I used to know someone who was – to put it mildly – unattractive. I don't want to use the word ugly. He had awful skin, was extremely overweight and smelt terrible from chain-smoking. But he thought he was good-looking – and behaved totally as if he was irresistible.
For some reason I remembered him when I was thinking about Britain.
Because I was having to face dealing with things British again... after three weeks in Greece.
In Greece I needed to get a covid test. I called a nearby Bioiatriki clinic, they made an appointment for exactly the time I needed it, I showed up on time, they tested me, they promised the result within 24 hours, and they sent it to me within 12 hours. They were efficient, polite and helpful – and even spoke perfect English.
Compare and contrast... I had to sign up to the British government's ridiculous 10-day quarantine package (coming from a country with no significant covid problem to the covid-ridden UK!) and tests on days two and eight with one of the companies on the Foreign Office's website.
I gave the company – 1010 Labs – details of when I would be arriving back – from which they should be able to deduce when days two and eight would be. And after I'd handed over nearly £130, they then informed me that the first kit was on its way to my home the following day... ie two days before I would be there to receive it.
I emailed five times (and had no reply) and finally phoned them... to no avail. The call handler I spoke to – who didn't appear to me to understand the problem of delivering a covid test to someone who wouldn't be there to receive it but would probably have to break quarantine to go to a post office to pick it up – didn't seem to me to comprehend or to speak English that well.
She promised she would report the issue. She promised someone would call me back. So far, I'm still waiting...
Global Britain? Give me a break...
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