Orbitz experience...

[The GECCO]

So, I've booked flights and a hotel room for a trip later this year (November). Leaving on a Monday, coming back on a Friday. The return flight I booked was scheduled to depart at 5:06pm Friday which fit my schedule.

About 3 weeks after booking I get an email from Orbitz saying that my itinerary has changed - my return flight has been canceled and they have booked me on a flight leaving Friday at 11:30am. Crap, I can't leave that early!

So, I call and wade through the menus to try and get an actual person. When I finally do, I explain that I can't make that earlier flight. The conversation goes something like this:

Me "Any other flights available that evening"
Cust Serv Rep "No, sorry"
Me "What about coming back on the next day (Saturday)?"
CSR "Yup, there is a flight available"
Me "OK, put me on that flight and add a night to the hotel reservation"
CSR "Hold, please, while I make some calls"
Me "OK"
a few min pass...
CSR "OK, I got you on the other flight and added a night to the hotel stay"
Me "Great"
CSR "The additional night at the hotel will be $XXX.XX" (more than the rest of the nights because it's a weekend)
Me "OK" (I didn't expect to not pay for the additional night, it just sucks that it's about 50% more than the other nights, but oh well)
CSR "The fare difference for the new flight is an additional $85, plus an airline change fee of $150, and a hotel change fee of $50"
Me "Wait a minute...the fare difference is one thing, and I'm not sure I should have to pay it, but why should I have to pay change fees?"
CSR "All customer initiated changes have to be charged these fees"
Me "But I didn't initiate the change, the airline did when they canceled my flight"
CSR "And there were no change fees for that"
Me (not out loud) "Well, duh"

You can imagine how the rest went The CSR said he didn't have the ability to waive the fees, so I spent the better part of the next hour getting transferred, and then dropped, then calling back and starting nearly from scratch, before I finally got someone who had the authority to cancel the change fees (and the fare difference).

What ever happened to common sense? The people I talked to were nice enough, don't get me wrong, but why have CSR's who don't have the tools and discretion to make things "right"?

[salsashark]

reminds me of Brawndo... It's got what plants crave!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vw2CrY9Igs

[Slo]

you have a lot of patience

[Ricky]

Idiocracy for sure

[vort3xr6]

I never go through those sites for that very reason. They are not that great of a deal, they require full payment up front, and you have to jump through flaming hoops to get anything changed.

Fuck em.

[modette99]

We had a direct flight from Denver to Detroit on Delta booked through Delta. We find out there is a course she wants to take for work...so OUR fault. But okay she calls them and they say okay no fee to change the flight but she had to get the okay for the course from work so the girl said no problem call back. So the wife does the next day, Delta person says nope there is a fee to change of $150. Wife hangs up to think about it and talk it over with me.

She is a little upset they said NO fees to change as it was early enough, their words not ours. So I call them being the haggler. Not only they wanted to charge $150 they wanted to charge that to both tickets plus on top they wanted to charge the fare difference...huh wait now we are being told three things. FREE, $150 total, and now $150 each plus fare difference.

I ask why was I being charged apparently three various options if I would have done it the day before it would of been FREE. I got the cold shoulder of "I don't know why you were told that sir". I then haggled the angle that they changed the flight...but I guess because it was only by an hour that was in the fine print so I was told *shrug*

Yep...I hate people, and I hate when they say one thing, and another says something else. Needless to say we did not change the flight. I should record my calls to people...then play it back to the Rep and say so she did not say it was FREE...hmmm okay I'll post it on Youtube...bye bye

[Keyser Soze]

We had a direct flight from Denver to Detroit on Delta booked through Delta. Wide finds out there is a course she wants to take for work...so OUR fault. But okay she calls them and they say okay no fee to change the flight but she had to get the okay for the course from work so the girl said no problem call back. So the wife does the next day, Delta person nope there is a fee to change of $150. Wife hangs up to think about it and talk it over with me.

She is a little upset they said NO fees to change as it was early enough, their words not ours. So I call them being the haggler. Not only they wanted to charge $150 they wanted to charge that to both tickets plus on top they wanted to charge the fare difference...huh wait now we are being told three things. FREE, $150 total, and now $150 each plus fare difference.

I ask why was I being charged apparently three various options if I she would have done it the day before it be FREE. I got the cold shoulder of "I don't know why you were told that sir". i then haggled the angle that they changed the flight...but I guess because it was only by an hour that was in the fine print so I was told *shrug*

Yep...I hate people, and I hate when they say one thing, and another says something else. Needless to say we did not change the flight.

Freudian slip? Hope she's not a member

[modette99]

Not even sure why I would have typed that....LOL Odd

[Ezzzzy1]

A lot of people do not understand how restricted the tickets that they buy through most websites are. The tickets that they sell are cheap but in return most of the time you are LOCKED to the original terms (flight, day, time..) no matter what. Its great to get a smokin deal but sucks when there are problems with flights or you are late.

I worked for United for 7 years and would say call the airline. Usually they will tell you that you have to call whoever you booked through but explaining what happened to them means that they will at least look at your record. When they look at your record they will hopefully see that the original flight was canceled or the plane was taken out of service or whatever but the bottom line is that the airline has access to that information and Orbitz doesn't. If you dont get what you want from one agent try another right away.

Shitty game, the airline industry is a tricky mess anymore but I guess thats the price you pay for the price you pay.

[brennahm]

Southwest.

/thread.

[modette99]

Shitty game, the airline industry is a tricky mess anymore but I guess thats the price you pay for the price you pay.

That is sooo true. It was much nicer flying when tickets cost more, bags were free because they worked that into their cost. You got a meal because again it was worked into the cost...yep I wish tickets cost more...plus some of this rift raft then could not fly because well they could not afford it.

Now someone has to pay say $400 bitches about the price they expect it to be $200...but yet to drive it would cost them much more in fuel, lodging, and time. I usually tell them they should have drove.

[Ezzzzy1]

Now someone has to pay say $400 bitches about the price they expect it to be $200...but yet to drive it would cost them much more in fuel, lodging, and time. I usually tell them they should have drove.

Imagine if you had to take a stagecoach... Get robbed by the Indians, bit by a rattle snake, worry about malaria and it took a year and two months to get there.

You are flying for gods sake. As in FUCKING FLYING THROUGH THE AIR PEOPLE!!!

[modette99]

^ I'm an adventure type person so that would be part of the thrill of the wild west. Hence why I ride Dual Sports, or motorcycles for that matter it was to see out of the way locations. Heck I drive like that too when I go to TN...I've taken more dirt farm roads through KS then probably anyone here...and it still takes me two days to get to my parents place in TN. The adventure is what I live for.

Not sure why you quoted me...LOL

[Ezzzzy1]

Not sure why you quoted me...LOL

I agree with you 100%. My comment was just pointing out to everyone else what a privilege it is to fly.