HOW EFFICENT THEY ARE and HOW INEFFICIENT WE ARE?

HOW EFFICIENT THEY ARE and HOW INEFFICIENT WE ARE?

As usual, at the end of the year, normally I will give a credit to my self by going for vacation or holiday. In year of 2011, I did manage to grab some cash. Therefore, 2011 vacation it should be better compared to 2010. The planned started in October. I did whisper to a few friends especially our ‘KAKI REDAH’ Club members. This coming holiday, five of us will ‘redah’ (Jabar, Catherine, MacGregor, Pak Ngah and myself). I’m given a responsibilities to make the master plan within the cost, not more than RM 10,000.00 for hotel and transportation (air ticket from any station to the first stop is not included = Heathrow).

The 1^st Plan: (1^st Sortie) = From KLIA/any place to Frankfurt, spend 4 days in Frankfurt,

                     (2^nd Sortie) =Than from Frankfurt to Zurich (Swiztland), spend 3 days in                       Zurich, than proceed to Geneva (spend 3 days in Geneva),

                     (3^rd Sortie) = Than from Geneva to Lyon (France), spend 2 days in Lyon,                                 than proceed to Paris (spend 5 days in Paris).

                     (4^th Sortie = Than from Paris to London, spend 5 days in London for                                        shopping.

                     Than form London, back to KLIA.

However the 1^st plan cannot materialized because of Mac at last minute decided to take his GF along. Due to speed train ticket and accommodation (I have to look for another room for Mac), than I have to make another proposal.

The 2^nd Plan: (1^st Sortie) = From KLIA/any place to Heathrow, London, spend 4 days for                           shopping;

                     (2^nd Sortie) =Than from London to Lausanne City, Swiztland, spend 5 days in Lausanne, Matreux, Geneva;

                     (3^rd Sortie) = Than from Lausanne City to Paris, spend 5 days in Paris;

                     Than form Paris back to KLIA.

 (This planned did not even reach RM 10,000.00 because we escaped from paying the Heathrow airport tax (costly)).

In the process of booking the hotel and speed train ticket, I did encounter a few problems, which is cause by my mistake. As usual, anything in West and Europe, you want to save money, please do it online. Search for the highest discount such 2 in 1, 3 in 1 etc.

THE 1^ST MISTAKE – EUROSTAR TICKET FORM PARIS DU NORD TO LAUSANNE CITY.

Actually, when we purchased a train ticket either in London or Europe, we can print the ticket immediately at home but we must tick at the delivery ticket option. I m successfully did it, for the journey from London to Paris (transit) but form Paris to Lausanne City, I miss it. So I couldn’t print out the ticket from Paris Du Nord to Lausanne City. Than I send an email to the Eurostar Train Customer Svc.

My e-mail on 19/10:

Your question (Mohd Radzi Abd Hamid)	19/10/2011 11.53 AM
Dear Sir, my booking number is RONVD, RONVM. I did a mistake for not tick on print by my own. So how I want to change it from print at the station to print by my own? and to select/booked my own sit. Tq
Auto-Response	19/10/2011 11.53 AM
Title: Collecting your ticket from the station? Read this. Link: http://eurostar-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1069 Title: Tickets by mail Link: http://eurostar-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3888 Title: When I try to print my own ticket, I get an error message. Link: http://eurostar-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4225 Title: How will I obtain my Eurostar tickets? Link: http://eurostar-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/32 Title: I have my PDF ticket but am not able to print from my PC. Link: http://eurostar-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3902 Title: I wish to book for someone else, how will they obtain their tickets? Link: http://eurostar-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/36

 

Surprisingly, they reply it in the same day and offered a few options in order to solve my ticket problem.

