On 20th June I had to come back from Mumbai to Chennai. I had a train berth reserved. Then I came to know that tickets by the Indian leg of Indian Airlines' international sector, comes at good discount. So I booked a flight ticket and cancelled my train ticket.
I reached the air-port in time, got the boarding pass and waited at the designated gate. When it was too late I started getting concerned and approached the transit counter and asked, why is this flight not announced. The man seemed surprised and asked me "where did you get this pass from"? I thought that was the most ridiculous question to ask a passenger and replied "Wherever am supposed to get it from". He had that blank still on the face and quickly went back and started whispering to his colleague. I asked him if the flight is cancelled, because I was almost sure. He said yes. Very calmly I asked him what to do next. "Sir you please go back to the check-in counter and give this boarding pass, they will give you new pass." he said.
Me: "new pass for what?"
Him: "for morning flight tomorrow"
Me: "Oh! so you will give an accommodation for the night?"
Him: "please speak to the check in desk, sir"
Me: "How do I go back? the security won't allow?"
Him: "show them this pass, sir, they will let you"
Me: "Thank you. Good night"
Him: "Thank you sir, Good night"
I went back to the check in counter. There was a huge crowd apparently of the passengers who were for the same flight. Through a gap I extended by boarding pass to the lady. She pushed the others and asked me
"Where were you sir, we were searching for you"
Me: "I was where I was supposed to be. Near the Gate"
She: "We were wondering where were you!"
Me: "you have an announcing system which could have been used"
She: "Sorry sir. Sir this flight is cancelled, so we will issue a boarding pass for the morning 7.30 flight"
(It was almost 11:30 in the night!)
Me: "So you are providing an accommodation for the night, right?"
She: "No sir. Actually you can use the cafeteria for snacks and rest there"
Me: "That is not fair. You can see that I am old! (not really but my hair was white then itself!!)
She: (very politely) "sorry sir, we don't have a provision for that."
Me: "Ok, no problem, let me check the cafeteria"
I resigned but the others were still shouting abusive words at that poor girl.
I went to the cafeteria and found lot of straight backed chairs where I can't even lean back, and anyway all of them and the floor was flooded with people!
I came back to the check-in desk again, where the others were still shouting at her, and asked him.
Me: "Mam, the cafeteria is fully occupied. Please give me an accommodation"
She: (very very politely) "SOrreeee sir, we don't have provision for that. You can have free snacks at the cafeteria"'
Sure am a good eater which you would have found from my "http://eating-ways.blogspot.in/", but it was surprising that she found it out!
At this point the consumer in me got up from the sleep. The consumer in me said "this poor girl is an employee of Indian Airlines. What can she do beyond her assigned authority! No point in arguing with her."
So I went out of air port, took an auto rickshaw (not a taxi), went to Andheri (not at Santacruz itself) , found a fairly descent lodge (not the Leela Kempinsky near the air port), stayed there, had a bed tea in the morning, checked out with all the bills, came to air port by auto rickshaw (not taxi), boarded the flight and safely landed at Chennai!
On 23rd, I wrote the following letter to the known address of Indian Airlines with POD.
Look at the stress of auto rickshaw and hotel! Don't give even the slightest space to the supplier to counter you. In point number 7 am coming to the crux of the issue. In the missing letter here, he had said that "internal policy we are not providing accommodation for domestic passengers!!!" Also look at my counter to the "next available flight"
So I sent this letter to Mr. Nadirshaw. May be Mr. Rajagopal was holding to his stand. Of course ego also come into play in such issues. So don't give breathing space in your communications and evidences.
Finally I got my cheque.
I reached the air-port in time, got the boarding pass and waited at the designated gate. When it was too late I started getting concerned and approached the transit counter and asked, why is this flight not announced. The man seemed surprised and asked me "where did you get this pass from"? I thought that was the most ridiculous question to ask a passenger and replied "Wherever am supposed to get it from". He had that blank still on the face and quickly went back and started whispering to his colleague. I asked him if the flight is cancelled, because I was almost sure. He said yes. Very calmly I asked him what to do next. "Sir you please go back to the check-in counter and give this boarding pass, they will give you new pass." he said.
Me: "new pass for what?"
Him: "for morning flight tomorrow"
Me: "Oh! so you will give an accommodation for the night?"
Him: "please speak to the check in desk, sir"
Me: "How do I go back? the security won't allow?"
