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Saturday, May 4, 2013

Letter from a Reader: Your Money Will Fly

Image courtesy of www.bradleyhardin.com

Dear Fashion PULIS,

I cannot believe that from being an avid reader, I am actually now a letter sender! I just had this terrible experience recently and I wanted to share it with our FP community (yes, we are a community!) not just to complain but more to learn a lesson from our own experiences. I had already sent this email to their online support but I know your site and contacts reach far & beyond so that this feedback may reach the right people and avoid putting customers through the same experience. I'm not sure if it would be a concern putting the company's name and honestly I am just playing with the title to lighten up an otherwise dark mood so please feel free to edit as you see legally and FP fit.. Thank you for helping and entertaining FP! A day is not complete without you. =)


To whom it may concern,

On 12th of April, I tried to book a flight for my sister who wished to travel with her husband and kids back to the Philippines on the same day. I was able to successfully book a ticket under Reservation code: HECNBL.

When I thought everything was okay, a few hours later, she forwarded me the email below so I immediately called your reservations center which is based in the Philippines while we are here based in Singapore. The agent named Carol informed me that the ticket was voided because of your new policy that the credit cardholder should be part of the travelling party. I find these ridiculous as not everyone especially minors would have their own credit card. I had worked for a travel agency myself and never had I encountered this issue. Neither is it my first time to book tickets for other people.

I asked Carol for other options then. She told me to pay for the tickets through cash at a ticketing agency. I told her this is not an option as the only ticketing office in my area is far from my place and we are running out of time. She told me to ask a relative from the Philippines to pay at a ticketing agency on my behalf (seriously, do you think this is a good option to ask your customer to hassle other people from another country to fix this problem that was created by your company in the first place)? 45 minutes later in that international call we were still going around in circles. I asked her if its possible that since I am going to take them to the airport anyway, would you be able to hold the ticket and I'll pay for it personally (since she said that the reason for the cancellation was me being a 3rd party)? She said yes, the ticket would be valid again as long as I go with them and present my credit card and identification.

Imagine my relief and frustration as we did not need to spend and waste that time & charge to my phone bill but at the same time I had serious doubts with her product knowledge as she even kept calling me in a different name no matter how many times I told her my full name so I asked her to confirm as we don't want to end up with no tickets, no flight when we get to the airport. Suprise, suprise, what she had just advised is wrong.

I then had to beg her (as I had been asking for a supervisor several times now not long during the conversation) that I seriously need someone from higher authority to help me. After waiting, a supervisor took the call and advised me of the correct reason which was because of the card I used. I had a debit/credit card which I had been actually using as a Visa card for the longest time and never had any problems such as this but apparently your Treasury department doesn't accept such. I talked to her for a long time too but she cannot give me other options either. I told her that I have no choice but to book with another airline then since that is the only card I can use. She advised that I can try to book again using the same card but she cannot guarantee that it wouldn't encounter the same problem.

Book another ticket for the same passenger using exactly the same card, why would the result be different this time?? Is it wise for a supervisor to give such advise that would have created a bigger and surely "double trouble" for the customer?? I asked her then to just make sure that the value charged be credited back to my account so I can use it to book another ticket with another airline even if it means my sister would be separated from her husband and two small kids. She said I need to call my bank to check.

I called my bank and they said the value was still floating and they haven't received any advise yet regarding a refund/released. I called he airline again and talked to another agent and another supervisor explaining everything again for another 30-40 minutes of international call. As you can imagine I am very upset and disappointed by this time. They had advised me it would take 15-30days to refund my money. They cannot give me any other option anymore and kept advising over and over again that if I want the refund to be expedited, I should contact online support which really wouldn't help me book that ticket on that day, wouldn't it?

So to better improve your customer experience, here are my main point of concerns:

1) If the card I used was invalid for such transaction, the card should have been declined in the first place. Because if you look at it from a customer's point of view, it clearly is some sort of cheating: I process my transaction, it successfully goes through, you send me a confirmation, I rest easy thinking my itinerary is okay, you send me an email of cancellation, then inform me the money wouldnt be refunded for another 15-30days for international cards. Does that sound right to you?

