eBucks don't work the way they used to

<p>Today, I tried to change a flight booked through eBucks Travel and had a different experience to the one I'm used to. I have booked many flights through eBucks in the past and have occasionally had to change them, and every time I have done this in the past I contacted the eBucks Travel desk and they charged me a cancellation fee, which was simply debited to my eBucks account. This is the currency that eBucks uses, after all. In the past this was easy and efficient - one phone call later, everything is done.</p> <p> </p> <p>This morning, this efficient and easy procedure was very different. It is now apparently not possible to pay cancellation fees with eBucks and one must now use one's credit card. I was not near my credit card at the time and foolishly told the agent that I was 95% sure of my credit card details (my old card had expired at the end of January) and that she should try to process my change of booking. This she refused to do, telling me (rather rudely) that she couldn't work with what "I think" my credit card details are and giving me all sorts of technical reasons why she can't process my flight change. I just wasn't sure whether my expiry date was January or December - surely she could have tried both and seen whether one of them worked? Instead I now have to wait until tomorrow to rebook my flight. I truly don't understand why the agent could not simply deduct R285 worth of eBucks from my balance - this was never a problem in the past.</p> <p> </p> <p>Why can't one change flights using the eBucks website? Why can't one manage one's own bookings on the site? It would be so much easier than having to deal with the people at the eBucks travel desk, who seem to have a cavalier approach to customer service, or seem unable to deal with anything even the slightest bit unusual. I also want to book a gorilla adventure to Uganda, but my experiences with the travel desk are so unpleasant that I never want to phone them again. </p>