Bad experience with online booking

Recently I heard that there is a promotion for online booking from XXX Airlines, so I decided to try my luck, see if I could get a cheap air ticket for Chinese New Year.

I browsed thru the website, enter my destination, travel date and other relevant information, then searched for the lowest price I could get. Hurray!! The price is only RM 500++ for 2 persons, which is much cheaper than the phone booking and another airline. Happily, I entered all the passenger details as required, and also the credit card information. But then, it displayed the following error!!

We are sorry, the system is unable to price your selected flight(s). Please retry later.

From the message, it seems like that's a system problem rather than the wrong information being entered. I tried the second time, but still getting the same error. Then i decided to call the customer service officer.

Ring Ring....
A female Malay lady picked up the phone.

SHE: Good afternoon, how can i help you??
ME : Good afternoon. I get some error while trying to book the online ticket. The error is something like "cannot price your flight.... etc". I've tried out 3 times and still getting the same error.
SHE: Can i have your flight detail pls?
ME : Ok, 16 Feb, from KL to XXX. Erm.. can't remember the exact time of departure. it's a transit flight to Kuching in the morning, with the lowest fare.
SHE: Is that xx:xxam flight? Next time pls remember to note down the departure time. It's easier for us to search. (impatient tone)
ME : Oh, ok.
SHE: Can I have the passengers' name pls.
ME : (provided the passengers' name)
SHE: The transaction is not successful. Can you pls try again. Go to tools > Internet Options and delete the cookies. Then close your browser and try again. If still cannot, it could be because of the secure number of your credit card is invalid. Sometimes bank has technical mistake on this. If still cannot then you better check with your bank.
ME : Ok, thanks. I'll try again.


Following what she told, I cleared the cookies, closed my browser and tried again... Still the same!!! As I've similar online booking experience using the same credit card, I don't think it's the secure number problem. So I decided to call the customer service again. This time a Malay guy pickup the phone.

ME: (told him the problem in a similar way)
HE : Have you checked your browser whether it's compatible? You need to have IE version 6.
ME: Yes it's IE 6.0.
HE: Had you clear the cookies and tried again?
ME: Yes, I've tried at least 3 times.
HE: I think this might be the system problem. Can you please try 1 more time? If still can't then you have to do phone booking.
ME: Phone booking? Can i get the same fare as of the internet booking?
HE: The price that you can get is RM 400++ for 1 way.
ME: RM 400++ for 1 passenger??
HE: Yes, for 1 passenger.
ME: But I can get RM 500++ for 2 persons thru internet booking.
HE: Yes because this is the promotion for online booking.
ME: If this is the case, then what is the purpose for internet booking, since I can't even book the ticket online?? (unhappy tone)
HE: yeah sorry, can you please try 1 more time? It might be caused by the security code of your credit card as well. ME: I've used this credit card for other online transaction before, for eg: ABC, and I had no problem with that.
HE: This is because we have security. ABC doesn't have security for this. (HUH??!!)
ME: Actually this is my first time to do the online booking for your company. But I'm really disappointed with your service. I've tried many times but still getting the same error.
HE: .... (silent awhile) Can you please try 1 more time? If still can't then you have to do phone booking.
ME: Ok, i'll try 1 more time. Thanks.


Very very unhappily, I tried 1 more time, same problem persists. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....


Then I tried to use another credit card for the transaction, same problem!!! So I really don't think that it's caused by my credit card!!

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The following day, my sister tried the same transaction using her credit card, again, same error. Then i decided to try again in my office. This time, I was stucked in different page with the following message:

Booking In Progress
Important: Please wait and do not close browser. If you do not receive any booking confirmation, please call our 24-hour Call Centre at XXXX-XX-XXXX(within Malaysia) / XXXXXXXXXXX (outside Malaysia) / email XXXX@XXX.com.my or contact your nearest XXX XXX office.


I waited for about 10 minutes, and it still showing the message. Well, I really don't think that it's still running, because I saw some of the image files showing the "X" sign (stop sign). So i decided to call up the customer service.

ME: good afternoon. I was trying to do internet booking just now, and I was stucked in the "booking in progress" page.
SHE: How long ago that you've seen this message?
ME: about 10 minutes ago
SHE: You have to wait for 20 minutes. The system is trying to validate the credit card transaction. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the validation. (OMG!! 20 minutes for the validation!!)
ME: So meaning that I have to wait for another 10 minutes?
SHE: Yes.
ME: Ok, i'll do that. Thank you.

So I waited, waited and waited. 15 minutes passed and as expected it's still showing the same screen. So no choice I had to call them up AGAIN!!

ME: (told them the problem again)
SHE: The transaction is not successful. I think the security code of your credit card is invalid. Can you please check with your bank?
ME: Is the security code the last 3 digits at the back of my credit card?
SHE: No no, not that one. It's sent to you separately. You better check with your bank. (HUH??!! Like that meh???)
ME: But in the system, there's a sample showing that we have to enter the last 3 digits.
SHE: No no, it's not that one. You have to check with your bank.
ME: .... (dunno what to say liaw........) Ok, i'll check with them. Thanks.


This time, I decided to check with my issuing bank about the security code, and I was told that it's the last 3 digits that i've entered. That means i didn't enter a wrong code!!!
So I decided to try 1 more time. I cleared the cookies, re-open the browser, and did the same transaction.

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SAME PROBLEM!!!

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Not giving up, I called them up AGAIN!!! I amnot sure whether it's the same person who answered the call, so I decided to repeat my problem and see what kind of story she/he's going to tell!!

SHE: (told me the same reason)
ME: The pin code is the last 3 digits at the back of the credit card right?
SHE: No no not that one. (I guess she's the same person)
ME: But I've checked with my bank, and they told me that is the one. They said there's no other security code. (very unhappy tone)

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doo..................................................

OMG she just hanged up the phone like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


That night, I called 1 of my friends who has booked the online ticket succesfully with the same airline recently.
As a result, he told me that:
1. We have to use streamyx. (Anybody knows why? Any difference?)
2. He asked me to enter my IC no in the "passport no" field. (note that there's is no field to fill in the IC no, which is a bit weird.)
Then as for the phone number, use the house phone instead of the hand phone.

My question:
1. Perhaps this solved my previous problem of being stucked in the "Booking in progress" page. Because my office is not using streamyx. BUT, how come they can't give this kind of proper and reasonable solution?

2. If the failure is caused by this, shouldn't the system prompt a proper informative error message, or even better if they label the field properly?

Ok, cool down. Let me try again. Following the same steps, and.... finally...


STILL THE SAME ERROR!!



OK, I GIVE UP!!!