*eek*

I could not help noticing the stricking resemblance - which is why I had to take a picture of this while I was in Cuba.

After looking at the evidence - I can only conclude - that Roly Poly has drifted through the ages - only to land in my Significant Others house as his beloved childhood toy.

:S

Viva Cuba!

So - as you all may know, I took a trip to Cuba with my Significant Other exactly this time last year - and made the mistake of booking through Air Canada Vacations (update to that saga later). What you may NOT know, is that we decided to do it again this year.

This time we commuted to Ottawa to spend time with friends and family, and started our week of relaxation and romance with Sunwing Vacations our of Ottawa.

It. Was. Great!

The flight started with swing music and champagne. Followed by a movie, small wrapped hot towels, great food and drinks all included in the flight.

We flew into Cuba without incident, smooth landing, nice airport, and a bus awaited us, expecting our arrival (key difference from our last landing).

We started a beautiful ride from Varadero to Jibacoa on a comfortable bus.

Crossing bridges, driving by couples holding hands, filled busstops, goats, chickens, bulls, horses, gorgeous flowers, palm trees, people selling thier wares to passing vehicles, eagles, turkey vultures, cows, billboards yelling about revolution, street signs, sculptures, and a breathtaking landscape. Bliss.

We drove to the base of a mountain and turned into what was to be our home for the next 7 days. Breezes Jibocoa. A pastel oasis. With its own mountain, coral reef, little villas, huge swimming pool, white sand beach, 4 restaurants, and a chalet that would put a ski resort to shame. It was stunning.

The view from the mountain lookout.

The chalet from the Piano Bar Level.

Our room was in a little villa right next to the beautiful pool. It had a giant king size bed with lots of pillows, satellite t.v., complimentary cigars and chocolate, and huge double glass doors making you feel like one with the beautiful scenery outdoors even when you were inside.

We had great neighbours who we shared good stories, tasty drinks, smokey cigars and a few meals with. They were from BC and a refreshing change from the "Lost in Translation" experience we had last year at our resort.

There were lots of great places to eat; a cuban restaurant, and italian restaurant that you needed to make reservations for and last (but not least) a buffett restaurant with ever changing themes from cuban, to mexican, to seafood night, and french - it was consistantly delicious and the waitstaff were always on the ball with fresh squeezed orange juice in the moring and delectable red and white wine in the evening. There was a beach restaurant as well that had the best fresh cut french fried we had ever tasted. Yum.

There were random creatures hanging around the resort adding to its charm and beauty.

The foliage was colorful and stunning.

And awe inspiring sunsets.

Even though it was unnessary in every way, shape, and form - we left the resort to go on a dat trip to Havana. It was interesting, informational, and fun. It put everything into perspective as to why the people of Cuba live the way they do and are perfectly happy doing so.

Here are some of the shots from the Colonial Tour we took:

The drinks were always great, the people were always friendly, and we would love to go back there again as soon as possible.

We finished off our last day there with an Irish Specialty Coffee and an unexpected visitor.

Geek is the New Chic.

Lately I have been obessed with the site http://www.thinkgeek.com/. I love it. It brings out the inner nerd in all of us, even if we are not willing to admit it.

It has interesting things such as, astronaut ice cream,

The Rock, Paper, Sissors, Lizard, Spock T-Shirt,

and even a Space Invaders cutting board. check it all out.

A Halloween Success!

We have all been there – racking our brains thinking of the perfect costume – then running around trying to get the parts and elements to make it just right. The makeup, the hair, the wardrobe, the mannerisms – all of it to make a perfect replication of the person (or thing) you aspire to be on All Hallows Eve.

If you were a true perfectionist this could get costly. Going out and hiring a professional to man the sewing machine is the most pricey – down to those generic, 3 piece costumes you can buy just about anywhere that you know every other person bought at the last minute so they would not feel stupid about going to a costume party in t-shirt and jeans.

Thrift stores are to the rescue for the costumer that wishes to be original and accurate in their persona of choice. Another person’s junk is the ultimate costume treasure. Hats, scarves, ties, shoes, pants, shirts, underpants, suspenders, belts, coats, furs, monocles, glasses – all that look as though there is no way on God’s green earth that they were ever a day to day part of someone’s wardrobe. But they are perfect for you.

