wOOt! Just got the email through to say I've been booked on the Rock Tour - Yey!
Tried to ring the train company - despite what it says on GSR website - they are not open on a Sunday!
Saturday 27 February 2010
Booking the Rock Tour
Hopefully accomplished this morning. After all the faff trying and failing to book the train it seems that booking the Rock Tour is no hassle and provokes no 'fraud line' calls at all. Result!
The tour I have booked goes from Alice and back to Alice - although I did have to tell them where I wanted to be picked from, which caused more delving around (think I've found somewhere - tried to go with one of the places for a later pick-up!). Checked around with a few companies online and in Lonely Planet including:
Wayout back - cool 'cos eco & 4x4 - but pricey
and have decided to go with The Rock Tour. Yes, it's the cheapest but it's also recommended in Lonely Planet and, apart from a difference of direction, most of the tours that involve camping under the stars and hiking are fairly similar. I'm not out for comfort whilst travelling this area - I want a real and raw experience.
Am awaiting an email back form the hostel I want to stay in in Alice and then I need to to work out exactly how I'm supposed to pay for the train ticket!
Rest of the plane and now for train.
So, it's pay day and I've paid off the rest of my plane ticket/Sydney accomodation so now onto my train ticket form Adelaide to Alice Springs.
I made my way to the GSR website (from my one note link) and on to the booking page. Good, the online deal was still there! Filled in my details, pressed confirm...and.....nothing - apart form a note saying there ahd been a problem and it had been declined..hmmm.
So I hesitantly tried again, messed up my phone number, and then tried again - and still it came back with declined.Nuts.
Well, I thought, so much for that. I was going to ring but the office would be shut.
Then I checked my phone and there was a missed call and an automated message claiming to be from Barclays Fraud Line. Flippin' eck.
So I spent the next 10mins online trying to work out iof the number was genuine - with no real help. So in the end rang barclays through the usual number to try and confim if it was the real deal. I just love the way when you're freaked out about Fraud stuff they then make you give almost ALL your account details in order that they can check if it was indeed a genuine phone number - WHAT??? Surely they know the b****y number of their own fraud line regardless if I'm speaking to 'Kevin' in India and the fraud line had an English accent.
Anyway, finally confirmed that it was in fact genuine and had to confirm that yes it was me who tried to purchase that ticket. She then tried to 'sell' me new products and apparently had no idea that I'm NOT paying full whack on my interest and I CAN use my Debit card abroad. I very politely corrected her on these points and then she all but hung up on ME. Makes a change!
The long and the short of it (after trying again to purchse one and receinving yet another automated call) is that I obviously can't purchase a ticket over the internet (worries me for booking everything else now!) so am now trying to come up with an alternative. I really want to book it ASAP as a lot hinges on getting that train - especially as it only runs twice a week! Maybe my Dee could book it for me.....
I made my way to the GSR website (from my one note link) and on to the booking page. Good, the online deal was still there! Filled in my details, pressed confirm...and.....nothing - apart form a note saying there ahd been a problem and it had been declined..hmmm.
So I hesitantly tried again, messed up my phone number, and then tried again - and still it came back with declined.Nuts.
Well, I thought, so much for that. I was going to ring but the office would be shut.
Then I checked my phone and there was a missed call and an automated message claiming to be from Barclays Fraud Line. Flippin' eck.
So I spent the next 10mins online trying to work out iof the number was genuine - with no real help. So in the end rang barclays through the usual number to try and confim if it was the real deal. I just love the way when you're freaked out about Fraud stuff they then make you give almost ALL your account details in order that they can check if it was indeed a genuine phone number - WHAT??? Surely they know the b****y number of their own fraud line regardless if I'm speaking to 'Kevin' in India and the fraud line had an English accent.
Anyway, finally confirmed that it was in fact genuine and had to confirm that yes it was me who tried to purchase that ticket. She then tried to 'sell' me new products and apparently had no idea that I'm NOT paying full whack on my interest and I CAN use my Debit card abroad. I very politely corrected her on these points and then she all but hung up on ME. Makes a change!
The long and the short of it (after trying again to purchse one and receinving yet another automated call) is that I obviously can't purchase a ticket over the internet (worries me for booking everything else now!) so am now trying to come up with an alternative. I really want to book it ASAP as a lot hinges on getting that train - especially as it only runs twice a week! Maybe my Dee could book it for me.....
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