Booked flights from Birmingham Alabama instead of Birmigham UK - Cannot cancel

Incapuppy

Hi there sky_rat

I have been lurking on these forums for ages but registered today as I wanted to say how sorry I was to read of your experience. I'm glad that your losses were reduced to £300, which is still a whole lot of money, but better that than lose the whole amount for the holiday. It is very unfortunate when mistakes occur and even more stressful if they cost us money but I suppose we all live and learn. Hopefully, reading of your experience may prevent others from making a similar mistake.

Perhaps it would help to take the view that with the favourable exchange rate at present, your spending money will go a whole heap further.

I find Trip Advisor an invaluable resource for accomodation reviews, but I would always read through a few pages if possible, as initial negative reports are often counterbalanced by others' more favourable reports - different people obviously have wildy differing expectations and opinions of the same thing. I have enjoyed fantastic repeat holidays in Cuba where some people advised that the hotel in which we stayed was horrendous.

I holidayed in Florida 3 times during the early 90's and one time booked last minute 2 star accomodation and was amazed by just how good the standard actually was. In any case, there are so many wonderful things to do and see in Florida, your room will probably just be a place to sleep and recharge your batteries before you head off for your next adventure!

I hope you manage to book a holiday, go and enjoy, I'm sure you will have a fantastic time.

melancholly

if you want to book all things separately (car hire, accommodation, flights), you may get much cheaper flights to tampa and then it's not too much of a drive to orlando.

glad to hear you didn't have to pay for the lot - £300 is still a lot and yes, i think it is disproportionate to the costs involved, but unfortunately i don't think the system will change! it's a lot better than it was looking a week or so ago, and you may well find cheaper deals away from expedia so that you end up saving £300 on what you paid befor!

bootsobe

I have just read your post as I was looking for expedia codes and I am horrified. I really feel for you and I am really hoping that someone can help you out. I dont know much about legal routes but how about trying to see if anyone wants to buy the whole holiday from on on Ebay. There might be someone out there living near Alabama who is up for it.

I had an issue with Expedia when I added extra breakfast to a deal that had a room with no breakfast and I paid an extra £72 for it on the additional options page where you book for transport to the hotel and back. I also booked the extra transport. When I arrived at the hotel they told me that I had complimentary breakfast anyway and didnt need to pay the extra plus I would have complimentary pickup to and from airport. I was not happy as I had been checking this holiday about six times a day for about two weeks and I had noted how the price and the room rates was changing regularly. I remember that when I went to do the booking I was able to complete the purchase booking the room with no breakfast rate, But then had to go back as I had forgotten to add the breakfast which was on the page for extras. Now expedia insists that was part of the room rate but I know exactly what that page said and that the breakfast was part of the extras on the page where you book for excursions. To be fair they did try to retrieve that page via their technical department but apparently it was lost.
So they had presented infomration incorrectly twice on the same holiday that I had booked. They did agreee that what I said had happened coudl have happened ( they did refund my transportation costs in the form of a voucher and they corrected the fact that if you book at that hotel you dont need to pay for transportation as they double checked with the hotel). But wouldnt refund my break fast as they said that they couldnt trace it.
So I would recommend to anyone using online booking to try and save every page as otherwise it is lost and then if something goes wrong you can use it for evidence. I only lost £72 and was furious so losing £1700. ( like I said I really feel for you and your young family.)
So in conclusion ( after all my rambling) I know for myself that Expedia sometimes makes errors in how the information is presented online.

So when I read your story I thought yes I wouldnt be suprised if at the moment when you booked it that it wasnt displayed properly.

But all I can say is keep your chin up and I really hope that it all works out for you.
from bootsobe

elizbays

Hi Sky Rat,



I think you have a case with EXPEDIA but not the airline. Call Expedia on the cheaper number that someone provided above. Below is an outline of what your argument should be:

You claim that delta airlines have said that within a 24hour period you would have gotten a refund on your ticket.


You spoke to the EXPEDIA within 9 hours.

