All at sea with PELNI service

We recently traveled for the first time on state-owned shipping line, PELNI. As we wanted to get some information about prices and ticket purchase beforehand, we went to PELNI's main office in Ujungpandang, which provided us with the details.

The price for the Ujungpandang-Ambon route varied from the one listed. It was explained to us that there was a 25 percent discount for first and second class tickets, valid until Oct. 31, 1997.

We had to change our plans and instead flew to Manado first. We then bought tickets for a trip on the Ciremai from Bitung to Ternate. The service was good and we were given the 25 percent discount without even having to ask for it.

The trip was quite pleasant, although for some reason the information desk was closed for almost the whole journey, and nobody was there to help with customer requests or information. The restaurant staff turned out to be most friendly and helpful.

In Ambon, we wanted to buy our ticket back to Ujungpandang from the head office. Although we arrived there during office hours in the morning, nobody was at the ticket sale counter. Only after insisting that we needed to get the tickets that day were we sent upstairs, where nobody would take responsibility for us and there was no satisfactory customer service.

In the end we managed to get our tickets, but they refused to give us the 25 percent discount. How can this happen, if this discount, as we were told in Ujungpandang, was officially authorized by PELNI headquarters in Jakarta?

SILVIA LUTZ

Ujungpandang,

South Sulawesi