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No, all business class seats are not created equal

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Martha Mayakis booked business class seats on Norwegian Air Shuttle, through Travelocity. After she booked and paid, she researched the airline’s seats. She was disappointed when she discovered that Norwegian Air Shuttle business class seats are just slightly larger than its economy class seats.

As Mayakis tells the story:

I had a good experience with Travelocity in the past, so I booked a package deal with hotel and airfare from California to London, through Travelocity. I specifically opted for spending more money for business class accommodations because of the width of the seat and the comfort. I mentioned this repeatedly to the Travelocity representative at the time of booking. When I investigated the airline seating, after I had paid for the nonrefundable flight, I realized that the business class seats are just slightly larger than the economy class seats. I called, and I went to Norwegian Air Shuttle’s website, and learned that it doesn’t even offer business class seats. It offers 18-inch-wide “premium economy” seats, not 21-inch-wide business class seats. This is a big difference.

I called Travelocity and talked to agents up the chain. I was told that Travelocity wasn’t going to pay anything for me and my case was closed. I was even told that premium economy was better than business class. I asked for proof, and of course, there was none. The Travelocity agent said it fulfilled its agreement, and I could take it or leave it.

Wow. Travelocity sold a premium economy seat, but represented it as business class seat. Then it tried to convince you that the premium economy seat it had sold you was better than a business class seat.

Really?

Shame on Travelocity.

Norwegian Air Shuttle advertises itself as the “world’s best long-haul, low-cost airline.” The airline offers only two classes of seats: an economy cabin seat or a premium cabin seat. The seats in the premium cabin that Travelocity sold you differ from those in the economy cabin by 15 inches of legroom. The economy cabin seats have 31 inches of legroom, and the premium cabin seats have 46 inches. There are other amenities in the premium economy cabin, such as meals and drinks, but there doesn’t seem to be a difference in the width or recline of the seat.

There is a big difference between first, business, premium economy and economy airline seating. There are variations among airlines, and variations within an airline. A business or first class seat on one airline can differ from plane to plane. For example, a first class seat on American Airlines or Delta Airlines on a particular flight might be a fully reclining, lie-flat seat, or it may only partially recline. Seating will vary by destination and by the type of plane flown for the route.

You sent emails to Travelocity and spoke with its representatives, but it remained firm and would not refund your tickets. Our advocates contacted Travelocity on your behalf, but it refused to acknowledge that it sold you premium economy seats that it represented as business class. Travelocity’s rationale was that there is no standard definition of business class. It took the position that business class simply means “service and amenities between coach and first class.” That may be true, but Travelocity’s position assumes that there is a first class. If Norwegian Air Shuttle doesn’t offer first class, what “service and amenities between coach and first class” is Travelocity selling?

Travelocity also asserted that there is no standard seat width for a business class seat. And that a comparison of seats among various long-haul airlines shows some business class seats from 18 to 20 inches in width. The SeatGuru.com comparison chart Travelocity relied upon to justify its refusal to refund Mayakis is a helpful tool. But it is notable that Norwegian Air Shuttle isn’t listed on the business class comparison chart Travelocity cited, presumably because Norwegian Air Shuttle doesn’t represent its premium cabin seat as a business class seat. Travelocity ignored the fact that Norwegian Air Shuttle wouldn’t be included on a long-haul business class comparison chart, because it doesn’t sell a business class service.

Travelocity’s rationale is flawed, and its treatment of Mayakis is a cautionary tale for all travelers. The “good experience” Mayakis had with Travelocity in the past is, well, in the past. The only way to understand exactly what type of seat is being purchased is to research the actual flight and type of plane being flown on the route, on the individual airline’s website. The airline website should identify the width, degree of incline and legroom of the various seats on the actual plane that is expected to be flown. In addition, using the SeatGuru.com comparison chart and reading the passenger reviews of various seats before booking is helpful. Do your homework before you book, and don’t rely on an online agency, which is Travelocity in Mayakis’ case, to do the research for you.

We were unable to help Mayakis obtain a refund and have no choice but to dismiss her case.

The post No, all business class seats are not created equal appeared first on Elliott.


Bumped from my flight to Palm Beach — why won’t American pay up?

