 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| cathy wrote: |
| On the cheap, to the extent of watering down the orange juice for breakfast - we saw her do it! But it was a last minute deal and as I say, very cheap. |
All (cheap) orange juice is watered down. They ship it from the countries where oranges grow, in bulk, at a high concentration level. Then it reaches a British factory where it is put into cartons.
Orange juice destined for supermarkets is diluted and then put into cartons.
Catering orange juice is sold concentrated, to be diluted by the end user. It saves money that way - less packaging, cheaper shipping etc. etc. This only causes problems where cheapskates over-dilute it.
Personally I cannot drink cheap orange juice. It reminds me of a night spent on Bucks fizz.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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James the Last, it wasn't catering orange juice, it was a carton of the type you would buy in a supermarket. She would pour the carton into a jug and then fill up the jug with water  Just tasted like very very weak orange...
She also would only cook boiled eggs for about the first 3 people that asked - after that she would just say no....
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 30-11-11 11:22; edited 1 time in total
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[quote="sharon1953"]stoat of the dead, I don't expect agreement, or sympathy thanks, wouldn’t have posted at all if I had, but I expect respect and common decency, especially on this forum. If you think that’s been the case here, perhaps you’ve not read all the responses as I have and I certainly don’t expect you to either. Some people don't know the meaning of the word respect (or constructive feedback for that matter) a sad fact of the 21st century.
Respect? Common decency? Constructive feedback?
Do you mean the sort of respect shown by opening a thread slagging off a TO weeks before you actually go on holiday?
The sort of common decency that questions their T&C's and shouts breach of contract before they have even had the opportunity to review your complaint and respond accordingly?
The sort of constructive feedback which doesn't even know what solution the hotel may have come up with to your end of the world niggle?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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sharon1953,
Okay, on a serious note and to save any more bears hitting the decks!!!!
Could you let us all know what the outcome of this is,
Please let us know if you get
A) A Hot meal on arrival
B) A reduction/discount from tour operator in replace of hot meal
C) You had a super time and would go/book again with said tour operator
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sharon1953, Glad to hear that our "paddytours" worked out cheaper for you! Looks like you "luv da bargain"!!  I know TO's do not get the choice of the quality of room as DIYers (This is in a summer resort), Well if we are being racist, I know that us "paddies" and "brits" get shown the rooms that the "scandi's and krauts" will not take! This is a legacy of the drunken yobs that we sometimes allow out of the country!!
My experience is that an Austiran 3* compares very favourably with a London 4* and indeed Parisian 4*.
I know you feel we are abusisng you, I dont think we are! What we appear to disagree with is that you are looking for a "QUALITY" package from a standard operator! No slur on Simon or Crystal, I have used them many times in the past as they offered me the chance to ski when it was impossible to go from Ireland! Crystal's product is not one that can match with an owner managed establishment! As the "gap year students" treat their job as THEIR holiday, as well as yours! You cant blame them as they are on basic wages and they just want to have fun with some of the "billy's" a royal pain for them!
My advice is to relax, forget about your perceived issue and enjoy your hubbies 60th celebrations! You never know, but if you are kinder to the TO you may find that you and he get a bottle and a cake for his birthday! One thing for sure is that if you continue this rant to the resort you may get an "extra" from the disgruntled employee!
CHILL AND ENJOY your holiday! On a positive note, you will love Solden. It is Mrs RH favourite place, she used to go their for summer race training in her younger days!
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provenjohn, I suspect your analysis is highly likely to be the case. I'm not sure why the OP wants to be so thin-skinned about "respect" etc. Lots of people have expressed a view in response to the original question that she's being unreasonable with some expressing support for her position on some technical grounds. I have to ask what did she really expect?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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i seem to remember the OP having a rant about various other things on the site, it appears that this is just where she comes to have a whinge and hope to get support
alas not this time 
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We once had to go back to the airport at 7am in the morning with two small children with no opportunity for a drink or breakfast. Delays meant we had to run for the plane. Luckily you were still served something in those days, but we had very miserable boys by then.
As we had breakfast in the same hotel the previous winter at 6.30 before leaving for the airport we didn't consider getting in supplies the night before. No-one let us know that the dining room wouldn't be open. At least you have warning in advance and can choose to do something about it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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From what I can see on the Crystal website and the hotel in Solden being mentioned. On the meals description it says hot and cold buffet breakfast and four course evening meal with choices plus salad buffet. No-where does it say HOT four course meals, so I can not see how Crystal are breaking any conditions. They are contracted to provide 7 evening meals. That just my opinion. Even if one of them happens to be a cold platter, which could happen to any-one as a result of severe plane delays, bad weather, breakdowns etc. I do hope your hotel does not offer afternoon tea and cake, you will miss that as well.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
I do hope your hotel does not offer afternoon tea and cake, you will miss that as well.
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oh no!
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You know it makes sense.
