Above and Beyond

[chimera]

Ryansmemom uses a wheelchair whenever we have to traverse distances, such as that from airport security to the gate, which invariably is the furthest one away. Or for embarcation and debarcation. We, therefore, bring a folding travel wheelchair with us. Flying to San Diego for our 12/6 Statendam cruise the airline, in stowing it, managed to break the joint between one of the chair back supports and vertical portion of the folding handle that goes into it. While on board, since the broken parts were steel to steel, I asked if it could be repaired by maintanance. I assumed, correctly, that welding equipment would be on board. The chair was taken, and returned later that day, broken parts welded and functioning perfectly. There was no charge for this. We expect a high degree of service from HAL, but this was above and beyond.

[dakrewser]

So nice to hear this! It does seem, lately, that the only "service" stories we're hearing is about the lack of same....

[Krazy Kruizers]

Lou

So glad to hear that Linda's wheel chair was able to be reparied - and so quickly as well.

[Pincus]

Thank you...and welcome back.

We hope to depart on the Statendam on January 5 -- for its 30 day voyage -- I say, hope because we have illness in the family, and are glad to hear that the initial reports on your Hawaii trip are positive.

Am watching for her review...

[sail7seas]

Happy to hear they were able to make the repairs for you. Also think it very nice you posted here telling us 'the positive' side of service. Seems few of us remember to give the kudos.


Of course, the obvious question IMO is.......what did the airline say about the fact they damaged it? Did they make any offers for repair? Did they admit responsibility?

Eagerly looking forward to hearing about your cruise. Welcome back.

[chimera]

sail7seas,

The airline in question is USAirways. They are in deep deep trouble as it is. The Philadelphia Inquirer, in an article today, mentioned that the airline, which is in bankruptcy now, is considering liquidation in mid January. I am not going to bother with any monitary claims against them. The wheelchair is as good as- if not better- than new, and I again thank HAL.

[Oceanwench]

Chimera,

Your post inspired me to share a story.

We sailed on the Oosterdam 10/31. I'd been packed for months, making lists and checking them twice, etc. And I'm not the anal member of the household!
DH, a retired CPA who is always prepared for any situation well in advance, was much more relaxed about getting ready for the cruise. He packed two days before we left.

DH uses a power wheelchair. It gives him incredible freedom that a manual chair would not. And guess what he forgot to pack? The power cord to charge it each night!
He discovered this after we'd embarked. What to do??? The charge would run down within a day, and he'd have to use a manual wheelchair the rest of the cruise. That meant I wouldn't be able to get off in the various ports, as he'd be stuck in the room while I was gone.

We mentioned our dilemma to our cabin steward. Although there was a little bit of a language barrier, he understood and actually sketched the prongs on the power chair where the cord would plug into. Then he went in search of a cord. Unfortuantely, he could only come up with an extension cord.

The next day, my husband went to the front desk and spoke with some of the people there. They searched high and low on the ship, contacting people in the spa, in the infirmary, the electrician ... to no avail. Then suddenly one of the staff members said. "What about the computers?"
The person in charge of the computer room was contacted, took a look at my husband's power chair and said, "I have hundreds of those cords!"
He got us one, it worked, and he told us to keep it!
Vacation saved!

Although we tried to tip the young woman at the front desk who assisted us, she declined to take the money.
We gave an extra tip to our cabin steward for being such a sweetie and so resourceful.