Showing posts with label Poor Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poor Service. Show all posts
Today's travel has been a misery, but thankfully I knew that in advance so minimised the stress with planning. I have the option to have a car take me to the airport, but I hate that as it's inefficient, uncomfortable, and wastes time (can't use computer easily and always stuck in traffic). Public transport is a much better option- when it runs that is !
No it's not leaves on the line (as they have a new Leaves on the Line timetable). First Capital Connect drivers have gotten religious fever and decided that Sunday is a day of rest. Therefore there are no trains into Kings Cross from Cambridge today. And no, I really do not want to take a bus from Cambridge to London. If I wanted to take a bus, I'd go to the bus station.
At the station there were of course the usual 6+ uniformed staff standing around checking tickets and not doing very much. I reckon my ticket price is at least £1 higher to pay for these people adding absolutely no value whatsoever to the travel experience. What's the point of having an automated ticket barrier, but having 3 people standing beside it ? I guess it's a carry over from the former BR days. Shame none of the staff were multi-lingual since there was the usual raft of visitors looking totally confused at why a G8 country can't run a train service on a Sunday. In short, total and utter joke.
What irritates me the most is that there is a recession on, but people providing a service to the public seem to think they are immune to it. So far, it's trains and post, I predict it's going to get worse over the next 6 months. Right, I'll stop as I sound like a Daily Mail editor.
Usual carnage on the London Underground due to Engineering works. Think I'll just take a taxi from Liverpool Street to Paddington as I can't be bothered with a change on the tube (no doubt with a very long set of stairs, stuck behind a group of tortoises all walking in parallel).
A new term I thought of this morning to define things that I see and need to blog about, specifically things that are irritating/funny. Well, today's trip involves going to Cambridge rail station, then sitting on a train into London, so I'm absolutely sure there will be ample fodder...
Upper Crust, Cambridge Station
A particular 'favourite' for criticism. The service is always so slow in this place and it seems to attract very indecisive people. I usually get frustrated in the queue. In this case, a couple of Cambridgeoids that couldn't make their mind up what they wanted. Not helped by the English of the guys serving being fairly poor. I try to remain as calm as I can at this place as I did have a bad experience once with a group of (let's just say) less able people where I gave them a really hard time- only to realise that (for once) there was actually a reason why they were slow. One of those moments where you want the ground beneath you to swallow you up.
Now the biggest surprise - that was it ! Ticket machines working, trains running on time. Decent service in restaurants/bars (well it is London after all, not Cambridge).
Back home, good mood, opened Solicitor letter...
Good day in London sorting out furniture for new house. Went very well. I like doing business with London people, pretty straight up, and used to dealing with business people who are going to ask for a discount/negotiate. I managed to get another 5% off since I was buying 2 sofas, several items of bedroom furniture, and a couple of really cool desks I'd found (they can tilt up 30°- great for sketching/ reviewing presentations). Contrast this to buying stuff locally, where people would think they'd be doing me a favour by selling me furniture !
Got back home and discovered a letter from Solicitor about house sale. I thought we have concluded the buyer enquiries, but no, a whole raft of additional random questions. I was particularly angry since much of them I had already pro-actively addressed when I sent off the initial paperwork as I thought they might come up. Still, resolved now I hope.
Then I hear that buyer wants to postpone the moving date. At this point I hit the roof, had to relax for about 15mins before I crafted message back. It is happening 8 October, or it is not !
I've previously described Cambridge as a culinary desert in the past and last weekend confirmed just how bad places really can be...
Last Friday decided to have some pre-dinner snacks since eating later in the day. Against better judgement passed Carluccio's, it didn't look at all busy, so decided to grab a table. I've never been a fan of this chain- the restaurant they have in Fenwick in London is fine to grab coffee/snack whilst others shop in the store. However, the Cambridge version I have always thought to be bland, poorly stocked in the deli, and the service to be lousy.
Walked in and 5 members of staff standing around doing nothing, waited about 30 seconds before I got annoyed and said 'excuse me', one of them made the effort to come over. Got to the table and looked through the menu. Specials board clearly had been written by someone who didn't speak English natively "Large Pasta Tubes served with Spicy Tomato Sauce"- not exactly appealing ! It reminded me of the English translations you get in restaurants in mainland China where they translate from Chinese to English literally and thus sounds unappealing- something like "deep fried intestine of the cow".
