NEVER SHOP AT NIKE STORE ON LINE
Letter from one of our readers:
I have worked in customer service for over 12 years of my life.
I new I had seen it all but its different working in customer service than being a customer that requires service.
My experience at the NIKE store on line gave me a new meaning of customer service.
At my former employers we were always told to go above and beyond to help the customer and as well make sure we rectify a situation especially if we can see that it is our fault.
Obviously NIKE does not operate on the same code of ethics.
Its bad enough that this is the same company that was underpaying overseas employees that were children
but to also give bad customer service after rebuilding your name is really not the smartest thing to do.
My experience with NIKE has been the worst experience involving customer service in my life.
I went to NIKE's website NIKE.COM and ordered a pair of shoes as a gift for a close friend of mine but I put in the wrong size.
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SKI RESORT TO OPEN EARLY
A spokesman for Cetursa, the company which manages the Sierra Nevada ski resort, has said the slopes could be open to the public as early as November 15th or the 22nd this year if the current low temperatures continue. The resort usually opens in December, snowfall permitting.
BULL BREEDERS HIT BY CRISIS
The current economic crisis is making itself felt in all areas of life in Spain - including bullfighting. One of the country's most famous breeders, Juan Pedro Domecq, told reporters last week that the number of bullfights per year will probably have to be reduced, because people will think twice before buying tickets. It's good news for the anti-bullfighting campaigners but Sr Domecq said he and his fellow bull breeders were determined to keep the breed alive for the better times that he is sure lie ahead.
BIKERS IN BARRIER PROTEST
Some 10,000 motorcyclists blocked the streets in the centre of Madrid last Saturday when they staged their 3rd National Motorbike Demonstration to back their demands for the removal of safety barriers which they claim are fatal for motorcyclists. As if to highlight their claim, a motorcyclist died after he crashed into a safety barrier just outside Madrid only hours before the demonstration started. Before setting out from the Santiago Bernabeu football stadium, the participants observed a minute's silence for that death and the 500 motorcyclists who died on Spain's roads in the past 12 months. Their other demands included the use of non-slip paint on the roads, a general resurfacing and the suppression of the new €1,500 motorbike purchase tax. A spokesman for Unidad Motera (Motorcyclist Union) said the latest measures adopted by the Traffic Authority, such as raising the minimum age for driving a motorbike to 16 or a tougher driving test, only made owning a bike more expensive without teaching the driver the necessary skills. Smaller demonstrations were held in other cities across the country.
NADAL TO PLAY IN MALAGA
Malaga City Hall has confirmed that Rafa Nadal will compete in the Malaga Masters International Tennis Championship, after weeks of talks with the tennis ace's representatives. The event will take place in the Martin Carpena sports hall the first weekend in December. And will be televised on Andalucia's La 2 TV channel in Spain. However, Nadal's recent injury may upset the plan but just in case - start getting out those autograph books.
BARCA FAN JAILED
An 18-year-old Moroccan schoolboy was jailed last week for insulting King Mohamed IV, after replacing the monarch's name with that of his favourite football club. He altered the phrase "God, The Nation, The King" on the school blackboard to read "God, The Nation, Barcelona". FC Barcelona says it has appointed a lawyer to look into whether they can help the boy, within the framework of Moroccan law. The family of the boy, Yassine Belassal, is appealing against the ruling, and his father intends to write a letter to the King asking for a royal pardon. An internet campaign is also under way to have Mr Belassel freed. Earlier this year one man received a three-year sentence for creating a mock Facebook profile of the King's brother, before receiving a royal pardon. Last month, another man was jailed after suggesting that some royal practices did not help the development of the country. He was cleared on appeal following a media outcry.
