Never buy airline tickets from 3rd parties

[WiseOne]

Back in the US, but only after an epic travel disaster. I had absolutely no idea before yesterday that buying tickets from an online agent could result in getting stranded overseas!

I sort of knew buying from 3rd party online sites was asking for trouble, so I usually only use them to check prices then buy direct from the airlines. But on this trip, I was going multicity and had trouble making it work with a single airline. So I took a chance on a multi-airline ticket from a well-known online site....two nonstop flights, what could go wrong?

Well, funny you should ask. It turns out that the outbound leg was fine, but the return ticket was invalid per the airline. They refused to let me check in with it even though they had a record of the (confirmed) reservation. Something about multiple airline's numbers attached to it, and the airline in question not having been paid. Despite hours of talking with airline supervisors beginning the day before the flight, I ended up hearing the words "It's not resolved and I don't know when it will be resolved" less than 5 minutes before checkin on the flight -
last one of the day, of course - was due to close.

I'm curious to know what you guys would have done at that point. I decided to fork over the $3,000 price of a one-way ticket, figuring that I'd be on the hook for that much anyway if I missed the flight, and hoped to get reimbursed later.

I called both the online site and airline after I got back and filed complaints with both, but you can probably guess what happened: A says it's B's fault, and B says it's A's fault. So I'm guessing I won't get anything back.

I'll provide names of the companies in question by PM if asked. Also if anyone has been down this road before and has specific advice on pursuing those complaints I'd love to hear it.

[l82start]

I'm curious to know what you guys would have done at that point. I decided to fork over the $3,000 price of a one-way ticket, figuring that I'd be on the hook for that much anyway if I missed the flight, and hoped to get reimbursed later.

I called both the online site and airline after I got back and filed complaints with both, but you can probably guess what happened: A says it's B's fault, and B says it's A's fault. So I'm guessing I won't get anything back.

I'll provide names of the companies in question by PM if asked. Also if anyone has been down this road before and has specific advice on pursuing those complaints I'd love to hear it.

i have been bumped off a flight the airline had to put us up in a hotel, feed us, and pay for the leg of the trip missed.. my advice be tenacious it involves lots of calls and being sent back and forth between a bunch of people who tell you we cant handle it call ..so and so ... to get reimbursed.
its a pain in the " " but if the fault theirs they should cover it..

[Tyler]

Wow -- that sucks. I bought most of my own international flights through 3rd party sites, and can only imagine how frustrated I would have been had they not honored the tickets.

Be persistent. At the VERY least, the company you purchased the tickets from owes you your money back for the return flight you were not able to redeem. Paying for something not delivered seems like an easy argument in court, and I can't imagine they'd let it get that far.

[Maddy]

There must be some kind of agency agreement between the airlines and these third-party sites. However, regardless of what kind of agreement they have, the doctrine of "apparent agency" would seem to apply, giving you recourse against either or both parties. If push came to shove, an attorney would most likely sue them both and let them make cross-claims against one another till the cows come home.

Usually the only cost-justified way of dealing with something like this (assuming that nobody reimburses you voluntarily) is to sue under your state's Consumer Protection Act. I have no idea what New York's law provides, but in many states consumers who are damaged by unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of business can get treble damages up to a certain amount ($10,000 would be typical), as well as attorney fees and costs. Attorneys who do consumer protection work generally take cases on a contingent fee basis.

Note that your damages would potentially include not only the $3,000 you paid for a second ticket, but any other consequential loss.

[WiseOne]

Persistence is definitely the plan! I started with a "paper trail" of written complaints to each entity. The airline has already written back with a very clear "not our problem". To be honest, I think they're right about that even though I'm not best pleased with how they handled the situation.

It's the online ticketing site that I need to go after. They haven't given me a written response or acknowledgment yet. From what I've read, they're not likely to do so without a fight, but I need to give them another couple of business days before diving back at them.

Maddy your info was great - thanks! I looked up the NY consumer protection info, and unfortunately the damage limit is $1,000 per event if you're under 65 (it's $10,000 if you're over 65). Bizarre, and unhelpful given that I'm out $3K. I'll keep it on the back burner just in case all else fails, because $1K is better than nothing.

I found a most interesting consumer advocacy website, who will sometimes assist with worthy cases. I wrote to them and was quite surprised to get a quick answer back requesting more information. They haven't promised to take up the case but they will review and decide.

http://www.elliott.org/

[Libertarian666]

Did you pay by credit card, I hope? If so, I would dispute the charge with the card company.

[WiseOne]

Yes, but the second ticket cost a lot more than the original one did, and I can't dispute that second ticket charge since I did in fact use it. I think that would only complicate matters.

[Libertarian666]

Yes, but the second ticket cost a lot more than the original one did, and I can't dispute that second ticket charge since I did in fact use it. I think that would only complicate matters.

