Help

It is hoped that this page will assist in your query. If not, do not be afraid to ask!

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Introduction

Most of us would have at some time spent an hour or two using the Search Engines to seek out web sites that are of interest to our vocation and pastimes. It is only through trial and error and "wasting" time that we get to learn how Search engines and the persons who attempt to grab everyone's attention work.

Companies pay quite a lot of money to be at the top of a search results list, while others employ what I term as "spam or spoof search". This latter practice works on the principal that if one includes a date, a catalogue number, or similar data within the search, those bright sparks have a programme that will bring up the exact figure you typed. In other words every permutation under the sun ~ or is it space? I do not see the point of this exercise, as it is 95% guaranteed that if one clicks onto their link, there is nothing whatsoever on their site that pertains to the search! It's annoying, frustrating, as well as boring! The same applies for sites that do sell the type of merchandise that is being sought, but attempts to list every item on the planet to draw one's attention to their site, but low and behold, it's "out of stock". Okay, going on a bit here, but it's leading into..

If you discovered this site by way of a Search Engine, it is highly probable that what you were seeking has been found! Much time has been spent to hopefully make this site interesting and user friendly. The basic ingredients for this is to offer for sale original memorabilia in clean, presentable condition, backed up with a courteous and efficient service. all by way of a web site that avoids employing clever gimmicks that only work with certain browsers, and emails that do not include backgrounds so as to make the text illegible!

However, nothing in this world is perfect 100% all of the time, including here. So, in the eventuality that one does encounter a problem or glitch, the following are a few of the more common occurrences that can arise. Note that unlike some sites, you will not get redirected to countless other windows only to come back to where you started ~ here!

If you have not received a reply to an email within 2 working days, the reason for this could be:

    1) was your message posted using an invalid subject ? Examples being:
         Hello * can you help * I have a question * I have not heard from you for a while *   Please email me! * do you have..
         Please call * please help * Good day * re your web site   * can I ask a question ... and any of similar.

Please use a suitable, specific subject title, As well as the Ordering page, all the sales pages on this site should have a live link to send an email, with each having a pro-forma subject matter pertaining to the page in question. This is so that a genuine email is recognised and opened.

If you are quite new to all this, and would like further easy-to-comprehend information on this matter, including how to (hopefully) avoid opening the undesirable emails, please visit the Spam information page.

    2) is your ISP down or having problems?
Run a test by sending an email to yourself. See how long it takes to come back to you. On normal running service, it should be back with you within 3 minutes, and no longer than 20 minutes. Make sure type something (anything) in the message box.

   3) does the Home page or Contents page state that the office is closed for a set duration? ~ not at this time
If so, you should receive an automated reply to this effect. If you do not receive a personal reply within 2 days after the specified time, please then resend your email.

   4) did you place an order for multiple items, but details sent were brief?
If you did not copy and paste, or type out each line as set out on the web page/s, it could be that time has to be spent searching the site for your specific requests. As there are 1000's of items listed, you can appreciate that this can sometimes take a little while to execute!

   5) email service providers own filters
Because of people abusing the email system by clogging it up with spam, most Internet Service Providers have now placed filters within filters on their email facility. Although disclaimed by them, it is inevitable that this will, and does, prevent genuine emails from being received. If you think that this might be the case, please telephone. The answer machine is always on out of office hours. All contact information is on the Ordering page.

6) the email provider changed Feb 2008 ~ are you using an old book-marked address?
ntlworld.com is no longer valid, as Virgin Media's takeover has forced it's closure. Please use this sites internal email address as provided at the foot of each sales page, and as also stated on the Ordering page under 'Contact' Information

7) Did you read the details regarding 'minimum order processed' on the Ordering page?
If you enquired about one item that is of nominal value, you should receive a reply directing you to the Ordering page.
If you enquired about one item that is of nominal value, and wanted detailed information (e.g. what pages feature whoever within, etc.), then you most probably will not have received any reply.

        Notes: "working days" excludes weekends and UK Bank Holidays.
                      Do not copy / paste the email at the top of this page, as it is spaced. This is to prevent searches by spammers seeking out emails to bombard!

    1) Did you order an item that has a small retail value stated?
Please remember that the minimum order processed is £14 + post if paying with a c a r d . As there are several thousand items on offer for sale, there is sure to be something else to make the order up to this amount?!

     2) Did you leave a land number?
Sorry, mobile numbers are not acknowledged:

In 20 years of business, I have found that:
         (1 ) of all the persons who make a general enquiry on stock items by telephone, at least 50% do not call again.
         (2 ) of all the persons who are called to be reminded of the minimum order, at least 70% do not place an order.
         (3 ) of all the persons who place a 'wants' on file, at least 70% do not purchase when item becomes available.

      3) Did you leave a clear message?
If the message cannot be understood after 4 times of listening, you will not receive a reply! Do make sure that the number you leave is correct, and has been not been read out in 0.5 of a second!!

