I had an experience arguing with a customer service representative who acted as a middle agent.
I was flying with an Indonesian airline again, which had always been one of my favourite airlines. I booked a morning flight from Jakarta to Batam for around September. At that time, I had a conference in Bali, so I booked the flight without considering that I might need to have another check-up for my back.
I changed my mind and decided to reschedule my flight to a later time on the same day, specifically an evening flight. I paid the rescheduling fee and thought the matter was settled. I received an email confirming that my flight had been successfully rescheduled, so I left it at that.
A few hours later, I received another email stating that my rescheduled flight had been cancelled and changed back to the original departure time in the morning. I was furious because I hadn’t paid for the rescheduling just for fun.
I called the agent to ask what was happening and explained that it was unfair to charge me for rescheduling my flight, only to cancel the new departure time and revert to the original one.
The representative then explained that the airline had cancelled the evening flight, which was the time I had rescheduled to. She went on to tell me the whole story about the technical processes between the third-party agent and the airline. She also explained that, since the airline had cancelled the flight, I would need to pay an additional fee if I wanted to change it to another time.
Bloody hell! She spent around 10 minutes explaining all of that, only to tell me that I would have to pay an extra charge if I wanted to change my flight to a different time.
Basically, my original flight was at 11 a.m. I changed it to 7 p.m. and paid the rescheduling fee. Then, they changed it back to 11 a.m. and told me I would have to pay again if I wanted to change it to another time, such as 5 p.m.
The explanation was terrible. I was about to tell her that her explanation was completely unacceptable and that she needed to reconsider her unprofessional approach to customer service. I had nothing to do with the airline directly. I had booked my flight through the agent, so whatever agreement they had with the airline regarding additional charges was none of my business. I had booked through them, and I expected them to handle the situation fairly as the service provider.
It was completely unfair to me as a customer.
Eventually, they changed my flight to 5 p.m. without charging me any additional fees. By that point, I was ready to make the whole incident go viral.
Where hospitality and service upgrades should come in
In this situation, the agent missed an opportunity to turn a frustrating customer experience into a positive one. Good hospitality is not just about being polite; it is about taking ownership, showing empathy, communicating clearly, and making customers feel valued.
Here are the key areas where the service could have been improved:
1. Empathy and acknowledgement. The representative should have acknowledged your frustration and recognised that you had already paid to reschedule your flight. For example: “I understand why this is frustrating, especially since you have already paid a rescheduling fee and received confirmation of the change.”
2. Taking ownership of the problem. Instead of spending 10 minutes explaining the technical arrangements between the airline and the third-party agent, she should have focused on resolving your problem. Customers should not have to understand the internal processes of a business to receive fair service.
3. Clear and concise communication. The representative should have explained the cancellation, its impact on your booking, and the available solutions in a few clear sentences. Long explanations that do not address the customer’s main concern can make the situation worse.
4. Fairness and accountability. Since you had already paid to change your flight, the agent should have investigated whether you could be moved to another available flight without an additional charge. Rather than immediately mentioning another fee, she should have explored the available options first.
5. Proactive problem-solving. This was an opportunity to offer an alternative flight, explain the available options, and recommend the most appropriate solution. Ideally, the representative should have resolved the issue during the first call rather than leaving you to argue for a fair outcome.
6. A service upgrade through hospitality. This is where the agent could have gone beyond simply fixing the problem. For example, the representative could have apologised sincerely, waived any additional rescheduling fee, prioritised finding a suitable alternative, and followed up with a confirmation email. These actions would have demonstrated that the agent valued your time and trust.
The eventual decision to move your flight to 5 p.m. without an additional charge was the right outcome. However, the experience could have been significantly better if the representative had offered that solution from the beginning, instead of making you feel that you had to fight for fair treatment.
The key lesson is that hospitality should turn problem-solving into an opportunity to build trust. A service recovery experience should leave the customer feeling heard, respected, and confident in the company.