At that point the agent did not bother calling up delta airlines to get a refund even though you were still well within the cancellation period

If expedia wish to argue that their own t&C's state that cancellation must be on the same day. You will argue that at 11pm when you booked the flight this was not possible and they knowing that delta airlines would have cancelled the flight at the time you called should have called on your behalf.


I agree you made a mistake but i know how easy it is for us to do abbreviations in our head and its very easy to think BHM when thinking about birmigham airport. And if you did not know there was anyother birmigham airport i see how easy this mistake occurred. Expedia should make it clearer when you type in BHM directly, that the aiport is in US.

Goodluck you have a STRONG case.

Woby_Tide

elizbays wrote: »

I agree you made a mistake but i know how easy it is for us to do abbreviations in our head and its very easy to think BHM when thinking about birmigham airport. And if you did not know there was anyother birmigham airport i see how easy this mistake occurred. Expedia should make it clearer when you type in BHM directly, that the aiport is in US.

Goodluck you have a STRONG case.

so maybe Expedia could put something like(I've preserved teh HTML so that it shows Expedia make the font bigger)

<TABLE CELLPADDING=0 CELLSPACING=0 WIDTH=592><TR><TD>
<FONT SIZE=5 COLOR=#CC6600 FACE="Times" CLASS=pageHeading>

<NOBR>Manchester (MAN) to</NOBR><NOBR> Birmingham, AL, United States (BHM)</NOBR>

</FONT>
</TD></TR>


but this is an old thread now anyway

cjaquie

I sympathise with you but I believe you didn't make the mistake!!!! Well I'll let you and our other members decide..for here is my sad story...to date....
I am currently trying to get them to ammend a ticket I didn't book. Right here goes...I booked a return flight from Chicago to Evansville being 21 September '07 and 22 October '07 respectively last week (25 August 07). Both were booked under the afternoon system but after making my paymant I went to my email to retieve the confirmation only to find that the return flight had miracuously changed to a morning flight. I immediately called Expedia and explained there had been an error within the booking system and asked
for my flight to be changed to what I had originally booked. However, I was told that I would be charged a £10 offline fee for the ticket to be rectified, this I refused to accept as the error was not mine. I was informed that my complaint had been passed to the technical department who would contact me in due course. I have telephone nearly every day (and on one occasion was placed on hold for exactly 23 mins) with still no resolution. Lucky, I was using a geographic tel number and no the 0870 number. To cut to the chase I have been told that if I don't pay an extra $100 then my ticket will not be changed.
I contacted my credit card company on the day of booking and asked for the payment to be stopped. However, as it was at the pending stage there was nothing they could do as Expedia hadn't requested the payment at that time. However, I'm most annoyed with them (Marks & Spensers) that they made the payment when I had asked them to place a stop on it. I contacted them 30mins after the transaction (25 August 2007) and they made the payment on the 30 August 2002 without my authorisation.

Can anyone tell me if they had a right to do this when i disputed the payment!?!

Essentially, I believe that potential passengers are booking on line and not receiving exactly what they have booked eitheir the holiday doesn't exist at that price or if it does they are being forced to pay ammendment fees to get what they thought they had booked!!! I feel this is the companies clever way of getting more out of their clients and by frightening their clients by their clever 'non refundable policy'. I know and they know I booked two afternoon flights but they are intent on getting an extra $100 from me. I feel I will eventually have to pay this and although I'm encouraging their devious tactics I feel I have no other choice.

Of course, I'm told their technical department are going to look but it may take up to 7 - 10 days for them to do so....but there's nothing to look into!!!!!

Sorry, for ranting on but I'm so annoyed with their dirty tactics..I'm sorry you may lose your holiday...however, can you see any correlations with our book...Let me know what you think....I believe Expedia should be 'Named & Shamed'.


Once again, I feel you should only enter into a contract this company as a last resort!!!!!!!a very last resort. I for one will never book with them again.

CONTACT DETAILS: Say No To 0870 numbers Tel:0207019200

Write to: Senior vice president, operations - [EMAIL="angiebl&#64;expedia.com"]angiebl@expedia.com[/EMAIL] Which I am about to do and will keep you posted!!!!!

