I have tickets to Berlin from KLM. The name on the tickets are “Shawn Tan” as per first name, last name proper. However, the name in my passport is my full name – typical Malaysian Chinese name with the extra bits at the end.
Their terms state that: “If your name or other personal details have been misspelt, please contact us within 24 hours of booking”, which I did. I used their own website system to contact them about 21 hours later. I have copies of the email acknowledgement with the date/time stamps of course.
In the email (KMM24923872V73688L0KM), I explained to them that the name on the tickets are my first name and last name; and also gave them my full passport name. I asked them if it would cause any problems and instructed them to make the necessary changes if it might.
However, they only responded to me almost a week later to ask me to call up their local office, which I promptly did on receiving the response. My call was handled and I was told that I would need to pay a RM150 name-change fee.
I check with their staff that the conditions are that within 24 hours it was not necessary. Their staff asked me if I had contacted them within 24 hours and I said that I did email them. So, they investigated the email and told me that they would have to raise the issue up and contact me back later.
Their staff called me up the next day to tell me that after raising the issue to KLM Malaysia‘s office, the decision was that I still had to pay the RM150 name-change fee.
I’m sorely pissed as I had done everything according to the terms and conditions, and using their own online systems. It is not my fault if they responded to it nearly a week later. I don’t understand why I’m still being made to pay the name-change fee. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not my fault!
Their staff who called me back did not have a reason to give me either except to insist that I had to either pay the name-change fee or not change my name. She did originally highlight to me the risk of not putting in my full name is that I might face immigration problems.
KLM, it is not a good idea to cast fear and uncertainty in your customers. Now, I’m pissed and feel like they’re screwing me over and then causing me worry that I might be kicked out by immigration. All in all, this was a bad customer experience for me with KLM.
This is actually the first time that I’m flying KLM and it will definitely be my last!
Sybreon Ones Nought 