The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 8th December

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martyn ford says:

8 Dec8 December 10:03

Is the lounge open @ Conrad, St. James please?
- Jill (Kinkell) says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 10:23
  
  Might be…that was where the EU trade delegation have been staying, causing us a wee problem with booking restaurant when staying there.
  Lounge was fine, but miserable Plate of canapés …..rectified by plying us with additional biscuits and cheese.! That said….I would stay there again.
  - martyn ford says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 10:57
    
    Thanks Jill.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 11:48
    
    Will probably fall foul of the substantial meals rule for alcohol though.
martyn ford says:

8 Dec8 December 10:16

Or Bankside for that matter?
Jill (Kinkell) says:

8 Dec8 December 10:19

Anyone having trouble signing in to IHG account? Have tried uninstalling and resetting app. on iPad. On desktop the sign in icon does nothing. Phoned last night,but don’t think the guy had a clue.
- jil says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 10:43
  
  works fine for me both app and web
- Anna says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 11:47
  
  IHG’s IT is erratic! Sometimes I find I can’t sign in until I get to the booking page, sometimes I just have to leave it a few hours and then it’s usually righted itself. I haven’t had a problem with the app though. It’s possibly an issue with cookies as sometimes my stays show the wrong details and apparently the cookies are to blame!
KBuffett says:

8 Dec8 December 10:25

Does anyone know how the system behind gift cards works? I’m surprised it hasn’t been hacked
- Ghosty says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 10:46
  
  You asking for a friend
- Andrew says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 11:25
  
  I’m surprised that you think it hasn’t been hacked…
  
  The driver behind the switch from Gift Voucher to Gift Card was as a consequence of widespread forgery. Firms are always playing catch up.
  
  Have a Google around, you’ll find plenty of stories of individuals who have found that their Gift Card (or Nectar Card) has been emptied.
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 14:16
    
    Or on a lower but more fruitful endeavour when we were kids. Nando’s stamps …
Chris Heyes says:

8 Dec8 December 10:51

KBuffett But it has my son, is a “Hacker” Chaser he has the job off locating where and how a system is breached, stopping it and locating for large firms where the source is, who then decide if the police need to be involved (you’d be surprised how many don’t report it to the police)
- Anna says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 11:49
  
  I wouldn’t – often these firms are very secretive (banks, notoriously!) and don’t want these breaches getting into the public domain, especially if they suspect their own staff may be involved …
  - Chris Heyes says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 12:59
    
    Hi, Anna, Son works for PortSwigger Web Security, Knutsford, anywhere near you ?, travels from Blackburn (well working from home since March lockdown), worked for Microsoft before them
    - Aston100 says:
      
      8 Dec8 December 13:43
      
      Hi Chris, between this comment and a couple in the past few days, I think I’ve got almost enough info to hack you and your son.
      Thanks.
      - Chris Heyes says:
        
        8 Dec8 December 14:14
        
        Aston100 lol Would be able to tell you what puter you used, IP Address location and with more time your address were hack took place lol
        “report@phishing.gov.uk” lol
      - Chris Heyes says:
        
        8 Dec8 December 18:27
        
        Aston100 If your interested in that sort of thing read this book
        Web Application Obfuscation: ‘-/WAFs..Evasion..Filters//alert(/Obfuscation/)-‘
        2010
    - Anna says:
      
      8 Dec8 December 15:58
      
      He might be closer than you think lol!
    - BP says:
      
      8 Dec8 December 21:28
      
      I’ve met his boss a few times. I work in this industry too. Almost all ethical hackers use the Burp tool that Portswigger sell.
Alex J says:

8 Dec8 December 10:55

I’m sure this has been asked before N times, but… any recs for a clinic that will do a PCR in central London for under £200 and with results in 48h?
- BuildTheWall says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 11:44
  
  someone mentioned that you can get it done at Boots for £120.
  - meta says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 12:17
    
    I booked at Montague clinic near Moorgate station for £130 in early Jan. At the moment all their results are coming in within 24 hours and no more than 48h. Although they do have a 72h guarantee disclaimer. Not a problem for me as it’s for Dubai. I’ve read that Boots ones are not reliable and it’s almost impossible to get a slot.
    