Eurostar Reply on 19/10:

From: Eurostar Support
To: radzi_hamid@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 8:59 PM
Subject: Print my own [Incident: 111019-0002]

You have received an email from Eurostar. Please see below.
To reply to this email, please click on your reply button and type in the space between the lines below.
[===> Please type your message below this line<===]
Noted. TQ
[===> Please type your message above this line <===]

Email on behalf of Eurostar from (Thomas, Eurostar.com Support)	19/10/2011 02.04 PM
Dear Mr Abd Hamid Thank you for your e mail. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue print at home tickets for TGV bookings. If convenient, we can post the tickets out to you. If this works for you, please confirm a postal address. Kind Regards Thomas, Eurostar.com Support

So I reply the email and told them my address on the same day. They reply it, just day after.

Eurostar email on 20/10:

Subject
Print my own
Content
Email on behalf of Eurostar from (Thomas, Eurostar.com Support)	20/10/2011 01.59 PM
Dear Mr Abd Hamid Please be advised that the tickets have now been posted to your address in Malaysia. Kind Regards Thomas, Eurostar.com Support

 Happily, week after, our ticket had reached my postbox. So efficient and customer first.

NOT 2^nd MISTAKE – HOTEL PAYMENT

Yesterday, I did receive a credit card bill, which stated the charged for Westpoint Hotel, London. It quit surprising because I did not booked at the Westpoint Hotel. We booked at Abbey Court Hotel at Hyde Park, which is shopping street in walking distance. The underground, just 30 meters from the hotel door. The bill stated the same amount as per in the confirmation slip at Abbey Court Hotel. So I sent an email to the ‘booking.com’, one of the online hotel booking company which we booked our hotel.

In My email, I did query about this confusing matters. We booked at Abbey Court Hotel but the bill stated Westpoint Hotel.

The booking.com customers service had reply my email even faster than Eurostar.

Dear Mohd Radzi Abd Hamid,

Thank you for contacting Booking.com.

Please be advised that Booking.com does not take any form of payment from your credit card at any time. The card details are given to the hotel at the time of booking to guarantee the reservation in the event of a late cancellation, or a no show. All payments are taken care of by the hotel during your stay, unless otherwise stated on the website.

We have forwarded your email to the hotel. As soon as we receive an answer from the hotel we will contact you. If you wish you can contact the hotel directly. For your convenience below you will find the  hotel contact details:

Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park)
Phone: +4420740207
Fax  : +4420726220
Email: reservations@abbeyhotel.com


If you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for using Booking.com. We wish you an enjoyable stay at Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park).

Kind regards,

Please help improve our Customer Service by answering 3 simple questions: http://www.booking.com/questionnaire/bd2ef6bf125376b0.en.html?label=questionnaire

Armina Konakovic
Customer Service Team
Booking.com  http://www.booking.com

 I did reply the email by stated ‘noted and tq’.

Than, booking.com reply it ASP.

From: Booking.com Customer Service
To: radzi_hamid@yahoo.com
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 11:12 PM
Subject: Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park) (78356)

Dear Mohd  Radzi Abd Hamid,

Thank you for choosing Booking.com.

Further to your question regarding payment issues in connection with your reservation 78356 at Abbey Court Hotel (Hyde Park) , please find below the answer we have received from the hotel

=====================
Please advise guest that the charge on his account appears as Westpoint Hotel because the Abbey Court Hotel is managed by Westpoint Hotels (Hyde Park) Ltd.

Kind Regards
Luis
Abbey Court Hotel
=====================

Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions.

Thank you again for choosing Booking.com. We hope to be your choice for future online reservations.

Kind regards,

Please help improve our Customer Service by answering 3 simple questions: http://www.booking.com/questionnaire/aeab9deb5fac9c3e.en.html?label=questionnaire

Theodoros Papadopoulos
Customer Service Team
Booking.com  http://www.booking.com

Than, tonight, I reply their email. Happily.

I'm in the clear picture. Tq for yr efficiency and kind explanation. I'm looking forward to have business wt booking.com again in the near future. In my national language, Malay Language; we said 'TERIMA KASIH' = Thank You. 

In my mind, why we can’t be efficient like them. If we cannot innovate, why we can’t, we just copy it. I’m not intend to share how inefficient we are.