Albion fans collide with Reading travellers.

[happypig]

Anther problem the boys in blue have with the "Honest, hard-working traveller fraternity" is that, unless they are caught red-handed, they all close ranks and swear blind that the alleged offender has been there all the time.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

diversity in all its glory!

Not sure how treating them to a little dance show would have resolved this

 

[Return of the Rev]

Anther problem the boys in blue have with the "Honest, hard-working traveller fraternity" is that, unless they are caught red-handed, they all close ranks and swear blind that the alleged offender has been there all the time.

Or just refuse to get your dog back because of the hassle!

 

[alfredmizen]

They get away with anything they like and anyone is fair game, from the poor young lad working the till I saw in Sainsbury's who was being intimidated by some perma tanned traveller woman insisting she paid with a 20 when she blatantly paid with a ten to hoards s of them infesting and running amok in hotels and restaurants.
Take some comfort in the fact that most of them will now be back in their council homes in Ireland for the winter, waiting out the cold snap while rinsing benefits and their own local business's.

most of em have vulgar great homes in a place called rathkeel, and they arent council.

 

[Jesus Gul]

Did they have any dags?

 

[ofco8]

Wow. Must be the first time anyone's made a weekend of a trip to Reading*


*festival excluded.

Yep, a big decision, but Sunday we were visiting family in Oxfordshire.

With regard to complaining to Crowne Plaza HQ etc, I am not really into compensation culture, unless it is a massive issue. In reality we were sorry for the manager and his staff. The travellers stormed in without any notice and without police help the staff were overwhelmed. In the circumstances we felt they had done the best they could.

 

[The Guvnor]

Heard it went off, any truth?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

As a retired rozzer I'm happy to reply. Serving officers who frequent this board will probably prefer to keep silent as to post anything controversial will potentially get them in the shit with their employers. Even a polite and reasonable reply might get you in the shit if you have not been seen to 'challenge' some of the terms for travelers already used on this thread. In a way I guess that answers your question.

My personal direct answer would be:

Individually (in terms of how we may want to deal with the situation) no.
Collectively as an organisation - yes.

Don't forget also that this was Berkshire and the five coppers that turned up probably (I don't know) represented all their available resources at the time. For that you can blame Theresa May.

Having had to deal with numerous traveller weddings and funerals in my time they are a ****ing nightmare to control. If you have the resources, you can. If not, you're ****ed.

More then happy to do this.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Yep, a big decision, but Sunday we were visiting family in Oxfordshire.

With regard to complaining to Crowne Plaza HQ etc, I am not really into compensation culture, unless it is a massive issue. In reality we were sorry for the manager and his staff. The travellers stormed in without any notice and without police help the staff were overwhelmed. In the circumstances we felt they had done the best they could.

Refreshing to read. Good for you.

 

[Official Old Man]

WRITE AND COMPLAIN. Why should THEY get free drinks from the bar whilst you, a paying guest, get nothing (oh, a free dessert!).
This happens to me a lot in my shop. Most recently a group of two males, two females and eight kids walked in and helped themselves to what they wanted, walking out with about £150 worth of goods. Quite open about it, nothing hidden, just picked up what they wanted, smiled, and walked out. I called the police who done NOTHING AT ALL. Looked at the CCTV but then said they will keep an eye open. MAKES ME SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!

 

[ofco8]

WRITE AND COMPLAIN. Why should THEY get free drinks from the bar whilst you, a paying guest, get nothing (oh, a free dessert!).
This happens to me a lot in my shop. Most recently a group of two males, two females and eight kids walked in and helped themselves to what they wanted, walking out with about £150 worth of goods. Quite open about it, nothing hidden, just picked up what they wanted, smiled, and walked out. I called the police who done NOTHING AT ALL. Looked at the CCTV but then said they will keep an eye open. MAKES ME SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!

No, it was us who got the free drinks in the executive lounge. However, they were ordering drinks and either didn't pay or were reluctant to do so. Think they were given some for free to keep the peace.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Yep, a big decision, but Sunday we were visiting family in Oxfordshire.

With regard to complaining to Crowne Plaza HQ etc, I am not really into compensation culture, unless it is a massive issue. In reality we were sorry for the manager and his staff. The travellers stormed in without any notice and without police help the staff were overwhelmed. In the circumstances we felt they had done the best they could.

If you don't make an official complaint to HQ, it gives them no incentive to sort out similar incidents in the future. You should be getting a full refund in my opinion.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If you don't make an official complaint to HQ, it gives them no incentive to sort out similar incidents in the future. You should be getting a full refund in my opinion.

To be fair, it seems this was a one off. It wasn't the hotel's fault and I'm not sure what can be done to prevent this happening in the future. I'm also pretty certain "HQ" will know.

