Frequently Asked Questions for the Defence Discount Service Community
Community management
‘Defence Discount Service Community’ (Community) is operated by ‘Defence Discount Service’ which is a trading name of Blue Light Card Ltd.
The Community is hosted by QuMind Limited, an independent online Market Research provider based in the UK. Please click here to find out more information about QuMind.
Community aims
Defence Discount Service will use your comments and feedback to improve our services and products. The Community is committed to providing the best service possible, and by helping us gain a better understanding of what our members want, you can have a direct impact on what products and services are launched.
Queries about your Community account
If you have a question about your Community account, please contact community@defencediscountservice.co.uk.
Community membership
Can anyone register for this community?
Defence Discount Service members will be invited to join the Community.
What’s in it for me?
Being a member of the Community gives you the opportunity to earn a variety of rewards and incentives. You will be sent invitations via email to take part in research activities, online surveys, and interviews. Participation in these will ensure automatic entry into our monthly prize draw to win a £100 shopping voucher – please find full details here. We always send invitations to take part via e-mails, so please be sure to check your inbox regularly.
What are the rules for being a Community member?
Please see our Terms and Conditions for being a member of the Community and our Community Rules.
How do I unsubscribe from emails?
Although we enjoy having you in the Community, you may wish to unsubscribe from Community emails. You can simply click on the unsubscribe link on any of the e-mails that we have sent you or you can contact us at community@defencediscountservice.co.uk with your request to unsubscribe.
How do I leave the Community?
If you wish to leave the Community you can email us at community@defencediscountservice.co.uk.
Community activity
Posting rules
What rules do I need to follow when posting in the Community?
When posting you are expected to follow our Community Rules found here.
When posting you are expected to follow our Community Rules found here.
If you do notice any content that breaches the Community Rules, please let us know immediately by writing to community@defencediscountservice.co.uk.
Surveys
How long will each survey take to do?
Surveys will normally take between 5-15 minutes to complete.
How long will I have to complete the survey that you have sent me?
This will vary from survey to survey but typically you will have around 7 days to complete a survey. The closing date of each survey you are sent will be clearly specified within the e-mail.
What will I be asked about?
You will be asked about all sorts of different things regarding Defence Discount Service, including new products, member service, communication methods, and your general satisfaction with the service provided to you.
Forums
What is a forum?
A forum is a place where you can talk to other Community members. It contains all the forum topics posted, and by answering these and interacting with other Community members you will be providing valuable feedback.
You can find the forums in the “Forums” section of the home page once you have logged in. This can be found in the main menu bar on the top right.
There are several different parts of a forum:
- Forum topics
A forum topic is a topic found in the forum about a specific issue or subject of interest to the Community.
- Forum posts
Forum posts are replies to forum topics. To create one of these, simply click the title of the thread or the icon next to it, and then type your response in the ‘Post Reply’ box. Click reply, and your forum post will become visible. You can post images or videos in your forums posts by clicking the “Media” buttons, and selecting the option you wish to upload.
How long will it take to take part in a forum discussion?
This is entirely up to you and how much you want to share with other Community members. It could take a minute or up to 5 minutes – or more if you choose - depending on how much you would like to write.
Why have my old forum and blog comments disappeared?
From time to time, we will be archiving threads and blogs in order to keep the site as easy to use and navigate as possible. It also allows us to focus the discussions on current topics. Archived discussions may be held by Blue Light Card Ltd trading as ‘Defence Discount Service’ for future research purposes in line with our retention policies. You can always start a new thread or blog if you wish to continue discussing a topic.
Technical questions
Login issues
Why am I unable to log in to the website, even when I have carefully copied my email address and password into the login space?
Once you have completed your first questionnaire sent to you via email, we will process your answers and then you will be able to log in. We will send you an email when the processing is complete.
I have completed the first questionnaire you emailed me, but I still cannot log in.
Firstly, if you have not already done so, check you are using the correct email address. If you have started using a new email address, but have not updated your details, the system will not recognise your new email address. Secondly, use the password reminder on the login page.
If you are copying and pasting your password, check that you are not copying any blank spaces before or after your password because these are treated as extra characters by the system. If you are typing your password make sure that caps lock is not on - the password is case-sensitive.
Make sure that you have "cookies" enabled in your browser software; cookies are used in our login process and for tracking questionnaire completion.
Passwords
How can I make my password as secure as possible?
Clicking on the 'My Details' link in the top-right menu of your screen will take you to your personal page. Once you are here, you can then type in your new password in the 'Password' and 'Confirm Password' fields. After this, click on 'Save my Details' and you will be able to log in using your new password.