If you cannot accept my card, then don't take my money. If you cannot improve the system to automatically filter these type of cards, then make sure your system is efficient enough to automatically release the authorization hold. Last time I checked my card the amount is still on hold status. To be honest that was the only cash I had left. The only card I can use. It was about 5 in the afternoon already when I gave up on your agents and I had to rush and find cash that I can put in my card so I can find another airline and book another ticket for a flight that night. Please imagine the horror if this happened to your customer who has no access to cash or card and that was the only money she had left.

2) Customer experience is still the best and the worst marketing you could get. No matter how good your products are, how good and affordable the prices and how many promotions and offers you advertise, the very core of any company is their customers and their manpower. I had worked in the customer service industry and I personally would be scared to take calls if I am not confident that I am armed with good product knowledge.

If you are new and or haven't encountered such situations yet, find the right answers for the customers instead of giving them false answers just so you could get rid of them. Unfortunately, that is the very impression I got from all the agents and supervisors that I talked to, they just want to finish the call and get me off their backs with no sincere purpose to help me. So aside from the money that was held, I have yet to see my phone bill with more or less 2hours of international call charges.

3) You may want to revisit your new policy regarding the 3rd party payment though if it really is a new policy as advised by the first agent. We are in an era where convenience is one of the priorities and selling points. Not everybody believes in the system of credit cards, nor everybody is qualified to get one e.g. minors, newly-hired employees, etc. There are other ways to protect and avoid fraudulent transactions without ruining your customer's experience.

I want to put all this behind and may this feedback help your company in any way it can. It would also be appreciated if you could expedite the release of my money on my card. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Floren

Note: Letter slightly edited.

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90 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. siempre pa, ang eroplano ni Juan.

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    2. I'm sorry, but I find the story incredulous. I think the letter sender misunderstood the policy. I know I'm gonna get attacked for this, but first of all, there is no such policy requiring the card holder to be part of the traveling party. I travel a lot around Asia because I'm an auditor for a multi national company. The policy is to present a copy kung hindi kasama ang may-ari. Second, the use of a credit card is a privilege, not a right. Sometimes may aberya, learn to roll with the punches. At saka ininform naman di ba? This is why kailangan na tama ang contact information na nilalagay. And the 15-30 day refund is just a conservative estimate. It's always sooner than that, and the only reason it does not appear immediately is because every 30 days and billing cycle. Syempre dun sa next cut off ng statement mo papasok and reversal. Third, READ the freaking fine print. I've had to call customer service several times and hindi naman masungit ang default attitude nila. They are actually pretty pleasant most of the time. May rough moments but I don't think they are out out to get me or something. We always have to remember that these people don't know us personally and they are not out to get us. It helps a lot to lose the victim attitude.

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    3. Basa-basa din ng letter pag may time.. Sabi nga nya hindi sya makapaniwala it was the issue with the credit card owner being part of the traveling company kasi she does it all the time.. Ang siste, mali ang info ni agent.. =)

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    4. Basa-basa din pag may time... "The agent named Carol informed me that the ticket was voided because of your new policy that the credit cardholder should be part of the travelling party. I find these ridiculous as not everyone especially minors would have their own credit card. I had worked for a travel agency myself and never had I encountered this issue. Neither is it my first time to book tickets for other people." - mali ung info na binigay ni agent kasi niclarify nga ni supervisor na bcoz of the type of card pala.. Basahin til the end para maintundihan ang issues?

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  2. Airline's fault.

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  3. Among airline? Yung may flag o yung quuen city in the ocean?

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  4. These kind of problems.. ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES! Our customer service sucks BIG TIME! Either palpak or walang alam ang mismong mga tao nila.. And to think we are very proud to declare we are the most hospitable people... Yes we might be pero di nadadaan lahat sa smile at pagsabi ng po at opo.. Dapat efficient and knowledgable din tayo sa serbisyong inoofer natin..

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    1. VERY TRUE! CUSTOMER SERVICE/ CONTACT CENTER IS POOR IN THE PHILIPPINES! I HATE TALKING TO UNKNOWLEDGEABLE AGENTS IN THE PHILIPPINES!

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    2. KAYA MAY MGA NAGPAPRANK CALL SA KANILA EH. THEY DESERVE IT!!

