I will NEVER fly Singapore Airlines again

[Jobu]

What follows below is a copy of the letter of complaint I sent to Singapore Airlines.
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Singapore Airlines

27 September 2007

To Whom It May Concern:

Letter of Complaint

On Sunday, 8 April 2007, my wife and I were scheduled to leave Ho Chi Minh on a 19:55 flight with Singapore Airlines. We arrived at the international airport in Ho Chi Minh City and lined up at the Singapore Airlines check in counter just behind a family that was checking in at 19:05, 50 minutes before the flight. A number of people were still checking in at the counters.

My wife proceeded to a counter adjacent to the one where a group were still checking in, and asked to be checked in. The female staff member completely ignored my wife, who, after about a minute of being ignored, then proceeded to ask the next counter whether we could check in. That particular female staff member pointed at a male Singapore Airlines employee and said “Check-in is closed. Speak to him”. My wife attempted to speak to the supervisor the lady had pointed to. The supervisor ignored my wife for several minutes, after which he informed her that it was too late to check in. My wife pointed out that there were other passengers still checking in, to which he did not respond. I observed the supervisor (Hoang) ignore my wife and walk away from the counters to prepare for take-off. I then questioned one of the Singapore Airlines check-in staff who again told me that it was too late to check in. That particular female counter-staff was contemptuous, and offered no explanation, despite us having pointed out that we had arrived whilst others were still checking in. Despite our obvious distress, she smiled, shrugged her shoulders, picked up her belongings, told us to wait until the supervisor returned from the boarding gates, then left. I was incredibly incensed by this behaviour, considering the fact that it appears to be Singapore Airlines policy to ignore customers at check in completely and shrug off questions in hopes that they won’t have to talk to us.

Another passenger also bound for Perth had arrived 10 minutes after us and was also denied check-in. He queried one remaining female counter staff what time check-in had closed. She responded, “40 minutes before the flight leaves. That couple [my wife and myself], got here 10 minutes before you”. My wife then pointed out that we had arrived 50 minutes prior to scheduled departure, yet were not checked in. The staff member said it was best we waited for the supervisor to return, which would be after the flight had departed, or go direct to the Singapore Airlines Office.

We waited for an hour for the supervisor to return (after noting that the flight ended up departing 20 minutes late in any case). We decided to try the Singapore Airlines HCMC Airport office. After talking to another staff member, Phuong, at your Ho Chi Minh Airport office, who was at least quite helpful, the best that she could offer was to place us on priority stand-by the following day but said that we may have to wait two more days for the connecting flight (again, waitlisted). We chose to leave the next morning, with the possibility of being confirmed on the Singapore-Perth leg by departure.

During our time at the office, the supervisor returned from the departure gates. We put our case forward, to which he replied that we were at fault, having arrived at 7:20pm, after check-in had closed. I informed him that I had arrived at 7:05pm and showed him my mobile phone which indicated that I had made a telephone call to family waiting outside at 7:10pm whilst we were in the queue and my wife was trying to check in. He replied “the clock on your phone is wrong then”. I pointed out that my phone clock matched the Singapore Airlines clock. The other passenger that had come to the office with us verified to the supervisor that the check-in staff had informed him that we had arrived 10 minutes before him, before check-in had closed, and were still not allowed on the flight.

This passenger verified our story, and threatened to report the supervisor to Singapore Airlines for contemptuous behaviour, which prompted the supervisor to change his tune. We observed him become very helpful at that stage, offering to fax the Priority Stand-By request direct to Singapore, and insisting that Phuong do all in her power to confirm us on the flights the following day.

The following morning, we confirmed our own flights by calling Singapore Airlines in Singapore directly, at our own expense, after the supervisor on duty that morning refused to confirm our flight and stated we would have to wait until we arrived in Singapore to attempt to do so.

