CHEAP HOLIDAYS, ANYONE?

Taken For Cheap Rides?

For those who are planning to travel with MAS Golden Holidays, please think 100x before you do so.

At the MAS Travel Fair a month ago, a fellow stranger (Ms Mangkok* - she is a friend of Ms Lulu*, who is a friend of CK’s) helped us to book tickets to Sarawak, costing us only RM337 nett per person inclusive of accommodation for a 3D2N trip. We were as happy as larks when we managed to secure the Kuching trip at such a cheap rate.

However, our bliss was short lived last week, when we were told that the 12 of us are going on 3 separate flights. To add to the ridicule, the ones going there earlier, would have to come back the latest on the last day and the ones going there latest on the first day, would come back earliest on the last day. So much so for a cheap air fair, we endured the non-sensible arrangement by MAS or probably, our organizers.

To our horror, our hotels have not been confirmed and, only the four of us managed to get accommodation while the eight of them would have to wait further, or given an option to stay in another hotel for RM30 extra per night.

Being in the group (4 per group) that has been confirmed accommodation, I was instructed to pay on behalf of the group in order to secure the booking. I was told by Ms Lulu last Tuesday to go to the MAS building from Monday to Friday during office hours and was reminded sternly that they are not opened on weekends and to pay before 14 March, noon.

I dungu-ly followed instructions without checking the time of office hours and walked the entire 20 minutes under the hot sun from my office to MAS building last Friday. When I reached MAS office, I was fuming (not because of sweating in the sun) as I saw the glass door printed clearly with their operations hour:

Saturdays – Open from 9.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

“Never mind”, I consoled myself, “All for the sake of cheap tickets.”

I waited one hour there and they managed to entertain only 4 persons. Couldn’t afford to wait any longer, I got a confirmation from front desk that the office will be opened every Saturday for half day. I walked back to my office with empty hands and stomach (as I missed my lunch), and surpassed my lunch hour by 30 minutes.

I faithfully went to MAS Building again on Saturday morning and this time, I was prepared. I brought along a book to read. As I was being numbered 16, I patiently waited for my turn. Indeed, they served only 4 people in an hour. Is this an ISO standard procedure or what?

When my queuing number was up, I went to the counter. Another shocking news ensued. I was given the option to pay for the tickets and accommodation but I cannot collect tickets on that day itself. I would have to wait for the other eight persons to pay first before I could collect all the tickets at one go, as our booking for 12 people was made on one invoice.

I reasoned why would I pay now, should the other 8 are not going, I would be left with 3 men (2 of them are total strangers to me – friends of Ms Mangkok). Ahem. Not that I am complaining....but the idea of travelling without the intended group – CK and Ms Lactose saddens me.

Then, she dropped the bomb. I may extend the payment date to coincide with the other 8 people if I wanted to.

I was so furious that I could boil an egg just by putting it on my forehead.

First of all, MAS Golden Holidays sucks BIG TIME. Secondly, the organizers are bunch of dim wits. And thirdly, I blame myself for being so stupid for following misguided instructions blindly.

Utterly frustrated beyond words, I complained to Ms Lactose and she vowed to take things over from that Saturday onwards.

As consumers, we are entitled to make demands.

Why are we placed on three separate flights when we booked the tickets all at the same time? (I thought the front liner said, booking of 12 people was made on one invoice).

Why were CK, myself, Ms Lactose and Boon Seong, being separated on two different flights?

Why did the MAS staff give us different instructions? Not knowing their own office hours is a clear indication on how these people work.

Why are the 12 of us being put up in 3 separate hotels?

Why do we even trust people with substandard organizing skills to organize this trip at the first place?

When you think of flying with MAS Golden Holiday, please think again… and again and again.

It is a golden holiday alright. Time is Gold. I wasted 3 hours in MAS office for the standardize service of four people per hour (I was lucky because some numbers had been skipped due to too long waiting time), one hour of driving to and fro from my house and 40 minutes walking under the hot sun.

Yabba told me his disappointing experience with MAS Golden Holidays. Last year, he planned a trip to Langkawi and booked his flights with MAS Golden Holidays two months in advance. However, when he called to make payment within the time frame to pay, he was told that the tickets were all taken up.

Like the saying goes, “Cheap things no good, good things no cheap.”.. and MAS, stands for Mana Ada Standard/System.

* Names have been changed to protect the clowns.