Cheap Flights, Cheap Service

Gah. My life is about to get even more eventful. At least my trip to America will be.

So I booked my flights for Devon's wedding in March. Found a return ticket for a total of only £367. I had to call up to make the booking because the online service screwed up for some reason. The lady I spoke to (who, by the way, and not in an offensive way, had a foreign accent) was supposedly taking my details from the failed online booking which she had access to. Therefore, I thought she'd get my details right. I explained (apparently not well enough) that my passport was still in my maiden name so I needed my booking to be under my maiden name, but it needed to be billed to my married name. When I got my itinerary through my email, my name was suddenly this:

"MaidenName"mcfarlane, Lorimrs

(i.e., we'll say my maiden name was Duncan - it said "Duncanmcfarlane, Lorimrs")

I don't know who would name their daughter "Lorimrs" or what kind of mixed up ethnicity that surname is, but I sure as hell don't have it on any of my identification documents. I called up immediately to tell them to change it. I got a different person (a man with a clear Scots accent) who told me there was nothing he could do short of cancelling the booking and me losing my money. "I'm sure if you bring your marriage certificate it will be fine." Oh yes, I'm sure in Amsterdam when the security guards are checking my passport, their broken English and my immaculate Dutch will be able to clear up any misunderstanding about this so-called Lorimrs Duncanmcfarlane.

Sheesh. I mean, I know when you buy a cheap ticket you should expect to pay for your peanuts or not get working headphones to watch the crap film shot onto a white plastic bedsheet, but you do at least expect the service provider to know the difference between a title and a forename.

I'll let you know what comes of this debacle from my cell in illegal immigrant prison.