For an upcomig trip to Los Angeles, I found a decent offer on Orbitz: A return flight in United First Class sold as a Continental code share for $2800.-. I booked the flight, checked the seatmap, selected 1A and was happy. A few days later, I double checked departure times and found, to my great surprise, the reservation downgraded to business class. Now, $2800.- for business class is no deal at all. These seats are available for $1100 ($500 plus the equivalent of $600 in miles). I called Orbitz and asked for what seemed to me a no brainer - that the bait and switch be rectified: Either offer me the product you sold me or refund the transaction. It took three and half hours of meandering discussions until I got a supervisor to offer a refund, "pending approval by management". It's now three weeks later and I am still waiting for the "pending approval". My suggestion: Always book directly though the airline's website. At least you know what you are getting. And avoid Orbitz like the plague. They don't take responsibility for anything, not even their own blatantly misleading advertising.
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