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Ummm - Guys and girls - I could use a little advice here. Please?

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Old 12th Nov 2004, 09:56
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Ummm - Guys and girls - I could use a little advice here. Please?

OK - this is probably not the correct place to put this item, and boot it somewhere else if you think it is the way to go Woomera, but here goes. I am asking a higly intelligent group of human beings about the events in my little Travel Agency over the last 2 weeks.

A lady who is obviously mentally disturbed, but who presents well and is always clean and well if casually dressed has been coming into my office for the last 5 years at least investigating fares to relatively obscure locations compared to the local traffic.

She talks to herself sometimes while waiting if the office is busy, but is generally pleasant if off with the pixies. On some visits she is totally lucid and intelligent, at other times she knows what she wants, but while the information is being retrieved talks of her daughter being turned into an elf by some unintelligible villain, and how George Bush is out to get her and similar things.

Yes, the system has obviously failed her but she came into my office a fortnight ago, carrying all of her important documentation and prized possesions as she always does in a suitcase on a blue deliverymans hand cart.

She wished to go to Guangzou - the former Canton, and I duly arrange the airfares with QFlink and SQ at an acceptable fare, issue Travel Insurance with the normal advice that without declaration that if there is a pre existing ilness it will not be covered unless disclosed and assessed. Single entry Visa arranged. Mental illness is not coverable.

With much trepidation, I conclude the transaction, and as always my card with after hours mobile is inside the ticket wallet.

DPO airport and SQ are warned by me that the lady is non dangerous but if spare seats are available, it would be wise to make sure one is next to her for the comfort of other passengers.

There was a small to do at DPO as she did not want her hand luggage to be handled by the FA or stored - compromise reached.

SQ No problems.

The day after she arrives in CAN, a panic call to my office. The poor lady is in massive stress mode and panic attack saying she woke up with blue marks all over her arms and is sick. Cant get the Hotel (at 12 Airport Rd so she hasnt even really cleared the Airport) to call the insurance dudes, so she calls me. I call the insurance to get her a Doc - they move heaven and earth and get a chinese doc to housecall which is very difficult.

They have to break the Hotel room door down, as she has barricaded herself in the room.

She is now in a Guangzou Psychiatric Hospital, the thought of which does not please me, and I have spent the day in contact with Mondial Assistance (totally brilliant) and her daughter, who is a lovely lady who lives in NSW, until last night blissfully unaware mum was in China. She hasn't had a lot of sleep either over this.

It should be pointed out that the passenger advise me that she was persona non grata in every other DPO Travel Agency. I will also point out we made less that $180.00 on the entire transaction.

My question is - should I have refused her travel? I had no reason to believe she would produce more than a temporary annoyance to fellow passengers on commercial aeroplanes otherwise I would have had to refuse.

I guess I am damned either way. I send her, not knowing the total specifics of her condition and am possibly liable to and ambulance chaser suing me, and I refuse her service and have another Government service on my can and another possible court case.

If I ascertained she was a danger to an aeroplane or other passengers I would have done what I did with a dead set drug crazed loony I had in my old office 12 months ago. Quoted double on all fares by air. He left and the next night threw himself overboard and drowned off the Spirit of Tasmania.

I just had no reason to deny this lady, once obviously very pretty and intelligent, the booking she asked for and paid for in cash.

I will be honest - I just need to know what you guys and girls would have done in the circumstances as this has gutted me. I cannot imagine a Chinese Mental Institution is that pleasant.

Thanks for indulging me by reading this.

Best all

EWL
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 11:45
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EWL,

I only know you from your posts, but have been reading them for a while.

Whilst I understand your concerns, your actions to me seem reasonable, and from a follow-up servce point of view, above and beyond the call of duty - frankly, I think you are probably beating yourself up over the issue which is really not of your making.

When it comes down to it, you are providing a service - an excellent one by the sounds of it - that any customer is entitlled to purchase, regardless of their personal eccentricities. (To exclude the sale of our service would from what you have said have no legitimate basis - exactly why the lady in question is persona non-grata to the other agencies is not disclosed).

As you have eluded to - YOU have not let anyone down. [The state of medical care in Australia since the mid 1980's for the mentally ill or impaired is largely to blame, as well as societies general ignorance of the problem.]

I don't mean to piss in your pocket, but the fact you even feel responsible shows that you care about your product, your service and your customer, and that eclipses 90% of the travel industry I see around me.
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 11:46
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EWL

Sounds like you've been done over good and proper.