Voyager2002

cjaquie wrote: »

I immediately called Expedia and explained there had been an error within the booking system and asked for my flight to be changed to what I had originally booked. However, I was told that I would be charged a £10 offline fee for the ticket to be rectified, this I refused to accept as the error was not mine. I was informed that my complaint had been passed to the technical department who would contact me in due course. I have telephone nearly every day (and on one occasion was placed on hold for exactly 23 mins) with still no resolution. Lucky, I was using a geographic tel number and no the 0870 number. To cut to the chase I have been told that if I don't pay an extra $100 then my ticket will not be changed.
I contacted my credit card company on the day of booking and asked for the payment to be stopped. However, as it was at the pending stage there was nothing they could do as Expedia hadn't requested the payment at that time. However, I'm most annoyed with them (Marks & Spensers) that they made the payment when I had asked them to place a stop on it. I contacted them 30mins after the transaction (25 August 2007) and they made the payment on the 30 August 2002 without my authorisation.

Can anyone tell me if they had a right to do this when i disputed the payment!?!

Yes, your credit card company acted entirely correctly. They can only stop a payment in cases of fraud, and there can be no doubt that you entered your card details into the Expedia website and clicked 'buy'.

Oh: and air fares change. When you first contacted Expedia the flight you wanted was available, and so the fee would have been only ten pounds. Once that fare was no longer available, the cost to you of travelling when you wanted increased by an extra 100 dollars.

Why not just take the flight you have booked? At least it is on the day you want.

dmg24

So retype it?

cjaquie

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Yes, your credit card company acted entirely correctly. They can only stop a payment in cases of fraud, and there can be no doubt that you entered your card details into the Expedia website and clicked 'buy'.

Oh: and air fares change. When you first contacted Expedia the flight you wanted was available, and so the fee would have been only ten pounds. Once that fare was no longer available, the cost to you of travelling when you wanted increased by an extra 100 dollars.

Why not just take the flight you have booked? At least it is on the day you want.

Yes, I did click 'buy' but I didn't receive what I had purchased. Essentailly, isn't it true that a[SIZE=-1]n advantage of using a credit card is that, under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, customers who have a claim against a supplier for breach of contract or misrepresentation will generally have an equal claim against the card issuer. Secondary, I do not believe the fare was ever available at the price that it was initially advertised at. This brings me back to Sky Rats senario....I don't believe that he made such a mistake (although Expedia has convinced him he did...obviously...) most members will believe that in all probability Sky Rat did not make a booking mistake and that the holiday was never available at the price that it was initially advertised at!!!!!In addition, if the holiday was truely booked from Alabama then why wasn't his holiday quoted in dollars!!!!!!!![/SIZE]

Comments from other members would be appreciated!

Thanx

cjaquie

As you have stated at least Expedia have issued a ticket for the day I want and essentially the departing airport...I suppose I should be thankful for little mercies...thanx 4 u comment!

cjaquie

elizbays wrote: »

Hi Sky Rat,



I think you have a case with EXPEDIA but not the airline. Call Expedia on the cheaper number that someone provided above. Below is an outline of what your argument should be:

You claim that delta airlines have said that within a 24hour period you would have gotten a refund on your ticket.


You spoke to the EXPEDIA within 9 hours.

At that point the agent did not bother calling up delta airlines to get a refund even though you were still well within the cancellation period

If expedia wish to argue that their own t&C's state that cancellation must be on the same day. You will argue that at 11pm when you booked the flight this was not possible and they knowing that delta airlines would have cancelled the flight at the time you called should have called on your behalf.


I agree you made a mistake but i know how easy it is for us to do abbreviations in our head and its very easy to think BHM when thinking about birmigham airport. And if you did not know there was anyother birmigham airport i see how easy this mistake occurred. Expedia should make it clearer when you type in BHM directly, that the aiport is in US.

Goodluck you have a STRONG case.

I don't believe Sky Rat made the mistake between the two airports and if he had booked the Birmingham Alabama (which he didn't) ....then why wasn't he charged in dollars???? I believe that this is one of the cons Expedia exercise to extort money from their prospective victims as holidays and flights do not exist at their advertised price...and extra monies is needed to secure the requested booking!!!!!

Comments please

cjaquie :T