My costume of choice this year was for my guy. He aspired to be the ever horrendous new rendition of the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger this year in The Dark Knight. Checklist goes as follows; a green patterned dress shirt, a green tie, a green suit vest, a purple suit jacket with red lining, a purple pair of pants, a purple trench coat with a red lining, a pair of plain black dress shoes, and a pair of patterned socks.

To my delight, all regular clothing items. So off searching I went to our local thrift stores. First was the tie $1.99, next was the vest $2.99, then the perfect purple trench coat at $6.50. Off to the next thrift hunting ground. The shirt showed itself for an even $2.00, and then as if it was just waiting for me a purple pants suit – both pieces $8.00. The whole ensemble cost less than 20 bucks.

Being crafty – I went and bought a couple of meters of red fabric from the bargain section of a fabric store and glued it to the insides of both of the coats, dug out a pair of socks that I owned and a pair of his oldest dress shoes. For the face, black eyeliner, red lipstick, and cold cream. For the hair I took green food coloring and mixed it with water and sprayed it in his gelled back hair. He was the movie picture of perfection, and all for under 25 dollars.

Standing there, shoulders hunched, licking his lips, asking me “Why so serious?”, I couldn’t help but smile my own twisted smile at the perfectly gruesome creation that cost almost nothing and gave me a great deal of joy making.

Update to Air Canada Fiasco

So - After sending the letter carefully written with Terms and Conditions quotes and all in the body on September 17th, 2009 outlined in the original post Air Canada Vacations Fiasco- I recieved this reply in return from Air Canada Vacations on the same day from Vivianne Angers:

Ms. ******,
You have reached Air Canada Vacations. This confirms that we have received your correspondence.

Air Canada Vacations’ commitment is to respond to all customers’ concerns within a timely manner following receipt of a letter. Your file will be assigned to a designated representative at Customer Relations. Our current processing time may take up to 8 weeks. You will receive a written response once their investigation is completed. It is not necessary to contact us again. We will do our utmost to respond at the earliest.

We thank you for your understanding while waiting for a subsequent response.

We thought - ok - they are going to look into it....lets be patient and wait and see what is done in response to our concerns.

The NEXT day (September 18th) we get a letter back from Vivianne saying the following:

Mrs. ******,
We have reviewed your correspondence. We can certainly appreciate the inconveniences you may have experienced with respect to the overbooking of flight AC1820 leaving Montreal en route to Varadero on November 22nd, 2008. Allow us to explain that as a tour operator, flight operations (delays, cancellations, rerouting, overbookings, etc.) remain beyond Air Canada Vacations’ jurisdiction. We are unable to provide you with any explanation and/or information regarding that situation as we do not have access to Air Canada’s records. We have therefore forwarded your letter to Air Canada’s Customer Relations for their response. A representative from their service will respond to you directly.

Should you wish to contact Air Canada directly, their email address is: www.aircanada.com/customerrelations.

Thank you, Mrs. ******, for taking the time to write. We hope that your next travel experience will be pleasant and carefree.

Relations Clients - Customer Relations

They obviously didn't even take the time to read the whole letter which went on to explain that our problem was not with service interruption of flights....but all of the problems that we had afterwards! We even quoted their terms and conditions line where they say they will do whatever they can to make a situation right even if it is not their fault.....and that they are responsible for transportation directly to the resort!!!

So I wrote back that same day:

Mrs. Angers,



Overbookings may very well be beyond your control as a tour operator; however, our problem lies in the blatant, continued disregard for the level of service required thereafter and our over all well being.

I quoted several of Air Canada Vacations terms and conditions stating Air Canada Vacations will take measures to correct the issue even if it in their error, and in your response you are saying the exact opposite.

I hope to hear back from you soon with a response that is relevant to the several complaints and concerns that I had NOT with Air Canada flights – but with Air Canada Vacations and its customer service, or lack thereof.

Only to get back SEVERAL days later (September 24th) a carbon copy reply of the first response:

Madam,
We regret to read that our response was unsatisfactory. As per the procedures, we have reopened your clients' file for further review.
Your file will be assigned to a designated representative at Customer Relations. Our current processing time may take up to 8 weeks. You will receive a written response once their investigation is completed. It is not necessary to contact us again. We will do our utmost to respond at the earliest.

We thank you for your understanding while waiting for a subsequent response.

