a big mistake - sorry

A snowHead

I made a mistake. sorry.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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simon2791, sorry, but I felt sorry for the Chamexpress guy in the end.

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I'm hearing two blokes going round in circles with attitude. Still not clear whether a booking was made or not for the return trip. It's possible to buy a ticket ad hoc at the airport, without a booking but different arrangements apply to returns. If you were quite clear that you'd made a booking, simon2791, which they'd failed to honour, it seems to me that the conversation would have been quite different.

Did you tell them you didn't trust them before, or after, you thought you'd made a booking.

Are you complaining because your booking wasn't honoured, or because you failed to make the booking, or because they hung up on you when you said you didn't trust them?

Puzzled

Am I being obtuse?

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After all it is free

sweet video blog

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There's also something just a bit wrong with secret filming (clearly without the guy's knowledge and permission) and then publicly broadcasting it. Got a feeling it's a very illegal doing that in France - they have much tighter privacy laws.

simon2791, fail.

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I disagree with the others above. Poor service like this shouldn't be tolerated. OP, why not start a thread on the tetongravity.com forums? You'll probably have a warmer reception and a surprising number of European skiers read the site.

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Ray Zorro, punter being a dick and company being an arѕe . . . match made in heaven

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The Orville's in the microwave . . . Twisted Evil

CBA to watch from work. I trust Chamexpress were informed that they were being recorded at the start of the conversation?

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Surely anyone paying €300 for a taxi from Chamonix to Geneva is a bit of a mug? the going rate from Les Saisies, which is quite a lot further, is €220.

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pam w, he probably piѕѕed off the cab driver too Twisted Evil

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Sorry- no sympathy here. As I understand it the phone was put down on him twice by what appears to be a reasonable guy from Chamexpress and no booking was made. A quick call to the tourist office and he would have found a number of other transfer operators able to take him to the aiport and if the tourist office was shut he should have thought about his return trip a bit earlier. wink

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Is this one of those 'name and chame' exercises?

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and was the cab waiting outside during this filming?

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After watching this absurd and pointless video about hang-ups ... I had a few myself.

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Didn't I hear, "I gave you my credit card details"? Also, they told him where to wait originally and didn't pick him up? Why is this any of his fault? I would have been stroppy on the 'phone to them if I had been hanging about in the cold waiting for a transfer that didn't turn up. Wouldn't anyone Puzzled

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On YouTube simon2791 writes:

After all it is free

There's not enough evidence to determine whether or not the guy's been hard done by. But from what is there, my sympathy lies with the operator.

Hi all!

I'm afraid a rather unhinged chappy here, who will be hearing from our lawyers in the next few days (as he was warned he would be). Broken a fair few French privacy laws too, by filming without permission on private premises.

Here's a copy of the exchange of correspondence, so that you can make up your own mind! (I can't include the original letter as he sent it as a PDF) But you'll get the drift...

Dear Mr Walsh,

Further to my email acknowledgement of Tuesday 22nd January, I am now in a position to formally respond to the issues you have raised in your letter of complaint dated the 20th January 2013:

1. On the 18th January you arrived at Geneva Airport having not previously made onward transport arrangements to Chamonix. I understand, and by your own admission in your you-tube video clip,
that you went to our desk inside the Arrivals Hall and enquired if we could transport you to Chamonix. Our Airport Representative sent you to the Airport Information Desk, where you purchased a one-way
ticket to Chamonix from the Gare Routiere. The Gare Routiere automatically ask if you wish to purchase a return ticket. This option you declined. The Gare Routiere issued a ticket that you were provided with
that contained the following information: The route, The fare paid, and a booking reference. You subsequently presented this ticket for travel to our Airport Representative, and you retained the ticket stub.

2. On the morning of Saturday 19th January you telephoned our office to book a one-way journey back to Geneva Airport from Chamonix. The person who took your call commenced taking you through the telephone booking procedure. However, your mobile phone signal was poor and was breaking up. You said to the operator that you would 'go outside to try to improve the signal'. The operator asked you your travel date, and you said 'tomorrow morning'. The operator asked you how many people were travelling?, and what time your flight was? You said 'one person' and what time your flight was. The operator advised you that there was a transfer departure available at 07:30hrs. or at 06:30hrs. It was agreed that the 06:30hrs would be most suitable, and you were advised by the operator that you would need to be ready and waiting outside the Hotel Beau Soleil at 06:00 hrs. However, you then said that you were not staying in the hotel, but in the building next to it. The operator informed you that you must be ready and waiting at the hotel.