    Anyone who needs a test in Dec/early Jan better book your slots asap as they are scarce everywhere.
  - Andrew says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 12:30
    
    A colleague has tried to get one from Boots, first availability was after Christmas. He’s paying £300 from another provider. Think it’s £165 for the test and £135 for the courier.
    
    His parents are paying…
    - Rob says:
      
      8 Dec8 December 13:08
      
      Yes, Boots in London has no slots until late December. Same with both of BA’s recommended providers.
      
      There is one on Harley Street that was recommended to me that I am trying next week. They can do same day if you are there before noon – they have a lab on site – but cheaper if you wait overnight. I will report back.
- Pierre says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 14:14
  
  Used Harley Medic International in London last week – £150 incl Fit to Fly cert. Results the following evening by 11pm (mine dropped at 10.15pm)
George K says:

8 Dec8 December 11:08

BA High Life print mag just came through the letterbox… maybe I’ll read it for once!
Sapiens says:

8 Dec8 December 11:19

HFP hive mind. With Buy To Let mostly dead for new investments, would anyone recommend an alternative investment for an otherwise well balanced market portfolio? E.g. some people have been getting 13%+ yields from car parks (though suffering in pandemic/wfh)
- Holam says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 11:24
  
  wouldn’t say BTL is dead, just requires more careful structuring than before. Running it through a Ltd can still generating a very nice long term return and that’s before doing any BRR
- Holam says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 11:25
  
  car parks do seem like a fantastic investment – extremely low maintenance and theoretically a very good yield. Slap some ANPR cameras on entrance/exit and you don’t even need an enforcement officer walking around.
- Andrew says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 12:42
  
  Lego.
  
  I bought a set for my brother for Christmas 2018 from Harrods offer. It was £130, 10% off as Harrods loyalty card offer, then £50 back with Amex. So net £67. He loved the present but didn’t get round to building it due to there being a toddler in the house.
  
  The set is now discontinued, was a limited edition, unopened, pristine and in demand.
  
  So, after phoning me first and telling me how much it’s now worth, he’s just sold if for £540.
  
  Obviously, you have to choose the right Lego to invest in…
  - Super Secret Stuff says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 12:48
    
    Heard many people mention Lego as an investment, I just don’t understand how you can (with a reasonable degree of confidence) pick the right one to purchase…
  - Anna says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 16:00
    
    I’ve still got one of the big Stars Wars ones I got about 3 years ago when there was a mega Clubcard offer on. My son went off Lego around the same time so it’s still unopened on top of the wardrobe. I need to check on ebay!
  - AndyGWP says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 16:47
    
    What’s the sale route you use for something of that value? ebay?
- Paul says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 12:48
  
  These are unregulated investments so buyer beware as should really only be aimed at professional investors only ie. not retail – I would strongly suggest you don’t put more that 10% of your wealth into these schemes and as they are in the same bucket as storage pod, bamboo plantations etc just Google those words with scam added and probably enough to make your mind up!
- RussellH says:
  
  8 Dec8 December 13:43
  
  Are the car parks making 13+% the ones with the special ticket machines that require you to key in your full vehicle registration, but only print the first two characters on the ticket? So that you break the Ts+Cs?
  Resulting in an avalanche of PCNs, advice from the local MP to boycott the car park, endless bad publicity in the local paper and County Court cases lost by the car park operator.
  Best avoided.
  - Anna says:
    
    8 Dec8 December 16:22
    
    Indeed I have fought a couple of these and won – one private one where the signage was so inadequate the parking company ended up losing their contract with the owner of the building and one from our council – I had my old pass showing instead of my new one but they wouldn’t budge so I went to town and showed that they had breached pretty much every part of the government guidelines so they had to back down. The rules for local authorities who charge for car park facilities are MUCH more stringent than for private parking companies; I doubt they even consult them and just assume people will pay up rather than challenge.