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After Samantha Gomez is denied boarding on a flight from Philadelphia to Palm Beach, Florida, she asks her airline for compensation. Why won’t it pay?

Question: I recently booked a one-way ticket on American Airlines from Philadelphia to Palm Beach, Florida, through Travelocity.com. The flight was oversold, so the airline put me on standby for another overbooked flight on the same day and arriving in Orlando, Florida — more than two hours away from my desired destination.

I did not get a seat on that flight either, and could not travel. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Passenger Bill of Rights, I am legally entitled to 400 percent of my original ticket price because the flight that American tried and failed to get me a seat on was over two hours past my original arrival time.

My original ticket price was $177. In addition, I paid $19 for flight protection, so the airline should be refunding my ticket regardless. I was packed and ready to go, I couldn’t make my trip, and I lost hundreds of dollars in prepaid expenses because of American’s mistake, and now it is refusing to reimburse me for anything.

I sent multiple emails and kept being denied reimbursement. American is breaking the law by denying me a refund. I want the legally required amount due to me: 400 percent of $177. I also would like the $19 in flight protection refunded, since that apparently means nothing to the airline. — Samantha Gomez, Coatesville, Penn.

Answer: Overbooking, or selling more tickets than seats, should be illegal. But in the upside-down world of the airline industry, it’s a common and accepted practice. The only things stopping an airline from overselling more seats are Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations that require an airline to fork over a refund, and then some, if it can’t get you to your destination.

Your rights are outlined in the DOT’s brochure — FlyRights — which you can find online.

American Airlines should have offered you a written statement describing your rights and explaining how it decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn’t. You were entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. Based on your correspondence, it appears that you received none of those things, which is a clear violation of DOT regulations.

You could have sent one last appeal to American Airlines (I list the executive contacts on my site). You also could have filed a complaint with the DOT online.

I contacted American and your online travel agency, Travelocity, and got to the bottom of the mystery. Travelocity’s records suggest that you missed your flight, not that you were involuntarily denied boarding. But your online agency contacted the airline to see what its records say, and after some back-and-forth, American agreed with your conclusion that you’d been denied boarding. American paid you three times the value of your ticket, in accordance with DOT regulations.

I fainted at the airport, and then I lost my vacation

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When Beth Langston faints at the airport and is taken to the hospital, her nonrefundable trip to London is the first casualty. Is her refund DOA?

Question: I need your help with getting a refund from Travelocity. Last year, I booked a package online, flying from Washington, D.C., to London and staying at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London.

I passed out in the airport and was taken to the ER by ambulance. The airline kept calling from the gate while I was in the back of the ambulance and asked where I was, since they were waiting on me to board.

I didn’t have travel insurance, but it wouldn’t have mattered. I read Travelocity’s travel insurance policy, and if I understand it correctly, it would’ve covered me only had I requested a change in my flight 24 hours prior to departure. I “decided” not to make my flight from a gurney with paramedics roughly an hour before my flight was to leave, so I’m not sure if that would’ve mattered.

I’ve asked Travelocity for a refund for the hotel and airfare. Virgin Atlantic won’t give me a ticket credit because I was a “no show” for the flight, and the hotel portion of my trip was completely nonrefundable. Is there anything else I can do? — Beth Langston, Alexandria, Va.

Answer: I’m so sorry to hear about your health problems. I’m glad you’ve recovered from your ER visit and are back to worrying about the less important things, like the fate of your canceled vacation.

Travelocity, Virgin Atlantic and the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London should have been sensitive to your situation, and based on the correspondence you showed me, they kind of were. Travelocity tried to advocate your case with the two companies; the companies responded with sympathy for your situation. Unfortunately, your airline and hotel also responded with hard “noes” — apparently without bothering to fully review your case.

Rules are rules, except when they’re not. While it’s true that your vacation was nonrefundable, travel companies are known to make exceptions when a customer can’t make it for reasons beyond his or her control. A sudden hospitalization definitely falls into that category.

By the way, there’s a reason your package wasn’t refundable: If you don’t show up, your airline or hotel can’t easily resell your seat or room. Refunding you would result in a loss of revenue. When you booked your trip, you agreed to these rules.

