In February, I purchased an online booking from CheapOAir for a roundtrip ticket to Paris from Seattle for a flight for April 1st. On the 29th of February, I called the SAS and United Airlines to confirm my ticket. A three day check-in was recommended by CheapOAir per the booking guidelines. SAS / United Airlines informed me that their was no flight confirmed for that day and that I should inform ChaepOAir of the problem so they could rebook me on another flight. After 10 or so conversations with their Indian Call Center begging them to not ruin my vacation and put me on another flight, CheapOAir issued me me a e-ticket number for a flight for the evening on April 3rd. CheapOAir then sent me a e-mail with the new dates for the booking. The flight was confirmed on the SAS website. On the 2nd of April, the CheapOAir Indian Call Center called my cell phone and left me a message to inform me that my flight for the 3rd of April was not confirmed as the booking stated in the e-mail they sent. Immediately, I called CheapOAir back to see what happened and was informed that I had no flight to begin with and that they were going to cancel my booking with a reduced refund ($200.00 dollars less of the $674.00 I had paid) This company did this twenty four hours before before I was planning to leave for a six week vacation. CheapOAir excuse for this action was that it was the airlines fault and that they have no liability for their action in the matter. CheapOAir even started to state that I had cause the problem and it was my responsibility to work with the airlines to get me the flight I needed and that CheapOAir was only there to book the flight even if no flight was ever booked or confirmed. I requested a e-mail from the company to state what happened and that what refund I would be receiving. No e-mail as of yet and I still have a booking on a Apr 3rd flight still on there website. I have no flight thus ending my vacation with no tickets to my destination. This company ruined four months of good planning and a time window that I cannot makeup for at least two years. The next best window for my trip will be 2011. Because of this, I lost $300.00 in non-refundable rail tickets because I could not reach my destination in Europe.
Issues:
A) The Indian Call Center had long wait times to just get to talk to a customer service representative. (waited two hours for one call)
B) None of the Indian representatives seemed concerned that I had no flight and their non caring attitude made it seem that they were only interested in getting as much money out of me by trying to rebook my flight or giving me a reduced refund.
C) Several of the representatives could not communicate English in a clear and concise matter thus making any kind of verbal interaction immpossible.
D) Refusal to communicate in a written format - Had to beg for them to send me something in writing for anything.
E) Unable to alert me of any changes of my ongoing flight problem - Unwillingness to help or care if I got a flight.
F) Ask for a supervisor several times - Was given different names for the same person who had spoken to us before - Was told that his name was Jack one time and presented himself as another person the next day.
G) CheapOair disconnected my call five times during the week trying to resolve my flight status and twice in a online chat to resolve my problem.
H) The insurance I had purchased for the flight sold on the CheapOAir website does not cover me if CheapOAir was fraudulence in their actions to not provide me a ticket.
I) Would not provide a USA phone number to talk to a American Speaker to help resolve my flight issues.
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