Meek No More

Has there ever been a time when you really stood up for yourself while traveling? Perhaps you took on an airline and won. Maybe you gave the hotel a piece of your mind. Took another traveler to task. Straightened out a roommate. Whatever it was, tell us what you did and how things worked out in the end.

Judy

Actually, I was thinking deep thoughts about this(ha ha) and I really can not credit anything GUTSY,,, Baaahhh, Just count me as one of the sheep,,,I slink(slank, slunk) away in foreign territory. Not at home however, I don't mind taking on the recalcitrant corporate types here in the US. My largest take: 500$ from cruise line for lost luggage inconvenience....smallest 50$ from AF for lost luggage inconvenience....does anyone detect a thread here? <BR>Judy ;-)

Lee

MNM, I guess that two come to mind. The first one was in Paris, maybe a dozen years ago when I tackled a would-be purse snatcher as I was crossing a bridge. I saw him grab a woman's purse and he was running down the sidewalk toward us and I think that he wanted to run across the street, but the traffic was too busy. I snagged him as he was going by and he just threw the purse at me. This is not recommended. <BR> <BR>The second was three years ago when I felt that we got a raw deal in Franfurt by US Airways. When we returned, I started pleading our case, but didn't seem to get anywhere. It just made me more determined and we ended up with two vouchers that got us a round-trip airfare for Paris which we used the next year. Being persistent can pay off, sometimes. <BR> <BR>

Linda

My only gutsy move came in York, England. We had confirmed reservations for two connecting rooms. They tried to put us in two rooms on two floors. I complained long and hard enough to management that we ended up with a three-room suite, for the same price as the two rooms, with the third of our three nights free. Sometimes being politely verbal, but persistent, pays off.

Cindy

Hmmm. Well, there was the time I complained to the San Francisco taxi commission about a driver. I lived in SF, he was driving me to my home, I gave him explicit directions, and he still tried to cheat me by claiming the rate was higher due to this and that, and there would be an extra charge to put things into the trunk. The commission sent me a letter telling me they were sending him back to taxi school or some such. I got another postcard when he had completed it.

StCirq

In Tunisia I got completely exhausted haggling in French over the price of a rug I really wanted (but I knew I was being had). After I'd drunk five cups of sickly sweet mint tea and glanced over 100 other rugs "in my price range" that the merchant kept instructing his minions to bring to me, and pored over the merchant's ledger, which showed how much other tourists had paid for "similar rugs," I'd had it. I jumped up, looked him square in the eye and said "Keep your silly rug. You think I don't know a camel bed when I see one?" My husband and I tore out of the store and the rug merchant followed us for blocks, imploring us to come back and lowering the price at every twist and turn of the mecca. I finally bought the rug for $100. His "best price" after all the haggling had been $400. It now graces my front hall, and many a Domino's Pizza man of North African extraction has remarked on its quality.

Kimerley

this is a good thread...my friends and I were walking from the punt to Hill Top to visit Beatrix Potter's cottage. <BR>We were told it was a short walk but it was actually some distance. We were inappropriately dressed for a long walk..overcoat, handbag!!, umbrella... <BR>half way on our journey we walked through a field and were chased by a bull, survived that and then further along found a chicken who had escaped from his/her pen. Bravely we decided to catch the chicken and retuen it home. Kerin my friend, ever so elegantly dressed..looked a treat as she chased the chicken to catch it. She won! At present this is our most gutsy moment..

Vicki

A few years ago my oldest daughter got married in Las Vegas. My youngest daughter and I flew over on the day of the wedding (it is a short flight from Southern CA)and we had one carry-on bag with us containing our make-up, clothes to wear to the wedding, etc. <BR> <BR>My daughter getting married (Julie) was staying at the Excalibur Hotel and so we arrived there, called her room and she wasn't there, but she had left a message that she was in one of the restaurants. So, I checked our bag with the bellman and went to the restaurant to find Julie. <BR> <BR>Approximately 45 minutes later, I came back to retrieve my bag, which the bell desk could not find. The bell desk contacted Guest Services and the first thing that the Guest Services representative said to me when she admitted that they couldn't find the bag, was that the small print on the ticket that I had been given stated that they were only responsible for up to $250 for the loss of my bag. No mention of being sorry for my predicament. It was a brand new suitcase that cost over $200, let alone the price of my suit for the wedding (about $750), my shoes, and my youngest daughter's clothes. They never apologized. <BR> <BR>I was so distraught that I couldn't deal with them then, so went to the wedding in my black jeans and red plaid jacket (my pink corsage looked a little weird pinned to my jacket). <BR> <BR>Later, when I dealt with the hotel representative, I told them what I did for a living (consulting in quality) and that I was going to use their hotel as an example of how not to be perceived as a quality establishment when I presented seminars on quality (I give about 50 a year). Suddenly, I was offered $500 as well as a certificate for a free weekend stay at the hotel. I kept the money but never went back to the hotel!

