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Have noticed you haven't been on the forum, and I know you have been dealing with a 'dolly-daydream' of a travel agent who didn't finalise the booking of your flight tickets. ? >:(
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Glenda, I know you have some insight into our long drawn out problems with our Indian travel agent, Mary, so I'll just throw a few points on here to bring others in line with that.
We booked this flight 5 months ago and were told to fly Malaysia Airlines because we would get a very good deal with them. ?We weren't given a firm price at the time because of the seasons changing and the prices would come out in February. ?On the first visit Mary seemed very efficient and pro-active but after she'd secured our booking, she just seemed to sit back and decide to do nothing further. ?When February came around there was still no sign of these special prices, although we were promised they would be out any day. ?One time we'd called in to check and another girl attended to us. ?When she phoned MA, she was given a much higher price than Mary had mentioned and I believe it was a price we would have to pay if we booked at that time rather than months before. ?We still hung on for the special prices to come out. ?Another occasion we spoke with Mary, she let it drop that these 'special prices' she'd loosely quoted when we first booked, were minus nearly 200 GBP airport taxes! ?So, even with a special deal, it appeared we would still be paying a lot more than we'd paid last year with Thai Air. ?
It was now getting very close to our departure date and I just had the feeling that all wasn't well with our booking. ?Hubster wanted to collect our tickets as we'd given up hope of ever getting a special price and we needed the tickets to feel that we were actually going on holiday. ?It's then that things seemed to completely fall apart. ?In a roundabout way, Mary told him casually that our booking had been cancelled. ?This was 3 days before we were due to fly. ?We'd gone in to see Mary to get the tickets the week before and she said she couldn't do it because her Internet was down. ?Because she didn't contact MA, they'd cancelled our booking. ?I really can't believe that one day made all the difference to our booking. ?And what was wrong with her picking up the phone to let them know she couldn't do it on the Net and could they do it on the phone? ?
At last Mary was spurred into action and tried to rebook us. She did manage this although one leg of the journey had to be in slightly upgraded seats (MA seem to have ELEVEN classes within economy!). ?Mary was pressing us to pay for this upgrade but we didn't see why we should when it was her fault. ?Then she tried to shift us to the cheaper Thai Air (which we'd first asked to go with) but we'd already organised all sorts of things like boarding the cats etc. to tie in with the MA flights. ?There were a lot of other things flying about at the time as Mary solely concerted her efforts into saving her company (read 'her butt') having to pay for the upgrade. ?She was determined to get a downgrade cancellation or get us to pay for the upgrade and used every trick in the book. ?We finally got the tickets the day before we flew although it was grudgingly on Mary's part. ?Luckily, as Mary hadn't deemed fit to mention it, hubster noticed that the first flight now left Muscat in the morning instead of the afternoon so what would be a leisurely morning taking the cats for boarding and doing some last minute things was now done in a panic. Then there was a problem with the hotel vouchers for KL which seemed missing. ?Eventually we got one voucher at the last minute for the outward journey but still haven't got one for the return. ?
Absolutely frazzled, we made it to the airport and checked in. ?I must admit to being thoroughly pleased that Mary hadn't been able to get us downgraded as that would be letting her off too lightly. ?Then, out of the corner of my eye I spotted a pink mass floating towards me. ?Bl**dy Mary! ?Oh well, she felt bad enough that she wanted to make sure we got off OK. ?Had she hell! ?She'd finally managed to get a downgrade cancellation and told the guy to change the tickets. ?I prayed he coldn't do it as we'd already checked in, but he did. ?There isn't actually any difference in the seating so we found but, being a vindictive sort in these matters, I just wanted Mary to experience some of what she'd put us through. ?I visibly sagged and told her the whole thing had been horribly stressful. ?She put her hand comfortingly on my arm and said '
Don't worry.
I'M here now. ?It'll be OK.' ?How I didn't strangle the bl**dy woman there and then I don't know. ?It was the way she said it, having been the sole cause of all our problems. ?
There's a lot more I could post about her lies and manipulation, trying to blame everyone but herself but I'm running out of space again and probably boring you all to death so I'll leave it there, put it all behind me and get on with enjoying my holiday downunder. ?Now, where's that paint brush. ? ;) ?