| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 26/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 59 |
| Copyright: Other |
Kate has paws for thought as dog’s gift nearly sends her barking mad
A floral bouquet for Kate has her full of thoughts of romance. However her mind soon changes when the secret admirer’s identity is revealed…
A walk on the wild sideAnybody who fears the onset of old age should take a lesson from the clients who visited me this week. If you thought that there were no more adventures to be had once you hit 70 years of age, you’re mistaken!
The old gentleman who came in with his wife was interested in at trip up the Amazon. However, with lots of dates to avoid – hospital appointments for both him and her – and limited funds, it was proving almost impossible for me to find anything to suit, until I spoke to Paulo at Veloso Holidays.
Adjusting itineraries, shaving a day off here and there, we eventually managed to find exactly what he’d had in mind. The smile on his face was enormous as he beamed at me in thanks. His wife, who had remained entirely silent throughout the proceedings, looked less than thrilled.
“What do you think about that then,” said her husband. “Are we off up the Amazon or is it Cornwall again?”
The wife nodded her head in acceptance but I detected her apprehension.
“Is there something you’re not happy about?” I asked.
“I’m worried that there’s no en-suite in the jungle lodge-” she murmured.
I did my best not to look totally stupefied. It grows ever more apparent to me that folk think even the remotest corners of the globe are going to have a Travelodge or its equivalent. I explained that indeed there would be no en-suite but there would be a shower block where she could perform her ablutions quite comfortably. She muttered something about taking a supply of antiseptic wipes and I agreed that it might be an idea if she needed peace of mind on the hygiene front.
The thought of a shower block had clearly excited her husband. He was nearly frothing at the mouth at the prospect of such primitive surroundings and began to ask all sorts of questions, many of which I was unable to answer. Thankfully I was able to relay them to Paulo and repeat his replies, parrot fashion.
The picture Paulo conjured was dreamlike. He spoke of a primeval rainforest with children so in tune with their environment that they could detect snakes, even in dense undergrowth, and of opportunities to spot crocodiles and piranah. By the end of Paulo’s chat, we could all practically smell the fish, wrapped in leaves, cooking over a fire. (I was positively disappointed sometime later when I tucked into my cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch.) My clients were all fired up about their imminent adventure and it was clear that all thoughts of shower facilities and hairdryers had left them completely.
I suggested to Paulo that he could have a career devising those relaxation tapes that are so popular these days-
Admiration from afar
We all like being appreciated and it’s nice to receive gifts from grateful clients. Like many offices throughout the country we accept our share of chocolates, wine and flowers and their arrival always causes a stir.
The huge bunch of flowers that was brought in by the florist this week was no exception and everyone clambered around to see who the lucky recipient was. We speculated that they were from a gentleman with who Kate had been dealing as he had clearly been quite smitten by her, taking far too long to complete a simple booking.
Kate, already quite pink in the cheeks at this talk, turned positively puce as she read the card and discovered that the sender of the bouquet was- a dog. And it wasn’t even a male dog at that!
When the gales of laughter subsided Kate explained that she’d been looking after the canine companion of a friend of hers who also happens to be a client.
“What a thoughtful dog,” one staff member said. “What breed is it, Kate?”
“It’s one of those white, Custard Cream-loving ones,” came Kate’s expert reply.
We would like to point out that we do not recommend the feeding of human biscuits to pets. It empties the biscuit barrel all too quickly.
It keeps you guessing….
Maybe it’s the trend in this paperless age to assume clients won’t want pages and pages of literature relating to their holiday but there are still clients who would like something tangible once they’ve handed over their £500.
OK, so £500 isn’t big bucks but Kate could see that her client was disappointed that all she had to show for it was a photocopied map of her hotel and a car park leaflet with a note attached saying that the rep ‘may or may not be at the airport.’
The client had booked accommodation only but had expected a little more information on the hotel. Kate rang Inghams to be told: “That’s all our customers get and, as the note says, the rep might be there or she might not!”
It just makes you wonder how companies like Kirker manage to send out so much detailed material on their hotels and excursions and so forth while others can only offer a photocopied map!
Reading the riot act
Poor Kate, it hasn’t been her week. Fresh from the disappointment of finding that her only admirer was a dog, she found herself at the receiving end of a tirade of abuse from a Eurostar customer.
The client had called in during March and had checked times and prices to Bordeaux. She was told to return 60 days in advance of travel to book. Forty-five days in advance saw her sitting in front of Kate demanding to know why the price had gone up.
Kate explained the maths but the client insisted that she’d been told by an agent in another town that booking wasn’t 60 days before departure date but 60 days before return.
Thus Kate received abuse that was really due to the other agent. The client stormed out “to see if the other agent will honour what she said and do it for the lower price!”
Kate asked if there were any more places on that trip up the Amazon-