Arrrrrrghhhhhhhh! Incompetence

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starbug
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Arrrrrrghhhhhhhh! Incompetence

Post by starbug » Aug 22nd 2003, 5:36 am

Recently I have been more than astounded at the ridiculous nature of the levels of beaurocracy combined with incompetence that the ordinary british citizen going about their daily life is (it seems) duty bound to endure.

Last night I reached the peak of my frustration, and I have to share it here (Ok, it's like, a compulsion, or what have you :wink: ). I'm just venting, but if any of you have suffered similar nonsense, why not share?

Anyway, Mr. S and I are off to Northern Ireland to visit his family. He's driving the car across on the ferry, and I'm flying out to meet him as I can't get any more time off work. So, I'm searching for a cheap flight on the web, and wahey, British Midland through the Opodo booking service comes up trumps.

Mr. S books my flight over the internet using his credit card. All fine, we think. Later on, we get a call from Opodo, asking for my credit card details. I refuse to give them out. We have already given one card number for payment and that is enough. OK, I might be a little sensitive following the problems with AU, but still, I feel I have a point. The guy on the phone tells me that the airline won't confirm the tickets without it. I say, well, try again. I'm not giving you my credit card details. 10 mins later, he calls back, saying they need it as my (get this) SECURITY ID. As I am flying on an e-ticket, I must get to the gate, show them my CREDIT CARD which they will then take as ID that I can get on the plane. I need to give them the number as they will match it with my physical card before letting me on the plane.

I refuse. Again. After I have picked myself up off the floor I point out that I am perfectly willing to give them my PASSPORT number and produce my passport (with, I note for them, an actual PHOTO of me on it, and which, I also note, is accepted much more readily as ID for security purposes than a CREDIT CARD) at the gate. It's a no go.

What if one doesn't own a credit card? I ask... 'Ummmm,' is the response.

So I phone the airline directly and after speaking to a manager and pointing out that this is quite the most ridiculous policy I have ever heard and frankly doesn't put me at ease in terms of them filtering out terrorists with bombs in their shoes trying to board the aircraft (I was in full flow, as I'm sure you can imagine), he says 'yes, that's why we have a box we can fill in that says you can produce your passport instead. We just have to tell Opodo that it's acceptable in this case.' Fine. OK. I mean, hello? Shouldn't that be your normal position anyway? But fine. He assures me they will note it on their system and we should give Opodo 10 mins and call them again whereupon they will accept my Passport as ID rather than my credit card.

We do this. Opodo still refuse. But the airline says it's fine! we say. No joy. So we cancel the ticket with them. But can't find anywhere even close to that cheap to fly with - booking over the phone is more expensive as the fare is a special 'online, e-ticket deal'. So I get online and book the ticket myself, directly with the airline, using my own credit card, out of desperation. At least that way they only have one number rather than 2 and I will have no hesitation in yelling at the CEO of British Midland if something should go wrong.

I find it unfathomable that an airline would rather accept your credit card than your passport as ID for getting on a flight. Why is this? Nobody could give me an answer either at Opodo or BMI. Is this a safe practice? I doubt it.

I am considering writing one of my letters... but I'd like to hear if anyone has encountered anything similar in the past.

:evil: :evil: :evil:

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andrewgd
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Post by andrewgd » Aug 22nd 2003, 7:28 am

Just as long as they don't ask you to fill out a 27b/6, right?
"Your imagination, like a child, will explode with unrestrained possibilities for adventure."

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Post by starbug » Aug 22nd 2003, 7:40 am

andrewgd wrote:Just as long as they don't ask you to fill out a 27b/6, right?
Ugh. Yeah. I'd ask Candygirl to do that one for me :wink:

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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Aug 22nd 2003, 1:45 pm

Would you like that in triplicate?

:D
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bureaucracy

Post by lance » Aug 22nd 2003, 2:14 pm

Starbug,

Sorry to hear about your difficult time. I do know that various airlines implementing all kinds of silly policies at the moment. Late last fall Delta airlines announced that they were going to be running routine credit checks on people as part of their security arrangements. So if you have bad credit, no credit or ever declared bankruptcy you could be considered a security threat and not allowed to fly. I am not certain if they ever implemented it or not. Got a fair amount of press here locally.

