Facebook Password Harvesting

Your Facebook account is valuable for fraudsters as if they can get access to it, they can get access to all your 'friends'.

Most of us login using an e-mail address and password, and as we often use the same e-mail address and password in multiple places giving it away is a problem elsewhere, not just on Facebook.

And if you have an e-mail address at Hotmail, Gmail etc. then the fraudsters know where to go to try and get at your e-mails - especially if you use the same password there as you do for Facebook - and they can then cause havoc with changing your details all over the place as they will receive the confirmation messages and authorise them via your e-mail account.

A common scam is the Messenger video asking if it's you:

If you click on it, you'll see a screen like this that impersonates the Facebook login screen, although note the URL in this example is 'agilecrm.com' and not Facebook:

If you enter your e-mail address and password, you've just given the fraudsters access to your account (and potentially your e-mail, your bank accounts, PayPal, Amazon, eBay...). It's as easy as that. 

Above & Beyond: An unattainable ambition

Above & Beyond is Land Rover’s current advertising tag line, trading on its heritage as a designer and manufacturer of vehicles to take on the worst that the countryside has to offer in luxury and comfort.

Unfortunately nobody has thought to tell the Customer Relations department, where such lofty ambitions are uncomfortably out of reach.

As a long-standing Land Rover customer who, unlike many of its customers, uses the vehicles as intended, it comes as something of a shock when, instead of a positive attitude to tackling difficulties, the Customer Relations department crumbles and refuses to deliver a straight answer; relying on excuses and demonstrably untrue explanations.

It’s not unlike finding a well-heeled and respected member of the family slumped incontinently drunk in the gutter: it’s unseemly and embarrassing.

Land Rovers of old were unapologetically utilitarian, and even loyal fans will admit that build quality and reliability could be somewhat wayward. But this is 2016; Land Rover has become a premium brand with premium price tags stuck on premium products. Their competitors are the big German marques like Audi and BMW, where poor build quality and reliability just won’t do.

There’s no doubting Land Rover’s pedigree, and the current range of vehicles from the Discovery Sport through to the Range Rover are all supremely capable, but this means nothing when the dealers you buy them from and the after-sales support from the manufacturer are still stuck in a 1970s British Leyland mentality of "that'll do".

The majority of their dealers are run by the big dealer groups: Marshalls, Jardine or Sytner, with only a token number of independents still gamely clinging on to their franchises. The plan to bring both Land Rover and Jaguar brands in to the same showroom means that where a different dealer represents each brand, one of them must give-way and hand the showroom’s key to their competitor. In this high-stakes game it’s the depth of pocket that counts, and family-run independents just cannot compete with the big boys.

You might wonder why this matters to the end customer. The vehicles are the same, the manufacturer specifies how the showrooms look and feel, but whereas the personal touch and quality of service matters to independent dealers, for the national chains it’s purely a numbers game: How many units can we shift this week? Quantity, not quality, is king.

Unlike the German manufacturers, Jaguar Land Rover doesn’t own any dealerships itself and consequently there is no incentive for the other to compete to raise standards to those of the manufacturer. And JLR can do quality: just visit the Land Rover Experience centres at its factories to see how it knows it should treat customers.

Of the four Land Rovers I’ve bought from franchise dealers, one has been from an independently owned one and the others have been from three of the big chains. The difference in service was immeasurable: the independent dealer refused to give my car back to me until it had resolved a fault to its satisfaction, meaning I had loan car for almost five weeks. I was recognised and welcomed by name on each visit, and nothing was too much trouble – they even returned the vehicle to me at home, a two hour drive from the dealership, at their suggestion so as not to cause me any inconvenience.

How sad I was to receive a letter from them to say they were becoming part of a dealer network, and to demonstrate how valued I am as a customer my calls to book a service are now directed to a call centre where I am just a number on a screen and call-back reminder in their CRM system.

A similar fault on a brand new car from the chain dealership has seen my car back and forth like a fiddler’s elbow, and each time the fault has persisted. Five visits now, and still no closer to a solution; in fact I’ve given up and decided to return the car.

In an effort to get matters resolved I thought I would contact Land Rover’s Customer Relations team. I spoke to a Land Rover representative at the Land Rover show in Peterborough who, although not a member of the CR team, promised to pass on my details and get someone to call me about it – it didn’t happen.

So I contacted the CR team again, and explained the difficulties I was experiencing in the hope that they could make arrangements to get the car repaired, provide additional support and guidance to the dealer and tell them to ‘pull their socks up’ to get Mr Brown’s car fixed.

