Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Globe of Lies?

Globe Customer Service

This will be a short email just to let you how disappointed I am with how you treat your customers.

My contract for my handy phone number 0917864**** expired a few months ago and I have been trying avail of your loyalty program since then. However, I was passed between various Globe centers and online, being promised that someone will call me. Finally, after many follow ups, I was able to receive a call last December 10 telling me that a new phone will be delivered on December 14. I asked for an assurance since I will have to miss work to receive this, but I was told: “Sir, I cannot give you the exact time but for sure it will be delivered on the 14th, during office hours.”

December 14, I missed work and waited for your delivery.

At 12 noon, I made a follow up and I was told to just wait, the delivery time is 8 am to 5 pm.

At 4 PM, I made another follow up and I was told again to wait, delivery time is now up to 6 PM. After insisting that I talk to a supervisor, one finally talked to me and said: “Sir, I talked to the delivery service and I was assured that the one carrying your phone is currently on field and your phone will be delivered to you before 6 PM.”

At 6 PM, I called and told your agent that I have not received any delivery. I asked for an explanation, and your agent promised that someone will call back within the day to let me know what happened.

At 10 PM, I called again and asked why no one called me up yet. I was told my concern was already endorsed and O should just wait. After insisting for so long to talk to a supervisor, I was finally able to talk to one. The supervisor told me he will call the delivery service but he can’t get an answer since it’s after office hours already. But he promised me that someone will call them first thing in the morning and will call me as soon as they have an answer.

December 15, 2009

At 12 noon, no one called me up yet so I called you again and inquired about the incident (after two hours of trying, as I can’t get in). I was told that YOU TRIED TO DELIVER BUT I WAS NOT AROUND! Are you kidding me? I waited and waited for you. Will I call you four times if I was not waiting? And for a telecom company, NO ONE EVER BOTHERED TO TEXT OR CALL ME: “ where are you? We will deliver but you are not here in your house.” Is that so hard to do?

After insisting on talking to a supervisor, I was repeatedly told that no one is available (for 45 minutes), and I should just wait for a call. But since you NEVER fulfil your promise of calling me, I insisted on waiting, only for the agent to end the call without ever telling me. Giving the benefit of the doubt, I thought it might be just a technical problem (poor service?), so I expected a call back from the agent, telling me that it was not intentional. Or the supervisor that I have been asking for. But no call.. What can I expect? You are just proving that you are all liars. Or that you don’t value your customers.

So at 2:30, I called you up again but still no feedback except to tell me that you asked your delivery department and that you maintain that you delivered but I was not there. Are you telling me that I am a liar? Bakit ako mangungulit kung di ako naghihintay that day?

All this time, I was made to feel that you don’t give importance or value to your clients. We are just a source of income, but you don’t care about the service that you give.

But wait, that is not all. Allow me to enumerate other instances:

1. In the first two weeks of November, I was having trouble in Puerto princesa with your Mobile Broadband (0916708****), so I kept on calling you, and you keep on promising that you will call, but you never did.
2. First week of December, I was having problems with the same mobile internet, so I called you up. You promised to call me, you did not. When I made a follow up, you promised to send someone, but you never did. You said it would take 7 days and I should just wait! Just wait?! No updates, no contact, just suffer.

I am so full of you inefficiency and lack for respect for the time of your customers. In this regard, please consider this my official request to the following:

1. Cancel the new phone you are sending.
2. Terminate my line (0917864****) effective November 18, 2009.
3. Waive the pre termination fee for my super duo subscription since I am not able to continue it if my line is disconnected. Since I am having the line disconnected because of your POOR SERVICE, INEFFICIENCY, and LACK OF RESPECT FOR YOUR SUBSCRIBER, it is MORALLY and LEGALLY wrong for you to charge me a pre termination fee for my super duo.

I will be waiting for your reply to this letter no later than November 17, 2009. I would need your official explanation why you wasted my day last Dec. 14, and the actions that you have taken / actions that you will take.

Depending on your reply, please be aware that I am considering asking all of my friends, relatives, staff, and all my contacts to stop subscribing from you. And believe me, I can convince at least 20. Maybe you wouldn’t care, that’s just 20 out of your millions of subscribers. But I guarantee you, that is just the minimum.

In the spirit of transparency, I would like to inform you that this letter, together with your reply (or lack thereof), will be posted in my blogs and will be submitted to other blog administrators. I will also forward this letter and your reply to all my email contacts so that they will know how you value your clients.

