WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE ENCOUNTERED

What a disappointing experience. We had a flight this morning at 6:20 from Lanseria airport, Jhb to Durban. Kulula's check in time apparently closes 45 minutes before the flight versus other airlines of 30 minutes. Nowhere on the booking confirmation does it state so. We arrived at the airport an hour and 5 minutes before the time.We waited in their queue and ended up getting to the the counter 40 minutes prior to departure. As a result thereof we were told that check in has closed and we will not be allowed to board and sent to another counter. Again there we queued for another 15 minutes. Getting to the counter was even more frustrating as the young man behind the counter, Craig Sithole, was even less helpful. Non chalant with a poor attitude and no real desire to assist us. He was unfriendly with no concern for the fact that he seemed to be wasting even further time, whereas they could simply have issued a pass and allowed us onto the flight instead of wasting the necessary time. When I asked for him to call his manager, the first person was not available. Eventually he had a very rude woman by the name of Emmah Peter that came to address the matter. She had no ettiquette, raised her voice at me and even proceeded to point at me. She couldn't care less about the fact that we were on time and that as a result of waiting in their queues, we ended up missing the flight. She **** and said there was no one as her superior and that she is the manager when in hindsight, she was only a supervisor. She refused to provide proof of her position and flat out refused to give me her email address and contact number. I have never encountered such poor customer sevrice before. She had a don't care attitude and couldn't care less about how she spoke to us. They insisted that we book another flight and pay in the difference. When I refused to pay the difference, given that we had been waiting on them and that the delay was their fault, she actually gave the consultant the instruction to ignore me. I tried to phone their customer service line and it goes to a voicemail saying "I'm sorry, we are still in our pj's at home." To my horror, I could not understand how you have flights running 24 hours, but only have a customer care line from 8am - 5pm.

I am horrified that they appoint people with such bad ettiquette to deal frontline with customers. Surely they should be sent on some type of a course and taught how to deal with people, never mind take responsibility for where it is their fault.

Don't think I will ever fly with Kulula again, nor would I recommend them to anyone. Not how we deal with people, now how we set a standard for a country that we love and value so dearly.

The example being set is attrocious and I shudder to think that our international guests visiting our country are treated in teh same way. The image we set a of our country, never mind the image being set of Kulula is shocking. Such carelessness in how the brand is being represented and how their reputation is being *****ed.

In an attempt to build a market leading brand, such damaging individuals should be removed from their posts completely!