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    3. Did it ever occur to you that MOST customer service centers of companies around the world are actually handled by Filipinos? And wow, all caps pa talaga. Laki ng galit mo sa kapwa mo teh.

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  5. Haba ng article..kala ko about a celebrity

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  6. why do you need to blank out the airlines ? since this came frm an actual letter sent to the airlines, i think it should be alright to have full disclosure ?

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  7. ang haba ng teleserye!!!!

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  8. ilabas na ang dating teleserye queen!
    -inday

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  9. Unlucky you. There are instances na nangyayari talaga yan. My friend in Mideast experienced same situation. The family went home and reimbursement was received after the vacation na

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  10. i think this is the queen city of the south...lagi naman eh

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  11. I'm pretty sure even if you purchase something and receive a confirmation number. It doesn't mean that the transaction has been processed.


    I remember purchasing a laptop bulk with my debit card on cybermonday on eBay. Only to find out that they've canceled my Pre order. For the reason that my address on the card is different from the address where I want my purchased item to be shipped.

    On the bright side of this they were just looking after your personal security.

    Next time just pay in cash. Or you could just have your credit card photo copied and gave it to your sister just in case they needed to verify it. Of course a letter of authorization would help.



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  12. I actually think that the rule about having the owner of the card be in the travelling group is a move as to protect the card owner. There are card frauds everywhere, and I believe that this kind of system should be encouraged. I want my card to be protected, of course. However, not everyone has a card, and I know a lot of people who rides on other's cards or let other people to ride on their card. That I think is a bad practice. The refund process usually takes 1-2months. I have worked in a hotel reservations company, and we charge the customers upon booking regardless of the date of their check-in. Once they cancel the reservation, we would then have to explain that it would take some time for their funds to be returned. It has something to do with bank policies, not the company's policy. They may have taken your card upon reservation, because you booked this online (I assume you did), and the system is not able to determine if the passengers are the same with the card holder. A verifying group may have then traced that the card holder is not part of the travelling group, hence the message you received. I know you're mad that this didn't go your way this time since you said you've done this before. But just try to look at the brighter side, you are just being protected from card frauds. Believe me, you would prefer this hassle over that. Lol!

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    1. Great explanation :-)

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    2. @AnonymousMay 4, 2013 at 12:50 AM I totally with this post. Assuming that you don't have a cashpoint card, and having a background dealing with payment cards, it's really a must for the delivery address to match with the billing address, and with this specific scenario, the third party (card holder) should be present upon traveling even if he/she will just accompany them. What I don't understand though is why is it that this wasn't observed? There's a loophole in their system, the customer should have been informed that the "ticket reservation" is on "pending" and for "review" and it follows that the totalamount that needs to be paid should also be on hold. That's just poor customer service. P.S I never had a great customer service experience with the local centre in the Philippines except banks (i.e. G, P). Kailangan sila i-train forproduct knowledge indeed!

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    3. Anonymous at 2:58 PM, I'm pretty sure everything was explained in the fine print. Problem is, most people don't read it and then go nuclear when hassled.

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    4. Sabi ni letter sender ang problem daw is bakit tinanggap ng aystem yung card nya kung di pala pasok sa banga ung transaction tapos di keri ilet go ung auth asap.. Sige ikaw kunan ng pera kung di mo nmn kasalanan (e.g. Tix cancellation, refund, customer error etc) kung bakit kelangan irefund tingan ntn kung di ka maloka.. Lol

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  13. aling airline ito? may experiences narin akong ganito. sa flag airline, hindi nila ina acknowledge ang itinerary ko kasi wala akong photo copy sa ginamit ng credit card. sa queen city airline naman, hindi makapagbook sa website nila kung ang credit card na ginamit ay galing germany.. daming issues pa na kailangang icomply kesyo dapat tawagan pa raw ang bank.

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    Replies
    1. that's a rule. you have at least to have the card or the photocopy of it.. for the security of the owner.

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  14. Tingin ko yung may flag. Yung low end airline nila kasi naglabas ng ganyang policy mga late last year ata. Anyhoo, I always book sa airline ng queen city para sa ibang tao and they just ask kung ano ang relasyon ko sa binu-book ko then gora na.

