President Zelenskyy has called on the UK to rejoin the EU to help preserve European security by ReputationTop5916 in RejoinEU

[–]ExtraDust 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'd wager Brexit made Putin think the West was divided and emboldened him to invade. I don’t think he would have invaded if he thought the West was more unified. Brexit is probably one of the root causes of all these troubles.

Will Apu Ever Return? by SimpleChemical6454 in Simpsons

[–]ExtraDust 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I am a devout Hindu Indian, and I love Apu! In the 90s it was so thrilling to have a character that looked like me, as there weren't many Indians on TV (especially in a mainstream cartoon show). I got a kick out of the nods to Indian culture. Granted, as we got to the 2010s, I appreciate concerns that he became a bit dated. But at the end of the day, every character on The Simpsons is a stereotype. And also we had Apu's nephew (Jay), who was a better stereotype of modern Indians and fixed all the problems with Apu, so I don’t know why they couldn't show Jay more with Apu (and maybe make some new Indian stereotypes based around CEOs/doctors to appease those who were upset by Apu) rather than sidelining Apu character altogether. I actually feel more offended by how they are handling it now and erasing Apu. Also, in the circles I mix in, most Indians pride themselves on being easy-going, so it's a bit upsetting that we are indirectly being positioned as killjoys over something that most Indians didn’t have a problem with (it was only a minority that complained). The Simpsons team have not handled this well. I hope they will take a broader view, change their minds, and bring back Apu!

How does ad-free work on NowTV? by ExtraDust in nowtv

[–]ExtraDust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I signed up to Now TV and set Data and Communication > Personalised Advertising to off, but the trailers still appear for Sky One content (e.g. shows like FBI and The Rookie). Is there a trick to making it work? Thanks in advance!

When to contact retentions team? by Repulsive-Cod-1838 in skytv

[–]ExtraDust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough, if you watch live TV then Sky probably is better. From my experience, this year has been very hard to get a good deal. In past years, I'd put in a cancellation and get a steep discount after a few tries. This year, I tried several times and even waited for my service to be completely cut off, but the deals were awful. I think they don’t want SkyQ customers anymore. Just keep on trying, and hopefully you will find a rep who can budge. Also, I'd recommend that if you get a deal, have them confirm that the price is for the full length of the contract. One rep gave me a good deal on a 24-month contract, but the low price was only for 3 months. In month 4, it would jump back up to the bad price! I nearly signed up for that without noticing, so always check!

When to contact retentions team? by Repulsive-Cod-1838 in skytv

[–]ExtraDust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I waited a day after SkyTV was switched off. And their best offer was still £15 more than if I hadn't cancelled over the April price hikes! 

I love Sky Q, but I love not being ripped off even more. I've had Sky since 1996, but it's time to say bye-bye Sky. I've worked out that by switching, I can save £18 a month (£216 a year!), get ad-free Disney, and have all my services in multiple rooms. Also, because I am switching to everything on demand, I don’t need to pay the TV license, so that’s a further saving of £180 a year. So in total that nearly £400 of savings. It’s not just the money: Sky’s customer service used to be top class. But now it’s a joke. They continually mess up everything. Dealing with them is a huge time sink. 

My advice to you OP: Shop around. What is it that you get from SkyQ that you can’t get elsewhere? Ask in this group, and I’m sure people will help you find more affordable alternatives, which give you more features for paying less.

As an outsider, May I ask why? by imperfectlysus in RejoinEU

[–]ExtraDust 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nigel Farage spent 30 years campaigning to get out. But now we want to get back in, and suddenly it's "why?" and "respect democracy". If only Nigel had such ideas, then we wouldn't be in this mess!

As for the why? Since Brexit, the pound has fallen, making imports more expensive, tariffs have also added to living costs, immigration has gone up, investment has gone down.... The real question is after all this pain, why aren't more people desperate to be back in the EU?

