King Fisher Airlines customer service or a favor

A recent weekend travel trip from Bangalore to Hyderabad proved to be rather expensive and left me with a bad experience. Let me give you a a little insight into the events that changed my views about an Airline I considered among the best when it came to customer service.

The story:
I was supposed to catch the evening flight from Bangalore to Hyderabad at 1700 hrs, but I ended up reaching the airport 15 minutes prior to the departure time. I was late (*felt sheepish), I tried my best to convince the executive to let me board the plane. I begged, continued pleading but nothing worked. The lady in stunning red (a la King Fisher) suit said “Sorry, it’s too late, it’s not possible to board the flight!” and advised me to reschedule it for the next available flight. “Please rush to the counter to reschedule the ticket Sir, otherwise you will miss that too”

Disappointed, with drooped shoulders, I dragged myself to the booking counter and waited for about 10 minutes for my turn. I was informed that the next available flight would be next morning at 6 AM. I had to pay the difference amount which was about INR 2000 (approximately). Well the fare was not a problem, but I had to reach the destination on the same evening.

Dejected, and continuing to curse myself for being late, I asked the executive if there was any option I could utilize. What I heard next was totally unexpected–for a moment I felt I was at an Indian Airlines counter(It’s like the Indian Railways in the air).

Here’s how the conversation went:

KF: “No there is no other option, it’s a favor we are doing to the customers. This is the only option we have.”

ME: I understand, I was wondering if I can utilize this option for a flight for the next week or so?

KF: “No you can’t Sir, the amount is Rupees 2000, paying by cash or card (looks at the monitor)”

ME: OK, but tomorrow will not work for me. I need to reach Hyderabad tonight. Will I get any refund or something?

KF: No, sir no refunds, this itself is a favor and there are no options. If you want, you can take the next flight by paying the difference.

ME: OK, thank you (And I walk off. Thinking to myself “FAVOR” , wow that’s a favor, okay!). They made me feel overly stupid for missing the flight and also that I had to turn down a “FAVOR”.

To me it was shocking to hear them go on and label a service they provide as a “FAVOR”. A favor which didn’t help the situation–It had failed it’s main purpose.
They could have handled the situation in a better way actually. Turning the whole situation into an opportunity, an opportunity to show that they cared would not have taken much effort.

These are the situations when a service provider can make a difference by going that extra mile, and adjust a little to soften the blow, to extend any help that is possible. Any move to help in this situation could have turned positive. It would have left me with an impression that they cared.

The least they should have done, was feel sorry for the situation, a situation they couldn’t help. All I could see was “No Empathy, just plain arrogance”.

Everyday we use numerous services and products. Considering that there will always be situations that would go wrong, products that won’t work, services that are not perfect.
People in customer service need to be sensitive to the fact that when a customer approaches them they are expected to provide help and not the other way around making the customers feel bad for choosing their services or products. Help is required when things go wrong, not when everything is fine.

KF actually had contingency plans to counter this situation, but the way they chose to put it didn’t help. The king of good times actually thought the contingency plan they had to help the customers was a FAVOR.

Experience matters and just one such incident is enough to ruin all the efforts put in to create the brand, create the experience you invite people to be part of. They actually didn’t help my situation, worse still, they just went about showing me that I made a mistake.

It’s important that each and every customer-facing person from the company should actually believe in the brand image its trying to portray. Just the mission statements or the punchlines don’t matter. People do, and people can make or break a brand. People create the experiences, people follow the experience.

On another note, I flew by JET Airways at 6 PM the same evening by paying three times more than what I paid KF.

King of good times? Well, It’s a long battle before you are crowned.

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Categorized under: Experience Matters

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Appu 03.03.06 / 8am

I think the fact that you paid 3 times more to catch a flight same evening says it all. You had a heavily discounted ticket, which has restrictions, to start with, you arrived late on top of it. They did offer you a solutions within the limitations of your ticket. It looks like the blame squarely sits on you for all the aggravation the service personnel had to go through.

Ritesh Khadgaray 03.03.06 / 12pm

King Fisher, from what i have heard from my friends has a poor service.

I personally have used Jet Airways, and always found aprompt and pleasent service. Thats one of the reason i don’t mind paying for a higher fair.

Shaper 03.06.06 / 8am

No to be rude or anything, but where do you get off copping such attitude at the company? Ok, so the majority of airline companies are terrible, but in this particular case:

1) You missed your flight through your own stupid fault.

So, erm, why do you expect special treatment? If you screw up, you screw up, and you live with the consequences.

If I buy cinema tickets and then don’t show up until half-way through the film, is the cinema forced to reimburse me, or allow me entry to a later showing of the film? No, of course not. In fact, does the cinema even allow me into the later showing without buying another ticket? No, of course not.

