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Detailed travelogue on Australia and New Zealand

Detailed Travelogue on Australia and New Zealand

Larry
2006-05-27 03:23:16

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I knew this wasn't true, because, while in
Australia, I had called Ansett late one evening and asked what their hours
were. They were open 24hrs a day, 365 days a year. Of COURSE the thousands
of hourly calls from all over Australia to Ansett Australia don't get
transferred to the tiny "Australia Desk at Ansett New Zealand, where they
close at 5:00pm" as the lady claimed. But what could I do? So I decided to
say "do you mean to tell me that if I were in Sydney right now -- not here
in New Zealand, but Sydney -- and I needed to make a reservation, I
couldn't, because it would transfer to New Zealand here, and that desk is
closed?" "That's right, sir." "Well, what if it was an emergency? What if
I needed a flight tonight?" "Well, you'd have to wait for tomorrow, sir."
At this point, I thanked the lady and hung up. I knew she was speaking
total nonsense, and had it confirmed yet again a few days later upon
returning back to Australia, when I was told once more that they were indeed
open 24hrs a day, 365 days a year.
After speaking with this lady, I felt like I was back in New York, trying
to talk with a NYNEX operator or a ConEd representative -- all the while,
the owner of the lodge is standing beside me, lauging, as I repeat
everything she says to me. Sigh. But it didn't end there. After this
little telephone game, I was more determined than ever to speak to someone
at Ansett. I called the local operator and asked for overseas information
to get the number myself. I listened in while the NZ operator asked the
Australian operator for the number. The problem was, the only number listed
for reservations in Sydney was a "13" number -- a special number that can be
dialed anywhere within Australia for the price of a local call, but a number
that can ONLY be dialed from within Australia -- not from overseas. ...

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