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rosemary, top post of thread - a bit of research, a reasoned reply, no patronising - and just a subtle little sting in the tail. Ace. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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It'll be fine. stop moaning and look on the bright side, at least you wont have to get to manchester airport at 4am.
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Poster: A snowHead
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sharon1953, I've noticed there is very little sympathy on SnowHeads for anyone complaining about anything! I believe many of the people on here must must work in the service industry and are so jaded by complainers that their automatic response to every complaint is that no complaint has any validity!
It also seems to me that there are a large number of people on here just waiting to try and 'wind-up' anyone with a complaint. Therefore don't expect respect and common decency from everyone on this forum.
Obviously, you did ask people's opinions about your complaint and so you must accept that not eveyone will agree with you. But don't let any trolls get to you!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have not read the whole thread but clearly this is very questionable sales advertising techniques.
The cold meal is not a 4 Course Dinner & this should be disputed.
There will be thousands of guests flying with this company (& others I suspect) to resorts all over Europe who will be in the same position as you & either:-
Have not realised
Are happy with sub standard meals.
Are Not Bothered
Maybe it is written in the small print or the company have made a genuine typo but I really believe this not to be the case.
Guests will not be expecting Cold Meals for evening meals on a Ski Vacation.
This will probably all add up to a considerable saving for the company.
You SHOULD complain.
Options are if the Hotel Kitchen is closed.
Provide a refund to equivalent value of a 4 course meal.
Provide a meal en-route/transfer to the resort.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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sharon1953, just said good bye to my daughter this afternoon, off on her first season with Crystal, along with many other "kids" and parents saying good bye to their loved ones - only hope she and the others do not get many more clients like you, you'll be complaining that the snow is not the right type next - in fact hope you get tons of the stuff and are really late on the transfer, maybe even a repeat of the UK snow last year that caused mayhem and you can't get to the airport 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Weathercam, LOL 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Mr Marmot, funny you mention trolls and one appears
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Weathercam,  how many more times does she have to say it????
SHE IS NOT STAYING IN A PLACE WHERE SHE WILL BE A CLIENT OF A KID FROM THE UK - SHE IS STAYING IN A 4* HOTEL. THAT IS, A HOTEL THAT DOES NOT EMPLOY KIDS FROM THE UK AND WILL HAVE LOTS OF PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES STAYING THERE. IT IS NOT A CRYSTAL CHALET OR A CHALETHOTEL.
Do people not know what it is like to stay in a hotel overseas? I find this really worrying, that people think the only way of having a holiday with Crystal is to stay in a British-staffed establishment
Phew, feel better now. And that's a really mean thing to say Weathercam  , in fact I've copied it below:
| Quote: |
| sharon1953, just said good bye to my daughter this afternoon, off on her first season with Crystal, along with many other "kids" and parents saying good bye to their loved ones - only hope she and the others do not get many more clients like you, you'll be complaining that the snow is not the right type next - in fact hope you get tons of the stuff and are really late on the transfer, maybe even a repeat of the UK snow last year that caused mayhem and you can't get to the airport |
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cathy, I do realise where she is staying etc etc, believe it or not, I did read through all four pages, she just sounds like a professional complainer.........
And I've news for you in that probably the hotel is staffed by kids, all be it local or eastern european bussed in for the season 
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Crystal Evening Menu - Cold option for late arrivals
Sour Grapes
Hard Cheese
Crackers
Bitter
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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cathy, "kid" , it's funny how the "adults" are usually the ones who behave like children.
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| Quote: |
Crystal Evening Menu - Cold option for late arrivals
Sour Grapes
Hard Cheese
Crackers
Bitter
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and not a trace of Humble Pie?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, i knew I'd forgotten one
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| red 27 wrote: |
Crystal Evening Menu - Cold option for late arrivals
Sour Grapes
Hard Cheese
Crackers
Bitter |
As an option to the bitter some nice w(h)ine would seem appropriate.
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I really don't get you lot.
She bought a product based on an advert. It may (or may not) be misleading. AFAIAC Rosemary is the only one to check whether this may be the case.
What the F has the price, or the fact that its a skiing holiday got to do with it?
Someone may be offering service they don't or can't provide. they may not. If it is the first instance, then that is neither nice nor legal. In the case of the second instance, there may be others who, like the OP misread the offer.
But the amount of jumping on the OP "oh you mustn't complain, you should be grateful for what you do get blah blah blah" is a eye-opener as to the nasty side of some on here: people I'd come to think of as reasonably balanced. Show how little you can tell from an internet forum eh?
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You know it makes sense.
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[mmm
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Wed 30-11-11 23:16; edited 2 times in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Arctic Roll, Maybe some of us have a sense of humour and don't take life ever so seriously - all part of a freeriders mentality. Are you entirely sure that you are "reasonably balanced"?.......hmmmmm
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Poster: A snowHead
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Wow. 4 pages in response to an obvious case of toys being thrown out of the pram; thank God many posters on here have highlighted the pettiness and sheer folly of raising this as such a significant problem.
