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Trains and planes and *headdesk*
Aug. 20th, 2015 12:03 amHad an interesting time booking my ticket to Heathrow for Friday at Chatham station earlier. The clerk couldn't get his head around my wanting to book a wheelchair seat, but not actually being in a wheelchair at the time (I only live 5 minutes away, but the slope between my house and the station is steep enough in places you accelerate in the chair even with both palms hard against the pushrims and a foot on the ground!). He actually said he couldn't sell me a discounted fare if I wasn't in the chair, which is plain wrong. I can't get the discounted fare anyway, but it has nothing to do with whether I'm using a chair when I buy it. As I pointed out to him, no one checks what I'm sitting in if I book online.
He also managed to ask if I had any proof I was disabled - held up both arms, looked meaningfully at left crutch, looked meaningfully at right crutch....
He was genuinely trying to help, he just wasn't very good at it!
Tweeted about it when I got home, and Southeastern will be hearing about it from both a twitter friend who advises them on access, and is Chatham based, and by the access charity Transport For All. Made it clear it was a training matter, not an individual problem.
And I've just had an email from Aegean Air, who I'm flying with on Friday, announcing that e-check in is now open - which is fine apart from the fact I've already been told I can't use e-check in because I've booked assistance. I think they're trolling me....
On the worked as it was meant to side, picked up my Euros earlier - but was so thrown by the station thing I didn't just forget to lock the car in the car park, I left the windows wide open! Also got caught up on things like printing out directions, bookings etc on the new printer.
He also managed to ask if I had any proof I was disabled - held up both arms, looked meaningfully at left crutch, looked meaningfully at right crutch....
He was genuinely trying to help, he just wasn't very good at it!
Tweeted about it when I got home, and Southeastern will be hearing about it from both a twitter friend who advises them on access, and is Chatham based, and by the access charity Transport For All. Made it clear it was a training matter, not an individual problem.
And I've just had an email from Aegean Air, who I'm flying with on Friday, announcing that e-check in is now open - which is fine apart from the fact I've already been told I can't use e-check in because I've booked assistance. I think they're trolling me....
On the worked as it was meant to side, picked up my Euros earlier - but was so thrown by the station thing I didn't just forget to lock the car in the car park, I left the windows wide open! Also got caught up on things like printing out directions, bookings etc on the new printer.
