Like many other people out there, I recently booked a round-trip Alaska Airlines ticket through Travelocity.com. Unfortunately, my grandmother's condition (she was terminally ill) took a turn for the worse and I had to fly home earlier than my original flight date.
I called the Travelocity customer service hotline in order to discuss my options with one of the customer service representatives. She informed me that I could change my flight for a fee. We discussed several different flights and prices, as well as the option of simply purchasing a one-way ticket. I was informed that it would be fine to buy a one-way ticket, and (specifically) that I could still use my round-trip ticket to return. Furthermore, I was informed that I could get miles unused credited to my account.
I told the representative that I would like to consult some more options and would call back. She never mentioned fines or fees or ticket cancellations at all. Later, based on the information I was given, I purchased a one-way ticket for approximately $200. My grandmother passed away about 9 hours after I flew in, and during the preparations for the funeral and everything else, I did not have another chance to call customer service again.
Suffice it to say that when I did finally call customer service (about two weeks later) to ask about crediting my unused ticket, I was extremely suprised to find out that my round-trip ticket had been cancelled entirely. The fact that Travelocity wanted to charge me an additional fee to re-book a ticket that I had already booked was just insult on top of injury. Of course, even that wouldn't have made me as angry as it did if I had been told that immediately.
Instead, the first representative I spoke to that day, kept me on hold for about 60 minutes, often asking questions that made me question if she even understood what I was talking about.
Over one and half hours later (less than 10 minutes of which I was actually speaking with anyone), I was finally transferred to a supervisor who immediately began blaming me for the situation. And, I quote "If you had just called in before the flight none of this would have happened. You still would have been charged a fee, of course."
I'm sorry, but was I supposed to call Travelocity during my grandmother's funeral or when I was taking care of my grieving parents? She then proceeded to quote me
Travelocity policy, and even agreed that that customer representative was in the wrong, and yet said it was something I was going to have to pay for or something I would have to take up with Alaska.
May I ask why Alaska Airlines or I should pay for misinformation from one of Travelocity's representatives?
I have worked in customer service before, I know what it's like to face angry customers on the telephone, and I also know that it is the job of the representative to do what they can and at least TRY to work with the customer, it is definitely NOT the job of a customer rep to try and shift the customer off to someone else, blame the customer outright, or basicalkly tell the customer "you're just trying to get money but you're not going to get anything, so stop trying." I was frustrated and upset when this SUPERVISOR got on the phone, but I was in tears by time she sent me to re-booking some 2 hours later.
Re-booking, it turned out, was another customer representative who charged me $194 and, I was assured quite gleefully, possibly more if the rate changed between the time I booked and the actual flight. Now, I am a business woman too, and I expect to be taken advantage of to a certain extent. That's how companies make money, after all. However, being charged an extra $500 on top of a $300 ticket to someone because they need to get home to see a loved one pass away. That's unconscionable.
It isn't just unconscionable, that's not even human. Travelocity made an already heart-rending and stress-filled situation for me that much more of a hellish nightmare. Moreover, they're not even working with me so I can resolve this and put it behind me quickly. I've nearly given up expecting anything in the way of a refund as I can't even seem to contact them again.
Anyways, my frustration has found me to this site, where I'm hoping my post will stop at least a few people from using their services and helping keep such horrible folks in business. I know for a fact that I will never book with Travelocity again. Seriously, book directly with the airlines if you can help it, and with Expedia or a travel agent if you can't. The gnome is NOT friendly. Travelocity is EVIL.
G
Glendale, California
U.S.A.
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