Friday 5 December 2014

Just a little frustrating stuff!

This must be our week for Internet stuff to go a little awry. We wanted to book tickets for our bus travel to Oporto airport ready for Monday morning, when we travel back to the UK. If you have your tickets in advance you can just go to the front of the queue when the bus arrives instead of waiting while other people buy their tickets. It also gives you peace of mind knowing that you have your tickets already. Then there is less chance of a random group of schoolchildren or pilgrims being ahead of you in the queue and taking all the seats before your turn comes along. And yes, I have seen groups of 15 pilgrims all travelling together and buying their tickets one by one, holding up the rest of the queue! 

So yesterday we tried to book them online, as we have done several times before. All went well until we got to the paying stage. When we clicked on "pay" nothing happened. Zilch, zero, nothing at all. Not quite a frozen page, as you could go back. It just wouldn't go forwards. We even cancelled it all and tried again. Twice. Same result each time. This morning, therefore, I got up bright and early and went along to the bus station, hoping to be able to buy our tickets directly over the counter. 

Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, the bus company we wanted to travel with is the one that doesn't have a ticket office at Vigo bus station. The other company, which does have a ticket office, has no bus until 1.30 on Monday: too late for us. I asked at the information office; they said you have to buy them as you get on the bus. There was still time for me to pop downstairs and ask the driver of today's early bus if he could sell me a ticket. No good! He can only sell for today's bus! What a palaver! 

On my way back I saw a travel agency that was about to open. I waited around and went in and asked if they could sell me tickets. A very polite young lady explained to me that you have to go on line and buy them from the bus company's website. I was beginning to feel as though I was going round in circles. Just a little frustrating! 

What kind of company doesn't have a ticket office? Or make it possible for travel agents to sell their tickets? Or have a fully operational website? The one that we want to use, obviously. And this in a country where there isn't necessarily a computer in every household. Or if they have a computer they may not have Internet. That is why so many cafes have wifi available for their customers. 

Still, I got a walk and saw the sun come up - well, not quite, but I did see the sky changing colour from pinky-white to blue. And the sun shone all day, which is always a bonus.

1 comment:

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