But no. Whilst there is additional support available for the dealer to call upon once CR are involved, my dealer hasn’t availed itself of that service. Can the Customer Relations agent offer any sort of expedited service to jump the (invariably month-long) waiting list to get the vehicle booked in? No. Can they offer any sort of goodwill recompense for the inconvenience? No. Do they add value to a dissatisfied customer’s attempts to get satisfaction? No.

It seems that Customer Relations, once they’re involved, is an added complication with them invariably relaying an almost identical message to me several hours after the dealer has contacted me directly.

Alternatively it could be to put an end to as many customer relationships as possible. In a previous case, it took from September to February to get a response from the Customer Relations team despite numerous phone calls, letters and e-mails, and then it was a flow of excuses and demonstrably incorrect information before they finally admitted the real reason for their stance: JLR policy. If they had said that at the start it would have been more acceptable than being repeatedly covered in spat feathers.

You may wonder why I keep returning to a brand that so frequently disappoints. The truth is, as with any abusive relationship, love is blind.

There are few other vehicles that have the abilities of Land Rover products in terms of off road ability and towing capacity, whilst still being civilised on the road. They're designed and built in the UK too with great features and practical touches - it's just a shame that all that great engineering is spoilt by poor build quality and a disinterested dealership network.

For all the gloss applied by the marketing department in promoting their vehicles, a little spit-and-polish on the rest of the customer experience wouldn't go amiss.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've an inebriated relative to look after. And Land Rover has a mountain to climb.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

After seven years, and with 101k miles on the clock, I decided that it was time to replace my venerable Freelander 'Classic' with something newer. I'd previously had a Freelander 2 on loan for a few weeks when my Defender was in for repair, so buying one as a replacement was a fairly easy decision to make.

I did consider (briefly) the Škoda Yeti, Volkswagen Tiguan and Mitsubishi ASX, but they were a little smaller and the lure of the green oval was strong. Eventually I took delivery of a 6-speed manual 2014 Freelander 2 GS in Loire Blue from a dealer in Reading.

The GS is the not-quite-entry-level version, but still fairly well appointed with full leather, cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, keyless ignition and a DAB radio. Unfortunately a problem with a driver's seat meant that I got excruciating backache in a very short space of time whilst driving it, so the dealer agreed to an exchange for the next version up: an XS in Santorini Black (AKA Range Rover black).

This brought some extra features including built-in satellite navigation, armrests, voice-control and additional trim to enhance the interior. Mine also has the Meridian sound-system complete with sub, which gives excellent audio from the radio or my iPod.

It may be an older design (the Freelander 2 was originally launched in 2006) but the updates that Land Rover have made have helped to keep it current. The last update took place in 2013 and bestowed an improved interior, electronic handbrake, daytime LED running lights and improved fuel economy. On a typical, laden, long journey on mixed the roads the computer tended to show around 36mpg.

As an ex-courtsey car it hadn't done a huge mileage, and it still felt very new. Almost immediately I had to make some long journeys in it, and it sat very happily on the Motorway all day, making smooth, refined progress in climate-controlled comfort.

The Freelander 2 boot is a good size and has comfortably swallowed luggage, equipment and even items of furniture without complaint. That the rear seats fold completely flat helps enormously when trying to get larger items inside, and the square shape overall means the space is all useable.

With the rear seats upright, there is plenty of leg room for the rear seat passengers and an armrest with cupholders and door pockets are there for convenience. As with the original Freelander the rear seats are set slightly higher than the front ones to improve the view.

As you might expect, it works well when you leave paved surfaces and take to unsurfaced roads and tracks. Freelander 2 features Land Rover's Terrain Response system than changes the vehicle's characteristics to suit the terrain, including the throttle response and traction control systems. However, unlike its larger Discovery 4 sibling it does not have either low ratio gears nor air suspension for adjustable ride-height, but it does have an improved version of the Hill Descent Control system first seen on the original Freelander.

I have the Defender for heavy-duty off road use, but the Freelander 2 got its wheels muddy from time-to-time, generally giving demonstration drives to people who don't believe it's as good off road as it is, strolling casually up and down muddy, slippery slopes on road tyres.

Land Rovers are built for towing, and I had a Witter detachable tow bar installed with plug-in (13-pin) electrics. With a trailer attached the trailer stability system is activated, the rear parking sensors are deactivated, and it feels as though other aspects of the vehicle's performance is modified to suit. I haven't towed much, but it made short-work of my trailer and a friend's caravan - but with a two-ton towing capacity that isn't really a surprise.

