Ditched Helicoper Award - Barclaycard

I travel overseas a lot and,of course, I use my credit cards overseas. I have two - a Bank of Scotland business Mastercard and a private Barclaycard - which I've had for ever.

These days credit card providers like you to let them know when you go overseas to help with fraud prevention so every two or three months I call them to let them know my upcoming trips.
At BOS I get a charming Scottish lady who I get straight through to, who takes all the details down, we have a nice chat and it's all very painless.
However with Barclaycard it's got progressively more and more difficult. It was fine for a while , then the operative (when you finally get through to them after lots of button pushing and listening to things you are not interested in) told me she could only take down one country at a time and I would have to ring from that country to tell her the next country I was flying to!! I then asked to speak to her supervisor - who was helpful and took down all my information.

Now however - that doesn't work - and Barclaycard insist that you can only go to one country at a time - what nonsense. I tried escalating it up the tree and sending emails but you just get a standard response which answers none of your questions.

So after 30 years with Barclaycard I've now dropped them and gone to a Marks & Spencer Mastercard - who couldn't be more helpful. They give you a discount in their shops AND they don't even want you to tell them you are going abroad!

So a well earned DITCHED HELICOPTER AWARD goes to BARCLAYCARD - goodbye.

Ditched Helicopter Award - Costa Coffee

Costa Coffee have put a lot of effort into their brand and it's been highly successful for them - but that's something they can destroy very quickly!

Competitors of theirs like Cafe Nero have loyalty cards - cards they stamp as you buy and you get a free cup when it's got six stamps - very simple effective.

Costa Coffee have now decided to follow suit - but just to be one better (they think) it's a plastic card which you have to register on line - Grrrrr- but I did it.

Then, what do I find? - the card is not accepted at the FIRST ELEVEN Costa Coffee shops I visit!! There is even a large card on the counter of most saying they don't accept it.
When asked they each told me it was because they were franchisees and it didn't apply to them.

So what Costa have succeeded in doing is to start to destroy that homogenous brand image in our minds and force us to recognise that there are Division 1 and Division 2 Costa Coffee shops.

So I contacted Costa Coffee and expressed my surprise at this turn of events. I get a "corporate" reply with all the nonsense about appreciating my custom and telling me that "some" of their shops can't accept the card because "they have the wrong tills". Unbelievable - even if it's true - and it appears to not be - they should have delayed the launch of the card until they had every shop on board.

So - for the very clever trick of introducing a Customer Loyalty card that does exactly the opposite - a DITCHED HELICOPTER AWARD goes to COSTA COFFEE

Ditched Helicopter Award - The Meat Company

A couple of years ago I did an event at the newly opened Meat Company restaurant located in the "new" old town in Dubai and have really enjoyed going back a few times since.
However I recently went, having booked in advance, and asked to sit outside. This isn't something you can often do in Dubai and it was delightful - looking out over the lake in front of the new Burj Tower and watching the fountain show.
There was a surprise,however, that the prices had gone up but then - as I'm finishing my dessert and before coffee - I am asked (actually told) if I would go inside now as they had booked the table for someone else!

Bad, bad news - and a DITCHED HELICOPTER AWARD goes to THE MEAT COMPANY for doing such a thing.

Golden Helicopter Award - Holiday Inn Express, Safa Park

I recently stayed at the budget Holiday Inn Express at Safa Park, Dubai at around GBP60 per night.

It is delightful - it's modern with excellent sized bedrooms with every facility and very quite being off the main highways and next to the park. Very convenient and with the most helpful and charming staff.

It just shows how easy it is to get it right!

A GOLDEN HELICOPTER AWARD goes to THE HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, Safa Park - I will be staying with you again.