At this point your phone cut off and the call was disconnected.

You subsequently telephoned back, and spoke to the same operator again. The conversation continued:

You stated that the hotel reception would not be open at this time. You then asked the operator to hold, whilst you checked with the hotel. You subsequently stated that the hotel had now given you a key and that you would wait inside the reception. Our operator reminded you that you must be ready and waiting outside the hotel, or at the very least, with the reception door open and looking out for our minibus. The operator further informed you that in the event of overnight snow, that it may be necessary for you to start to walk down the hill, as the minibus may be unable to access the hotel if the road has not been sufficiently cleared by the snow plough.

At this point the operator had not progressed to the last two stages of the booking process. Again, your mobile phone lost signal and disconnected the call. However, you had not as yet provided the operator with either your name, your mobile phone contact number, your email address, or your credit card details to make payment, as that stage of the booking process had not been reached.

The operator waited 10 minutes for you to call again. You did not call again, either then or during the rest of the day. The operator, quite correctly, deleted the uncompleted booking and the seats were again released for sale.

3. At this stage, there was absolutely nothing to indicate to you that you had made any sort of booking with us. You had not given your name, you had not given your phone number, you had not given your email address, and you had not given your credit card details to make payment. Neither, had you received any communication from us by email or phone to confirm any booking. No ticket, No Confirmation, No Booking Reference, and No credit card receipt.

Bearing in mind, that when you purchased a ticket at the Airport on arrival you made payment, were given a ticket/receipt, and had a booking reference, it goes without saying that the absence of all of these would indicate to a reasonable person that indeed they did not have a booking.

Accordingly, I am comfortable that at no time was there any failure of the systems of SARL Chamexpress.com.

As the situation arose due to your own failure to telephone our office again and complete your reservation I do not propose to comment on any of your threats, your visit to our office, or youtube video at this time.

I trust the above information clarifies the position and explains why you did not have a reservation with us.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Martin
Gerant
SARL Chamexpress.com
498 Avenue des Alpages
Les Houches
74310
France

His reply to the above:

> Dear Andrew,
> Thank you for your prompt reply.
>
> I actually have no issue with the fact your agent made an administrative error in failing to correctly register my booking, we all make mistakes, but it is how a company responds to these errors that defines their culture and reputation. It is unfortunate that you have not comprehened the actual issue here and not taken this opportunity to diffuse the situation quickly and professionally as I had suggested. It would have been wise to have called me to discuss this rather than reiterate your managers unsympathetic attitudes.
>
> I am glad that the booking agent not only remembers me but also with such intricate detail. It would be impossible however for them to have such an accurate recollection of the 2 calls yet have forgotten the final stage of the booking. I regret to inform you that your employee has lied to you.
>
> I suggest that you take the agent aside to an area with no distractions, relay the omitted details and watch their body language closely for the obvious signs.
>
> The details omitted were:
> I was asked to provide a card number as a "deposit" and I attempted to use an american express.
> I was informed that you do not accept this card type so I offered up a visa debit from one of my business accounts, I recall the security code was XXX.
> I was not asked for any contact information however such was my anxiety about being collected that I insisted he take my mobile number.
> When I provided my number, I gave the digits 07970XXXXXX, to which your agent had the good sense to confirm that it was actually a UK number.
>
> Secondly, ask yourself if I really strike you as the kind of person to make half a booking, as your agent has described, and to have considered that sufficient to secure such an important trip. We both realise that it does not add up. At this stage I do genuinely feel concerned about the health of the culture within your company. Your manager, Darren, is unreliable and unprofessional and your booking agent's conduct is unethical.
>
> Despite the limitation in your staff's good character however, I am willing to offer you personally the benefit of the doubt and will provide you with an additional 24 hours to diffuse this situation before it spirals out of your control. I am seeking closure on this issue, either through an agreed resolution with your company or though the cathartic benefits of the type of campaigns I mentioned in my previous letter, despite the expense.
>
> I am sure you realise things would be far better Andrew if you would just clear up the mess left behind by your team. I look forward to your offer of resolution by COB tomorrow, the 23rd January.
>
> Regards,
>
> Simon Walsh
>
>

and the final reveal:

Dear Mr Walsh,

Thank you for your email.