But this situation was extraordinary. You literally passed out at the airport and couldn’t board the flight; Virgin Atlantic called you in the ambulance, and you told them you were en route to the hospital.

You could have sent a round of appeals to all of the companies. I list the names, numbers and addresses of the Travelocity executives (the company is owned by Expedia) on my consumer advocacy website.

Virgin Atlantic’s executives can be found on the website as well.

And the contacts for Park Plaza (owned by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group) are listed there too.

I asked Travelocity to request that both of these companies review their decision one more time. Virgin Atlantic agreed to a full refund for your ticket.

Initially, Park Plaza refused to offer a refund or credit, noting that your rate was “highly restricted.” After a version of this story appeared in syndication, you circled back with the hotel. It turns out there was another reason for the hotel’s refusal: The property hadn’t been paid by Travelocity.

Travelocity refunded you an additional $2,400.

Why is Travelocity doubling the rate for my hotel room?

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When Joseph Pollard checks in at the Grange Blooms Hotel, he is charged nearly double the rate for the room he reserved through Travelocity. Neither the hotel nor Travelocity will honor the original rate or negotiate with him. Can our advocates stop the runaround?

Question: I booked a one-week stay at the Grange Blooms Hotel in London last year through Travelocity. At that time, I was quoted a total fare of 580 pounds ($768) for the room.

When I checked into the hotel, I was asked to sign an agreement in which I was charged 1,084 pounds — almost twice as much as the rate Travelocity had confirmed for me. I have traveled to London every year during the last decade and have never been charged this much for seven days’ accommodation.

I refused to sign the agreement, and the hotel employee told me that she would contact Travelocity and clarify the correct rate.

But when I checked out, I was told that I had to pay the higher fee, which was not negotiable, and to “take it up with Travelocity.”

After I returned home, I emailed Travelocity, but its agent replied that the reservation is a “hotel collect” booking, “wherein the hotel is the one who charged me for my booking.”
This does not make sense to me. Can you help me get the rate adjusted to the fare I was quoted by Travelocity? — Joseph Pollard, Lake Worth, Fla.

Answer: Yikes! That is a huge rate difference. I agree with you that the hotel staff should not have ambushed you with a much higher rate when you checked in, and that Travelocity (a brand of Expedia) should have stood behind the rate it charged and confirmed for you.

Travelocity’s terms of use has a section dedicated to Prepaid Hotel Reservations, which indicates that

You acknowledge that the Travelscape Companies pre-negotiate certain room rates with hotel suppliers to facilitate the booking of reservations. You also acknowledge that the Travelscape Companies provide you services to facilitate such booking of reservations for a consideration (the “facilitation fee”). The room rate displayed on the Website is a combination of the pre-negotiated room rate for rooms reserved on your behalf by the Travelscape Companies and the facilitation fee retained by the Travelscape Companies for their services. You authorize the Travelscape Companies to book reservations for the total reservation price, which includes the room rate displayed on the Website, plus tax recovery charges, service fees, and where applicable, taxes on the Travelscape Companies’ services. You agree that your credit card will be charged by the Travelscape Companies for the total reservation price. Upon submitting your reservation request you authorize the Travelscape Companies, including Travelscape, LLC, to facilitate hotel reservations on your behalf, including making payment arrangements with hotel suppliers.

So the hotel and Travelocity should have been in agreement that the room rate you paid should have constituted the entire fare for the room, with no additional charges added by the hotel.

Why Travelocity failed to do so isn’t clear. Even with a “hotel collect” designation, everyone should have been on the same page as to what rate was disclosed and charged to you instead of pointing fingers at each other.

When Travelocity’s agent didn’t give you a satisfactory answer to your request, you might have escalated your complaint using our executive contacts. Instead, you turned to our advocates for help.

We reached out to Travelocity on your behalf, and Travelocity agreed that the higher rate you were charged was an error. It has agreed to issue you a refund of 504 pounds.

The post Why is Travelocity doubling the rate for my hotel room? appeared first on Elliott.

I couldn’t print my Disney tickets. Can you get my $3,200 back?

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While planning a trip to Disney World, Kathie O’Neill sees a great offer on Travelocity for Park Hopper tickets. She buys them, but immediately changes her mind and wants a refund. Can she get one?

Question: I’m hoping you might be able to help me resolve a dispute with Travelocity. I purchased 4-Day Disney Park Hopper tickets for seven people through Travelocity. The cost was $3,280.

Later that day, I asked Travelocity if the tickets could be canceled. I was told that they were non-refundable. The next day, I couldn’t get the link to work to download the tickets. I emailed customer service and I got an automated response that they would respond within 48 hours.

I called Travelocity and I was told that they had been having trouble sending a working link and that I would be refunded the full price.

When the refund never came, I enlisted the help of my bank to resolve it. They couldn’t help. Can you get my $3,300 back? Kathie O’Neill, Moseley, Va.

Answer: As I read through your complaint, several problems stood out to me, and I was not at all confident that this was a case that would end with your money being returned.

The most serious problem? You had already lost a chargeback with your credit card company.

We rarely see cases end positively for a consumer when a chargeback has already failed.

Why?

A chargeback case is the bank’s investigation into the validity of your complaint. It takes into consideration your statement, the company’s and any supporting documents.

At the conclusion of the investigation, your credit card company gives its official decision. If the company involved “wins” the chargeback, it follows that it would have no motivation to reopen your complaint for a consumer advocate.

When I looked further into your paper trail, it was easy to see why you lost your chargeback case. You had no written proof to support your claim that you were unable to print out these tickets or that Travelocity had offered you a refund.

And strangely, your husband did not mention an inability to download the tickets on his chargeback complaint.

In its final word on your case, your bank confirmed that you would be recharged for these (now worthless) tickets.

You told me that you and your family had traveled to Disney World but had purchased new tickets directly through Disney.

Your case had me a bit puzzled, and I felt that some part of the story was missing. I decided to go to Travelocity to see if they could help fill in some of the blanks.

Our contact at Travelocity explained that you did purchase these tickets, and then on the same day, asked if you could cancel. You were told that it was not possible — these tickets are clearly identified as non-refundable and non-exchangeable. And they are only valid on the specific dates that you entered during the transaction.

As an aside, there doesn’t appear to be any real benefit to use Travelocity (or any other third party site) to purchase Disney tickets. In most cases, the tickets aren’t cheaper (or are only minimally cheaper) than the tickets that can be purchased directly through Disney; they also include a $10 per ticket service fee and are only valid on the specific dates that you select.

But I digress.

On your timeline of events, the day after your purchase, you say that Travelocity offered you a refund because you were unable to print your tickets. On Travelocity’s timeline, there is no such interaction, and the next time that the company heard from you was during the chargeback investigation — which was initiated four weeks after the tickets had already expired.

It looked like your story was quickly heading toward the case dismissed file.

I asked our Travelocity contact if he was sure that there was never any complaint from you about the non-working link for these tickets. He told me that he would go back to his team and take one more look.

And then a surprising thing happened. An executive Travelocity team member contacted the Disney company and asked if an exception could be made and your tickets refunded — since you did go to Disney and bought other tickets through Disney for the same week.

The answer was yes — Disney was willing to make an exception this time.

And just as you were about to celebrate, a new wrench was thrown into your problem.

Because your husband had initiated a chargeback and then appealed, the money was not in Travelocity’s possession. Your bank had not yet returned it to the company. Once the money is returned to Travelocity, your refund will be processed.

You are ecstatic about this resolution, and I am happy to have been able to help. But it is important to point out that neither Travelocity nor Disney was under any obligation to refund these tickets. You got very lucky.

As consumers, it is critical to read all the fine (and large) print associated with your online purchases and make sure you agree to all of it before you complete the transaction.

And if there is a problem after payment, you must make sure that you document all the steps that are taken to attempt to resolve the problem — written correspondence with the company is a necessity. This is especially true when you are dealing with high-value items.

As your (lost) chargeback case proved, when you have no written documentation on your side, your money could easily be lost forever. And losing $3,300 while planning a trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth” is no fun at all.

The post I couldn’t print my Disney tickets. Can you get my $3,200 back? appeared first on Elliott.

I canceled my reservation for a full refund — so why did Sleep-Inn charge me $400?