My wife and I are frequent travellers, both internationally and domestically. I have Platinum Qantas Frequent Flyer membership and Emerald OneWorld membership – the highest level obtainable, due to my frequent travelling. We have never missed a flight, and have never encountered such rude and insolent behaviour. Notwithstanding cultural differences, it is a shame that this experience with Singapore Airlines staff has reflected so badly on your airline.

On this occasion I travelled to Vietnam on a $1,400 fare when I could have travelled on Royal Brunei on a $600 fare or Cathay Pacific on an $850 fare. I specifically chose Singapore Airlines regardless of the significant price difference because I expected to receive better treatment. Last year, I bought 10 tickets to Europe with Singapore Airlines to fly my entire family to Greece. Again, your airfares were not the cheapest, nor was the schedule the most convenient. In hindsight, we regret our decision to support your airline.

My wife and I are disgusted by the treatment of your staff in Vietnam. The blatant lies and accusations we received from your supervisor (Hoang) about arriving late and being at fault were completely inappropriate, and were proven as lies by several witnesses, including other travellers and airport security. We will never travel with your airline again, nor will I ever recommend it. In fact I have recommended and will continue to recommend against using Singapore Airlines since this experience. I hope that if you wish to retain valued customers, that you address the problem of poor customer service.

 

[Mal]

According to this, check-in at Ho Chi Min City closes 40 mins before the flight http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/docs/before/Worldwide_CheckIn-Counter_Times.pdf

Although, you were running it tight by getting there at 50 mins before the flight, but should have been allowed to check in.

I've heard from others that Singapore Airlines aren't particularly responsive to complaint letters, not sure if that's fact or fiction though.

Writing a letter 5 months after a flight isn't going to help much either due to the relevant parties not being able to remember events of the original day.

Also, it is rarely wise to advise " We will never travel with your airline again, nor will I ever recommend it" if you want a response due to airlines and other companies deciding that to not bother with someone who will never fly with them again.

Did they reply to your letter?

 

[Jobu]

Oh and it only got better.

1 week after sending the letter, I received a phone call from a manager at Singapore Air in Australia.

He called me to COMPLAIN to ME that my letter was months after the event and this would make it a real hassle for him to investigate as it is likely the staff in HCMC would not remember the event. He was actually exasperated!

I told him that he had some gall to call me to complain about my letter being late, and that I didn't give a #@% whether he investigated it or not because nothing he did would change my mind about travelling with them again.

That was about 3 months ago, so doubt I will ever receive a response.

Oh and I apologise for my poorly worded letter above. To be honest the rudeness they demonstrated really isn't brought out enough in my letter to the level that it was, as I had to tone down the letter significantly because I was so incensed by it, even tho I wrote it a few months after it happened.

 

[Mal]

Does sound like you were treated roughly at check-in and later after writing the letter. I suppose not flying Singapore, (and publishing your complaint here) is about the best way to get back at them for what they did.

Cathay would at least give SC's (assuming an eligible fare class) and their staff are as nice if not better than Singapore in the sky, so I think you have a better choice for next time!

 

[superchris]

I am somewhat confused as to what you are trying to achieve here.As you are aware the best time to lodge a complaint and document it is at the time of the event.
Posting this so long after the event means it may not be treated as seriously as you wish.

 

[Travel Guru]

Nothwithstanding the rudeness you received from airline staff (which last time I checked wasn't limited to one airline), surely you have to take some of the responsibility for cutting it so fine.

Whether a flight closes 40 mins before takeoff or not, 50 mins prior to takeoff really isn't an acceptable checkin time in my book, irrespective of what status you hold.

I agree that sending a complaint 3 months after the incident is a waste of your time and the airlines and really isn't going to achieve anything apart from you letting off some steam and letting SQ know how quickly they're going to go out of business now that you've withdrawn your support.

TG

 

[straitman]

Nothwithstanding the rudeness you received from airline staff (which last time I checked wasn't limited to one airline), surely you have to take some of the responsibility for cutting it so fine.

