Horror Story, Profiteering from Travel Misery

[Jacqui Harvey]

My Son-in-law came from offshore, on Thursday.  After a long journey he arrived at Heathrow today, Saturday, at 11.00 to get his flight to Aberdeen.   Firstly, B.A. lost his bag, he waited in a queue for 2 hours to see someone,  and they told him to go back wait at the carousels, he did for 2 hours, no bag turned up. Then he had to get in a queue to find out if he could re-book his flight.  He waited for 4 hours in the queue.  He had nothing to eat or drink.  Then there was an announcement that the Airport was closing and everyone should leave as there where no more flights.  The Holiday Inn at the Airport which usually charges £75.00 per night were now charging £400.00 per night.  My daughter in Aberdeenshire booked my Son-in-law an Hotel 3 miles from Heathrow.  He got outside the airport and found a queue for taxis.  He waited 2 hours. When the taxi arrived he was told that the Hotel was out of the taxis limit and he would not go there unless my Son-in-law paid £65.00 for the 3 mile trip.   He paid it.  He has now been told there are no flights to Aberdeen until Monday morning. so another night in the Hotel at £140.00 per night, with no luggage, he was making a trip to get some essentials when he got to the Hotel.    It seems to me that all the vultures come out and make a profit from the misery travellers are suffering.
What must tourists think of rip off Britain?  I am so mad, I am just fizzing about the way my Son-in-law has been treated.[!]

[cheers]

Never mind what a tourist thinks of 'Rip off Britain'! We live with it day in and day out and are totally fed up with being explolited!  Only light on the horizon is 'It will get worse'!:(

[tintin1504]

This is a sickening story Jacqui,Talk about kick a man when he's down!

[sandgrounder]

I would be very tempted to contact all the daily nationals Jacqui. The "Rip off" merchants should not be allowed to get away with this:

[Anne]

I agree, publicly name and shame Jacqui.

[scareylady]

That is terrible...Definatly name and shame.  

All the taxi cab companies in the Dartford / Crayford area put their fares up to double when the first snow flakes fell.

What ever happened to pulling together??  Helping each other out ect??  Let's hope there is never another war on home shores ... Goodness knows what these profiteers whould do then!!

Maybe for a little bit of feel good we could name any companies or people that do help out when times are hard or the snow is thick on the ground??

I will stat with my lovely hairdresser Sophie... Who has bought a pair of hiking boots so that she can walk the 3 miles to work in the morning so that all her customers can still have their hair done before Xmas!! lol

[Jacqui Harvey]

Name and Shame.
My Son-in-law has told my daughter that the taxis where all black cabs.  They only wanted to take passengers into London so they could stay there and pick up more fares, they did not want to come back to Heathrow and did not want short journeys near the airport, which is why they did not want to take my Son-in-law.  In the end after he was refused by about 5 cabs he started to shout and one guy said he would take him but would have to charge the full fare to London which was £65.00.  As he had been stood freezing in the snow for 2 hours he had no choice but to pay this amount for a three mile trip.
This morning my daughter has managed to get him into an Hotel near the Airport
for this evening, it's a Radisson Hotel and she managed to find a discount website and instead of £300.00 she has paid £50.00. but the Radisson said that her husband must show the credit card used for the booking when he arrives. My daughter told them it's in Scotland, so now they have told her she must fill in a form they are sending her and scan the credit card back and front and send an email to them with the card scan... Total madness, they both have the same last name and all the Radisson need to do is check with the Bank.
Last night my Son-in-Law was so cold and tired he got into bed with all his clothes on and fell asleep.
My daughter was telling me that the besides the Holiday Inn wanting £400.00 per night the Travelodge (normally £39) are now charging £299.00 per night.  Thank goodness she has a computer and can book for my Son-in-law.  I pity anyone on their own at the Airport without internet access.
Incidentally, no news of his bag, apparently there are hundreds of missing bags.  So he has to go to Debenhams this morning to buy some essentials.

[hillside]

An absolutely sickening experience. What is this country coming to when all pople look at is excessive profit. When the ash cloud caused hundreds of tourists to get stuck abroad the UK media was full of stories of how people were ripped off - they want to do a story on the shame of our own country

[laffa]

Thats a terrible story, I agree with the others, name and shame, just hope all is ok now,

[Jacqui Harvey]

No, he went to the hotel at Heathrow and was in a queue in the snow for 5 hours waiting to get in to the desk to check in.  Apparently, there is over booking and Expedia booked their customers in and there where no rooms.  There are people wandering around outside the Hotel who have been told to go to Leicester square for Hotels. Expedia laid on a coach, but the driver got fed up waiting and left.   My Son-in-law has now found out his flight tomorrow has been cancelled... The nightmare continues.