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bmi baby - rip off!!!

booked 4 tickets with bmi travelling from east midlands to Nice for the 22nd May. Had quite a good deal with them - just over £100 each. Unfortuntley our eldest daughter has other commitments and could not travel with us. We knew someone who wanted to take her place, so I phoned BMI to do a name change. They wanted another £274 from me - just to change the name!
They explained how we had to pay the difference in the current ticket price - although there were no more seats available on that flight.
We had to pay due to other reasons - but what a rip off!
But they have done a complete new booking ie: new booking reference for the other person, to me they have re-sold the seat, not changed the name.
I would like to complain to BMI - any one out there who has had the same problem and complained.

would be grateful of any feed back.

cheers.
«1

Comments

  • dmg24
    dmg24 Posts: 33,920 Forumite
    10,000 Posts
    This is all detailed in their terms and conditions, and it is quite standard for a low cost airline ticket to be astronomically high so close to travel (even if the plane was near empty!). Had you changed it a week ago it could have been a lot cheaper.

    You will get nowhere with a complaint.
    Gone ... or have I?
  • C_Ronaldo
    C_Ronaldo Posts: 4,732 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Its not a rip off, its to stop people buy the tickets and then selling them on again so its understandable,
    No Links in Signature by site rules - MSE Forum Team 2
  • GlennTheBaker
    GlennTheBaker Posts: 2,974 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Complain all you want but it is in the Terms and Conditions that you read and agreed to before booking and paying for your flights so you will get absolutely nowhere. As C_Ronaldo says, if they did not have these charges, people would bulk-purchase loads of seats whenever there was a really sweet deal on and then sell them on at a profit.
    This space has been intentionally left blank
  • blue_haddock
    blue_haddock Posts: 12,110 Forumite
    Everytime i see a thread with a budget airline and rip-off in the title i think "here we go again!"

    As others have said you agreed to the T&C's when you booked and whilst its unfortunate that your plans have changed you cannot blame the carrier for how they operate. If you want a fully flexible ticket please feel free to book with a full price carrier like BA.
  • alanrowell
    alanrowell Posts: 5,389 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Everytime i see a thread with a budget airline and rip-off in the title i think "here we go again!"
    It seems to be a rule here that when someone says "rip off" then it's certain not to be
  • cheers for all the positive feed back!
    yes i know it was in the small print, i was just making a point.
    yes i will still complain regarding this issue.
    No - won't be travelling with BMI baby again (not as though they will miss us)

    Maybe this will happen to you one day, then you will know how frustrating and confused it all seems.

    Never mind - the small matters in life don't matter.

    Will still have a brilliant time in Monaco.

    Thanx
  • M4RKM
    M4RKM Posts: 5,132 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    so basically, your complaint is going to say

    hi, i don't like your terms and conditions, i'm never going to fly with you again anyway, but i just think you should have changed the name for nothing, thus breaking your terms and conditions, just because i am me..

    well, if that is the case, they might as well just sell all the plane tickets to one ticket tout, who will put them on ebay at inflated prices, and then you'll be complaining that all the fares are sold out and the only place you can get your ticket from is ebay, at 3 times the original cost..

    makes no sense to complain, you're wasting your time!
  • dannyrado
    dannyrado Posts: 71 Forumite
    I'd swim abroad next time then....

    They are all the same. It's just life. Sorry. :rolleyes:
  • cheers for all the positive feed back!
    yes i know it was in the small print, i was just making a point.
    yes i will still complain regarding this issue.
    No - won't be travelling with BMI baby again (not as though they will miss us)

    Maybe this will happen to you one day, then you will know how frustrating and confused it all seems.

    Never mind - the small matters in life don't matter.

    Will still have a brilliant time in Monaco.

    Thanx

    you've joined the club of people these days who only listen to what they want to hear!
    to put it simply
    1. the blame lies completely with your daughter who now has other commitments...this is the reason you have had to change the tickets.
    2. as others have explained it is done to stop block booking of seats by travel companies or the ebay touts
    3. i have sympathy with people who have booked tickets and mistakenly used the name jimmy instead of james and have to pay a disproportionate charge to amend the name....however you don't fit into this category.

    bluntly you are wasting a stamp sending anything to bmi in this instance
  • dmg24
    dmg24 Posts: 33,920 Forumite
    10,000 Posts
    cheers for all the positive feed back!
    yes i know it was in the small print, i was just making a point.
    yes i will still complain regarding this issue.
    No - won't be travelling with BMI baby again (not as though they will miss us)

    Maybe this will happen to you one day, then you will know how frustrating and confused it all seems.

    Never mind - the small matters in life don't matter.

    Will still have a brilliant time in Monaco.

    Thanx

    How many people say they will never fly with BMIBaby, Ryanair, Easyjet etc again, and then inevitably do?!!
    Gone ... or have I?
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