1 reviews | Active since Apr 2022
R 1000.00 COVID19 Security product paid with ZERO help of Travelstart
In the wake of the COVID pandemy, Travelstart is probably the worst online travel agent you can come across and the number of bad reviews on this platform seems to be only the tip of the iceberg. It is a fact, that with online travel agents, trying to save money, you get what you pay for and in my case I got even less. February 2020, Travelstart booking of Business Class tickets to Brazil via Angola on TAAG. COVID19 outbreak happened as what made travelling impossible. Flights cancelled, tickets suspended. Travelstart assures me not to worry and sells me a so called COVID Security for close to 1000 Rand for 2 PAX: Hi Christoph, No problem at all, you can contact me at any time with regards to your booking. For your peace of mind, we can add the COVID 19 SECURITY product at R399 per person which provides you with personalised support in the event that any portion of your air travel has been cancelled due to the COVID 19. Travelstart will engage with the relevant airline on your behalf in order to expedite the refund process. If needed we will also assist to make a new booking for you and get you to your destination. If you would like to have this added then please let me know. Regards, Keshia Williams - Travelstart Live Agent
January 2022, things started to normalize and I considered using the tickets still valid, suspended until August 2022. TAAG announced Rebookings and Refunds would be possible. The nightmare of blame games and sending me from pillar to post started. First of all, Travelstart would not attend to my queries, was almost impossible to contact and claimed they would not have access to that old tickets and that I would have to contact TAAG directly. TAAG from the beginning asked me for a breakdown of the ticket costing, an information apparently only Travelstart would have as they were issuing the tickets. Not being assisted by any of the two, I contacted the Airlines Association of Southern Africa AASA who immediately directed TAAG to try and resolve the issue. Before, I was sent within TAAG from pillar to post having submitted the Travelstart tickets *** and new travel dates. Ms Julian Sibeko, TAAG Reservation Manager got the ball rolling however had no luck either getting any assistance from Travelstart. Imagine paying R 1000 for a seemingly ********** COVID19 Security product and getting ZERO assistance in return. Eventually, I, the customer provided TAAG with a Creditcard bank statement, showing what I paid TAAG for the tickets which assisted them to finalize a rebooking. In conclusion: AASA triggered much appreciated action taken by TAAG. Unfortunately Travelstart is no longer a member of ASATA where I could have complained about their bad business practice and therefore has no credibility whatsoever for me within the travel industry. See here what Wendy Knowler, a well known consumer journalist wrote in 2012: https://www.asata.co.za/online-travel-agents-you-get-what-you-pay-for/ To Travelstart: No response necessary, this plane has left!
Thank you for reaching out to us.
Please note that I have checked the booking and received the email correspondence from Julian. We have the desired dates you would like to travel on in June and the team has received the expired ticket information as we have purged the booking to obtain the fare and taxes in order to assist you. I am very sorry that it has taken this long to obtain a response and assistance from us. I have handed the booking to the relevant team and they will email you with the desired information within the next 24 Hours and I am sure we can conclude this request.
Kind Regards,
Melissa
Thank you for reaching out to us.
Please note that I have checked the booking and received the email correspondence from Julian. We have the desired dates you would like to travel on in June and the team has received the expired ticket information as we have purged the booking to obtain the fare and taxes in order to assist you. I am very sorry that it has taken this long to obtain a response and assistance from us. I have handed the booking to the relevant team and they will email you with the desired information within the next 24 Hours and I am sure we can conclude this request.
Kind Regards,
Melissa
No need for further action by Travelstart unless you want to pay back 2 x R 399.00, exkl. VaT I paid on 17.3.2020 for a COVID19 SECURITY add on with Travelstart assuring me to deal directly with TAAG in case I wanted a refund or a rebooking done. My dates we wanted to travel were communicated several times to Travelstart and TAAG more than a month ago but despite the COVID19 Security you were neither assisting me nor TAAG. Julian of TAAG finally could assist us with a rebooking after I could provide her with a bank statement and the amounts I paid to TAAG via Travelstart for the two tickets. Your team should rather concentrate now on other clients who are desperately trying to get services they paid for from you. For us, Travelstart is history and will play no role in our future travel plans.
No need for further action by Travelstart unless you want to pay back 2 x R 399.00, exkl. VaT I paid on 17.3.2020 for a COVID19 SECURITY add on with Travelstart assuring me to deal directly with TAAG in case I wanted a refund or a rebooking done. My dates we wanted to travel were communicated several times to Travelstart and TAAG more than a month ago but despite the COVID19 Security you were neither assisting me nor TAAG. Julian of TAAG finally could assist us with a rebooking after I could provide her with a bank statement and the amounts I paid to TAAG via Travelstart for the two tickets. Your team should rather concentrate now on other clients who are desperately trying to get services they paid for from you. For us, Travelstart is history and will play no role in our future travel plans.