But today is a day that I had to just make sure I wrote something. My obsession with number patterns went sky high today with the ultimate 11:11:11 made even more exciting by the time of 11:11:11 and I made sure I set my alarm to witness it.

And thats all I have to say on this matter. I will make a concerted effort to add posts more regularly in the future.

Over and out.

Below is a number of emails that I sent to and received from the Hilton food and beverage manager regarding this terrible deed. Don’t worry though, there is a very happy ending.

____________________________________________________________

Hilton Gateshead/Newcastle
23rd December 2010

Re: Staff party at Hilton Gateshead/Newcastle

Dear Mr Bateman

I wasn’t going to write this letter of complaint as it was partly resolved on the night, but the situation has niggled at me all day on how it was handled and the way I was left feeling.

The occasion was a staff night out. A member of my staff team had organised a christmas meal at the Hilton in Gateshead. I have to say, from that perspective everything went really well from the quality of the food to the way it was organised.

My complaint, however, concerns the way in which the waiting staff and manager reacted to a complaint I made.

I spent a considerable amount of time at the bar debating over which of the many whiskies there was on offer. Other than a whisky festival I’d never seen such an extensive collection and found it hard to choose. As they were expensive I decided to try a few at the more affordable end of the scale – in this case a Caol Ila 12 year old single malt. In the function room I put it on the table. I finished off the remaining wine that was provided with the meal and decided to go to the bar to get a pint of Guinness to have after my whisky. I’d been gone around 5 minutes or so and found when I returned that the whisky had gone. I asked a colleague if they’d seen it and they said someone had cleared the glasses just before I’d returned.

I asked a couple of staff who were standing chatting at the back of the function room if they had cleared table 6, because a glass of whisky had been taken before I’d even had time to drink it. I received a blank look at first as if they wanted to know if there was a point to my question. Then one of them said they would get me a replacement. I explained which one it was then she eventually left the room. After waiting a while she returned with a glass. When she placed it on the table she said “I was only allowed a half measure in case I’d sipped the previous one as I’d bought it 45 minutes ago”.  It was the last thing I expected to hear. I would have expected something a long the lines of “I’m very sorry for the inconvenience, here’s another to replace the one we’d taken”. Yes I’d sipped it to see what it was like, a sip is not half of the drink though!

I asked the waitress if she’d leave the room so I could talk to her in a more quiet environment as there was a disco playing. When I said that I was not happy with this as after all, not only had they taken my drink, I had to chase it up instead of spending time enjoying myself with my colleagues, I was to get a half measure back in case I’d sipped it, and had to justify why I felt aggrieved by something they’d done. As this didn’t seem to matter to the waitress other than a shrug of her shoulders, I asked to speak to her manager.

The manager came out. His expression wasn’t remotely sincere or vaguely interested. If anything it felt as if he was looking down his nose at me. Although now feeling angry and seriously irritated I remained composed and explained the situation again. He asked what whisky it was then left. I stood there feeling like an idiot in the middle of the lounge area. A colleague asked me if I was okay so I explained to her what had happened. She said it was disgusting, had I been a ‘someone’ things would have been completely different. I’d actually already had this thought before she’ said it.

The manager returned with a glass of whisky and placed it on the table I was standing beside. His face expressionless and unapologetic as before. I thanked him and he replied ‘you’re welcome’ then turned his back and walked away. The whole exchange felt insincere and I felt as though I had been a nuisance and inconvenience rather than a valued customer who’d experienced poor service and they wanted to put it right.

Luckily I didn’t purchase the £23 Port Ellen single malt as tempted as I was to try this increasingly rare whisky. If I had, I believe there would have been more resistance to replace it given the obvious reluctance to replace the £5.60 dram.

I dont expect much from services that I use other than to feel my custom is valued. A sincere apology and my drink replaced would have been the end of it – instead I was left feeling like a nobody who was getting in the way of what they were doing.

If staff treated the people who stay in the service I manage in this way I’d be horrified. My staff and I treat all of our guests with dignity and respect at all times and the very few, rare complaints we’ve had are dealt with in the same manner. And we definitely pay for our mistakes without question

Had it not been for this situation – the evening would have been memorable for a different reason as everything else was excellent. As this was the first and very likely the last time I’ll be using the HIlton I just wanted to make you aware of this aspect of customer service that I didn’t expect from a company with a reputation such as yours.

