No Satisfaction

I knew the 60% off the plane ticket to Wuhan was too good to be true. It was cheaper than the train. The problems started when I got to the airport for the early morning flight. The agent at the passport control station waved my ticket in front of her colleague and snickered “look. This guy’s used a Chinese name”. “What’s so funny about that,” I retorted. The agent looked abashed and explained that the problem was not with my Chinese name, but that the name used in my passport was in English and technically a different name than the name that appeared on the ticket. They couldn’t let me on the flight. Only the travel agency where I bought the ticket could change the name in the reservation system. In desperation I called the agency’s hotline. Naturally, it didn’t work. I called all the numbers listed, there was no answer. No one came to the office until 9:00. My flight was at 8:30. I had to take a later flight and pay full fare.

I stopped by the travel agency a few days later to explain the situation and get a refund for the ticket. The young man at the counter understood the situation, but explained that ultimately the fault was mine and so there was no obligation to reimburse the ticket. It didn’t matter that the young lady who asked me to fill out the standard agency form with my name, contact details, etc. didn’t point out that the name I used on the information form would be used on my ticket and, more importantly, that this could lead to a problem if the name in my passport were different. They are just travel agents who generate tickets and provide schedules. I should have known better since after all this wasn’t the first time I have taken a flight, was it ?? [Actually, I fly very rarely within China] It was my fault for not bringing my passport with me in the first place when I purchased the ticket. I should have compared the ticket with my passport and realized there was a difference. It was my fault for not checking.


I asked to speak to the owner, but he couldn’t be reached because he was “wai di” – living outside of Shanghai (in essence an absentee owner) and the rules were that his contact information was not be given out to customers. God forbid he should have to deal with a customer problem. His job, according to the young man at the counter, was to manage the company, a function that apparently did not include speaking to customers. The young man explained that customer service and resolving customer issues was his responsibility and that he was representing the company’s official position so there was no need for further discussion. The case was clear. I demanded to speak to the office manager. “I am the office manager,” answered the young man smugly and without another word gathered up all my tickets, receipts, and forms, replaced them neatly in the envelope the agency had provided, and handed them back to me. Another case successfully closed