Also interesting has been stories of people being put on no-fly lists because of their politics. Several nuns being declared security risks because they engaged in acts of civil disobediance. Scary stuff.

As to bureaucracies...(Shakes head) I hear ya, I work for a huge bureaucracy (the library), go to school at a bureaucracy and occassionally shop at store that acts like one (MediaPlay). The only thing I have been able to learn from all of this is: get names and phone numbers. If someone tells you something that doesn't add up, get their name and go up to the next level. A boatload of saintly patience is nice too.

Still all in all sorry you and Mr. S had such a rough time.

Lance Man

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Post by Nostradamus » Aug 24th 2003, 2:32 am

<sigh>

My favorite airport security policy is the one that allows people to be arrested for joking about terrorism. I don't have the news link handy, but it even happened to a pilot recently. I suppose the brilliant logic behind it is that fanatical suicide bombers will actually be dumb enough to mention terrorism while going through the security checkpoint. If I ever need to travel long-distance again, I am taking a train, ship, car, or dog-sled.

:roll:

Starbug, I'm glad you at least got to cut out the sleazy middlemen, even if it was more expensive.

:)
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Post by Nothingman » Aug 25th 2003, 11:09 am

"I'm sorry Sir, you can't say "bomb" on an airplane.
What if i was bombardier?
Bomb, bomb, bomb.....bomb, ba, ba, bomb"
"To come to your senses, you must first go out of your mind." - Alan Watts

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Post by starbug » Aug 26th 2003, 4:59 am

candygirl wrote:Would you like that in triplicate?

:D
:lol:

Come now, I'm sure you can dig up a vintage sextuplicate copy from the vaults of the University of Ahnold :wink:

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Post by starbug » Sep 8th 2003, 5:55 am

Just to follow up on this one, I flew BMI on Friday... you know what?

NOBODY asked to see ANY ID. EVER.

I got my e-ticket, got through security, and got on the plane. I could have been anybody. I am definitely writing a letter now.

:evil:

Oh yeah, and it was a dreadful flight. They had to abort the landing from about 500ft up. Godawful engine screaming and panic-stricken terror in everyone's eyes... including mine.

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Post by lance » Sep 8th 2003, 2:20 pm

starbug wrote:Just to follow up on this one, I flew BMI on Friday... you know what?

NOBODY asked to see ANY ID. EVER.

I got my e-ticket, got through security, and got on the plane. I could have been anybody. I am definitely writing a letter now.

:evil:

Oh yeah, and it was a dreadful flight. They had to abort the landing from about 500ft up. Godawful engine screaming and panic-stricken terror in everyone's eyes... including mine.
Ya know I get up every morning and I look to the sky and say,

"Okay God is today gonna be a good day for Starbug?"

Apparently not today.

D'oh!

Here's hoping tomorrow is much better day.

:D

LanceMan

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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Sep 9th 2003, 1:36 am

This isn't really about incompetence per se, but just an annoying, frustrating incident. On my way to work Friday morning, the car in front of me suddenly slammed on his brakes. I had to brake to avoid hitting him, and then I saw the cause of it - a little squirrel running across the street. Well, the guy behind me didn't brake soon enough and rearended me so hard that my sunroof slid open and I found things on my floor that came out of nowhere. When I got out of my car, I saw that the back part of my car where the bumper connects with the body of the car is all kerflooey and part of my bumper is now hanging off the back a few inches above the ground. When I drove away, I noticed a rattling noise (most likely the loose part of the bumper as well as the muffler), my car is taking longer to shift out of second gear, and the engine seems louder.

Besides the hassle of dealing with the insurance companies and having to get my car fixed, I am upset because my last car payment is due exactly 25 days after the accident. A few months ago, I told a friend that I was afraid something would happen as soon as the car was legally all mine. Sometimes I hate being right!

One of my friends got into a HUGE wreck on the freeway a month after he finished paying off his car and it took them months to fix his car (which is probably why I had that paranoia about something happening to my car!) so I got off easy. The same friend was rearended on the freeway (previous to the big wreck) by someone who had no license, no insurance, did not own the car he was driving, and was not a citizen. The guy tried to offer my friend $50. I'm just glad the old hippie who hit me (no joke) had insurance on his Volvo!

