On Wings...

When Live Nation messed up my seating arrangement in New Mexico for the Journey concert, I did not make a big deal about it. But my friends kept telling me, "everytime you have a complaint that is not resolved by the establishment, ie, airlines, stores, hotels..etc, you should blog about it."

Well, I for sure will not be quiet anymore because right now I could vomit from anger and frustration. I have often wondered silently to myself : which would I prefer, an always smiling Filipino but is inefficient and does not have a clue what "customer service" means or would I want someone who looks and sounds almost robotic but very efficient and understands that it's the customer who writes their paycheck. I definitely want the latter.

I went to Wings Travel in Ayala Saturday to see if they can get me a ticket to go to Sydney, Australia. The ladies there were very helpful and polite to look up routings and airlines and we finally reserved Singapore Airlines. From Sydney I have to fly to Coffs Harbour but they told me that they can't book that part of the ticket because they have to call Quantas and Quantas is not open til Monday which was yesterday. (First foul up) I told them I will handle that part, I will buy it from Travelocity, which I did. So yesterday, I went to get money from my ATM card, but my bank in the US flagged my withdrawal as "irregular activity" because I forgot to inform them to flag my account that I will be using it outside of the US. (A good security measure for me - their customer, though not under this circumstance.)

I did not want to use my credit card because Wings told me that it would be a different price if I use a credit card - 65 usd more difference. (2nd foul up) But instead of waiting until my bank removes the alert and have to go back to withdraw again, I called Wings at 415pm and told them that I will be using a credit card instead to get it over with. Then they dropped the guillotine on me when the lady told me that they will be closed at 530 and it's too late because Singapore Airlines has to issue the ticket and they will be closed all week after today. Now mind you, I was in constant communication with them since Saturday, Monday and today, no one told me about the deadline. Why can't they issue the ticket on Monday the 13th? No, it's too late because I am flying on the 14th, she said. Well, it's not my fault that they are closed all week, can they not make other arrangement to help the customer? That would be too much to ask.

Whoever owned that agency lost my business and my future business. Why? His employees were only trained to operate computers to find "vendors" to sell to me but forgot to tell them that the most critical aspect of a business is customer care. Knowing your product is important, but only secondary to knowing the needs of your client. Successful businesses in the West knows this very important fact: Only 4% of dissatisfied customers will go back to the establishment to complain while the 96% goes around badmouthing to their friends. And their friends badmouth to their...and so the chain goes on.

And why am I fuming about this? Because if I don't get a flight out of Cebu to connect with the one I already bought from Travelocity, I can just kiss my 325 dollars goodbye.

I am almost incoherent writing this, but as I pray, I am beginning to calm down and realized that there must be a reason greater than Wings Travels foul up why I should not be going to Australia.