SEVE HAS THIRD OPERATION
Golf legend Seve Ballesteros underwent a successful third operation last Friday to reduce swelling and remove remnants of a tumour in his brain. The operation, led by chief brain surgeon Javier Heredero at La Paz Hospital in Madrid, lasted more than six hours. In a statement, doctors said the 51-year-old five-time major winner was in a stable condition in the hospital's intensive care unit. Ballesteros was admitted to hospital after briefly losing consciousness at Madrid Airport on October 6th. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumour and underwent surgery, but he needed another operation to relieve pressure on the brain last Tuesday. In an open letter to fans, he acknowledged the seriousness of the illness - saying he faced what he called the "most difficult match" of his life. Ballesteros won 87 titles during his career, including the Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988 and the Masters in 1980 and 1983. He was an instrumental figure in Europe's Ryder Cup resurgence after making his debut in 1979 when the competition was expanded from Great Britain and Ireland to include players from continental Europe. After controversially being left out in 1981, Ballesteros returned in 1983 and helped Europe beat the United States for the first time in 28 years in 1985 to begin two decades of dominance. He went on to win eight caps, winning 22 and a half points from 37 matches. He also teamed up with countryman Jose Maria Olazabal to form the most successful partnership in Ryder Cup history, with 11 wins, two losses and two halves. After his last appearance as a player in 1995, Ballesteros captained Europe to victory on home soil at Valderrama in 1997. He retired last year following arthritic back and knee problems late in his career, while doctors discovered an irregular heartbeat when he was admitted to hospital in 2007.
NADAL NUMBER ONE AT AWARDS CEREMONY
The capital of Asturias, Oviedo, pulled out all the stops last Friday to celebrate another Prince of Asturias Awards ceremony. Last week's rain had abated and the sun shone brilliantly on the thousands of people who turned out to watch Queen Sofia, Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia and the winners arrive at the Campoamor Theatre, with tennis's Number One, Rafael Nadal, a clear favourite with the crowd. The second most popular was Ingrid Betancourt, who was running for president in Colombia when she was kidnapped by the Farc guerrilla group more than six years ago. She was rescued by soldiers posing as guerrillas earlier this year and now lives in Paris for security reasons. During her acceptance speech, she told how she had listened to radio commentaries about an up-and-coming tennis player called Rafael Nadal and never dreamed that she would one day sit next to him at the Prince of Asturias Awards ceremony. Nadal was visibly moved and said afterwards that it gave him goose pimples to think of a lonely, brave woman following his career in a jungle hideaway where she was being kept ahainst her will in deplorable conditions. The other award winners were Margaret Atwood, who collected the Literature Award for defending the dignity of women and denouncing social injustice in her work. Co-founder of Google, Larry Page, was there to collect the Communication and Humanities Award and representatives of health centres in Tanzania, Ghana, Mali and Angola received the International Cooperation Award for their work in the fight against malaria. Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu collected the Arts Award on behalf of Venezuela's Foundation for Juvenile and Infantile Orchestras which has been rescuing poor children from the country's slums and giving them careers in music since Sr Abreu founded the first youth orchestra there 20 years ago. Japanese scientists Sumio Iijama and Shuji Nakamura, and the Americans Robert Langer, George M Whitesides and Tobin Marks shared the Scientific and Technical Award, and French-Bulgarian philosopher Tzvetan Todorov collected the Social Sciences Award for his work on freedom and equality, the development of democracy and the impact of violence on the collective memory.
BALLESTEROS SUFFERS COMPLICATION
Golf legend Seve Ballesteros suffered a complication following surgery on a brain tumour last Tuesday but is said to be in a stable condition, after doctors removed a piece of his skull last Thursday to relieve pressure that was building up on the brain. Ballesteros, 51, collapsed in Madrid's Barajas Airport on October 6th. He underwent a number of tests, which uncovered the tumour. A biopsy on the tumour had been scheduled for last Tuesday but doctors decided to operate to remove as much of the tumour as possible before treatment. Ballesteros won 87 titles during his career, including the Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988 and the Masters in 1980 and 1983 and captained Europe to Ryder Cup victory at Valderrama in 1997. He retired last year following arthritic back and knee problems late in his career and doctors discovered an irregular heartbeat when he was admitted to hospital in 2007.
COURT CLOSES DOPING INVESTIGATION
A Madrid court has closed the Operation Puerto investigation into a cycling doping ring after it concluded no criminal offences had been committed. The probe, which had been closed in March 2007, was reopened to look into possible offences against public health by doctors involved in the case. Operation Puerto was launched in 2006 after raids in Spain uncovered doping products and equipment. Over 200 code-named blood bags linked to leading cyclists were also found. Spanish police listed more than 50 riders implicated in the affair, including former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich, Tour of Spain winner Roberto Heras and Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso.