Warning About Travelocity

[jezzdogg]

Early yesterday evening I booked 2 air tickets with travelocity, gave them my credit number and got as confirmation on the flights chosen

This afternoon when I returned home, got a message to call Travelocity, which I did.

First they told me that the plane tickets had gone up 170pp and if I wanted the flights requested I would have to pay the difference. What gives, I am a manager in a department store, if I sell a suit to a person and charge their account for the merchandise, I can not go back hours later and say "well I want more for that suit now"

Second when you call you are calling a foreign country and speaking to people who barely speak english

Now I have to find a flight to my cruise, I could have booked it on several sites last night for around the same price but chose to use this company because I thought they were reputible.

 

THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME I EVER USE THIS......COMPANY AGAIN AND IT IS A WARNING TO ALL OF US WHAT THEY CAN DO

[sdcruiser]

Jezzdog,

 

Show Travelocity your confirmation, which stated the price you paid. Was your CC charged the fare? There is no reason why they would ask you to pay more money after the fact for the same flights, unless of course, you didn't receive a confirmation from them via email or phone. If you were holding flights for purchase later on, then Travelocity would be correct in saying the flights are $170/pp higher.

 

However, you are definitely right in demanding they reinstate your flights as they confirmed them for the price you were charged.

 

Good Luck.

 

I've had good luck with Travelocity thus far. I really can't believe what you are describing. It's a disgrace.

 

SDCruiser

[tuggers]

SD Cruiser,

 

You say, 'I really can't beleive what you are describing'. I hope that is just poorly written and you are not actually calling the op a liar? That would be very bad form, IMO.

 

I'm sure jezzdog is being truthful. He has had many postings on these boards and I have never know him to not be truthful. If he says it happened, it happened!

[jezzdogg]

We have a confirmation number, but the flights we were on were a European carrier that does not e-ticket, so we paid an additional 19.95 for the paper tickets to be sent to us.

Apparently, travelocity in there fine print somewhere has 24 hours to change prices etc on any flights booked thru there website.

 

We have booked several airline tickets this year with cheaptickets, and have recived some amazing prices thru this company and once our credit card was processed, etc. Every flight and every price had been upheld with no monkey business

[sdcruiser]

My comment about 'I can't believe I here what he is describing' was not in reference to Jezzdog being a liar. I just can't believe that that Travelocity would stoop so low, in this case.

 

I've booked many a trip through their website without any problems. I didn't realize they had the right, as Jezzdog says, to change prices within 24 hours of booking.

 

I would think, with an email type confirmation from Travelocity, if the airfare paid is listed on the confirm, that Travelocity doesn't have the right to turn around and charge more.

 

SDcruiser

[pamkev]

We booked our tickets though travelocity and it took many tries to get the price we wanted it was always sold out and the fare wasn't being offered although it was still on there websites for days after. I kept going up the ladder till I got what I wanted. I don't know if I would use them again! Pam

[GoVolsTB]

I had basically the same problem with Travelocity that Jezzdogg had and I WILL NEVER USE THEM AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!

[Longboysfan]

I use Orbitz and Travelocity to track down air fares.

 

Then go onto the airlines site directly and look at the price and book through them.

I also look at the seats sold on the Orbitz and Travelocity against what the airlines shows.

This has always been different - with the booking airline - Continental in this case. Showing less seats sold.

 

Travelocity and Orbitz book group fares in the airline industry - generally only pre booking a few seats on each flight at $5 over the airlines price.

Then as those seats are sold and the airline rises prices they raise the price.

 

This is where you got caught. The airline raised the price of the ticket to travelocity as you booked. They - Travelocity - got caught with the computer update down. Put in pants to make a good laugh here.

So to re-coup that money Travelocity went to the party with the less bargining power - you - to get the differance. The person they can afford to loose. Again you. If someone knows contract law and computers - and from what I think - they should give you this answer. That you have a contract with Travelocity to supply plane tickets to that carrier(s) on the filght agreeded to. Trevelocity is getting the price mistake from you.

 

Good luck.

[chessbriar]

If you are looking for a good search engine to track down airfares, look at www.itasoftware.com. The are a computer company that has created the software for the airline search engines. They do not sell, but give you a great look at what the airlines are chargine. The box you need to click is in the upper right hand corner.

[bilgeboyPa]

HI Geez,

Is this for the April San Fran cruise? I hope you get it straightened out. What airline was it? I wouldn't fly them anymore either.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Jeff

[jezzdogg]

The airfare was our London to Copenhagen flight.