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When Robert Williams cancels his reservation at a Sleep Inn through Travelocity, he receives a verification — but no money. What gives?

Question: I have been charged the full two-day deposit for a room at Sleep Inn & Suites Green Bay Airport that I canceled through Travelocity and for which I received a cancellation confirmation.

The email from Travelocity explicitly stated, “You have cancelled with full refund of deposit by hotel.” However, it appears that Travelocity never informed Sleep Inn of the cancellation.

Travelocity has summarily dismissed my refund request with the erroneous statement, “We have advocated your case with Sleep Inn & Suites Green Bay Airport and due to their policy in relation to your reason for refunding the first night penalty charged to your cancelled reservation; they have denied your request since the room type you booked is prepaid and is non-refundable.”

The booking was advertised as cancellable “any time” prior to one day before our arrival. I canceled five days before our arrival and have the cancellation confirmation email as proof.

Travelocity customer service has not responded to my two requests for additional review, nor has there been any response to a polite email I sent to Scott Weismiller at Expedia requesting the same

I would like the full $404 deposit refunded to my credit card. Can you help? — Robert Williams, Fairview Park, Ohio

Answer: Travelocity should have coughed up that refund, no matter what Sleep Inn told it. After all, you made your reservation through Travelocity, an online travel agency. It represented the terms to you at the time of your booking and you abided by those terms. Now Travelocity needs to do the same thing.

This is about as open-and-shut of a case as I’ve ever seen. And the funny thing is, you gave Travelocity’s executives every chance to respond. They appeared to ignore you.

I reviewed your paper trail — the correspondence between you and Travelocity — and I have to say, I was impressed! You tried to keep everything in writing. Travelocity responded with form letters, which suggested they weren’t even reading what you sent them.

That’s a shame, and you probably know what I’m going to say next, don’t you? A human travel agent is unlikely to treat you the same way. Even if a travel advisor gave you the wrong information, that person would have errors and omissions insurance that would quickly cover your losses.

But no question about it — you deserve every penny of that $404. Now.

My advocacy team jumped in to help you. Advocate Dwayne Coward contacted Travelocity on your behalf and it quickly refunded your money to you. Turns out there was a “glitch” with the system that led to this mess — a problem that, we’re assured, has been fixed.

The post I canceled my reservation for a full refund — so why did Sleep-Inn charge me $400? appeared first on Elliott.

Why won’t travel insurance cover my flight cancellation?

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Michele Kemp and her family cancel a flight after her sister falls ill. Good thing she bought travel insurance, right? Wrong. But how can she get her money back?

Question: I was supposed to fly from Sacramento, Calif., to Seattle with my sister and mother for a family wedding recently. Before our trip, my sister had to be rushed to the emergency room with an unexpected heart condition. This prevented us from traveling.

I had purchased travel insurance when I made this booking through Travelocity. Little good that did. Travelocity canceled our flights and sent me directions on how to apply for a refund from Delta Air Lines. Delta has a clause for illness-related cancellations, but they decided that they could not give us a refund but could send us a voucher that we could apply towards a future purchase.

Is there anything else we can do to receive a refund? We charged all three flights on my sister’s credit card. She can’t afford to reimburse me or my mother now. My sister does not wish to fly anywhere now, since she’s scheduled for another heart-related procedure and still under cardiac care. Can you help? — Michele Kemp, Sacramento, Calif.

Answer: The travel insurance you bought through Travelocity should have fully covered your cancellation. The policy you purchased provides a full refund for a medical cancellation. Instead of fulfilling its obligation, Travelocity bounced you to Delta, which only agreed to waive your cancellation fees — not the answer you were hoping for.

When a company doesn’t meet its obligations and bounces you to a third party, you can usually put an end to it by starting a paper trail and escalating it to an executive, if necessary. By “paper trail” I mean keeping everything in writing — no phone calls.

It looks as if you spent many frustrating hours on the phone with Travelocity and Delta, trying to get an immediate resolution. But insurance claims can take time, and they must be meticulously documented.

I list the names, numbers and email addresses of all the bigwigs at Travelocity (owned by Expedia) and Delta on my consumer advocacy site. You could have appealed to one of them and asked for help.

