Comments on: “..Heads down execution and a laser-like focus on our core business” – Hrush Bhatt, ClearTrip

By: Sunil

Sunil — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:26:10 +0000

Trolls really suck, don’t they, Hrush?

By: neha

neha — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:40:34 +0000

Hrush it seems some of the API policies of Indian railways have been framed keeping in mind providers like cleartrip & all….why does railways not allow comparision of rail fares with air fares..????…..”OTAs would not be allowed to advertise any Air/Land/ Hotel/Package/ tourism related
product, other than IRCTC Tourism products on any of the Rail E-ticketing pages. This
also applies on the e-ticket print out.
The partner OTAs would not be allowed to club rail tickets with any other products or
services which pose direct or indirect competition to IRCTC’s tourism products,
without permission of IRCTC.”….???? why such junk policies?

By: Deepika

Deepika — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:15:15 +0000

In case you want to make railway bookings and have forgotten the name of railway website,
you can make use of this link.http://www.railwaybooking.org

By: Dhruv Chopra

Dhruv Chopra — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:03:02 +0000

Cleartrip is not just about a pretty interface. If anyone has ever used some of the other so-called travel websites out there, you would realise that they might as well be selling soap! They have done no thinking whatsoever about a trip-planning process (whether its business or leisure), right from search through to selection and final purchase.

What Cleartrip is best at is ‘user experience’. The entire process from start to finish is simple, efficient and quick. Whether it is the search listing that makes it easy to compare and select or the pre-filled forms at the point of purchase – everything is designed to simplify what was just 5 years ago a fairly complex transaction.

And they’ve also ensured that they stay on top of their technology and sectoral developments. Being the first third-party site (and by miles!) to launch railway bookings is quite a coupe. They were out with the service even as announcements were still being made in major newspapers that the railways was allowing online agents to accept bookings.

Lastly – to the guys who feel Cleartrip is more expensive. Have you actually compared the fare difference. It is usually between 50 – 100 rupees. Hardly a ‘higher’ price to pay for time saved, convenience added and a ‘no-mistakes’ interface. Those who have ever woefully mixed up traveller name with credit card holder and realised only after their ticket is issued will know exactly what I mean!

If you would pay 50 bucks more to buy a DVD player from an up-market large format electronics store instead of going into the by-lanes of small markets and purchasing from counter-stores, why not pay a little bit extra for a site that genuinely adds value to your overall travel booking experience?

By: Hrush

Hrush — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:44:21 +0000

True. And I just don’t understand the benefit of posing as an impostor, wonder what that says about the ethics and values of the company…

By: Ashish

Ashish — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:16:34 +0000

That’s the key – I mean one doesn’t need to do all this. Bitching about competition doesn’t really help – not with us!

By: Hrush

Hrush — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:44:15 +0000

Nice. At Cleartrip, we’ve always stayed very far away from trolling via anonymous comments or pretending we’re not affiliated with Cleartrip when commenting.

By: Ashish

Ashish — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:30:28 +0000

IP – have been running this blog for 1.5 yrs (and blessed with lots of comments). Mostly companies/startups leave a comment when we write about them..and tend to troll when we write about their competition..
They just miss the fact that they replied earlier too ! and we have their details from those interactions.

By: Hrush

Hrush — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:02:24 +0000

Out of curiosity, how do you identify the abusers? How did you identify that the above poster is from ixigo?

By: Ashish

Ashish — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:39:19 +0000

Yes it does (sometimes) – and that’s why a cleansing act from me.
The downside of a anonymous-styled commenting system is the ways in which it can be exploited (or rather abused).

As pluGGd.in is a neutral platform (and will always be), I do keep a tab on the trolls and ensure that we keep it clean.

By: Hrush

Hrush — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:23:24 +0000

Don’t comment trolls just suck?

By: Ashish

Ashish — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:05:35 +0000

@FF:
Guess you forgot to add that you are from iXiGo.

-Ashish

By: Samir

Samir — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:58:40 +0000

I have visited http://www.comparesasta.com today after reading their article here and their UI is very neat and tidy.

The best thing is that we can compare the Itineraries, so we know for sure that we are buying the best option available.

Good Luck CompareSasta

By: Zishaan

Zishaan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:24:35 +0000

I think Cleartrip has set benchmarks for online experience (and not just ‘online travel’). A lot of Indian companies need to learn from Cleartrip on this front.

By: Anshul

Anshul — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:36:05 +0000

ClearTrip really sets the bar when it comes to usability. A consumer focused design is something terribly missing from Indian Web Space.

Keep it up!

By: FF

FF — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:29:25 +0000

Cleartrip’s interface is awesome. iXiGO’s rates are better though. These 2 guys are truly taking travel search a step higher.