Thank you for your time,

Lee Foster

________________________________________________

I did begin to wonder if my email was received and was about to resend it when on the 5th of January 2011, I received this reply:

When I read this I began to feel like a someone again. It was good to see that my complaint had mattred enough to set things right. It was a good feeling and suddenly my animosity left, and so I typed this reply:

Dear Mrs B_______

Thank you for taking time to look into my complaint. I appreciate the workload and stress your staff are under especially at busy periods such as staff parties when there is a lot to do in a short time. I’ve had experience of waiting tables in my teens so I know the difficulties they face and mistakes do happen. Sometimes mistakes have to happen to be able to learn from them and then move on.

It was a very nice gesture to offer afternoon tea in the Tyne Bar, followed by the dram I never thought I’d try so I heartily accept this kind offer and your apology. My wife and 2 children will be delighted to visit the Hilton.

This does restore my faith in your company. As I said in my previous email, everything was excellent as expected apart from that one issue, which has now been resolved and put behind me.

As my wife and I both work during the week, would it be possible for a weekend visit?

Thank you

_______________________

A weekend visit was possible – so I arranged to go on the 8th of January. This is how it went…

My wife, Dylan and I arrived at the Hilton for 1pm. We were warmly welcomed by the manager who took us through to the lounge. We were greeted by waiting staff who went out of their way to make sure they could provide everything we needed.

To start the proceedings we had drinks and nibbles. This was followed by our afternoon tea which consisted of two tiers of sandwiches, cakes and scones. I was quite astonished at the amount of food we were given. With this came fresh tea and chocolates too. We felt completely spoilt and enjoyed every minute. The crowning moment was being given the remaining drams from a 29 year old Port Ellen single malt. This was a healthy double measure from a bottle that will cost around £300 – each dram weighing in at £23! Needless to say I took my time with it while my wife and son enjoyed their food and drink.

For an hour and a half we enjoyed the setting, food and drink. This, I have to say, more than made up for what happened on the night in question and I’d like to thank the food and beverages manager and all the staff who made this a great occassion for us.

Cheers

Lee

Setting the Scene
I wanted a credit card for the sole purpose of clearing a bank loan and having interest free payments for the remainder of the balance. Virgin turned out to be the card that would allow me to do this. Once I’d got the card I left it for a few weeks before activating it. I pondered over the minimal credit limit they gave me and was narked about it. I had an excellent credit rating and the Experian Credit Expert website concurred with this. I decided to cancel the card and look else where.

Cancelling the card was no so easy. I was passed to a different department who gave me the very hard sell of why I should keep it. Emergencies, unexpected needs and numerous other scenarios that a credit card would come and save the day. So I agreed to keep it. But that was not the end of it. Oh no. I needed insurance said the next Virgin sales rep. And by god, I thought persuasion to keep the card rep was hard work – this one stole the show. If I wasn’t paranoid about personal safety etc to start with, I was after a lengthy bombardment of identity theft, fraud, card misuse and on and on about the criminal element of life doing their utmost to get me and my money. But Virgin would save the day with their marvellous insurance. I managed to say no and get off the phone, feeling mentally drained and filled with anger at their relentless sales tactics.

The Sting
It wasn’t until using the card for the first time that I came to realise all was not as it seemed. They wanted their first payment to be made by the 19th of each month. I thought that it was good timing as I’m paid on the 19th. And when the 19th came, I paid over half the balance. I thought that it would make a good first impression of account management. But no. A few weeks later I checked the balance to see I had been charged a lot of interest.

I phoned to ask why as there should be no interest charged for a year. I was told I made a late payment so I had been charged for that AND lost the interest free period. I would be charged every month from now on. When I complained that I’d made the payment on the day it was asked I was told that it had not cleared. When I argued that the website asked for the payment to be made, not a cleared payment, it made no difference. I added to my case that after keeping the card after much arm twisting, not being correctly informed of how payments should be made they should at least repay the charges. No, all they would do is reduce the level of interest on further payments.

Red Rag to the Bull
Not to suffer fools gladly I penned, well typed this letter to Virgin.

8th November 2010

Dear Sir/Madam

I’m writing to complain about your credit card. I noticed when checking the balance that I’ve been not only charged interest but a late fee.

What makes me angry is that I took out the card and then chose to cancel it after deciding I didn’t want to use it. I phoned up and spoke to a couple of people. The last person I spoke to spent ages trying to convince me to keep the card. I didn’t want to keep it but felt pressured into keeping it as it seemed like the conversation would never end unless I did. To compound my experience after agreeing to keep the card I was then hammered with a speech on taking out insurance (all doom and gloom and identify theft etc to make me feel insecure). Had I not listened carefully and the way things were worded I could have almost committed myself to this insurance but unlike with the card I held my ground and insisted I didn’t want it. When I got off the phone I felt really stressed and drained. It was almost like a battle of wills being given the hard sell – it was not something I expected. A no should be accepted as no but all you wanted is the income, not my security.

