08/12/2025
Last Sunday we flew to Rome for a short vacation. Unfortunately, the vacation began with a mishap. My mobility scooter was waiting for me at the aircraft door, but it couldn’t be opened, neither with the remote nor manually. The El Al crew was very caring, especially Doron, who stayed with us and brought Roberto, the El Al representative in Rome. Sadly, I didn’t feel any real effort on his part to understand my distress or find a solution. All he had to say was that on Sunday nothing could be done and that we should contact El Al in Israel the next day.
We took the taxi we had booked to the hotel, where I had to switch to a wheelchair to reach the room. I felt frustrated and disappointed, as if the vacation was slipping away.
But… a change in the script…
We contacted El Al’s baggage department in Israel via WhatsApp. Tamar, the head of the baggage department, answered us. She showed care and a genuine desire to help. We asked her to contact “Galgal Yatziv,” the company that supplies all types of mobility scooters. I know the company and their excellent service very well.
This was fully proven later. Haggai, one of the wonderful owners of the company, called me in Rome. He asked my daughter to explain the nature of the malfunction, guided her on what and how to check, and directed her to a specific part. The moment she moved it, the scooter simply came back to life and continued to operate efficiently throughout our entire vacation, despite the cobblestone streets that don’t make for a smooth ride.
Already on Sunday afternoon, we visited Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. The scooter handled all the challenges, and to my delight we had a wonderful vacation, we visited many sites and enjoyed every moment.
Thank you to Tamar, head of the baggage department, for her determination to help, and a huge thanks to Haggai from Galgal Yatziv for the care and patience to guide us until the malfunction was fully resolved. You saved our vacation.
