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OFSO wrote: ↑

Sun May 05, 2019 12:35 pm

Got my retinal support tablets, 3 boxes for 2, in Boots by Spittelfields. Excellent friendly service. Even says what I bought on the receipt, vital for insurance refund, which Boots Islington can't manage. Are Boots now franchised ?

Nope. But the management determines the tone of the store and the attitude/morale of the staff. Noticed this in several supermarkets when I was doing a bit of commercial chaplaincy. Change of manager - immediate improvement of service.. (or, once, immediate deterioration. Eventually dobbed the silly woman in; too many low-paid workers being hurt.)
If you have the patience, a short note to HQ at Nottingham might - or might not - have some effect on your local coven.

Our local (small) independent pharmacy is now a branch of Boots.
We have had an excellent 'managing pharmacist' who has taken early retirement but still appears occasionally.
There appears to be two pharmacists who regularly alternate but with occasional 'locums'.
There does not appear to be a non-pharmacist 'manager'.

.....SWMBO and I are going on hols at the end of the month. She has had a recent hip replacement and at my urging is asking for "Meet and assist" at 3 airports.
EZY was easy she sent an email - come back confirmed.
Tour operator not so easy. Madame does all the hols planning booking and organising and is very good at it.
Talking to worker bee in call centre having done all the "security" quetions, explains what it is she requires.
"Can I speak to the lead passenger?" "Why?" - "he needs to give permission for you to speak to me about this booking -IT'S THE LAW!!" Cue minor explosion from Madame.
"I have to speak to the lead passenger - IT@S THE LAW!!"
Madame gives me the phone with steam coming out of her ears.
I then have all the "security " questions full name address etc etc.
"Why do I have to give permission for a 76 yr old mentally sharp woman to ask you to do something that SHE needs!?"" Voice was raised and sharp but not sweary.
"I don't appreciate the way you are speaking to me - IT@S THE LAW!!"

This is now a stupid argument and it's not her fault so I give "permission".

That is the rant out of the way so I come to the question. Is there a "law" that states that only the "lead" passenger can give assent to anything relevant to that booking and if so where can I find it?? Can anyone here who travels more frequently shed any light. Why can EZY sort it out in secs and the tour operator has all this BS? Did anyone in the company think "How insulted would I feel, if as a grown person in the 21st century, that I have to get a spouse's permission to talk about anything?" I suspect they didn't.

fssssssssssssss - sigh

The Ancient Mariner

I'm not sure whether it is law, but I have been asked to give permission for Ex-Ascot to speak on my behalf on a few occasions with various banks /agencies.

My only airline experience is when Ex-Ascot ended up in hospital in JNB and I phoned Emirates to say that we couldn't make our return flight. They were extremely helpful and froze our booking somehow and I was able to book us onto a suitable flight over the phone with no problems.

It is not just in UK. Off loaded from a cruise ship the lead passenger, totally out of it, was unable to speak. His wife became a nonperson.

We do get round the problem one way, SWMBO gives my email address. They can't tell you sends the email or uses 'live chat'. "Am I talking to the account holder?"

Or on the phone, can I speak with . . . ? Hands phone to random stranger of opposite sex

F##ckers that stop at the top of the escalators....just stop and look around.....MOVE TO THE SIDE!!

I have written five times to HMRC telling them my UK address, plus submitting my tax return with UK address. They reply to my former Spanish address. Now in Spain found a letter two months old fining me for this and that as I did not reply. Writing to their DG, who is a Scots lady...

Roll on August 27th! Then at long last, the "cold calls", the commercial radio and media ads, those irritating "siren voices" tempting folk who may have taken out loans over the decades, to claim that they knew nothing about the Payment Protection Insurance when repaying the capital borrowed, will have to stop!

"Mis-selling", my aunt Fanny!! Those who claim innocence of the fact that they were paying to protect themselves against being unable to repay money borrowed, because of illness or loss of employment, are committing borderline fraud. Yet they are trying to get back those premiums. They wouldn't expect to get back their car or house insurance premiums, when they don't suffer from car or house damage over the year!

They will find some new get rich quick scheme

603DX wrote: ↑

Thu May 09, 2019 2:43 pm

Roll on August 27th! Then at long last, the "cold calls", the commercial radio and media ads, those irritating "siren voices" tempting folk who may have taken out loans over the decades, to claim that they knew nothing about the Payment Protection Insurance when repaying the capital borrowed, will have to stop!