A copy of this letter and your reply will also be submitted to the National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Trade and Industry for possible formal complaint if I am not satisfied with your answer.

And yes, this is still a short email.

Your very unhappy subscriber,

Froilan Grate
0917 -864**** – my soon to be disconnected globe number
0908 884**** – my SMART number, my only number after my globe is disconnected.

Read more...

Monday, September 14, 2009

Wow RCBC Bankard

Wow! I am impressed more with Bankard. Here is their reply to my email:

__________________________

Mr. Froilan Grate


Dear Mr. Grate,

Thank you for taking the time to let us know how our service is doing. Please accept my apologies for this late reply. I was out for a series of whole day meetings in the past week and it is only now that I got the chance to read your email and review the incident you cited. While I was out, the team that is responsible for the website maintenance was given an advance copy of your email so that they could look into the problem you cited.

Please accept my personal apologies for the inconvenience our website access may have caused you. I personally welcome your suggestions as this is the only way we can better improve our facilities and services to meet our customers' needs and expectations.

I discussed your comments on the accesibility of our website with our team that manages our website. Our website, www.bankard.com or www.rcbcbankard.com is accessible through Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape and Google chrome. We were concerned to learn that you could not access our website through any of these browsers. Testings on the website showed that these could still be accessed through these browsers.

Admittedly, accessibility to the statements at the moment is accessed through the internet explorer browser only. Our team is currently working on opening the access to other browsers. My understanding is work on this particular area is targeted to be finished within 60 days. I have advised them of your comments so the work could take into consideration your suggestions.

We offer delivery of statements through the email but at the moment this will require an internet explorer browser. This could be accessed through other browsers once the work on the access through the statements using other browsers is completed.

I deeply regret the trouble our web facility may have caused you and ask for your forebearance. Lastly, thank you for feedback and suggestions. Should you have any further feedback on our service, feel free to write me at my ____.



MARLYN V. ANGELES
Customer Service Head

Read more...

Some Suggestions for Bankard

The Manager
Customer Service Department/
Online Banking
RCBC Bankard

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have been a happy Bankard client (and RCBC Savings Bank too) for more than 2 years now. I am really happy with your products, and your phone banking. However, I do not have a very good experience with your mobile/internet banking. Being always on travel, I have recently requested for electronic billing (and also to lessen my use of paper, and thus lessen my wastes). This is a great feature that you offer, if only you can make it more easier. With your indulgence, I would like to point out the problems and offer some suggestions:

1. Your website can only be accessed by Internet Explorer, and users using Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome cannot access your site. This is a bit strange for you to do given the fact that most users prefer the latter to over IE. Please upgrade your system so that you can be accessed by three browsers.
2. Your site is not very user friendly. For example, it is very hard to save my statements. Maybe you can present the monthly statements as PDF files that is easier to open and save. (You might want to copy HSBC Credit Cards online system on this.) Or better yet, maybe you can have the system set up where you email the statement directly to the enrolled email address of the card holder. That would just be excellent!
3. The design of your site is very boring (and it looks primitive). Sorry for being direct, but if you want to attract more clients, and make them feel secure in using your site, please please redesign your site. (Believe me, design matters. Though I am happy with RSB, I still can’t give up my China Bank Account because their site is just so user friendly, very feature packed and it looks very modern.)

Of course, it is worth noting also what I like about your service:

1. It is so easy to do balance transfer, request for installment, request for extension cards, and other transactions – with just a call. No forms required to be faxed!
2. Your call center is very efficient, your agents are good (most of them anyway) and they answer immediately (unlike some where I have to wait for so long before anyone answers).
3. Your system of rewarding clients with waived membership fee, even after the first year is a sure way to keep clients loyal to your card. I have been offered so many pre approved credit cards, but I have refused most for them. Some I have accepted, but my bankard is still my primary card. I only use the rest when I have maximized my credit limit for bankard (with the use of your zero percent installment, by the way and not by defaulting on payments)
4. And so many other things that make me a happy client. Please keep them up! Now, if you can just consider my suggestions above, I will definitely be a client for keeps.

Many thanks!

Yours,

Froilan Grate

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Not so Smart after all

Submitted Post:

Smart Communications
To whom it may concern:

I would like to bring to your attention that there are unfortunately, a lot of defective prepaid PINS out there in the market. Before you wonder WHY I'm writing you instead of not going to your "hotlines", do not worry, I will outline shortly their non-existence.