Ordered drinks - they were out of Lemonade - and some food (bread and ham). Took over 20mins for someone in the kitchen to go to the deli, grab 6 slices of ham and put some bread in a basket. What I find the worst about this place is that Italian Bread is absolutely fantastic, but instead you get some nonsense bread mix that looks like something out of a 1970s tupperware party (where the host has gone to the trouble of trying to find something exotic).
In short, never again !
The Punter
After the Carluccio's experience and a few drinks, ended up in The Punter with friends for dinner. I've been there before and it was very good, sadly not this time.
Okay, mild OCD confession here- I absolutely hate food being all mixed up on a plate and things merging (unless they are supposed to like stews etc.). I once watched a film where a character had a a full English Breakfast, but had to have each of the constituent parts on separate plates. People laughed, I thought it was totally normal to do such things. After all, if we wanted food to be mixed up then we'd just eat out of troughs (a bit like the image you get when you pass Nando's on Regent Street on a Friday night). I guess it's the Engineer in me that likes everything to be clean and ordered (like having to write up logbooks at University after the event as I hate untidy notes and writing, I still do this sometimes at work).
I ordered Steak and like any restaurant in Cambridge I had to give clear instructions on what was to be on the plate. It sounds nonsense, but for some reason Cambridge Restaurants have a big thing about drowning salad in balsamic vinegar (that I hate) so I've found the only way to ensure that I don't have to send the meal back is to give the server clear instructions on what is to appear on the plate. In this case it was pretty simple "please ensure that only steak and chips appear on the plate". I guess I should have been a little concerned at the recent changes to the place, as it was clear that the clientele weren't used to eating steak and so the knife was labelled:
How tacky !
Later the dinner arrived. Steak and chips on the plate, but sadly a big chunk of salad in the corner. Not balsamic vinegar, but the latest culinary find of the Cambridge chef - Mayonnaise ! I hate Mayonnaise, partly for the taste, but also the fact that anything covered in it reminds of PVA Glue (thick white glue used when I was at school) or something you'd find in a turkey baster at a horse breeder in Newmarket who specialises in artifical insemination !
Another place in Cambridge to strike off the list !
Okay, mild OCD confession here- I absolutely hate food being all mixed up on a plate and things merging (unless they are supposed to like stews etc.). I once watched a film where a character had a a full English Breakfast, but had to have each of the constituent parts on separate plates. People laughed, I thought it was totally normal to do such things. After all, if we wanted food to be mixed up then we'd just eat out of troughs (a bit like the image you get when you pass Nando's on Regent Street on a Friday night). I guess it's the Engineer in me that likes everything to be clean and ordered (like having to write up logbooks at University after the event as I hate untidy notes and writing, I still do this sometimes at work).
I ordered Steak and like any restaurant in Cambridge I had to give clear instructions on what was to be on the plate. It sounds nonsense, but for some reason Cambridge Restaurants have a big thing about drowning salad in balsamic vinegar (that I hate) so I've found the only way to ensure that I don't have to send the meal back is to give the server clear instructions on what is to appear on the plate. In this case it was pretty simple "please ensure that only steak and chips appear on the plate". I guess I should have been a little concerned at the recent changes to the place, as it was clear that the clientele weren't used to eating steak and so the knife was labelled:
How tacky !
Later the dinner arrived. Steak and chips on the plate, but sadly a big chunk of salad in the corner. Not balsamic vinegar, but the latest culinary find of the Cambridge chef - Mayonnaise ! I hate Mayonnaise, partly for the taste, but also the fact that anything covered in it reminds of PVA Glue (thick white glue used when I was at school) or something you'd find in a turkey baster at a horse breeder in Newmarket who specialises in artifical insemination !
Another place in Cambridge to strike off the list !
So, it's Tuesday and I'm still without iPhone 3GS. I've decided that the most sensible option is to move over to a Business Tariff as this gives me the option to upgrade every 12 months. Of course I've been trying to figure out what to do for a week now and everyone at O2 I speak to gives me a different story about whether it is possible or not.
3 calls in the past 28hrs and still waiting for 3 people to call me back. What an absolute joke...