To choose a secure password, we recommend the following:
- Do not use words, phrases, or sequences that are easy to guess
- Do not use the name of this site as your password
- Do not use personal information, i.e. family name, birthdays, phone numbers, etc.
- Make sure your password is at least 8 characters long
- Consider using numbers, punctuation marks, and a mixture of capital and non-capital letters – the password system is case-sensitive
- Consider using a passphrase – a series of words that will not be easy to guess when put together
To keep your password secure, we recommend the following:
- Change your password every 3 months
- Do not reveal your password over the phone
- Do not send your password in an e-mail
- Do not talk about your password in front of anyone or share it with family members
- Do not hint at the format of your password
- Do not use the “remember password” feature of your web browser
- Do not write passwords down
- Do not store passwords on any computer system unless the file is encrypted
How can I change my password?
Clicking on the 'My Details' link in the top right corner of your screen will take you to your personal page. Once here, you can then type in your new password in the ''Password' field. Enter it again in the 'Confirm Password' field. Click on 'Save My Details' and you will be able to log in using your new password.
What do I do if I forget my password?
If you have forgotten your password, simply enter the “Sign in” area as normal (please make sure you use the e-mail address you registered with). Under the “Password” text box, you will find an option that says “Forgot password?” Select this option, and you will be prompted to enter your email address once more in a new text box. Do this, and click “Next”. You will be informed that “an email will be sent to you shortly”.
The reminder e-mail should arrive in your e-mail inbox within a few minutes (depending on your internet connection). If the reminder does not arrive, try clicking "send and receive" on your e-mail program. If this doesn't work, please contact the helpdesk.
Cookies
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of information that identify browsers during website use. We are required by EU legislation to let you know about the cookies we use in Community. They may be used to store items such as identifiers and user preferences, which is exactly why we use them here in the Community. Most websites use cookies as common practice.
Can I disable cookies?
Cookies are an essential part of the Community. As such, we cannot offer a complete opt-out from using cookies. The preference settings on your browser will allow you to block all cookies being placed on your device; however, as many sites rely on cookies to fully function, this could cause you problems when using other websites.
Privacy & Security
Your privacy is important to us and you can be assured that we will take all reasonable steps to protect it.
What personal information is held about me?
Please see our Privacy Notice for details on how we use your personal data.
Please note that no bank account details will ever be exchanged requested by QuMind or Blue Light Card Ltd trading as Defence Discount Service in respect of this Community.
Will my personal information ever be disclosed?
Your personal information is kept securely by QuMind and Blue Light Card Ltd trading as ‘Defence Discount Services’ who manages Community. We will never disclose your personal information (your name, e-mail address, telephone number, etc) to any other company.
Will I get spam e-mails while taking part in this community?
The only emails you will receive from Community will be directly relating to the community itself, i.e. notification emails, e-mails regarding your account, or those inviting you to take part in community activities..
Your email will never be passed on to other companies or third parties.
How do I change my email address?
If you wish to change your email address please e-mail the Community team by email at community@defencediscountservice.co.uk.
What is your password policy?
All passwords for Community members are for their own personal use, and must not be shared with any third parties. Community and QuMind will never ask for your password. Misuse of your or any other member’s passwords will be considered a breach of this policy and will result in removal from the Community.
Other
Why can’t I see parts of the community? / Why won’t links work?
There are a number of reasons why you may not be able to view some of our questionnaires. Some suggestions on how to rectify any problems are listed below:
- Ensure cookies are enabled
Make sure that you have cookies enabled in your internet software, as we use cookies to track the status of our questionnaires.
If you would like to keep a high-security setting, but still be able to participate in Community questionnaires, you will need to add the community site to your "Safe" or "Trusted" sites. Please consult your browser documentation for assistance on this.
- Use of advertising software
If you have advertising software attached or inserted into your emails, you may experience problems with the surveys. Some of these programs delete certain characters from our emails, and thus disable the links we send to you. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to control this, but we do advise you to inform your advertising software provider of the problem.
I have a technical question that is not answered here - what do I do?
Firstly, please note down as much information as you can about the problem(s) you are experiencing, including any error messages you have seen.
Secondly, find out what software you are using. You can easily do this by visiting http://supportdetails.com and making a note of the details in the "Operating System" and "Web Browser" boxes. If you contact us with a technical question (that isn't answered here) it would be greatly appreciated if you can quote us the information that you have collected.
Finally, e-mail us this information at: community@defencediscountservice.co.uk and we will reply as soon as we are able. Before contacting us please check you have followed the steps above and only then contact us with as much detail as possible and explain the problem fully.