    Pangit talaga customer service nila. I for one had bad experiences with them. At pag nagkamali sila, hindi ka haharapin ng manager or supervisor, laging nagtatago.

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  15. I think hindi to C since may customer service sila dito sa SG.

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  16. Thanks for sharing your experience with this certain airline/travel company. Indeed some CSR's will give you vague answers just to get rid of you. Do not worry it does not happen only on Philippines' CSR's, some US/Canada have those too. :)

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  17. Anonymous 12:22am hindi kasalanan ng customer service ng Pilipinas to. This is about J's policy. Showing card holder's photocopied id and cc is no longer entertained by the check in counters. Booking SHOULD be validated by the cardholder to the airlines' office in Singapore. Policy is policy but they should inform the passengers upon ticket purchase. Just my 2 cents.

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    1. Hello! At Anonymous 1:27AM the agent was working with the airline thus, representing the company! What you meant is that it's not directly with the agent personally, but still, the agent is working the company!

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    2. Policy is a policy, period!

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  18. karamihan naman sa airlines like P, Air pag di kasama yung tao na may-ari ng credit card sa travel, i present lang yung copy ng credit card saka passport or any id with photo sa C naman now ok na daw kahit 3rd party nagbayad . anong airline kaya to?

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  19. I got the same experience. I needed to rush to the airport 40mins before ng flight ng sister ko from manila to SG. May 5 pa ako na nameet sa airport complaining the same issue sa flight desk ng J.

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  20. I had somewhat a similar experience before when I used my credit card to book for 3 hotel rooms in New York for my travelling group. This was done through a very popular international booking agent. The hotels in NYC are quite pricey that not one of my companion's credit card limits could cover even a room. A day after successfully booking the rooms, I received an email from the agent informing me that my booking was cancelled because their system detected it as a fraud. The reason given is that my companions will be arriving in NYC a day ahead of me, which they thought is just a ploy so that they can use the rooms without me, and reason out later that I cancelled my trip. For them it is a potential fraud because the hotel won't be able to verify if I was indeed the one who used the card. Never mind that I have an active account with that company as I've been regularly booking my flights and hotels through them. To make the long story short, we have to go through the trouble of depositing so much cash in each of my companions' credit cards in order to secure the booking. It was Christmas, a peak season, so we have to move ASAP so that we won't have to sleep in the freezing streets of NY. And alas, the whole amount was kept floating and refunded only after two weeks.

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    1. Well, on your long statement, you did not even answer if you are the credit card holder. Thus, the agency who made the booking has the right to cancel your reservation because it's detected as fraud. But the reason that was given to you is pure stupidity! Reservations are not cancelled whether one of your traveling companions arrives one day after you.

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    2. To Anon 2:56, I said it very clearly in my first sentence: I used my credit card to book for the 3 rooms. It was accepted, but the booking was cancelled the next day because I will be arriving a day later and the hotel won't be able to verify if it was really me who used the credit card. Inulit ko ang istorya kasi mukhang di mo naintindihan. Paki abiso lang kung kailangan kong isalin sa Tagalog para maunawaan mo. Salamat

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  21. Which ariline company is this? Kasi I usually purchase domestic and international ariline ticket for my family there in Phils. pero wala naman naging problem considering my location is in Europe. I just send them a copy of the credit card I used and my passport too. I did these many times both with P and C. Maybe may misunderstading lang

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  22. It is the airlines policy & written on their website when you do online booking. I know due to I made the same mistake & made a big fuss about it before even reading the policy online. Next time read every detail of policies before doing any form of transactions to avoid unnecessary stress as a result.

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    1. No, you don't get her point. Her point is kailangan pa talaga na kasama sa traveling party ang bearer nung credit card na ginamit. That's a stupid policy.

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    2. 1:34 Policy yun para maprotectionan ang card owner. It may sound stupid, but it is legit

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  23. its happen to me also many months a while ago na.I call a airline travel agent and buy a ticket going to Singapore,what is confue is that he asking for my information like bio data or something.then i pay the tickets using a credit card and he tell me to get ibang card is my card daw is not have money i dont know ha but i thinking that is it a scum??? kasi i feel na parang may hidding agenda sila like baka kako kaya he get my bio data kasi baka kinuha na yong money ko sa credit card.im worry rightnow kasi di ko pa nacheck sa bank yong balance ko sa credit card atm ko.what i do??haaay

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    1. ayusin mo english mo teh! magtagalog ka na lng....sakit sa bangs! tsk tsk

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    2. trying hard! sa kwento mo pa lng mukha ka na scum-errrrr!

