Last Saturday I spent several hours on Jet Airways trying to book two return flights from Bombay to Goa, for an upcoming India trip. The site repeatedly rejected my credit cards, and so throwing my hands up in despair, I decided to acquire them through an agent instead.
Later that day when I logged into my bank account I realised that the airline had debited over $700. I wasn't pleased, but I wasn't upset either. I assumed that once they realised their mistake, that is, within a few hours, the money would be put back. Of course that never happened, and so I called their helpline. I had barely finished describing my concern, when I was told to send them an email. I wondered why the gentleman on the end of the line was in such a hurry to get rid of me (was lunch waiting? was mummy waiting with lunch?). I assumed I would have better luck if I spoke with someone else. I called again, and received the same treatment. (Lunch was waiting and mummyji's aloo parathas were in danger of getting cold).
I sent an email to info@jetairways.com. with every necessary detail. Shortly after, I received a response in which I was asked for my credit card number. The email was unsigned, and therefore virtually anonymous, and the request was made over an unsecured server. I had to wonder at the quality of people Jet was hiring. Either they were stupid, or they hoped I was. (Or there was a sale on at Westside and they didn't care).
I refused, of course, and sent an email to several other absolutely random people at the organisation. They wrote back with a request for my credit card number.
Realizing that further interactions with Jet would lose me more money, if anything, I called my bank here in the States. Just as I was explaining what Jet was, I was interrupted, 'oh we know them very well,' the lady on the other end of the line said to me. 'You're not the first person they've taken money from.' In her experience, she continued, 'Jet would try and hold on to the money' and that, at the earliest, it would take over 10 days for them to even acknowledge what they had done.
It didn't take her even ten minutes to put the amount back into my account, thus allowing me to ignore the emails that I continue to receive from Jet asking for my credit card number.
Jet's lack of accountability and their poorly trained customer service department is an embarrassment. And it's particularly embarrassing, I would imagine, that banks even outside India are familiar with their ways. Such incompetence is hardly true of other providers I interact with back home, most prominently, HDFC Bank, whose customer service over email is exceptional. (They're also the first ones to tell you that should you receive an email from them asking for your account or credit card number, ignore it.)
Suffice to say, I shan't be buying a ticket from Jet anytime soon.
14 comments:
Strange. I had the exact same ordeal with MakeMyTrip.com just two months ago. The whole process took over two weeks to resolve completely by which time of course the tickets to India jumped.
So sad! I love Jet because they are the only airline that bothers with goodlooking male stewards. Though they haven't tried to take my money yet.
to make you feel better, you could have been on my XMAS trip to India a couple of years ago.
You would have been traveling from NY-BOM on American Airlines-Virgin, the airlines could have conspired to strand you in London, the cold-fish ground staff could have cared less, leaving you to make your own visa and hotel arrangements because that stopover terminal does not allow overnight stays. Oh, and then sent your baggage about 5 days after you.
For the iceing on the cake, they could have taken just short of a year to reimburse you!!
Its just that these Indian Airliners (as many other Indian companies)are using the jazzy theme of "provding service" whereas neither they nor a usual Indian person understands the word "experience" or "service"!!!
If they oblige you with a slant smile too we go head over heeels over "their service"!!
A treatment like this in states would've got the airliner sued by now and they'd be running helter skelter to return your money!!
Shit Happens Buddy!! Better be careful next time that from whom you are expecting "Service"!!
What a lot of spoilt American Indians!!!!! Get real we are in the electronic age and shit happens!!!The Airline does not do this intentionally, and the Bank Lady better watch out what she says abput people who contribute to her pay cheque......
that's terrible.
but let me add, those foreign banks aren't particularly better.
bank of america's service -- though "available" is pathetic. it is time-consuming, but there ways are sneaky and clever, designed to steal money.
i cannot tell you the number of times my problem has been with my bank account and their over-charging me or failing to hear my request for a fraudulence case against another party.
it's very tricky and these foreign banks can be just as annoying.
Jet's customer service is limited to the superficial cheery hello at the entrance to the aircraft. When you actually want service- queries about late flights, why you were bumped off, why check in is shut 40 minutes before departure as opposed to the usual 30- they are rude, inefficient and plain incompetent.
But yes- I have had similar experiences with banks and airlines in the UK.
So much for customer friendliness in a 'free market'.
This is unfortunate, but the problem is somewhere deeper.
Customer Service, in India, is just the Indian way of showing that we too can be professional. But it stops just there. If a customer actually try to get some service, he/she is immediately confronted with the genetic disorder known as bureaucracy.
Also, being in IT myself, I always have wondered - why Indian companies just do not *get* IT when most of the world's IT is one way or the other involves India. Unsigned emails? Insecure medium? What are you talking about, ma'am?
The irony is delicious.
I had a very similar experience when booking a flight from Mumbai last year. The rudeness with which my complaints were received astonished me and lead me to believe that Jet Airways either should be out of business or simply has too dominant a position in the marketplace. For no other reason could I imagine an airline (or any business for that matter) would tolerate such shoddy customer service, or at worst, clearly fraudulent practices. India doesn't seem to have any credible authority you can complain to otherwise I would have followed up vociferously, I was so upset by the experience.
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I totally agree with your opinion about Jet Airways. I am never ever going to fly with them ever again, I am still waiting to hear on an appeal for $700 of fees charged by them for cancelling my tickets even though I had a doctor's note forbidding me to travel on medical reasons. All other airlines refund money back in this situation but Jet just wants to make a quick buck.
Why did you move out of India again?
It's so fashionable for people to write about India while living somewhere else! Gaah! I am going to tell all the people I know not to buy your book.
I too had a rough treatment by the Jetairways website where I have been trying to book a flight. After filling up all details of my bonafide credit card, they simply said that they could not proceed!
Mine is a HDFC Visa card and it works in all other airlines.
M. Molomoo
Merry Christmas Sonia!
I'm really surprised that Jet did this to you. I expected them to be a little more ethical and efficient. Makemytrip.com took $6,500 US from my family for their India trip and sat on the money for a couple of days. Should we start seeing a pattern here? Interest free loans?
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