In an attempt to save time and money, I logged onto Yahoo's travel site (Travelocity.com) to find the cheapest flights from Dayton, OH to Phoenix, AZ. With only 9 days in advance, I could not find anything cheaper than $600 from Dayton to Phoenix. The best option was a 1 hour and 20 minute drive to Indianapolis International Airport. After an hour of researching travel options, I found 3 tickets with United Airlines for $213.50 each, totaling $655.50.
This was a 7 hour non-direct flight with a change over in Charlotte, NC, but it was affordable. I booked 3 tickets with United Airlines from Indy to Phoenix, departing on Friday, April 18th, with a return date of Monday, April 21st, 2003. This trip was a surprise for my 11-year-old son. I was taking him and my wife to see my twin sister in Phoenix. He was ecstatic when I told him what we were doing for Easter since he had done so well with his grades in school.
The real surprise and nightmare came about 2 days before our departure date. A copy of my itinerary was sent to my email address. When I reviewed the travel dates, I found that there was an error with the return date. I had typed a return for May 21st instead of April 21st. I called Travelocity to plead my case. Apparently, when I was clicking the return dates, I still had the "month" box highlighted and accidentally rolled the mouse.
After I explained this honest mistake, Travelocity refused to cut me any slack. They said it would cost me a $130 fee per ticket to make any changes, in addition to the difference in cost at that time. To change my return date with the same airline, the service rep said it was going to cost me over $800. I argued that the amount for all 3 tickets cost only $655.50, so that was not even relevant. I asked, "There has got to be something you or someone can do to fix this problem?" He assured me that this was out of his hands and that it was United Airlines' policy to change a booked flight.
I asked what benefit it is for a customer to use your travel services. I explained that if I had just called United Airlines directly, this mistake would never have occurred. I asked if he could just cancel the flights and give me a refund. The service rep at Yahoo Travel could only apologize, saying there was nothing he could do. While talking with this service rep, using their website, I found a nonstop, one-way flight from Phoenix to Indy on the 21st of April with American Trans Airlines (ATA) that would only cost $170 per ticket.
Since I was already committed, I had him book me 3 more tickets with a different airline (ATA). This was still cheaper than the $800 he was going to charge to change the tickets with United. In conclusion, I attempted to speak with a supervisor, Sara, at Travelocity about this matter. Short of being rude, she was very unresponsive to my problem. I also called United to talk with them, and they would not touch the matter, saying it was not their problem.
The lesson learned: use Yahoo Travel as a tool for information, but when you decide on the airline or travel, call the airline directly. You can get the same tickets for the same price, and if a mistake is made on their part, they will fix it without charging you an arm and a leg.
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