If you telephoning to pay with a c re d i t or d e b i t card for an order that has been confirmed, the duration for this is (usually) 1 minute only.

Sometimes we do take too much for granted. If you ran on Windows 95 years ago, just think of the progression in recent times. Computers now 10 times faster, with a memory that far exceeds what most of us will ever require. Millions more computers logged onto the Internet at the same time. If you get "Not Found", "timed out", or similar:

      1) is your own ISP's server functioning okay?
Open a new Navigator Window, and see if you can log on to any other sites within your Favourites or Bookmarks.
If this is okay, it is possible that the host server for this site is temporarily down (unlikely), or just very slow. All the pages on this site have been tested, and are functional. This page should be one of the most easily accessible, as it contains minimal files

    2) did you type in a page address or jpeg image url from memory?
If you received a message 404 Error / Not Found / or similar, this indicates that the page or image has been removed, or had it's name changed, or most likely you typed in the address from memory / guesswork. All url's begin with http://www.peterice com/ , followed by the extension name. On this site, upper or lower case lettering could have been used, so if you type in by guesswork the address, you could receive the 404 message.

As an example, this page is titled Help. Therefore, the extension address is /Help.htm (all pages end with .htm). So if you type in www.peterice com/help.htm within the address bar, you will receive the 404 message because h was used instead of H,

Tip: If you cannot find the page or image you thought existed on this site, go onto Goggle's Advanced Search, and search within this site from there.

Note that "Server Error" is not the same as the 404. In other words, "404" is not a server eroor!

3) did you attempt to jump around this site like grease lightning?
Sometimes a computer gets upset by the user being too hasty. Even though you might be able to get onto some other sites, the cache memory can become corrupt by this action. It would mean that the computer has to be restarted, with the cache being cleared (Edit ~ Preferences). Also look in the Cookies folder (type Cookies under Find or Search Files), and delete anything unnecessary in the main Cookies folder.

Note: most cookies do not need to be accepted anyway. One can choose to be selective, or refuse them altogether; un-check the accept cookies box, or similar
           (Internet Explorer has a slide bar under Tools ~ Internet Options ~ Privacy).

Not on this www.peterice.com. You must be on an unaffiliated external site. There are no files or programmes on or for this site that need to be downloaded, or saved on one's computer.

If you are on such a sight, and the message will not go away (i.e. you cannot close the Window), you must reboot your pc now, before anything disastrous can occur! More info if required on the Spam page.

As above, this can be caused by not allowing the said page to fully load.

Select "Refresh" or "Reload". If this does not solve the problem with images showing, be patient. Sometimes the host server could be over worked, and the JPEGs will take a little longer than usual to appear.

Tip: if you right click on an image block (link) that is not loading and select View Image, it should display on it's own in another blank white window / page. If so, the server or your telephone line is very busy. If not, server has most probably gone on a tea break... Well, not really, but please be patient!

If an image link is invalid or similar, please email. This will be corrected, and / or specified image will be forwarded to you via email.

Back to help contents

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"A link to an external web site is not valid"

Any preset external links within this site for web sites that are deemed to be interesting, having useful information, are included as 'good will'. They are of no affiliation, and no responsibility can be accepted for their performance. Please remember that their server could be temporarily out of action. However, it would be appreciated if an email was sent if a site appears to be consistently inoperative, so that the link can be removed. Thank you.
.

It is most likely that you're screen is less than a 17" model. By now, there should be nobody using those dreadful 14" monitors?! Laptops tend to have the obligatory 15" screen, so:

There are two main options available to adjust the view.
   1) under the View tab, select Decrease Font, Text Size or similar.
   2) click on Monitor icon (or go in Control Panel ~ Display ~ Settings) and select (experiment fir) a different size view setting.
   3) stating the obvious... if you have an ISP task bar open on the left (err. aol for instance!).. close or minimize it!

Note: this web site is set up employing FR0NTPAGE. It's programme's characteristics can affect
                                 the display view in varying ways based on one's own pc and ISP Browser.

Merchandise that has been uploaded to this site within the past 1 ~ 3 weeks will most probably not show in search results, as the service company that submits web sites to 100 search engines states that it will take several weeks to be included. Also, on tests this facility has found to be inconsistent in it's results. This is being reviewed, and a different search system could be in operation in the near future. An Index page has been started. If this is not helpful for you, please email to enquire as to an availability of specific item/s.

The following principle should be applied when printing any emails, letters, essays, information, or anything else that does not necessitate the duplication of colour fonts, logos, photographs, etc.

Printing personal files: File ~ Print ~ Properties ~ on Set Up tab select Draft ~ on Advanced tab select Print in Grayscale + Black only ~ OK ~ OK

Printing web pages: although the following settings are given, most modern browsers and computers now have their own setting facilities for printing web pages. Much of this is trial and error to find what is the most suitable for you, but at the end of the day it all is much the sameness as below. However, if there are images that do not want to be printed, look for this option on the web settings.

