Grandmother (69 years old) abused on her Birthday at Kulula.Com Check IN

<p>I will share the information I have to the best of my knowledge and the rest can be investigated and reviewed on the camera footage at approx. 11:30 am.</p> <p> </p> <p>I took my mother to the check in, she had two bags, one as check in and one as hand luggage, her check in bag was less than 20 kg and her hand luggage weighed 8.6 kg. I was told the dimensions of the bag will not be accepted, it was a cloth bag. The lady who was initially assisting us (Indian lady) was not helpful and then I asked for a manager. She called some guy JJ (who I know was not the manager since he went to the next counter and was taking peoples bags in). He took the bag to some silver thing and the bag didn’t meet the dimension with a slide but if pushed through it could have fit.</p> <p> </p> <p>I then asked for Kulula representative thinking that someone from Kulula will come and deal with the situation in a proper way. I was greeted by a rude lady named Mmalela (I think) she told me that it didn’t meet it without even checking. I told her she was causing anxiety for my mother who was standing by and pleading with her to let her take her bag in. my mother was an assisted passenger. Then she said no and was very rude to us. I even told her I will report this to kulula and she said go ahead; I will also give my account. At this point, everyone was watching us and the lady initially was also looking at us. I asked if I could pay for more luggage as they were not responding to me and then I paid an UNNESCESSARY R300 for that extra. While this ordeal was happening my mother is asking me to please book her a Mango ticket since she never had problems before with Mango. I was trying to explain to my mother that Mango does not fly from Lanseria to Durban and I already booked a Kulula ticket. I was telling her if she wanted to fly Mango then I needed to take her to OR airport and it was a distance. It was causing my mother much stress and anxiety.</p> <p> </p> <p>What made me very very angry was this lady from Kulula (Mmalela) clicked her tongue at me. She was clicking her tongue in some sort of disrespect and I also got angry and starting speaking louder and becoming more angry. She did not sit with us and explain the procedure nicely. She had NO MANAGERIAL qualities. How does Kulula hire such persons to be working there who are not trained at all on customer service? Even if you order food somewhere and there is an issue with the order then the manager who comes to you, has manners and try to understand the issue. This lady was so arrogant and I don’t know if there is a collusion there with others but it is was like she enjoyed me being embarrassed and me opening my mother’s bigger bag and adding more contents to that bag. She mentioned a little about safety but she did not talk well to us at all. I noticed others with bags bigger than my mother’s being taken as hand luggage. I saw a man with 2 bags taken in as hand luggage and he did not pay any more. He boarded at about 12:20 (check the security camera at the boarding area)- he was an old white man.</p> <p> </p> <p>Kindly review the camera footage of this incident and revert back to me ASAP.</p> <p> </p> <p>My mother was ill and she was travelling back and she is a vitality member who travels often. She did not eat anything since morning because she was not feeling well, and then she had to experience this at the airport. She travelled to Durban in this condition since Monday the 6th February is her 69th Birthday. This experience has caused her so much stress and it will be detrimental to her health.</p> <p> </p> <p>I am very sadden and deeply upset by this treatment and level of service which is why I am even sending this email today. Flight is scheduled to land at 14:0o.</p> <p> </p> <p>I am not one to complain and my mum has had many delayed flights previously, one was even so bad when she was in assisted passenger (diabetic) and not given any food for over 3 hours or so. The last one when she was coming to JHB it was delayed and given a 110 voucher.</p> <p> </p> <p>I never complained before since I knew that the airline was responsible and reliable to elders. This experience has been very traumatic and I don’t know if it is safe for her to fly Kulula again or I should consider a more responsible airline.</p> <p> </p> <p>Please contact me urgently to discuss.</p> <p> </p> <p>I have placed this report on 'helloPeter as it is my civil obligation to share such an experience as painful as it was, so that it saves us others the pain and trauma.</p> <p> </p> <p>This incident cannot be endured in vain, and it should be a lesson to the public to make others aware so they think twice before sending their parents and grandparents on this airline.</p>