United Customer Care Gets It Wrong. No one is surprised.

United Customer Care Gets It Wrong. No one is surprised.

From time to time I deviate from the general theme of the blog to vent. This is one of those times. It seems that every chance I have to interact with a US Airline leaves me with a headache & an hour of time wasted on the phone.

Today, Sally and I went to book tickets from Chicago to Savannah in June. We are spending two weeks stateside to visit the family, and decided that it was more fun to visit them at the beach!

After learning that it would cost me 25 dollars per ticket to book free tickets on miles, we decided that booking online was a better idea. So we selected our flights, Sally on the desktop from her account & I on the laptop from mine. We coordinated to select our seats, filled out the credit card details & hit purchase.

Surprise! Sally's went through, and mine didn't. I grabbed the phone and called customer service. It seems Sally booked the last available seat on the plane for mileage purposes. You know, the airline needed to save room for revenue generating passengers (From the look of the seatmap, there is still PLENTY of room).

After many calls & pleading we were left with three options. Leave at 6:30 am the morning after a wedding we are attending in Chicago (yeah - not an option), pay almost 400 bucks to buy a seat on the "full" flight, or leave the next day. So, I rather begrudgingly asked for Sally's flight to be changed to the next day & the man to book me on it. After more than an hour, I thought I was finished.... But NO! It would STILL cost 25 bucks for him to book my ticket. Yes, he was unable to wave the booking fee that sent me on this long stupid path in the first place... The rest I'm willing to forgive, but seriously, you can't enable your staff to waive the booking fee?

Back From The Dead

Back From The Dead

Well, I've fallen off the map for a while, sorry about that. It has been extremely busy for me for the last 2-3 months. But thankfully, I've been compiling blog post ideas and am ready to hit the ground running. So, stay tuned over the next few weeks & I'll try to keep my end of the bargin up!

More Yuni-Net Ridiculousness:
I've previously mentioned Yuni-Net, a yahoo group of expats & internationally minded people living in Delhi. It is a resource for finding service providers, getting restaurant recommendations, finding drivers & houshold help, or simply meeting people.

Most posts are very normal, but from time to time, there are some crazy posts that make you laugh. Here are a few of those posts.

Subject: Help! Geckos are eating my airconditner!
Dear Yuni Net -- does anyone know of a gecko repellent? I watch helplessly as our geckos go into the air conditioner and throw out bits of foam and wire and they have also,unbelievable as it sounds, eaten though 2cm diameter electric cable. At first I thought it was mice, but our AC guys have confirmed it is geckos and if you bash on the AC when they are doing it ( they are very noisy), they come running out. I dont want to kill them but would just like to keep them away from the split unit, as their "gnawing" keeps shorting the electrics. The pest control people say they have no anti-gecko agent.

Has anyone else faced this problem?


Subject: :-) Yuni-Net -- looking for a female cocker !
hi... i want to get my cockerspaniel mated, anyone looking for a handome male to mate their bitch with?

Subject: :-) Yuni-Net -- PANAMA HATS IN INDIA?
I realize this is a far-fetched possibility, but I thought I'd try anyway. Does anyone know where I can purchase men's Panama hats in India?

Subject: :-) Yuni-Net -- Want Hair Extensions?
I'm part of a team for a new human hair extensions company that is
launching in India and will begin my training next week, which means I need models to show my work on.

I am looking for 2 people who would be good candidates for bonded
extension, which, if taken care of properly, can last up to 6 months.
Being a model for this product, you will be offered an awesome deal
on the price of hair and installation cost.

Models will be needed for a full day next week. The exact day is
unknown.

Lie Flat Seats In A Car?

Lie Flat Seats In A Car?

Yep, sure enough - Mahindra Xylo features lie-flat comfort! Their advertisement campaign also features a television commercial showing the tray table for in-car dining.

While I admit to wishing I had a lie-flat seat during the morning rush on NH-8, the positioning on this car seems all over the place. On the one hand, it is a luxury car with all the comforts a busy executive could need. However, they also are running an ad showing young people partying in the car... Mahindra! Make up your mind, you can't have it all!

Only in Delhi

Only in Delhi

Imagine my surprise to find this man running through Chanakyapuri recently. I made my driver come back around so I could capture video of him. Only after turning to Youtube.com did I realize he was already famous.

