followed by Reassure on £1,092.36. Aviva also performed well, providing £1,080.36, as did Canada Life, offering £1,077.24 annually. However, someone who had smoked for over 10 years could get a higher income, £1,700 in the case of Reliance, due to having a shorter life expectancy. While the table could certainly be a useful starting point for the 420,000 new customers looking for annuity products each year, it does not replace independent advice that is tailored to each person's specific circumstances. As it only includes ABI members, consumers do also need to look at other companies' performance.

For further information, visit the ABI site at https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Products/Pensions/Annuity-rates/Example-rates

Saturday, 17 August 2013

Win a Google Nexus 7 or £200 Cash.


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Thursday, 15 August 2013

Sign of the times as pawnbrokers and payday lenders compete for custom

Payday Loan
Walk down most high streets and you will come across a shop front featuring either a pictograph image of a curved arm with three globes hanging from it or an overhead sign comprised of three gold balls. This is the traditional sign for a pawnbroker. The pawn industry is not a new one, in fact it started in Ancient China around 3,000 years ago and became such a part of everyday life in Britain that it features as a child’s nursery rhyme. Pop Goes the Weasel refers to “pop” which is a slang term for pawning and a “weasel” being a tool used by shoemakers. Therefore; “That’s the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel.”

There used to be quite a stigma about having to take an item, such as your father’s silver watch or the family’s most valuable possession, down to the pawnbrokers in order to get some money to keep the family going until the next wage packet arrived. Nowadays, the pawnshop in the UK has seen a bit of a resurgence with a much more upmarket image, not at all reminiscent of something that Charles Dickens may have seen on during his walks around Victorian London.

 Pawnbroker industry announce new game plan

Which? consumer reported a few years ago that the number of pawnbrokers in the UK trebled since the start of the millennium. The customer demographic also changed once the credit crunch started to bite with an increase in, what was perceived as, the “middle class” clientele. So it was of interest to note that yesterday the largest UK pawnbroker chain are now denouncing the “new kids on the block,” payday loan firm, Wonga. Pawnbroker H&T are said to be so disgusted with the 30-35% interest rate typically applied to a Wonga loan that they have decided to scrap their own payday loan scheme altogether.

 Payday loans are a real political football

This comes at a time when Newcastle United has revealed its new sponsor to be none other than Wonga.com. This season both fans and players can sport the new football shirts with the sponsors namely clearly emblazoned across the front. Pop into the club shop and you can pick up a shirt to fit all sizes starting from age two months upwards. This is the third team that Wonga have sponsored and it has caused a lot of discussion among the fans of the Toon Army. The Citizen Advice Bureau and local council officials in Newcastle have also joined in the discussion as well. Pay day loans, they feel, are designed to support people on a temporary basis until they get their finances sorted out – they should be seen as a “one off” loan.

 However, by getting in with a large football team where the fans wear the team strip out and about, are we getting to a point where this type of financial lending is beginning to be seen as “the norm”? 

Is this now giving a high interest pay day lender a respectability and a method of dealing with personal finances that could be taken to be an accepted way of debt management?

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

DVLA driving motorists “Around the Bend”

Road Tax
The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) have garnered more than 330 million pounds in fines or out of court settlements over the past ten years from motorists in the UK. These fines have been linked to people failing to inform the DVLA that they had sold on a vehicle, failing to tax their motor vehicle and Updating your License Details. Quite rightly a driver is at fault if they fail to inform the DVLA in writing of these changes or if they drive around in an untaxed car.

However, what the figures do not reveal is how many people have been fined incorrectly and, even when pointing it out to this executive agency of the Department of Transport, still end up having to pay anything from £35 to £365. It would seem that a number of consumers have had a less than satisfactory experience. The tale below is just one example of a motorist ending up paying for a fine when he clearly was not in the wrong.

Another Fine Mess you’ve got me into 

Speaking on “ You and Yours” this week, one man who moved from London to the Wirral spoke to the Radio 4 presenters about how he had sent off his V5C (the appropriate part of the car’s logbook) to the DVLA when he sold his car before moving north to take up a new job. A few months later, realising he hadn’t had a confirmation from them, he telephoned and was told they hadn’t received his documentation. With around thousands of pieces of mail arriving at the DVLA door each day you could be forgiven for thinking that a few letters would go astray.

However our intrepid motorist was told not to worry, send a confirmation in writing with his new address and everything would be fine. This he did only to find some eight months later a letter from a debt collector, demanding £365 for non-payment of magistrate’s court fine and not turning up to court to answer a summons that, you’ve guessed it, had been sent to his old address. Back to the DVLA who told him that it was a mix up between departments and everything was fine, until four weeks later the process started all over again. After complaining and getting nowhere he gave up and paid £35 out of court settlement – even though it was not his fault.

Advice from consumer law experts

 Last year there were 38,000 prosecutions with only 265 that were unsuccessful with the motorist winning – but how many consumers backed down and paid up just to get the DVLA off their back? Specialists in consumer law have noted that the DVLA back down when people produce evidence of posting documentation to them but there are still “inconsistencies” in the DVLA procedures that are of concern. Their advice is to get proof of posting and take copies of signed and dated documentation. Also check that if you have sent something to them that the DVLA respond with an acknowledgement which they do say they will do within four weeks. If you fail to comply it is an offence, if they fail to comply it would seem there is very little recourse – what do you think?