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    3. E di icheckmo. Sus

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    4. mag-tagalog ka na lang palagi. kaya ka ata hindi naintindihan ng agent.

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    5. wow ang sakit sa bangs intindihin ng paliwanag mo. pwede tagalog na lang?

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    6. ate, nahilo po ako sa post mo! sana po nagtagalog na lang kayo. :D

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    7. Hahaha,natawa ako,ang gulo moh,

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  24. I'm working in an online travel agency account, never have I had heard of an issue that the credit card holder must be listed as one of the passenger's on the itinerary. If the credit card holder wants to book a flight for someone's behalf, they can do that. However, it must be presented at the airport so the passengers must have a clear photo copy of the card (front and back) and have a clear photo copy of the credit card holder's valid government issued photo identification.

    Rules vary by airline but never had I encountered of such policy working for 2 years already. There are cases where in the booking process was flagged due to a fraudulent issue, then the airline should have informed the customer in the first place by phone or by email.

    The airline is right, refund timing depends on how quickly the card company processes the refunds. What the airline should have advised is to call her bank to get it released, because on that time, it was still not an actual charge because the flight was voided anyway, so it's considered as an authorization. Or if the airline has an authorization department, like what we have on the account, so that they can call the bank and inform them that it's an authorization.

    You should never gave options that can cause hassle to your customers. Options are options but you should give the BEST one you can offer. Why would you offer to book a flight at a ticketing agency or someone who can book a ticket on the customer's behalf in The Philippines? Seriously?! The agent should have heard him/herself when she said that. Empathize and put your feet on the customer's shoes. That's why making flight reservations are easy done online. The agent should have advised that what they can do is to book a flight directly at the airline ticket counter, directly at the airport! However, the second concern is that the customer doesn't have enough funds already. It could have been rectified if the airline have sent some sort of proper documentation to the bank asking for the funds to be released on the account because it will be their business name that will appear on the customer's credit card bill.

    Another error that the agent made, as far as I am concerned there are only few airlines who have policies for holding reservations but mostly, they will not hold the flight for you at the price they quoted because it's a live inventory. Prices and availabilities can change real time.

    I felt upset as well about the trouble the customer experienced with the airline.

    I think this is not the national airline carrier of The Philippines because they don't have that kind of card policies but as far customer service is concerned, I have talked with one of their agents. They can't fully grasp your questions and eventually, will put you on hold and will never get back.

    They also address you with sir/mam when they should address you with your first name to build customer/agent rapport!

    Bad customer service from The Philippines having a Filipino customer! Tsk. Tsk.

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    1. "However, it must be presented at the airport so the passengers must have a clear photo copy of the card (front and back)..."

      Hindi po ba parang mas nakakatakot kung pati yung photocopy ng likod ng card e kasama? Kasi nandun yung CVV number? Usually naman, kahit yung photocopy lang ng harap ng card e ok naman na.

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    2. Hindi namna nila kinukuha ang photocopy. They only check if it matches with the reservation info. You get to bring the photocopy with you.

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    3. Spot on ka teh!!!! Pak na pak!