My first payment was due on the 19th October and I made my payment on the 19th, as this is also when I’m paid. I paid over half the balance but didn’t realise until I input the payment that it would take a few days to clear, but I assumed the records would show that I made all the payment details on time and I knew it would clear without a problem.

I then find I’m charged nearly £20 in interest etc. This disgusts me. Not only was I heavily persuaded into keeping a card I didn’t want, when I used it for the first time I get a huge charge and told I’ve lost the original interest free offer and will be charged the full interest until the balance is paid.

I now have no interest in keeping this card, the company and service has left a bitter taste. The person I spoke to gave me a lower interest rate but the fact is, once I pay the card off, even if it means using my overdraft to do it, I’ll do it. I’ll never recommend to anyone to take out a virgin card because if you make one mistake they’ll screw you and if you try to cancel it be prepared to get transferred to the heavy persuasion team that try to convince you to keep it using insecurity and fear that the worst could happen and only Virgin can save the day.

I’m considering sending a copy of this letter and your reply to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Whether you choose to refund the charges or not is down to you but the hard sell and guilt trip is not something I expect from a company as large as Virgin especially given the current financial climate where people are struggling to make ends meet and don’t need additional pressure or fear instilled into them.

Lee Foster

Reply came swift on the 10th of November from Virgin

On the 16th November MBNA responded

On the 6th December MBNA responded again

On the 12th of December 2010 I emailed Virgin about the time taken to resolve this issue.

Ref 2****03
ACC 5**07581150******

Just writing to say how disgusted I am that the delay in resolving my complaint has not got a conclusion date until next year after I was initially told 28 days. This doesn’t exactly give me a lot of confidence or is that you have so many complaints to deal with you cant get on top of them?

I seems entirely appropriate that a credit company can so quickly make unfair charges, pressure customers into taking services they don’t want and misleading them with poorly worded info on their website, yet to repay the charges or resolve the issues takes so much longer – nigh on two months.

I can honestly say regardless of the outcome that I will be passing all the info onto the Financial Ombudsman service so show how low and scheming Virgin/MBNA can be.

I see you’ve since added yet more interest onto my account in the meantime.

Your company is nothing more than thieves, but I expect this is something you hear a lot of from other customers too.

example:

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews3216.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews67182.html

And I fully agree.

L Foster

14th December 2010 came a response from Virgin by email

On the 20th December I received a phone call from a customer rep.

After a clumsy security check which made me wonder if I was being phished, I eventually gathered why they were calling when the person quoted details from my account that only I would know.

But the long and the short of it? I won my little battle, all interest charges were refunded and I was given an apology for the way the card was sold to me and the way the interested was handled.

I said the hard sell issue was disgusting and should never have happened and that clarity is required on the website around payments and time limits.

I accepted their apology and the repayment cleared my balance, as I’d left it short by the amount they owed me out of protest.

This tale may have had a happy ending for me but there are many others out there who are not so lucky. There really needs to be some clarity around what is aceptable on how credit firms use sales tactics. Complaining should more straight forward especially for those who feel intimidated by the process.

Job done.

The next morning I asked my wife if she’d seen anything or heard anything? It was a no. But she added that there has been male figures on her side of the room for years that come and go. Perhaps I saw something she has become accustomed to.

I then asked my son if he’d come down during the night in case it had been him, but he’d said he hadn’t. So that leaves me with two things: I imagined it or it happened.

The following night I had a different experience. As I lay in bed I had the feeling I was not alone in the room and to my surprise I could see clusters of vivid little blue lights. They only appeared to be on my side of the room, high up in the far corner and moving down to eye level near me. These lights flickered and sparked like small fireworks and within the blue, flecks of white light could be seen. I lay for quite some time watching them fade in and out, grow bigger and brighter and diminish.

As usual part of me felt these were in my head or behind my eyes. Their glow did not light up the room, cast light on surfaces or the wardrobe doors behind them. Maybe this kind of light didn’t do ‘illuminating’ beyond itself. But maybe these were also just in my head, giving me my own private firework display.

I asked my wife about the little lights and she also claims to see them often, but in her case they’re usually white. The sceptic in me always looks to find a reason in situations that some people too quickly label paranormal – from a ghostly perspective. I cant help thinking that in these situations I simply imagined it. I was tired on both occasions and often the brain can play some funny tricks with vision and audio when it’s not firing on all cylinders.