On the road, it is a fairly tall vehicle and it does lean a bit in corners, but never disconcertingly so and I've been able to hustle it along twist back-roads without any concern: at the end of the day it's a 4x4 and not a sportscar, but it's no slouch either and can hold its own in urban traffic. The 2.2 litre diesel engine is a little old now and some have described it as noisy or coarse, but it's certainly not intrusive and there's very little in the way of disturbance from vibration even on the coldest of mornings.

On the subject of cold mornings, there are some nice touches that really help: the windscreen and door mirrors are heated, as are the driver and front passenger seats, and there's a winter-park setting for the windscreen wipers that leaves them on the heated part of the screen. Once underway, the heating system is very effective with warm air coming out of the vents in just a few miles at urban speeds which is very welcome.

When I did the initial review on the loan car in 2011 I wasn't sure whether I'd buy one or not, and of course I did. It's still a much more complex vehicle than the original Freelander, but the technology is applied well and genreally not intrusive. The only disappointment is the manually adjustable driver's seat which caused me a problem on anything more than a short journey. I enquired about upgrading the seat to one with lumbar support, but apparently that's not possible.

The driver's seat is the most important one in the vehicle, yet the other seats are more supportive. The previous Freelander 2s I've driven have also been XS spec. and have had electrically adjustable seats with lumbar support, so when buying this XS it came a surprise that the seats were lacking in support. I don't generally suffer from a bad back, but the Freelander 2s have given me one, which is a pain (all too literally).

As a result my time as a Freelander 2 owner was brief, and just over a year after buying it it has been sold. It was a lovely car with lots to like, but ultimately the driver's seat was the deal-breaker and it had to go.

Its replacement has arrived, and it's one that I've already reviewed on this 'blog: a Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Test Drive: Land Rover Discovery 4

In 1989 Land Rover launched the original Discovery model. Based heavily on the Range Rover it was intended as a "lifestyle" vehicle, and had a bright blue interior designed by Conran. Times change and the Discovery has matured in to a more traditional and up-market 4x4; now, twenty-seven years on, the current Discovery is coming to the end of production with its replacement due later this year.

Although branded as Discovery 4, it's arguably only the second generation as the original and Series II versions were mechanically very similar, and the Discovery 4 is an evolution of the Discovery 3, which was launched in 2004, using the same body and chassis but with a more upmarket interior, and the engines have also evolved and improved during production.

The exterior design is striking, and there is little else on the road that looks like it. I remember seeing the original press photos of the Discovery 3 and being unsure as to whether I like it or not, and even now I'm still not sure. The shape of the rear window is designed to echo the design of the previous Discovery, which had its spare wheel mounted on a side-opening rear door. As the Discovery 3's rear door is a split Range Rover style up-and-down tailgate, with the spare wheel slung underneath, I can't help feeling that it looks a little awkward, as though the designers included it for a reason they couldn't quite recall, or perhaps because "we've always done it that way".

As a result, I've always thought the rear design was crying out for a spare wheel to be mounted there, and needless to say there are third-party accessory manufacturers who have products to let you do just that.

The square, vertical theme continues inside and also feels a bit dated despite having evolved during its production; which might be part of the problem as different features and styles of control have been fitted or modified, and have moved around the console at various points.

The version I have been driving is the Landmark, one of two versions currently available; the other being the lower specification Graphite. All UK models are fitted with a 3.0 SDV6 Euro 6 engine and an eight-speed automatic gearbox, height adjustable air suspension, high and low range transfer box and locking centre diff with Land Rover's excellent Terrain Response system (the Discovery 3 was the first to be fitted with it).

Climbing aboard, the Landmark's Windsor leather seats are supremely comfortable, if a little narrow. They adjust electrically in almost every possible way, with separate front and rear height adjustment, lumbar support, fore and aft and of course seat back rake. The bolsters can also be adjusted in or out to support you laterally. Adjustment of the steering wheel is also electrical, and with the memory pack once you've found your ideal seating position the car will return to it at the touch of a button, including your preferred exterior mirror settings.

The instrument panel will be familiar if you have driven almost any recent Land Rover (apart from Defender). An electronic screen sits between the speedometer and rev counter and shows engine temperature and fuel, plus a plethora of other information. However, unlike the screen in my Freelander 2 and Discovery Sport, the screen is monochrome and fairly low resolution, but the information is presented clearly and includes sat nav directions which is helpful.

A lot of the controls look and feel familiar from Freelander 2 and other Land Rovers, but with some inconsistencies such as the headlights being controlled via a knob on the dashboard instead of the stalk. The Discovery 3 was designed during the Ford era, and I knew I'd heard the indicator tick-tock somewhere before: in a Ford Transit. This is an observation; not a criticism.

