1 reviews | Active since Aug 2019
Flight Centre Bedfordview - Disgusting service
I went to Flight Centre Bedfordview to book a breakaway to Mozambique. I ended up with Michielle Benedetti who was extremely helpful at first. I ended up booking for 5 days, 2 in Maputo and 3 in Ponta do Oura. I should have known I would have issues when I had to spell Ponta do Oura for her because she could not pick it up on the system :-( Also probably a clear indicator that she had never been. I have never been so I was totally at her mercy in terms of what she had shown me. She booked us into a place called Baleia Vista Sea View, the pictures were amazing and I was excited. It was a 3 bed log cabin overlooking the ocean with direct access to the beach. Little did I know that the beaches were closed for swimming because I was not informed either. Our first night in Maputo was awesome (12 Nov), and we drove to Ponta the next morning (13 Nov). We decided to book into Baleia Vista before exploring the rest of Ponta and going for lunch. We followed google maps and was taken to a place that was true to its pictures on the website. On arrival we were met by a host that had no clue we were booked in there. They also had no internet so could not check anything. I phoned Michielle via cellphone as the itinerary did not have a contact number for the establishment. The signal was bad but I was able to speak to her. She said she would phone me back get it sorted. We ended up having lunch at the place we were as it was blistering hot and we had nowhere else to go. After 3 hours of no contact from Flight Centre and Michielle the host actually drove with us to find alternate accommodation. The place we were at was desolate and no one was staying there. He handed us a card and the name on the card is Baleia A Vista T&L. The 2 names are different however the pictures on the site that I was shown by Michielle is exactly where we were so it was not only annoying but also frustrating as we now had to find alternate accommodation at our own cost. Not to mention that we spent half a day of our holiday trying to do so. We eventually found a place and booked in there. The rest of the time was ok but was marred by the fact that we were not where we were supposed to be. I sent Michielle an email using the wifi at our new accommodation to convey my frustration (14 Nov 08:21 AM). I got a response from her on 15 Nov, 09:24AM saying that she had everyone on standby and had called several times but no answer. She then stated she would ask for a refund and wanted to know if we would be staying where we were. I rep**** to her at 10:41AM on the same day to say that we had received no calls or even sms's or Whatsapps and that we would stay where we were until we needed to go back to Maputo. At 10:45AM she rep**** to say that she called the number I gave her and that she had Expedia on the call as they wanted to sort it out. Then asked where we were staying so she could get the refund. I got no messages or emails from her after that. I sent a mail on 18 November at 12:38PM asking for feedback as I had received none. She responded at 15:25 PM to say she will go through and check as she had not received any feedback. I went to see her personally on the 19 Nov at 09:00AM, she was not phased by my experience at all. She was more concerned about pushing the buck onto Expedia. Firstly, I made my booking with Flight Centre and Michielle and NOT Expedia. Who they use as a vendor is not my concern, my 'contract' is with Flight Centre and Michielle. My expectation is that when I have an issue and stuck in another country and I reach out you do what is necessary to resolve my issue. Yes the signal was bad but she did not send a sms, did not send a WA and did not send a mail. She just left us when she got no answer. She did not even call when we got back to find out if everything was OK and what she can do to resolve the matter. I have been the one to mail and follow up and go there to discuss it with her. The money I want refunded and I want it done NOW. You are quick to take my money when making the bookings but very slow and lax about refunds. And again, I don't want to know that Expedia must get the money, that is YOUR problem. I want to know what FLIGHT CENTRE is going to do to resolve my issue. Also, if you have agents acting on your behalf, make sure they know the places they are sending us to as clients. Not only was my breakaway marred by this but I incurred extra costs, lost time in terms of a holiday and had to deal with frustration and annoyances which could have been removed if only Michielle did what she was supposed to. We go on holiday at least 4 times a year, this will be the LAST time I ever use Flight Centre to assist me with my bookings.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are saddened to hear your feedback and sincerely apologise that you experience has not been seamless. We would appreciate the opportunity to look into this matter for you. A Customer Experience Expert will get in touch with you on Monday to assist further.
~Chido
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are saddened to hear your feedback and sincerely apologise that you experience has not been seamless. We would appreciate the opportunity to look into this matter for you. A Customer Experience Expert will get in touch with you on Monday to assist further.
