I’m getting back tomorrow (10 May 2012) just in time for thisstrike.
[Update 2012-05-15 11:14:32] Entering the UK was very easy. The queue was about 1/2 of normal for those from non-EU countries while it was about normal for the EU queue. The IRIS scanners were operational. There was more of a queue there; however, I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. I think the UK Border Security shot themselves in the foot here. They go on strike and we get better service with fewer people??
[Update 2012-12-26 17:10:16] The link I had to the Washington Post went stale. I’ve removed it because I couldn’t find the article. It used to point here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/british-border-workers-set-strike-date-in-dispute-with-government-over-retirement-age/2012/05/02/gIQANcFQwT_story.html
Ok, I’m in Turkey so I decide I have to have Turkish Coffee, right? I mean, I drank the stuff ALL THE TIME in Serbia. I even wrote a howto on making Serbian/Turkish Coffee. I had good stuff and I had bad stuff; however, I had THE WORST cup of Turkish Coffee I ever had today. In Turkey.
I went to Starbucks (I know…I never did come across any cafes that looked like plain ordinary coffee shops). This is what I got:
See that stuff on the handle. Grounds. Yep…grounds. I don’t know what the guy making it did, but my coffee had grounds floating in it. NASTY. Once I got done drinking it, the rest of the coffee was in the bottom of the cup (like it should be). Who knows; however, I just know that this cup o’ joe was hands down the worst cup of Turkish Coffee I have ever had.
[Update 2012-05-16 13:56:26] Want to see good turkish/serbian coffee? Here’s a post talking about that.
[Update 2012-12-26 14:32:29] Edited the link to the howto.
While I was in Moscow last week, one of the things I did was go to Wendy’s. I didn’t think they had any restaurants outside of the US so I doubted it when I first heard it. But, we trekked over there…and…sure enough, there it was.
Oh yes…they had frosties too, although they could have been more chocolaty.
In September 2011, I needed a new wheelie bag. I decided to go on a limb and buy a bag from ebags (specifically their motherlode mini 21). Sure, the bag was expensive, but it had a lifetime warranty. And with the amount I travel, I decided I needed/wanted a good bag so I got it.
Well, as I was packing to leave Moscow today, I noticed the bad was coming apart. It was doing it at a seam…and it looked like it just hadn’t got caught when it was stiched (click the picture for a larger view).
Well, it had a lifetime warranty so I went to their website, found the contact us section, and did a live chat. I was expecting them to say something like: send us the bag, we’ll look at it, and send you a replacement. Read the transcript below to see what really happened:
Shane: Thank you for using eBags Live Chat support. May I please have your name to make this session more interactive? you: yes, my name is Matt Shane: HI Matt! Shane: How may I help you? you: I have an ebag motherlode mini21 I purchased about 6-7 months ago. After about 12 plane trips, one of the seams is starting to come apart. It looks like it wasn’t sewn well. What is the process for getting it fixed under warranty? Shane: I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. Shane: May I have your order number or your e-mail address to further assist you? you: sure you: let me find it Shane: Okay. you: order number: ********* Shane: Please give me a moment, let me see what I can find here. you: email: ****@*********** you: the order date is 16 Sept. 2011 Shane: Please give me a moment, let me see what I can find here. you: no problem Shane: I am checking on that. Shane: Please give me a moment. Shane: Is this your current shipping address *******************? you: no you: that is where I was when I ordered it Shane: May I have your current address and your phone #? you: **************** you: **************** you: phone number: **************** Shane: Okay, we will process a replacement order for the item eBags – Mother Lode TLS Mini 21″ Wheeled Duffel – Blue Yonder. you: Wow Shane: You will receive the item at the ****** address within 5-10 business days. you: Will you want this one returned? you: What is the process? Shane: I appreciate your patience in receiving the item. you: I’m currently on a trip and it may be a while before I can return the current bag to you Shane: You can keep the item as a gift. you: Wow you: Thanks! you: You guys are great Shane: You are most welcome! Shane: Is there anything else that I could help you with? you: no, that was it you: thank you!!!
