Shadow Leaders [latest] Rant

Shadow Leader

Shadow Leader

At the Start
Joined
Nov 9, 2003
Messages
9,884
If you wish to preserve your health & wellbeing do not have anything to do with living in Gibraltar or doing anything there other than pass through. The place is run by braindead morons who will do precisely the square root of zero to help you to do anything. To add insult to injury they say everything with a stupid accent that rises at the end [usually punctuated by "darleeeng!"] and really pisses you off!

Transcript of a phonecall to BA Cargo in Gib :

BA: BA Cargo
SL: I'd like to transport an African Grey parrot back to the UK please.
BA: You need to get an import licence from the UK
SL: Got that
BA: it will cost you £350
SL: Really? I spoke to you [it was the same person] two weeks ago & you said £300
BA: Ah well you see, it could be £300 or it could be £350, I don't know. I would have to see the size of it. A woman is flying a parrot back on April 26th, she is paying £350 I think and we flew one before who paid £300
SL: It's a standard African Grey
BA: I would have to see the box you are transporting it in first, what did you use before?
SL: I used a cat carrier before
BA: That's not good enough, it has to be a wooden box - did you fly BA to Gib then?
SL: No, I flew Iberia to Malaga
BA: Ah, well that's why it's different and when do you want to fly?
SL: Ok, so what dimension wooden box do I need and do you supply them? Or where can I get them from? I'm in the UK until Sunday & I would like to fly on Thurs 29th [a week on Thurs]
BA: We don't make them and I don't know what size it should be, I would have to see it first, come down on Monday with your box
SL: I don't have a box! What dimensions do you require?
BA: I told you I don't know, you would have to come down here with your box on Monday and I will tell you if it is ok. There is a company in Gib will make you up a box
SL: I don't have a box! What dimensions should it be - what dimensions were the other parrots you flew - and I can ring the company & get them to make it for next week
BA: But I have to see the box first, then I can tell you if it is the right size

{God give me strength, about to blow now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}

SL: Ok, I will telephone this company and ask them to make me a box if you can tell me what sort of size I need
BA: But I don't know what dimensions, I have to see the box

{ARRGGGHHHHHHH :rant: }

BA: Come down on Monday and I will tell you what size box you need.
SL: But if you tell me now what size I need I can ring now and get one made up - if I leave it till Monday they may not make it in time then I'm up sh*t creek without a paddle with nowhere to stay, a flight booked that I cannot get on & a parrot with no home!
BA: I know that
SL: So tell me what size and I'll ring now
BA: Come to see me on Monday morning
SL: You don't understand! I have to book this flight and make sure it's all sorted before Monday morning! What if I go to this place on Monday, ask them to make me a box & it's not ready? You know what it's like in Gib, what if I turn up on Thursday morning and they say "but it's not ready yet darleeeng"?
BA: I know what you are saying but I need to see the box first...


Oh, God give me strength!!! :rant: :rant:

He then rang me back having rung the other woman for whom he has already approved a box for her African Grey - instead of asking her the dimensions of her box he is going to go to see it tomorrow, photograph it & show me the photograph on Monday so I can get a box made [for Thursday]. He wants to see me at 5pm so I'll have Tuesday & Wednesday to get this poxy box made. I'm around a 2/1 shot to get anyone's backsides in Gib shifting quickly enough to make a box in two days!!! This is going to get very messy..... :suspect:
 
.......and now the box company need at least 5 days to make a feckin wooden box. For the love of God.......
 
Strewth :eek: it makes me laugh that you can travel in "reasonable" comfort for under £100 in europe yet you stick a bird/cat/dog in a box in the cargo hold & its several £££££ :rant: :rant:
 
Nevermind that so much - I'm just trying to get my head around the "I need a wooden box/dunno what size it should be/box firm refuse to make the box till they get the exact dimensions/BA Gib refuse to give me the dimensions they require until they've seen the box [the mythical one that doesn't exist]" !!!!!

