My heart sinks and I open the email. I am just a month away and the travel company now wants to make changes even though I booked this over a year ago and have waited until the last muinute to get all my extras, such a hotel the night before etc, booked and paid for......
"We will no longer be operating your flight to Tenerife....our teams are on hand to find you an alternative.....you can change the date of your holiday...."
The email went on and I was far from impressed.
No, I don't book with Thomas Cook but the generosity of the other tour operators towards their stranded and holiday-less customers has ended up with some of their own customers being stranded too. Hey ho.
Its at times like this I am so glad I book throught the High Street store and have a wonderful woman who deals with all my holidays and bookings. Armed with the email, I go and visit her.
Stunned she takes up the case but suggests I go away for at least an hour; yes, it'll take at least that long. I'm so glad I haven't got to face the hassle myself on the phone and on the web.
So off I go. I browse the shops, pick up a few items I know I need. I wander along to the newsagent and pick up a newspaper so as to settle down with a lovely coffee and the news.
People I know also pop into the cafe, so we chat for a while and do the general catch up. Lovely way to spend the morning.
I fancy a quick walk in the park, so having finished coffee, pack up my bits and pieces into my rucksac and wander over to see the ducks. I've given her a good hour and a half so after two hours saunter back.
She looks stressed. Two phones are aimed at her desk. Can I go away for a bit longer? No problem says I. I go back into the park and have a wander towards the bowls green; nice down that way. I go and have a look at the house boats and watch the activity on the allotments from my side of the river, then follow the path round, past the football practise pitches and the various other activities for children and return to the lake and the castle. Nice here.
After another hour I go back and she is less stressed. I have flights and although I leave at silly-o-clock in the morning I gain almost a day away.
Now which do you think is the better response to the email? Having to deal with it yourself and losing the transfer coach to your hotel, or allowing a High Street rep to do the leg work for you and know the transfer is still organised?
In my world there's just no contest. So Tenerife and the north, here I come......😎
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