File ~ Print ~ Properties ~ on Set Up tab select Draft + Scale to fit which in turn will open a new option for you to select: Resize % . Take it down to 80% ~ OK~ on Advanced tab select Print in Grayscale + Black only ~ OK ~ then before you click OK ( to print) you might want to select to have 1 page printed initially( Print range - pages select 1 to 1 ) to assess the end result. You will see that now all the data across the screen fits onto the width of the (portrait) page without having to print landscape, thus avoiding using up a whole tree trunk of paper! You can now judge the percentage that is most appropriate, and adjust the % accordingly.

Following the above advice will save a fortune on ink costs!

Copy & Paste is requested so that it is clearly understood from the initial email exactly what items are required, and from which page on the site. If your pc will not paste the relevant copied information into the email box in an orderly fashion, please type the relevant information, including the grade and price.

Tips:    1) On-line, select File - Edit Page. This will open a new Window of the viewed page. The data can now be copied and pasted.

           2) if you paste the data and then find that the frame has extended downwards somewhat, you should
                   be able to reduce this by clicking onto the frame at the bottom and dragging back to the top.

  or      3) try: Copy the info (line), then within the email box right click and select 'Paste without Formatting'.
                     Then you can bring each section of info within one line by backspacing

           4) if the font copied is in various colours, paste into the email box, click Ctrl + A to select all,
                  then choose black on your colour chart.

If there are any images included in the copied information, it is advisable to delete these, as some programmes will have the facilities to forward images via another source. If a message states that not all components can be forwarded, and asks if you want to send anyway (or words to this effect), select Yes, as this will indicate there is an image within the email.

Any item that is offered as Free is of a lesser grade than if a Price was stated.

     (1) VINYL: would have been purchased by yours truly with the belief that the record was in good order -
                       either visually at a shop or fair, or by a seller via mail order who stated the record as EX or similar.
                       Therefore, expect that the disc will most probably have 'annoying' surface noise, and / or the label
                       is damaged. Worth a chance... after all - it's FREE!

       (2) PRINTED MATTER: usually a more easy-to-find item, so being of low grade is of no significance.

Obviously, to acquire a 'free' item, the minimum value order must be placed. There is no limit as to how many 'free' items that are listed on this site can be requested at one time, but do not expect much if the value of order being paid for is deemed as a low £ !

You may pay for a free item: (a) if this is all you require (b) it is to make up the minimum order purchase of £14 + post
   If (a) then you may choose one or two other 'free' items !

If several records are being paid for. and you would like to receive one or more extra (my discretion) at no charge*, please request this when submitting your payment. The free records you receive will be from the same period (decade) as your paid order.

     * = any extra costs in posting will have to be paid for - International clients please bear this in mind!

nb. If a question (email) is received regarding any item that is listed or offered as 'free', it will be filed on the distant planet Uranus!

Yes:

If the order is of significant value. Payment to be received prior to collection. Rendezvous is at one of my outside venues, or at an associate's shop premises. Due to stipulation of terms within the business insurance policy, there are no facilities available for personal collection of goods at the premises.

There are several thousand images already included within the sales listings, of actual products that are for sale. One can appreciate that the time involved in this provision is somewhat time consuming! It is just not feasible to supply a photograph of each and every item listed. Anyhow, low priced items does not justify this exercise.

It is possible to supply, on request, images of specific items that are of notable value. However, unless one is an established client, it might be requested that a 'firm' order (min. of £14) is to be received prior to this service being furnished. The judgment of this will be based on the content of the email, and what and how many images are being requested!

Contrary to what some believe, banks, travel bureaus, etc, are not there to provide services for free. As a general rule, their commission charge is 12%. Yes, if one shops around, it is possible to save a bit on this charge, but unless it is a large sum, it is not worth the effort. Where a place states. 'no commission', their exchange rate will be higher than elsewhere. Ironically, banks that accept foreign cheques for negotiation (i.e. in a currency other than that of their own country), charge less on the currency exchange (usually around 8%), but there is also a charge for the process of the cheque itself.

Possibly not. Conditions do vary from country to country. For instance, in America one has to go to a Post Office and order a MO, then wait at least 10 days, and pay around £40 for the privilege! In Japan it is much easier to execute.

Please consider the main options:

1: C r e d i t or D e b i t C a r d ( recommended)
2: Cash**, in any currency as stated on the Ordering page
3: Personal cheque

** not recommended for large amounts

If you want to know a breakdown of exchange rate costs*** involved in purchasing, this can be emailed on request after a 'Total To Pay' has been received by yourself. Please state how (method) you are considering sending payment.

*** if paying with a c a r d, please contact the company concerned.

No reply to my emails / phone message	Listings / images are not loading	Searching
Pages not valid or found	Listings overrunning my screen	Feedback
External link not valid	Problem printing out the data	Copy + Paste into email box
Why is an item listed as 'Free'?	Can I collect my order in person?	Can I see a photograph prior...?
How is the exchange rate calculated ?	Is paying with a IMO recommended?	Message states download a file