Wayne's World.... Cream of Sum Yum Gai

Wayne's World.... Cream of Sum Yum Gai

I should have brought my lunch today. I meant to pack one, but waited to long and instead grabbed a yogurt & some all-bran on my way out. Of course, that was good enough for a snack, but now find myself craving a proper lunch.

Which brings me to foodiebay.com, a great little yelp.com / menupages.com clone. It has a nice interface which allows you to search for restaurants across Delhi by location, cuisine, price, delivery etc. This has been a savior for me when looking for a good new place to order lunch from to break the monotony of left-overs.

Today, I executed my search and stumbled across a restaurant that is straight out of the movie Wayne's World. Yes, this is dating me (certainly making me look old to some of you, and frightfully young to others), but I can remember going with some anticipation to watch Wayne's World at the Lombard General Cinema *before* they added Valet Parking, Starbucks & in-theater dining. Yes, that's right - I slummed it in Lombard, Illinois as a tween.

For those of you who didn't grow up in the States, or who had enough taste to not watch Wayne's World - I've embedded a clip of the movie for you to watch.


All of which brings me to the name of the restaurant I found on Foodie Bay... Yes, there is a restaurant in gurgaon called Sum Yum Gai. I'm fairly certain the humor is lost on most people, as the restaurants menu is decidedly un-ironic.

I guess I'll have to make a decision soon on lunch though the competition for Sum Yum Gai is tough. After all with other options like Mo Station & Kwality Foods - how can anyone choose just one.

Happy Holi from the Gora Desi

Happy Holi from the Gora Desi

Brought to you by our Driver, Dharmender.

Ole! - More Mexican Food in Delhi! Plus - Off To Cabo

Ole! - More Mexican Food in Delhi! Plus - Off To Cabo

I'm working my last day before a week long trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Sally & I will be spending a week relaxing (hopefuly) on the beach & recharging for what is sure to be a long - hot - Delhi summer.

This week, we ventured out to a new restaurant to get in the mood. You may recall, I formerly raved about Sancho's in South Ex, Delhi. At the time, it was a promising new entrant into the Delhi scene, but since my review - it has gone through a change in the kitchen - and now serves mexican food that would pass as Mexican food only at TGI Fridays.

So, it was with some excitement that we gave Amigo a try. This restaurant just opened in GKII near Smokehouse Grill (best, and almost only, steak in Delhi). The entire menu wasn't a hit - their Chicken Tortilla Soup tasted decidedly Indian - but on the whole our evening was fun - and tasty.

Sally and I split the Chicken Quesidilla, I had a soup that tasted like the filling of a chilli cheese burrito at Taco Bell (in the best way possible), and we stole a taste of Michelle's Enchillada. All were spiced authentically, had a nice soft cheese, and were served with traditional sides. The Tortilla chips were made on site, and were light, crisp and tasty.

Amigo New Delhi
http://www.myamigo.asia/
3 Local Shopping Centre, Masjid Moth,
Greater Kailash II, New Delhi- 110048
Phone: 91-11-29216220, 91-11-29216221

Jai Ho! Slumdog Millionaire Takes Over My Facebook?

Jai Ho! Slumdog Millionaire Takes Over My Facebook?

Just this week, I realized just how big of a crush the US has on India right now. If India were a teen starlet, she surely has gone from the Disney Channel to starring in the Twilight Movies in the last 3 months.

While in the States over Christmas, I saw Slumdog Millionaire. Infused with excitement I left the theater and proclaimed my love for the film on my facebook account within minutes. I eagerly told anyone who would listen that they should run out to see this movie. Not surprisingly, it fell on deaf ears. It seemed that everyone I talked the film up to responded with a nod that seemed to say, "We get it... you live in India."

Dejected, I boarded a plane to head back to India without convincing a single person to see the film. I guess the US just wasn't ready to embrace this film, or India...

A month later, I started noticing signs that people at home were beginning to take notice of this film. The first to comment was my cousin Tricia, who after watching the Golden Globes acknowledged my comments about the film. My parents chimed in asking me if I had seen this new movie... "Yes" I remarked. "Remember the Indian film I raved about (if I were still a teen a major eye roll would have been inserted at this point)?". Soon, support and commentary on the film seemed to gain speed like an avalanche.

