Travel agent refusing to return calls or emails to change flight date

isntthisfun

Sorry more saga with the travel agent.  I purchased flights which allow date changes however the travel agent is not facilitating this. I have called lots of times now. Each time they say the person I need to speak to is not there and will call me back. However they do not. I have also emailed. This has now gone on for 10 days and still no joy.  I called the airline direct who said I have to change the date with the agent but the agent is not allowing me to do this! It also does not allow me to change it online.  What can I do?  I really need to amend the return flight so I can get things sorted....  Effectively I paid for a changable flight but am not being allowed to change the date.

MeteredOut

When is the flight due, and when do you need to move it to? Does your documentation confirm the flight is changeable?

Could you book it elsewhere, in which case if you paid by debt/credit card, you could try the S75/chargeback route.

eskbanker

Not sure this is really a consumer rights issue, and might be better posted on the travel board, but, as mentioned on the other thread, they're a member of ABTA so you may be able to get some assistance there?

km1500

are you sure they are really a travel agent - are you sure you even have a flight?

isntthisfun

Yes I do have the flight as I have spoken to the airline. However the airline say I need to change it with the agent.  I feel like it is a consumer rights issue as I have been sold something and now I am not being given what I was promised...?

isntthisfun

ABTA seem to only want to help if it is a package deal or if it a company that has folded.... Also these dispute processes seem to take a long time and that won't work given I have a time constraint with it being a flight...

eskbanker

Unfortunately, any third party intervention is going to take time, so if you're short of that then your only realistic option is to continue to pursue the agent, assertively and escalating as much as you can within that company.

ThumbRemote

This seems like a straightforward case: you have purchased something (a light with the ability to change dates) and have not got what you paid for. 

However in reality it's going to be very tricky to take action here. Until such time as the flight leaves (the first of either the one you booked, or the one you wanted to change it to) they haven't technically failed to provide what you booked. Which leaves you without a flight, or having to risk money booking one only to find the agent then do the change. 

It would help to answer the question posed by MeteredOut - what are the dates of booking, original flight, and when you want to change it to?

born_again

Can you not visit agent?

Or is it one of the many online ones?

isntthisfun

Yes documentation confirms it is changeable. Flight out is 5th Jan and flight back currently 17th feb but need to come back earlier in Feb now.  I don't really want to be out there wondering if I'm going to get back or spend my time fighting with them...
Agent is FlightsGuru - I booked over the phone - they do have office address in London (although whether they actually work from there I don't know).
Is the S75/chargeback route via my bank if I used my bank debit card?
Thanks so much for all the comments.

HillStreetBlues

isntthisfun said:

Yes documentation confirms it is changeable. Flight out is 5th Jan and flight back currently 17th feb but need to come back earlier in Feb now.  I don't really want to be out there wondering if I'm going to get back or spend my time fighting with them...
Agent is FlightsGuru - I booked over the phone - they do have office address in London (although whether they actually work from there I don't know).
Is the S75/chargeback route via my bank if I used my bank debit card?
Thanks so much for all the comments.

No S75 with a debit card, was the transaction on statement the  TA or airline