Travelocity Complaint - Do not book airline flights

Posted by Tennboy1981 on 2010-01-04:

Seems like you should have taken more time and been more careful when booking your flight. Travelocity is a 3rd party booking agency. You may have luck if you contact the airline you booked directly, they MAY be able to help you. WHen you book on these sites like travelocity and orbitz. once you hit accept and your credit card is billed. its written in stone.....Seems like it was your fault. Not travelocity.

Posted by justthefaxx on 2010-01-04:

It doesn't matter how you booked it. To change a ticketed reservation there is the airline's change fee and the possible difference in fare. Did you want Travelocity to pay it for you to the airline?

Posted by James236 on 2010-01-04:

Why not save the $300 and take the 1.15 a.m. flight that you booked?

Posted by Ben There on 2010-01-04:

When did you book the ticket vs. when did you notice the mistake? If you caught it more than 24 hours after you booked the original ticket you would have been hit with the fee regardless.

Posted by LadyScot on 2010-01-04:

Even had you booked with the airline directly, after 24 hours you would still pay the fee. YOU messed up. YOU did it, NOT Travelocity. The complaint should be against yourself.

Before you pay they give you the option to MAKE SURE everything is correct.

Posted by Ytropious on 2010-01-04:

That's what I was thinking LS, don't they have an "order confirmation" page that says what you booked and then asks you if the information is correct? I would hope so, even online pizza ordering has one of those.

Posted by LadyScot on 2010-01-04:

Yt, I still can't get over the "I accidentally made reservations for 1:15 AM rather than PM" and blaming Travelocity for it.

Posted by littleyaya on 2010-01-04:

For some airlines (like US Airways) you have to catch the mistake the same day. They don't give you 24 hours to call in

Posted by Stew on 2010-01-04:

The OP isn't blaming travelocity for the error made. They are merely stating that if you make a simple error with travelocity it will cost you $300 to correct. It's useful information for anybody considering travelocity. Heck, most of us make mistakes from time to time. It happens. It's a shame one should be penalized $300 for a simple mistake.

Good info OP. Perhaps your lesson learned will save somebody else a 'lesson learned'.

Posted by redmx3racer on 2010-01-04:

So the airline must have a flight leaving both at 1:15PM and 1:15AM to the exact same destination from the same airport-since you can't book a flight that does not exist. I've worked in many airports and never seen that. I'm not saying it's not possible, it just must be rare.

The fact of the matter is, you acted as your own travel agent, and booked the wrong flight. The responsibility for the error is all yours.

Posted by James236 on 2010-01-04:

Stew, I think this happens regardless of where you booked. This is a charge levied by the airline. $300 has to be a combination of the change of date fee (usually $150) and a difference in the airfare when he booked and the present airfare, which seems to be another $150. 15 to 20 years ago, these changes were routinely made without charge. It seems to me that although it can be said that the passenger knows the cost of changing up front, so in one sense he has himself to blame, these change of date fees are exhorbitant and out of proportion to the airline's cost of correcting the mistake with takes their agent a minute or two.

Posted by LadyScot on 2010-01-04:

Stew, the OP IS blaming Travelocity. The OP made the error, and now that he wants to change it, the cost is $300. Travelocity does not charge this fee, the airlines do. Travelocity is out of it once you hit submit. The OP used a booking agent and made the mistake. And also, notice at the top where it says Travelocity complaint...

Posted by memoryx57 on 2010-01-04:

$300 is exorbitant to fix a mistake. But then again airlines will take money from any source they can. They have a bad business model and have had for years but apparently they don't know how to fix it...Just think if other companies applied the same logic and math to correcting customer mistakes as the airlines do...we would ALL be in a heap of trouble!!!

Posted by LadyScot on 2010-01-04:

Memory, it is a lot of money. But I look at it like this: you book a discounted ticket, the airline closes that booking out so no one else can buy it. They continue booking and fill up a flight. Then comes along someone who say 'oops I made a mistake. I need to make a change". The discounted fare no longer applies since that special is over. Now there is a seat open on a once booked flight. So the airline is going to lose the revenue on a once sold seat. They have to change the existing, try to book the open. AND the difference in fare is going to be charged too.

It is an inconvenience all around. The OP needs to take responsibility for his own mistake.

Posted by memoryx57 on 2010-01-04:

I understand personal responsiblility and advocate it with every breath in me but I guess my point, and maybe I'm old school, is the punishment should always fit the crime. It's what I taught all 3 of my children along with accepting responsiblity when they messed up. But I think the lesson learned by the poster is to NEVER use one of the online travel agencies. It's just not worth it.

Posted by LadyScot on 2010-01-04:

The way I see it, booking a plane seat is not like booking a cab. It isn't going to cost the same. Flying ain't cheap.

Posted by Stew on 2010-01-04:

I totally agree with memoryx57.

I'm fortunate in that I book most my travel through our corporate contract. I can wake up the day of travel and decide oh to heck with it I don't feel like traveling today and still get 100% refund even if I don't notify the airlines till the next day.

I'm fairly ignorant to most of the fees charged by today's airlines since I'm not forced to play by the same rules. I must say though on the surface these practices seem most unfair and unreasonable.

Posted by James236 on 2010-01-04:

Memory, ticket change fees are charged by the airline whether the passenger books directly with the airline, at an on line travel agency or at the travel agency on the corner.

Posted by memoryx57 on 2010-01-04:

You're correct James236, but when you book with Travelocity or one of the others and something goes wrong you're pretty much left to your own devices. I've seen way too many complaints about these online travel "experts". At least when you book travel directly with the airline or hotel your chances of getting something corrected are far better.

Posted by Skye on 2010-01-04:

I've said this before, I'll say it again. Why use a third party, when you can go on line, and make all the arrangements yourself. I booked our trip back home to NY, on line without any issues.

Posted by Ben There on 2010-01-04:

We are all assuming that both flights were the exact same price and the $300 amount is just fees. For all we know, the daytime flight could have been much more expensive all along as they often are compared to redeyes. A large portion of this $300 could have been the extra fare the OP would have paid to be on the day flight all along.

You can't book the cheapest flight of the day and call up the airline and want the most expensive flight of the day without paying the difference - this applies no matter where you book.

Posted by littleyaya on 2010-01-04:

BA Ben There. I didn't even think about that when I read the review. You're right, red eyes are usually cheaper.