MOST AWESOME LETTER:
Dear Haukur, I am glad this is solved in your mind at least. Another topic : On a trip back from the US (June 22nd fromn NYC to KEF, I was stranded in the US for two days because of technical issues with the plane…I got information from Europe and local governmental agency in Iceland that technical issue is not a valid reason for the airline to refuse to give compensation for a two day delay (which was the answer from Icelandair). I have formally lodged a complaint with the authorities and will go to the European ones if need be to get compensation but I think there could be an article written on that subject that would be of interest to your readers, Icelanders and foreign nationals. The amazing thing I learnt was that not many people complain about delays nowadays even though the legislation is quite strong and strict to respect passengers rights. If you need I can share the full story and email exchange with Icelandair. Just for info, I am including a the great email I received from their CEO (for passengers) which I attach here : We let our CS dept take care of it and I do not interfere… even after I send a message stating I am not taken care of by the team, the CEO, does not care to answer a customer complaint : Have we lost the sense of service ? It seems Iceland Express has the same issue with the latest cancelled flight from Standstead where the company states that there is nothing they should be blamed for… We need your help to get more people on those delayed planes to complain officially for the airlines to start to move and come in line with the European regulations. Please find the communication from Eu and contact information In Iceland at the tail end of this email, very helpfull indeed. Regards, Christophe
Dear Christophe, Wow. Unlike our petty hotel complaint below, we are actually pretty stunned by this one, especially that you are taking it so calmly! Thanks for being rational. But seriously, TWO DAYS? That’s fucked up. We would totally welcome you to look into such things as passenger rights and airline compensations for us. Our chief editor (currently in the US himself!) recently had some flight trouble and we know he would have been real happy to stick it to the man. Anyway, we’ve all had to go through some rough shit at airports, but you seem to have gotten screwed pretty hard, so next time you are in town, come by and get some free beers on us. Santé!
Dear Sir/Madam, How do you do? I am writing to submit a source which you might be interested in investigating. My name is Maoguo Wu. I made an official complaint to Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir. So far I have not received any reply. I guess if you publish my complaint letter and people read it, less people will suffer from the extremely unpleasant experience as I did. Besides, what’s more important, less international visitors will get disappointed in Iceland. I love Iceland so much, and I am doing your country a favour. Besides, may I also suggest another topic that is worth investigation and some special consideration? The receptionist who I complained about was Chinese. I wonder if it is the case that Icelandair Hotel or Iceland the whole country was so short of staff that they resort to hiring immigrants who do not even possess the most fundamental etiquette to do some demanding jobs. A nation should protect its own labour market, namely allocate jobs to local people first of all. I look forward to receiving your most favourable reply! Kind regards, Maoguo Wu P.S. Please find my complaint letter below [Complaint letter is about 4000 words long, melodramatically describes a series of simple misunderstandings and harmless offenses committed by a possibly new and/or overworked hotel employee.]
Dear Maoguo, Your complaint letter was way too long to print in our issue, but we wouldn’t have printed it anyway because you were basically just whining over really petty bullshit that you took way too personally. Receptionists aren’t ER doctors or forest fire fighters, so you probably shouldn’t expect so much of them. As for your actual letter to us, we are pretty appalled at the xenophobic and racist attitude you expressed regarding the nationality of said receptionist. We should mention that their name in your complaint letter is an Icelandic one, so regardless of their appearance, where do you get off assuming you know where they were born or what their citizenship is? Here at the Grapevine, we’re happy to see people employed. Skin colour don’t matter. If you really want to do our country a favour, drop the racist judgments, lower your extremely high expectations of hard-working hotel staff and read the fucking bus schedule yourself.
Imagine our delight and surprise when we read the July issue of the Grapevine, picked up at the Information Centre. We particularly like the articles on the economy and I see you continue with exploring serious issues in the August paper. Best tourist paper we have seen and we have been around some. We loved the light in Iceland and the Prime Minister’s office without barriers and guards. Such a civilized place other than the lack of explanations all the confused tourists running around the BSI wondering where to go next. Have fun, Eva Wetzel
Hey Eva! Thanks so much for the love! The best tourist paper you’ve seen, eh? Well pardon us while we put on our proud-pants. Can you send us an official certificate from yourself stating this? We are thinking about starting a wall of honours bestowed upon us by our readers. LOVE Y’ALL.
I read about your new mayor’s election. Like many other things in his platform, the proposal for toll booths at the boundary with Seltjarnarnes, though superficially funny and crazy, has a lot of sense to it as you dig deeper. Would you be interested in an article on a realistic plan for how the mayor could keep this promise – at a profit to the city – and that would provide Reykjavik with the best city road funding system in the world? This article could be phrased as an open letter to the mayor, or in whichever other format you suggest. Kamal Hassan
Hey Kamal, That is a great idea actually. You should totally write this and get a discourse going with Mr. Gnarr. Maybe some other politicians and writers can jump in on the discussion, like the mayor of Seltjarnarnes perhaps, and then it can all end in a massive Thunderdome cage match out at Grótta. Make it happen.
Aprés le volcan d island les violents séismes Haiti et Chilie ces inondations en Pakistan violent feu de forét en Russie et tsunami solaire l application de coran et l islam a l échelle planétaire ou l apocalypse aucun pays ne sera épargner par les punitions de DIEU a part la Mecque Medina en Arabie Saoudite Elqods en Palestine et la montagne de Tamgout en Grande Kabylie parceque je suis un vrai musulman croyant et un vrai kabyle de la Grande Kabylie on a une dignité pour DIEU et l islam et le coran l application de Coran ou l apocalypse
OUR FRENCH-SPEAKING JOURNALIST TRANSLATES THIS FUCKING GUY AGAIN: After the volcano in Iceland the violent earthquates Haiti and Chilie these floods in Pakistan violent forest fires in Russia and solar tsunamis the application of the Koran and of islam on the global scale or else the apocalypse no country will be saved from the wrath of GOD except the Mecca Medina in Saudi Arabia Elqods in Palestine and the Tamgout mountain in Grand Kabylie because I am a real devout muslim and a real kabyle from Grand Kabylie we have respect for GOD and islam and the Koran apply the Koran or else the apocalypse.
We were gonna give you the free beer so you would chill the fuck down, but apparently the apocalypse is coming so we’ll just be over here with our beer bong until it starts raining piss and shit all over us. That’s what happens right?
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