1 reviews | Active since May 2013
Distraught, Depressed Customer
I am extremely distraught as we booked flights and due to our visas not been granted we have to cancel our flights. However the flights costs R26K and after contacting travel start which is way before 48 hours they can only refund me a measly R9k and to top it off i must first pay an admin refund fee of R800 to activate the refund, and to change dates or destination i must pay R23k extra per person!!! I am not a wealthy person and basically all my savings is gone. I trusted travelstart to assist people like me but instead they rather pocket the R17k and make the consumer the loser in the end.They wont even compromise and see how they can help their customers facing dilemmas like these. I trusted travelstart and going forward i will not be making any more purchases via this site and i will inform all my relatives and friends.I have been a loyal customer, travelstart you can check my history. Instead of helping, you send your customers into depression!
Hi there Zeerena,
I want to firstly start by saying thank you so very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write to us, about your experience.
As we do try to be customer centric and although there was a delay I do wish you would accept my apologies. Although not a resolution to your query or an excuse, we are sometimes limited to the airlines fare rules and conditions of the ticket purchased. If you looked at the email with the quotes on them you would see that Travelstart has a minor admin fee for example pertaining to the refund Travelstart's admin fee there is 800 zar as a posed to the airlines penalty of 3266. We are restricted to airlines fare conditions as we are indeed just a Travel agency.
Further we do have a product which is proactively offered on our website in case of events like this as we understand that people save in order to go on trips such as your self. The product I'm referring to is: https://www.travelstart.co.za/lp/products-services/visa-denied - You opted not to have this product, this product would have entitled you to a full refund of airfare and taxes should your visa have been denied.
Your feedback is however key as this will help us better understand the clients perspective. I do also sincerely regret to hear that you were dissatisfied with the service provided by us.
Kind regards,
Dino at Travelstart
Hi there Zeerena,
I want to firstly start by saying thank you so very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write to us, about your experience.
As we do try to be customer centric and although there was a delay I do wish you would accept my apologies. Although not a resolution to your query or an excuse, we are sometimes limited to the airlines fare rules and conditions of the ticket purchased. If you looked at the email with the quotes on them you would see that Travelstart has a minor admin fee for example pertaining to the refund Travelstart's admin fee there is 800 zar as a posed to the airlines penalty of 3266. We are restricted to airlines fare conditions as we are indeed just a Travel agency.
Further we do have a product which is proactively offered on our website in case of events like this as we understand that people save in order to go on trips such as your self. The product I'm referring to is: https://www.travelstart.co.za/lp/products-services/visa-denied - You opted not to have this product, this product would have entitled you to a full refund of airfare and taxes should your visa have been denied.
Your feedback is however key as this will help us better understand the clients perspective. I do also sincerely regret to hear that you were dissatisfied with the service provided by us.
Kind regards,
Dino at Travelstart
Hi there again Zeerena,
Indeed when a booking is done payment needs to be made immediately so that we can secure the fare for our clients. As to the 6 to 8 weeks refund turn around that is a standardised refund period as the money needs to be refunded from the airline direct. This needs to be processed from their side and all airlines are different and have different refund windows. Once the money is refunded by the airline it then generally takes about 7 to 10 banking days to clear into your account, this is why we advise 6 to 8 weeks.
Pertaining to the admin fee I wanted to confirm if it the fee itself you are unhappy with or the amount of the refund that you will be getting back?
Kind regards,
Dino at Travelstart
Hi there again Zeerena,
Indeed when a booking is done payment needs to be made immediately so that we can secure the fare for our clients. As to the 6 to 8 weeks refund turn around that is a standardised refund period as the money needs to be refunded from the airline direct. This needs to be processed from their side and all airlines are different and have different refund windows. Once the money is refunded by the airline it then generally takes about 7 to 10 banking days to clear into your account, this is why we advise 6 to 8 weeks.
Pertaining to the admin fee I wanted to confirm if it the fee itself you are unhappy with or the amount of the refund that you will be getting back?
Kind regards,
Dino at Travelstart
I see this was actioned yesterday already. The admin fee, albeit different is imposed by all agencies whether it be it be for a refund or a reissue. This is because the agency you booked through has to obtain the refund on your behalf, all agencies have specific services that need be covered hence the need for admin fees.
Again we sorry that you feel dissatisfied with the service provided by us, but we do wish you all the best in the near future and happy travels.
Warm regards,
Dino at Travelstart
I see this was actioned yesterday already. The admin fee, albeit different is imposed by all agencies whether it be it be for a refund or a reissue. This is because the agency you booked through has to obtain the refund on your behalf, all agencies have specific services that need be covered hence the need for admin fees.
Again we sorry that you feel dissatisfied with the service provided by us, but we do wish you all the best in the near future and happy travels.
Warm regards,
Dino at Travelstart