A positive SAA story – for a change
Those who have been following this site will know that I started SAA Sucks as a result of this incident. After trying all my efforts, including this website, I figured that SAA would simply never refund me my money nor bother communicating with me about the matter again but I was wrong.
On the 2nd of December 2008, some two months after my initial experience, I received the following email.
Dear Mr Hartman
Refund has been finalised with an amount of zar1590.00
Regards
South African Airways
Duduzile Mnguni
Dep :Refunds
What this effectively means is that SAA have given me a full refund less a small administration fee of R285.00. So, my next thought is that if they have indeed issued me with a full refund then what was the reason for this as they made it very clear that I would not receive one.
Well, the answer lay in an email correspondence directly below the above.
From: Kgomotso Matlala
Sent: 23 October 2008 14:25
To: E-Commerce Online Refunds
Subject: Name change mistake.
Importance: HighDear Refunds,
Please see the tkts below, and assess a full refund at least charge
administration fee. The customer mentions that he made a mistake on the
website and booked in his surname instead of his father in law’s
surname. Please see the first two tkts. And due to the name change
policy, no refund is due. Can you please advise me if it is psbl to
view this differently, so I can revert to him in writing. Customer
thereafter rebooked and paid.
Kgomotso Matlala was the manager I dealt with on the phone at the time of my original incident and it would seem that this email from him was the catalyst for a full refund. So while this website has been important to expose the consumer injustices I don’t think it helped in any which way to me getting a full refund. I think I got a lucky break with SAA and I’m certainly happy to see that policies can actually be changed.
Tags: Customer Service, Praise, Refunds, SAA
April 28th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
What I am reading is the workings of a big corporate bully. Unbelievable that SAA would treat their customers is such a highhanded uncaring fashion. An innocent and at worst slightly careless mistake was made by the person booking the flight and the booking details should have been amended without question. Disgusting that it took 2 months to refund and then they still steel an admin fee. I am stunned, the traveling public should revolt. Fortunately I live in a country where corporates would not survive a day if they acted in this manner
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:31 am
Ladies and Gents South African Airlines was just doing what was right all the airlines like Delta, AA and BA do all the times including SAA what is in the interest of the passenger.SAA is fair in this matter.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Have you ever heard of Hallopeter.com? go check it out.
http://www.hellopeter.com/search_results.php?search=South+African+Airways