Advantages: none
Disadvantages: terrible line quality, abysmal customer service, constant line disruption

...on Cape Town dialects. I have had a few occasions were I have been able to understand the advisors but some of them have very strong accents which I found extremely difficult to understand. This is coupled with an extremely poor line quality which no doubt compounds the problem.) Our real problems started when we changed banks though. All three phones had their direct debit mandates updated at the same time. The mobiles were fine, service continued with no interruptions. The landline however has been a thorn in my side for weeks now. I came home early September and picked up the phone to call my friend..."Thank you for calling Talk Talk. Please be advised that a restriction has been placed on this line. To lift the restriction please have your card details to hand and provide the information we request..." Puzzled I stayed on the line... Read review

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Advantages: I live here!
Disadvantages: Not an awful lot to do.

...Ooh this does sound like an interesting topic to talk about, I am unsure as how I'm going to fill this with a decent size review but we'll see eh? My hometown is Rugby, (No I do not live in a violent game with big sweaty men jumping on each other), it is a smallish town in the Midlands. It's pretty well placed in the country to be honest, bang smack in the middle can just about go anywhere in England within four or five hours drive. Sticking on the line of location and travel it isn't too far away from Birmingham for the big city experience, and Birmingham Airport is handy for foreign holidays. Also there is a very small airport at Coventry which is only 12 miles away. This has to be the smallest airport in the country, well public one any way. Seriously if you don't like packed crowdds and queues and waiting, go to Coventry Airport... Read review

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Advantages: Scenery
Disadvantages: Weather

...are free for orange badge holders. Like a lot of other Welsh towns you will of course get the very talented male voice choirs. When you hear these sing your hairs will stand up on the back of your neck. Wrexham now has a multi-cinema, based on the plas coch site, about 1 mile from the town centre. For those of you who like a more livelier night out there are several nightclubs and many pubs. One pub in Wrexham is called the Horse and Jockey it is well known because of its thatched roof. It is a very small pub, but you can get a fantastic, tasty meal there for under a fiver at a lunch time. Talking about food Wrexham has a lot of Cafes ranging from cheap to God damn expensive. It’s your choice. I myself prefer a bar lunch, to me they seem well worth the money. St Giles's Parish Church is a fine example of Gothic... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, good weather, plenty to do.
Disadvantages: Long haul flight, distance between attractions

...on too long but I am talking from personal experience, as I lived and worked in Cape Town for 4 years and know it quite well. Currently, Cape Town is cheap (cheap as chips!) A family of four could eat out (steaks, fish etc) for about £5 a head. This includes main course and drinks (2 or 3 each) Beer costs about 80p per bottle in a bar and smokes for £1 a pack, so good news for boozers and smoke-a-holics! The country is modern and although officially classed as third world, has a first world infrastructure. The UK imports many products from there and South Africa is often used as a testing ground for movies, products and services. English is the main language (amongst other smaller languages) which eliminates the need for waving arms and speaking really slowly to the locals. Despite countless rumours of high crime and dangerous areas... Read review

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Advantages: A powerful evocation of disaffected youth
Disadvantages: Not funny; extensive use of foul language

...If you know Ardal O'Hanlan for his role as the endearingly naïve Father Dougal Maguire in Channel 4's "Father Ted"…or even if you've caught him in his award-winning stand-up comedian guise…The Talk of the Town might come as a bit of a shock. It isn't funny. Some critics will also find that a bit of a shock. The Irish Times spoke of "laugh out loud humour"…NME added "very funny"…the Observer: "extremely funny" (by way of a passing reference to the Diary of Adrian Mole). At least The Face got closer when their reviewer spoke of "vicious humour" and "corrosively funny". Maybe I just miss the mark somehow, but for me it was definitely vicious and corrosive, but as for laughing out loud? The best I could manage was a wry smile of recognition at some of the Friday-night rituals and dance-hall insecurities. Patrick... Read review

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Advantages: Great Scenic views on the tour
Disadvantages: Can be hot, humid and sticky...