Sunday, 11 August 2013

First ever Consumer Rights Protester is sent to Coventry?

This week a 20 foot high puppet of Lady Godiva constructed for the London 2012 Games made its return journey back to Coventry to where its 11th century namesake originated. Lady Godiva was an Anglo-Saxon noble woman who, according to legend, kept badgering her husband to reduce the taxes levied on the town’s people of Coventry. Eventually he gave in, on the condition she ride naked through the market place. So she got on her horse, let down her hair, covering most of her unclothed body, and set off into the town centre giving Leofric, her husband, no option but to free the town from all of its tolls. This he duly did apart from the tax on horses, the “car of choice” for the discerning Anglo Saxon.

 Hair raising cost of parking for Barnet residents 
 Fast forward to a set of 21st century motorists in North London. The people of Barnet recently won a victory over their local council, who had raised the cost of parking permits for both residents and visitors by 300%. Locals banded together and took the council to court resulting in a winning verdict with the judge, Mrs Justice Lang, ruling that Barnet Council had acted unlawfully. Councils do have powers under the 1984 Road Traffic Regulation Act but this said Mrs Lang, “ is not a fiscal measure”, and she went on to state that it did not mean that the local authority can use “its powers to charge local residents for parking in order to raise surplus revenue for other transport services.” In effect the council were using this as a “stealth tax” to subside other services.

The true cost of filling up? 
There seem to be a number of such stealth taxes hitting the headlines recently all squeezing income from consumers but not in a visually apparent way. Driving has to be one of the most easily taxed activities with a number of less apparent levies. The Original Fuel Protest group have an interesting calculator on their website www.fuelprotest.com where you can fill in details of the cost of your last petrol bill and it calculates how much you are paying in tax. After filling up a small family car recently, the shocking total tax bill came to £27.43 out of £46.01 worth of diesel.

The breakdown of costs were as follows;
Filling Station £1.71
Oil Company £16.87
Fuel Duty £19.76
VAT on Fuel £3.72
VAT on Fuel Duty £3.95

Whilst appreciating the need for a greener environment and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, seeing the costs set out in black and white does give the average motorist, who needs a reliable form of transport for work as well as family and social events, quite a jolt. Not enough, you will be grateful to hear, to have me saddling up, donning the old birthday suit and trotting around the city centre in protest, but certainly keeping a close eye on other hidden levies that may just be around the corner. What stealth taxes have affected your consumer habits recently?

Friday, 9 August 2013

UK Economy finally on the mend or is this just a temporary respite?

The temperature is not the only thing on the increase at the moment – news articles and media coverage are very keen to report that finally, it would seem the UK economy is on the up. The Chancellor of the Exchequer couldn’t wait to give us the news back in July of a 0.6% increase in our Gross Domestic Product informing the world at large that the UK economy was “out of intensive care”.

This week reports of an increase in food and clothing sales, not to mention our manufacturing sector recording a growth spurt, means you could be forgiven for thinking that the days of nursing your finances are over and everyone can breathe a little easier from now on.

Even high street banks are keen to get in on the act and have poured millions into the high cost consumer credit industry of payday loans to help separate us from our hard earned cash. Although before we start putting out the banners and welcoming the patient home from the hospital there are a few pertinent points to consider.

Don’t blame it on the sunshine. Or should we? 


First of all the increase in retail sales over the summer months, goods that flew off the shelves were not surprisingly, summer clothing and food sales particularly those related to outdoor cooking and eating. The unusually hot spell of weather that has lasted more than the three days of summer we enjoyed last year has been an absolute boon for the barbeque and picnic connoisseur. In the UK once the sun appears we know how to make the most of it before temperatures start to drop.

Secondly, the spending is not necessarily a result of consumer confidence returning or a matter of people having extra cash and disposable income in their pockets. In reality our wages have not increased, government cuts and austerity measures are biting deep so people, if they have a little savings, are having to dip into them to pay their way. We have had a few “feel good” factor events over the past couple of months particularly on the sporting scene and this all contributes to some extra cash finding its way back into the economy.

Thirdly, there has been a pot of money coming straight back to consumers from the banks who had put aside millions to cover compensation costs for mis-sold PPI. Recent reports from the banks indicate that they feel they have just about addressed their mis selling. This extra disposable income therefore could soon be coming to an end. All of these factors are not sustainable, the weather will get worse, savings will dwindle and some day we will even perhaps have to hand back the Wimbledon Trophy and the Ashes. What we will have to sustain us, according to the announcement from Mark Carney, the new Governor of the Bank of England, is the knowledge that for the moment, interest rates will be kept low until unemployment reaches below a certain figure – in this case 7%. Good news for those paying off interest on their mortgage but not good for those who have their money invested in savings accounts.

Consumers still need to keep their fingers on the pulse 


 High Street banks as well could be encouraged by this news and the new policy of “forward guidance” from Mr Carney where he sets out to make a promise about future interest rates. This may encourage the banks to borrow from the Bank of England at a rate of less than half a percent – which then gets passed onto to the public at a proportionately low rate or so we would hope. (At this point the health warning on the packet should point out that Mr Carney has broken his forward guidance promise in the past and that interest rates can rise as well as fall.)

Whilst welcoming any positive news of a recovery I would still like to see this economy able to stand firmly on its own two feet and not just be propped up with a temporary walking frame of seasonal sales and transient cash injections. I have made my diagnosis – now looking forward to hearing yours!

 

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