The main reason for the venture was to visit the Historic sites most particularly The Cathedrals in Cologne and the University City of Heidelberg, the latter having no prospect of being realised.
From the outset there was evidence of disorganisation, the primary meeting point in Leeds was to prove difficult for some as the location and coordinates of that meeting point were incorrect causing a initial substantial delay while some located the coach exacerbated by the fact that a cancellation given by one passenger had nor been relayed to the driver who in the full knowledge that some expected to join had been misinformed as to the location he felt obliged to wait for that passenger to arrive. The consequence being that we were constantly late at every onward pick-up point.
Thus, we found ourselves on a coach for in excess of eight hours before one break of twenty minutes and that over the course of the whole journey to Shearings distribution hub..
For the last section of the journey to that distribution hub we were advised that for operational reasons the driver that had brought us to that point was leaving the coach and that ‘drivers’ please note the plurality would be taking over. Factually those ‘drivers’ again note the plurality were not there and ready to take over. After some discussion between members of Shearings staff one driver ‘Rick’ took over the driving for the final phase of that journey.
We were sitting directly behind the driver ‘Rick’ and to our certain discomfort we noted that while driving on the motorway and at motorway speeds that driver was pen in hand using any hard surface within reach and was as he drove completing various forms of paperwork.
On several occasions due to the fact his eyes were not on the road we veered to the left and to the right before ‘Rick’ noted the variation and regained control of the coach. Far worse in my opinion was that while ‘Rick’ was head down filling in his forms we were tailgating the HGV ahead of with the distance between diminishing at an alarming rate.
I reported this at your junction 24 desk and named the driver. Shearings female operative told me that two other drivers should have been manning that vehicle with one at the wheel and the other completing the paperwork.
Further; she stated that ‘Rick’ was not allocated as a driver for that coach.
I suggested that your company should examine the dashcam footage to confirm the details I had reported. She confirmed that she would do so but I did not see her make any hand written or electronic note.
When we became aware that we were following a different journey schedule I requested and was given the names of the Hotels that Shearings were using to accommodate us during our Holiday.
I am a strict vegetarian (Not Vegan) and as a precaution I wrote to both Shearings and the Hotel variously in English and German to explain my dietary preferences having already confirmed to your customer service department those needs in some detail.
As I did not receive any written response from either your Customer Service or the Hotel, I contacted your customer service by telephone and in conversation I reiterated all that had gone before and noting from my own investigation of that hotel that they had a restaurant.
I then advised that should a problem arise because of my diet I would use their al-a-cart menu at my own expense or visit other restaurants in the area.
Regrettably their restaurant was in fact a cake and coffee café, and there were no other food outlets within walking distance and so despite all my advance perpetration it was going to be take it or leave it.
Attached is a photograph of the ‘Dinner’ offered to me on the first night of my stay, I do not need to comment as a picture actually does say more than a thousand words.
I tried to remonstrate with the staff at the hotel but as I have very limited command of the German language it was to no avail.
Asked to intervene ‘John’ the driver/ guide fell back on this statement “I am not employed by Shearings but by Delta Coaches by and thus had no influence of the hotel commenting that I should contact Shearings’ customer service by telephone an impossibility at that hour.
The following day I did make some progress and indicated that I would be most happy for something as simple as Egg and Chips.
That evening we went to dinner at 7.30pm local time, dinner being available until eight in the evening.
The hotel it seemed had produced for me a cheese omelette with skin on fries but at the start of service at 6.00pm local time. Having been kept under a grill since being made some ninety minutes before the whole meal was completely dried out and totally inedible.
For the remaining two nights the Chef ‘Jorg ‘produced a meal of Cauliflower Cheese and as a last offering a dish of mixed vegetable pasta.
I expressed my gratitude verbally and by a substantial gift in hard cash
The facilities at the Lindenhof Hotel leave much to be desired, yes it was very clean but on most days there were no English speaking staff member on duty.
The rooms were more than basic being reminiscent of university halls of residence.
Yes; there was a flat screen television but with no English channels.
Further; the hotels own web description was shall we say misleading in too many aspects to list here.
We found the itinerary on each and every day constrictive, poorly organised and ill thought out. Perhaps if the leading Guide / Driver ‘John’ had less bluster and more local knowledge perhaps our overall experience would have been better.
It is interesting that he ended almost every sentence with ‘ALLRIGHT’ which was blatantly untrue.
With the exception of the Rhine Valley Boat Trip the waterway excursions were in all ways over promoted and in many ways an exercise in tedium.
For example, In Stuttgart to voyage past the scrapyards concrete works and power stations was not edifying in any way and as for the others we would out of preference have stayed ashore with more time to absorb the culture and the history rather than stare at riverbanks, dereliction and decay.
Finally on the penultimate day and shortly after setting out the coach (Number 42) developed a fault with the braking system evidenced by the continuing high-pitched note of the safety alarm.
While I fully accept that the pneumatic braking systems on coaches and HGV’s are designed to fail safe I do not feel that Shearings drivers having presumably taking advice from their managers at Delta had any legal competence to decide the level of physical risk to ourselves as passengers; or for that matter other road users should the braking system fail rather than fail safe.
Having spoken in general terms to the department of transport and my own vehicle insurers their opinion was concise and conclusive.
From the moment the safety systems on your coach indicated a brake malfunction the coach should have immediately been taken out of service.
Instead, it was driven throughout the whole of the day both on rural roads and on the Autobahn.
We noted that by the time we departed the final transit hotel your coach remained in a German repair yard unrepaired after a second system fault had been diagnosis.
Taking all this together with the action of your driver ‘Rick’ on the feeder coach to one might determine that such actions indicated a somewhat cavalier attitude to the safety of your customers.
For us the whole holiday evidenced systematic failures variously in logistics, administration, customer care and corporate responsibility.
This holiday was a total and very expensive failure .
Certainly not an experience we would readily wish to repeat.
Quality: 1
Value for money: 1