Ellen

File this under "Felt Gutsy at the Time": I ordered fresh carrot juice at the Monoprix in Paris, but instead got a glassful of sludgy pulp. I summoned up all my courage to tell the waitress in French, "Madame, this isn't really carrot juice." Happy ending; she very graciously cleaned out the machine and juiced me a fresh glass.

carmen

Actually, I thought it was gutsy just to get on the Metro in Rome (sardine fashion) for the first time.

Art

Actually mine was more stupid than gutsy. Many years ago when the Berlin wall was still up, I walked over to East Berlin with a couple of friends. During the day we stopped in a Gastette for lunch. While there I visited the restroom and whild there 3 young German youths came in and asked me if I could help them escape to the west. Having no car and not really knowing weather they were plants or not, there was nothing I could do. As I was returning to the West, I insulted the Volpo guard in English, He replied in Russian and then I started a conversation in German. My friends were getting very nervous as I was informing him about the difference in East German(Soviet) freedom and Western Freedom. As I was pointing out that they only things that had been built since the war were the WALL and the Russian consultant I noticed that 2 of the East German guards had their riffles leveled at me. I then left knocking a piece of the wall off to take with me. The MP's at check point Charley informed me that an Airman had been shot to death by the East Guards the week before. As I said more stupid than gutsy. This, however, is part of the reason that I hate ANY form of socialism and became a fanatical capitalism.

xxxxx

Two big ones!! First in Lake Tahoe in '76 @ Harrah's on honeymoon, with two twin beds and a view of the parking lot after reserving suite with view of lake. I had just turned 23 years old and actually had the guts to get my husband yo get another room! <BR>Second, In Vail @ at the Lodge- me <BR>pregnant and had "European style Baths" <BR>where we shared with other rooms. Again,husband was back at front desk <BR> <BR>

Santa Chiara

This occurred in the U.S. I was going to a conference, and the conference hotel was a chain, Sheraton I believe. When I called to make my reservation, I was told that non-smoking rooms had all been taken. I pitched a fit to no avail, so I went up the line to corporate headquarters, including the PR department. No satisfaction there, so I went on up to the presdident's office. I finally got an email message that they had found a nonsmoking room for me. I probably "bumped" someone else. Silly in retrospect, but a small victory for nonsmokers.

Gladys

<BR>Several years ago, our return flight from Acapulco was delayed for four hours. Upon arrival in Mexico City so that we could turn in our tourist cards, I stopped to help a fellow passenger who could not understand the Spanish telephone operator. By the time we completed the call, the Immigration person had left our gate area and my husband had to walk quite a distance to locate him. The agent at our gate threatened to have the plane leave without us. I looked up at the six-footer from my five foot height and told him, "If you leave us stranded here after having us wait four hours in Acapulco, your company is going to hear my mouth from here to NY. (Very out of character for me.) The plane waited for us, although when we finally boarded the pilot announced that the people who had gotten lost at the airport were finally aboard and we could take off.

xx

Santa Chiara sounds more like you threw a temper tantrum than had guts. No non-smoking room available when you made your reservations so you throw a fit (tantrum) and get some other non-smoker thrown out of their room so you can have it, yeah, that a non somker victory for sure.

Santa Chiara

Hey, you're right, xx. I did say "silly in retrospect." I did say "I pitched a fit (read tantrum), and I wasn't considerate of anyone else. So I am truly so very sorry I posted inappropriately. Please, can you ever forgive me?