Wilfred Camilleri, Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Admission to Hypogeum
A week ago I bought tickets to visit the Hypogeum. I have visited many times in the past, but my son and his wife are visiting from Toronto and I wanted them to experience the rich past of the Maltese islands.
Unfortunately we had to change our flight and moved our scheduled visit by one week.
Three days after I bought the tickets, I contacted Heritage Malta and asked if I could change our scheduled visit date from September 22 to September 29. The answer was that their policy did not allow such changes.
I found this to be a very inflexible position. I have purchased tickets to museums overseas in the past and always had the option to change the visit date and even get a refund in some instances, given sufficient notice. The policy that allows this inflexibility leads to poor customer service and eventually poor customer relations.
I did not ask Heritage Malta to refund my tickets but simply to change my visit date by one week. Given that the visit date is three months ahead, I do not see why they are so adamant in refusing my request.
Their suggestion was, and I quote: "You can try to sell the tickets at the door when you arrive as a lot of people try to get tickets by waiting for cancellations." This is hardly a solution, since I will not be in Malta on that date!
I am very disappointed that in this day and age some organisations still conform to practices that treat their patrons with such disdain. I find that many times tourists in Malta are treated very poorly and it's this kind of attitude that hurts the island's tourism industry.
I have put the tickets up for sale on one of my websites (www.camilleriart.com/gallery_malta_1.html) and I plan to add them to my Malta website (www.maltagozo.com) as well. However, I would prefer to just exchange the ticket date.
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Patrick Oonk
Jun 30th 2008, 15:45
To Joseph Calleja: I have always had the utmost service from Air Malta. On several occasions they went further than they should.
Dr. David Pollina
Jun 30th 2008, 07:55
@ John Grima, the policy for the Hypogeum is one out of fairness to ALL visitors. You might not know that unlike tickets for, say, the Museum of Archaeology or Hagar Qim (which ARE good for an unlimited time until used), the Hypogeum is under very strict UNESCO controls that limit visitors to only 10 per hour - only 80 per day. These slots are date and time specific.
Put in perspective, that means that ONLY less than 3% of yearly visitors to Malta will have the opportunity to view this amazing site! These slots are often sold out months in advance, and there is nothing that anyone can do to increase the visitorship due to conservation concerns.
The online booking process clearly states that tickets are not refundable or exchangeable under ANY circumstances - and this policy holds for everyone. Without it, how would someone feel if they had to book an inconvenient date/time, only to find that their prefered slot later opened up because of a cancelation or exchange?
The policy is one of fairness for everyone. What some might call 'judgement' or 'flexibility', we view as favouriteism and UNfairness to others.
Dr. David Pollina
Managing Director
MaltaTicket.com
M Brincat
Jun 30th 2008, 02:21
.... and they [Heritage Malta] say they are the only experts in Malta, actually they referred to another Museum as a bunch of amateurs, pathetic!!!
Alfred Grech
Jun 29th 2008, 23:20
I find such a refusal by Heritage Malta highly unethical, illogical and also cruel. Why do they want to put themselves on a high pedestal? On one side, they are doing a great job with preserving historical site around Malta and Gozo and on the other hand they are acting like dictators do - this is the rule, accept it or else.
Customer service in Malta leaves a lot to be desired.
John M. Grima
Jun 29th 2008, 21:25
I've heard similar idiotic policies before. But this one really takes the cake.
Is the Pope, or the Queen of England going to be visiting the Hypogeum on the requested dates? Is the Hypogeum closed on that date? If not, what's the problem?
Employees that are so inflexable, who quote policies to you when you are seeking their help, and who are afraid to use their own judgement, are no better than robots.
People are forced to change their plans occationally.
Shame on Heritage Malta for this poicy. Tickets for such visits, especially when sold to visitors, should be good for a year, like that of most airlines around the globe.
Joseph Calleja
Jun 29th 2008, 17:57
Don't expect any customer service out of Malta. I have an issue with Air Malta Customer-Care. On June 8, I had to cancel a trip from San Francisco to Malta. I was taking my 2 grandchildren 13 and 15 to visit my family, and Malta for the first time . Shortly before boarding the flight in Los Angeles my grandson had a panic attack and we ended up flying back to San Francisco and canceling the trip. I contacted Air Malta customer care because since I didn't use the tickets Lhr/Mla I don't think it's fair for them to charge me the tax and fuel charges since we did not make the trip, so far, as the Maltese say it's all
"'HOSS FL-ILMA " I know I lost the money for the tickets even though as they say it was a humanitarian reason why I cancelled the trip. Why are they charging me the tax on something I did not use. I'm still waiting for customer service to respond although they answered right away to tell me that I lost the money because we were no shows for the LHR/MLA flight on June 8. Good luck Godwin