First, your PINs. I have had a SMART prepaid line, and just to be sure the number is 0919 481 7462, for as long as I can remember. This line has probably been mine since 2004, so I think it's safe to say that I've been a loyal customer. Anyway, through all these years, I've had several encounters with defective PINs and have lost at LEAST Php10K in load. I purchased card no. 000597383789, which expires on 04-30-2010, and that has this Eheads free ringtone or whatever, in a gas station (Shell or Petron I forget which) on the corner of Ortigas; that intersection before Greenhills, I think it is McKinley Rd, cor. Ortigas. It has not been entered because the little voice of your little top up machine says that it's invalid. I don't see how that is. I'm sorry, but this is the last straw. I think that after all this time of lost PINs and unfortunately for me, lost MONEY, I think I deserve to be given my load. It's Php300, and though that may be small and insignificant to you, that is a whole bunch of calls that I could've made, for me.

Now, in trying to actually contact your service support...oh wait. You have none. I keep running around, pressing all sorts of buttons to answer your seemingly "high tech" FAQs pre-recorded labyrinth that MAKES NO SENSE, and voila, I've wasted time. Why? you may ask... Your FAQs first and foremost do NOT answer anything important, such as: WHO DOES ONE CALL WHEN THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT LOAD? It's all promos. And when I try to get to your Operator (if you have one, because I tried at least 5 times), the line goes dead or worse, busy. Are you hoping that we, your customers, will get tired of calling? So the Customer support call is now more expensive than the Php300 you guys owe me. THANKS GUYS. Sa alam ko, when a Globe subscriber calls for help, the call is FREE.

By and by, maybe you guys should look into your website too because it looks like it's just a bunch of promos. Your Customer Service there is nearly nonexistent too.

Anyway, this is coming from someone who will soon be an EX-customer of yours. I just thought it would be a good idea to let you know what a loyal customer has to go through to get heard by you. So, thank you for your time and consideration on this matter, if you do consider it at all.

Sincerely,
Aimee R. Marcos

Read more...

Monday, December 15, 2008

Comments on PAL

I'm disgusted with PAL and their lack of customer service.

To make a long story short, my mother in law had contracted e.coli from a cold smoked salmon salad she ate on a PAL flight from Manila to Bangkok, Thailand earlier this year. My husband and I didn't eat the salad, nor did other passengers we happened to meet whilst in Bangkok. Although there is no concrete evidence of her contracting e.coli from the salad PAL served (i.e. having a sample of the salmon tested, etc), it is pretty evident she did contract it from what she ate on the plane considering it was her first meal that day and her previous meal was 8 hours before that.

She missed touring Bangkok cause she was vomiting and severely ill. When we got back to Manila (had trouble with PAL AGAIN but that's another story) we checked her into UST hospital where she was treated.

The thing is...it was a chain of events. My mom in law ended up spending 10 days in 2 hospitals. She was staying at UST then cause of the unsanitary conditions, ended up contracting klebsiella.esbl (a very NASTY bacteria resistant to most antibiotics) during her stay there and ended up at St. Luke's hospital.

To say the least, my mom in law NEVER wants to visit the Philippines again (can you blame her after what has happened) and we're still trying to fight for some compensation from PAL.
Anonymous on September 25, 2008 11:18 PM

Ive always enjoyed the service that PAL offers. ive never had any experience with their reservations offices but their ground and flight crews are some of the most pleasant Ive experienced, I live in the New York and fly via San Francisco to get to Manila. After having to endure "service" from American domestic airlines, PAL, is definitely a whisp of fresh air.
Anonymous on September 26, 2008 12:03 AM

Bryan boy had thesame experience like you. Check out his blog.
People that work in LAX nicknamed PAL as the PLANE THAT's ALWAYS LATE, coz THEY ALWAYS ARE! And when they're late, airline people give you a meal coupon with an attitude, as if I should be grateful that I was given a free meal coz they were late! Jurrassic talaga! And the sad thing is, THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT ME AND YOU! You think your letter means something???? This is just business as usual for them!
ilovekimmel on September 26, 2008 2:31 AM

