Bouraq private exchange rate<\/p>\n
Did Bouraq know something about what was going to happen to
\nthe rupiah well before we all did? As of mid October it had set
\nits own private, profit-making rate of Rp 4,100\/US$ for people
\npurchasing airline tickets. Prices were quoted in US$, but if you
\nwanted to pay in rupiah, then you had to pay Bouraq Rp 4,100 for
\nevery dollar, while in the real world the exchange rate was still
\nwell below Rp 3,500\/US$. We were purchasing return tickets to
\nSingapore -- flying there on Nov. 19 (the day we paid for the
\ntickets) and back on Nov. 22 -- hardly what you call an advance
\npurchase, on Nov. 18\/19 the common rate was Rp 3,500\/US$.<\/p>\n
Now we've become used to paying a slight \"overcharge\" for
\ntickets purchased in advance -- say Rp 100 to Rp 200\/US$ -- just
\nto cover those inevitable changes in exchange rates. But Bouraq
\nwanted to go one better and make this \"overcharge\" into their own
\nlittle profit center. The rate they were forcing people to pay
\nmade them a nifty Rp 600\/US$ or 17 percent -- not bad for doing
\nnothing at all.<\/p>\n
Somehow our usual travel agent (Floressa Wisata in Sanur)
\nforgot to inform us in advance; we have been using their services
\nfor about two years. Bouraq had told them about their \"special\"
\nexchange rate in mid October, leaving the agent plenty of time to
\nlet their clients know. As we had made prior arrangements to pick
\nup our tickets on the way to the airport and had confirmed
\nbusiness meetings in Singapore, we were left with no choice but
\nto be fleeced by both Bouraq and the travel agent. Bouraq added
\ninsult to injury, by overcharging us slightly for the prepaid
\nairport tax for Singapore (US$11 vs. US$10) and then demanding we
\npay this amount at their own private exchange rate of Rp
\n4,100\/US$.<\/p>\n
On our return I contacted both Bouraq and our travel agent to
\ncomplain and request a refund. Their approach to my complaint was
\nto blame each other. Bouraq claimed the agent misunderstood their
\ninstructions and that this rate was only for \"commercial
\ntransactions\". Since then they made this explanation \"non-
\noperative\", bringing their private exchange rate into line with
\nthe real world on Nov. 26.<\/p>\n
My point here is not just the money involved -- the sum is
\nrelatively small -- but the principles and attitude of Bouraq in
\nparticular and secondly, the professional failure of the travel
\nagent. By belatedly bringing their private exchange rate back
\ninto line with the official BI rate, Bouraq implicitly admit that
\nthey were \"overcharging\" for dollars from Nov. 1 to Nov. 25. If
\nand when customers complain about this, the principled thing for
\nBouraq to do would be to make an apology and immediately pay a
\nrefund. Not try to blame the travel agent and dodge their
\nresponsibility. The agent, having failed in their duty to inform
\nus of what Bouraq was up to, should simply apologize and make the
\nrefund, if, as it seems, Bouraq has lost track of their business
\nprinciples.<\/p>\n
SEAN FOLEY<\/p>\n
Ubud, Bali<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bouraq-private-exchange-rate-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }