Originally Posted by
moondog
The first time ctrip pulled the same trick on me (maybe 5 years ago), I was angry... to the extent that I raised a bit of a fuss (it should go without saying that my fuss went nowhere). IIRC, I boycotted them for a month or two in protest. But, then a true "bricks and mortar" TA left me in the cold (literally), so I decided to make peace with ctrip.
Takeaways:
-this sort of dishonesty is the norm in the China internet travel space
-ctrip is cool because, assuming you are a decent customer, it is the ONLY point in the PRC travel process that you can push for resolution when things go awry
The second point is key. Perhaps Elong is similarly situated; I wouldn't know it because I don't use them. But, with ctrip, you have a company with resources to bail you out of jams that are unmatched by any other players.
While I've yet to receive any true air-side assistance, I predict they will be the first to make such happen.
I've stopped using bricks and mortar TAs in China having being badly let down last year - failed to tell me of a cancelled flight that resulted in an expensive rerouting that could have been avoided and no reimbursement of extra cost
I likewise use ctrip and have some confidence that they have the resources to deal with issues - I particularly like the fact that they have desks in most major airports both landside and airside. Don't know how effective they would be, but it feels quite reassuring
nickyboy