Ceridwenscauldron

I see Ryanair posted a loss and Michael O'Leary is on the box saying that he's going to charge for using the on-board toilet as his planes don't need three toilets so by reducing demand for a pee he can take two toilets out and put another row of seats in to reduce fares further.

Well after Ryanair messed me around so much this year I have decided never to use them unless I absolutely have to so he won't be getting his greedy paws on any more of my cash.

And when it comes down to it with all those extra charges for using cards and even for on-line check in combined with the expense of getting to and from the inconvenient location of many of Ryanair's chosen airports its often cheaper to use BA or another flag carrier who will also give you free drinks on board.

And since when has checking in been an optional extra. More transparency and honesty in pricing please.

Back 1814 96,000 people paid a penny to laugh at the inmates of the Bedlam Lunatick Asylum.

Today Britain's Got Talent picks up 19 million viewers.

So what's new

Got home last night to discover an envelope from National Express.

"Oh good" I think "My train tickets have arrived" opens envelope gets tickets out, find seat reservation for three, but only two tickets.

So I ring the customer care telephone number on the ticket wallet, having forgotten that it was a waste of time as it is now 5.45 and everybody at National Express will have packed up their lunchbox and thermos and gone home 45 minutes ago.

So this morning I ring them again, give them the transaction number when asked and explain what has happened

"Oh you will have to send us the tickets with a covering letter and we will investigate it"

"But its pretty clear that someone just didn't put the third ticket in the envelope"

"You will still have to write in"

"Ok that's putting me to a lot of trouble to sort out your mistake"

"Do you have the address?"

"Is it the Freepost one printed on the ticket wallet?"

No of course it isn't its one in a completely different part of the country, feeling a bit peeved I asked

"So will you be refunding the postage as its not a Freepost address and its actually your mistake"

"I'm not authorised to make such a decision"

Maybe its petty but somehow having to pay the postage for sort out something that National Express have made a complete hatstand out of makes me see red. So much for that Core corporate value of "Positive- We find solutions" And just what is the point of that Freepost Customer Care address and for that matter a Customer Care Call Centre that is only open while most people are at work.

I can't see why when National Express cock an order up they can't just reissue the tickets and send them to the customer with an SAE so that the customer can return the birdsnest they made of his original order.