I have my own share of disgust with PAL, back in '02 (indeed that was the last time I boarded PAL) we were bound for LA and at the Terminal 2 as a standard procedure everyone checked in 3 hours before the flight. To our dismay, the plane was supposed to leave by 10pm a couple of "late business class" passengers delayed the flight schedule. Their reason, they called that they were running late and has to make the flight (they might be that important or maybe they just wanted to make their money's worth for being in a MABUHAY Business Class)! My my we were in outrage just becuase we were riding coach even the time for boarding was adjusted for them. While inside the plane, obviously the Flight Attendants (but I would like to call them Stewardess because they are OLD and or RETIRABLE looking gals) expected angst among the passengers that they weren't attending to us that much. I was given an attitude just for asking for a cup of water. That's the crappy service you get $1500 worth. It's giving me goosebumps everytime I think about it! That was a 13 hour flight that I can no longer take back "sigh!"
Anonymous on September 26, 2008 3:47 AM

what do you expect? PAL means "PALPAK" (defective) and PALENGKERA (ill-mannered staff). what else is new in Philippine Custumer Service???? NOTHING. You can't blame them though, if you have a GOVERNMENT like the Philippines', do not wonder anymore.
Comment by Who Am I? on September 26, 2008 4:24 AM

Hi Bri,

Thank so much for posting my letter (and thanks to my friend who forwarded the letter to you).

My letter may not change PAL but at least I know I did something. I'm tired of complaining every time I get a lousy service and writing PAL is my simple way doing my share. Maybe, just maybe, they will listen. If not, it's not my loss.

One thing I was hoping when I wrote this letter is encourage others to come out and share their experience as well.

And thank you Brian for posting this letter here. I posted it in my blog (www.greenminds.net) but of course, only my friends read it. Haha! Now I know more people will be able to read this, and hopefully more people will share their own experience.

If you have the same (or worse?) experience, please drop a comment on my site.

Froi
Michael on September 26, 2008 5:45 AM

There are a lot of issues regarding PAL.. "Plane always late" is the most classic. Yup, they got a lot of rude employees but not all of them though.

Cebu pacific is the best right now in terms of service.. :):)They also have many promos which make it possible for any "juan" to fly with them. Also all of their Planes were brandnew airbus A320. Or is it A319?

It saddens me that PAL is not performing up to it's standards as the Flag Carrier of the Philippines.As the official plane of our country, they are our window to the outside World and any image they have whether good or bad will reflect a lot to the foreigners.

Our airports also needs a lot of change.
Comment by ara on September 26, 2008 6:32 AM

I used to love PAL because of their direct flights but last January I was on my way to Jamaica via Vancouver and requested for a window seat away from the children (no offense but I haven't had any sleep because of work) and the person at the check-in counter scolded me about hating children because I was single and didn't have any of my own. He told me once I become a mother I would understand and gave me an aisle seat next to a little kid who cried the whole trip. Crazy! What about customer service? All I wanted was to get some rest. *sigh*
Ramel on September 26, 2008 8:40 AM

The way to teach PAL a lesson is not to book a single ticket from them anymore. They used to be the one and only airline in P.I.

Customer service? Hah! Lucky you if they will just pout on you ! I dont know why? Even pinoy crew at fastfood/restaurants here in the US (Jollibee, Chowking, Goldilocks) arent trained well on customer service. Nada, zit, zero. That's why you would only see 3 or 4 people standing in line.

Back to PAL - Cebu Pacific will give a run for their money. Where in the world they would play parlor games and give you prizes inside an airplane. Only Cebu Pacific does that. Smile? They will give you all the smiles you want.

Still, spend your money to a competitor instead. That's the only thing you can do and sooner, they'll feel the pinch.
Anonymous on September 26, 2008 10:44 AM

I do hear a lot of "horror" stories about PAL. Curiously though, I, nor anyone from our family has yet to experience any of these with the airline, not even "plane always late". We did encounter a canceled SFO-MNL flight once, but PAL made sure all passengers were re-booked for the next flight and billeted in a nice hotel for the duration of the wait. We do fly quite frequently, and have tried other airlines as well. Our worst experience so far is with a domestic US carrier -- 9hr delay and not even a drink was offered to us passengers. To cut the long story short, Pinoy service is still tops!
Anonymous on September 26, 2008 11:21 AM

Put up a website for (Philippine) AIRLINE GRIPES,

maybe as part of
www.greenminds.net ?

let people submit their stories. If possible, even videos, as proof. For those submitting stories, if possible also, jot down the names of the personnel who need additional "customer service" training, flight number, date, time and airports of departure and arrival.

Turn on the voice recording feature in your cellphones, to document your conversations with the airline personnel, if you can not turn on the video feature in your cellphone.

Of course, we know that if the owner of the blog is Philippine-based, they can be FORCED, pressured, or intimidated to close down their blog, if they are going against a giant. So, think ahead. I am not sure if TRUTH is a defense against LIBEL in the Philippines. Sometimes, the "giants" in the Philippines, just use their money to harass people who complain by filing lawsuits against them. It is a tactic often used in the Philippines, that even Brian had experienced, threats of lawsuits.

