Do we have any travel agents here? - OT

No offense to any possible travel agents out there, but really & truly, Tink, 99% of the time you can score the best tickets by using a good online service like Expedia or Orbitz. I've been a member of AAA since I was 16, and my brother is a newly retired captain for American Airlines (formerly TWA) and both my bro and the person I've gone to at AAA say I can get better fares on my own online.

Unless you're desperate, avoid Priceline...it's a crapshoot and half the time you get 2 or more layovers. I've used Orbitz since it started up a few years back, and always get good fares and great service, even with weird ticketing like sending my kids one-way on their own with me joining them later.

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

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Ditto to what Karen says, and my sister is a travel agent. She routinely tells me to go on line for tickets.

Elise

Thanks for the good advice, guys! I've been buying airline tickets online for years, but the prices seem a lot higher this time around. Guess it's still the best deal, even if it's not as low as I'd like :-)

for years, but the prices seem a lot higher this time around. Guess it's still the best deal, even if it's not as low as I'd like :-) <

Oh man, tell me about the higher fares!!!!! Thank all the gods and little fishes that my Mom treats us to our Christmas plane tix, or we'd be staying here this year. I booked our tix Friday and they ended up being almost $200 EACH higher than last year. I found one possible lower price, but that was for a flight that landed in Philly at 1:15 am. Adjusting for the time change, that would still feel like 11 pm....plus the time to get our bags and pick up a rental car and then drive 2 hours to Mom's. NO! We could fly into Harrisburg and save on the car rental, but then I'd have to drive back & forth twice to get the kids to my ex, and the fare is higher still, so what we save on car rental gets eaten anyway. I swear, next year I'm making everyone else come here!

Karen (who can't wait to decorate a cactus of her very own)

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

Store:

lowestfare.com -- be your own agent. I always get the best rates there.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

I have gone to the travel agents with a print out of what I found online. They can't even match it.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

Unless you're desperate, avoid Priceline...it's a crapshoot and half the time you get 2 or more layovers. I've used Orbitz since it started up a few years back, and always get good fares and great service, even with weird ticketing like sending my kids one-way on their own with me joining them later.

over the years-- I've never had great luck getting a good price ANYPLACE online

I always call the airline DIRECT and HAGGLE... .LOL

Cheryl of DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

Well geez! I never thought of doing that. LOL! Seriously. I figured there was no point. That will have to wait until I feel better. Need a little piss and vinegar in my step, if you'll pardon the expression, to be able to carry that off, I would think.

Do we have a health update?????

We have our appointment Wednesday AM. And we are not amused. We would rather be melting something. Anything.

;-)

Well WE are glad to hear that you have an appointment! And we will be hoping for the best for you.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "KDK" :

]Well WE are glad to hear that you have an appointment! And we will be hoping ]for the best for you.

SECOND!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Personally I have been watching the calender, and I thought your appointment was Weds but tomorrow (today) is OK too.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

I just called to double-check on my appointment time. 10:45. I asked if they had anything earlier, as I must be out of there no later than noon. She chuckled and said, "No hon. We've double-booked all day. I don't know when you'll be out."

Tomorrow is the day my assistant comes at noon-ish. With all the folks in rcb who deal with and work with doctors, can someone tell me why they would double book all day? My ex reminded me today that the last time I went to the doc, I was there almost five hours waiting.

I am very tempted to cancel this appointment. I know I shouldn't, but I think this is simply rude. Thoughts?

think this is simply rude. Thoughts?<

Having been on BOTH sides of the appointment book, I completely agree with you! I don't care how good the doctor is, s/he cannot possibly give the quality of care that's needed with that kind of schedule. I think it's horrendously irresponsible.

One of the first docs I worked for in NYC wanted me to schedule patients for every 10 minutes, even though he took at least 20 minutes with each one. By the end of any given day the waiting room was full of cranky people and everyone in the back office was frazzled. After asking him 3 times to reconsider (along with a few other issues that really freaked me) I quit.

A year later I had the divine privilege of helping a new doc set up his own office. We talked at length about scheduling and I was allowed to put into place a system that I thought was ideal....every single day had one empty slot for morning and afternoon that HAD to stay empty until that morning, for true emergencies, and one afternoon a week was slated for quickie follow-ups only, so we had wiggle room for other things. A friend of mine took the job after I left, and she's still there after 16 years....and they STILL have basically the same system.

When we moved here I actively interviewed prospective doctors til I found one who had a sane scheduling system and reasonable availability. So far, they're wonderful.

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

Store:

slot for morning and afternoon that HAD to stay empty until that morning, for true emergencies, and one afternoon a week was slated for quickie follow-ups<

This is SOOO ideal! Hard to understand why they don't all do this already!

Carol in SLC My newest creation (11/28):

You MAY NOT use that as an excuse to cancel your appointment.

Waiting sucks and is rude. I know been there/done that. But in the case you need to see the Dr.

Maybe we can get Kathy NV or Linda2 to call and put the fear into them.