 Poster: A snowHead
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Ain’t cha just glad you’re not a TO. Oh hang on I am.
Having read a few of the Pandoras already being thrown around; even before the season has kicked off, eg. I want compensation as I will be having a cold platter when I arrive (after the kitchen is closed for the night) instead of a four course meal – whatever next.
Just reading through our rep’s reports for last year and  :
Mother of two kids wanted a refund has the ski school had failed to teach her kids correctly. The reason - the year before they had received a Silver Two Star award and they had received the same award again this year.
One guy wanted compensation and a refund of the cost of half a day’s holiday and free ski hire as, on our British Airways flight, someone at the airport must have adjusted his bindings and he hadn’t realised this for the 1st 2 hours on his first day, so he had to walk back to the lift. Someone in his group later told us that the guy had in fact moved his binding himself (not sure why) and then couldn’t get them back to where they were in the first place.
The best I personally had last year.
Lady wanted to upgrade from a family room into a single room and she was being kept awake by loud snoring. Explained that it was Half Term and all our 6 hotels were full, so, after she had googled around , she asks to be moved to Maddona di Campiglio as she has found a hotel with 2 rooms free (we have to pay of course).
Oh the loud snoring was coming from her 12 year old daughter.
Other TO’s, chalet owners, resort staff, transfer drivers, etc, any comments
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Its very rare I complain whilst on skiing holiday, it would take something really major for that. Possibly its because my own job requires me to be face to face with customers,
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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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on our last trip our rep was most concerned all week as he could never catch us in our apt
we listened to him on the coach from airport, went to his welcome meeting, and after that all we needed was out pick up time on the Sunday morning for return journey
but god love him, every evening after our apres ski drink in the village there was a note under the door "missed you again"
shame it was just me and daughter as he ran a cracking trip to Milan to see a champions league quarter final game, and there was no way of convincing her to go on that!!!!!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We had some guests comment to our manager that Chalet Frisco must be haunted. She told them that is was record setting winds that caused a few creeks at our sturdily 2008 built place which was significant enough to blow over a very large tree across the street and damage that had the insurance companies scrambling http://summitcountyvoice.com/tag/record-colorado-wind-speeds/ They still insisted it was haunted.
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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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I gave up reading that thread Waynos was refering to. Lifes too short to complain about one meal. Surely you're their to Ski...enjoy and don't let a bit of grub spoil the good times.
Tbh...If that's all they have to complain about going with Crystal, then they've done well. No offence to Crystal, but i've worked for them and holiday'd with them, so seen both sides.
Lets be honest... If you are going on holiday with any tour op, using a package deal, and it's being run by people just out of school, with no interest but having fun for themselves...do you actually expect much?
Just my opinion...many will disagree.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There are for sure genuine complaints, however the number of people who drip like septic c**ks about nothing is beyond me.
My favourite was the married couple on a hundered and nothing quid easyjet flight to Geneva banging on about how outrageous it was that the flight did not come with a meal, and that the cost of a sandwich was daylight robbery. After 15 minutes of this one of the boys on our trip leant over and asked them to shut the f*** up as his ears where starting to bleed, this was greated by a round of applause by everyone within ear shot.
What was even funnier is that I overhead them in the passport queue telling someone they where going to Courchevel 1850......go figure
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I was on an Easyjet flight into Geneva when one of the fellows in the seats just in front of me started to get somewhat obstreperous I suggested to his friends that maybe they should calm him down or they could have problems when we landed but was told in no uncertain terms to MYOB, so I did, to no ones surprise the Swiss Police were waiting for him and his friends as they got off the plane, some people just can't be told or won't listen 
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Last year I had a group of "lads" stay at one of the chalets I was repping. They were all fine, good fun. One morning the chalet staff suffered a bit, bless em, and only got breakfast out 30 minutes afterwards... Some of the lads came down five minutes after the staff had done their job.
They complained that they had been sat there by 8am waiting, despite bread and other cold food being out and none of the other chalet seeing this, and that the delay had severely caused undue stress and delay on their days skiing and demanded a free half day ski pass for the group of 12 on the last day. I told them that I don't think thats going to happen but asked my manager anyway.. nope.. Demanded to see the manager, no problems..
By the time the manager came round I think the guy had given up..
Also had people complain about everything.. Food was poor, no cake (they come back at 8pm halfway through dinner), that the snow was poor, that staff were singling them out and being mean.. We also had groups of people fight each other within the chalets!
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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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Years go I managed a Hotel at Heathrow Airport, on more than one occasion we had flight deck crew complain that they could hear aircraft at 6pm. Yes that'll be Concorde taking off Sir!
(For our younger snowHeads. Concorde was a beautiful unique aircraft BUT very noisy!)
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Sitting on a transfer coach and one of the group of men across from me accidentally drops a packet of crisps all over the coach aisle. Whereupon, instead of cleaning it up, he snaps his fingers impatiently at the rep who is several rows behind, says nothing and points at the mess as though to say, "well, go on, deal with it".
Happily, she left him in no doubt as to what he could do with his crisp mess.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Heard a guest shouting at one of our reps because the snow wasn't very good in January which was pretty funny, given that it was totally out of her control.
And a woman who got me to dig out every different spare pillow we had at 3am then proceeded to complain about them all.
And a flight that was delayed and they made us stay in the kitchen until 1.30am after they arrived, only to find that they were tired and didn't want hot food anyway  . We still had to be back in at 7.30.