I think the OP has dealt with this quite admirably and I find their comment about compensation refreshing.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Have been to 51 different away grounds following the Albion but this trip was the weirdest of all. Four of us decided to make a weekend of it, with us men going to the football and the wives going shopping in the Oracle. We booked the 4* Crowne Plaza by the Thames for Friday and Saturday nights.
The trip started with our tickets not turning up in the post which meant picking them up at the stadium before the match.
Anyway, we arrived at the hotel and decided to eat there on Friday evening. We ordered the food and some nice wine and settled down for an enjoyable night. First course came and went, very enjoyable. Dessert had just arrived and we thought "what the hell is going on?"
Little kids began to charge around the restaurant climbing over low walls and making one hell of a racket. Then older kids came into the restaurant with takeaways and promptly started requisitioning plates and cutlery from behind the counters. The waiters were completely gobsmacked and sent all the kids packing.
We then noticed that the bar, which we could see, had filled up with the roughest looking people (beyond chav) who had taken over the whole bar.
The decibels rose and the kids were running around more manic. It ruined our meal and I strode off to speak to the manager. It appeared that 5 travellers had booked rooms in the hotel (unknown to the staff) and a lot more in the Premier Inn down the road. That had no bar so they all arranged to meet in our hotel.
Eventually there were about sixty of them in the bar and some of the younger blokes starting fighting in the bar which also spilled into the entrance. The manager was horrified as he could see his core guests were getting angry. Eventually he gave his non traveller guests the key to the executive bar, with free drinks, and called the police. Three cop cars turned up followed by another two. They were useless. After gently talking to the travellers they shook hands with the packs leaders and left. Of course, this meant they carried on as usual.
Some of the guests in the executive lounge got nervous and checked out to another hotel.
The police were called again. We decided to go to bed but to get into the lift or door to stairs you needed your room key. As we opened the door about 5 teenage travellers tried to pass through with us. We tried to stop them until the manager and cops came to our aid but 2 got through and ran up the stairs. The copper came through and we said to him "If the police had clamped down on the first visit these problems wouldn't have re- occurred". Of course, the copper thought we were wrong to complain and that a few people running shouting through hotel corridors was nothing to moan about.
The 5 who had booked rooms were trying to get others without rooms to doss down with them, free of charge.
We went to bed but at 3am a group of their youngsters, who had been clubbing, turned up demanding to be let in. Fights broke out, again, and the police were called again. At 5am those travellers who managed to get in the rooms were running up and down the corridors banging doors, waking all the guests. The whole lot of them, including those in the Premier Inn, were off to fly to Ireland for a funeral.

By the end of the night, none had been arrested, but the hotel was out of pocket as they had given all the legit guests free drinks and coffee and when we checked out this morning took the costs of our desserts off the bill.
Why are they allowed to get away with anti social behaviour for which the rest of us would be arrested.

and if this had been football fans it'd be on the 10 o'clock news and in every paper!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Just been reading how the riot police turned up to a peaceful rave in South London. Maybe the Crown Plaza should have said the travellers were New Age travellers. That would have spurred the plod into action. Either that or said they were black? Both would have got a better response.

 

[dazzer6666]

Just been reading how the riot police turned up to a peaceful rave in South London. Maybe the Crown Plaza should have said the travellers were New Age travellers. That would have spurred the plod into action. Either that or said they were black? Both would have got a better response.

Would that be the peaceful rave that was illegal, unlicensed and where the attendees had petrol bombs?

 

[Pinkie Brown]

A few months back, I was on a bus in Berlin when a bunch of roma gypsy women and some kids got on, hopping through the back door of a bendy bus. The driver, a little squat man with gnarled features, sat glaring in his rear mirror before hopping out his seat, going to the back door and asking to see their tickets. Of course, never in a hundred years did they have tickets or intended to buy. He promptly threw them off the bus. The gypsies left the bus without so much as a whimper. Whether they were up to no good (begging on the bus), who knows. They do have previous for that kind of behaviour though.

On this occasion, it didn't happen in Germany........

 

[tinycowboy]

Refreshing to read. Good for you.

I just got back from a Premier Inn down your way HK. Bloke in front of me (middle-aged man, embarrassed wife and daughter) was insisting on exercising his money-back guarantee, explaining that his room was too hot (possibly, if you insisted on using the duvet regardless of how hot you were, or not opening the window) and that the queuing in the adjoining restaurant for breakfast was "absolutely unacceptable" (there was a wait of about 3-5 minutes for a table). He then made a point of saying he was a regular customer - business AND personal use, no less. "Have you exercised the guarantee at this hotel before?" asked the receptionist. "Not at this one, no" was the answer. I asked the receptionist if it's hard having to deal with tw*ts like that on a regular basis. She wasn't able to comment.

 

[rippleman]

Unsurprising that the OB did absolutely nothing. When a bunch of "travellers" (not sure if I can say gippos) invaded Victoria Park last summer I asked if we could have a couple of PCSOs around to:-

1) Act as a deterrent so they were less inclined to commit crime and

2) Reassure local residents because of 1) above

Police refused because they didn't want to "inflame the situation"! No. Honestly. The rights of the workshy, tax-dodging "travellers" (not sure if I can say pikeys) put before the rights of working tax-paying residents.

And even the Council had to carry out a "welfare assessment" ie make sure they had everything they needed and were nicely tucked up every night before they would move them on.

And that's the sorry state of our country today.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I just got back from a Premier Inn down your way HK. Bloke in front of me (middle-aged man, embarrassed wife and daughter) was insisting on exercising his money-back guarantee, explaining that his room was too hot (possibly, if you insisted on using the duvet regardless of how hot you were, or not opening the window) and that the queuing in the adjoining restaurant for breakfast was "absolutely unacceptable" (there was a wait of about 3-5 minutes for a table). He then made a point of saying he was a regular customer - business AND personal use, no less. "Have you exercised the guarantee at this hotel before?" asked the receptionist. "Not at this one, no" was the answer. I asked the receptionist if it's hard having to deal with tw*ts like that on a regular basis. She wasn't able to comment.

Bloke's a ****, as you say. I use Prem Inns about 40 nights a year, and have never once 'exercised the guarantee'. To my mind you can only legitimately do so, in the morning, if you've given the staff the opportunity to rectify whatever the issue is at the time? In your ****'s instance, did he call down to reception at 2am and complain that his room was too hot?

(I never would because having someone come round to sort, or moving room at 2am would wreck my night's sleep way more than the duvet being too thick!).