"Mis-selling", my aunt Fanny!! Those who claim innocence of the fact that they were paying to protect themselves against being unable to repay money borrowed, because of illness or loss of employment, are committing borderline fraud. Yet they are trying to get back those premiums. They wouldn't expect to get back their car or house insurance premiums, when they don't suffer from car or house damage over the year!

The alleged crime is that it was being sold to people who did not need it by 'experts' who should have known that and so acted in the best interest of the client and not sold it. Some agents were quite pushy about it, as I remember. I avoided the whole thing, I always declined it because I figured that for the extra 10% on the premium, if I saved that money then once I was past the initial period (during which you couldn't claim anyway), I could get a new job before the savings ran out, and if it was illness then I already had general insurance to cover against that. It's a bit like the extended warranty stuff. In general, stuff is going to fail fairly quickly or last for a reasonable amount of time, so either it will go during the initial warranty period or will last long enough to be past the extended warranty. Obviously there are exceptions to this.

I know my Barclays statements always had Without Protection in huge letters at the top right, I suppose it was to frighten people to take out PPI.

k3k3 wrote: ↑

Thu May 09, 2019 3:18 pm

I know my Barclays statements always had Without Protection in huge letters at the top right, I suppose it was to frighten people to take out PPI.

"FUD"

Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

A well known and documented selling technique.

Posting a letter at the Post Office - how it used to be:

Enter post office, letters in hand, buy stamps, stick on letters, post outside in letterbox.

How it was this morning:

Enter post office, letters in hand, ask to buy stamps, "no we don't sell stamps. Please hand them to me."

Hand over letters,

Man behind counter places first on scales, turns to his display, attempts to connect computer with scales.

Finally succeeds. Removes letter from scales, peers at address, types into computer.

Replaces letter on scales. Hits 'print', printer not switched on.

Boots printer, connects to computer, prints stamp.

Stamp is 60mm by 20mm, does not fit on letter top right, so peels off backing and places it on side of letter.

Second letter - as above except everything connected so works first time.

Letters placed in tray by his desk.

Prints receipt and hands it to me.

I ask again if I can't buy a book of stamps ? "No you have to bring them in here so they can be measured and weighed."

Progress. At least, progress encouraging us not to use post.

(Above scenario wasn't in the UK, by the way, where a calm Indian gentlemen still sells me stamps if I want them. Thank God).

Yes, we are very grateful to have an Indian mother and son running the local sub Post Office. The old lady is a bit severe but the son is cheery and smart and they are both efficient and don't waste time chatting to old ladies sending knitted socks to their new born grandson in Huddersfield or Edmonton.

*OFSO* you can buy stamps, logically enough, in a Tabac. If you don't apply the correct postage delivery is unlikely.

We use a sub post office 15 miles away just for the Service. If both staff at the windows are busy one of the shop staff jumps in.

Once informed that a packet with insufficient postage was at the sorting office. That was a round trip of 15 miles, excess postage was £+ and no real idea of the package. I think it was eBay worth £2. I left it there.

I have been buying stamps in the Tabac run by Dolores since 1993. No longer, they don't keep international postage stamps any more. Considering 80% of the population here are French, Dutch, German, Swiss, Belgians and a few English, this might seem odd, but, well......

I have a well earned reputation as having long pockets and short arms especially when it comes to air travel so have been looking for flights to Davao City this August. In preference, I want to avoid Manila and its non-existant terminal transfer system so have been looking at flights via Singapore.

Using the various search engines, resellers and travel agents reveals, at least on the surface, that I will be charged full fare from the Sproglettes who will be 12 and 14 at the time of travel.

This means that I will pay Air Departure Tax for them despite the fact that they are exempt. I am then expected to claim the tax back from the airline or the agent.

I expect that many travellers do not claim this back and it goes directly into the pockets of the airline or agent.

Last year I went through the reclaim process with Ryanair where it follows their complaint and refund procedure. They even tried to charge a handling fee.

Given that, when booking, I provide ages and passport details am I wrong in thinking that this system is a borderline scam?

I assume you are departing from the UK and you mean UK APD, tax code GB.

If so, they are exempt and the airline pricing systems show and price accordingly. It is possible that third party websites work differently.

I will get onto the system and check for you

Thanks.

Yes we are leaving from the UK. The third party websites seem to be the main offenders and my impression is that claims for refund need to be made with them not the airline.

I shall probably fly KLM from my local airport and have a few days in Singapore. KLM has a simple on line refund credit system but you still pay up front.