Train ticket price

Train ticket price

On Feb. 2 my husband and I took the 9 a.m. Argo Gede train from Gambir station in Jakarta to Bandung. He already had a ticket but I still had to buy one. I went to the ticket window at 8:50 a.m. but was told that no more tickets were sold because the train was about to leave, but I could buy a ticket on the train at the same price.

When the collector came to us I told her we needed to buy another executive class ticket. She charged double the normal fare which according to her was in line with the company's rules. I told her that the official at the counter had informed me differently. She then mentioned an amount of Rp 36,000 (the normal fare is Rp 30,000). I said I would not pay more than the usual price. She took the money and returned later to give me my ticket, a karcis suplisi.

Being a Thai citizen and not used to that kind of treatment of customers I decided to write this letter. Moreover, it gives me the main reason why I do not want to stay any longer in this country. I have been here for quite a while since my husband has to work here, and it is really not the first time that somebody tried to cheat me as a foreigner. Just because you cannot know everything like a local person or because you are not able to communicate well in the Indonesian language is no reason to take advantage of a customer. That it happened in such an obvious way and with a state-owned company, to boot, was beyond my expectations.

Perhaps somebody could take some action against such things. I have heard that this year is the year of national discipline. Do not only talk about it, live it. And, at the least, let me know if there is really a supplement on the ticket price if you buy it on the train.

S. CHANHOM

Bandung, West Java