THANKS FOR YOUR COSTUMER SERVICE, MR HELP POINT!
25 December 2006

It's the best Christmas gift I got this year-it's not a wrapped gift under the Christmas tree but rather fantastic - and highly unexpected - costumer service. Costumer service is one of these things that frequently shines with its rude absence. But not for us last week!

We took one of the last trains of the day from Glasgow Central to Prestwick village in order to stay the night in a Bed & Breakfast and catch an early flight. Just before bedtime we discovered that our backpack was missing. And, as could be expected at 10pm, the helpline for lost luggage was closed. Man, what were we to do?! I had personal stuff plus all my Christmas reading in that black Nike bag.

The best we could do was to get dressed and walk out in the chilly night, back to the deserted train station. I was thinking that we could catch the ticket controller or the conductor of the next train begging them for help. Long wait. No train either.

Until we discovered a Help Point panel with two buttoms, one of which was "For assistance"... I had always thought these existed for calling the police when there is an assault. But how wrong I was. A friendly voice appeared 1 second after I had pressed the rusty buttom. I explained the situation in a voice of despair - what worse sign could there be at the beginning of the holiday than to lose my personal things before even reaching the airport?

The Help Point voice located the bag to Ayr, two stations away. We jumped on the next train, travelled 10 minutes, ran to the lost property shed...and there it was! Untouched. We were so touched by the incredibly professional and helpful service. These things don't happen every day.