What is going on over there!!!!! First they say they are going to investigate, then they pass blame, then they reply back with the same response that they are going to investigate...again!

Maybe I am being harsh, but I sincerely feel as though this is simply not good enough for a national travel agency and I feel as though I am going to take it a step further.

Wish me luck - comments and story sharing are welcome - my goal is to prevent more people from having to pay good money to be neglected and treated like garbage.

A rekindling of faith in good customer service!

So - I feel like a switch from the Air Canada story - and I wanted to write about the great service that our group got today at Jungle Jims on Topsail Road.

I have been finding lately that good customer service is EXCEPTIONALLY hard to come by these days - as most people will find from following the Blog ishopandtell or tweeting on ShopandTellNL..

So you can imagine my stress with the anticipation of similar events happening to our carefully planned going away lunch for a long employed co-worker.

Due to an extra heavy workload - we had to be sure that we could get out to celebrate during the scheduled lunch hour and we have 11 people going with 10 different orders and alterations to order.

Firstly, we faxed off the menu before hand after looking at their online menu options. Secondly, we made them aware that we were showing up at noon and needed for our food to be ready when we got there. Lastly, we are all paying separately so the bills needed to be kept track of.

There was lots of potential to go wrong. I cannot remember the last time I faxed a menu and got my order back correct. The timing on their part had to be spot on to assure that all of our meals, of different mediums and sizes, were ready at noon and none of them cold. Lastly, to keep all of our orders straight as we adjusted them with drinks, coffees, refills, desserts, sides, etc.

Not A Problem.

Upon receiving the fax I barely had time to get back to my desk from the fax machine when my cell was ringing from Shawn - and his only questions were ones of detail that were my own mistake for leaving out of the order information. His phone manner was very pleasant, upbeat, cheerful and quirky and it made me feel less stressed about the whole thing and I started to consider this may be a good choice.

Not only were all of our orders correct with changes - but Shawn (Sean, Shaun) somehow figured out who had ordered what by the process of elimination and our food was out in front of us in no time flat without incident. Not to mention that as each member of our party showed up they were met with their drink order....also correct.

His demeanor was cool and collected (which surprised me since I made a point of saying how time sensitive and important the lunch was)he was the same cheerful, humorous, complimentary self that I had heard on the phone and this attitude kept up the entire meal and throughout billing.

Our drinks were always refilled, our table promptly cleaned, and we were checked upon just the right amount of time. Everyone was having fun and continuously commenting on how professional and efficient our server was.

Time for the dessert orders. There were split orders, split plates, side plates, extra whip cream, no whip cream....the list goes on. And again - everything provided at the right temperature, the right speed, the same smile and the great service.

All of our tabs were kept straight. He remembered the names of the Credit Card payers and thanked them each by name. He was funny about Interact and tactful about cash.

Above and Beyond is how I would describe it.

All 11 people left full, cheerful, and completely appreciative of the great experience we had.

And to top it all off......HE called ME on my work line to thank me for making his day with the positivity and comments that he received from all of us and to welcome us back again.


So - I guess the moral of the story is that a little bit of professionalism, good service and positivity can go a long long long way in the service industry. In the end it brightened 12 peoples day and we will be saying nice things for weeks to come. It is a lesson to be learned for all businesses. Especially those that allow for low standards of service.

Word of mouth is a powerful thing.

Good or Bad.

Air Canada Vacations Fiasco

Hello Ladies and Gents,

After trying relentless to get some satisfaction from Air Canada Vacations for their behavior - I wrote a "One-Last-Attempt" formal letter and sent it to all relevant parties.

Because I am still getting no reponse or claim of responsibility I have decided to share my experience with the Web World so as to, in some small way, prevent this from happening again.

It goes as follows:

As I begin planning another trip to Cuba for my boyfriend and I, going out of my way to ensure none of our travel plans this time involve Air Canada, I figured now was as good a time as any to inform you of how detrimental our last Air Canada customer service experience was. Please note that the following story is my own. The italicized portion of the following is copied directly from the terms and conditions stated on the Air Canada Vacations Web site (http://www.aircanadavacations.com/en/contact_us/terms_and_conditions).