You actually got better-than-required service after *you* *alone* made a stupid mistake, and now you’re complaining that the special treatment you got wasn’t good enough?

Talk about ungrateful.

2) Despite the fact you’d obviously ordered a heavily discounted ticket, they offered to squeeze you on the next flight available as a favour to you - at 06:00AM.

Now, that flight was no use to you, but what did you expect them to do? Charter a whole plane just for you? For free? Buy you a full-price ticket at one of their rival airlines?

The simple fact is that *you* turned up too late and missed your flight. *You* also caught a flight which allowed you *no* spare time in case you missed it - a double screw-up on *your* part.

They offered the best alternative they could (even though you obviously had a heavily discounted ticket), and it wasn’t good enough for you.

You screwed up, and you alone. They did everything it was within their power to help you out, and all you can do is bitch and whine that it wasn’t good enough.

Man up, take responsibility for your own cock-ups and stop whining.

Sure, there are a million things to bash to airline companies for, but this is not one of them.

PK 03.06.06 / 11am

Thank you for the responses, I see that you both missed the point. Either I dint put across the point clearley or you just jumped to the conclusion without reading.

I had mentioned in the begining of the post itself that I was late, I guess the post came out more like a rant. Let me explain.

1. I totally understand I was late, and I had no issues for not being onboard nor with the personnel I interacted with.
2. I was not expecting to be reimbursed
3. Paying the difference amount was never an issue if I dint have to travel the same evening I would have taken the what was offered
4. I dint expect them to go beyond their call of duty.

I did expect them to be polite, especially when I was being polite and I did not make any unreasonable requests. I was enquiring if I had any other option.

May be the person attending me was having a bad day, but dose that give them the right to be rude?

Picture this:

1)Lets assume, One night you were very hungry and on your way back home you wanted to get some dinner, you stop by a restaurant to pick up dinner.
It’s very late and they are about to close, you ask them if you can get something to eat, the waiter says “Sorry Sir, we are closed”. If you had come a little early you would have got something to eat. Come back tomorrow if you would like to eat.

You are hungry now. You want dinner now. Will coming back tomorrow help you?

Was “Come back tomorrow if you would like to eat.” Required? That’s all I was saying.

Now picture this,

2) Lets say the waiter had empathized with my situation and responded
Waiter:“ I am sorry sir, we are closed”

Me: Ohh, that’s really terrible, I am really starving wouldn’t it be possible to do something about it please.

Waiter: I understand Sir, but there is nothing much I can do for you, the kitchen is closed, I would have been happy to help.

I hope I made my point. I dint expect them to give me any special treatment for my mistake, all I expected them was not to be rude either. It was not a favor, what they had offered me was an option which dint work for me. And that’s really fine. But the “FAVOR” part was not.

I rest my case.

DIva 03.08.06 / 9pm

Appu and Shaper .. pls do read the “blog’s title” and then the blog before rushing to judge someone.

I believe PK very clearly indicated the “condescending” attitude and not the actual situation. To the latter he readily admitted was not the airline’s fault.

I’m sorry sir but we can’t help bcos…
Vs.
KF: “No there is no other option, it’s a favor we are doing to the customers. This is the only option we have.”

Anyway you look at it..it is RUDE and condescending.

WOW! I cant believe this got so badly misinterpreted. PK! Anybody who understands the blog would have agreed with you.

Have fun!

Sam 03.08.06 / 9pm

Gotta love the way Shaper starts with “not to be rude” and proceeds to be “downright rude”.

I doubt some guys understand what “RUDE” even means.

Distorter 03.09.06 / 9am

@Sam: I totally agree with you Sam. It’s not some guys, it’s especially these shapers.

These Shapers are the one’s who try and sabotage the essence of blogs. I don’t know if Appu and Shaper have anything to do with KingFisher.

Shamelessly, this guy has the audacity of calling himself Shaper, and not even give a link back to his site. Hiding behind a mask, yeah?

Well, Now you’d ask me why I am doing the same. Isn’t it obvious? I don’t want a Shaper to skew another decent online discussion forum for like minded people.

PK: Kudos, for the post.

It takes real guts to admit your own felony, which you did in the first couple of lines, but it takes a Shaper to misinterpret and change the course of media.

I don’t think the visitors will be blinded by what Shaper has to say, but what THEY understand.

Long live truth.

AK 03.15.06 / 6am

Oops, too many people talking about who’s wrong. But I think you guys, particularly Appu (this name is close to my heart) and so called Shaper (Distorter has better things to say about him.) need to know something about customer service. This urges me to write about my experience, which I would otherwise have not posted.

Thanks guys

King Fisher Airlines customer service or a favor

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