http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/13/eurostar_glitch/

Again culled from el Reg, here’s an example of an information quality problem that prevents a process (a very trivial process) from being completed.

It seems that the on-line booking system for the EuroStar train linking the UK with Europe doesn’t recognise the existence of the 29th of February 2008. As the leap year day is the day when women can traditionally propose to their partners (as opposed to dropping less and less subtle hints about the need for a big diamond on their finger which happens the other 3 years out of 4) this might pose a problem for some.

Why is this an IQ Trainwreck?…

• Well, it involves trains so it is just too easy an association to make.
• A process has been (apologies for this one) derailed by poor quality information (or master data or a poorly designed/implemented data quality check)
• The comments from the readers of the post sum up the likely responses of people encountering the problem..
  • This is a trivial bug, if that’s how careless they are do I really want to travel by train?
  • They obviously don’t want my business, I’ll fly instead
  • Good grief…. how embarassing for them.

Apparently the Eurostar site isn’t the only one to have this issue… but it is the one that makes the best IQ Trainwreck.