green food hygiene stickers

[Tim Lund]

Well done Raff.

And well done tjc for bringing this up. I'm guessing you'd not have done so if you'd not been able to post anonymously - not wanting to get reputation for being negative with the good burghers of Sydenham? Can you confirm? I'd like to use this thread as evidence, in discussions with advocates of community sites who try to insist on people posting using their actual names, of why it results in less interesting, less useful sites.

Watch out for this being picked up on the Sydenham Town Centre site. I think Pen Else edits it, but who sets the content guidance?

[Rachael]

So, as I suspected, you can by automatically put on one star for an single infringement with the paper work. Worth knowing before we start worrying about where we buy our fish or cappuccinos.

The problem is that when it comes to food a single infringement could land you in hospital.

Not when the infringement is a missing piece of paperwork.

[Rachael]

And well done tjc for bringing this up. I'm guessing you'd not have done so if you'd not been able to post anonymously - not wanting to get reputation for being negative with the good burghers of Sydenham? Can you confirm?

Why do you say that? Plenty of us are commenting here with our real names. Any one of us could have brought it up. Unless you know something about tjc that we don't, in which case I wonder if your post is entirely appropriate.

[CaptainCarCrash]

Not when the infringement is a missing piece of paperwork.

I did say if because of admin work then that is unfair.

[CaptainCarCrash]

Why do you say that? Plenty of us are commenting here with our real names. Any one of us could have brought it up. Unless you know something about tjc that we don't, in which case I wonder if your post is entirely appropriate.

You are the only rshdunlop I've ever heard of, but you are not a whistle blower

Tim knows why people like to protect themselves, I prefer to be anonymous because of my writing style. To be fair to Tim he doesn't mess about like I do, he's always very well thought out and gives a very good account of himself where as a poster like me doesn't, and hasn't in the past I've got a problem with going away quietly and keeping my mouth shut. I'd hate to be infamous and known. I wouldn't want people to know my real name if I was exposing something such as the OP has.

As ever, not very well written but I hope you see my point.

[Rachael]

I don't disagree, mikecg. I just wondered why Tim assumed that the OP wouldn't have posted this if s/he couldn't do it anonymously.

[CaptainCarCrash]

I can see what Tim is saying but it takes bravery to post under your real name when you are possibly stirring up a hornets nest, is there a hidden agenda from the OP?

Not saying that this is the case here, however we all know only too well that this sort of thread could snowball and when something that is perceived as potentially damaging for a proprietor of a small business who knows where it could end.

I could be wrong here of course.

[Rachael]

Well, maybe it's just me, but I don't see the OP as at all contentious, just a statement of fact about publicly available information. Maybe I'm being naive and there is a whole vigilante brigade of local traders ready and willing to exact revenge.

[CaptainCarCrash]

Or stifle the competition?

[ALIB]

i think it's very poor to put these ratings on the internet (and probably other sources), without a regular update as to what is happening , and why.

I completely agree with Billings/amob on this one.

[Voyageur]

i think it's very poor to put these ratings on the internet (and probably other sources), without a regular update as to what is happening , and why.

I completely agree with Billings/amob on this one.

Have to agree here - the scheme seems badly managed and unfair on some businesses. I have heard on other forums about the potentially damaging length of time it takes for improvements to be reflected in published ratings.

[Rachael]

In which case, I'm really glad that this discussion has occurred here, with the chance for traders to put their side of things. When the rating seems entirely at odds with your experience of a trader, it pays to dig a little deeper.

[Tim Lund]

And well done tjc for bringing this up. I'm guessing you'd not have done so if you'd not been able to post anonymously - not wanting to get reputation for being negative with the good burghers of Sydenham? Can you confirm?

Why do you say that? Plenty of us are commenting here with our real names. Any one of us could have brought it up. Unless you know something about tjc that we don't, in which case I wonder if your post is entirely appropriate.

i think it's very poor to put these ratings on the internet (and probably other sources), without a regular update as to what is happening , and why.

I completely agree with Billings/amob on this one.

Having just put some fish and eggs from Billings in the fridge, let me answer Ali and Rachel.

First Ali - I agree 100%. Newspapers are obliged to allow a right of reply; it would be outrageous if government inspectors, with their far greater authority, were not also so obliged. And it's great that Amo has come on here to exercise his rights here.

tjc's post made me feel a bit ashamed, because I'd visited that web site some months ago, registered that some of our favourite haunts didn't do so well, and thought about posting about it, but chose not to (I don't remember Billings as having had a problem, but I know BMC did). I'm not sure I felt it would be stirring up a hornets' nest, but somehow I felt that I should be supporting our better looking shops, cafes and restaurants than knocking them, that other people would feel the same, and so not thank me for raising embarrassing facts. If I had posted anonymously, that last crucial bit of social pressure would not have applied. I could have brought it up, but I didn't.

More generally, it's a matter of whether to go with general impressions and personal recommendations, or the more impersonal judgments of public officials. I think the 'stars on the doors' is very much the sort of thing our governments should be doing for us the public, which is why I was pleased to see tjc raising it here. That's not to say they are beyond criticism, but they should get some respect.

I know nothing about tjc other than what anyone reading this Forum can find out. He.she appears to be a member of the Sydenham Labour party from this posting, who may on occasions have pressure put on him/her not to exercise any right to free speech.

[leenewham]

I'm glad that Amo has replied to this as I was surprised about Billings rating.

I hope you get a speedy conclusion to this Amo. It does seem a rather unfair.

[Rachael]

I know nothing about tjc other than what anyone reading this Forum can find out. He.she appears to be a member of the Sydenham Labour party from this posting, who may on occasions have pressure put on him/her not to exercise any right to free speech.

Well, there's an interesting snippet tucked in at the end of your post. This is why I raised my question to you in the first place, Tim. I wondered if you had indeed looked into the OP's other threads and tried to deduce from them something of the poster's background that would relate to their post here. It is something you like to do, I think. I know, for example, that you worked out exactly which house I live in by piecing together information from this board.

[Rachael]

Well, that seems to have shut you all up! Are you all busy going through your old posts, working out exactly what you have revealed about yourselves?

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[leenewham]

God forbid anyone should know who I really am…

[Tim Lund]

Well, that seems to have shut you all up! Are you all busy going through your old posts, working out exactly what you have revealed about yourselves?

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

If you have revealed anything really unwise - e.g. when you might be going away on holiday - you're likely to have had a gentle PM from Admin to warn you. Anyone who wants to know where I live can look it up in the phone book.

[JRobinson]

Ah Haaa! so you admit to having a telephonic device!

we've got you now Mr Lund (if that is indeed your real name!?)

I can imagine that if the general public see the figures for Billings as '1', which is bad, they might decide that something drastic is wrong, and stop going there, even though it might be, and actually is, only some missing paperwork, which otherwise would have scored them a '4' which is good, and if we saw a '4' on the site more people might go there.

the fact that 'bad' marks are not amended as soon as the problem is rectified, is obviously a problem for the reputation of the business in question.

[ALIB]

I heard this morning (from a PCSO) that the Hilltop Cafe on Sydenham Road has been temporarily closed.