Many people's experience of air-flight is considerably degraded by the presence of piped music, that is often turned up even higher at take off. I suppose the assumption is that the music will either distract or calm the passengers at the moment of take off. In fact, many people are irritated and stressed by this unwanted noise. Make a point of enquiring about the presence of muzak before you book, and complain if the answer is that muzak is played during any part of the flight.

Hotels, Travel Companies, Airlines, Coaches

Airlines

British Airways

Write to British Airways Customer Relations,

PO box 5619, Sudbury, Suffolk. CO10 2PG.

Fax. +44 (0)20 8759 4314. Tel. 084577 99977.
 

British Midland

Write to: British Midland, Donington Hall, Castle Donington, Derby, East Midlands. DE74 2SB. Tel. 01332 854274.

A complaint can also be sent directly to Customer Relations from the company website at:

British Midland

 

Trains

Central Trains

October 2004: This company is rapidly installing TV in its train carriages that blast adverts. at the traveller. All this because the train company earns money from the advertisements. Why should the customer have to suffer? Make sure that you complain!

Travel Companies

New Millennium

This company specialises in coach holidays to Eastern Europe. A visitor to these pages has informed me that she booked a holiday to Poland in 1999. The journey to Poland took about 24 hours and she was annoyed to find that piped music was played throughout the journey. On the return, despite protests from passengers, the music was not even turned down, and their requests that it be turned off were ignored.

New Millennium informed me, initially, that they do not have a policy about piped music on coaches and I was then told that piped music would be turned off "by majority decision". My advice is that, if you wish to travel with this company, you should ask about their policy about piped music and only make a definite booking if you are satisfied that complaints will be taken seriously.

New Millennium Holidays and Travel. Icon House, 209 Yardley Road, Birmingham. B27 6LZ. tEL. 0870 240 3217.

http://www.newmillennium.ltd.uk

Hotels

 

A high proportion of the hotels in the groups listed below have piped music in the public areas of the hotel, including the dining room and the toilets!! A stay in one of these hotels can be guaranteed to be an unpleasant experience that may well raise your blood pressure to unhealthy levels. I would recommend that, before booking, you enquire about the hotel's policy on piped music, and that you do not book if muzak is played in the public areas of the hotel. You also need to make it clear why you are not making a reservation.
 

Six Continents Hotels

They control a number of chains, including Inter-Continental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn/Posthouse.

Complaints can be made directly from the company website (click on Need Assistance? at bottom left hand side of page) at: Six Continents Hotels

Or by contacting the company at: Six Continents Hotels, 67 Alma Road, Windsor, Berksire SL4 3HD, United Kingdon

Youth Hostel Association

An increasing number of Youth Hostels assault their clientele with muzak at the compulsory breakfast and during the bookable evening meal. Visitors to this site have reported negative comments and hostile looks when they have requested that the muzak be turned off or down. In any case, it is not really good enough that visitors should be placed in the position of having to make a request. Some individuals have been congratulated by others in the restaurant who have obviously disliked the muzak but have remained silent about it.

Make a complaint from the Youth Hostel website

The Accor Group

This chain owns a number of chains, including Novotel, Thalassa, Ibis, Coralia, Motel 6, Red Roof Inns, Suitehotel, Mercure, ETAP, and Hotel Formule1.

A complaint can be made directly from the company website at: Accor Group