With last week's Oscar win, it seems the whole country has stood up and taken notice. The blogosphere was full of Oscar Party menu planning tips and psuedo Indian Dancing was brought to the Jay Leno Show (What? They couldn't find 10 actual Indians?). An informal survey of our American friends here in Delhi yielded a pattern - many of our parents have even begun learning to cook Indian cuisine at home!



Today, \ even facebook status updates are in love with Slumdog Millionaire.


Congratulations America, I'm proud of you. Welcome to the India Fan Club.

Delivery Sushi In Delhi

Delivery Sushi In Delhi

Today I gave www.sushiking.in another try.

On my first order, I tread extremely carefully into the world of Indian delivery sushi. After a few days of normal digestion, I decided it was indeed safe to eat. To be honest, my anxiety over potential stomach revolt completely overwhelmed my ability to decipher if the sushi was even good on the first round. It was for this reason, I skipped out on blogging.

Today I placed my order for a Spicy Tuna roll & a California Roll and eagerly awaited the delivery boy. The menu has much more variety than this order of course, but let's be honest. I was going for safety on my order. After about 20 minutes, my $14.00 USD Sushi & Miso Soup arrived.

The verdict?
Tasty - ok, not like Nobu or anything... but Tasty. Lets put it this way, if you've been in India for a long time, miss sushi as much as I miss sushi, and desperately need to introduce variety into your diet... Then call them.

My only complaint?
The price is just to high for me to justify this as a regular part of my routine. I guess when you can get 3 dollar chinese delivered to the office, 14 for 2 rolls is just highway robbery.

For delivery dial 4005000 from Gurgaon.
Or visit: www.sushiking.in

Happy Valentines Day?

Happy Valentines Day?

For the last week, I've been reading articles in HT regarding valentines protests here in India with some trepidation. It seems, Shiv Sena & Shri Ram Sene feel Valentines Day promotes Western views of love, dating & is generally against traditional Indian moral code. As the week progressed, their cries for banning of Valentines Day grew stronger & increasingly deranged.

What are Shiv Sena & Shri Ram Sene? As a rough generalization, both are far right political organizations - both now follow Hindutva doctrine - rejecting western culture in favor of Hindu ideals. For more information on Shiv Sena, check this, this or read this. Shri Ram Sene can be researched here.

The news of Valentines Day protesting came on the heels of last month's attack of women in a Mangalore pub by Shri Ram Sene. In both events, the relevant parties have issued statements about their desire to protect traditional Indian values - by rejecting the westernization of Indian youth. The irony of both claims is of course that the tactics used by protesters are anything but representative of good traditional values.

In the last week, Shiv Sena has announced they will shut down businesses (by force) participating in Valentines festivities, confront canoodling couples, and generally cause a scene across India. So, it was with great interest that I opened the paper this morning to see just what craziness would be documented in the news.

Generally speaking, it seems that Valentines day came and went with less disruption than years past. There were however a few incidents worth noting. In Agra, 6 protesters ran through a park & cut the hair of overtly romantic couples. In Madhya Pradesh a mob beat up a brother and sister they mistook for lovers.... (great move for your cause's PR there...) Elsewhere, one teen was married to a Donkey after protesters found him walking with a girl, and several couples had their faces blackened by protesters.

Now, yes - I do realize how ridiculous this sounds - especially to those of you reading from the States. But again, as is the case everywhere the actions of the few are not representative of all billion Indian citizens.

I was extremely pleased to find that those Indian's who are not exactly "down" with Shiv Sena had their own protests planned. Now of course they had planned your typical parties, pub nights, petitions & protests. However, none of these protests come anywhere near the impact of the Pink Chaddis (Pink Underwear) campaign.

In this campaign, scores of women from across India sent pink underwear, often with handwritten notes, to the desk of Shri Ram Sene's leader. Truly a case of guerilla protesting - and highly inventive. Mobilized on facebook, orkut, and blogspot - the campaign took off & received extensive press coverage. Below is the group's logo from their facebook page:


Not to be outdone, Shri Ram Sene has begun collecting pink Saree's to send back to those who sent in their knickers. Hey, I'll have to give them credit for creativity!

Ladies, If you would like to send a pair of your knickers, here is the information from the Pink Chaddi Campaign:

To: Pramod Muthalik,

Sri Rama Sene Office

No. 11, Behind New Bus Stand,

Gokhul road,

Lakshmi park,

Hubli

Karnataka

PIN 580030