A PLEASANT SURPRISE

This month, I want to share two anecdotes from my native country that made me reflect on cultural quirks and, surprisingly, left me optimistic.

It all started with a trip to celebrate my mother’s 88th birthday in early December. Since she lives alone in sheltered accommodation, we always book a nearby hotel. Usually, we stay at a Premier Inn, but prices this year were inexplicably high. Looking for alternatives, I found a pub with accommodation that seemed reasonably priced and had good online reviews.

We arrived at the pub around 10 pm after spending the day with my mother. Though not overly crowded, the pub had an unsettling, mildly aggressive atmosphere. Despite my reservations, like a good Brit I ordered a pint for myself and my son before retreating to our room.

The problems started as soon as we stepped inside. The air was thick with artificial freshener or cleaning products, triggering allergies almost immediately. Worse, the windows were nailed shut, leaving the room unventilated. Unable to sleep, at around 1 am I decided we had to leave to find alternative accommodation. With no options available at that hour, I ended up waking my elderly mother and sleeping on her sofa, while my son returned to endure the night at the pub.

Other issues compounded our discomfort: the next-door guest loudly talked on the phone and played his TV late into the night; the room, located above a busy main road, lacked soundproofing, leaving us disturbed by traffic and police / emergency vehicle sirens (remember this is Manchester we’re talking about); the shower offered lukewarm water at best; and the wardrobe rail collapsed under the weight of a single shirt.

For all of these reasons, we were forced to find other accommodation for our second night (much more costly than I would normally pay due to the urgent booking). I therefore requested that the pub refund me for the one night. To my great surprise, the pub landlord went to great lengths to contact me (I didn’t want to talk to him on the phone and was trying to resolve the issue via Booking.com, but they won’t allow you to put emails in the chat, so he had to repeatedly insist that I call to give him my email for my bank details for the refund), and then proceeded to refund me for both nights, while offering a profuse apology.

The second anecdote came later in December when I ordered a dartboard as a Christmas gift for my son and myself. Playing darts is a great way to take a break from work/studying at home. Take my word for it. The board, shipped from the UK at significant extra cost due to Brexit, arrived with a large stain on the bullseye. Disappointed, I emailed the company, explaining that returning it was impractical due to prohibitive import tariffs. To my astonishment, they immediately sent a replacement at no charge, including the tariffs.

A refund and an apology? A costly replacement sent with no questions asked? What was this parallel universe I had stumbled across? My disillusionment with my native culture is in severe danger of being replaced by one of optimism in 2025 if it’s not careful.

Opinion