I contacted Travelocity on your behalf. It turns out you were covered, but you hadn’t been given the correct instructions for filing a claim. After you received the information, you filed a claim, and six weeks later, you received an $811 refund, which covers all three tickets. I wish your sister a speedy recovery.

The post Why won’t travel insurance cover my flight cancellation? appeared first on Elliott.

“Duplicate” reservation leaves her with a $75 cancellation fee

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It takes Joanna Pierce hours to fix a duplicate reservation with Travelocity, but she’s still left with a $75 fee. Who should have to pay it?

Question: Earlier this year, I booked a roundtrip flight on American Airlines from Minneapolis to Shannon, Ireland, for May on Travelocity.com.

The next day, Travelocity sent me a message that American Airlines had increased the price. I accepted the increase, wanting to keep the schedule I had.

All was well until I received my credit card bill, on which I discovered that Travelocity had charged me for both the original reservation, which they had modified the next day, as well as the final one.

I spent the better part of a working day on the phone with Travelocity’s customer service department, talking to several people, including a supervisor. I was put on hold for lengthy periods. Finally, the supervisor informed me that they would refund the amount of the first reservation minus $75, which the airline required for a “cancelled” trip. I called American and was informed that the error was with Travelocity. I want my $75 back. Can you help?
Joanna Pierce, Aitkin, Minn.

Answer: Once you book your airline ticket, the price shouldn’t go up or down. A deal’s a deal, as they say.

Something appears to have gone terribly wrong between you, your online travel agency, and the airline. It is a great mystery. If you scroll down to the end of this story, you’ll see that even Travelocity agrees. No one knows what happened.

But here’s one thing we can all agree on: You didn’t make two reservations and shouldn’t have to eat the $75 cancellation fee.

It’s not clear what the cancellation fee is for or who charged it. Does it cost an airline $75 to cancel a ticket? Did the airline or travel agent somehow incur $75 in expenses by refunding one of your erroneously booked tickets? I don’t think so. It’s a junk fee. Travel companies charges these fees because they can and because you have no choice but to pay. American insists it wouldn’t have charged you the fee, yet you had a bill.

You could have appealed this to a Travelocity executive (Travelocity is owned by Expedia, and I list the contacts on my advocacy site. You can also contact one of American’s executives.

Travelocity was wrong to make you spend hours resolving this double-booking. Common sense should tell them that this was a mistake. Neither American or Travelocity did anything to deserve the money. They did no work and provided no service. The fee is morally wrong.

My advocacy team contacted Travelocity on your behalf. The company acknowledged that this was a duplicate booking “that sort of confused things a bit.”

“While we don’t know for sure the root cause yet, we are going to refund the customer her $75,” a representative said.

The post “Duplicate” reservation leaves her with a $75 cancellation fee appeared first on Elliott.


I couldn’t print my Disney tickets. Can you get my $3,300 back?

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While planning a trip to Disney World, Kathie O’Neill sees a great offer on Travelocity for Park Hopper Disney tickets. She buys them, but immediately changes her mind and wants a refund. Can she get one?

Question:

I’m hoping you might be able to help me resolve a dispute with Travelocity. I purchased 4-Day Disney Park Hopper tickets for seven people through Travelocity. The cost was $3,280.

Later that day, I asked Travelocity if the tickets could be canceled. I was told that they were non-refundable. The next day, I couldn’t get the link to work to download the tickets. I emailed customer service and I got an automated response that they would respond within 48 hours.

I called Travelocity and I was told that they had been having trouble sending a working link and that I would be refunded the full price.

When the refund never came, I enlisted the help of my bank to resolve it. They couldn’t help. Can you get my $3,300 back? Kathie O’Neill, Moseley, Va.

Answer:

As I read through your complaint, several problems stood out to me, and I was not at all confident that this was a case that would end with your money being returned.

The most serious problem? You had already lost a chargeback with your credit card company.

A Chargeback failure

We rarely see cases end positively for a consumer when a chargeback has already failed.

Why?

A chargeback case is the bank’s investigation into the validity of your complaint. It takes into consideration your statement, the company’s and any supporting documents.

