Up to now, I still am reeling from shock that a company I greatly admire can be deceitful. This is the story of my November 22, 2009 travel from Puerto Princesa to Manila.
1 -- DECEITFUL
Our Superferry tickets Nos. V43-00292537, V43-00292538 and V43-00292539 had these words: FREE BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE is 50kgs. Per passenger. Yet we were stopped from boarding because we had excess baggage. According to the personnel at the port, the promo is only for personal baggage. At 50 kilos per passenger, we were entitled to have 150 kilos of free baggage.)
But there is NO WORD "personal" in the promo, I argued. Why distinguish personal or not personal when the printed ticket did not bother to print the word "personal" between the words "free" and "baggage"? It is basic in the interpretation of the sentence, that if one does not distinguish, do not distinguish.
According to this personnel, only personal things are allowed, like toothbrush and some clothes. I argued, will toothbrush and some clothes amount to 50 kilos?
2 - ACCUSATORY
The person at the port, already beyond the x-ray and boarding gates and right at the foot of the boat, seemed to accuse me that I was trying to sneak in what is the allowed free baggage. That in boarding the boat, I should only bring with me personal baggage. I brought with me, then, books which I authored. I am the author of the book and the books should therefore be personal. And besides, I thought that the promo of 50 kilos per passenger was real and we were three. Dili man diay!
They have a promo - and now they accuse me of sneaking something beyond the promo?
3 - GREEDY
I had 3 boxes of these books which were said to be excess: which weighed around 70 kilos. Superferry actually already made money. ecause I thought that I would have difficulty in traveling with 3 boxes, I bought 2 other Superferry tickets for 2 companions (ROUND TRIP for the 3 of us: P2610.38 PPS-Manila and 2699.98 Manila-PPS) for a total amount of P5310.36.
In other words, they already made P5310.36 because I brought two companions with me to help me with my boxes. Yet, greedy as Superferry seemed to be, they made me pay P900 more for excess baggage - an expense which "imperiled" my trip - an unforeseen expense because I thought Superferry was honest in its promo. According to the personnel on the ground, the books could also not be personal for my companions.
(See ATS Miscellaneous UNDATED Receipt - OLGV Voyage 94 Receipt Numbe 227665 signed by Jercy Abanes).
I cannot imagine how Superferry can defend its stand, through its Palawan Personnel, that the promo is only for personal baggage. With all the brilliant minds working fferry, has nobody ever thought of adding the word "personal" in the ticket? Unless, of course, this promo was meant to deceive. The way it deceived me.
