Rydges North Sydney business stay

Just finishing up a 24 hour stay in Sydney where I stayed at Rydges North Sydney 54 McLaren Street North Sydney.

On a day where reasonable hotel rooms were are scarce as hens teeth, I was able to book into the Rydges after a few challenges - their website had rooms where Wotif didn't BUT the site had a scripting error so I had the normal run round trying to book over the phone and get the Rydges Priority Guest special rate - I think loyalty programs treat you like second class citizens... don't you?

The room was great and the bed comfortable...

Areas that could be better - breakfast when your customers want it!! As an early starter I like breakfast before 6.30am but that's not possible... I sat in the restaurant from 6ish working away but was prevented from helping myself to cereal because they "didn't open until 6.30!!"

Internet - free in the lobby but EXPENSIVE in the rooms - everyone at the table near me at breakfast is complaining - "gouging the guests" I think is their term.

So I give Rydges a 7/10 - pricing OK at $238/n, evening meal expensive at $51 with steak served on a cold plate so food was COLD!! but happy efficient staff.

Still number 1: Langham Auckland 9/10 [Winning feature is a great 24 hour restaurant which has breakfast 24 hours a day!!]

Telstra Sensitivity - Those Manila Monkeys [!]

Wayne, your number 08 9221 0300 is saying "this number is disconnected!"

So started my week... and after 89 minutes 23 secs I was back on air for that number which was "temporally disconnected for the amount of $700" which was an over charge from when we cancelled 3 lines etc which we not needed after vacating the city office - the original request was August... not bad.

Summary of my 89 minutes 23 secs call - 7 people who all asked me for my date of birth - maybe people do relays on the phone to Telstra because how can we possibly waste so much time talking to them?? - but my breath was taken away today when my transferred call was answered "Martin in Melbourne"...

I explained to "Martin in Melbourne" my problem and he said "does your account start with 221" which it didn't, so glory be, I had once once again been transferred to the wrong place...

However this is what "Martin in Melbourne" said that made my blood boil!!

"Those Manila monkeys do that all the time..."

Somehow I think Telstra has some cultural issues in the way staff relate with other Telstra staff.

I am the first to admit I hate dealing with their Manila call centre because the ladies there can't understand my 4th generation Aussie accent, I can't understand there pseudo American ones, and the line quality, using VoIP, is usually terrible.

However, where does anyone deserve to be referred to as 'those Manila monkeys'??

I think you would agree with me... there is NO PLACE in Australia for such demeaning racist comments. So, apart from letting you know here, I will go through the system of the complaints page on the Telstra website to record my disgust at those terms being used by "Martin in Melbourne."

Telstra Telstra B*&^*y Telstra

Gee... don't you get pissed off when you ring Telstra and select the automatic voice option for payment advice... it can't recognise your Australian accent and then they put you through to a Philippines call centre, using Voip, with a poor line with someone who has such a thick accent you cant understand them... and they have NO HOPE understanding you..

Then they ask you to identify yourself:

Phone Number: 0429 *** ***

Name: Wayne Mansfield [how do you spell that she asks... three attempts later gets it..]

Date of Birth: 23 January [ok with that because now you have started talking slower and louder!!]

Password: ***

You would think by this time they would have a fair idea who you were but NO!! they need further information...

As I said... Telstra Telstra B*&^%y Telstra - if they didn't have the best coverage I wonder how many people would stay??