Brian, it looks like Filipinos now find a good place to air legitimate gripes in your blog. Maraming salamat, po.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2006/06/whats_your_bigg.html
Anonymous on September 26, 2008 11:42 AM

"I decided to make a reservation and was told to pay for it on or before Sept 15. Given that you have very limited sales offices, and only one (Cubao) near me, I was only able to visit on September 13, a Saturday."

"But alas, to my surprise, it was closed. It is closed every Saturday afternoon and whole day of Sunday. On weekdays, you’re only open until 5pm! Why a sales office with limited locations would close on weekends I beyond me. Cebu Pacific is open until 9 or 10 pm, 7 days a week!"

Is Philippine Airlines propped up by sales from tickets, or subsidized by public taxes? This does not look like they have any motivations in making as much sales as they can. How much is the CEO of Philippine Airlines making, salary, bonus (why would he have a bonus?) , others? How much are the people behind the counter making, bonus, benefits? Their motivation level for making sales and making repeat customers seem to be low.
Anonymous on September 26, 2008 3:37 PM

2 words - Third World !
Anonymous on September 26, 2008 4:19 PM

I am glad we didn't try PAL at all. We will just stick to www.evaair.com. Tickets are cheaper and the service is excellent.
Canadian on September 26, 2008 4:59 PM

Just like the Chinese, Filipinos in the Philippines are the worst when it comes to customer service. Every time I go home I dread encountering a problem with any business there because I know I won't get anywhere and I'd be endangering myself with a possible heart attack due to anger!

What do you expect, it's the common thread that runs among the people from the top (government, justices, legislators, etc) down to the rank-and-file. Two years ago, while applying for a business permit at a DTI window, I was totally helpless when my turn came at 5 minutes to lunchtime, only to be told to come back an hour later as they were closing for lunch break - what a total waste of my time and the others who were in line too. And to think I am a Fil-Canadian trying to contribute to the Philippine economy!

A nationwide education to correct this problem is clearly needed but, alas, knowing the Philippines - it's absolutely hopeless!
Comment by Rexler on September 26, 2008 8:58 PM

Cebu Pacific?
Yeah, right.

Where in the world would you find an airline that has nothing:
no newspapers
no blankets or pillows
if you want refreshments, you have to buy it from the FA (50 pesos for a can of soda or a cup of noodles)
EVEN ON INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS

One time, with a very long queue at the check-in counter, CebuPac cancelled our flight to HK, 45 minutes before its scheduled departure. Other airlines would book you in a hotel and schedule you for another flight. Not with them. No apologies, and no one from the airline came over to talk to us passengers. The people from NAIA just told us about the cancellation, with an advisory to call The CebuPac hotline to resked. Even sadder was the number of OFW passengers who came from the province and had no option but to stay and wait it out at the airport to wait for a flight.

A few years ago, me and my friends were on a CebuPac flight to Bohol. During take-off, the cabin started filling up with engine exhaust, the smoke alarms blaring bloody hell. While ascending, the flight attendants started passing around sheets of toilet paper drenched in water, telling us to cover our noses with them. After a few minutes, the pilot comes on the PA:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing some techinical difficulties. Please put your head between your legs and assume the crash position."
Everybody was in shock. Too stunned actually with what was happening that fortunately, no one panicked and chaos did not ensue. 20 mins later, the pilot comes on again:
"It seems that we will have to turn around and go back to the airport to change planes. Thank you for your patience, we will be landing in MANILA BAY in 15 minutes."
I swear on everything I hold dear to me that those were his words. Landing in Manila Bay. Really.
90 mins later, we were boarding another plane. There was a foreigner in a CebuPac uniform at the foot of the stairs seeing us off, probably one of the company's higher-ups. He goes:
"Thank you so much for your understanding. Now, please pray."
Needless to say, I never rode CebuPac again.
6 months later, I tell this story to a clients who happened to be a CebuPac pilot. He never heard of the incident. Apparently, they kept it under wraps.

