O2 arena needs to sort it out

Last nights show was amazing, however the overall quality of service at the O2 is dire. How I wish what I was about to type was a fabrication, exaggeration or even a mash up of all the times I have been there. Unfortunately not this is just one night.

First of all lets be clear this is the first time I have been back there since being registered disabled so I am seeing things with new eyes. So when I found my beloved Starbucks had made its toilet locked. I was far from happy and with the amount of people in there the chance of  getting a key was low. I ended up with my friend hopping out and down to the Costa Coffee. Even when we went for a wander the nearest loos are half way down the arcade if you are in the food court.

Then there is the food court. All very well if you want a full meal. Absolutely useless if you want a sandwich. Unless you want a gourmet sandwich with some weird insides and a price tag of £6 !. Yes there is Starbucks, but apart from the £4 price tag there is the issue of finding a seat. As the 2nd quieter branch in the food court is no more. No if you want a snack, you either walk half way back to the car park to get Subway or you wait till you get inside. There is plenty of choice but the price is crazy. Who the hell thinks £4 for a bag of minstrels is acceptable I don't know or £3.40 for a portion of chips half the size of normal portions is going to get much trade. And because of of the security policy of the O2 you can't take your Starbucks through, no you have to buy the coffee inside the arena. Nearly £4 for instant Nescafe that's is so strong it is bitter is a joke. Not even the NEC or Excel charge that much. It gets worse, but I will leave that till last.

Right when we bought these tickets I wasn't registered disabled, so we called the O2 and asked if we could exchange them for more accessible seats. The reason being the O2 has the steps there are stupidly steep and there isn't a hand rail in sight. Anyway we got told go to customer service and they should be able to exchange them. Once we found said customer service (here is a clue it is not the ticket office or anywhere on the outer court). They did exchange the tickets however we paid for 2nd to front row seats and we ended up with back row tickets. Why? Because all the disabled seating is there, and that is all they can do. So be warned if you are of limited movement you will end up in the back row of the middle level.

Finally, and this is going to shock you, be careful about the food in the snack places round the arena. My friend ordered Chinese, some chicken and rice dish. As they went to give it to her, the chef yelled at the counter staff, that he thought they put too much in the carton. which had rice at the bottom and then the chicken mix at the top. The chef then demand the counter staff weigh the carton and as it was over weight scoop the chicken mix out until it was the correct weight. Regardless of the fact it may well have been too much rice in it. That is bad enough, but what happened to the removed contents went far further to the point it broke all health and safety rules. They returned the extra contents back to the hot plates to be dished up for some one else. First of all ethically the dish was over served it should have been either sold as is or discarded and new dish served. But legally if any contents is deemed as waste or surplus, especially either poultry and rice, it has to be thrown away not returned to the hot plate. Chicken has to remain a constant measured temperature due to salmonella. But rice is as dangerous and has to be treated in the same way. The fact that the chicken had been in contact with the rice there is absolutely no way it should had been returned to the heated dish. The chances of that whole hot plate of chicken being contaminated with one or both nasties was now so high.

Don't get me wrong I loved the show and would go back again for anything I want to see. But as far as sorting tickets, and the food there I will take precautions to avoid this shambles. As for the Chinese snack counter I am seriously debating reporting them for breaking every food hygiene rule in the book.