Whether a flight closes 40 mins before takeoff or not, 50 mins prior to takeoff really isn't an acceptable checkin time in my book, irrespective of what status you hold.

Travel Guru,

Jobu didn't actually say why he was running such a fine line with his arrival. There may (or may not) be a perfectly good reason that was out of his control.

Having said all that guys I'm sure that Jobu now feels a little better by having finally released his frustration and alerting the issue to others so they don't have to go through this type of situation. I'm sure if it stops one other from suffering the same fate then it's worth the release.

 

[dajop]

The lesson here, is to submit complaints as soon as practical to do so after the event. Aside from the factors with staff remembering the events of the day, sending it in nearly 6 months after the event, perhaps indicates that you didn't feel strongly enough about it to get that letter off within a month or two.

 

[Travel Guru]

Travel Guru,

Jobu didn't actually say why he was running such a fine line with his arrival. There may (or may not) be a perfectly good reason that was out of his control.

Having said all that guys I'm sure that Jobu now feels a little better by having finally released his frustration and alerting the issue to others so they don't have to go through this type of situation. I'm sure if it stops one other from suffering the same fate then it's worth the release.

Thanks for that Bill, you're doing a great job critiquing my posts lately.

Whether he was or wasn't intentionally late has no bearing on my comment, either way he has to accept some responsibility for the situation, though that by no means excuses the SQ ground staff's attitude and behaviour, though I will say that from experience, when one is cutting it fine for a flight and gets flustered, we tend to become overly critical and perceive ground crew in a way we normally wouldnt.

TG

 

[BlacKnox]

What about internet check-in? Singapore Air allows passengers to check-in online up to 48 hours before your flight. Would have saved a lot of heartache.

 

[NM]

I hope that if you wish to retain valued customers, that you address the problem of poor customer service.

....

1 week after sending the letter, I received a phone call from a manager at Singapore Air in Australia.

It sounds to me that the Singapore Airlines manager in Australia would have liked to "address the problem of poor customer service" but was defeated in his attempts due to the long delay between the incident and being notified of it.

Getting back to the original situation, I can't help wondering if this was a case of an oversold flight and wanting to avoid an "involuntary denied boarding" situation. The check-in staff may have known they had filled the flight and if they can convince the last people to show up for check-in that they are at fault (i.e. turned up late) then the "blame" can be directed elsewhere and the airline is no longer responsible for any accommodation or compensation.

But again, being so long after the incident makes it very difficult for anyone to investigate if that was the case.

 

[simongr]

There are two stories here - one of ensuring that complaints are done on a timely basis (hence I have now nothered to complain about the meal issues I had from NRT) but the other is about doing everything you can to minimise the risk of this happening in the first place.

Despite having quick access to check in and immigration - I still endeavour to get to the airport 2 hours before my flight (generally international flights of course) - this gives me time to avoid problems associated traffic delays, international sporting teams checking in, DYKWIA delaying queues and families of 14 who havent had a chance to read the liquids bans rules because they are too busy breeding. The worst case for me is that I am forced to have an extra drink in the lounge before boarding whilst checking on AFF online...

 

[JohnK]

Did Jobu and his wife do something wrong? I don't think so. Check-in closes 40 minutes before the flight is due to depart and they were there 50 minutes before the flight is due to depart. That is well inside the check-in closing time so I would not be calling it cutting it fine. They went from counter to counter and did not get served and to make it worse the flight left 20 minutes late anyway.

Yes Jobu probably should have sent the complaint letter a little earlier but it still does not excuse the attitude of the check-in staff.

Not sure if I remember correctly but I recall one particular airline check-in opens 2:00 hours before flight is due to depart and closes 1:30 hours before flight is due to depart. That is ridiculous....

 

[simongr]

I wasnt criticising Jobu - just highlighting what I do to avoid this. One thing I am not sure of is this definition of "being there" - yes one might be in the queue to check in but if the check in desk closes then you werent checked in in time. If they call last orders at the bar do they serve everyone who is queued even if it means serving for another 20 minutes?