Him: "show them this pass, sir, they will let you"
Me: "Thank you. Good night"
Him: "Thank you sir, Good night"
I went back to the check in counter. There was a huge crowd apparently of the passengers who were for the same flight. Through a gap I extended by boarding pass to the lady. She pushed the others and asked me
"Where were you sir, we were searching for you"
Me: "I was where I was supposed to be. Near the Gate"
She: "We were wondering where were you!"
Me: "you have an announcing system which could have been used"
She: "Sorry sir. Sir this flight is cancelled, so we will issue a boarding pass for the morning 7.30 flight"
(It was almost 11:30 in the night!)
Me: "So you are providing an accommodation for the night, right?"
She: "No sir. Actually you can use the cafeteria for snacks and rest there"
Me: "That is not fair. You can see that I am old! (not really but my hair was white then itself!!)
She: (very politely) "sorry sir, we don't have a provision for that."
Me: "Ok, no problem, let me check the cafeteria"
I resigned but the others were still shouting abusive words at that poor girl.
I went to the cafeteria and found lot of straight backed chairs where I can't even lean back, and anyway all of them and the floor was flooded with people!
I came back to the check-in desk again, where the others were still shouting at her, and asked him.
Me: "Mam, the cafeteria is fully occupied. Please give me an accommodation"
She: (very very politely) "SOrreeee sir, we don't have provision for that. You can have free snacks at the cafeteria"'
Sure am a good eater which you would have found from my "http://eating-ways.blogspot.in/", but it was surprising that she found it out!
At this point the consumer in me got up from the sleep. The consumer in me said "this poor girl is an employee of Indian Airlines. What can she do beyond her assigned authority! No point in arguing with her."
So I went out of air port, took an auto rickshaw (not a taxi), went to Andheri (not at Santacruz itself) , found a fairly descent lodge (not the Leela Kempinsky near the air port), stayed there, had a bed tea in the morning, checked out with all the bills, came to air port by auto rickshaw (not taxi), boarded the flight and safely landed at Chennai!
On 23rd, I wrote the following letter to the known address of Indian Airlines with POD.
Note some the points here. The letter with numbered lines improves the clarity of my communication. Am not even asking them whether they have a provision to compensate me. I have already assumed that they are going to compensate me. The letter is very polite and no threats.
I got a reply. Unfortunately the ink faded in 15 years! I have only one blank glazing white paper!! Don't know if some companies have techniques of fading ink, like I suspect Dell to have some firmware which damages the computer in 13th month after 12 months warranty!! That is what happened to my 3 Dell lap tops in the 13th month.
From my reply to their first letter, you can guess what they had written. Here is my reply
I don't exactly remember. But I think I gave this as hand delivery, because, there is that stamp and signature of Air India on the letter itself!. That is the way. Unrefutable evidence.
Note the following in this letter.
Point 1 tells them the that I was given a boarding pass and just before 15 minutes only I came to know the flight cancellation. How do I prove it. By giving copy of the following!! (surprised that I keep documents for centuries?)
In fact I keep the envelope also when there is no POD by my supplier, because with the envelope I can prove when the letter was delivered and how much time it took from despatching to delivery by the stamps of the respective post offices.
You don't believe that I lived in a small hotel. Here are the tea bills.
Look at the stress of auto rickshaw and hotel! Don't give even the slightest space to the supplier to counter you. In point number 7 am coming to the crux of the issue. In the missing letter here, he had said that "internal policy we are not providing accommodation for domestic passengers!!!" Also look at my counter to the "next available flight"
And in the concluding para, you can see the change in the tone. The first threat of legal fight.
Then came his next letter.
Poor man. He is the CRM for T.Nadu. What else can he do? So I need to take it to more responsible persons in the line.
Here goes my next letter.
Note point number 5,6,8 and the concluding sentence. Those are logical Bombs!
Now the tone of the letter changes and note that it is to the Managing Director. I got the following reply from the Commercial Manager - Sales, Mr. Girish Chandra. D. Vyas referring to my letter to their MD. Note point 5 where the "However.." is coming now.
Following is my reply to him. Note my positive statements to him. But also note that I am not leaving a space to them for telling me "we did not get the enclosures". I had a witness to enclosures. My good friend Captain Sujeet Oommen
I got the reply from the CM - Industry Affairs and Sales Mr. Nadirshaw. See point number 3 there? That is why I had my witness to enclosure even before.
So I sent this letter to Mr. Nadirshaw. May be Mr. Rajagopal was holding to his stand. Of course ego also come into play in such issues. So don't give breathing space in your communications and evidences.
Finally I got my cheque.
Then the King and Queen lived peacefully and happily!
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