On the morning of 1 June, at around 1240pm, Encik Ramlan from the Baggage Claim Unit of Malaysia Airlines called me regarding my damaged wheelchair. He called to find out if I had sent the bill to them for my claim to be processed. He said he will try to expedite the reimbursement, possibly by Friday, when his boss returns to the office. Wuan had taken the required documents to fax it over to Malaysia Airlines for me. He called me back a short while later to inform me that he had received the documents and will definitely get back to me by Friday.
The next morning, Encik Remy from Malaysia Airlines called at around 9:00am. He wanted to find out more regarding my complaint. I told him like what I had written in the email. I took the opportunity to suggest that their staff handling such situations be educated to manage it with more compassion because our needs could be very different from that of other people. Hopefully, we can see some changes where handling of disabled passengers and their equipment are concerned.
Encik Ramlan called me at 10:35am this morning. He asked if we could meet. When I told him that I am homebound on weekdays, he suggested that he come over to meet me. He arrived at 11:35am and handed a letter from Malaysia Airlines’ Customer Relations Executive in reply to the email complaint. At the same time, he also brought a Receipt and Discharge Voucher for me to sign. I was reimbursed the full RM1300.00 for the new wheelchair.
I also conveyed to him that I hope incidents like these will not recur again the next time I fly with them. Their staff handling such cargo should be more careful. At the same time, staff manning the Lost and Found Office should have taken the initiative to get me a substitute wheelchair instead of washing his hands off me after taking down my report.
Here, I would like to record my gratitude to Jeff Ooi. He highlighted this issue in not one but three entries in Screenshots and invited his readers to write to Malaysia Airlines “for more sikap penyayang to be showered on disabled people” flying with them. I would also like to say a resounding “Thank You” to all readers of Screenshots and The Digital Awakening for writing to Malaysia Airlines regarding my complaint and all those who had one way or another helped in their own special ways and given me moral support. Please accept my sincere appreciation. Malaysia is a better place because of your kindness.
Related entries:
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Letter to Malaysia Airlines
Related entries from Screenshots:
MAS: Mana Ada Sayang?
MAS: Mana Ada Sayang?… ( 2 )
MAS: Mana Ada Sayang?…( 3 )
Other blogs:
MAS sucks ~ Maobi
Bad apple in Mas ~ Willwolf’s Den
MAS, you make me look down on you ~ Moments
yay glad to know it’s okay now
good to hear that it’s now resolved. still, it would’ve been best had it not happened at all.
hope to see you one of these days, chief! 🙂
Kim,
Thank you to you for taking the initiative to write to Malaysia Airlines.
Redzuan,
Are you not going to the Bloggers Meet in Mid Valley?
Alls well ends well. Look forward to see you next sunday!
Congratulations, Peter 😉
Remember we’re all human after all, and some people do make mistakes sometimes.
good on you mate.
well you deserve the right treatment after all hope they will take extra precaution and cares on passengers’ luggage in the future.
hey peter, good to hear that everything’s ok now.
enjoy your stay in KL… and esp. at the bloggers meet on 12 june. we will missed you at our penang bloggers meet on 14 june.
good vibrations ! the wheels has been compensated and now we can have a flashing match.
Silencers,
I am looking forward to next Sunday too.
Jinny,
Two mistakes in a day is just too much. Anyway, I am happy that this has been resolved.
Keen,
Thanks.
ashie,
I hope Malaysia Airlines will really do something to improve their service in this area. The standard of their service will indirectly affect Malaysia’s image too.
lucia,
You people have fun ya.
Leo,
Good vibrations indeed. A flashing match we will have.
A M O U N T A IN is being made out of a mohehill to solve a problem faster!
But it would be a good mountain if other people can benefit from the awareness too.
Like Peter has said, it takes only a couple of ground staff to tarnish MAS’s rep like that. Perhaps MAS would wake up to this and provide better training to their staff, so that there would be no next time.
And everyone benefits. Good mountain.
Wheee… new wheels for Peter!!
I’m happy to hear it’s been resolved.
Rather salutory of MAS to act (react, more like it eh/) so fast. The power of critical mass of blog voices.The efficacy of bad publicity, enmasse.
If only ‘sayang’ customer were a given trait of MAS’ brand personality, not an induced albeit defensive response.
niatnoum,
If your life totally depended on a wheelchair, you would have seen it otherwise.
suanie,
You are so right. Malaysia Airlines is now made aware of the shortfall in their service in this area. Hopefully an incident like this will not happen again.
percolator,
Thanks. It was nice of Malaysia Airlines to hve resolved this matter fast. Now I can leave that behind and enjoy the rest of my stay in KL.
A good show of blog power -something akin to the letter writing campaigns by Amnesty International. Keep it up -Peter and everyone !
Ong,
Thanks. It is a collective effort. Blogs have the power to bring people together. This is a good thing.
I’m glad it all turned out okay.
What an ordeal you had, sad the way the staff handled you trip, maybe this batch wasn’t trained in handling needs for the disabled or that complacency has caused the staff to be at a loss once such a situation came about. I always found the people handling complains to be rude or patronizing and only by complaining to the upper echelon of the administration would anything be done. At least in the end they took responsibility in their failure. Do lose heart and enjoy your trip 🙂
Marita,
I am sure your journey to Jawa and back was more interesting than mine here.
Kervin,
I wished it had not happened in the first place but it turned out all right anyway. Yes, I am beginning to enjoy Kuala Lumpur again. Thanks.
wau! …a wheel chair cost RM1300!!?? but glad that you now have new wheels 😉
Will try to make it for the 12 …if i can wake up that early that is ..LoL 😀
charlyn,
Some cost even more or much less. As I travel a lot, a lightweight wheelchair is asier to carry and put into the boot. Do try to make it to the meet.