At the conclusion of the investigation, your credit card company gives its official decision. If the company involved “wins” the chargeback, it follows that it would have no motivation to reopen your complaint for a consumer advocate.

When I looked further into your paper trail, it was easy to see why you lost your chargeback case. You had no written proof to support your claim that you were unable to print out these tickets or that Travelocity had offered you a refund.

And strangely, your husband did not mention an inability to download the Disney tickets on his chargeback complaint.

In its final word on your case, your bank confirmed that you would be recharged for these (now worthless) tickets.

You told me that you and your family had traveled to Disney World but had purchased new tickets directly through Disney.

What happened with these Disney tickets?

Your case had me a bit puzzled, and I felt that some part of the story was missing. I decided to go to Travelocity to see if they could help fill in some of the blanks.

Our contact at Travelocity explained that you did purchase these tickets, and then on the same day, asked if you could cancel. You were told that it was not possible — these tickets are clearly identified as non-refundable and non-exchangeable. And they are only valid on the specific dates that you entered during the transaction.

As an aside, there doesn’t appear to be any real benefit to use Travelocity (or any other third party site) to purchase Disney tickets. In most cases, the tickets aren’t cheaper (or are only minimally cheaper) than the tickets that can be purchased directly through Disney; they also include a $10 per ticket service fee and are only valid on the specific dates that you select.

But I digress.

A refund for these Disney tickets?

On your timeline of events, the day after your purchase, you say that Travelocity offered you a refund because you were unable to print your Disney tickets. On Travelocity’s timeline, there is no such interaction, and the next time that the company heard from you was during the chargeback investigation — which was initiated four weeks after the tickets had already expired.

It looked like your story was quickly heading toward the case dismissed file.

I asked our Travelocity contact if he was sure that there was never any complaint from you about the non-working link for these tickets. He told me that he would go back to his team and take one more look.

And then a surprising thing happened. An executive Travelocity team member contacted the Disney company and asked if an exception could be made and your tickets refunded — since you did go to Disney and bought other tickets through Disney for the same week.

The (mostly) good news

The answer was yes — Disney was willing to make an exception this time.

And just as you were about to celebrate, a new wrench was thrown into your problem.

Because your husband had initiated a chargeback and then appealed, the money was not in Travelocity’s possession. Your bank had not yet returned it to the company. Once the bank returned the money to Travelocity, it processed your refund.

You are ecstatic about this resolution, and I am happy to have been able to help. But it is important to point out that neither Travelocity nor Disney was under any obligation to refund these Disney tickets. You got very lucky.

Remember to read the fine print!

As consumers, it is critical to read all the fine (and large) print associated with your online purchases and make sure you agree to all of it before you complete the transaction.

And if there is a problem after payment, you must make sure that you document all the steps that are taken to attempt to resolve the problem — written correspondence with the company is a necessity. This is especially true when you are dealing with high-value items.

As your (lost) chargeback case proved, when you have no written documentation on your side, your money could easily be lost forever. And losing $3,300 while planning a trip to “The Most Magical Place on Earth” is no fun at all.

The post I couldn’t print my Disney tickets. Can you get my $3,300 back? appeared first on Elliott.

A hurricane ruined his St. Thomas honeymoon. Now American Airlines is keeping his money

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When a hurricane ruins Evan Hasara’s honeymoon, he’s stuck with a $200 American Airlines cancellation fee. Can he get a refund from Travelocity or American Airlines? Does he even deserve one?

Question

I had to cancel my honeymoon trip to Sugar Bay Resort and Spa in St. Thomas a few days before my departure in October because of Hurricane Irma.

I had booked the package through Travelocity. It included roundtrip airfare and hotel. But the hurricane damaged the resort and it won’t be open until sometime in 2018. I received my full refund for the hotel, but I was hit with a $200 American Airlines cancellation fee.

The tickets are supposed to be refundable. I’ve been trying to get a refund on the cancellation fee, but Travelocity says there’s nothing it can do and American refuses. Can you help me get my $400 back? — Evan Hasara, Milwaukee, Wis.

