Travel fun

I finally have my trip to Helsinki sorted after about 4 months of trying to confirm a date with Tuomas. So I fly 2nd December and return on the 5th, so just a long weekend. Though I had fun organising it! Cheapest flight was from Gatwick and I had a free UK coach travel ticket with National Express. I read my email which said to redeem voucher call this 24 hour number. So I called about 07:00 and got the reply "can you call back at 08:00 as they don't start work yet", already a good start huh? I called back at 8 and told the girl I had a complimentary ticket and I wanted to go to Gatwick airport. I confirmed all my details and she put me on hold to confirm and 'use' the complimentary ticket code then came back to me for journey details. She told me coach I wanted wouldn't give me enough 'just in case' time to check in if there were delays, and persuaded me to get the morning coach instead however this means a huge 10 hour wait in the airport. She ended saying I'll have my ticket by email within the hour and that was it. About 6 hours later I still had no email do decided to call them to check she wrote my email address correctly. I got through to some miserable idiot called Keith, who I explained my problem too. The conversation went like this:


K: "okay to help I need your ticket number"
C: I don't have my ticket to give you the number.
K: the booking agent should of give you one.
C: sorry, nope.
K: okay, can I have the card details you made the booking with?
C: it was complimentary, I did not use a card.
K: then there is no way to find your booking.
C: you're joking? Not by name and postcode?
K: I will check with our other department and call you back. This may be classed as a lost ticket and you may need to pay again.
C: I didnt pay.


So he hung up and I waited for the call back. 10 minutes later he called and got me to confirm all the details over again.


K: what bus were you traveling with?
C: think it was the 00:15
K: think or was it?
C; it was!
K: ok the complimentary code was used but we can't find any booking. As the code was used you will have to class it as a lost ticket
C: erm don't think so, the girl made an error can't you tell the complimentary code was used today?
K: yes
C: so I obviously have not used it yet or I would of been on the coach or have used in the few hours between calls
K: one moment please....okay we can go ahead and make another booking.


Grr Im seriously considering complaining about him, get them to listen to the recording as he was plain rude in tone.


Bah at least it's all sorted, though the 24 hour start to finish will kill me. Bus 00:15 arrive Finland 23:45.


I actually had more in my head to talk about but after this vent it's all gone hah.