Raw Deal: Brian will, at last, fly over the three Forth bridges

THE Queensferry Crossing, the new bridge over the River Forth, is set to open a month from today.

It is a fantastic structure. Indeed the three bridges, in their estuary setting, are breath-taking landmarks. Pictures of them will become one of Scotland’s iconic views.

No wonder then that sight-seeing trips to see these engineering marvels from the air are becoming very popular.

That’s what Janette Bramwell thought when she bought a Gift Experience Scotland voucher for her husband Brian’s birthday.

This was in January 2016 and the voucher was to be valid for 12 months.

Brian phoned to set up a date for his flight in October, only to be told no flights were available and that he would be put on a waiting list. He was told he’d be contacted in April with a list of available dates.

He asked about the expiry date, as an April flight would be outwith the initial 12-month period, but was told this wouldn’t be a problem.

But he didn’t hear anything.

So Brian, of Kirkcaldy, phoned Gift Experience Scotland on May 22, inquiring when he might expect to go on a flight.

But there was a surprise in store for him. Gift Experience Scotland said it would sent him an email the previous November, outlining new dates for 2017. But that as he hadn’t replied his voucher had now expired.

Brian was perplexed. He hadn’t received an email in November. He checked back through his inbox but is adamant that no email had arrived.

He got back in touch with GES, but it was adamant that its procedures hadn’t been followed, so Janette’s gift had gone.

Brian tried Citizens’ Advice and the Retail Ombudsman, but they couldn’t get the flights firm to take off its restriction. He wrote to Raw Deal.

We pointed out that there was no real reason that the voucher’s time limitation couldn’t be extended – it’s not as if there is a law that would be broken here.

And Brian didn’t, as far as he could see, get an email telling of new dates for flights.

Might a mistake have been made?

All Brian was asking for was to be taken on the flight his wife had paid for.

Gift Experience Scotland had a think about it and, to its credit, changed its mind.

It emailed Raw Deal to say: “We realise that in this instance Mr Bramwell felt that it was unreasonable of us to impose an expiry clause given his circumstances.

“Therefore, we have re-validated his voucher to be used on a flight in 2017.

“In addition, as a gesture of goodwill and by way of an apology to Mr Bramwell, we have added another seat to his voucher and we look forward to welcoming him and his guest on to the flight.”

So Brian and his wife are going to enjoy a flight to see the bridges.

Everyone is happy, that’s what Raw Deal likes to see.

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