It brings to mind the story of the GI who walked around the army base for months saying 'I am just looking for my piece of paper.' "Shut up private , back in line, 50 push ups etc etc" Eventually they decide he needs help and send him to the shrink. Much later shrink says "can't help him, kick him out." "Ok" honourable discharge, "here, sign this sonny." signs. "OK out'a here ya nut here are your discharge papers" " My piece of paper, I have found it!!!"

Free ticket to wherever and get some mug in Tassie to pay for it all

Sorry!



EWL,
Just saw Uncommon Sense's post and agree whole heartedly

edited for terrible use of quotation marks DLF
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 12:33
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Thanks Uncommon - High praise but most in here do what they can do as well as they can. I guess I was feeling a little responsible, and suppose I am. It all goes back to Airline, and caring about your passengers I guess.

It is hard if not impossible not to search for what I could have done to avert this mess.

Spinning propellor and an incoming golfer.

Thanks DLF.

There is something so horribly wrong about a system that leaves ladies like this in a position where there is no crosscheck between her and me before she leaves the country and winds up freezing up in a less than hospitibale country.

I dont need this stress, but more than that nor does this poor lonely lady.

Thanks folks

EWL

Last edited by Eastwest Loco; 12th Nov 2004 at 12:47.
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 13:07
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EWL. I'll try to keep it brief & in point form.
1. You are not a trained mental health care worker.
2. You are not a trained mental health care worker.
3. Her own daughter, as lovely as she might be, was confident enough to be interstate so she couldn't have shown indications that would lead to close watching by professional carers.
4. You have already gone above & beyond, as opposed to others. (See my DJ post)
5. Uncommon sense has made...err..uncommon sense by saying that if it's on your mind so much, then you know you've done as much as you can to alleviate this problem.
6. It's time to hand this one to DFAT. She's paid enough taxes to deserve their involvement.
7. On what legal ground could you have refused to sell her a ticket?
8. You are not a trained mental health care worker.

Remember, there are sharks out there who would've sold her a first class ticket!
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 13:27
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EWL,

Buster and Uncommon have made some very valid points. Like me they are concerned how you are handling this.

Running companies has taught me the hard lesson to worry over things you can change not things now beyond your control.

We all fail to do this time and again, I would point out to you that you are now makng that mistake and inturn will adversely effect yourself and those around you.

Talk to the airlines and Feds take advise, then pass it on to the daughter she has legal standing in this matter, you have none. You are not in a position to take any action. Then start concentrating as best you can on helping those you can effectively help.

All the best mate
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 13:45
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Thanks guys

Sometimes it really helps to hear the voices inside your head from outside too.

The forces that be have deemed that ladies like this are fit to be among (or should be cared for by) the general public.

I do apologise for airing this whinge in here.

You are a great bunch and I do feel a great deal better.

EWL
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 14:35
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Sometimes it really helps to hear the voices inside your head from outside too
Careful about mentioning voices inside your head EWL or you could end up facing the same fate as your poor wayward pax in China.

Seriously though mate, you've done all you could and more than what could be reasonably expected and as Buster said, time for DFAT to get involved if they aren't already.
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 20:07
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My question is - should I have refused her travel?
There was an article on Today Tonight or AcA can't remember which with a very similar story where some old fella came in a bought a fare to somewhere and when he got there his dementure kicked in and he wandered the airport for a few days until someone realised that they had seen him circling and got security to check things out. The report slammed the agent and they went in to her store and stuck a camera in her face and grilled her as though it was all her fault.

If a person wants to buy travel, that is their business, you are not there to make judgements about the suitability of their health to travel. As a parallel example, should a motor bike salesman be responsible if he sell a bike to a 21 year old male who duely wipes himself out two days later doing some crazy stunt? I think not.

This is a part of the bigger problem with society as noone want to be responsible for their actions. You acted as requested completely within, I would assume, the law. I know we are talking about some old lady with mental issues but the crux of the matter is that it is not your fault nor should you have to fix it.
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 21:12
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the mental health resources in this country are a disgrace! what ever happened to the loonie hospitals and villages these kind of people lived in and got the help and support they needed? oh, all sold for development, oh well,

EW, dont blame yourself, you are doing a fantastic job, and did the best you could given your situation, i blame the health sytem, or lack of.
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 21:40
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Angel Am I my brother's keeper?

This lady was seriously mentally disturbed with probably a well known illness. You had 5 years to notice this and you said, “She was obviously mentally disturbed”. This alone has serious implications for air travel. There are happy drunks and nasty drunks, but they are still drunks.
A reasonable person and particularly one with your experience should have made strong efforts to contact this ladies family or next of kin, or even the community health nurse and be a part of the solution and not part of the problem as this so predictably has become.
For many reasons I don’t feel you acted decently or responsibly and you failed miserably in your moral duty of care to this lady. You now appear to be feeling guilty and trying to justify your actions, and shame on all you Ppruners who have been sucked into this view.
I guess it’s her and her families problem now, plus the government of two countries, various medical institutions, maybe insurance companies and lawyers, airlines, security, embassies, immigration etc. etc. etc. All in all a hugh problem with lots of heartache that a little individual responsibility earlier on could have avoided.
Maybe some lessons here for us all in matters of security and being our brother’s keeper
bp
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 22:41
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BP Your opinion is valid to a point & I'm sure EWL will welcome your comments. But, it is just an opinion. Exactly like EWL's "opinion" that she was unstable. Your analogy of drunks isn't quite the same. Drunks don't usually walk into a travel agent & spend half an hour or so booking for a ticket & paying cash. They would be sober & lucid at the time. This lady, whilst a known frequenter of EWL's establishment, was probably sober & lucid as well.

You make an assumption that EWL had details of her NOK. I've made the assumption he didn't. That alters our opinion of this. She got all the way to China remember, not bad considering her condition.

Don't forget the privacy laws too. Who is EWL to question this ladies mental capacity? (Yes, it is stupid, but either way, he exposes his company to potential litigation.)

[soapbox] As a society, it'd be great if we looked out for each other. Unfortunately, our laws are geared in the almost opposite way. I have rights as an individual that allow me to do what I want right up until the point of breaking the law. Even when I've broken it, I still have further rights that I can bring to bear. As much as this lady had a Roo loose in the top paddock, EWL had no right to interfere with her rights....Right? It's not a great system, but it's one saving grace is that an innocent or eccentric person is not unfairly judged. [/soapbox]
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 22:44
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For many reasons I don’t feel you acted decently or responsibly and you failed miserably in your moral duty of care to this lady. You now appear to be feeling guilty and trying to justify your actions, and shame on all you Ppruners who have been sucked into this view.
Bush Pelican, you are entitled to your opinion, but I have to disagree with you whole-heartedly. A travel agent is exactly what the title would imply - an agent who organises travel. There is no requirement for the travel agent to make a decision regarding the passengers appropriateness for travel - that is the responsibility of the airline, and this decision is made on the basis of experience in conjunction with CAO's/CAR's by the staff/crew involved in accepting him/her for travel. If she was potentially a threat to herself or others around her, I still dont feel that EWL has (legal or moral) reason to refuse sale of the ticket - its not his/her(?) responibility to do so - all he/she can do (and from the sounds of things, did) is contact the airline and inform them.... or perhaps another option is, as someone mentioned here, trying to contact her family (or asking the lady to call her family herself!!!!) and organising a travel companion?

Ever heard the saying "don't shoot the messenger"? I think that can be related EWL in this story...

I think perhaps if anyone is to "blame" here, then it would possibly be this woman's family - but we dont know the full story, so cant make those kind of assertations....

edited for clarity
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 23:05
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Angry

Well EWL, you asked for opinions and you got them. Bush Pelican, you are entitled to give your opinion as it was asked for, however your assessment of EWL is so TOTALLY wrong.
I am so tempted to call you a tosser, but that may not be true, but you are wrong here.

Although I have never met EWL in person I have had professional dealings with him and spoken to him on the phone several times and a finer gentleman and professional businessman you would be hard pressed to find.
This man actually cares about his clients and the service he provides them.

Read his post carefully, he considered his position long and hard BEFORE providing the service that she requested. He dealt with her in person, instead of just passing her on to one of his staff to deal with, and showing no further concern. He assisted her, as he would any other client, to the best of his ability the moment she called for help, as he does for all his clients;remember, he includes a business card with the travel documents with his PRIVATE phone number for after hours assistance.

How many other travel agents do that?

EWL, don't beat yourself up, I know from my dealings with you that you always do what is best for your clients, even if that is not the best thing always for you.

PS: Maybe she is not as silly as you think, with the current state of the mental health system in this country, maybe China's system is not all that bad!!!

BSB
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Old 12th Nov 2004, 23:08
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BP Ouch.

