19 January 2016

Dreams of Upcoming Travel

A week ago, I called a tourism center in the town where we'll do most of our vacationing in a couple of months, and made reservations for dinner, shows, tours, etc. Elaborate plans.

The operator assured me that we'd receive an e-mail confirmation with all the details. (You see where this is going, don't you?) We'd have the confirmation within 24 to 48 hours, she said.

A week later, there's been no e-mail. No charges assessed against my card - but that's a good thing.

I called back this morning, and - surprise, surprise! - they have no record of my call. No reservations, nada. Zilch. Squat. And so forth, and so on, et cetera, et cetera.

So I called their local Chamber of Commerce and told them how unhappy I was. Then I called the first office's competitor.

Talked to a nice fella named Mike, made the same reservations, got the same total price. And by the time the call was ended, I had the confirmation e-mail, details, maps, and everything that was promised. And Mike threw in a 20 cent local gas discount, on top of all of that.

My outlook is a bit brighter now. :)

Now April just can't get here fast enough. It's been too long since my last vacation, and it's increasingly difficult to a) focus, b) be nice to those who are, let's say, less than astute, and c) care.

Is it April yet?

6 comments:

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

I so hear you my friend, hurry up vacation. Are you heading back to Hawaii? Hubby and I will be heading to NM to check on his folks, it will be a nice break after dealing with the passing of Mom, and the estate. So you're saying hurry up April, and I'm saying hurry up February!!!

Rev. Paul said...

No, Sandy, I'll be visiting the Midwest with my older daughter. Hawaii will have to wait until later in the year.

Ed Bonderenka said...

The Midwest is big. I live there.
Alaskans vacay in the Midwest.
Midwesterners vacay in Florida.

Rev. Paul said...

Ed, I lived in Missouri for 45 years, and am well aware of its size. It's about the same size overall as Alaska. And we vacay in Hawaii. It's warm & snow-free, year-round, and has all that wonderful beachfront. :)

Old NFO said...

DO what you gotta... And file a complaint with the BBB too!

Rev. Paul said...

Already done, NFO. The company isn't based in the city we'll be visiting, but rather has corporate offices on the west coast. I looked up the 800 number they use, and it's on websites from Florida to California, and points in-between. They just don't tell us that.