Experience of holiday arrangements and personal observations. Re Air Liquide

[jevanis]

THIS IS A COPY OF LETTER SENT TO AIR LIQUIDE

Sir/Madam

I am writing to you regarding my experience of your service whilst on holiday last week. I would appreciate your comments. My main concern was that no one called me to inform me of an approximate time for delivery, my cylinder was very low and I just had to sit in my car in a carpark for 7 hours awaiting your technician who I may add was courteous, considerate and apologetic when he arrived.

I was going on holiday for ten days touring the south west of the UK and It was my plan to take enough portable cylinders with me to cover the time I was planning to be away, however this was not possible to arrange in the time available. (So I was told)

I called my oxygen nurse for an increase to my usual quota of 6 cylinders up to 8 however I was told that this could not be done on an emergency arrangement so had to be programmed into my holiday. She would get in touch with Air Liquide and arrange an increase and delivery to an address that I was going to whilst away and I gave her my mobile phone number for contact.

I left home on the 16th November with 6 cylinders on board; my consumption of oxygen was one cylinder per day so the plan was to meet the Air Liquide technician at Captain Morgan’s café in Salcombe for the exchange of 6 cylinders plus an extra 2 arranged by the oxygen nurse on my prescription, taking the total required to 8.

I was at the café at 0930hrs and spent time with my friends till 1330hrs when the café closed. I believe I had three calls from my mobile to my contact 08081439993 where the operator tried to assure me that someone was on their way, she tried to explain that this was an all day delivery and could be any time up to 1800hrs. At 1700 hours no one had called or arrived so I called again about 1710hrs only to find the operator Ihad been dealing with had gone home and I was through to the emergency service.

I was by now getting very concerned as my last cylinder was extremely low. Amy took my mobile number and called me back to say “as soon as she makes contact with the driver she would get him to call me with an approximate delivery time”. (Very efficient: Faith in service restored)

His call timed at 1744hrs he explained that he was covering two rounds as the other vehicle had broken down, and he would be with me in 40 minutes, it was 1830hrs when he arrived in the car park where I had been waiting in my car for five hours. He was very apologetic and handed over 6 exchange cylinders but was unable to leave the two extra as he had no directions to do so. He told me that he knew nothing about my call until after 5pm.

Due to the weather and my need for further medication for an unexpected flare up of gout I decided that I would return home early in order to attend my doctor’s surgery on Friday 23rd. When I was home I checked my voicemail on the landline phone to find a message from phone number 08081439999 on the 19th telling me that the oxygen would be delivered to me at The Captain Morgan’s café on Wednesday 21st. A shame this call was not made to my mobile it may have helped alleviate the stress caused by not knowing what was happening as my oxygen was running desperately low.

Oxygen supplies on holiday suggested observations

1 Deal with the holiday arrangements department direct. Note name of contact you speak

to.

2 make sure all arrangements are in place at least 7 days in advance of trip

3 Double check the arrangements two days before leaving as different staff have different

interpretations of the rules and regulations.

4 Make sure that Air Liquide have your mobile phone number

5 Insist they keep you informed by calling you back if you have asked a question that cannot

be answered at the time.

It is strange how all arrangements prior to an event are fraught with adversity however after the event everything could have been so easy/simple if only you had known who to contact in the first place.

Yours faithfully.

Jevan Powell.