 

[Travel Guru]

Sorry JohnK, but i'd have to disagree with you there; in todays world, 50 mins is cutting it fine in my book, irrespective of when the airline cuts checkin.

I'm not pointing fingers, i'm not getting personal, but all i'm saying is that really, all other issues aside, 50 mins is a bit tight.

TG

 

[paxman]

just an idea - what if the airlines had ticket machines like the banks. you simply grab a ticket as you enter the cue, the ticket could have a time marker that indicates what time you enter the cue. game over no discussion to be entered into the airline cannot say you arrived late and the pax has proof they arrived before flight closed.

 

[serfty]

just an idea - what if the airlines had ticket machines like the banks. you simply grab a ticket as you enter the cue, the ticket could have a time marker that indicates what time you enter the cue. game over no discussion to be entered into the airline cannot say you arrived late and the pax has proof they arrived before flight closed.

As long as the time printed is accurate!

 

[Standby]

Regarding the response of SQ in SYD. WHilst the timeframe between incident and complaint was lenghty all the necessary measurable information was still available in the airline systems to piece together the story.
As prev mentioned about overbooked flights,SQ is a first world carrier arriving a couple of minutes late wouldnt have been an issue if there were seats available.
SQ could access either in SYD or thru SIN the flight status on the day of departure...ie overbooking levels,nosho,offload and standby passengers uplifted or any other operational issues.
Experienced airline staff ,especially someone who calls themselves manager,can put 2+2 together,weigh up the value of a customer along with the known facts and probobly have the discretion to deal with the complaint.
Relying on he said/she said as the basis for any appology/compo is only one small part of the investigation and certainly not the major part.
I do agree earlier an earlier complaint may have got a better outcome. I would have demanded to see the Terminal supervisor on arrival at Changi as a first step then contacted SQ the day I got home

 

[Jobu]

Firstly, allow me to thank you all for taking the time to read my complaint and offer your advice and suggestions. I appreciate it. I would like to take this opportunity to respond to some comments and perhaps fill in a few blanks:

I am somewhat confused as to what you are trying to achieve here.As you are aware the best time to lodge a complaint and document it is at the time of the event.
Posting this so long after the event means it will may not be treated as seriously as you wish.

Mal hit the nail on the head. I am just publicising the horrendous service I received from what many people perceive is the premier customer service airline. It's not.

Let me clear up a few things:

I did not plan to arrive at the check-in 50 minutes before the flight. We were staying 30 minutes from the airport and we had pre-ordered a taxi to pick us up 3 hours prior to departure. The taxi didn't show. So after 30 minutes of calling the taxi company and waiting, I managed to flag down another taxi. Needless to say, our bad luck was just beginning, as there was an accident en route which caused a traffic jam. If you have ever been to Ho Chi Minh City, you can imagine the chaos this caused. So when we actually arrived at the airport and made it to the counter 50 minutes before the flight, I was actually very relieved.

Also, let me confirm that when I say 50 minutes before the flight, I was at the counter, not in a queue. They had just checked in a family in front of me. I proceeded to the counter and the woman behind just ignored me. I assumed she was busy on her computer so I waited a minute before my wife asked her if we could check in. She ignored my wife and just looked away. This is when things started to get confusing. My wife then approached the counter next to us and asked to be checked in. She was initially ignored again, so she asked again, and was then told "speak to him" with a point at the supervisor, who was busy on his walkie-talkie. She approached him and he ALSO chose to ignore her. After a few questions, he just said "you are too late" and turned around and left the area.

I was standing politely, wondering what was happening. My wife said to me that they are refusing to check us in. So I asked the lady in front of me "why can't we check in?". Again she ignored me. So I approached the business class check in and told the lady there that I don't understand why everyone is ignoring us and why no one is checking us in. She actually replied (wow they talk!) and said that we were too late to check in. I asked her what time check in closes. Now at this time we had been there for 10 minutes, and she says "40 minutes before the flight". I look up at the monitors above the check-in desk, and it is now at this moment 40 minutes before the flight. I point this out to the staff who again revert to their clever "if I ignore him he might go away" tactic.

etc. etc.

