We all know we deal with call center agents when we deal with airlines these days. They have made these hired hands as their protective wall, or even better- the wailing wall, against all the curses and cusses hurled by the unhappy customers.
Now here comes the unending offers of low fares that they dangle in our faces as baits to purchase tickets ASAP but will only be used months from the moment we clicked the purchase button. Nice. Now we have to plan our lives around the dates of the travel dates.
Some plans have happy endings and some don't. The sad ones are not tearjerkers but are actually horror stories that will beat Mother Lily's Shake, Rattle and Roll anthology in the box office earnings. I had a few from Cebu Pacific and PAL, but it seems that Cebu Pacific has the most number of horror flicks. And wanting to chase their record now is Air Philippines.
At this moment, I am irritated by the call agents of Air Philippines. It seems that they are deciding for themselves what the airline officers should be acting on. I got a call from an agent.
Christine: Good afternoon, Mr. Salvador. May I inform you that the 6:45AM flight to Manila has been cancelled and will depart Davao at 9PM instead.
Jinggoy: Do you realize that I have a connecting to Caticlan on the same day?
C: Do you know the time of departure, sir?
J: I don't have access to my computer. I cannot give you the exact time.
C: Let me check that in the system, sir. Can you hold your line, sir?
J: Okay
C: Is that morning flight, sir?
J: (Rolling my eyes). Like I said, I don't have access to my computer so I cannot tell you the time.
C: May I call you back, sir?
She calls back after a couple of hours.
C: Sir, your flight to Caticlan is at 2PM. Sir, can you write to AirPhil express with regards to your concern?
J: (Irritated) IS this conversation recorded?
C: Yes, sir. All our calls are recorded.
J: Good. Please tell the AirPhil office that they should call me and offer me an option to this changed schedule. I will not write to them.
No option was offered at all. It ends at that. SO, I have to fly to Manila a day ahead? I pay extra to move around Manila and stay in a hotel?
No call from their office yet.
One lemon tree...very pretty.....
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