MikeLigalig.com

Sunday, June 01, 2008
Lim: Sorry Pacific
By Melanie T. Lim
Wide Awake

READER Joel Y. Bontuyan writes, “I am alarmed by this trade of barbs between those who have experienced Cebu Pacific's now-notorious service and those that still admire the airline (actually, I can only name Alvin John Tan here) for its role in democratizing domestic air travel.

“Not because I have an iota of concern for Cebu Pacific, but because it carries the name of Cebu in its corporate name and, thus, may inevitably drag the name of Cebu in the mire it is in now. I also have this gnawing indignation that just because it has broken monopoly, an entity can be allowed to mess up the lives of its customers. Where is the difference?

“I only hope that people would look at it as the case of Sorry Pacific and not Cebu Pathetic if only to make a point that an enterprise, airline or not, which has profited so much from the use of Cebu's name, won't drag Cebu by association into the downdraft it has created for itself.”

I agree with Joel Bontuyan hence the title of this column.

Recently, an acquaintance tells me it’s been a year and she still hasn’t received the refund promised to her in three months. When she follows up, she is told that they have no record of her request for a refund. So, she has to start from Square 1. She asked if I could give her a name she could contact. My reply, “I can give you many names but they won’t help.”

The public should be aware of this—that Cebu Pacific has no intention of dealing with the complaints of its clients. Expect no apologies either. Remember, Cebu Pacific is a budget airline. Apologies can be expensive. Instead, the company prefers to invite columnists to lunch. Apparently, columnists are cheap.

“Instead of taking out those expensive ads, hire more people so you can improve your services.” Listen to the advice of your irate passengers.

I have repeatedly asked Cebu Pacific to acknowledge its shortcomings, address the complaints of its customers, apologize to the public. But it’s clear to me now that Cebu Pacific is incapable of taking the high road. Well, let the public be forewarned that when you fly with this airline, you fly LOW and at your own risk.

A friend was booked for Macau with hotel reservations at the Venetian. Cebu Pacific cancelled her outgoing flight without notice. She lost $250 down the drain for one night of hotel accommodations. Worse, she was left with just two sorry nights of her precious vacation. She decided not to move her flight home because then, she would have to pay rebooking charges.

So put things in proper perspective when you fly with an unreliable airline. You may end up paying for extra hotel nights, rebooking charges or getting your vacation cut short because of delays and cancellations. In short, you may end up paying more than what you bargained for. And that’s not counting your indignation over having been duped into getting a cheap ticket that turned out to be the most expensive in your lifetime.

Now you know why it’s called Sorry Pacific.

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