Couple in Bali misses flight to Singapore after no-show by airport transfer, ends up paying $1,000 more

They ended up paying $1,064 more for their trip because of a $12.49 airport transfer.

A couple in Bali missed their flight to Singapore after their airport transfer booked via Klook failed to show up on time, forcing them to book another flight.

Stomp contributor Aiden and his wife had booked the vehicle to pick them up at noon on March 19.

"My wife and I booked an airport transfer on Klook from our Canggu villa to Ngurah Rai International Airport," recounted the Stomp contributor.

"We furnished our flight details in the Klook app. This should allow Klook partner agency to monitor the time closely and allocate the driver to fit into our flight schedule at 2.50pm.

"After we checked out from the villa and waited at the lobby at noon sharp, no one showed up even after 10 minutes.

"I decided to hand over my phone to the receptionist to speak to the driver in Bahasa Indonesia on my behalf. After hanging up, we were told that the driver will take another 40 minutes to reach us.

"I kept my cool and proceeded to book a ride using all the transport apps (Grab, Gojek, Bluebird Taxi). The villa receptionist even helped to check with their private transport vehicle. But it was too last minute and the receptionist was not able to get us one in time.

"We finally got our Grab ride at 12.28pm and hoped that we could still make it before the check-in closes at 1.50pm.

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"There were jams along the way and by the time we reached the airport, it was way too late. We arrived at 2pm. We could have saved that 30 minutes if our driver had shown up on time.

"I had to book another flight and it cost us S$1,064.

"We came back and e-mailed Klook right away to ask for a follow-up, but Klook proceeded with cancelling and refunding the $12.49 booking fee, and they closed the case without hesitation.

"It angered me and I decided to explicitly ask for compensation. But the reply was to give us a few credits. The mistake caused by Klook’s partner agency led us to bear a hefty sum of $1,064.

"If they are not able to protect their consumer, they should not provide such service at all."

In response to a Stomp query, a spokesman for Klook said: "As passionate travelers ourselves, we fully understand the frustration and stress that comes with missing a flight.

"We sincerely apologise for any anxiety and inconvenience caused by this incident.

"After conducting an internal investigation, we determined that the issue was a result of an honest error by the driver, and the booking was inadvertently overlooked."

"We would like to inform you that we have resolved this incident with the customer. We appreciate the customer's understanding and cooperation throughout this process."

Stomp recently reported a similar incident in Tokyo where another airport transfer booked via Klook failed to show up, forcing another Stomp contributor to spend $740 on taxis just to get to the airport, but at least she did not miss her flight.

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.