⌛ PAL VS CP - the never ending saga

I realize that I might be the only "friend" that CP has here. This airline has improved its service in areas that are important to me, especially internet bookings. The service to Cebu, of which I am especially fond also opens new possibilities speedier connections to other destinations in the central and southern Philippines.

I try to be fair. I had no particular beef with PAL. Until now, that is. I booked a discounted ticket over the internet for a family member to travel to Manila for a date in early May. Plans changed and the booking was no longer required. I advised the airline of this and indicated that I would use the ticket's residual value at a later date. It was only then that I researched the applicable "fare rule", which seemed to indicate that I would suffer a 100% penalty on the price of this ticket. I thought this strange and a situation which I had NEVER BEFORE encountered.

Fine, I thought, I'd let the airline confirm this. PAL did so last week, one and one half months after the fact. PAL confirmed my 100% loss. I don't take such news lightly and I'm distinctly NOT amused. The following is, in part, my letter to PAL:

"You may be truly and deeply sorry. Why is it that I doubt you? Your lack of courtesy displays a contempt for your customer base - at least this member of it, which I find surprising.

Your rudeness seals a decision which I have already made. I had asked my question, fearing the answer you might give, which you have very belatedly confirmed.

I travel by air frequently. My chances of using your airline are now severely diminished. I have NEVER in many years of association with travel encountered a ticketing situation wherein a fare is fully forfeit. Your being the first is a dubious distinction.

Guess what? You will NOT get the chance to repeat this situation. This is theft and I will not meekly tolerate your business practice!

Watch for my unfavourable review of your dishonest practices in various on-line forums!"

This is the first of these postings. I would seriously advise you to consider a carrier other than PAL when you have the option of doing so. I shall.

Remember, in business transactions, and it seems especially so here - don't get mad, get even!

 

You're joking right? 100% forfeiture is pretty standard for discounted fares, sometimes it's a rolling percentage depending on the date of cancellation. Some will cut you some slack for documented illness etc. Always read the fine print....no matter which airline it is....I wanted to cancel a recent Qantas/American trip to and within the US and I figured I'd lose a bundle, but something came up here, however we went on the trip anyway when they told me I'd lose about 90% of the ticket price....

 

I had the same problems with my cancelaion of my flight Manila Legaspi may 3 rd
The flight was canceled when I was at Manila Airport due of a thyfoon.
No way tthat I got my money back because i had to go to my travell agancy in Sabang.
It also cost me dubble price to book my fligheover to my Dumaguete flight.

It was crazy and the say i'it is our policy".and I got more angry and angry but nothing to do about is.

CP has goog aiplanes but the worst service in the Philippines

Greetings J.Diver

 

I think you are referring to the ECONOLIGHT fare since this is the only non-refundable fare class of PR...I think it's stated in their fare restrictions prior to booking that this fare class is non-refundable, non-rebookable and non-reroutable...Promo tickets for both 5J and PR really have a lot of restrictions so better be sure when booking these iteneraries and really read the fare restrictions since its all indicated there...

I havent had any problems with PR...once I got bumped off my flight to Dumaguete from Manila due to overbooking, and they gave me hotel accomodation w/ free hotel transfers and meals at Century Park Hotel, plus a free round trip voucher which I had encashed since it will be x2 of the fare value...that was an automatic Php 7,000 for me which I used to upgrade to business class...ehehehe...

 

I have NEVER in many years of association with travel encountered a ticketing situation wherein a fare is fully forfeit.

you can't get refunds with Air Asia either, as well as several other Asian budget airlines, if you decide to change your travel plans on a whim. Though I'm not familiar with PAL's, It's all there in Air Asia's terms and conditions, which the customers should read before they buy the flight at all. If you don't like it, then don't buy it.

one time I declined to buy an intercontinental Oasis Hong Kong, a now-defunct airline, ticket precisely because I didn't like the look of their terms and conditions and flew with someone else instead.

 

I have a horrible experienced with the Cebu Pacific back on June. My mom passed away on June 15 after two years in the nursing home and her remains was shipped from Australia to Bacolod/Silay. Although, we flew PAL from Manila to Bacolod, we book our flight back or should I say, we changed our flight back from PAL to Cebu Pacific due to the two hours between our connecting flight back to Australia. This was the biggest mistakes we ever did. After getting our refund from PAL minus the 30%, one of my siblings purchased a ticket for four from Bacolod/Silay to Manila through Cebu Pacific. On Sunday, June 28, we were at the airport early enough. However, when we finally got to the counter, they discovered that the ticket issued was for the next day (Monday). I tried to reason with the ticket counter that our international connection flight is for that day and not the next day but to no avail. I felt like talking to a wall since none of them are listening and pretty much told me that it was my sister's fault. She should have check the ticket before she paid for it. I even begged her and told her that the only reason we were back in the Philippines is because we had to bury our mother and also I had to fly back to the US in two days. But this didn't work either. We went ahead and got a refund again minus 30% of the overall costs of our ticket.

The security guards at the airport was trying to help us through the PAL. They informed us that we can list our name in the waiting list for the next flight. But when I looked at the waiting list, we were in number 28 - 31. One of the guard advised me to talk to the PAL Manager and took me to the Manager's office. However, he told me that he can't bump up our name ahead of everyone else. This time I was so desperate and frustrated. I told him that if he takes care of us, I will also take care of him. One way ticket to Manila for all four of us cost me 21,000 pesos plus another 3,000 pesos payoff to the manager and the guards.

I was bitter but I did not have any choice. Just imagine if this happens to someone and does not have the financial to payoff corrupted officials. The nightmare we had to go through burying our mother and then the experienced we had to go through with the Philippines airline carriers.

I just thought I shared my experienced dealing with my own country's "customer service."

 

Liegh 14,
That's a terrible experience I surely can imagine.
It's therefor so good that you mention it on a public forum.
MAYBE (typical Philipno word ) it will help in the future that companies and employees implement a better translation of the word 'customer' than they often do now.
Thanks for sharing that info.

 

Jellyfish,

You're welcome. But in any case, this is quiet normal in my country. I am pretty sure that someone else have experience the same or likely the same as my sister and I. Knowing my country, which I still love, I just wish and hope that this type of customer service will improve sooner than later. Especially, if we want more tourist to visit the Philippines.

 

I dont know if this is what happened here, but I have noticed several times when trying to book Cebu Pathetic, that if they do not have a flight on the exact date you type in, they just display the next flight available without warning about that fact on the page, so it would be fairly easy to overlook that in the heat of the battle...

I almost booked one of these "wrong day tickets" once as well...

Fair enough if they put in bold red letters that they changed your preffered date on the search, but without this warning I think a lot of people accidentally buy the tickets and loose them as a result..

 

Hi Dane,

My sister purchased our paper ticket in Bacolod City on that Thursday to schedule our flight for Sunday on the same week. She did provide the airline travel agent our international connection flight paper ticket. Maybe my sister should have checked the ticket date before paying the ticket. The fact that we just had the funeral service for my mom the previous day, it could have been overlooked by her. But the point is that, they could have accommodated us because of our international connection flight. Instead, they did not care at all.

I have not dealt with the travel agent for years except for my business travel. I have always booked my personal travel online and it works. In fact, my husband and I will be traveling back to Sagay City next year for my mom's 1st year death anniversary. I will make sure to visit Dumaguete and say 'hello' to folks in this forum.