Answer

Congratulations on getting hitched. I’m sorry about the timing. Last year’s hyperactive hurricane season ruined so many vacations, including yours, unfortunately. Travelocity should have helped you secure a full refund for your honeymoon. And if it couldn’t, then American Airlines should have stepped up and done the right thing. I mean, come on. It’s your honeymoon!

But let’s talk about that for a second. You booked your special vacation through an online travel agency. That’s fine if you’re taking a quick getaway, but doesn’t your honeymoon deserve the white-glove treatment that only a personal travel advisor can deliver? You can find a list of qualified agents on the American Society of Travel Agents site.

A $200 American Airlines cancellation fee even after a hurricane? 

Still, Travelocity should have taken care of you. “For every step of the journey,” the site promises, “we’re here.” Specifically, Travelocity assures you that in the event of a weather threat or mass disruption, “We’ll work with our travel partners to make any necessary itinerary changes at the most reasonable cost to you.” And a $200 American Airlines cancellation fee is definitely not reasonable under the circumstances.

I reviewed your paperwork, and it appears you were flying on a special ticket that could be changed, if necessary. My Travelocity contact read the fare rules differently, leaving little hope for you to get a refund.

A brief, polite appeal to one of the customer service executives might have helped. I list the names, numbers and email addresses for both Travelocity (owned by Expedia) and American Airlines on my consumer advocacy site.

I contacted American Airlines on your behalf, and it refunded your cancellation fees.

The post A hurricane ruined his St. Thomas honeymoon. Now American Airlines is keeping his money appeared first on Elliott.

The online-travel soap opera – and what it means to you

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Let’s just call Expedia’s $280 million acquisition of Travelocity, and the reportedly imminent sale of Orbitz, what it is: the latest chapter in an online-travel soap opera. If you’re an industry insider, this is juicy. But for the average traveler, it’s hard to figure out whether it means anything at all. So what if Expedia […]

The post The online-travel soap opera – and what it means to you appeared first on Elliott Advocacy.

“Most horrible service and support from Travelocity”

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How do you even respond to someone like Harley Feldman? There are no words. “Never do business with Travelocity,” he writes in our help forums today. You can read the entire painful thread here. The reason he’s telling everyone to avoid the online agency? His daughter’s boyfriend had purchased a ticket to China as part […]

The post “Most horrible service and support from Travelocity” appeared first on Elliott Advocacy.

Thanks to Travelocity, I’ll never make Silver Elite

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Chris Joseph’s flight doesn’t get booked the right way on Travelocity. Can his ticket be fixed? Question: I’m hoping that you can help me solve my travel nightmare with Travelocity. As a seasoned traveler, I’m frankly embarrassed to have found myself in this predicament. My husband and I were traveling to South Padre Island, Texas, […]

The post Thanks to Travelocity, I’ll never make Silver Elite appeared first on Elliott Advocacy.

Travelocity charged me twice — can I get a refund?

After her husband dies, how long should a refund take?


“Duplicate” reservation leaves her with a $75 cancellation fee

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It takes Joanna Pierce hours to fix a duplicate reservation with Travelocity, but she’s still left with a $75 fee. Who should have to pay it? Question: Earlier this year, I booked a roundtrip flight on American Airlines from Minneapolis to Shannon, Ireland, for May on Travelocity.com. The next day, Travelocity sent me a message […]

The post “Duplicate” reservation leaves her with a $75 cancellation fee appeared first on Elliott Advocacy.

Who’s responsible for this codeshare confusion?

A Travelocity typo triggers ethics crisis

The 6 best online travel agencies of 2013

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In this year’s best online travel agency category, it was yet another close vote. Travelocity and Kayak were tied until almost the last minute. But then Travelocity pulled ahead with just seconds left in the voting — almost a photo finish. Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline round out the list, followed by Hotwire. I didn’t distinguish […]

The post The 6 best online travel agencies of 2013 appeared first on Elliott Advocacy.

Will the Travelocity-Expedia deal be good for travelers?

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Depending on whom you talk to, Travelocity’s unexpected announcement last month that it has reached a strategic marketing agreement with longtime rival Expedia will either create a dominant new Internet travel agency, give consumers access to more hotel choices or raise prices.

The post Will the Travelocity-Expedia deal be good for travelers? appeared first on Elliott Advocacy.

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