In terms of cost, the difference between providing a hot or cold option meal equates to around 2 or 3 quid per head, even taking into account it's a 4 course meal . Is that really worth going to all the trouble for?
What a shame to book a holiday and concentrate on such an irrelevant part of it and get so worked up about it. I'd be more worried about the snow arriving.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Dav wrote: |
What a shame to book a holiday and concentrate on such an irrelevant part of it and get so worked up about it. I'd be more worried about the snow arriving. |
Bet she's already on top of any snow / non snow / wrong type of snow guarantee there might be
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Weathercam, sorry, if it were me, I would check the T&Cs carefully first (well done Rosemary) make my point to the TO that I expect some decent provisions on arrival (including some soup, if something hot is so important - though I don't actually see why it should be) and then wait to see what happens. If there is a cause for complaint, then I would make a complaint at the time or immediately upon my return. BUT, I really don't see why you're being so nasty - if the holiday doesn't, in any respect, meet the promises in the brochure, then a complaint is in order, it's a simple matter of contract law.
I don't think the OP has gone about this in the right way, but the patronising crap with which she's been served up in this thread is uncalled-for. If she sets a lot of store by each and every meal she's paid for, that's fine - her call. Others might be thrilled with beer and a sandwich on arrival in a 4* hotel: I wouldn't be and don't see why the OP should be.
That said, there are limits to the 'getting what you paid for' argument, which is why I found Rosemary's little dig amusing, but only in the context of her otherwise very reasonable post.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Dav wrote: |
What a shame to book a holiday and concentrate on such an irrelevant part of it and get so worked up about it. I'd be more worried about the snow arriving. |
Out of all the comments I've read in this surprisingly long thread, this is the one I agree with the most.
I've had cold platters on late arrivals before, it's never even occurred to me to check how many hot meals I was meant to be getting.
Just drink extra wine all week to compensate
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Dav wrote: |
In terms of cost, the difference between providing a hot or cold option meal equates to around 2 or 3 quid per head, even taking into account it's a 4 course meal . Is that really worth going to all the trouble for?
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Well yes it is.
Crystal & many other British based TO transport tens of 1000's of Wintersporters many of which arrive at their Hotels in the evening after the restuarant has closed.
I know this to be the case in Austria.
This will amount to some tens of 1000's of Euros in savings for the TO's at the expense of the customer expectations.
Keep this Post going please
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Hmm, I booked with Crystal to go to Soll Hogmany, same position as OP, flight means getting to resort at about 10pm. I worked out for myself before booking that this would probably mean no hot meal (all meals taken at local restaurant so who actually knows) so I was managing my expectations accordingly. Actually more worried about acquiring/taking a wee bevvy given everything will be shut when we arrive.
But, Crystal have just changed our flight so we arrive at 2pm (Shops will proibably still be shut, note to self visit duty free at Edinburgh).
I'm not sure what Crystal can do here, they don't generally contol flight times and brochure is printed in advance. They could put a late arrivals eat cold mussh/cheese whatever in the T & C then people would complain about small print.
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Seriously there's a lot of BS here.
Yes of course it's completely understandable why a four course hot meal won't be provided that late - and I wouldn't expect it to be.
Still doesn't make it ok for Crystal to advertise it/sell it/not provide it - any other industry that'd be false advertism. All it needs is one little sentence in their brochure and you wouldn't be feeling pissed at them, and they wouldn't have lost anything either.
However the difference will only be a couple of quid so not worth getting fussed over.
Cold platter is likely to be loads of awesome local cheeses meats and breads - so probably as good as/better than the hot meal anyway. Many Austrians eat cold meals most evenings, and have their big hot meal at lunch.
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Assuming the original post is correct Crystal could have put a little asterix in their brochure to say if you get flight x the meal will be ...
If I had paid for hot meals every day, I'd expect hot meals every day. My husband is less fussy than me so I asked him what he thought and he said the same, he'd be wanting his hot meal. We had the opposite experience on our summer holiday this year (not crystal). we thought we'd paid for half board and when we got to the hotel it turned out to be full board - we didn't complain about that!!
Maybe in the future it would be best to avoid booking the last flight of the day. In recent years we have always got up at crack of dawn to get to our ski holidays by mid afternoon. I think it is less stressful starting the holiday that way. Last time I arrived on the last flight for a skiing holiday (years ago with Inghams) I remember having a nice HOT meal on arrival!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
However the difference will only be a couple of quid so not worth getting fussed over.
Cold platter is likely to be loads of awesome local cheeses meats and breads - so probably as good as/better than the hot meal anyway. Many Austrians eat cold meals most evenings, and have their big hot meal at lunch. |
The financial difference is likely to be that the cold meal is more expensive than the hot. Meats and cheeses are not cheap; a piece of chicken in a sauce with some pasta is cheap.
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Gordon Bennet, go on holiday and have a good time. if you get there too late for first evening meal then have a buffet ready in your room. Jesus, get a grip.
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