Help me!!!!!!!!!!!! :rant:
 
Would an organisation like DEFRA possibly be able to assist or advise on people to call? There must be regulations about size of box that I would imagine would be the same for most major airlines etc. although personally I wouldn't have a clue where to start looking. shrug:: The legislation for the safe and humane movement of livestock is probably being updated constantly.

Just a thought... shrug::
 
Are you going home for good Dom. Has Saint Victor sacked you.
eek.gif
 
Nah Tom, I think it must be lurve :P :luv: :luv: :clap: :clap:

Seriously Dom, these animal courier people are very helpful, give any of the them a ring or perhaps an email and they will advise you. We had dreadul trouble getting my cousins's dog back here for the winter from Ibiza as there were no direct flights by then... they gave good advice

Also ask on Final Furlong, one of the main guys on there is a parrot freak and will give you links to the main parrot advice websites

DEFRA should be able to help, esp with a number for the main animal freight desk at BA main office. I'd get that, and ring them ASAP - and get them to fax thru the required box size to Gib

Good luck! - it all reminds me of trying to get my collie back to England from Tuscany on BA years ago - BA in Florence really p*ssed me around and gave me all the wrong advice, result we got to the airport at 6am as they'd asked tho I wasn't flying till 7pm, and then they wouldn't put the dog on the plane, after she'd sat in a crate on the tarmac all day in the sun...... I arrived back in a state of collapse and not knowing if the estranged husband would do the decent thing and send her on - she had started off as 'his' dog! ... Luckily he did and she arrived two days later. Do hope it all goes well, how horribly stressful
 
PS Make sure whatever conveyance you use, it is properly sealed before you let go of it. There are too many stories of lost dogs etc at Spanish airports. Some friends lost a standard poodle in transit at Madrid once, it was nsever seen again. There was another let out quite recently, luckily the dog was caught after several days
 
DEFRA and/or pet freighters can't help I'm afraid - it's all to do with BA and what size fits in the particular part of the hold they are putting her in. Since the moron who is on control of where to put her (and is supposed to fill in an official dimension sheet for the company, they won't make it without) can't or won't tell me what size it is to be I give up!!! BA is the only way I can get her home also as Monarch don't take pets & the poxy Guardia won't let her over the border as they see Gibraltar as being "Rest of the World" and needing a CITES certificate which the ###### won't grant! [due to the political situation and the Spanish habit of being as bloody-minded as they possibly can be where it comes to Gibraltar, even despite the recent airport treaty]

I'm not in Gibraltar Paul - and as they won't tell me what dimensions the box has to be (and there are specific slots to go in it too apparently which they are also declining to tell me) your rather unhelpful comment is even more unhelpful as I'm still no further out of the dark.

VC doesn't have a light aircraft HT - he slums it in Club on BA!!! :P As for him sacking me - per-lease!!! :D
 
Bringing her back is Tetley, yes - but I have all the paperwork, licences from DEFRA etc which cover that. This is more a case of dopiness!!

Mind you it should be ok now - it's looking like I'm going to have to retur from Gib Tues & go back again Thurs now anyway so it shouldn't be so much of a problem I hope.
 
I really do advise ringing BA head office here and getting someone to kick ass for you over there - after all if you are paying them 300 squids to fly de boid, you deserve some goddam SOIVICE!!!! :angy:
 
I know where you've got that from:

Da boid is on da wing, dey say,
But dat's absoid -
Everybody knows da wing is on da boid!
 
Fed up of dealing with this lot - taken matters onto my own hands, found a place at Staines that deals with transporting animals so on my way to Staines to pick up a box now!!!
 
Oh, and anyone with time on their hands this afternoon/evening is more than welcome to come to Chez Shads to help her erect a 5ft parrot cage picked up yesterday - poxy thing came flat-packed!!!! :what:
 
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