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Last christmas day our chalet staff slept in after a mega night out on christmas eve. They even took my 16 yr old son out for a "quiet drink" and he eneded up totally shitfaced with me spending the early hours sat over him in a bathroom.
They had arranged a mega fry up for christmas morning so we just got on and cooked it ourselves (18 of us). They were mortified when they realised their alarm had failed but it all added to the fun of the holiday. The only time we complained was on a sole use chalet trip to Curchevel 1650 when a chalet boy from the next door chalet (same company) got disorientated and climbed into bed naked with one of our 18 yr old girls. Tis girl was absolutley terrified and it ruined her holiday. I had to fight hard to get her a half refund on her holiday. 2 yrs later she did a season for the same company (ski Olympic).
We have had some mega fun on our big ski trips and I put a lot of that fun down to a positive mental attitude from us and our friends. I really can't stand tossers as described above. A great way to combat them is to pick them up on their lack of simple please and thank you's, bizzare but effective.
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You know it makes sense.
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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's hard to tell it from the other side without coming across as a whinger and to be honest if you get staff who are a bit crap you just avoid them or tolerate them for the purposes of having a good holiday. I once was bored waiting for a return flight due to transfer rep's insistence we set off pre dawn so I crafted an all encompassing deconstruction of the failures in service in a particular week but never had the heart to send it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| spud wrote: |
| I gave up reading that thread Waynos was refering to. Lifes too short to complain about one meal. Surely you're their to Ski... |
she doesn't even ski! (or board).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| D G Orf wrote: |
| obstreperous |
word of the day!
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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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Frosty the Snowman, are you sure he was disoriented?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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| shoogly wrote: |
| D G Orf wrote: |
| obstreperous |
word of the day! |
Brilliant word. I shall find a way to write it into the report I am (supposed to be) drafting right now.
An obstreperous sales target? Obstreperous forecast? Yours obstreperously?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I saw "soporific" in an u16 rugby match report recently
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^ Have you ever been visited by the spelling police? (whose) 
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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 have complained on only one occasion, ever.
We were asked for feedback at the end of our trip. The chalet staff had been excellent in every way, apart from some very erratic (actually outright dangerous) driving during our initial airport transfer.
Having spent part of the week in the young lad's company I was content that it wasn't due to his having been out getting smashed the night before, so spoke with him about it. He confessed that he had been absolutely knackered due to near constant turnaround of transfers and other duties within that twenty-four hour period. This had led to him basically almost sleeping at the wheel several times!
So I spoke with the chalet manager and complained about the fact that their poor management of staff had endangered myself, my partner and their own members of staff.
I didn't feel that this was a complaint against the chalet staff and I still feel that it was wholly justified. I've never been keen on starting a ski holiday with a visit to the hospital for an RTA.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I thought I was a tough customer. Christ, I need to up my game significantly this season. This really has demonstrated that the dials really do go to 11.
I think I'll start by complaining on the bus, before we've even got to the resort, that there is no snow. Even if there is. And that I've not had champagne served in a glass, despite not having paid for it, within the first 10 minutes of sitting down on the bus.
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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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Ahhh... this thread does bring back some happy memories. And some awful ones.
Whilst repping in St Anton back when the Snow Train used to go there there was one guest who seemed to have fallen out with the rest of his group during the holiday. On the last day one of the group asked if I could make sure the annoying one was put in a different compartment to the rest of them on the Snow Train home (I think each compartment was for 6, and this group was 7 so that was fine with us). I passed on the message to the guy in charge of the Snow Train seating and this was duly processed. However, the guy found out before he got on the train and then found me on the platform and threatened to punch my lights out. He was pretty drunk and was just about to make good on his threat when another rep arrived and managed to calm him down a bit. Of course the imminent departure of the train meant the argument (with me at least) was short lived.
Another time in Val d'Isere when I was a humble pot washer a bunch of tw*ts had been a nuisance all week. They were staying in a chalet hotel which had a combination lock on the door used at night, and all guests were given the combination to allow them to get in when the main door was locked. One of the annoying group worked out how to change the combination, so one night some of the staff who were out late found themselves locked out. For some reason (details escape me after 20 years) they had no way of waking any of the other staff and so had to break a window to get in. The rep duly presented the idiots with the bill for a new window the next day, but they declined to pay up. They still hadn't paid up by the time they got to the airport on the way home, so the rep chatted up a couple of Swiss policemen with machine guns and told them of her dilemma. Sadly they couldn't intervene as such, but agreed to look mean and take a detailed interest in their passports while she demanded the money... that did the trick and they trotted of to the cash point at the double.
It's not all bad though. I accidentally left a group of guests behind in Lech once, on an outing from St Anton. Actually it wasn't so much an accident, it was more a case of the coach driver being an utter b@stard and refusing to wait while I tried to find them. Later that night I went round to their chalet to check that they got home and to sheepishly apologise. They were not in the least bit bothered, they had just clubbed together and got a taxi back and thought noting of it. I'm pretty sure I must have refunded their tickets for the coach, so I lost out on beer money that week, but I was pretty relieved and happy to leave it at that. Next day I got a call from one of them - I feared some sort of complaint - but no, he was just phoning to say they had booked a guide for the day and had a spare place in their group so would I like to join them. Sadly I had to work as it was the day before transfer day when I had to spend all my day driving chalet girls too and from the supermarket in a sh*tty little van, so I missed out on that.
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FAQ
-with-your-chalet-bitchs.html
Or vent it online! Or is writing a cathartic tell-all blog banned in TO contracts now?
