# Burnham



## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Found this piece in the Money pages today. If any of you GKA people have sold a house round about 2014, you will be interested to read this. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/ar...-Sea-estate-agents-conspired-rip-sellers.html

David
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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

David,

This is old news to us in Burnham. It was headlines locally some long time back and the bad guys did get some hefty fines as mentioned in the article. 
Greed again - they just are never happy with their fees and want more. The local online Burnham site covered it fully back then.

Neville


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I thought the dates didn't quite tally. Curious it has taken so long to surface in the national press then !!

David
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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

Must be something in the water, there used to be a radio station just up the road from there that charged inflated prices for a 3 minute H/F radiotelephone call too.


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

It was just as expensive from my shack. Just a shorter walk.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

The weekly calls home prices as far as I can remember were about £1 per minute. I would patiently explain to the customers that they had to pay for three minutes so should at least use that time, but after that any fraction of a minute was another pound. I even took to putting a stop watch on the bench in front of them, but it was my habit to go outside the shack while the call proceeded to as not to be seen as an 'earwigger.' (That came later in life.)

Quite often the bill was disputed when they got it. What could I say ? ("Stop trying to have it off with your missus on the phone while everybody and his dog as well as several other ships in the queue were doing the 'earwigging.' ")

I always had the impression GKA were very good with timing, and usually gave you more than you'd paid for, and if the call had been difficult would adjust the time in favour of the customer. (egg)


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

I agree, most of the GKA chaps were very lenient with timing; I had more than one completely free call at Christmas; usually after a string of calls the GKA op. would ask if I would like a call myself 'on the house'.

Very kind!


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

I had a little phone booth with curtain on the Baron Murray/GWES...some customers used to draw the curtain for "privacy"...until I explained the reality...

Waiting in turn and listening to the ship ahead was usually convincing enough for my customers... ;-)


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Yes I had a free call at Christmas, too. I didn't realise until I got, "any more old man and you'll have to pay for it".


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

VIS would often call an RO phone call "uncommercial" and not charge for it.

I was on one ship where crewmembers got a free phone call each week or something. The no-hopers would phone the speaking clock in Kingston, Jamaica just to get their money's worth.

I also recall, in the UK, navy ship's personnel got free calls and if you got behind an HMS you might as well go to bed, unless you wanted to listen to their drivel all night.

John T


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

When I had a long list of waiting ships the term -Uncommercial- was the way I
would announce the time - every RO knew what we meant without comment.

Neville


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

posted by Trotterdotpom:


> _
> I also recall, in the UK, navy ship's personnel got free calls and if you got behind an HMS you might as well go to bed, unless you wanted to listen to their drivel all night._


Agree; I found myself behind Brittania once. Daren't say anymore!!!


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