Last minute dot com, last minute dropped a bomb

tinkabelle

I had booked a flight to Sri Lanka with LM.com seven days before I was meant to travel, and received an email with confirmed passenger details with the airline. “You’re all booked, check in using these details” proclaimed the email.
So, in an attempt to check in using the airline’s PNR provided by LM, I was horrified when told by Sri Lankan Airlines that, whilst they had my details, (name, DOB, passport number etc.) the booking had been cancelled by LM. This bombshell occurred less than 24 hours before I was meant to fly!
In contacting LM.com, I was told that because the flight price had increased since I had made the booking, they had cancelled my reservation. I ultimately found a generic email (no reply email address) in my spam folder to express this. This email was sent three days after I had made my reservation with LM.
I was never given the opportunity to pay the increase at any stage, as is stated in their T&C’s, and subsequently had to pay for a flight, directly with the airline (on the original reference provided by LM.com) at almost double the cost of the original flight.
Is there anything I can do to claim back the difference?
All assistance, gratefully received.

Westin

Ouch!

I suspect if you read the LM terms and conditions that you made a booking request.  The email from them shortly afterwards probably followed the lines that they could not confirm the booking request at the price quoted and to contact them for an updated price quote.

Have no idea however why you received follow on emails from them suggesting all was fine.

Did you not have suspicions that something was wrong when payment was not taken, or at least not billed to your credit card or bank?

Lastminute.com seems to have a very poor reputation. This board and other consumer boards are full of tales of woe.  For some reason people get drawn to them (cheap?) and use them.  You have to question if any saving is worth it.

LM is part of the Swiss based Bravofly family.  There main service and operations seem to be in Spain.  I fear a frustrating and uphill battle ahead.

Caz3121

Unfortunately your experience of trying to use a third party without live pricing in an effort to save money is not unique.
Live pricing and availability can be found on the airline website and involving a third party (especially at a time with many cancellations and changes) without either, can often end up costing you more in the end than booking direct.
It is also worth in future checking out a third parties reputation (Air Travel Forum on TripAdvisor is useful), there are many poor ones out there. Also check the t&cs (particularly around their fees, even if it is the airline that cancels)
I suspect you will need to chalk this up as an expensive lesson.

NoodleDoodleMan

https://www.complaintsboard.com/lastminutecom-b121914

tinkabelle

@Westin, the confirmation email from LM provided an airline PNR. The email assured that my booking had been confirmed - claiming I was ‘ready to fly’ and that the PNR should be used to check in. This to me was information enough, certainly enough to not be concerned any more about the booking.

I also received an email from my bank to say that a payment was being made to LM’s holding company. Again, this did not warrant my concern, therefore I thought no more about it.
At no stage did LM contact me with the choice to either cancel or pay the new cost - a procedure they purport to engage in. Only a generic cancellation email which, because of its nature, found a home in my spam folder.
My anger at this company, the day before I was to travel, was incendiary…positively explosive.

tinkabelle

@Caz3121, the booking when made with Sri Lankan Airlines was at the cheaper fare, but LM did not pay for the booking. When they did endeavour to pay for the flight, the price had increased. An airline can hold a fare only for a limited period of time, it has to be paid for within that window. Failure to do so, incurs price increases.
But, as mentioned previously, they did not provide me with the choice of cancel or pay the higher price. The increase would certainly not have been as high as the cost I eventually had to fork out…

tinkabelle

@NoodleDoodleMan, thanks for the link Sweetie… but have you seen the header page?
319 complaints, only 9 resolved…. That sadly, speaks volumes!

Upsidedownandaround

Third party agents don't have live prices for flights. You see a price that may not exist anymore.

As said when you book with a third party you are not buying a ticket you are making a booking request for them to go and buy a ticket from the airline. It's a very common place complaint with these kind of agencies that they come back asking for more money or you wait several weeks for a refund.

You certainly have grounds for a complaint against Last Minute but given they are well known as an extremely poor company based abroad I fear you will not get anywhere with them.

Personally I think it's madness to be booking a flight with a third party a week before you fly. Even in normal times.

onashoestring

Have LM refunded the original booking ? 

Or did they never take the money for that ? 

What is the exact wording of the e-mail that went to your spam folder- can you post it here ( with you personal info redacted ? ) 

Westin

The PNR is generated when a booking is made from the airline side. If the agent or airline does not issue an e-ticket or a payment against the PNR then the PNR can be viewed but would not be sufficient to travel on.  In time it expires.

I can imagine that the whole situation has been stressful for you and is very unfortunate.  I do hope you get satisfaction from taking this matter further with LM. I sadly however suspect it will be an uphill battle. LM’s reputation is generally very poor. They however seem to still manage to attract new customers.

NoodleDoodleMan

tinkabelle said:

@NoodleDoodleMan, thanks for the link Sweetie… but have you seen the header page?
319 complaints, only 9 resolved…. That sadly, speaks volumes!

That was precisely why I posted the link - a public service announcement !!!

Here's more

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lastminute-com-commits-to-refund-over-7m-for-cancelled-holidays