Booked wrong dates on non refundable flight

sunsetblvd

Last night I was booking a flight for my partner and kids to Turkey through Sun Express (via trip.com). The flights came up at £600 but the prices kept on changing while I was putting our details in, I rushed through and didn’t check the rest of the details and ended up paying around £1,000 on credit card (Halifax).

The confirmation email came through and I immediately noticed the flight date was wrong (a date we are unable to fly on).

I phoned trip.com up who we booked through within 20 minutes of the purchase (it takes time for email, review and finding contact number).

The flight was not refundable. However as I contacted them immediately (within 20 minutes) having reviewed the booking and seen a mistake, surely this is not going to cost me over £1,000?

The Airline is saying it’s not refundable and I’m not entitled to any money back or to change the flights to a different date.

Is there anything I can do or any rights I have in relation to this?

My request for flight cancellation and refund was submitted (and shown online) 25 minutes after I made the purchase.

As you can imagine my partner is furious with me and I’m not sure we can now go on holiday. 

I have this escalated but I’m hoping to resolve it as soon as possible but I don’t know where I stand. We are still within the 24 hour time frame.

TheNorthStar

It might be a genuine mistake, but I very much doubt you'll get anywhere. If it was a direct booking with an airline like easyJet, you could change the date and pay the difference. But going through a third-party, I suspect you'll have to take the hit. If that's in their small print, they're not going to change it.

bagand96

Some airlines offer 24 hour grace period where you can cancel. Although it's generally the traditional flag carriers rather than low cost airlines.  And often only when you book direct.

You'll unfortunately be bound by the terms of the ticket with Sun Express as well as Trip.com own T&Cs (although personally I've found them one of the more responsive online agents). The onus is on the customer to check the details when booking.

Terms of Sun Express fares can be found here. Will be worth you checking what fare you booked as they do vary:  https://static.sunexpress.com/media/fhqja1zq/24022025_fares_all.pdf

Note that even the most restrictive fare "SunLight" appears to allow changes for a fee based on that document. Worth challenging both Sun Express and Trip on that issue... 

sunsetblvd

Thank you for your help. Having been told repeatedly there is no refund and the flights are not changeable (I sent them the link you sent with the charge to change flights) I have now been offered a 50% refund which I have accepted. 

Still an expensive mistake but I am relieved to get something back.

Tim_L

One of the hazards of using OTAs is that you're bound by their T&C rather than the airline. Sun Air Express booked directly do have a 24 hour cancellation policy, as long as booked 7 days or more out, but Trip don't pass that through, so you have to be hyper careful. And no, it's not fair, but it's how it is.

I use Trip a lot, I'd rate them quite highly generally, and there are some reasonable discounts available via cashback. But any OTA needs to be approached with caution, and if prices are changing a lot it's good to step back, start again, and pay attention to detail.