Customers should come first (2)

On March 28, 2006 my friend surprised me with a birthday present by paying a deposit of Lm100 at Arrigo Travel Agency for the both of us to go and see Bon Jovi perform in Glasgow, Scotland. Plans were made, money saved, leave booked and the anticipation was overwhelming.

From mid-April I kept calling the agency every week to see when we could pay the rest of the deposit and have the tickets in hand. Every time I called to gently remind them that the departure date was getting closer and we still had no tickets I was told that concert tickets usually arrive from the overseas company they deal with one week prior to departure.

So a week prior to our departure (May 22) I called them up and asked if we could collect our tickets. And the usual "I'm working on them as we speak" sheepishly followed from the ever so aloof travel agent.

"I'm working on them as we speak" didn't seem to work out too well unfortunately and, to my disappointment, the agency informed us there was no guarantee that our tickets would arrive to Malta on time. However, they did suggest we pay the Lm235 remaining balance each and confirmed that someone from the overseas company would drop off the concert tickets in Glasgow.

Not letting naivety take the better of me and knowing all to well that we were being ripped off I rejected their far-fetched proposal declaring I wouldn't pay them a cent more until my friend and I had the Bon Jovi tickets in hand.

They insisted they were doing all they could and boldly blamed the overseas company which were supposed to send the tickets over to Malta saying they tried to contact them several times to see where our tickets were but they never seemed to get hold of them.

They washed their hands clean from any responsibility and arrogantly pointed their fingers towards them without even apologising.

So my friend and I did what any other sane and bitter people would do in our position; battled adamantly for our Lm100 deposit back and vowed revenge.

So four days prior to our presumed departures we were left without tickets to the Bon Jovi concert. We had to do everything from scratch; re-book flights (which, thankfully, ended up being much cheaper through Air Malta) and desperately searched the internet to book two Bon Jovi last-minute tickets. We saved at least Lm100 by booking directly and not going through the agency.

My question is this: If the travel agency doesn't have the necessary contacts with overseas companies that can provide valid tickets on time, why do they advertise and offer concert packages to hopeful individuals?

And when all else fails, when concert tickets somehow seem to get lost and all discrepancies break free, who should suffer the consequences?

Is this a case of misleading advertising or is it inefficiency at its best?