[Resolved]  Indigo Airlines — marked late and denied boarding when we were on time

Address:	560061
Website:	www.goindigo.in

We would like to bring to your notice the injustice and humiliation meted out by the staff of indigo airlines at kempegowda international airport on 31st august 2018.
We had a planned vacation to port blair and had booked a ticket from bangalore to port blair via chennai and the scheduled flight was at 06:25 am.
The ticket printing machine was not working and i was instructed to go directly to the baggage drop off counter.
We arrived on time and stood in the queue and upon reaching the baggage drop off, we were asked to wrap our tripod with a plastic wrap. Upon asking the reason, the indigo representative told that it is compulsory (Which was later informed to me that it was not required as i had already agreed upon the risk). Me and my daughter were standing at the counter and my husband went and got it wrapped up and returned. The time stamp on the wrapping receipt was 05:39 am.
The boarding closes 40 minutes prior at 05:45.
We had been standing the entire time and the lady attending us, ms nandini was busy on her cell phone. Upon reminding her, she asked me to wait and that she would attend.
I had provided the ticket and id proof details and as waiting for her to attend to me.
My husband returned and we waited for 5 minutes and upon demanding to know what happened, she rudely informs that we were late.
We told her that we had been standing for some time now and how can she tell that we were late.
Upon requesting to speak to a senior, she put us across to one ms veena, who told us she will resolve it and asked us to wait. Ms veena, worked on the system for 10 minutes and told us that the gates are closed and told that she will speak to her manager mr abhishek, who was couple of counters across from where we were. She called him multiple times and he did not come.
We finally walked upto him and upon explaining, he rudely informs that he has other customers and asked us to wait and he will put us on the flight.
Upon demanding a resolution, he told us he will do something and called a few people.
He also asked us to wait and went somewhere. He returned and informed that he can board us on the next spice jet flight to chennai so that we can catch the connecting flight, but we would have to pay extra. Upon refusing to pay extra, at exactly 06:25 (The flight take off time), he walks off informing that he cannot help us saying he is the most senior person at the airport.
Infuriated at the treatment, we demanded to speak to a senior and we were refused.
Then we sat at the counters and demanded to be addressed by a senior employee.
The baggage handlers, the counter representatives all were discussing to keep shuttling us between counters so that we get tired and go back home.
All this humiliation was done in front of my 9 year old daughter.
We sat on the baggage weighing machines and finally ms munmun walked up to us and promised to look into it.
She spoke to all of the concerned and promised to help us. Ms veena also acknowledged that we were on time.
Post that ms munmun checked and also agreed that they could have helped us board.
Also, there was another person in front o[censored]s who was 10 minutes late and was allowed to board a indigo calcutta flight.
I am sure all this is recorded on your systems and the inhouse cameras.
Ms munmun finally booked us on the next flight to chennai, however there were no connecting flights, so we had to stay in chennai for a day, we also had to extend our vacation by a day and that included one day cost of charges lost and one day extra cost for extension of the package.
Apart from this we had to leave our pets in a kennel for a day extra and also the camera equiment that we were carrying had to be extended by 2 days and rental costs adding to it, not to mention the trauma and humiliation.
Ms munmun also spoke to spice jet and got our return flight changed to the next day for the return journey.
I have written to the consumer department and have instructed my lawyer to file a complaint in the consumer court.
My complaint in the consumer department produced some calls by the customer service team from indigo, but they were indifferent and went by what was entered in your systems.
They informed us that, in the system it was mentioned at 05:49 that we were late and denied boarding.
The customer service called us half heartedly couple of times and have closed the case.
Please teach them some empathy and the fact that to listen to the customer and not just read out a script. They were not willing to listen to our side of the story and kept telling we were late and that they are right and were in a hurry to hang up the call and close the complaint.
I have reopened another complaint and keep doing till a resolution.
Please do not take this lightly as i will take indigo to court.
You might be a big organization, but the court will direct the viewing of the videos and you will know what is right and what is wrong.
You cannot hide the fact that you overbooked and gave away our seats in the process of making more money and cheating us.