Details aside, with the engine running the cabin is a very calm place to be. There's plenty of sound insulation so the engine is well muted, and you can chose your own audio accompanyment from the Meridian sound system which includes a TV, DAB radio and an iPod connection. I lost count of the number of speakers around the cabin, but the sub certainly makes its presence felt. Rear seat passengers have their own screens mounted in the back from the front seat head restraints, and an infrared remote control allows them to control the system from there too.

On the subject of the rear seats, there are three separate rear (second row) seats that can be folded individually either flat for additional load space or rolled forward for access to the third row seats. Discovery 4 is a full seven-seat vehicle, and even full-sized adults can sit comfortably in the rearmost seats. Those third row seats fold flat in to the floor of the boot when not required, although they are a little fiddly to deploy and stow. With the seats stowed the boot space is cavernous, and I can't reach far enough in to the car from the drop-down tailgate to touch the second row of seats. There is also a pair of cubby holes in the boot for small oddments, and a large space behind the rear trim, although this is not lined so you won't want to put anything sharp or solid in there as it'll rattle or damage the metalwork.

As with several other Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, the gear selector rises out of the centre console when you start the engine. Turning it to Drive and pressing the accelerator releases the electric parking brake (with a bit of a judder) and you are on your way. There's no denying that it is a heavy vehicle, but it still manages to have reasonable performance and the air suspension deals with body-roll very well indeed for something so tall.

I haven't had the opportunity to take this car off road, but I did try a Discovery 4 at the Land Rover Experience in 2010 and its off-road credentials are well deserved. Even on road tyres the wet, muddy and slippery conditions didn't seem to cause it any concern, and the Terrain Response system combined with Hill Descent Control were far better at maintaining control than the human behind the wheel. With the air suspension in off-road mode the wading depth of the Discovery 4 is 700mm, and should you run out of ground clearance the system will detect this and give you an extra inch to be able to reverse out again.

At the other end of the scale, the air suspension can be lowered in the Access Mode to help you slip under height bars or in to multistory car parks. Or just to help you get in and out of the car.

On road there is a floatyness to the ride that might cause some people a degree of motion-sickness, but it stays well away from wallowey, and even on moderately twisty B-roads the Discovery 4 remained composed. In terms of performance it's obviously no sportscar, but I was able to hustle it
around the Milton Keynes roundabout obstacle course with enthusiasm, and it certainly held its own against a couple of executive saloons - but the fuel economy really doesn't appreciate that sort of behaviour. That said, on a cross-country run involving a mixture of A and B-roads with some dual-carriageway work I managed to achieve an average of 30mpg.

A relatively recent addition the Discovery 4 is stop-start, ostensibly to improve economy and reduce emissions. It works on the brake, and as you come to a halt the engine stops, bursting back in to life as you lift your foot off and back to the accelerator. Overall it works well, although there is a noticable, almost intrusive, shudder on restart. Another measure to improve its emissions is the addition of "diesel exhaust fluid" (AKA AdBlue), which reduces the nitrogen oxide emissions.

There are other disappointments around the car in terms of fit and finish. Both the driver's door and the upper portion of the tailgate are reluctant to close and need a firm hand. And frequently a second attempt. There is a large plastic unit, containing the alarm sensors, mounted on the ceiling which rattles; putting a hand on it stops it. This is a £54k car: doors should close easily and there should not be rattly plastic alarm sensors.

It is undoubetdle an impressive vehicle, but one that is all too obviously reaching the end of its production life. It is the last of the square-era Land Rovers and parked alongside its newer siblings it looks slightly awkward and out of place. Whatever comes next in Discovery 5 will be well worth looking at, and I hope to get the opportunity to drive and review in due course.

Having recently bought a Discovery Sport I did seriously consider the Discovery 4, but I simply don't need something that large. Having had a week with a Discovery 4 did I make the right decision in buying the Sport? Yes.

The Misery of Buying a New Car

Last year tried replacing my ten year old Freelander with something newer, and the whole process of visiting dealers was thoroughly soul-destroying. I thought I'd found the one, but sadly not.

Most dealers are part of national chains such as Marshalls, Sytner or Jardine Motors (but they cunningly use different names over the door), which are only interested in selling as many vehicles as possible and not on the quality of those sales - the sales trophies on their desk testament to how many motors they can shift. Many's the time I've had the awkward situation where I knew more about the vehicle I was thinking of buying than the salesman did.

Once you've bought it, you find there are problems. Your expensive, nearly new car needs an expensive service. There are minor defects that need rectifying. Repeatedly. The dealer fits a defective part. The service department is booked up weeks ahead. And no, they can't lend you a car.