Possibly. I assume the second one was with the airline directly?

Also, I'm happy (so far, anyway) with the American Express Platinum Travel service. They do charge for ticketing but they have quite a bit of leverage with the airlines. I haven't had any trouble with any of the tickets I've bought through them yet, but going by previous experience with American Express, I would expect them to make it right if I found myself in a situation like you were subjected to.

[Libertarian666]

...the American Express Platinum Travel service. They do charge for ticketing ...

What benefits do you get for this fee, vs just booking directly through the airlines?

It depends on the exact situation.

For American Airlines, I got semi-refundable tickets for the same price (excluding the fee) as the completely non-refundable tickets from the airline directly. What I mean by "semi-refundable" is that if I cancel the tickets, I get a voucher good for the same amount on AA for a year.

For another trip that I was researching, to NZ in business class, the price they quoted me was about $2K less per ticket than going directly to NZ Air. This is part of Amex Platinum Travel's "international airline program":

"The expanded benefits of the exclusive International Airline Program give you and your companions access to lower fares. Savings are now available on more types of bookings, in more classes of service, on over 15 world-class airlines. Available on International First, Business and Premium Economy Class tickets booked through American Express Travel, on both refundable and non-refundable fares. Good for purchases of 1 to 8 tickets on participating airlines."

[WiseOne]

Followup if anyone is interested.

I'll reveal at this point that the online agent is Expedia, because they have finally decided to step up. The key was to get to "Tier 3 Customer Service". The lower tiers just sent me form letters with a bunch of words adding up to "get lost", but Tier 3 is actively investigating and are in direct contact with the airlines - I got that info from one of the airlines in question just now. Getting to Tier 3 required sending emails directly to Expedia's executives, because you can't do it through their phone system or website. I got the addresses from the elliott.org website.

Interestingly, in my conversation with one of the airlines I said there's nothing special about me so I assume this happens all the time, and what do people do in these cases? The supervisor I was speaking to said "I've never heard of this happening, and if it did happen all the time there would be a crisis of trust with the flying public." Well said, sir!!! But, in fact it DOES happen all the time. Elliott.org lists case after case of codeshare ticket and/or online travel agent problems that, as in my case, resulted in people having to buy very expensive last minute tickets at the airport. Sounds like this is something that a news organization should investigate and report! Anyone have ideas on who I should go to with this? I do know a reporter at a local paper in NJ (high school friend).

[Maddy]

There are plenty of class action/consumer protection attorneys who would love to get a bite at that one. Wouldn't cost you a dime.

[drumminj]

Followup if anyone is interested.

I'll reveal at this point that the online agent is Expedia, because they have finally decided to step up. The key was to get to "Tier 3 Customer Service". The lower tiers just sent me form letters with a bunch of words adding up to "get lost", but Tier 3 is actively investigating and are in direct contact with the airlines - I got that info from one of the airlines in question just now. Getting to Tier 3 required sending emails directly to Expedia's executives, because you can't do it through their phone system or website. I got the addresses from the elliott.org website.

Don't want t hijack your thread, WiseOne, but wanted to share that I had a similar issue with Expedia(hotel, not flight-related), and found that a similar route was necessary to get any action on their part. Sent an email to one of their execs detailing the situation, and had things resolved (and a refund) promptly.

Sadly, I think most "front line" support folks must follow a script, and cannot deviate even if it makes perfect sense to do so. In such a world, the only way to get anything done is to go straight to the top.

Glad you've been able to get some traction!

[Libertarian666]

Followup if anyone is interested.

I'll reveal at this point that the online agent is Expedia, because they have finally decided to step up. The key was to get to "Tier 3 Customer Service". The lower tiers just sent me form letters with a bunch of words adding up to "get lost", but Tier 3 is actively investigating and are in direct contact with the airlines - I got that info from one of the airlines in question just now. Getting to Tier 3 required sending emails directly to Expedia's executives, because you can't do it through their phone system or website. I got the addresses from the elliott.org website.

Yes, the hardest part is (almost always) getting to the right people. In almost all cases, there are people who can make it right, but they are (for what should be obvious but unfortunate reasons) hard to contact.

Interestingly, in my conversation with one of the airlines I said there's nothing special about me so I assume this happens all the time, and what do people do in these cases? The supervisor I was speaking to said "I've never heard of this happening, and if it did happen all the time there would be a crisis of trust with the flying public." Well said, sir!!! But, in fact it DOES happen all the time. Elliott.org lists case after case of codeshare ticket and/or online travel agent problems that, as in my case, resulted in people having to buy very expensive last minute tickets at the airport. Sounds like this is something that a news organization should investigate and report! Anyone have ideas on who I should go to with this? I do know a reporter at a local paper in NJ (high school friend).