~Chido
This is the mail I got initially in their response to resolving my matter with my responses. I will highlight the areas that I still have an issue with which has not been resolved or dealt with accordingly taking into account I was in another country, and as someone who teaches organizations how to deal with customer experience I am quite perplexed at how this has been dealt with. I don't blame the 'customer experience expert' who has been dealing with my case, she is just the end result.... the root cause of this issue has not been dealt with and as much as they follow a procedure, they cannot remove the experience I HAD and even though they may perceive it as a perception....we all know perception becomes a reality and changing that takes 1000 times more effort. Lets not mention the fact that although I have done everything as prescribed to get my refund I am still waiting. Yes, they have attempted, I was called by Michielle, who by the way sounded very irritated or annoyed with me, the customer, probably because I complained. First, I gave my card details because they could not do an EFT into my account. She then asked if I could come into the store so I could swipe my card, I said NO, I was working and did not have the time to go into Bedford Centre for that to happen. I then had to give my card details, this did not work on her POS device so she said she would find another one and get back to me. That was Friday. I got a phone call yesterday, which I did not answer as I was on a call, I do work remotely so my day is pretty much taken up with meetings and calls. I am yet to hear from anyone, and NO, I won't call them, they need to contact me as agreed.
'We would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience experienced during your travels as a result. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and we hope that you will provide us with the opportunity to restore your faith in our company once again.' This is the apology that was written, which is probably a standard format for everyone they deal with. I do not think their response was sincere, they do not have my trust and I will never give them the opportunity to restore my faith as they have done nothing to deserve it. In fact they have made me even more adamant to NEVER USE THEM AGAIN.
My experience and expectation has NOT BEEN MET by Flight Centre Bedfordview, least of all Michielle and as a result I will NEVER use them again. And I will advise anyone I know not to use them. The reality is that for every 10 compliments, the 1 complaint wipes it all out. You are always remembered by your last mistake!
On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 11:42 AM Customer Experience Internal Email <***> wrote:Good day Jennifer
I trust that you are well today.
With reference to our previous correspondence, we would like to afford you the following response to the concerns which you raised pertaining to your recent trip to Mozambique, the booking which was confirmed with the assistance of Michielle Benedetti at our Bedford Square branch.
- The booking which consisted of; flights, accommodation at the Terminus Hotel in Maputo for 2 nights on a bed & breakfast rate and lastly, 3 nights on a room only rate at the 3 star Baleia Vista Sea View was confirmed on the 31st of October after payment was received. - agreed
- Departure was set for the 12th of November 2021 to Maputo. - agreed
- Upon your arrival at the Baleia Vista Sea View in Ponto do Ouro, hotel staff had informed you that there was no booking confirmed for you. At that time, you had reached out to Michielle whom we can confirm escalated the matter to the relevant support team for assistance. Agreed There was a breakdown in communication at the time between our supplier and the property which presented challenges in resolution of the matter. Furthermore, there seemed to have been communication challenges between yourself and Michielle which had further exacerbated the situation. Agreed, signal was bad.
- The property's management have confirmed meeting with you on the 13th of November. We have determined that no formal check-in was conducted by hotel's management and have to date not received proof thereof. We were told that they had no booking and wanted us to pay for our accommodation. We were told it was not the same place either. We were taken to 2 cabins to view them for an additional cost of MZM7,500 per day. Hence the move to another place.
- You had subsequently sought alternative accommodation at the "Complexo Tur Kaya Kwero" for a cost of MZM15,000.00. Correct
- Also shared with us by you is confirmation of car hire which was picked up at the Terminus hotel for a total cost of MZM21,048.30. Incorrect, we hired a car at the airport, who wanted to charge us MZM30,000 for a 4x4 as they believed we needed it based on the address of the Baleia Vista.
We acknowledge that a customer approaches a travel retailer to assist in confirming their travel and to make life generally easier in securing travel. We regret that we were unable to fulfill a part of your booked travel with us. We can assure you that our suppliers have noted your experience in Mozambique and will work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that this is rectified going forward.
We would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience experienced during your travels as a result. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and we hope that you will provide us with the opportunity to restore your faith in our company once again.
Kind regards
| LYNETTE MACHIRI
Customer Experience Expert
| *** / ***
| 299 Pendoring Road | Blackheath
Johannesburg 2195 | South Africa
ABOUT ME:
Call me: Lyn Years of experience: 5
Countries visited: 6 Fav Destination: Cancun, Mexico
This is the mail I got initially in their response to resolving my matter with my responses. I will highlight the areas that I still have an issue with which has not been resolved or dealt with accordingly taking into account I was in another country, and as someone who teaches organizations how to deal with customer experience I am quite perplexed at how this has been dealt with. I don't blame the 'customer experience expert' who has been dealing with my case, she is just the end result.... the root cause of this issue has not been dealt with and as much as they follow a procedure, they cannot remove the experience I HAD and even though they may perceive it as a perception....we all know perception becomes a reality and changing that takes 1000 times more effort. Lets not mention the fact that although I have done everything as prescribed to get my refund I am still waiting. Yes, they have attempted, I was called by Michielle, who by the way sounded very irritated or annoyed with me, the customer, probably because I complained. First, I gave my card details because they could not do an EFT into my account. She then asked if I could come into the store so I could swipe my card, I said NO, I was working and did not have the time to go into Bedford Centre for that to happen. I then had to give my card details, this did not work on her POS device so she said she would find another one and get back to me. That was Friday. I got a phone call yesterday, which I did not answer as I was on a call, I do work remotely so my day is pretty much taken up with meetings and calls. I am yet to hear from anyone, and NO, I won't call them, they need to contact me as agreed.