If you have problems with your car or dealer you might expect the manufacturers customer care line to come to your assistance, but no. Not their problem. Read the handbook. Take it up with the dealer.

The quest continues, but if I didn't need to replace my car I wouldn't bother.

Farewell Old Friend

It seems to be the season for goodbyes, and after nearly eight years my Freelander has left for a new home. As an introduction to Land Rovers, and off road driving in general, I have a lot of fond memories. I've taken it to places I was told I'd never get to, and learned a lot about driving technique. It's also the vehicle I took my advanced (on road) driving tests in.

The Freelander has often had bad press about its poor reliability, but the only major problems I've had with my Td4 have been entirely self-inflicted, or fair wear-and tear over 102k miles.

I hope its new owner has many happy miles in it.

The Last of the Defenders

My Defender on Race for Life duties

On 29 January 2016 the last Defender rolled off the Solihull production line in much the same way as the first of its Series forebears did in 1948 - indeed there are components in the last vehicles that were also in the earliest.

For 68 years it's been as much a part of British life as afternoon tea, Changing the Guard or Last Night of the Proms. It's served explorers, the armed forces, emergency services and farmers loyally in the toughest conditions and saved many a life, bringing comfort and reassurance to people in their darkest hours.

The appearance of the Series and Defender vehicles evolved slowly over the years, and since the Defender was introduced in 1983 (although it wasn't called that at the time) changes have been modest with just a few engine and interior changes along the way. That it has stayed in production this long when its competitors have evolved and modernised is quite remarkable, although it has always had its reputation as being formidably capable off road to carry it along.

But was it the off road ability that kept it going, or the sentimental affection reserved for selected inanimate objects like Concorde, VW Beetles and (original) Minis? Certainly other Land Rover products are just as capable, with a standard Freelander 2 being able to get everywhere a standard Defender 90 could, but in greater comfort and better fuel economy. Admitedly, a few dents in a Defender are considered added character, whereas a few dents in a Discovery 4 just ruins its value.

Reproduction S1 on the Defender Celebration Tour

For the enthusiasts, and I class myself amongst them, the Defender's appeal was that its abilities were relatively easy to improve, with modified wheels, suspension, raised air-intakes and the like allowing them to get far further than those fresh from the factory. Their mechanical simplicity making them easy to repair when they (inevitably) break; the Defender is based on the original Range Rover which first took to the road in the 1970s.

But even enthusiasts have to admit that they're heavy, slow, not particularly comfortable, thirsty for fuel, and the fit and finish is best described as agricultural. I drove a brand new one a few years ago and could see daylight around the (closed) driver's door. The bodywork comes ready-rippled, and whilst the live axles are robust for off road use, they don't do much for the on-road handling and ride. Compared to the current crop of four-wheel drive pickups from the likes of Mitsubishi, Volkswagen or Toyota, which are economical, comfortable and have a greater carrying capacity, the Defender was completely outclassed - except for its all-round coil-spring suspension: most other pickups still use leaf springs at the back.

Despite their shortcomings they still sold, and in good numbers; too many for them all to have been bought by sentimental enthusiasts. Indeed more Defenders were built and sold every year than Jaguar XJs, a car with a reputation for comfort and class.

A Defender 147 at the Solihull factory

With three lengths, 90, 110 and 130 inch wheelbases, and with more varieties than Heinz there was almost certainly a Defender to suit the task in hand - never mind there being a 'app' for that, there was probably a Defender for it. Even performance tuning houses got in on the act with high-power, 'hot' Defenders becoming more common than you might expect.

You need a cherry-picker to cross muddy fields? Defender. You need a road-rail maintenance vehicle? Defender. You need a 12-seat minibus to get a crew to the middle of nowhere? Defender. You need to get bales of hay and border collie up a Welsh mountainside? Defender. It really was the Swiss Army knife of vehicles with even Her Majesty the Queen driving one.

But what next? Land Rover have said that there will be a new Defender, albiet it's a few years off (why? They've had plenty of time to plan a replacement!), but will it be as versatile as the original? Will it come in multiple lengths and configurations? Will you be able to climb in soaking wet, covered in mud and not feel guilty? Time will tell.

The original Defender is going to be a hard act to follow, and there are some sections of the Land Rover community that just won't accept anything but the original as being a 'proper' Defender. But the reality is that road safety standards have moved on, and without a crumple-zone, airbags, side-impact protection and pedestrian-friendly bumpers the Defender just couldn't continue. The Defender dinosaur didn't evolve and has become extinct.

Watching the final example roll off the production line brought a tear to the eye: farewell Defender - for all your faults you will be greatly missed as a true British icon.