All about… Lady Janey

UK Money Bloggers’ members cover a wonderfully diverse range of topics, and customer service – getting the most for your money – is well represented by Jane of the blog Lady Janey. Jane spoke to us about her motivation for money blogging, as well as her favourite posts and bloggers.

 

Tell us about your blog.

Lady Janey is a customer service blog where I tackle a range of consumer issues with the aim of encouraging people to get the best possible customer service experience for their money.

At the same time I champion excellent customer service wherever possible in order to encourage companies to work harder to please their customers and improve the standard of customer service they provide.

 

Why do you write about money?

Because we work harder than ever nowadays for our pennies and what we spend them on should be worth it.

 

How did you start blogging?

I’ve always had a good eye for customer service and it had become a standing joke among friends and family that wherever I went I would always end up coming back with “free this and free that”: complimentary stays, free meals or refunds.

However, I’m not a complainer; I don’t comment on customer service for what I can get. That’s not what I’m about. I just want to make companies think more about the quality of service they provide.

A friend of mine just joked one day that I should write a blog, as she loved hearing about all my experiences… so I looked into it and I started writing.

 

What’s your most popular post and why?

My post ‘When silence is not golden’, which was about the British Airways debacle over half term this year when their IT systems went down.

It was a really topical post and hit a chord with lots of people as so many were affected. As an ex employee, I have been saddened by the way BA has fallen from grace over the years.

I only hope they can turn things around soon before it becomes unrecognisable as the brand we have grown to know and love.

Money blogger wise, the consequent difficulty of passengers to obtain compensation from the airline was a disgrace. I am 100% behind any legislation, which would enforce automatic compensation to avoid such situations occurring again.

 

What’s your favourite post you’ve written, and why?

Tip or Service Charge as this was one of the first posts I wrote and it was one which sparked my off on my blogging journey. It was written just off the cuff one afternoon due to a last minute change of plans and, if I do say so myself, it tackles this often much deliberated topic beautifully.

 

What’s your number one money tip?

Always check your bills in restaurants to ensure that (a) no sneaky service charge has been added and (b) you’ve been charged correctly especially in large groups.

I recently went to a local restaurant and during the meal they brought olives and bread. I did query this as they weren’t on the menu but the response indicated they were complimentary. This wasn’t the case when I got the bill.

Needless to say no tip was left and I made a point of telling the waitress why as I left.

As the meal was a Fathers’ Day treat for my Dad, with a great deal of restraint, I paid up in full and provided the manager with a full and frank review of my experience when I returned home instead.

 

What’s your top blogging tip?

Join a fabulously supportive Money Blogging Group like this one!

 

Why are you part of UK Money Bloggers?

Because it’s the best- both in terms of information and opportunities shared and also the wealth of specialism and experience among members.

 

Who are your three favourite UK Money Bloggers?

Thinking Thrifty – as a fellow northerner with a shared belief that a spade is a spade, I love David’s style.

Openly witty and honest, he has a strong voice and I love to read his posts as they make me laugh out loud. Sheer brilliance!

 

Be Clever With Your Cash – At the risk of appearing like the teacher’s pet, I love someone who really knows their onions about what they write about and Andy most certainly does. With a whole range of clever money saving tips, savings and hacks on his blog, he’s the next best thing to Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis.

 

Reduced Grub – Kelly has been my blogging inspiration as, without her, I wouldn’t be where I am blog wise today.

I met her by chance on a flight and her blog was the first one I ever read. It has made me think a lot more carefully about what I eat and what I buy and although I still purchase my body weight in wine on a weekly basis, I’ve become a lot more supermarket savvy and frugal since meeting her.

I also love the fact that she’s now covering travel too, saving people money wherever they go in the world.