The Random Rant Thread 2010

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gearoid
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Gearoid said:
That would involve going to Limerick. Its not Cork is it....
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On the plus side it has recently been twinned with Baghdad...they are hoping to send over community leaders to deal with all the trouble. Hope they dont get the wrong idea of the rest of Ireland when they arrive..
 
Going to two branches of Sainsbury's on an easter egg hunt this morning and coming back empty handed. Each shop was full of numpties as well, didn't do my mood much good! Especially not when I opened my packet of Sainsbury's tomatoes on the vine last night for my dinner and found they were growing fur despite being another two days to go till the best before date - not happy!
 
Aren't you a bit old for an Easter Egg Hunt, Shadz ? They're usually in aid of some charity held in villages or parks for chuldren under 12 - never heard of Sainsbury's hosting one!
 
I'm awarding Arse of the Day to TGM Ryan on THEFT in the 3.20 Mares' Hurdle at Cork today. Tired, she falls two out in a nasty, twisty way. Too tired to even go after the field when she rises, the lazy sod gets on board and rides her back. Even the commentator said what a horrible fall it was - but hey, heaven forfend a young fit lad should have to use his own legs to get back to the ring!
 
Right now I'm in the middle of a serious rant, which I intend to take all the way.

When I arrived in Spain last week having booked my airport transfer online with the flight compnay Thomsons, I was ushered on to the coach and told I'd be dropped off at a certain point in town.

Now, this wouldn't be an issue for me if I'd been told this at the time of booking. I'd probably have gone for one of the transfer companies that drop off as close to hotels as possible, as I've been with them before. I presumed Thomsons would be the same and that I'd probably not have to walk any more than a couple of hundred yards from the drop off point.

However, this was the first I was being told of this, which bugged me.

This turned to anger when the rep announced they'd be making three hotel drops and then finally the drop off point for independent transfers. One of the hotel drops was my hotel!! I decided to get off at the hotel and claim my case while the hold was open, which I did, which didn't go down too well with the driver.

I then complained to Thomsons who promised to look into the matter because I was imortant to them...

At some point every day after that I had to go online to see how the complaint was progressing and there was an ongoing exchange of emails which amounted to them saying to me, "We have this policy and we're sticking to it so stuff you."

They did offer to pick me up at my hotel for an extra €15, which was very nice of them.

Eventually, they told me they operate two coaches, one for package holiday customers, which does the hotel pick ups, and one for airport transfers. I eventually agreed under protest (the legal term) to make my way to the pick up point yesterday, in the belief I'd be going directly from there to the airport.

Not only did the coach then do a hotel pick up closer to where I was staying, but the next pick up was at my hotel.

So I have decided to take this one all the way. I intend to take it right through to arbitration. If nothing comes of it, the least I'll have managed is to make their customer services people and lawyers answer to ACAS, which will cost the company more than the €15 they wanted from me.

This isn't the first row I've had with Thomsons. About 25 years ago I ended up taking them ACAS over a ruined holiday. It cost them nearly the total we paid on the holiday. They have a happy knack of doing as little as they can get away with with telling people they're doing all they can for them but I suspect most companies are the same anyway.

There just aren't enough people willing to take them on and the British are great at whinging but hopeless at complaining properly.
 
Go for it Dessie.

It's always a lot of hassle and can be quite fraying on the temper, but is worth it to get a result. I think a lot of companies (travel and others) rely on people having a whinge but not taking it any further, thus getting away with a hell of a lot more than they should be allowed to. I cite the case of Redhead v The NHS - months of stress but oh, the relief and satisfaction of being proved to be in the right!
 
I know it works, Redhead.

Going to ACAS and eventually 'beating' Thomsons all those years ago was worth it. Their initial offer was a voucher for £25 off our next helliday with them (!!) We got a four-figure settlement via ACAS.

Last year, when my car was written off in an accident I turned down the insurance company's offer. It went to the Ombusman service and not only did I get 50% more than the original offer but they advised the company to pay me a further £500 compensation for messing me about in the first place!

The thing is, none of this would have happened if anyone at Thomsons had got their brain into gear. The first rep just had to say to the driver to let me off at the hotel along with others. Their 'helpline' (now there's a joke) only required one person to say, 'we do have a pick up at your hotel for that flight so we'll save you the walk.' I'd probably have been online straight away to thank them for a quality service. I might even have been spending today booking my next flights to the Costa Blanca with them!

I might use them for the flights again, cos they were OK but I'll never take a resort transfer with them again. It was a 15 minute walk to the pick up point from my hotel but I've stayed in other hotels (which I wouldn't mind staying in again) that would be twice that and more. I don't imagine that would be much of a service for elderly, people with walking difficulties or chairbound people. As I said, the other resort transfer companies get you as close to your accommodation as possible. I thought that was the norm.
 
ACAS?? Are you sure you mean ACAS? ACAS is an arbitration service for resolving disputes between employer and employee. As they explain on their website under the heading "What We Do" : The aim of Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) is to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations.
 
I'd have said I was as sure as I can be that it was ACAS, that it wasn't ABTA or ATOL.

It was a good 25 years ago and it was the big conciliatory body of the day. I suppose it could have been ABTA but it isn't the acronym that's been in my mind all these years.
 
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You know, I was wondering the same thing myself, G-G. I nest mine in the fridge's egg tray and I'm sure that a couple of years ago, they fit snugly. Now they roll around in the holes or actually slink down inside. I think that in the interests of Health & Safety they should be brought back to full size - surely at their current one, they represent a choking hazard?
 
krizon said:
You know, I was wondering the same thing myself, G-G. I nest mine in the fridge's egg tray and I'm sure that a couple of years ago, they fit snugly. Now they roll around in the holes or actually slink down inside. I think that in the interests of Health & Safety they should be brought back to full size - surely at their current one, they represent a choking hazard?
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Wouldn't recommend trying it now when they have come straight from the fridge. Although Sambuca helps a little :whistle:
 
Just remember to snuff it out before you knock back your shot, though! Unless you particularly like the smell of burnt nostril hairs...
 
Drunk Northern women. Sure I have trouble understanding them sober...

edit: north naturally being anywhere the wrong side of Navan
 
Deathra, this government, Bovine tuberculosis.... OK, so it's a subject that affects me the most and I know we can all bore for Britain (and Ireland) about our pet hates but you, the (British in this case) public, pay for this shower via your hard-earned, so it's quite illuminating to learn just at what rate they can waste it..

http://bovinetb.blogspot.com/

Sounded so nice and caring, vaccinating badgers, didn't it ?

Until you realise just exactly what is meant to be involved!!
 
People who leave their dogs outside barking for over two hours and finally take it in at 10:30pm, particularly when it's firework season. I went out to investigate at 10 o'clock as it'd been making so much noise to find that not only was the poor dog shut outside they hadn't even shut the garden gate and it was out in the road :mad:. Accident waiting to happen.
 
If it's a nice doggie, you could take it in for a couple of days, then see if the useless owners come over asking if you've seen it. You could say no, then present it to them later that night, saying it just appeared in your garden. It might just spark them up a bit on the care front. If they don't seem to be concerned the pooch is missing, give it to a pal who will give a damn - obviously, the current plonkers will never miss it.
 
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