Policies for profit, not protection.

My sister recently booked a flight that would have my two parents and my sister's two children fly from Cape Town to Lanseria later this month. My parents are now unable to take that flight, and asked if I could instead accompany my two nieces. • I phoned Kulula because I wanted to change the name of the person flying (from my parents, to myself). I did this via phone because I understand Kulula's policies in place to protect children from trafficking. • I was told I am unable to change the name of a flight "due to company policy". • The option I was provided with was for my parents to cancel their flights, and for me to book a new one instead. • My parents did not pay additional to qualify for a booking refund, and would therefore lose their money if they cancelled. • When I enquired as to why this "company policy" exists -- I waited on the phone for a while -- and then was eventually told it's for "***** and security reasons".

Here is my problem: • The flight is still two weeks away, there is ample time for me to prove that this is not a ********** activity. I can get written consent and documentation for all parties if need be. • What about customer security? Kulula provides no option to change the name on a flight, which forces a person to cancel their booking. Only if someone pays an additional fee upon booking do they qualify for any type of protection, in the form of a refund. The precedent they set is that people who are wealthier are entitled to protection. Protection of the consumer is a luxury, not a standard. • The argument put forward by Kulula will focus on the consumer ticking the 'terms and agreement' box before booking -- but the consumer has no choice, otherwise they cannot move forward. What this means is that a contractual agreement between consumer and company is completely one-sided. They can use policies to box consumers in, and if we don't like it we can't use their service. • Kulula is free to absorb my parent's money because Kulula won't change the name on the booking, and because we didn't pay to be entitled to a refund. It seems to me that major companies get to hide behind the bureaucratic log line of "company policy" as ways to profit, rather than to protect. • Instead of policy that protects company and consumer, Kulula uses policies to prevent consumers from making a change to their booking because at the end of the day it financially benefits them...while my parents pay for a product they won't receive.