== I have experienced the most dismal level of customer service from Goibibo.
Here’s my experience:==
I had done booking for a round trip flight from Mumbai(Departure 6th Feb to Bangkok(departure 12th Feb) for an Air India flight. However, I had to postpone my trip due to the political unrest in Bangkok as the Thailand government declared an emergency & also warned tourists.
I contacted their help-desk on 3 different occasions and was given 3 different quotes for rescheduling charges. Finally on Feb 4th I was asked to pay Rs 21, 750 to reschedule my flight. I complied with their request. However, late night post 12 o’clock I received a call from their customer care executive, Ashish to inform me that the flight cannot be rescheduled as the rescheduling can be done only upto 30 days of travel date.
Firstly, this was absolutely the wrong time to contact a customer. I was disturbed at odd hours for no fault of mine. Secondly, why hadn’t Goibibo done their homework?
I had contacted their team on 3 separate occasions and none of the executives had the competency of understanding the terms and conditions of the booking!
Why was I asked to reschedule the flight when the only option available was to cancel it and book a new one? The call lasted for nearly an hour and it ruined my sleep!
Eventually, after cancelling the ticket, I was told that the refund would be credited back to my credit card accounts. However, few minutes after the call got over, I received an email from Goibibo saying that the amount would be credited to my GoCash account!
This added insult to the injury! I had to contact their helpline once again(which would mean going through the endless queue for reaching out to an executive) & had to check with them. I was told that the mail was sent due to a system issue and the refund would be credited to my credit card accounts within 7 working days.
The drama continued till late night and it took a toll on my health which caused me to take a leave from office on the next day.
I have coughed up Rs 1, 01, 101 for the initial flight booking+ Rs 21, 750 for the flight rescheduling. I was told that I would be charged roughly around Rs 20, 000 for flight cancellation. As of now, 16th Feb 2014, I have received partial refund of Rs 61, 101 on one credit card account and Rs 19, 995 on my other credit card account. However, I have not received the refund amount of Rs 21, 750(flight rescheduling charges).
In the meanwhile, I spoke to their customer care executive, Mr Ankit Goel on 5th Feb and explained him the situation. I requested him to escalate the matter and help me with a nominal discount(apart from the regular ones of Rs 3000 on the 2 split bookings(a: 2 adults & b: 2 adults+ 1 child) which I will be making.
All I want is a suitable discount as a monetary compensation for the harassment I had to undergo to book-reschedule-cancel-rebook my flight. I was told that Ankit would be taking up this matter with his seniors and would revert on the next day. I have sent over 5 reminders via email. Alas, I just get a reply from Ankit saying that he was on leave-a lame excuse yet again!
With an organization of such stature, me as a customer expects some level of professionalism from the company. Such kind of customer service is not acceptable and I strongly feel that Goibibo is doing injustice to their customers with such a dreadful service.
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Update:
The matter is resolved now & I have got the complete refund. Also the Goibibo cancellation charges per head have been waived off.
I am thankful to the entire Goibibo team for this gesture. Have to mention that they gave their employee, Mr Ankit Goel, a second opportunity to handle my case & he didn’t let them down.
Thanks!