Mis-sold a flight by KLM?

tomtontom

jpsartre wrote: »

Chalk it up to experience and be more careful in the future.

I would agree with this - annoying to be down £50, but not worth chasing round various organisations for what could easily turn into months on end

chairmandavey

Blue264 wrote: »

Your issue is with the agent in Bahrain who advised you that the Gulf Air flight was a way of getting around the visa requirements for entering Saudi.

I never fly clients via Saudi Arabia unless they are visiting the country or already have a visa in place. My main reason is that their entry visa requirements are prone to changing at a moments notice, and things can get very bad for passengers if they don't have the correct paperwork.

A flight website isn't responsible for making you aware of visa requirements, but airliens are! As Caz3121 pointed out, the informaton you needed is freely available on the airline's website.

Save this link for future reference... http://cibtvisas.co.uk/

I wouldn't expect you to use this service to get your visa, but it's a great resource tool with constantly updated entry requirements.

Yes, but you would expect KLM to not sell someone a transfer flight if they would need a visa, especially when the flight was the next day and they knew we had no visa!

jpsartre wrote: »

Chalk it up to experience and be more careful in the future.

Ha, yes - The worst part is that me and my flying buddy both reread the ticket a few times and never noticed the coach bit. Never again!

rustyboy21

The problem you have is that if you check things about the KLM office in Bahrain, it is not KLM. They are an agent, exactly like Holiday Genie. Therefore IMO, you have been sold incorrect info by House of Travel ( who they are) NOT KLM.


I know it was inconvenient, but all the effort in trying to get the £50 back from 2 separate agents and even KLM, who had no knowledge of what was happening, is going to be long, painful and stressful.


Is it worth it?


http://yp.theemiratesnetwork.com/biz/Bahrain/Manama/House_of_Travel_KLM_Royal_Dutch_Airlines_102318.html

chairmandavey

Ah, that's news to me, how misleading - especially when the person we delt with signed off her emails with "Reservation & Ticketing Supervisor, Bahrain AIR FRANCE KLM, KLM". It does seem that this might be more effort than it's worth, but I have a bit of time on my hands and I hate being ripped off so I'll probably see how far I can take this.

rustyboy21 wrote: »

The problem you have is that if you check things about the KLM office in Bahrain, it is not KLM. They are an agent, exactly like Holiday Genie. Therefore IMO, you have been sold incorrect info by House of Travel ( who they are) NOT KLM.


I know it was inconvenient, but all the effort in trying to get the £50 back from 2 separate agents and even KLM, who had no knowledge of what was happening, is going to be long, painful and stressful.


Is it worth it?


http://yp.theemiratesnetwork.com/biz/Bahrain/Manama/House_of_Travel_KLM_Royal_Dutch_Airlines_102318.html

Caz3121

chairmandavey wrote: »

I hate being ripped off so I'll probably see how far I can take this.

I still cannot find evidence that a visa is required
I can find.....
"Saudi Arabia allows transits of up to 18 hours without a visa (and you generally cannot leave the airport), but beyond that a visa is a must"

If that is information that the ticketing agent was using, they would have had no indication that there would have been any issue

Did you look at whether a visa was needed when you thought your original transfer was a flight?

chairmandavey

We didn't, no - we assumed (correctly) that a transfer flight wouldn't require a visa - which is what we were told when we booked the second flight with KLM/the representative. No mention at all of this extra charge.

Voyager2002

You have two distinct complaints, both of which might well be valid:
1. against the website Holiday Genie, who sold you what you reasonably believed to be an air ticket but which in fact was for road transport. This mattered since it meant that a visa was required;
2. against Gulf Air, who first frightened you by denying boarding on the basis of a non-existent visa requirement, and then forced you to pay a (non-existent?) tax. If you have the time, see if you can find any mention of this tax on the KLM link given above, or on any other website about travel requirements. I doubt if you will find anything.

I once had an issue with Gulf Air following problems on an outbound flight. I used their website to find contact details for top management at their head office, and when I checked in for my return flight the station manager at least apologised and made it clear that she had been informed of my issues. So that approach might get you somewhere.

rustyboy21

I am finding it difficult to work out, if Gulf Air actually allow transit passengers and onward forwarding of luggage, if passing through SA.


The website does not appear clear on it. Is Gulf Air like other low cost carriers who don't forward luggage and you have to get bags and re check in at a desk.


This is a factor in your complaint. What I mean is , are they like Easyjet and Ryanair, which are point to point, not transit carriers. If so, you would be classed as entering SA and would need a visa with a british passport, even for a short time.

chairmandavey

I didn't get the impression Gulf Air was a low cost carrier, I thought it was more on the level of KLM - I mean, their 10 minute Saudi flight had onboard entertainment and free water... Michael O'Leary would have a stroke at the idea of RyanAir doing that.

chairmandavey

Story so far - KLM have given me and my friend a £70 voucher off our next KLM flight each. Better than nothing, since I'm not sure it really was their fault, I think it was more Gulf Air scamming us.

Gulf Air haven't replied to emails, so we're going to start calling them!