Think Twice Before Booking Through Traveloka
I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel it’s important to share my experience so that others can make an informed decision before booking with Traveloka. I booked a family trip to Japan for myself, my wife, my daughter and my elderly mother. Shortly after the booking was confirmed, I discovered that my mother’s return date was different from the rest of our family’s itinerary. I reported the issue to Traveloka within an hour of ticket issuance. To this day, it has never been conclusively established whether the different return date resulted from an incorrect selection during booking or another issue during the booking process. My family’s other bookings all reflected the intended return date of 7 November, which was why I genuinely believed my mother’s booking was also meant to be on the same itinerary. From the very beginning, I made it clear that I was not asking for a free change. I repeatedly informed Traveloka that I was prepared to pay any reasonable fare difference, rescheduling fee or additional charges if necessary. My only request was for Traveloka to genuinely negotiate with the airline for a one-time goodwill exception. Unfortunately, the experience that followed was extremely frustrating. Over several days, I received different explanations from different customer service representatives. At one point I was informed that the airline had already been contacted. When I checked with the airline directly, they informed me that they had not received any request from the travel agency at that time. Later, I was given another explanation regarding the escalation. As a customer, it became very difficult to understand what had actually been done and where my case truly stood. Because of the uncertainty, I even travelled personally to Traveloka Singapore’s office to seek assistance. Only after speaking directly with a staff member there did my case receive another review and a fresh submission to the airline. I appreciate the staff member who personally took ownership of my case and continued communicating with me. She was professional, empathetic and genuinely tried to help. Unfortunately, the overall process leading up to that point had already been stressful and exhausting. What concerns me most is that while the case remained pending, ticket prices continued increasing. Every day of waiting meant there was a greater risk that the flight would become significantly more expensive or even sell out completely, leaving my elderly mother unable to return home together with the rest of our family. I fully understand that airlines have fare rules and that not every request can be approved. My disappointment is not simply because the request has not yet been approved. It is because of the inconsistent communication, the prolonged handling of the case, and the uncertainty throughout the entire process. I sincerely hope Traveloka reviews and improves its escalation process, communication between teams, and transparency when handling exceptional cases. Customers deserve clear, consistent updates, especially when they are making every effort to work towards a reasonable solution.