This time last year, I booked an all-inclusive Air Canada Vacation to Breezes Bella Costa in Varadero, Cuba through Sell Off Vacations. It was a gift for my boyfriend and our first time making such a trip. Instead of being able to relax and enjoy it, it quickly turned into a nightmare.

We had a connecting flight in Montreal, and upon arriving (on time) to the Montreal airport, we immediately realized that the one and only flight going to Varadero had taken off early, leaving without us. We later found out from an Air Canada Vacations representative in Toronto that this was due to the flight having been overbooked. Upon finding out that the flight had taken off without us, we found our way to the Air Canada Vacations representative in the Montreal airport to find a solution. We were bluntly told that there was nothing they could do for us. Not getting any satisfaction there, we next went to the ticket counter to try to correct the problem and save our vacation. First, we were told that the flight could not be rebooked for another full week. Then, thankfully, we ran into a travel agent (who was also left behind by the same flight) who informed us that we could fly into Cuba that weekend, but only if we flew into Havana and not Varadero. The Air Canada ticket agent said that could be arranged, and that it would be a next day flight. We immediately informed the aforementioned Air Canada Vacations representative of our new plans to successfully fly to Cuba the next day and were unbelievably met with the same, unhelpful, and quite frankly rude reception we had received mere minutes earlier. The unbelievable part had to have been the fact that after we had finally found our own way from a city we had never before been in to a country we had never before been in, we were basically told “that’s great, good luck when you get there.”

Reporting of Incidents
Regardless of Air Canada Vacations liability, any incidents including injuries, service cancellation or problem, or dissatisfaction must be reported to an Air Canada Vacations’ destination representative or Customer Care during the event to allow Air Canada Vacations an opportunity to provide assistance in rectifying the situation.

Since Air Canada Vacations offered us no place to stay besides the Montreal airport (an actual suggestion), we cabbed (costing us $44.00), bussed (another $88.74), and then stood in the freezing cold to stay at a relative’s house in Ottawa. We had earlier arranged to get our connecting flight to Toronto from Ottawa.
In all three airports, I went to the Air Canada Vacations service desks and asked for help in figuring out how we were going to get from Havana to Varadero. One representative told me that it was only 15 minutes away and we could get a bus. Another said that there would be an Air Canada representative waiting for us in Havana, but didn’t know the number to call to let them know that we were coming. Yet another said that it was so close we could walk and then when I asked them to call to let them know that we were arriving a day late, she gave ME the number to Cuba to call on my cell phone. To top it all off, the number turned out to be incorrect!

The travel agent who was stuck in the same situation as us informed us that we needed to talk to someone about our late arrival, in case the hotel gave our room away. We spoke to Air Canada representatives in person and on the phone (hours on the phone) over the course of two days. Yet, when we finally arrived in Havana, Cuba, the travel representative for Air Canada had no idea we were coming, had made no travel arrangements for us to get to our hotel, and in the end just flagged us an unmarked van which he claimed to be a cab and sent us on our way. At a cost of 120 Convertible Pesos (approximately $210 Canadian!), and several hours later, we arrived by “cab” at our hotel only to find out that no one had called to let them know we had been delayed and they charged us for the previous night anyway. After all that had happened, we were at least lucky to still have a room waiting for us.

Prices DO Include
Selected combination of flights, accommodation, airport-hotel transfers at destination and/or car rental, and any other inclusions as specified for product selected as confirmed at time of booking.

So, without any reimbursement, we lost a full day and night in Cuba (including orientation). We had to find our own transportation to our resort, which was also supposed to be included in the vacation package. We had to find our own accommodations in Montreal / Ottawa due to the plane taking off early without us. Our safety was in jeopardy because Air Canada Vacations, after having flown us into Havana and not our original destination of Varadero, left us to our own devices to get to where we needed to go without us knowing a word of Spanish.

It is simply not acceptable.

And now, trying to plan another getaway has the added stress of our last experience and of the complete disregard shown by Air Canada Vacations for its customers and its customers’ safety. I feel as though this mistake is very serious and I would like to think it can somehow be corrected. It should also never happen to anyone else ever again. For more information, I can be reached by phone at *** *** **** or by email at *********@hotmail.com. I do hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Mental Apple

Please consider this circumstance while booking with Air Canada Vacations as they are adamant that none of what happened had anything to do with them and are sticking by the fact that their service was of exceptional value!

Thanks for reading.