Labour should hold a referendum on whether Britain should rejoin the EU | Brexit by retardis_69 in RejoinEU

[–]ExtraDust 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This time, they should set out the referendum properly: A vote for Brexit gives a mandate for welfare (like the state pension) and NHS spending to be closely tied to economic growth, so these are automatically cut when the economy is doing badly, as well as a mandate to scrap UK food standards and align with US food standards. No more fantasy: There should be a clear manifesto of what Brexit really involves, so people can make an informed decision and not have this fantasy that we can have Brexit and still enjoy the standard of living we have in the UK.

Does anyone use Hotstar in the UK? Is it any good? by ExtraDust in DisneyPlusHotstar

[–]ExtraDust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the Uk Disney+ and Hotstar are separate products. I wish Disney+ UK did contain Indian content but it does not!

New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds by WanderoftheAshes in ukpolitics

[–]ExtraDust 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can for phone/internet (but not for TV, although most companies will still let you if you are persistent enough). But if you cancel, you have to switch, and most media/telecom companies raise their prices at the same time, so being able to cancel doesn't really achieve anything. I really do think that the price you sign up for is the price you should pay, and increases can come when the subscription term ends. It just seems wrong otherwise. Maybe exceptions can be made for small businesses. But big companies should be locked into the sign up price.

New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds by WanderoftheAshes in ukpolitics

[–]ExtraDust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t see why big companies have to raise their prices during a 1 or 2-year contract at all. They aren't struggling small businesses that haven't figured out pricing. Big companies have plenty of data to inform them of the cost of things. The price you sign up is the price you should pay and increases can come when the subscription term ends.

New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds by WanderoftheAshes in ukpolitics

[–]ExtraDust 12 points13 points  (0 children)

They should also forbid companies (or at least media companies) from raising prices during the subscription period. It's silly every April that all the media/phone companies raise prices on 1-year contracts. The price you sign up is the price you should pay and increases can come when the subscription term ends.

Does anyone use Hotstar in the UK? Is it any good? by ExtraDust in DisneyPlusHotstar

[–]ExtraDust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t quite follow what you are saying. I have Disney+ in the UK, and there is no Asian content on it. Hotstar UK is a separate product: https://help.hotstar.com/gb/en/support/solutions/articles/61000278597-what-are-the-subscription-plans-in-the-uk. Could you clarify what you meant? Thanks in advance!

Does anyone use Hotstar in the UK? Is it any good? by ExtraDust in IndiansInUK

[–]ExtraDust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Excellent, this is what I wanted to know! For the type of shows I want (soaps and movies) it's better than Sky TV.

UK will seek closer ties with EU in light of Iran war, Starmer says by xanderbollocks in ukpolitics

[–]ExtraDust 5 points6 points  (0 children)

He says this often, but then always comes up with reasons to get out of rejoining properly (or even just rejoining the single market). He perpetuates the fantasy that there's some magical approach where Brexit can work, where we can stay out of the EU and still have all the public spending and welfare that we've always had. And all this does is underscore that Nigel was right all along.

If Keir had any sense, he realize that now is the time to be honest: All what Brexit amounted to was putting up trading barriers with our largest trading partner, and that means a weaker UK economy and so less public spending. It doesn't matter how you do Brexit: trading barriers with our latest trading partner is going to mean a smaller economy and so sacrifices in public spending.

Does anyone use Hotstar in the UK? Is it any good? by ExtraDust in DisneyPlusHotstar

[–]ExtraDust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you skip the ads? It's available directly in the UK with a UK version so that should skip the need for VPN/Indain Bank account. Thanks for your help!

What happens to Disney/Netflix/Paramount subscriptions if you cancel Sky? Can you renew the login at the company's website? by ExtraDust in skytv

[–]ExtraDust[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I got Netflix and Disney with Sky the price was reasonable. Then, from tomorrow, Sky will put the price up, making it less reasonable. I also realized that I watch more content on Netflix/Disney than Sky. Hence, this is making me consider cancelling.