Now I am not an animal hater by any means, but that little f***ing squirrel caused all of this trouble.

When I called the insurance company to report the accident, the person who took my claim asked if I needed a body shop recommendation. I said yes. He said there isn't one in my city. Oookay. So I told him to check Berkeley. He said he didn't see one listed there either. Now I'm no expert on local body shops, but there is a main street in Berkeley with a TON of car places (mechanics and body shops) for a few miles. I am more than willing to look in the phone book myself, but the fact that I KNOW there is a plethora but none of them are in the system sucks. I was willing to live with the fact that I had to look it up myself, but then the guy actually said, "You can find a body shop yourself" in a really snotty tone. Thanks a lot jerkface!

:evil:

(there's something about calling someone a jerkface that always makes me laugh - probably because it is so juvenile)

I feel like such a brat because I know that it could have been MUCH worse, but after the accident and my ensuing call with the insurance company I was at my wit's end!
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Post by starbug » Sep 9th 2003, 4:27 am

lance wrote: Ya know I get up every morning and I look to the sky and say,

"Okay God is today gonna be a good day for Starbug?"

Apparently not today.

D'oh!

Here's hoping tomorrow is much better day.

:D

LanceMan
:D LOL! Well, today is looking pretty cool so far, thanks! I'm in work early, I've had a good laugh already, and I'm generally feeling pretty happy. So long as no-one who's incompetent crosses my path it should stay that way :)

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Post by starbug » Sep 9th 2003, 4:39 am

candygirl wrote:Well, the guy behind me didn't brake soon enough and rearended me so hard that my sunroof slid open and I found things on my floor that came out of nowhere. When I got out of my car, I saw that the back part of my car where the bumper connects with the body of the car is all kerflooey and part of my bumper is now hanging off the back a few inches above the ground. When I drove away, I noticed a rattling noise (most likely the loose part of the bumper as well as the muffler), my car is taking longer to shift out of second gear, and the engine seems louder.
Oh my god! you poor thing! I hope you weren't injured at all :hug:
candygirl wrote:The same friend was rearended on the freeway (previous to the big wreck) by someone who had no license, no insurance, did not own the car he was driving, and was not a citizen.
This happens all the time, I think. It happened to Mr. S a while ago when he was in a car park and some guy hit his car (thankfully not the new MG or I think fists might have flown unfortunately) and was denying that he did it (in very broken english) and refusing to hand over his insurance details. fortunately he was blocked in by other cars so Mr. S eventually called the police.

I am pretty sure that about 30% of London drivers have no (or Nigerian) driving licenses yet they zoom about causing accidents leaving victims in an insurance nightmare.
candygirl wrote: Now I am not an animal hater by any means, but that little f***ing squirrel caused all of this trouble.
Hehe :) yeah, this reminds me of a time my mum was driving me somewhere when I was about 6 or 7 and it was dark on a busy road. Anyway, this rabbit was in the road and it totally froze in front of the car. My mum had to hit the rabbit. I don't think I stopped crying for about a week as all I could think about was this dreadful thunk as we hit it. I was way too young to understand that she couldn't swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid it, couldn't break due to cars behind, and had no option but to run over the stricken creature. Anyway, I much better appreciate her reasoning now!

Sorry to hear about your problems: insurance companies are such b-tards... one accused Mr. S of stealing his own moped once, driving it 2 miles up the road, making some fairly childlike modifications (you know, coloured stickers and the like) and abandoning it, in order to make a fake insurance claim of £1000. They even interviewed him about it in his office...

Anyway, hope this all gets sorted out for you soon.

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Post by Nostradamus » Sep 11th 2003, 1:56 am

candygirl wrote:Now I am not an animal hater by any means, but that little f***ing squirrel caused all of this trouble.
Sadly, these incidents are all too common, and there is a method behind the madness:

Squirrel Hazing

:wink:
I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.
-- Clarence Darrow

I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.
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Natasha (candygirl)
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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Sep 11th 2003, 3:10 am

There used to be this great story online about two college kids who decided to put some Vivarin in a Nutter Butter and feed it to a squirrel - hilarious!
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Look, if this is weird for you, being tutored? I don't mind helping you a little longer.
You could have sex with me if you really want to help...I guess that's a "no"?

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