You might see if you can contact a consumer reporter at a local TV station. I would recommend "Consumer Reports" magazine but they are too communistically inclined for me to want to promote them.

[WiseOne]

Update again. I'm still waiting on Expedia's "investigation", and I'm told they're now talking to their ticketing department. Which I finally figured out is indeed responsible for the problem.

I was looking at my credit card charges, and it looks like when I paid expedia they set up the entire payment to go directly to Airline #1, instead of going through Expedia to be rerouted to both Airlines #1 and #2. Someone there had told me that it was Airline #1's job to send on payment to Airline #2, but there's no mechanism for that plus Airline #1 has no way of knowing the deal with Airline #2. That should be Expedia's job.

So, hoping they'll do the right thing. Eventually. Meanwhile, this is preventable: don't buy mixed-airline round trips. If you do, check the credit card charge to make sure both airlines got paid and not just one, so you can straighten it out from home rather than from a random European airport.

A shame, because that's actually the best use of agents like Expedia! If I wanted to buy a single-carrier round trip I'd just get it direct from the airline. I don't even like to deal with "airline partner" situations, because I learned long ago that this usually results in not being able to pick a seat ahead of time or check in online.

[dualstow]

I just discovered and read this thread. Sorry it happened, WiseOne.
I've used Kayak for a few flights in the past several years and, other than having to travel between terminals for connecting flights, I didn't have any issues. Lately, I've been booking direct, though. Good to have this heads up.

[mathjak107]

anytime we do complex trips we use our local travel agent -liberty travel . at least i have someone right across the street i can deal with when things go wrong .

we just booked a cruise to cuba with a few nights before and after in miami . we let them do the entire trip including transfers . anything goes wrong and it is all on them .

[dualstow]

EXPE down 20% this morning.
Was that you, WiseOne?

[WiseOne]

Maybe! That $3K must really be burning a hole in their pocket.

I got a message from them that said they agree I should be refunded, but that they were going to try to squeeze it out of Airline #1 first. The very same one that said it was Airline #2 or Expedia's fault, depending on who I talked to. Good luck with that.

[WiseOne]

Update again.

Lo and behold....I got an email from Airline #1, which I will now identify as Virgin Atlantic, 'fessing up to accidentally cancelling the return half of my ticket due to a system glitch and stating that they'll reimburse me for the cost of the one-way full-fare I had to fork over in Paris. It only took two queries from the Elliott.org advocate, several phone calls, a direct email complaint, and filing a DOT complaint against them to accomplish. Times 3 actually since I went through all those things with Expedia and Airline #2 as well. Will wonders never cease.

Two things. First, the above story is likely oversimplified, since it doesn't explain why I was able to confirm the return flight by phone. But fine, I don't need to know the inner workings of their computer system. Second, they claimed I paid about $100 less than I actually did for that one-way ticket. I hope the receipt I sent them fixes that problem. But...after all this wouldn't you think they'd do more than just reimburse me for that ticket??

AFTER I get reimbursed I'll send them a copy of the original email I got from them stating that it's Expedia's fault, and ask why it took all the above interventions to get them to do the right thing. Of note, filing with the DOT turned out to be the most productive action, as the airlines take this very seriously. Phone calls were the least productive, because you only get to talk to someone whose job it is to be a brick wall, and it leaves no paper trail. If something like this ever happens to me again, I'll skip the phone call, file a complaint on the airline website to document the incident & start the paper trail, wait for the written response (which will be a polite variant of "f-- you"), then file the DOT report.

Oh yes and...never ever buy a ticket through a third party! If you buy direct from the airline something can still go wrong, but now there's only one party involved and they can't play the blame someone else game. And especially don't buy multi-airline tickets. Next time I'll get one way flights directly from the airlines instead - a friend of mine said she did that once and it was only about $100 more than the combo.

EDIT: plug for the Elliot.org advocate as well. The email from Virgin Atlantic mentioned their direct inquiry. I would absolutely contact them for help if you get to the DOT filing stage and still have no response. I'll also say that I'm very glad there are people like that in the world, willing to help with these situations at no cost apart from an ad and viewer-supported website.

[Maddy]

Good for you, WiseOne, for pursuing this to the end. Nowadays, it seems that companies with a large footprint have become very bold in their overreaching with consumers. Regrettably, life has become so complex and harried for most of us "little people" that it's just not worth the time and effort it takes to make these companies accountable. If more people did what you did, I reckon there'd be a whole lot less of this crap.

[WiseOne]

Well, $3K is a good motivator. I'd have given up long ago if it was only $100 or so at stake. Which I guess is exactly the business model. However, I did learn enough so I now have an efficient roadmap to follow as well as preventive strategies. A worthy investment.