Firstly, I can assure you that the booking agent concerned made no administrative error what-so-ever in the processing of your uncompleted booking. As I detailed in my previous email, it was the fact that, due to your poor telephone signal and that you failed to call back to complete the booking and payment process, that you never had a reservation with us.

I am pleased to note that you agree that, by your own admission, the booking agent remembers you with such intricate detail. Indeed he does. He also remembers very clearly the facts of the matter. To the point that, in accordance with company procedure, he logged the conversation thus far, together with the uncompleted booking in case you called back later in the day or evening.

I'm afraid the fact is that you were never asked to provide a card number as a 'deposit'. We do not, and our reservation system does not allow us to, take 'deposits'. The booking agent said to you earlier in the booking process that you would 'need to have a Visa or Mastercard handy'. There was no mention by either party of American Express. As I mentioned in my previous email, you never provided the card payment details, neither did you provide your name or mobile telephone number, because that part of the booking process had not been reached before your mobile phone lost signal and disconnected the call, and you never called the office back.

You say that I need to ask myself if you 'strike me as the kind of person to make half a booking'. It is not for me to speculate on what sort of person you are, though I have a pretty good idea.

So, I will do as you suggest, and take the booking agent to one side, to an area with no distractions and take a very long look in the mirror. Because, the reason the booking agent recalls the details very precisely, and adhered 100% to the booking procedure, and diligently logged the conversation, together with the uncompleted booking, was because on that morning when you telephoned our office to make a reservation, I had sent some of our offfice staff to Geneva Airport to provide additional staffing support due to the delayed and cancelled flights. Therefore, the booking agent that took your call that morning, on the two occasions that you did call, was myself. I spoke to you, I took the booking details thus far, and I logged the call and uncompletely booking. Therefore, I know exactly the details of the conversation that took place and I can assure you my good character is of good standing.

Therefore, given the above revelation to you, it will come as no surprise that I informed Mr Clarke that at some point he is likely to receive communication from you, which given the background, is why you were given short shrift.

I am afraid the 'non-booking' is no-ones fault but your own, and it is both dishonest, unfair, and unjust to try and project that on to someone that could have easily been a member of my staff. The result of which could have resulted in disciplinary action taken against them were you to be believed.

Given the above, I would strongly suggest to you that you withdraw ( in writing) your threats contained in your email, and delete your you-tube recording. You have already committed a number of both criminal and civil offences both in France and the UK which could result in a significant financial penalty for you, and even imprisonment.

I will reserve judgement on how I proceed from here, but suffice to say that our London retained Lawyers have already been briefed and supplied with copies of both your correspondence and your you-tube clip. They currently await my further instruction.

I trust the above information clarifies my position on this matter, and this draws to an end the correspondence on my part.

Yours sincerely

Andrew Martin
Gerant
SARL Chamexpress.com
498 Avenue des Alpages
Les Houches
74310

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Can a mod blank out the security code from the guy's card please?

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laundryman, I guess a mod will blank out the whole thread any minute now!

maybe his phone number.

You know it makes sense.

yeah the irony of breaking a privacy law in a post mentioning breaking privacy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

How many maths tutors does it take to change the square root of a lightbulb?

A snowHead

If only the documentary film crew had been in our office this weekend Very Happy

Apologies for the phone number not being blanked out. Too late to edit it.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Chamexpress, click the scissors by the post on the right - it can be edited.

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awesome thread

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Done.. thanks Andy Very Happy

After all it is free

Stick some of the text from the OP in to google later, and it'll probably show all the other forums he registered on specifically to make this "complaint".

Must say we used Chamexpress for a private transfer last weekend and it was perfect - low cost (specially as we bought our passes from them), safe and punctual.

I'd use 'em again.

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Help!!

a big mistake - sorry

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