Oh and we were not the only passengers this happened to.

So: Yes TG - I agree that 50 minutes is cutting it fine and it was not my intention - but I still had a confirmed ticket and should have been checked in. To be ignored for 10 minutes was disgraceful.

Yes NM - I completely suspect they had oversold the flight and had no training in how to deal with the situation, so they stuck their heads in the ground and ignored us.

Straitman, JohnK, Mal - thank you for your comments and support I appreciate them.

Now - why did it take me 5 months to write the letter of complaint many of you ask? How can I expect them to do anything about it after so much time has passed?

Firstly: I was flying back to Australia where I was due to work on a major deal the next day. Not just a major deal, but the $20 billion acquisition of Coles. So after I returned to Australia I basically didn't see sunshine for the next 4 months and worked my backside off on the toughest deal I've ever been involved in. Now is this Singapore Air's problem? No it was my problem. And generally I usually forget about poor service after a few days. I'm not one for writing complaint letters as I usually can't be bothered. But even after 5 months, whenever I thought about the treatment we received, I just got incensed. So yes, I wrote the letter to get it off my chest. If they had come back and said "sorry we will upgrade your next flight" I would have told them where to stick that upgrade, so I was not looking for compensation.

Secondly: For Singapore to call me up and complain that my letter was 5 months late - Yes I know it's 5 months late and I agree with all of you that if I actually wanted something done about it I should have written in earlier - but to call me, and to act like I had just made your day worse because now you have to investigate this and it's going to be a hassle for you - to call yourself a SERVICE industry and actually call up one of your customers who has spent tens of thousands of dollars in the last twelve months on your airline and even hint that he is creating extra work for you, is ridiculous. Anyone who has ever worked in a service industry will tell you this is a NO NO. Complain behind my back all you want, but to tell me to my face? These people are CLUELESS. NM, with all due respect (because I do have much respect for you) to say that he was "defeated in his attempts to do so" is absolute rubbish. He isn't a police detective with a murder to solve, he is a customer service rep and all he has to do is win back my business and tell me that he is going to look into it but that it may be tricky due to the time that has passed, or whatever. Not to actually complain to me. I was flabbergasted. Besides, had he actually investigated it, had I complained the day after I arrived home and had those staff members had full memory of what had happened, they would have just told him "they arrived late". It's their word against mine. It's not like he was going to obtain security camera footage to prove a point.

And finally, I will say, that had I received a good, positive response from Singapore, had they called me and expressed concern, understanding, empathy, whatever, had they dealt with my complaint more seriously and just apologised, I may, just may, have flown with them again one day.

But not now, not ever again.

 

[JohnK]

Sorry JohnK, but i'd have to disagree with you there; in todays world, 50 mins is cutting it fine in my book, irrespective of when the airline cuts checkin.

You do not have to agree with me. It is OK for an airline to take off late, and this happens to me a lot, without penalty or compensation to the passenger but if a passenger turns up 10 minutes before check-in is due to close that is cutting it fine and refuse to check them in. That is not customer service.

Even of they had turned up 10 minutes late they should have been allowed to check-in. For most international flights WHY check-in closes 90 minutes before the flight is due to depart yet for premium classes and top tier frequent flyers check-in closes 60 minutes before the flight is due to depart. If a WHY passenger with no status turns up after WHY check-in closes but before premium check-in closes they should still be able to check-in. It is not that hard for the airline to do this for the passenger.

The least airlines can do is try to help passengers as much as possible. After all without passengers there would be no airlines. And lets not forget all the times that an aircraft takes off late. Not acceptable and the airline should be made to pay compensation to the passengers everytime they take off late. The later the take-off the greater the compensation. Then we will see how often an airline runs late....