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  25. Queen of South Airline io. almost same thing happened to me 3 weeks back. My housemate here in Dubai asked me if she can ride on my credit card to purchase a ticket for her when she travels in december back to the Philippines. Bale she already has ticket Dubai -Manila -Dubai (shouldered by her company)and what she wants me to book is the Manila-Davao return. Now we went to their site and checked the prices. She pointed the itinerary she wants (she already browsed their web portal several times and already got through sa lhat ng itinerary). So nagbook nako, before proceeding, chineck namin twice ang dates and timings, ok na talaga. Then, for the nth time nabaliw na naman ako sa dami ng mga sabit na charges na kung hindi matalas ang mata mo you will pay for those. UNBELIEVABLE, ito lang ang web booking na nagccharge for using their web portal. Business nila ito dapat sila ang magbayad nun. Anyway, nung magbayad na ako using may card, and got the confirmation code---lo and behold--MALI ang dates. A big system error, tinawagan ko agad ang kaibigan namin sa Manila to check this out. Sa exprerience ko with Cleartrip.com at Makemytrip.com the very minute na tumawag ka dahil me error, they will cancel the booking but full refund of your money and in days time only. HEto na di raw pwede at ako raw ang me error, sabi ng kaibigan ko, sure ang friends ko 2 sila nagchecked ng dates at timings at system error ito. It would take several days raw muna at iinvestigahan nila kung system error. Pero dahil magtatagal mag iiba ang price at malamang yung talagang gusto namin na dates ay mawala na. So sabi ko i-cancel ang booking at rebook na lang, eto, di raw cla nagrerefund ng pera, P2000 ang cancellation fee plus another fee of P400 but the rest of the amount will held sa kanilang account. And we only have 90 days to rebook the flight or else the will forfeit ang full amount. Complete robbery! Okey nako sa cancellation fee but to retain the rest of the payment sa account nila, tahasang panloloko na ito. Nagbobook ako ng mga colleagues ko sa work to go abroad at first time ko maexperience ang ganitong cancellation style. So make this short, I paid another P3,200++ apart dun sa P7,200 na binayaran ko sa ticket. Never na ako magbbook dito. I must agree sa isang nagsabi na hindi hospitable ang karamihang pinoy, magaling lang tayong ngumiti at mag opo! Kaya hindi umaasenso ang Pilipinas ay dahil sa ganitong mga negosyante. Nagyon ako nakikisampatiya ke aktres na nakipag-away sa NAIA. Dati dko sang ayon sa kanya pero nagyon alam ko na

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  26. Sa Queen City we can book tickets using my Tita's credit card walang requirements na hiningi, didnt even ask our relationship w/ the cardholder. So this might be the other airline, flag siguro

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  27. If you are flying SG to MLA or vv, the airline carrier will ask you to present the Credit/Debit Card you used to purchase the tickets, or at least be with the party who will be travelling. a photocopy of the card is not accepted. This may seem absurd pero yung rule na 'to ay nakalagay sa bottom part itinerary ng airline na 'to. Ang reason yata ay dahil napakaraming scam na nangyayari Pilipinas.

    @FP: correct me if i am wrong pero hindi to local airline ng Pinas. Itong nasa blind item mo yata is economy airline ng ibang bansa.

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    1. It's a stupid policy. Period. Kung may scam mang nangyayari sa Pinas re: credit card use, the resolution shouldn't be to inconvenience the passengers. Our card companies along with the our NBI or Police force should do their 'running after them', instead they pass their incompetence to the passengers.

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    2. I know it's stupid. The airline I am talking about singled out SG to MLA vv flights. On their other SEA flights, they don't use this rule.

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  28. the requirement of credit card if the customer is not the person who bought the ticket is stated in the FINE PRINT.airline can easily take advantage of these from innocent customer.

    RULE OF THE THUMB...READ FINE PRINT

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    1. Regardless if this is stated in the fine print, the point is the policy is stupid and will inconvenience the passengers. Have you been in this situation? It does not mean it's in the fine print, then, the policy should be 'okay'.

      And by the way, the POLICY IS the bearer of the credit card used should also be part of the traveling party.

      Point is: What if you gifted your brother, sister, parents, relatives of a travel ticket and you used your credit card? So that means they can't use it because you're not traveling with them?

      Na-gets mo ba ang stupid policy nila. Di naman ata eh. May pa-read read ka pa ng fine print.

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    2. Teka lang. I travel in and out the country due to the nature of my job. I'm on the plane at least four times a month. Hindi naman ganito ang policy. The policy is, if the owner is NOT part of the traveling party, you have to present a copy of the credit card. The credit card used to pay for my fare is not mine and never did I experience anything like this within the 4 years that I've been on my job. I only bring with me a photocopy.

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    3. You don't get to decide what is a stupid policy. No one is forced to be an account holder or to use a credit card in purchasing a ticket. It's not as if it is the only choice. If you don't agree with the policy, then by all means pay in cash.

