Aja Aja FIGHTING!

From 2327: CEBUPACIFIC would like to inform you that your booking is on hold. Please settle payment through our Call Center at +6327020888 or by visiting the ticket office near you. Thank you!
10 November 2009
8:59 AM

Remember the recent Piso Fare promo from Cebu Pacific? Just before typhoon Pepeng was to hit Metro Manila?

30 October (email around 3:30pm): Cebu Pacific Air announces their Piso Fare promo, booking starts now until 2 November (or until the 100,000 promo seats are sold out) for travel from 15 June 2009 to 30 September 2010.

Planned with friends. Until one friend decided to book something tomorrow. Nothing booked.

31 October (around 3:30am): I booked a round trip travel for 2 for 2010. But the system could not authenticate my credit card (I tried thrice and kept getting an error message). After another try, the message showed that I should change my method of payment. Choices were Credit Card (does not work), Bancnet/Megalink (okay but...), BDO (not convenient for me), Metrobank (perfect!). The website led me to another page saying that blah blah blah is your confirmation number, that I can pay over-the-counter at any Metrobank branch or by phone or online (as long as I have an account). It also asked me to tick a box with my mobile number (ticked) for communication purposes. It also mentioned that the booking will be put on hold but I have to pay before 11:59PM today or else the booking will be canceled. Fine. Will just pay later. So happy!

31 October (6:00am): Brown out. No power. No internet.

All along I was waiting for Cebu Pacific to send me the Reference number which I will use to pay the bill. They asked for my mobile phone, right? None came.

31 October (6:00pm) (Still no power. No internet): I call Cebu Pacific's Call Center

Me: I booked a flight for MNL-___-MNL for 2010 (details given), but I have not received any reference number that I assumed will be sent via my cell phone. (I told him my story that their system would not accept my credit card which I have used to pay CP in the past). Your system asked me to choose another payment method and I opted to pay via Metrobank.
(in between he'd ask for my name, if I made the reservation and if I'm the traveller)

CP Call Center Agent: Ma'm, pag promo fare po, hindi applicable ang payment via Metrobank. Dapat po ang pinili nyo yung Bancnet/Megalink.

Me: Whaaaaaaat? (nagtaas na ang boses ko). E di sana, pag ganyang promo, hindi nyo sinasama yan sa choices, o kaya e merong nakalagay na dapat gamitin ang Bancnet/Megalink...Kahit meron na akong confirmation number?

CP Call Center Agent: Confirmation number lang po iyon, hindi pa po bayad. Pag bayad na po tsaka lang po siya magiging final. (Me: oo nga naman)

Me: So anong gagawin ko?

CP Call Center Agent: Kailangan nyo po uling mag-book ng panibago.

Sa loob loob ko, hindi mo ba alam kung gaano kahirap magbook sa inyo? At kung gaano kabilis maubos pag ganyang may promo? Pero hindi ko na sinabi sa kanya.

Me: Ok (sabay bagsak ng telepono). Naririnig ko pa siyang nagsasalita, pero dahil sa inis ko, naibaba ko agad tuloy.

Dahil nga brown out, we went to our Tita's house to spend the night and at the same time, to use their computer and internet and book again the same flight.

Lo and behold, when I typed in our preferred schedule, it showed "No promo seats available." I was thinking, maybe for these dates only. How about other dates. Same. How about to another country. Same. Only then did I realise, ubos na ang alloted promo seats :(

Lungkot kame.

On Monday during lunch, all my friends were happy because they were able to book flight for BKK, HKG, etc. Ako, wala ako maishare. *sulk*

Tanggap ko na. Tanggap na namen. Next time na lang.

Tapos I got the text :) Please see above for the text message from Cebu Pacific.

They did not cancel my booking (good thing I did not cancel the booking). The Call Center Agent asked me if I still want to use the booking. Sabi ko yes, as long as the amount will be the same as when I booked it. He said he will check. After putting me on hold for more than 10 minutes, he came back and said "Yes." He asked for my credit card number. I was put again on hold so he could have my card authenticated. Yun nga ayaw. So he said my other option was to pay at the nearest CP ticketing office. Nearest was Robinson's Galleria. So after having lunch, I went to Galleria to pay for the ticket. If you pay at the ticketing office, you'll be asked to pay for the airport tax, which I did.

I walked back to the office with the piece of paper (e-ticket) and a smile on my face. Wheeeeee!!!