'We would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience experienced during your travels as a result. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and we hope that you will provide us with the opportunity to restore your faith in our company once again.' This is the apology that was written, which is probably a standard format for everyone they deal with. I do not think their response was sincere, they do not have my trust and I will never give them the opportunity to restore my faith as they have done nothing to deserve it. In fact they have made me even more adamant to NEVER USE THEM AGAIN.
My experience and expectation has NOT BEEN MET by Flight Centre Bedfordview, least of all Michielle and as a result I will NEVER use them again. And I will advise anyone I know not to use them. The reality is that for every 10 compliments, the 1 complaint wipes it all out. You are always remembered by your last mistake!
On Thu, Nov 25, 2021 at 11:42 AM Customer Experience Internal Email <***> wrote:Good day Jennifer
I trust that you are well today.
With reference to our previous correspondence, we would like to afford you the following response to the concerns which you raised pertaining to your recent trip to Mozambique, the booking which was confirmed with the assistance of Michielle Benedetti at our Bedford Square branch.
- The booking which consisted of; flights, accommodation at the Terminus Hotel in Maputo for 2 nights on a bed & breakfast rate and lastly, 3 nights on a room only rate at the 3 star Baleia Vista Sea View was confirmed on the 31st of October after payment was received. - agreed
- Departure was set for the 12th of November 2021 to Maputo. - agreed
- Upon your arrival at the Baleia Vista Sea View in Ponto do Ouro, hotel staff had informed you that there was no booking confirmed for you. At that time, you had reached out to Michielle whom we can confirm escalated the matter to the relevant support team for assistance. Agreed There was a breakdown in communication at the time between our supplier and the property which presented challenges in resolution of the matter. Furthermore, there seemed to have been communication challenges between yourself and Michielle which had further exacerbated the situation. Agreed, signal was bad.
- The property's management have confirmed meeting with you on the 13th of November. We have determined that no formal check-in was conducted by hotel's management and have to date not received proof thereof. We were told that they had no booking and wanted us to pay for our accommodation. We were told it was not the same place either. We were taken to 2 cabins to view them for an additional cost of MZM7,500 per day. Hence the move to another place.
- You had subsequently sought alternative accommodation at the "Complexo Tur Kaya Kwero" for a cost of MZM15,000.00. Correct
- Also shared with us by you is confirmation of car hire which was picked up at the Terminus hotel for a total cost of MZM21,048.30. Incorrect, we hired a car at the airport, who wanted to charge us MZM30,000 for a 4x4 as they believed we needed it based on the address of the Baleia Vista.
We acknowledge that a customer approaches a travel retailer to assist in confirming their travel and to make life generally easier in securing travel. We regret that we were unable to fulfill a part of your booked travel with us. We can assure you that our suppliers have noted your experience in Mozambique and will work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that this is rectified going forward.
We would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience experienced during your travels as a result. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and we hope that you will provide us with the opportunity to restore your faith in our company once again.
Kind regards
| LYNETTE MACHIRI
Customer Experience Expert
| *** / ***
| 299 Pendoring Road | Blackheath
Johannesburg 2195 | South Africa
ABOUT ME:
Call me: Lyn Years of experience: 5
Countries visited: 6 Fav Destination: Cancun, Mexico
Thank you for affording our Customer Experience Team the opportunity to look into your concerns for you. We have also noted the additional comments you posted during the time that your refund was in the process of being finalised.
We can confirm that the feedback you quoted in your recent comment was conveyed to you once a thorough review of the matter had been conducted and responses were obtained from the relevant suppliers to address your concerns. It is regrettable that this feedback was not satisfactory. A refund for the accommodation which you had booked and paid for and not utilised was extended by Flight Centre. These funds have now been processed back to you.
~L.M
Thank you for affording our Customer Experience Team the opportunity to look into your concerns for you. We have also noted the additional comments you posted during the time that your refund was in the process of being finalised.
We can confirm that the feedback you quoted in your recent comment was conveyed to you once a thorough review of the matter had been conducted and responses were obtained from the relevant suppliers to address your concerns. It is regrettable that this feedback was not satisfactory. A refund for the accommodation which you had booked and paid for and not utilised was extended by Flight Centre. These funds have now been processed back to you.
~L.M