Last day in MH, and a reply from Debdale

The forecast was for rain later in the day, and Market Harborough has a half day on a Wednesday, in so far as any shop shuts for a half day these days.

Accordingly, half eight saw us on our way downhill again (though some would say we've been going downhill for a long time). The main thing we wanted was meat, and we found a butcher with a good range in the centre, not just the usual stuff but a wide variety of sausages and deli type things as well.

Back at the boat, we turned to and did some more cleaning. Sheila washed the bow and stern, and I had a go at the hard to get at bits of the loo. We also found time for some serious nattering with our fellow temporary moorers.

It has indeed rained after lunch, so we're just hoping that the forecast will also be right about tomorrow, when it's supposed to be dry again.

I've had a very courteous reply from Debdale Wharf. It's too long to quote in full here, but this is the nub of it:

As you may have noticed we are currently extending our wetdock workshop area, a new part of the building has very recently been erected and is part of a refurbishment of our canal frontage. When finished new signage will be prominent to passing boats and the access will be better for pump out and diesel.

We are currently upgrading our website as well. 

It was a shame that you were given the advice to proceed across the slipway, I read that your friends had forgotten that you did not need diesel.  As you can imagine leaning out over the cut with a heavy pumpout pipe can be a precarious experience so I do not think that asking you to move the boat in order to make the process safer is too much to ask.  Usually if a boat comes to us for pump out only then the wharf side is fine.  However if a boat needs diesel and a pump out the slip way is the best place to proceed as the hose for the diesel pump is of forecourt length and one can reach the boats pump out point, using our extremely long pump out hose, on either side of the boat.

With regard to our man, again I am sorry that whatever he said to you made you feel unwanted and uncared for. The other customer that he was dealing with at the time you came into the office did, when asked, report that the atmosphere was a little strained.  We cannot go through life expecting to get on with everyone and I know that he did try to engage you in conversation in the office but sometimes one can try too hard and make things worse. 

We always issue receipts to our customers.  I am afraid that this is the process and we do try to make every effort to be efficient. 

In response to your friends experience regarding the hire fleet and diesel, the hire fleet has not been in operation here for over 12 years and our operating practices have changed completely over that time.  To give the impression that that would happen again would be wrong and I would be grateful if you could inform your friend of this.

We do try very hard to make everyone who visits us feel happy and leave feeling as though they have had a good experience with us and it is upsetting to think that we cannot give that to 100% of our customers – I would very much like to meet the business that can! 

I appreciate your feedback about your experience and hope that you will receive better service from us the next time you are in the area. 

So, fair enough. It's unlikely that we'll be down that way again for a while, of course, but at least Mike Goode had the decency to respond as he did.

Tomorrow, we'll pump out first thing, to avoid getting in the way of the Canal Boat Club turn round, and then head back to Foxton.