My point is, PAL and CebuPac are both crappy. PAL has actually improved as of late, and I have not had any untoward incidents with them in the last two years. If anything, I like PAL better because they have their own airport. NAIA Terminal 1 is just hell with a couple of runways.
Anonymous on September 27, 2008 1:09 AM

Yeah, PAL has its own "airport" coz they don't want to share it with any other airlines. Lucio Tan wants a monopoly! That is how he competes, or any big old fart in the Philippines for that matter.
When FVR became president, he "opened up" the sky to other airlines because he believed in a FREE MARKET. The more competitors that are out there, the better for the consumers. That is how Cebu Pacific came to be.
But what the heck! Only in the Philippines right?
Anonymous on September 27, 2008 5:00 PM

Best time to visit the Cubao office is 830am when it opens. Do your research first. Check online for flight schedules/availability and fare. Call reservations, book the flight and get your confirmation number. Present number to agent in Cubao (20 total seats), she prints e-ticket, forwards same to Cashier for either cash or credit card payment. The time spent in the new Cubao office should not exceed 30 minutes for the early bird.


Lesson of the story: Make it easy on yourself!!!
Anonymous on September 27, 2008 11:43 PM

When PAL opened direct flights from Vancouver,Canada to Manila. I was so happy and immediately booked and paid returned flights last May of this year for me and my mother and also did the same for my brother and his family. I ,however, had a shock of my life when I checked in at the YVR (Vancouver) airport, The ground staffs where so unprofesional,impolite, no smiles, and no help at all. My bag was in excess at that time and the guy at the counter said it's heavy and cannot accept my bag and if I can move somewhere to remove the excess. I offered to pay whatever amount to cover the excess weight but he refused and he insisted that I come back if I am done. I left the counter out of disgust and start looking for a spare box or bag but stores at the airport are already closed at that time. So, I have to improvised, got to a corner ignored everybody passing and staring, opened my baggage and made some bunch of plastic bags and wrappers into a package. Such a hassle ! and not to say, the indignity! I went back to the check-in counter and they almost again did not accept my bags. You know, I got irritated the entire flight and vowed not to fly PAL again. I hope somebody at PAL reads this! You people need to work on your customer service skills and services!
nEd* on September 28, 2008 6:36 AM

Well I think there are lots of issues regarding these airlines in the Philippines. I personally have a very bad experience with CEBU PACIFIC, not once but twice. And hey from what I gather its not just me on this side of the world who has complaints about this airline. And I don’t buy it that they have frequent promos, heck, so they’ve got the right to treat people like that just cause people bought a promo ticket? My experience happened last year when I went home for a vacation. I bought a promo ticket, my very first from this airline, after flying with PAL the year before which cost way too high so I said why not try the cheapest if it’ll bring me to Philippines just the same. They’ve only been operational in Bangkok a few weeks when I flew home and youd think everything’s fresh and smooth being new and all..but I got to pinas I was so shocked to see my luggage destroyed I mean completely unusable, cracked (hard case) with one wheel missing and I was so shocked and furious very early in the morning. And there was a foreigner guy who didn’t have his baggage so he reported it missing/lost ( I dunno what happened after) but me I also complained and the representative asked tons of questions and filling up the form that they have for destroyed baggage. So after that she told me that they will contact me but I stayed in there for 3 weeks and nothing. I even called a number of times but all I got were infinite ringing but no answer- the woman gave me several numbers, none worked – should I be happy? NOT I was furious and counting my days stay in the Philippines and the problem still unresolved. i even emailed them to ask them about my complain and that I only have a few days to stay in pinas..several emails and still nothing from them…so because I was in the province the whole time I was in the Philippines I said to myself wait til I get to manila..came the time I was to fly back to my workplace, before I checked in I asked them about my complaint and showed them the copy or my complaint , made a tiny bit of a scene there I said I wanted to speak with the manager who called and talked to lots of people and after just told me to just call the office because the office that they have at the airport doesn’t solve matters like that or email the office… call? Internationally?email? They must be going nuts, they wouldn’t even pick up the phone,the whole time I was there I kept trying to no avail. They didn’t even acknowledge a single email,to make the story shorter, I still have the piece of paper the representative gave me as a copy of the complaint and no, they still haven’t settled nor replied any of my emails and when I arrived in Bangkok the handle of the handbag I checked in was also broken but I let it pass coz it wasn’t expensive and it was mine..by the way the hard-cased luggage was just borrowed from a friend because mine was so huge I didn’t have that much stuff so I asked my friend to lend me his.i was so ashamed to my friend for what happened.
The second incident was just march this year when I went home for holy week and for my baby’s birthday.. still with CEBU just domestic but way to serious than the luggage thing coz I swore im never flying with the airline again (at least for domestic flights)..it was just after holy week so most of the people were going back to their respective workplace and so was i..at the airport we arrived about 55 minutes b4 the departure and we were even happy that when we got to the airport the plane wasn’t there yet so there was time for picture taking and family time, when we entered the check in area it was so quite we thought that we were one of the first few people to arrive, no lines, nice…but then the agent told us that everybodys checked in already and that we’re late already and that I cant fly on that day coz the plane’s already full. I was like What?! The plane’s not even there and its still 50 mins till departure so how can I be late, I was just at this same flight a few months back and it wasn’t like this we came even later.i have my name listed on that day and I was there… I mean I couldnt miss the domestic coz I had a connecting flight that same night so I said. And then the other guy told me that im late blah blah I should be at the airport 45 mins before departure blah blah…furious already I yelled at the guy and said excuse me if you hadn’t been talking for the last 10 mins, would I have made it at the boarding area? I was here before your 45 minutes and you weren’t even entertaining anybody anymore, you’re closed already cant you see.there were a few people like me who weren’t allowed to check in because they said they were late…they came before me…how’s that? one was a pregnant woman who was just standing when I got there teary-eyed just not talking to the men at the counter… Why is that the plane from manila’s not even here yet. And he said ma’am sorry but you should check the nonsense/suggestions on your website but you wouldn’t even acknowledge a complaint? Don’t tell me about your website coz I know they don’t work.. we tried every possible way we could just so we could board that flight but unsuccessful. The pregnant woman told me that she bought the ticket 2 months back, so was my ticket how could they be full when we the people who was supposed to be on that flight are outside of the boarding area? Doesn’t make sense to me….hmmmm, wait, but it does, you see it was peak season, just after holy week, people eager to go back to manila, lots of profit for them. We bought the promo tickets 2 months back for just over 3 thousand, 2 way. And then the pregnant woman told me that the chance passengers paid more than 5 thousand just for a 1 way ticket…savvy, right? And for those of us who missed our promo ticket, our tickets were useless, so we either fly on that day or thrash the ticket, for those who really cant fly on that date must buy again, and you were hoping youd save some on a promotion, turns out it costs more…and I swear I cursed a whole lot of bad words that day…I wished they answered my phone calls coz it would’ve been a lot more satisfying for me if I aired it to whoever was responsible…I guess it’s their policy not to answer the line for complaints…what im saying is that they shouldn’t treat their customer’s like that just because they think that maybe their customers are just nobody’s because they can only afford cheap promo tickets…why in the world would you advertise promotion?
Comment by GreenMinds on October 1, 2008 4:55 AM

