'Previous agent provided wrong information': Klook agent tells customer to cancel booking for full refund due to 'miscommunication'

All he wanted was to change the booking date of his rental car.

But Stomp contributor Andrew was advised by a Klook Experience Specialist to cancel his booking, get his refund and rebook again.

However, when the Stomp contributor tried to get his refund, he was rejected by another Klook Experience Specialist "due to terms and conditions of the local operator".

When contacted by Stomp, Klook said it was a "miscommunication" and had since made a refund to the customer.

"The whole incident definitely has created a dent in my vacation as I was replying to them while on the road," Andrew told Stomp.

"I had on Dec 26 booked via Klook a car rental from Dec 27 to Jan 3 for an impromptu road trip to Malaysia.

"However, within three hours of making the booking and paying in full, and after reviewing our plan, we decided that there was a possibility for us to return the car a day earlier and decided to write to Klook to clarify.

"We started by seeking assistance to reduce the duration of the rental by a day but were told that they would not be able to do adjustments to the duration of the booking. But we would be able to cancel the booking, qualify for a full refund since it was less than two days of booking, and we can make a fresh booking.

"After confirmation from the customer service officer from Klook who attended to us in writing, we proceeded with the cancellation. This was after we showed him the screenshot from their system showing partial deduction if we were to cancel the order, and his confirmation that he would work with the merchant on the full refund."

The Stomp contributor shared screenshots of the chat with the Klook Experience Specialist about the cancellation.

"However, after starting our trip the next day, and despite many e-mail exchanges on the matter, they have refused to honour their promises."

In an e-mail reply to Andrew, a different Klook Experience Specialist wrote: "We fully understand that the previous agent provided wrong information. On the other hand, due to the terms and conditions, we're unable to process a full refund."

But the Stomp contributor would not "let this injustice rest".

In another e-mail, the Klook Experience Specialist elaborated: "We hope you understand that Klook is bound by business terms with our partners (the local operators) and these policies are not imposed by Klook directly. Instead, these cancellation policies are contracted and enforced by the operators and Klook abides by these terms.

"As such, Klook takes great care in ensuring these terms are displayed and available to all customers in a clear manner (on the product pages and the vouchers) to ensure these are agreed upon and understood upon booking.

"We sincerely hope that this has provided you with sufficient explanation. Klook ultimately wishes to resolve all grievances amicably and that our customers continue to make us their travel choice with continually improved services."

Andrew was understandably frustrated.

He told Stomp: "I did not start the conversation with Klook with the intention to cancel the order but rather to alter the end date. But upon their advice, I ended up with costs that is more than the rental fee and one day less for the use of the car."

In response to a Stomp query, a Klook spokesman said: "We understand how frustrating this incident must have been for our customer and we apologise for any inconvenience it may have caused.

"After an internal investigation, it has been brought to our attention that there was a miscommunication with regards to the cancellation policy for this booking.

"We take responsibility for this matter and as a gesture of goodwill, we have refunded the booking value to the affected customer."

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

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.