In awe of this stupidity

Anyone out there who can tell me how this makes anything even vaguely resembling sense?

My colleagues and I are organising a conference in Brussels (which means they’re actually organising it and I’m asking irrelevant questions).

Anyhow, my PA Iane – aka The Brazilian Bombshell – is checking out hotels and this is what happens when she talks to one which I will call for the sake of argument The Stanhope. They quote a ludicrous rate per delegate so Iane says, “But I’ve seen a much lower rate for you on Expedia.”

The lady at the other end – get this – says, “Oh, if that’s the case, why don’t you book through them?”

No, you didn’t read wrong, friends. Rather than match the Expedia price, she is willing to let us book through them and pay commission. So the hotel screws itself twice.

I just take my hat off to that. It’s almost as stupid as the way Peter Jones in Chelsea handle customers.

This will be the subject of a forthcoming piece I guarantee will give you a few laughs.

It will tell how everyone we’ve dealt with since February from the Chairman down in a vain attempt to get a pair of curtains made has been – with two helpful exceptions – either dilatory, rude, incompetent, smug, dozy, unable to read, thick, bossy or just plain useless.

Interestingly, the Chairman is called “Charlie”. Very appropriate - as you will see -if you know what that name implies to most English people.