Hello everyone,

I just would like to share that PAL responded to my letter. If you want updates on this, you might want to check out the blog I started for this issue (and other customer service related concerns) at www.customerwow.blogspot.com

Many thanks!

Froi
www.greenminds.net
Anonymous on October 11, 2008 12:17 AM

I've had it with PAL. We were flying back and forth between the US and Manila quite a few times last year, not on vacation, but for medical issues, etc. Anyhow the last time we had to fly to the US, a family member there was very ill, our flight was cancelled. The flight was supposed to leave about 10PM, but an hour after the scheduled departure, we still weren't boarding, no announcements or anything. Another hour passed and they finally told us the flight was cancelled for mechanical problems on the plane, but they didn't tell you what to do: no announcement about rescheduling the flight, what to do now that it was midnight and we were stuck in the airport. People crowded around the few remaining employees asking what to do. After asking a few employees, we finally found out that they would put you up at a hotel or give you P1000 for a taxi ride home. Since we lived close by, we opted for the taxi ride home, but there was just one person issuing the P1000; the line was more than 100 people deep, and she had to verify your ID first and then ask for your signature. People at the end of the line were screaming for them to open another line, but of course the rude Filipinos at the end of the line rushed to the front of the new line. We then had to find a supervisor to help us book our connecting flight in the US to our final destination.

Upon returning the next morning we found out that they had cancelled more than one flight the previous night before, so they were trying to cram the passengers from two flights onto one. They did this by separating families, bumping people off the flight, etc. It was total FUC****G chaos as passengers started threatening the employees. After many arguments had ensued, a supervisor finally appeared and tried to calm people down. Of course, the flight was late again as they tried to figure out what to do. Now that the flight from Manila was delayed, we would have less than an hour to make our connecting flight in the US. The staff in Manila told us there would be ground staff in San Francisco to assist us with the connection, but of course, when we arrived in SF, no one was around to help. We barely made our flight, but another passenger we met missed his flight.

