You can read my case at usacomplaints.com: "EXPEDIA.com EXPEDIA LIES, CHEATS ONLINE FRAUD". It was posted on 04-20.
My case is too gruesome in details that I decided to run a website (victimsofexpedia) to share my case all over the internet to alert travelers about how bad EXPEDIA is and how you can avoid being cheated.
This report is to share some details that can be useful to recover your money if EXPEDIA is trying to cheat you.
Although, my problem was with EXPEDIA most BAD online travel agencies are scamming travelers in the same way (by using a combination of poor customer support and lies). So, what I'm saying here could be applied to other companies too.
Few months ago, I recovered - after a long dispute - 1,254.95 U$D that EXPEDIA tried to keep in a fraudulent way.
The key to recover my money was that the service was paid by a credit card and I realized early that EXPEDIA was trying to cheat me. That allowed me to have plenty of evidence of how EXPEDIA lied to me and show to my credit card company.
Ask your credit card company to fight for you. It works!!! But remember, your word alone is not enough, you need to provide some evidence that it was EXPEDIA's fault. Otherwise, the credit card will probably do nothing.
I recovered the full amount of an airline ticket (1,254.95 U$D) EXPEDIA tried to steal from me. This is probably the only way you can recover money from EXPEDIA (or any ONLINE travel agency) without hiring a lawyer. Most credit card companies are powerful enough to recover money from bad companies because they prefer to keep customers and not be part of a fraud scheme. They know they can be sued by the cardholder if they are found to be part of a fraud scheme.
In order for this to work:
1) Never trust what an EXPEDIA agent, supervisor or customer advisor tell to you by phone. When you call EXPEDIA you will hear a voice telling you that "for quality purposes, your call might be recorded". This is a trick because you think that you are covered and that you might have a chance to use these recording in the future if you have to dispute something. The fact is that EXPEDIA will probably use those recording only if it is for EXPEDIA's benefit. Otherwise they will tell you "We random record conversations" and you will not have any chance to prove what someone from EXPEDIA told to you by phone.
2) If you have a recording machine try to record the conversation by yourself. I know this is of little use because few people have this kind of devices.in addition, EXPEDIA will put you on hold for hours before they actually talk to you. But if you have one, USE it from the beginning.
3) Ask confirmation by e-mail of anything EXPEDIA tells to you by phone. This is the only way you can have some document to fight at the legal level. Remember that most of the times the agents will tell you that they will send an e-mail to you but they are actually lying.
4) Never use the web-based e-mail system EXPEDIA provides in their "customer support" web page. You will not have any copy of the messages you sent to them by this system. Most of the times (if you are complaining about something) EXPEDIA will simply ignore your messages. More important, since you don't have a copy of the message you sent, EXPEDIA will probably deny receiving your messages.
5) Always contact EXPEDIA from an e-mail address that allows you to keep a copy of the message you sent to them (like yahoo, gmail)
6) Always try to talk to a "customer specialist advisor". This is the highest level you can reach at EXPEDIA. When you call for the first time an "agent or representative" will talk to you. According to my own experience, these agents or representative most of the times are not going to solve your problem and they will put you on hold for hours until you can talk to a "supervisor". This second level is also non useful since "supervisors" have almost no authority and they will put you again on hold for hours until you talk to a "customer advisor specialist". These specialists will try to do anything to keep your money. They will lie to you. They will deny information, they will tell you it is your fault. Even if you show to them evidence that EXPEDIA's employees at the lower level made the mistake, they will try to keep your money and they will tell you that "that is all EXPEDIA can do for you".in the best cases, they will reimburse part of the money they charged in your credit card (meaning EXPEDIA will try to steal the rest). They will give you a "coupon" (meaning that you have to spend more money using EXPEDIA if you want to use this coupon. Finally, if you still complain they will ignore you.
6) EXPEDIA most of the times will ignore you when you complain. Thus, try to keep save all messages you send to them.
I learnt all these after a bad experience using EXPEDIA and after reading hundreds of horrible stories from customers.
If you find this information useful, send this link (or copy and paste the text to your e-mail) to a friend (everybody travel and they can be cheated by EXPEDIA or other online travel agency) and ask your friend to send to another friend. If we start a chain we can alert millions of people and stop this kind of unethical business practice.
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