Interesting -- Internet Booking -- A Shock but a pleasant one at the end
Over the last weekend , I was trying to book airline tickets over the net using a well-known internet travel site that I had been using for the last four years or more. After several deliberations , I was ready to complete the booking. I finished the details of the travelling passengers, punched in my credit card details and was ready to press the button to" Pay” when my mobile rang. The voice on the line told me to hold the booking and not complete the transaction. He gave all details of my booking and the passengers as well.
I was stunned. !!
The caller knew exactly on which screen I was on . The caller continued and said he was from the same company that I was trying to book the ticket and said if I booked over the phone , it was cheaper. I was surprised that I was being monitored and was also suspicious of the caller and his credentials . The caller did give his particulars and offered that I can call the Company and check out his particulars and that he would call again in five minutes. I called the company through the Toll Free and was confirmed of the accuracy and authenticity of the caller.
In exactly five minutes , the same person called me , gave a payment link and asked me to complete the transaction. I did with lots of hesitation. The caller continued to stay on the line with me as I completed the transaction and as the payment gateway was in progress , he confirmed receipt of the payment ( My screen was showing , processing) ! An email followed in the next minute with the trip details and passenger confirmations.
I was still not convinced.
I called the Call Center and gave my trip details and they confirmed it existed in their system. I was still not convinced . What if there was teaming and leading ? I thought the caller could ensure that I got the desired response when I called the call center . I logged on to the URL of the site and posted a query in to their site and asked them to confirm the booking . I received an email the next day confirming the booking and attaching PDF copies of the reservation. Still not happy. I called once again and confirmed the details through the call center. The good thing was each time , I called the call center , it was a different person, so gave me the comfort that all of them cannot be giving the same answer.
I thought about this later and some questions/ comments, thoughts :
Why would an internet online company give a better deal over telephone ?
The caller was on the line from Mumbai for close to twenty minutes or even more. Guess the saving to the company must be more than what was passed on minus costs ( including telephone charges ) !
The internet Company is closely watching our transactions, screen by screen—this is uncomfortable. – Can they know our passwords ?
Interception as I was about to complete the payment on the site was simply brilliant.
I was paranoid on confirming the genuineness of the caller – so gave a call to the Call Center at least four times to check. With so many types of novel methods to trap people ( Cyber fraud) , I was concerned that I was getting in to a trap.
As I talked about this during a luncheon session with colleagues, I realized that this process of using a telephone call to book was normal and one need not worry.
I also realized that due to the various cyber thefts we hear all the time , I was overcautious but it is better to be that way rather than not be.
But happy ending as the price that I got was lower than the one , I would have got over the internet.
So, next time someone calls you when you are online doing a booking , do not be surprised but I would still advice that you check the credentials out before going through the transaction over telephone
I was stunned. !!
The caller knew exactly on which screen I was on . The caller continued and said he was from the same company that I was trying to book the ticket and said if I booked over the phone , it was cheaper. I was surprised that I was being monitored and was also suspicious of the caller and his credentials . The caller did give his particulars and offered that I can call the Company and check out his particulars and that he would call again in five minutes. I called the company through the Toll Free and was confirmed of the accuracy and authenticity of the caller.
In exactly five minutes , the same person called me , gave a payment link and asked me to complete the transaction. I did with lots of hesitation. The caller continued to stay on the line with me as I completed the transaction and as the payment gateway was in progress , he confirmed receipt of the payment ( My screen was showing , processing) ! An email followed in the next minute with the trip details and passenger confirmations.
I was still not convinced.
I called the Call Center and gave my trip details and they confirmed it existed in their system. I was still not convinced . What if there was teaming and leading ? I thought the caller could ensure that I got the desired response when I called the call center . I logged on to the URL of the site and posted a query in to their site and asked them to confirm the booking . I received an email the next day confirming the booking and attaching PDF copies of the reservation. Still not happy. I called once again and confirmed the details through the call center. The good thing was each time , I called the call center , it was a different person, so gave me the comfort that all of them cannot be giving the same answer.
I thought about this later and some questions/ comments, thoughts :
Why would an internet online company give a better deal over telephone ?
The caller was on the line from Mumbai for close to twenty minutes or even more. Guess the saving to the company must be more than what was passed on minus costs ( including telephone charges ) !
The internet Company is closely watching our transactions, screen by screen—this is uncomfortable. – Can they know our passwords ?
Interception as I was about to complete the payment on the site was simply brilliant.
I was paranoid on confirming the genuineness of the caller – so gave a call to the Call Center at least four times to check. With so many types of novel methods to trap people ( Cyber fraud) , I was concerned that I was getting in to a trap.
As I talked about this during a luncheon session with colleagues, I realized that this process of using a telephone call to book was normal and one need not worry.
I also realized that due to the various cyber thefts we hear all the time , I was overcautious but it is better to be that way rather than not be.
But happy ending as the price that I got was lower than the one , I would have got over the internet.
So, next time someone calls you when you are online doing a booking , do not be surprised but I would still advice that you check the credentials out before going through the transaction over telephone
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