£1 loan payments, orangutans and learning it doesn't all happen overnight...

Kepp

Getting ready for Africa list

• [STRIKE]Email through my flight details[/STRIKE]
• Make doctors appointment for jabs etc
• [STRIKE] Get hair cut[/STRIKE]
• Sort travel insurance
• Sort phone insurance
• Download and test postcard app
• [STRIKE] Download and test Viber app[/STRIKE]
• Transfer money
• Exchange some money to Rand
• Finish Christmas fayre stuff
• [STRIKE] Finish craft order for moving house present[/STRIKE]
• Shop for toiletries
• [STRIKE] De-activate Etsy shop[/STRIKE]
• De-activate Amazon listings
• [STRIKE] Post eBay item[/STRIKE]
• Start Christmas presents I am making
• Order more cellophane bags
• [STRIKE] Return new car documents[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE] Sort car insurance[/STRIKE]

Getting there!

jacci45

Its going down that is the main thing, it will be zero in the end. Im hoping to be df by end Feb but because Ive started spending a bit more Im not sure.
We will get there sooner rather than later!!

Happytogetdebtfree

Im sure you will do it, you have been very motivated! I suppose its when you get down to smaller numbers we can get complacient and comfortable but you are determined. Its 56 days until the end of the year from tomorrow thats £37.93 a day to be free i dont know how that works against your monthly averages but im pretty sure you have the capability to do it xx

Kepp

Getting ready for Africa list

• [STRIKE]Email through my flight details[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE] Make doctors appointment for jabs etc[/STRIKE] Only needed MMR booster so quick and easy
• [STRIKE] Get hair cut[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE] Sort travel insurance[/STRIKE] £27 for this so not too bad
• [STRIKE] Sort phone insurance[/STRIKE] and £6 for this so again not too bad
• [STRIKE] Download and test postcard app[/STRIKE] done and the postcard was great, really impressed with it for the price
• [STRIKE] Download and test Viber app[/STRIKE]
• Transfer money
• Exchange some money to Rand
• Finish Christmas fayre stuff
• [STRIKE] Finish craft order for moving house present[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE] Shop for toiletries[/STRIKE] My Mum let me use her Boots points for this which was lovely of her and saved me some pennies
• [STRIKE] De-activate Etsy shop[/STRIKE]
• De-activate Amazon listings
• [STRIKE] Post eBay item[/STRIKE]
• Start Christmas presents I am making
• [STRIKE] Order more cellophane bags[/STRIKE] Done, although will be arriving while I'm away so will have to package my craft stuff when I get back. Only a couple of hours work and I'll have 2 days to do it so not going to panic
• [STRIKE] Return new car documents[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE] Sort car insurance[/STRIKE]

Nearly there!

I hate the week before I go away - obviously I love going but I feel really unsettled in the lead-up and I'm so disorganised that I never know where anything is etc. Think I drive OH mad, he'll be pleased to get rid of me :rotfl:

Happytogetdebtfree

Have a good trip :-) xx

Kepp

Thanks Happy Not going well at the moment though I have a problem with my flights that could potentially cost me £600

I've de-activated my Amazon listings though so at least that's another thing off the list.

Happytogetdebtfree

Ah no what's happened ? £600 I hope it can be easily sorted xx

Emzilla

I hope they can get your flights sorted without it costing any extra Beccie.

And in case I can't get on here tomorrow, I hope you have a lovely holiday :cool:.

Emz xx

Kepp

So, yesterday cost me £688 for new flights

Not to bore you all but essentially what happened was this:

I originally was due to fly Heathrow-Zurich-Joburg-Polokwane. The Joburg-Polokwane leg was an internal flight.

My plans changed as you'll all know from before due to illegal hunting issues etc but I made new plans that mean I would still fly to Joburg on my original flights and cancel the internal flight to Polokwane. I wasn't chasing for a refund or anything, just did not want to use the last section of my journey which my travel agent advised them of.

Simple no?

I got an urgent phone call from travel agent yesterday saying that Swiss Airlines had called him and said that he couldn't have submitted a cancellation as their computer systems were down and that I wasn't allowed to cancel the last leg of my journey! If I did not get on the Joburg-Polokwane flight I would be considered a 'no-show' passenger and all my return flights would be cancelled!!!

Which has to be one of the most ridiculous, illogical things I have ever heard!! The travel agent who has been doing this for years had never heard of this either.

Their two very unhelpful suggestions -

I re-book my orginal Heathrow-Zurich-Joburg flights with them as an entirely new booking at a cost of £621!

Or, I fly on my original flights with them continuing on to Polokwane, so that I am not considered a no-show. I then book another flight back out of Polokwane to Joburg again so that I end up back where I want to be. I then repeat this at the other end so fly Joburg-Polokwane-Joburg-Zurich-Heathrow. This stupid idea came with a price tag of £300!

So - I have booked entirely new flights with SAA hence the cost. On the bright side they are direct Heathrow-Joburg flights that mean that I don't have to leave here till Monday evening instead of lunchtime and get a extra day in Africa before I return home.

In the meantime my travel agent is trying to recover the tax element of my original flights (£500 of an £800 flight!) but he said it may not be successful and if it is could take 6-8 weeks.

Successful or not I will be pursuing a full complaint with them when I get back. It's unbelievable really.

My travel agent has been brilliant - doing everything he can and waiving all his normal charges.

Swiss Airlines on the other hand - I wouldn recommend that nobody ever uses them ever :mad: Imagine if the new flights had been sold out!

So there we go, sorry that turned into a very long rant

I have had to borrow £700 from my Mum so not ideal in the whole getting out of debt thing. But (I don't know if this was sensible or not!) my thinking was I could not go, lose £800 and have nothing to show for it, or pay £700, still get to go to Africa and hope that I can successfully argue a refund when I get home.

Emzilla

Oh no Beccie, that's rubbish!! I think you made the right decision, as at least you have the chance to get some of your money back.

Try not to let it ruin your holiday though. I hope you have a great time.

Emz xx