I had made a booking for three return tickets to Hanoi on July 5. On June 17, news surfaced that there was a breakout of bird flu and a person in Hanoi died from it,

Because my company may impose a ban on travel to Hanoi, I had to either cancel the trip or re-arrange to go to another country.

I tried asking for a refund. After a long talk through its hotline, the staff insisted that they cannot give me a refund.

So I asked for either a transfer of ticket to another person or change the ticket to an open date because my friends and I have no alternative plans within such a short period of time.

The customer service staff told me over the phone that they do not have the authority to make the changes, and advised me to write and fax in to the customer service department. So I did accordingly seeking for solutions and suggestions.

I called in again after I had faxed my letter. I asked the employee over the phone if someone from the customer service department could call me after they had received my letter. She told me they would respond within 21 days and by letter.

I was shocked. My flight would have taken off by then. I asked her what if the letter came after the flight had taken off. She told me that in such a case, my ticket would be forfeited.

I asked her if she could check whether the customer service department had received my fax and to expedite my request. She said she could not.

So I asked her for the number to call the customer service department so I could do it myself. Her reply: the department does not have a phone number and there is no e-mail address, only a fax number.

I think this should not be the way for a customer service department to function. Even though my requests might not be valid, there should at least be a number for me to call in to check rather then wait for a reply, knowing full well that my ticket might be forfeited.

Till now, I have not received any form of reply.

Desmond Lee Kiat Wei