We booked our London to Coopenhagen part of the flight(thought we would spend 3 days there ), first so we would know what time we had to be in London to make the connections flight and especially the flight back to London for the transfers to Dover for our Baltic cruiser. Based on that we then booked our aa flight that would get us into Heathrow to make this flight.(used Cheaptickets for this an paid 100 dollarspp less than the airline wanted direct from their website and that is confirmed(I call aa myself to make sure)

We then went based on all this info and obtained rooms in Copenhagen thru Priceline for the nights we needed.

Problem is now the flight back does not exist, the Flight was on BMI ( or does for the $$$$ more) and BA who we could have booked( for around 50 dollars more) does not have a flight back early enough. So we e ither have to fly back Friday night and stay at the airport overnight and go back and book BA( we would also have a 41/2 hr lay-over the day we arrived vs the 1hr 45 minute layover and eat the hotel in copenhagen for the night.

Hoping against hope that what goes up....must come down and the flights will be available again...

[tbelian]

Isn't technology wonderful?

 

I don't recall the specifics of when I 'joined' Travelocity, but they, along with practically any 'internet site' , always have this long, wordy, legal-ese 'terms of service' agreement that they make you 'click here to agree to our terms'....

 

Sad but true.

 

 

I prefer working with brick and mortar TA's when making travel arrangements.

[Danno]

Boy...Every day I get a little bit happier that I have a great TA, a short drive from my office :D .

[REPO]

I just recently booked our cruise through Travelocity. I thought things went GREAT! I even phoned them to make sure it was all good. I talked to a very nice lady that was very helpful.

 

 

It sucks you got ripped off by them. You should have cancelled the flights through them and went with the cheaper ones you had already found. Even if they had already taken the funds off your credit card, it could still be credited back.

 

Keep phoning and complaining, sooner or later, you will get someone that might actually help you.

[ocngypz]

It's not Travelocity, it's British Midland which is the culprit.

 

Try RyanAir or EasyJet directly and see if you can't find something which will work. You may have to change airports though.

 

Good luck.

[bahamapapa]

Agree with Longboys, use Travelocty/orbitz/TA to check fares, but book directly through the air carrier's website. The fare always is cheaper by definition because you avoid the surcharge.

 

As for cruises, the opposite is true because agencies--online or land-based--have incentives to sweeten the deal. I have had great success with Travelocity, but always shop around. Right now, for instance, Travelocity is having a great special. I am looking at an 11-day Mercury Mexican Rivera cruise on 10/31/05 with a base fare of $950 for an Ocenanview and discounts equivalent to $125/pp (before my shareholder credit), making the net cost $825 (and $775 after SH credit). That is $70 a day.

 

BP

[Andym]

Norma,

 

Wow, sorry to hear that your having this trouble. I had a quick browse on flights. Try http://www.maersk-air.com, they fly FROM Copenhagen. I did a quick look around your date and it came out at $171 inc. taxes for 2 to Gatwick. I know that this isn't Heathrow, but you may then get a transfer. Also there is Easyjet.

 

Let me know if I can do any investigation work for you from here.

 

Lots of love

 

Andy and Bea.

[Cruise Cat]

The thing that makes me worry the most on this thread is the revelation about some fine print on the website about being able to change prices for up to 24 hours. (more like a reservation than a confirmation). I have never used travelocity, but have used Orbitz many times for flights. Now, I will be making sure I check all the fine print before I hit the button!

[TEXASMUNK]

the level of technology.....If an air carrier has a high levelof computer reservation system, when the booking is made, it actually takes the seat out of the air carrier's inventory...class of service, booking code, pricing. If the air carrier has not invested, then the booking is made, the message is transmitted and the carrier must match up the booking to actual inventory and pricing..thus the "kickback" can occur when a fare is not honored or a reservation is not confirmed.

 

Multiple options for complications. NOT necessarily the fault of Travelocity or any other online service.

 

Just a note, travelocity is owned by SABRE-HOLDINGS..the WORLD's largest and most successful airline/hotel/rental car/cruise/resort reservation computer system.

[Eh hop!]

I have used Travelocity for several years for air fare and never had a problem. This time I booked both my air fare (Paris to Ft. Lauderdale) and cruise (next Friday on the Century). Everything arrived in order and I got great prices (I always compare to airlines and other travel websites), especially considering it was fairly last minute (a couple of months ago).

[TEXASMUNK]

many smaller carriers have NOT purchased the software that enables "real-time" inventory availability...This problem would have happened on ANY internet air reservation booking source (I checked with the expert..my wife who does software development for the airline industry).

[newmexicoNita]

Like Jim's wife, my daughter does something similar and you can't always blame the internet company like Travelocity. I use myself (a TA) to book my cruises and land packages, but for air and hotels I do use travelocity or Orbitz and have never had a problem. nmnita