Saying that though, even if my private firework display was only in my head, watching clusters of brilliant blue and white light was a pleasant and relaxing way to fall a sleep.

Until next time, bye for now.

Below I’ve quoted from Wikipedia, but there is far more if you click the Wikipedia link. You can also see the whiskies I’ve sampled from beyond the ‘borders’!

Welsh whisky was distilled in Wales since the Middle Ages, but died out in the late 19th century. In the 1990s attempts were made to revive the practice, resulting in the establishment of Wales’ first distillery in over one hundred years. Today Welsh whisky is represented by Penderyn. Production commenced in 2000 and the finished product, the first whisky commercially produced in Wales for a century, went on sale in 2004.

Irish whiskey is a whiskey made in Ireland. There are several types of whiskey common to Ireland: Single Malt, Single Grain, Pure Pot Still and Blended Whiskey. Most Irish whiskey is distilled three times while Scotch, apart from Auchentoshan, is distilled twice. Peat is rarely used in the malting process, so that Irish Whiskey has a smoother finish as opposed to the smokey, earthy overtones common to some Scotches. There are notable exceptions to these “rules” in both countries; an example is Connemara Peated Irish Malt (double distilled) whiskey from the independent Cooley Distillery in Co. Louth.

Indian whisky. The drinking of Scotch whisky was introduced into India during the nineteenth century, during the period of the British Raj. Scotch style whisky is the most popular sort of distilled alcoholic beverage in India. Kasauli Distillery is set in the Himalaya mountains and opened in the late 1820s. The main whisky brand is a single malt named “Solan No. 1″. This was named after the town nearby called Solan. It was the best selling Indian whisky till recently, but has declined since the early 1980s because of the stiff competition from the larger distilleries.

Japanese whiskies – The model for Japanese whiskies is the single malt Scotch, although there are also examples of Japanese blended whiskies. The base is a mash of malted barley, dried in kilns fired with a little peat (although considerably less than in Scotland), and distilled using the pot still method. For some time exports of Japanese whisky suffered from the belief in the West that whisky made in the Scotch style, but not produced in Scotland, was inferior, and until fairly recently, the market for Japanese whiskies was almost entirely domestic. In recent years, Japanese whiskies have won prestigious international awards and now enjoy a reputation as a quality product

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

The whiskies I’ve experienced from places other than Scotland and America.

Blended whiskey, is a mixture which contains straight whiskey or a blend of straight whiskeys at not less than 20 percent on a proof gallon basis or in combination, whiskey or neutral spirits.

If the ageing for a “named type” reaches 2 years or beyond, the whiskey may be called “straight” e.g. “straight rye whiskey”. “Straight whiskey”, without naming a grain, is a whiskey aged in charred new oak containers for 2 years or more and distilled at not more than 80 percent alcohol by volume derived from less than 51% of any one grain.

American blended whiskeys may combine straight whiskey variously with un-aged whiskey, grain neutral spirits, flavourings and colourings.

The most common types listed in the federal regulations are:

• Bourbon whiskey, made from mash that consists of at least 51% corn (maize).
• Rye whiskey, made from mash that consists of at least 51% rye.
• Corn whiskey, made from mash that consists of at least 80% corn (maize).
• Straight whiskey, (unspecific as to grain) is a whiskey aged in charred new oak containers for 2 years or more and distilled at not more than 80 percent alcohol by volume derived from less than 51% of any one grain.
• Tennessee whiskey, an American whiskey that undergoes a filtering stage called the Lincoln County Process, in which the whiskey is filtered through a thick layer of maple charcoal before it is put into casks for ageing.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

The American whiskies I’ve experienced.

Although people equate “Island” whiskies as having similar smoky or peaty overtones to the whiskies of Islay, this is far from true. The whiskies produced on the Islands are extremely varied and have few similarities to point to.

List of Island malts

• Arran Single Malt, on Arran
• Highland Park Single Malt, on Orkney
• Isle of Jura Single Malt, on Jura
• Scapa Single Malt, on Orkney
• Talisker Single Malt, on Skye
• Tobermory Single Malt and Ledaig Single Malt, both produced at the Tobermory Distillery on Mull

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

The Island malts I’ve experienced.

Islay whisky is Scotch whisky made on Islay (pronounced /ˈaɪlə/; eye-luh) or Ìle in Gaelic, the southernmost of the Inner Hebridean Islands located off the west coast of Scotland. There are eight active distilleries on the island, as of early 2008, with a ninth being made ready for production. Islay is a centre of “whisky tourism”, and hosts a “Festival of Malt and Music” known as Fèis Ìle each year at the end of May, with events and tastings celebrating the cultural heritage of the island.

