1 reviews | Active since Aug 2023
Cheated and subjected to a humiliating experience using www.flightcenter.co.za
I used the online site www.flightcenter.co.za ( flight centre) to book flights from Cape Town to Boston for my wife and I. My reference number was LW7M9Y.
Whilst booking we sat side by side on our laptops to make the booking together using two different credit cards. We both selected the flight we wanted and then proceeded to payment. My flight payment went through fine. My wife's payment returned something like, "Flight no longer available". We were both in shock about what to do next.
In a panic my wife searched for the same flight but found it was not longer there. When we looked at the details we found that it was now available but more expensive - about R3500 more. We felt cheated but booked the flight LY78HP since my flight was booked already. I was intent on writing to share our unhappiness of being misled and cheated. How many others are being cheated like this?
This was however a much smaller issue. We then arrived on the day of our flight, 31st July to check in for our flight that was chartered to go from Cape Town to Amsterdam, then to France and then finally to Boston. The service desk at KLM took a long time trying to help us and finally discovered that we could not leave on our flights since my wife had no Schengen VISA. At no point in the booking process where we reminded that both a US and Schengen VISA will be required for the route. One would think a computer system could alert a passenger more reliably than a travel agent can since we were asked for citizenship.
We were taken to service attendants to help us book newer flights for the destination. After an hour of assistance we both had to pay in another R12000 approximately to fly from Cape Town to Amsterdam and then to Boston. We also could not leave the same day and had to return the next day for our flight. The inconvenience, the extra expense, the feeling of being cheated are what we are left with from our experience. We will never use flight centre again and encourage anyone who is considering them to think twice. We feel cheated and subjected to a shocking experience.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback and we've taken note of the concerns raised. Regrettably, availability cannot be guaranteed throughout the process of making the booking until the final confirmation is given by the system. The airlines have different classes of travel and when one is sold out the next available one will show on the system, and it would be at a higher cost from the airline. The availability of the seats and pricing is not within our control but lies with the respective airlines.
We completely understand your frustration with the 2 stops causing you to require an additional Schengen visa, however, we can confirm that before confirmation a note is made that visa requirements are to be checked and an additional link offered where this can be done.
We take your feedback very seriously and sincerely apologise for how these events left you feeling. Our Customer Experience team will reach out to you directly to discuss this.
~A.C
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback and we've taken note of the concerns raised. Regrettably, availability cannot be guaranteed throughout the process of making the booking until the final confirmation is given by the system. The airlines have different classes of travel and when one is sold out the next available one will show on the system, and it would be at a higher cost from the airline. The availability of the seats and pricing is not within our control but lies with the respective airlines.
We completely understand your frustration with the 2 stops causing you to require an additional Schengen visa, however, we can confirm that before confirmation a note is made that visa requirements are to be checked and an additional link offered where this can be done.
We take your feedback very seriously and sincerely apologise for how these events left you feeling. Our Customer Experience team will reach out to you directly to discuss this.
~A.C
When making a booking on our website you assume all responsibility that you have checked and confirmed all travel regulations and visa requirements prior to booking to ensure you will be permitted to travel. As an Online Support team, we assist in after-sales services such as making changes to existing bookings and assisting when there are cancellations. However, as part of the booking process, our system does provide prompts to our customers to remind them about the need to check and confirm travel regulations, as well as links to the most up-to-date travel information from SHERPA.
~C.M
When making a booking on our website you assume all responsibility that you have checked and confirmed all travel regulations and visa requirements prior to booking to ensure you will be permitted to travel. As an Online Support team, we assist in after-sales services such as making changes to existing bookings and assisting when there are cancellations. However, as part of the booking process, our system does provide prompts to our customers to remind them about the need to check and confirm travel regulations, as well as links to the most up-to-date travel information from SHERPA.
~C.M