...Day One: Morning arrival 09.35 on SAA221 flight at Cape Town International Airport. Transfer to The Bay Hotel for the next six nights. Day Two: Day at leisure to explore the magnificent features of Cape Town, for the treasures in diamonds and gold jewellery. Day Three: Visit “Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden” to explore Van Riebeeck's Hedge and Peninsula garden, with many other features from around the world for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora. Lunch is served in the gardens from The Ritz Tea House. Day Four: Visit the “South Africa Jewish Museum” to explore the social, intellectual, and cultural contributions made by South Africa's Jewish community. Then visit “Telkom Exploratorium” where technology and the science of telecommunications becomes... Read review

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Advantages: Entertaining, a light read
Disadvantages: Too many coincidences, slightly disappointing ending

...I've read and reviewed a couple of books by Simon Brett now. What I like about them is that they are consistent; I know from the start that I'm not reading a great work of literature, but that I will have an enjoyable, light-hearted read. I've recently had to do a lot of overtime at work and so something complicated was the last thing I wanted, making this the perfect choice. This book is one of the Fethering Mysteries, although Simon Brett has written two other series of detective books, as well as a radio show. Carole and Jude, both in their early 50s, are neighbours in the seaside town of Fethering. They have a Miss Marple-like habit of falling over dead bodies and then working out who the murderer was. In this case, the body was found in a box in the corner of a cellar into which some friends of Jude had just moved. The body... Read review

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Advantages: consistency of tracks is excellent, with a range of influences and styles
Disadvantages: Some of the lyrics and choice of collaborators

...Celine Dion was raised in the small town of Charlemagne in Quebec, Canada, with 13 BROTHERS AND SISTERS! She began singing aged 5, signed her first record deal aged 12 and was a huge star in Canada in her early teenage years. Her emergence into the pop mainstream in the early 1990s both heralded unprecedented commercial success but also the bitter backlash that has led to the Queen of Balladeers being a love/hate icon of modern pop music. You either think her voice is one of the greatest ever heard on record, or you would rather be devoured by starving pirannhas than hear her screaching voice. Whatever opinion you hold, this, her 5th English speaking album, shows Celine at the pinnacle of her success and creative quality and commercial appeal. Celine recorded this album slightly under duress; she had always wanted to stop after... Read review

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Advantages: Pricing
Disadvantages: Many people have had bad experiences

...I have read so many Ciao rants about TalkTalk that I felt I had to write a balanced review, so that people can make a more informed choice. I hope this helps! My experience with TalkTalk ---------------------------------------------------- I have been with TalkTalk for over 2 years. I was initially with their talk 1 scheme (a cheap calling plan, see below for more info). In September 2006 I switched to their Talk 3 plan, which includes line rental from them as opposed to BT, and free Broadband. I was previously with BT for my line rental, and Tiscali for my broadband. With 24 months of experience with TalkTalk, and having recently taken up their infamous Broadband offer, hope I can give a rant free review! It's cheap to TalkTalk ----------------------------------- I am sure you know from watching Big Brother, but TalkTalk... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Super Cheap! Great Service! Free Calls!
Disadvantages: None, Zero, Nill..

...So you are looking to save some money? Maybe not? I went to my local Carphone Warehouse back in June "04" for a new mobile. I have to say the staff where nothing more than wonderful, very polite and helpful. After sorting me out with a new mobile the sales consultant introduced the TalkTalk product and as they had been helpful I decided to give it a go. I was explained that I would still pay BT the line rental so my number would stay the same and the actual service would to. The only difference would be was that TalkTalk would bill me for the calls. They told me that I would get 11 numbers that I can get a further 10% discount on, on top of the savings I would already make, and they could be mobiles or landlines. It took about 3 weeks to be set up, there were no forms to fill out, I didnt have to ring around to sort things... Read review

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