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  29. Philippines has the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE ever! Sorry, but that's a FACT!

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    1. not exactly te. you know what some of our agents do to foreigners when the customer is getting difficult? they bluff they'd be transferring the call to an indian agent :-D. wag kang oa.

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    2. Iisang commenter lang to na nanggagalaiti sa galit. Si Mr/Ms All Caps. Huwag kang patawa teh. Ang mga customer service ng napakaraming companies all over the world ay handled ng mga Pinoy. kaloka ka.

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  30. ang gulo ni ate, i though she used a credit card tapos sa ibang paragraph "put money on my card" what the ef was that?

    she is obviously using a debit card which encounters more problems than a credit card.

    my advise, if you think you are a traveler a jetsetter, then go get yourself credit cards from international banks and cards that caters to travellers. they have special lounges for you.

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    1. You didn't her her point. It's not about the credit or debit card. The issue is that the policy of the airline which is the credit card bearer used to purchase the plain ticket SHOULD BE PART OF THE TRAVELING PARTY. Issue nya is hindi naman sya kasama na aalis kasi binili nya lang ang tickets using her credit card for the family. Ngayon di makakaalis kasi di sya kasama sa traveling party. SHE WAS USING A CREDIT CARD.

      Basa ka maayos pag may time ka. Analyze mo mabuti. Read and Comprehend.

      Delete
    2. Basa ka rin maayos. Sabi niya put money in her credit card daw. That is a debit card.

      Delete
    3. Hello anon 1:08PM, bago ka makipag away try mo muna magkaron ng debit card and credit card. Hindi porket naglagay sya ng pera sa credit card nya, debit card agad?

      Delete
  31. Of course Philippine carrier ito noh. Di naman siguro ito ipapadala sa FP kung SG based airline to as if Singaporeans can read this.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This policy mentioned by the letter sender was used to be practiced by C, A for a number of months last year. We were also inconvenienced by this policy. Good thing they removed this policy because it's just PLAIN ST*PID.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Had the same problem but with different establishment. I asked the cashier if they accept debit mastercard, oo daw and then she asked the manager. The manager agreed. Tapos after maswipe. Kailangan daw ireverse ang transaction coz they don't accept debit daw. I called their branch several times kung paano gagawin coz nasa kanila pa ang money ko. Kung ano anong kab***han ang sinasagot. Agree ako sa letter sender: IF YOU DON'T ACCEPT MY CARD, DON'T TAKE MY MONEY.

    ReplyDelete
  34. this is just sad, ako nmn na experience ko sa isa sa mga airline company sa pinas ay ang napkataas sa bayad for reservation change daig ko pa ang bumili ng bagong ticket wherein nakalagay dunsa e-ticket ko is rebookable for 672Php pero nung tumawag ako sa airline coy umabot ng 2500+ btw MNL-PPL-MNL flight ko. imagine that! tapos on the way back to MNL delayed ang flight ng 2 oras ( given na to knowing Manila hay....) ayun nagbigay ng cheeseburger pampalubag loob he3. Next time know the rules and restrictions before purchasing para iwas hassle and gastos.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I just bought my ticket recently going to Phils. It is in the website policy and this pops out on your screen before clicking to the next step to complete your process of transaction. It is clearly stated there that if you use your credit card but the card holder is not travelling, he/she should be able to present the card at their designated ticketing office locations prior to departure. I think at least 2 days prior to departure.
    Just saying that as buyers also, we are responsible for all our transactions especially reading all the terms and conditions. Perhaps the way the customer service person explained it was really off and should be trained better on how to deal with this kind of issues.
    But I do understand the rule about credit card's name being the same as the person travelling because of all the fraud transaction happening online but that's why they have all those conditions and steps on what to do in case what you're trying to transact is different from the standard process.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True. It is written in the terms and conditions. The problem with some people is that they skip all those reminders without reading and then go ballistic when they are taken by surprise during the actual date of travel.

      Delete
    2. Ateh tingin mo ba igogora pa nya ung transaction kung nagpop-up un sa screen? Para nmn syang kmuha ng bato ipupukpok sa sarili nya.. Baka sa ibang airline mY ganun...

      Delete
    3. Teh. Lahat ng airlines may fine print. Hindi man pop up, it will definitely be there on the website. Basa basa ka rin paminsan minsan.