Did you see that? Not only did the guy believe me (I was expecting to have to send them a picture, at a minimum), but he just fixed the problem then and there. AND he didn’t ask for the old bag back. WOW! This is what customer service should be like.
Not only did they listen, but they stand behind their product. Oh, and after using the bag for these 6 months…it is a great bag. I can stuff TONS into it without over stressing the zippers, it rolls really nice, and it looks good.
…I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to follow this online debate. I cannot figure out how to read more than one small snippet of what each person wrote.
And I really want to follow it because I think Bruce Schneier has a good handle on security and the TSA is worthless (I mean the pilot can fly the plane into the ground or go nuts like the EgyptAir 990 pilot or the JetBlue guy…what good does making them take off their shoes and belt do???)
[Update 2012-03-30 18:17:22] I think I’ve figured it out. You click the timeline on the top then scroll down. Where it says skip to… click what you want to read. The moderator goes first, Pro, then Con. The paragraphs are numbered per day…not per person/position/day. That only took forever.
I’ve been in Prague the past week. While here, I’ve eaten a 2 different restaurant’s that I thought were outstanding. The food tasted good, the atmosphere was great, and I wanted to let everyone know. If you want a map to the place, just click on the picture and zoom in on the map there at flickr. I’ve also put the names as hyperlinks to the google page about the places so you can get their phone numbers and see other ratings.
Sonora….even though the food wasn’t called what I remember it (my tamales weren’t rolled and steamed in cornhusks but were more flat corn tortilla things) it was good. The spice was really good but didn’t over power the taste of the food.
Highland…I had to make a reservation for here as it was busy the night before. The steak tasted good…the best steak I’ve had outside of the US…hands down.
Th service was good at both places and prices were about the same (200-300 czech crowns).
How can passengers prevent their bags from going astray?
Have you ever seen theft?
What kind of suitcases get damaged least/most?
How do bags get lost?
How do bags get damaged?
What goes on behind the curtain?
Things he says I agree with:
We see open bags all the time because the zipper just started coming apart, and yes, things do fall out of these open bags. Sometimes, we see it and can put whatever came out back in the bag it came from, but sometimes there are just random items strewn around the belly.
Cheap bags that you buy at the discount store break very easily. If your handle is sewn on or is very flimsy, it’s probably going to break. If you travel a lot or pack heavy, make sure you buy a quality, durable bag.
Airplanes are only making money while in the air and no airline wants an airplane on the ground too long.
You might be amazed at how much manpower it takes to put a passenger aircraft in the air.
The important thing here: Airplanes are only making the company money when they are in the air. Everything an airline does is geared around that. Although with only one airline in the US actually making a profit, it might not seem as if they care about that very much ;^)
One thing he says I disagree with:
Speaking of wheels, the best bags to get are the “spinners” with four wheels on the bottom.
Have you ever used those things? I did once with about 30kgs worth of “stuff” in it. Holy how…that bag didn’t want to push straight on the wheels and it wasn’t designed to be pulled. It was a horrible bag.
If you were one of the people we mentioned this to before we left…our Jeep sold! It served us well for apx 10 years and hauled us around many many miles.
BTW…yes that is my smokin’ hot wife in the background ;^)
I can’t believe it is already time to leave the US and return to England. At the beginning of the summer, I never thought 5 months would pass so fast. I also never thought that I wouldn’t get to do so much stuff. I left the UK with lots of plans….I’ve done about 1/2 of it.
But, we drove tons (our jeep had about 11,000 miles put on it over the summer). We got to see lots of friends. We got to see lots of friends that we hadn’t seen since we left the US 4 years ago. We got to do some sightseeing (Cass, etc…). I did a lot of not blogging (I’ve only blogged a few times and most of that was in the past week).
I expect I’ll get back into blogging when we get back to England and get into the swing of life again. I’ll try to post that we’ve arrived. I’ll also try to make a post when our small crate of stuff gets there.