PAL's staff are ill-trained, and supervisors try to hide in their offices until problems get out of hand, they don't make announcements when necessary. The employees lie about staff on the arrivals end--they have no FUC***G idea, but they will tell you what you want to hear. Additionally, they have obviously have maintenance issues due to the many cancellations and delays. On board the plane, many times my headphones or video display haven't worked. Lastly to make a flight change they force you to fax a copy of your ID with your signature to make a change. They even charged us a $150 fee to upgrade to business class.

It's really a shame how crappily PAL is run. The monopolies and corruption in this country really give people a poor impression of the Philippines.

Philwhine
Anonymous on October 15, 2008 6:57 PM

I have had bad experiences also with PAL that are bearable, and Cebu Pacific that I will never ever forget, but after taking other airlines in other countries, I feel that we still have a great service!

PAL always tops my list and they have greatly improved! I rode the newly configured 747-400 to Cebu and the new seats are at par with Singapore Airline's Kris World!

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Friday, December 12, 2008

I hate SSS!

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Two months before I resigned from my last work, I made sure that I get all the ID cards I need since I will be surrendering my company ID. This means I arranged everything from my SSS (replacement), TIN, Postal ID, etc. These are some of the IDs needed for bank and other important transactions. Aside from these ID cards, I also continued my PhilHealth, Pag-ibig and SSS contributions without fail, so when I get sick, the health insurance can take care of a part of the hospital bill, and when I reach retirement age or die, I get a little something out from SSS (Social Security System).

I was happy with the online inquiry service of SSS until I experienced what seems to be an endless problem with their website. It was down, if not too slow, most of the time. Then they had this new procedure where one should register first and create an account before he can do online contribution inquiry, etc.

Personally, I like the old thing more – type your last name, your birthday and your SSS number, press ‘submit’ then tada! All the information you need to know and see with regards to your membership are there.

That was the old process. The new one is, well, I can’t say if it’s better or what. I have registered and tried accessing my account successfully. To register, you need to fill up the online form and wait for the email with your password from them (you create your own username and they give you the PW which you can change afterwards). Once logged in, you need to log in again to access your membership account. In other words, you need to log in to log in. Funny, right?

After successfully fooling myself logging in and trying the not really impressive service, I tried registering my husband. He received the email that says,

‘We are sorry to inform you that you have not successfully registered in the SSS Website. Please call the SSS Hotline at (632) 920-6446 to 55 for assistance.’

A month later, we tried registering again – filled up the form and waited for their email. We received the same response!

So I decided to call those numbers to inquire but all of them are either busy or your call just can’t get through (I hear a fast busy tone). I tried calling the trunkline (9206401), but the lady kept insisting that I call those other numbers even I told her how hard it is to get though. And I’ve been dialing since yesterday!

Aaaarrrgghhh! How I hate SSS! Their web service sucks, and their phone service sucks more. Maybe that’s why it’s called the SSS Hotline. Your head will get hot when you call their line. I just hope they find a website hosting service that works, and a bunch of people that works better.

See original post here.

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Sunday, December 7, 2008

3ix is Not A Cheap Hosting Provider

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Remember my post about transferring my site to 3ix? It was the biggest mistake I ever made with respect to my blog. I remember bragging to my blogger friends how they provide chat support and how cheap their services are. But now I take back all those things I have bragged about because with 3ix, you get what you paid for - cheap hosting.

This post is going to be long so please bear with me as I try to vent out my frustrations here in my blog. I hope someone will learn from my experience. If you decide you don’t want to read all the bru-haha, then you can skip and proceed here.

I have been a subscriber of 3ix for over six months before I transferred pinoytux.com to 3ix hosting, which worked pretty much well. I decided that free hosting no longer works for my blog so I ordered an upgrade of my account amounting to $28.10. It was OK at first. I mean I can’t transfer my database to their MySQL server but the support was kind enough to upload the dump file for me. Then hell started to break loose.

One time, I thought that my account was compromised because my homepage shows the WordPress installation page. So I asked them to check what is wrong with my account. The very kind technical support didn’t know what to do and asked me if I have backup of my database, which I did from 3 days before. So the support dumped again the file after two hours of debate why he can’t import a dump file in tar.gz and zip format. I lost some post and comments because of this but I thought, you know sh*t happens, so I guess its OK.

Then I put in SiteUptime checker to see how many times my blog went down every day. I see reports that my has become inaccessible quite a few times because I received alerts through email but I thought that it is not so bad. Maybe it was all just false positives.

Then again, the database went missing. I checked phpMyAdmin and my WP database shows no tables. So I opened a chat again with their support and this time, I asked them to change the permission of the database because it was I think that is wrong. So they did and they fixed the problem.

Continue reading the post here.

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