      Delete
  36. I'm also a travel agent and a similar incident happened to 5 of our foreigner guests who booked their flights to Laoag and Palawan thru online booking of one of our local carriers. They used a credit card to purchase the tickets online. The booking was apparently a success because they were issued an itinerary receipt (eticket) with flight confirmation number. However, upon check in, they were refused entry because the ticket was voided. The reason being there was something "wrong" with the credit card daw. So they specifically asked what was "wrong" with it since they have used the c.card for other prior bookings and purchases with no problems. Ayun na di na maka-explain ang mga taga ticket office. They said that their system detected something wrong so it was voided. The foreign guests were all surprised dahil wala man lang notice thru email or phone advising them something was wrong with their card and so on kahit months before pa sila naka-book. So ang ginawa ng airline, pinabili sila ulit ng ticket on the spot and of course mas mahal na yung rate. Triple ata ng unang binayaran nila. Tapos the ticketing office of this airline pa said they cannot do anything about it and that the customer should contact the bank that issued the card. Ang nakakatawan, yung Palawan leg nila e ok naman, yung Laoag lang ang nagkaproblem...and it's the same credit card! Aning talaga :) So I strongly suggest everybody who have complaints sa airlines, read the Air Passenger Bill of RIghts, applicable po yung law na yan sa flights originating to or from the Philippines ng both local airlines and foreign airlines operating in the Philippines. As far as I know, kahit the airline only transits or nag-stop over lang dito, applicable pa din sya. Naka-list naman dun kung ano yung mga valid complaints that you can lodge against them. Then contact the Dept of Transportation and Communication via email, sumasagot po sila sa email and if they deem it a valid complaint, they will initiate an inquiry of the incident, and will also get both sides of the story. Yun lang ang kagandahan ngayon sa daang matuwid, kasi obligado silang sumagot. :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. This is true. I went to philippines and purchased ticket online on their site. Everything was fine. Iniwan ko purposely ang credit card na ginamit ko to pay the ticket. Nong magchecheck in na ako gusto nila makita ang credit card. I had to talk to the officer and pinapromise ako na pagbalik ko maipakita ko ang credit card even jst a photocopy of it. Since i purchased round trip. Stupid policy. That was P.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bakit mo naman iniwan? It's a protection for the account holder, which in this case is you. Malinaw naman na nakasulat sa website na kailangan i-present yung copy ng cc. There's nothing stupid about it. There too much fraud going around. better be safe than sorry.

      Delete
  38. I've never had a problem with using a credit card for airline tickets. The only glitch I experienced was when I purchased a ticket for my mom's return ticket. When she was at the airport, they asked for the CC used during the booking. My mother called me up and nag verification lang yung agent and all was fine. I then checked the terms and conditions and realized that it was in fact written very clearly that a copy of the cc had to be presented along with identification id. This is actually for the protection of the cc account holder. Hindi naman siya ganun ka-hassle. My two cents.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok this is my post. Ayusin ko lang bago dumating ang mga grammar police.What I mean is:`` I purchased a ticket for my mom`s return flight.``

      That`s all.

      Delete
  39. May mga pangyayari kasi na yung iba gumagamit ng cc ng ibang tao then yun pala hindi legal ang transaction,kay JUAN need ng photocopy ng cc at id ng owner ata

    ReplyDelete
  40. is this the wild animal or the queen city of ocean or wind asya? ano yung flag? clues please nasa row 10 ako

    ReplyDelete
  41. This is the flag airline of our country... To think they're supposed to be the pride of our country..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL. Anong nakakahiya sa pag request ng copy ng credit card as proof. FYI, madaming airline na ganiyan ang policy.

      Delete
  42. to set things straight

    1. the cardholder is NOT required to be a passenger. no airline does this
    2. whether the check in counter needs a photocopy of the cardholder's card and ID depends entirely on which airline it is. Flag Carrier requires this. Queen City and other local budget airlines do NOT
    3. i dont know which airline this is but regardless, the call center agent may have misunderstood the policy and hence, this fiasco. try researching online or calling again to speak to another agent to get a second opinion

    i'm sure this helps

    ReplyDelete

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