April 26

Are you sick of stroppy shop assistants, automated answering services and hanging on the phone for hours on end?

Well disgruntled customers in Plymouth can now vent their frustration and get paid for it thanks to the new website www.yoursaypays.co.uk.

The website, which has been set up by customer satisfaction specialists, The Leadership Factor, pays visitors to take part in market research which is used to assess UK customer service across a variety of sectors including retail, telecommunications and local authorities.



The Leadership Factor is one of the world's leading specialists in the measurement of customer and employee satisfaction. Its services are predominantly focused on measuring and improving satisfaction levels of customers and employees of its large and growing number of blue chip clients.

After registering online, customer service panellists are rewarded between 50p and £2 per completed survey, which they can choose to keep or donate to charity.

Somehow I think the website might crash with people eager to share their experiences - especially with complaints about banks, mobile phone companies and other organisations which use mass call centre operations.

In fact, it's worth asking... Q. What's worse than calling a call centre? A. Calling a call centre and getting through to a maze-like automated service which requires you to be Ethan Hunt to navigate through. Grr.

Anyhow, Nigel Hill, founder of The Leadership Factor says of the new service: "Customers in Plymouth shouldn't have to tolerate poor service but complaining can be time consuming and stressful.

"Similarly to encourage excellent customer service we should highlight those companies whose customers are very happy.

"The Your Say Pays site makes it easy for customers to get their views noted, whilst rewarding them for their time.

"The site is interactive, featuring advice and real-life articles on customer service issues and a blog for consumers to share experiences."

Members of the panel will receive short questionnaires via email every few weeks. Panellists don't have to take part in every survey they are sent, and all information and opinions are strictly confidential.

Mr Hill adds: "It is now the norm for consumers to stand up for their rights and Your Say Pays provides the perfect platform. Businesses benefit from knowing their customers' opinions so they can make positive changes to improve levels of customer service."

For more information log on to www.yoursaypays.co.uk.

Rewards can be donated to the following charities; Red Cross, Age Concern, Cancer Research, Royal National Institute for the Blind or the World Wildlife Fund.



Meanwhile....

Customers at a top British restaurant can now listen to iPods while tucking into their food. Chef Heston Blumenthal says the Apple music players will help heighten the flavour of a new dish called Sound of the Sea.

Diners at his three Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, will listen to a recording of breaking waves while they eat.

The sound of the sea dish is made of seafood and edible seaweed served on a sand-like tapioca mixture.

I'm sure the restaurant will be awash with bookings. (Soz)

Oh and news just in... Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has announced that PSP (PlayStationPortable) would enjoy a new, lower price point in the UK £129.99, with the new price effective from Friday (4th May).

In addition to the new price of PSP, five new Platinum titles will be launched concurrently with a new, lower price for all PSP Platinum titles of £14.99.

The new Platinum titles are: Ridge Racer 2, Tekken, Killzone, Loco Roco, and Moto GP.



Anyways, those nice people at Sierra Games UK and Sony have showered my desk with the latest games to review.

Here's the best on the desk.



Title: F.E.A.R.

Platform: Sony PS3

RRP: £39.99

Hit count: 5/5



You aren't a soldier. You are a weapon. A mysterious paramilitary force infiltrates a multi-billion dollar aerospace compound, taking hostages but issuing no demands. A Special Forces team is sent in by the government to contain the situation, but contact is severed as an eerie signal interrupts radio communications. When the interference subsides moments later, the team has been obliterated. Live footage of the massacre shows an inexplicable wave of destruction tearing the soldiers apart before they can even react. In light of the desperate situation the F.E.A.R. team is assembled. As part of this elite classified strike force created to deal with the most unusual and shocking of threats, your mission is simple: Eliminate the intruders at any cost. Determine the origin of the signal and contain this crisis before it spirals out of control. At last a title begins to make the most of the advanced capabilities of the new Sony PlayStation 3.



Title: God of War 2

Platform: Sony PS2

RRP: £34.99

Hit count: 3/5



The story picks up where players last left off with Kratos. Sitting atop his throne on Olympus, Kratos, the once mortal warrior has become a threat far worse than his predecessor Ares, had ever been. Kratos is a ruthless God, whose wrath strikes down anyone who crosses his path or the path of his beloved Sparta. The Ghost of Sparta sets out to alter that which no mortal, or god has ever changed, his fate. Kratos' journey brings him to the very edge of the Earth, facing countless beasts, monsters, and horrors from his previous life, all bent on preventing him from reaching his goal. But this is Kratos, and his defiance is filled with such arrogance and contempt that all of the Ancient World still trembles at his name: Kratos, the God of War.