Blogging in-flight (but not in-air)
Thanks to British Airways, 'The Worlds Favourite Airline' but sadly 'Not the Worlds Most Punctual Airline' this post comes from in-seat whilst my BA flight to Dubai is stuck at gate A18 of Terminal 5. Yes no surprise, like every BA flight I have been on in my life, it's delayed ! 2 hours this time due to some problem with one of the tips on the wing. Of course the time it takes to do the Engineering work is 1.5hrs- but we still have to get the Engineers to the aircraft. No doubt they are stuck in Aberdeen or somewhere and have to fly in. Come to think of it, it is lunchtime right now- so I'm guessing they won't turn up for another hour or so. Why is everything so complicated ?? A classic comedy of errors.
Prediction: 3hrs minimum delay, likely will have to swap aircraft at some point.
Getting to the airport - early morning disaster
I always like to take public transport to the airport wherever possible. I've got an optimised regime. Taxi to Cambridge Station, train to Kings Cross, Tube to Paddington (optimised in terms of lifts), Heathrow Express to the airport. Of course today was a nightmare as the majority of tube drivers in London decided to go on strike.
To the tube drivers... I know public sector workers don't live in the real world, but surely you've realised there is a recession ? I think the last thing we need is to cripple the capital by not allowing ordinary hard-working people to go and do their jobs. Why don't you just mount a publicity campaign to get your point across ? Actually, I know the answer to that one- because then we'd know how much you get paid and then there would be zero sympathy for you. Far better to make everyone's life a misery. The next time I'm in India with a bus driver that works really hard to survive, a tear will come to my eye at the thought of you in your unionised environment working away merrily feeling so hard done by.
Got to Kings Cross this morning and queue about 1 mile long for taxis (reckoned at least 1hr wait). Went to catch bus, only to be hit by rain. A stroke of luck spotted taxi and ended up grabbing that to Paddington. Of course I've saved the receipt (£15) to claim this back from the Tube Drivers Union. Yeh, I know I won't get the money back, but I'll sleep better knowing that some downtrodden workers Union payments will have funded the need for someone to spend close to 1hr writing me a letter telling me to go away and no doubt justifying their actions.
Terminal 5
The one good thing about todays travel experience is Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Absolutely superb in terms of experience and amenities (including shops you'd actually want to buy something from). Actually, it's better than Cambridge for shopping (probably not a good analogy though).
Things were so good I had to keep reminding myself that I was at an airport in the UK. Not quite the usual experience of dirty walls, no aircon, the usual buckets every 100m to soak up the dripping roof. As usual let down by no trolleys though.
Continuing with the theme of Easter weekend being the worst holiday weekend, today was as uneventful as the whole of the weekend thus far. This post comes courtesy of MarsEdit (finally managed to sort out an offline blog tool).
I just created my to-do / project list and as usual there is far too much to get done in the following week and things to chase so I'm expecting it to be a hellish week full of late nights.
Broadband Blues
Arrived back home at noon to be met by the guy who arrived to 'fix' (term used loosely) my broadband. I'd had a number of conversations over the weekend with Virgin concerning problems I've been having with my broadband connection. I ended up calling to cancel the service (so irritated), but ended up giving them another chance (quote 'put me through to someone who knows what they are talking about, not a retard reading from a script). Eventually got put through to someone in Wales.
Having been told they'd send someone who could do a full analysis of my connection (not simply stick a signal strength meter into the cable on my wall) I had my usual skepticism - but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Well, as usual I was disappointed. The guy arrived with said signal meter, plugged it into the wall and replied "good connection", to which I replied "I could have told you that". Complete and utter waste of by Monday afternoon :(. After he left, I stewed for a few minutes and decided to 'phone and have a moan. We left that call with the technician indicating to me that unless someone could see a fault on my line, there was nothing I could do.
I could have moved to a 50MB service with Virgin, likely I will have to downgrade to something like a 1MB service with BT. There's progress.
Scottish Clans
I'm watching a television show that is about Scottish Clans. Why do they always have people in Scotland in the shows who speak with an English Upper-class accent ?!
Nigella
The show about Scottish clans has finished and I'm watching every mans favourite cooking show 'Nigella Express'. As usual dominated by great looking food and lots of takes of Nigella's real life. She's just dropped her daughter at school. I wonder what it's like to be at school with Nigella's daughter ? - packed lunches must be interesting..
What do you have ? Cheese Sandwich... Me ? Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry, followed by Chocohotopots...
Weekend Food
Probably the highlight of the weekend was lunch as Asadal in Holborn. I love Korean food and as usual they didn't disappoint. It does worry me how well they are doing though as we were the only people in the place the whole of lunchtime.
