Even 40+ year olds can be extremely stupid

I went to The Goat in Ponders End tonight to say goodbye to two very good friends. Firstly, my friend Jude Cringle is giving up her full time job at Middlesex University to go to Australia for a year. Secondly, my good friend Michelle Copp is also giving up her full time job at Middlesex to do a study placement in California for a year. They are both fabulous friends and I'll miss them both very much. Lots of people turned up to wish them well and lots of alchohol was consumed in the process and it was all very sad and tearful, but there were lots of laughs too. I'm sure the year will go by too quickly and I can't wait to see them both again and hear all their stories.

Towards the end of the night I started to chatting to a girl (who shall be referred to as 'girl') next to me and it turns out we had some common interests. We both share a common fancy for James Marsters (i.e. Spike from Buffy), Buffy, Angel, and Charmed etc. She seemed lovely. I also have a good friend called Bob and chatted to one of his friends (whose name I forget, but shall be now known as 'idiot'), who I thought was very nice, until the following conversation occurred (it's not an exact replica of the conversation but it went something like this):

Bob: How are you getting home Janey?
Me: Oh I'm not sure
Bob: How about we share a taxi with Jude as we're on her way home?
Me: That's great
Idiot: I can give you a lift home, my car is uninsured but it's ok
Me: You're car is uninsured but it's ok?
Idiot: Yeah, the insurance company wrote it off but it's still legal
Me: How can your car be legal if the insurance company wrote it off?
Idiot: Because it is, I haven't been drinking
Me: What's drinking got to do with it. The insurance company wrote it off, so it's not legal to drive
Girl: *snigger*
Idiot: Yeah and the headlights have no glass but it's ok
Me: So, the insurance company wrote off your car, your headlights have no glass, your car is illegal, yet you still drive it
Idiot: Yeah but I haven't been drinking
Girl: *snigger*

Me is starting to get quite frustrated by this point. 'Girl' is sniggering at the argument because she thinks it's funny. Turns out both of them are 40+ and personally, I think they should know better. I say to 'girl',

Me: You're accepting a lift from this person who is driving an illegal car? (she had done)
Girl: I don't need insurance
Me: But what if he has an accident?
Girl: Oh who cares etc. etc.
Idiot: But my car is legal to drive
Me: But your car isn't legal to drive

Ad infinitum. This conversation went round in circles for a good ten minutes. At one point I said

Me: I'm not continuing this conversation. You're old enough to know better but you're behaving irresponsibly and putting yourself and your friend in danger. You're stupid (I'd resorted to insults by this stage - I generally do when I get exasperated by other peoples' stupidity).

Me, Bob and Jude eventually went to get our taxi whilst 'Idiot' and 'Girl' were walking behind us. I heard him making snide comments just loud enough for me to here about his car being unsafe while 'girl' sniggered at his comments.

To be honest, I don't see why I should care. It's their lives in danger not mine. However, they're also putting other people's lives in danger. I've met selfish twats in my lifetime but no-one as irresponsible and stupid as these two. And they're 40+ ..... and we complain about younger people being irresponsible.

Travelodge need improvement

Amendment: Things have happened since writing this original post. I went to the Travelodge mentioned on the Sunday, to see if my bag was at the hotel and it still was. When I walked into the hotel I was greeted by the staff who informed me they'd looked after my bag. I had no doubt that they had, but there is always a doubt that it could've ended up somewhere outside the hotel in someone else's car or wherever. Anyway, it turns out that the problems I had contacting the local Travelodge weren't actually Travelodge's fault, but British Telecom's. Apparently they are being arseholes about installing a new telephone line. No surprise there then. I do however, still have an issue about Travelodge not having a Complaints link nor a direct line to speak to someone instead of listening to 'Hello, I'm Lisa, the voice of Travelodge'. Having said that, I commend the staff of the said Travelodge. They are extremely friendly and helpful and I do recommend you stay there if you are ever in that neck of the woods.

10/10 for staff at my local Travelodge
5/10 to Travelodge Head Office for being crap at customer service

This post is going to be a lot shorter than originally intended. I've been outside to have a walk around and calm down because I was so angry. I'm also writing this post before the one about Nick and Hina's wedding as I didn't want my rant to overshadow what was, a fabulous evening!

Anyway, my friend Tamzin and I stayed at the new Travelodge in Hoddesdon last night. It opened its doors for the first time yesterday and my friend Bob was their first customer. Bob said they were overexcited when he walked through the door (despite this rant, the staff were lovely - no, I'm not being sarcastic). Tamzin and I shared a double room in the hotel for after Nick and Hina's wedding celebrations and we were quite drunk to say the least when we went to bed.

During these celebrations I somehow managed to lose my bag which contained my mobile phone, my flat/office keys, and my cards. I'm an idiot and didn't realise this until just before the bus stopped near my flat today. Luckily, when I phoned Silas, he was in the park nearby and he let me into the flat. He didn't take the piss out of me for being an idiot *hugshugs*.

So I think to myself, this is simple. I just phone the hotel, say my bag is there, and Silas drives me to the hotel to pick it up. No. It's. Not. That. Simple. I still have the hotel confirmation slip in my overnight bag and I look at that thinking, it's common sense to have a contact number on there. But there isn't. So I google the Travelodge in Hoddesdon and there's a number listed. I phone the number and it's unobtainable. Am a bit hungover and think I may have pressed the wrong number so I try again. Still unobtainable. Once more for luck ....

So I look again on the net and find another number for the local Travelodge. I try that number and get "Hello, this is Lisa, the voice of Travelodge ....". I'm given four options, I try them all, and none of them give me the option to speak to anybody. So I look again on their site and there's a 'Contact Us' link. Click on that and I get the option to write them a letter or send them an email. No contact number.

By this time I'm starting to lose it. I'm tired, worried about my stuff, and from being on a complete high an hour ago, I'm starting to see the end of my tether and am muttering swear words about the incompetence of Travelodge. I decide to phone Directory Enquiries and ask them. They can't find a number for this particular Travelodge so they give me another different number for the Travelodge company and put me through .... "Hello, this is Lisa, the voice of Travelodge ...." with the same four fucking options. Fuck off Lisa. I actually shout "You complete stupid fuckers" down the phone before slamming it back into place. I look again on the site, and decide to click on the "Press Office" link as now I just want any old number to speak to someone. I get, "The mailbox for this number is currently full and you will be unable to leave a message". Another direct line number I try for a Director of Travelodge is unobtainable *insert all known expletives here*. Fucking bastards.

It's so simple to put a phone number THAT'S OBTAINABLE on a website. And why isn't there a number where THEIR CUSTOMERS CAN SPEAK TO A PERSON, NOT LISTEN TO A BUNCH OF FUCKING OPTIONS!? Travelodge are THE most irritating company I've had to contact, next to Abbey, Microlink, and Telewest Broadband. When we do have to contact the latter, I have to ask Silas to do it. He's more patient than I am and much more able to express himself when angry than I am.

So I've cancelled my cards and my phone and I just have to wait to see if my stuff is there tomorrow when Silas drives me up. Good that it's only 20 minutes drive away.

I shall be complaining to Travelodge (via email obviously as there's no other option) and if they send me Travelodge vouchers to apologise I shall wipe my arse with them and post them back. I will.