My dearest uncle died this AM in Texas. I have been working on purchasing airline tickets for HOURS now on the computer, and am now on hold... for THIRTY THREE MINUTES...

First web site got me all the way to "click to confirm purchase" and then blipped back to a page which said "call the airline". Turns out the web page prices had to be purchased further out then an unexpected death allows....

Got back on line to make sure the new, higher price was the best I could get. Found a better price after much, much searching, letting dogs out, feeding dogs, putting dogs to bed, searching some more, etc...

Got to the point of "click to confirm" and then get a message the credit card info is wrong. I type again. And again. And again. Get a different card, enter THAT info, same freakin' message. We have NO credit card debt so that is not the issue. I check address, etc... Nothing.

Sooo.. I call the freakin' airline. I get a message which states I'll be on hold 31 minutes... We are now at 35 minutes, the page on which my flight selections were on has expired in spite of repeatedly clicking "yes, I need more time"...

I'm going to try to be very nice to the poor soul who might eventually, perhaps, if I'm lucky, answer the phone - but with each minute, this is getting harder and harder.

ARGHHHHHHHH... It should NOT be THIS hard to spend THIS much money!!

Breathe deep.... Thanks for letting me vent.

I'm sorry, Barbara. The toughest loss for me was an uncle.

Go easy on the poor soul who gets your call. I know you will.:wink:

Sorry you are having to go through this loss. Putting any amount of stress on top of that sucks.

Just don't get yourself put on the watched passengers list. Crazy Barbara.

I just want to give you my deepest sympathies on the loss of your
uncle.
Also, so sorry you had to go through that hell just trying to get a ticket! I have been there too, enough to make a person want to lose their mind.
Once this happened while I was on hold for about that long when my cell phone dropped the call and I had to start all over again! I could have been committed that day!

Thanks Michael and Joyce,

One hour and 22 minutes after being placed on hold, sweet Charlotte came on the line. I was very nice Michael - so at least for now I am not on the nation's "No Fly List"... (that could change as soon as they find out I'm a fiscal conservative, but I digress...)

Tonight there was a nation-wide problem with the credit card "portals" (sounds like a personal problem to me...) and, at least through this site, tickets could only be placed via speaking with an actual human. Had it not taken so long, I prefer speaking with real folks. Charlotte was wonderful.

In any case, I'm heading to the great state of Texas on Thursday to pay my respect to an incredible gentleman who for twenty years doted on a bed-ridden wife (extremely rare degenerative muscle disease). Aunt Doris could do NOTHING for herself, so my uncle moved his business to the garage of their modest home, and with the help from my three cousins, he cared for this woman in every sense of the word. The level of care my aunt required is that which I've only seen in a nursing home. Never ONCE did I hear him whine or complain. Not once. He exemplified love and commitment and devotion in every sense of the word. I asked him a few years ago how he found strength and he said simply "I promised to love her in sickness and in health until death do we part."

RIP Uncle Pooch. (aka: Rovert West to the rest of the world.)

I'm sorry for your loss Barbara.

May he rest in peace.

Very sorry for your loss...and glad your persistence finally paid off.

Have a safe trip...

leih

I'm so sorry, its hard having to deal with grief and travel arrangments at the same time

i'm so sorry for your loss. Your Uncle sounds like he was a rare and wonderful man.

Good luck with the up-coming air travel. May you have an open seat next to you, and nice nostagic visits with family members that you may see.
Sympathy for your loss.

Barbara, I am also sorry for your loss. He must have been an amazing man.