Styles of whisky
The whiskies of the distilleries along the southeastern coast of the island, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg, have a smoky character derived from peat, considered a central characteristic of the Islay malts, and ascribed both to the water from which the whisky is made and to the peating levels of the barley. Many describe this as a “medicinal” flavour. They also possess notes of iodine, seaweed and salt. Caol Ila, on the northern side of the island, across from Jura, produces a strongly peated whisky as well.

The other distilleries on the island make whisky in a variety of styles. Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich make much lighter whiskies which are generally lightly peated, though Bruichladdich also produces several heavily peated products. Bowmore produces a whisky which is well balanced, using a medium-strong peating level (25ppm) but also using sherry-cask maturation. The newest distillery, Kilchoman, started production in 2006. In location it is unlike the other seven distilleries, which are all by the sea.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

13
But back to Alton Towers. It was here that I got my whole family to accompany me on 13, the latest and supposedly scariest creation. Using the ‘it’s my birthday’ line to get my wife and young son on worked as normally either dont like these rides. My older son is fine with them. So up early and being one of the first in the park we waited in an already long queue, before the ride was even open. Then it broke down meaning we had to wait even longer and the queue snaked even further behind us. A man in a ghoul costume terrified the crowd as we waited until eventually the ride was fixed then opened. The queue spilled into the maze of barriers that feeds you into the ride. Along the way eerie music played and here and there in the forest in which 13 is situated were gravestones and an abandoned van overgrown with nature things. Thankfully as we were nearly at the front of the queue it was not too long before we got to the ride.

Dylan was now hoping to get out of it somehow and Tracy was looking a little nervous. The atmospheric build up to 13 was hyping people up considerably. I had hoped it would meet my expectations and be a long and terrifying ride. Eventually we made it to the cars and climbed in. People laughed nervously while they waited for the off and then suddenly it shot off down the track. My first thoughts was that it was very comfortable and smooth. After a minute or probably less of ups and downs and tight turns, we stopped in a building that looked dilapidated. This was to be the grand finale.

After a few groans and cracks of what felt like the wooden floor beneath us collapsing, it did collapse and the whole rollercoaster dropped suddenly onto the track below and rolled backwards before eventually righting itself and returned to base. As rides go it was different but way over-hyped. All the ghouls and ghosts just completely give you the wrong impression as once on the coaster they are no more and the ride is in fact a bit of a let down. This maybe the newest ride at Alton Towers but it’s not the best.

Which leads me on to the other rides we tried. Here is a brief rundown.

Oblivion
I did ask myself as we careered to the edge of the very high vertical drop why I was doing this to myself and that being 40 was maybe a time to reflect on being more grown up. Then as we plummeted down the track into a dark steam filled hole in the ground and flung around the track on the other side that it was in fact a hellishly good ride. As there was hardly anyone queuing at this time of the morning, we went straight back on! One of the best if not shortest rides.

Nemesis
Now this is one that looked good, gave you all the butterflies in the right places as you watched it, but the reality, for me, was one of ‘get me off I’ve had enough’. I didn’t enjoy this ride. Too spinny and disorientating and it left me feeling sick – something I never usually get from a rollercoaster.

Air
Whereas this was the opposite to Nemesis. Yes I’m dangling from the track as opposed to sitting in a car – but it was comfortable. And it was also a nice sensation as we flew through the air doing twists and turns and coming close to the ground. But when I came off this one, I felt fine and could have happily gone round again. After waiting an hour to get on however, a second ride wasn’t likely.

Sonic Pinball
This was Luke’s idea. On the first day At Alton Towers Luke and I waited in the hour or more queue. During that time it broke down at least twice. But once on, you sit in a car that spins as you zip around the track doing sudden 90 degree corners and plummets to high loops.  I didn’t feel too bad afterwards which surprised me. The next day we persuaded Dylan to come on too. He wasn’t too impressed with it.

Rita
Now this was a blast – literally. Rita fires the coaster at high velocity down the track, does a few twists and turns before returning back. It was a good ride even though as I watched from the queue I became more nervous as each coaster was like watching a bullet being fired. Luckily I didn’t have hair to mess up as it would have done with ease.

Runaway Mine Train
This was another opportunity for the whole family to get on. As such it wasn’t as hairy or scary as the other rides but it was good all the same. We were even given a second lap around the track. The journey was interesting and we get to see other rides along the way at a non-eye-watering pace.

So that concludes my recent rollercoaster rides. Thanks Tracy for making it happen. x