I would have loved to see you face the same problem as EWL. If you make the decision not to sell and the nice little dear is fully aware of her faculties. It would be interesting to see what a QC would do with your diagnosis.

EWL, I have had stroke victims on my coach who outwardly look like absolute strawberries. BUT are fully aware of whats going on around them. How can you honestly tell mate. Service and courtesy is all you can give.

Regards

Mark

Last edited by OZBUSDRIVER; 12th Nov 2004 at 23:24.
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Old 13th Nov 2004, 00:09
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EWL:- I'm with BSB, you did nothing wrong, indeed you appear to have gone the extra mile, as usual, for your client. The day that pax are required to prove their state of mental health when buying a ticket is the day some responsibility will devolve to you (the ticket-seller). Anyone with a shred of common decency will feel for both you and the client, but her plight is more the responsibility of the State Health Authorities and, more importantly, HER FAMILY! There is far too often an attitude that failing faculties of the elderly are too much trouble for family members to supervise, a sad, sad state, and they seem to expect that the state will provide. Yeah, right!!

Chin up, mate, you did more than was legally necessary for her, now that the proverbial has hit the fan let the "authorities" use their resources to help the family rehabilitate the old dear.

Kind regards,

TheNightOwl.
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Old 13th Nov 2004, 00:23
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Whilst I am not qualified to comment on mental illness - neither to my knowledge is anyone else who has posted on this thread - perhaps I should point out EWL is a highly successful and experienced travel agent, respected by the airline industry and travelling public.

His personalised travel service is second to none - which is probably why, in my business life, I give him thousands of dollars in travel each year (must be the better part of $10,000 this month, alone) - despite being located a few thousand kilometers away.

EWL has never let me down - best price, best flights, best personalised service, nothing is too difficult.

His post is indicitive of his care and passion for service to the travelling public - something almost unique in this day and age.

I wonder if any other travel agent or airline office would have cared?

This is of course, a personal observation of EWL's committment to service and not a PPRuNe endosement of his business.

Woomera

Last edited by Woomera; 13th Nov 2004 at 00:47.
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Old 13th Nov 2004, 08:17
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Thanks Woomera and my other mates.

Bush Pelican - you spelled out exactly what has been haunting me over this matter. I am sure I could have handled this matter better, but circumstantially can not see another outcome.

The corner I back myself into is then a matter of client privacy, so another no win. The lady has been spat out by the system, so maybe she is better throwing a wobbly in China - the system here obviously doesnt care and if I had called I would probably still be on hold. Who in hell would I have called?

No wonder we drink.

I will put any further updates into this post if I am kept in the loop as I have requested.

Thanks again for the pro and con comments. They have all helped me get a handle on what is going down and what others consider, but my feelings are not the problem as we all realise. The lady is my main concern.

Best regards all

EWL

Last edited by Eastwest Loco; 13th Nov 2004 at 08:27.
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Old 13th Nov 2004, 09:07
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EWL

From my point of view you have given the lady some fantastic opportunities se may have well been refused otherwise. From your account she seemed somewhat stable, even in the 5 years you have been dealing with her.

From dealing first hand with many mental health cases over the last few years, it is an area that is highly specialised, and given the brain activity is still a mystery in many ways, each person will react differently even if a number have similar diagnoses. Even medication is tailored. Most of the time there are many folks out there who lead normal, productive lives, but they are on medication just as if they were reliant on aspirin to prevent clots or drugs to control epilepsy. The body builds up tolerances to medication, changes in weather, conditions stress and exercise all play intergrated parts in the absorbtion and total amount of medication needed.

This ladys mental health professional may well have had her under control and happy for many years. Its just that something changed, and I would think, somewhat suddenly. It happens. Heart attack, gall stones and diabetes happen too.


She sounds as if she was one hell of an adventurer and EWL has assisted her in living a life many would have thought not possible. I sure as hell know a few of the patients that land on my tailgate would benefit from travelling, and developing confidence in their own abilities within the bounds of their medications. The are stuck in the system, reliant on it, panic easily, and sure as hell do not need institutionalising. (I do believe there are a number of cases that do require intensive, residential care, and some require fully secure facilities.) I get a feeling this lady wasnt one of them when she went of her adventure to China.

EWL, *raises glass* may many more adventurers pass through your portalsof your agency, and live life as it should be lived.

Best of luck with your traveller.......
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Old 13th Nov 2004, 09:44
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Cool

Well, Isn't this interesting!...

but, I suspect that our mate Loco has got his dates mixed up!...

by about four and a half months!!
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