On March 28th, I attempted to use Orbitz to book airline tickets for Fla in August. The first time I tried my credit card, it was denied. I tried to use another card and it was denied also. I then exited the website and went to Southwest airlines and purchased tickets on my own without any problem using my original card. To my alarm two days later I saw that Orbitz charged my card anyway and sent a confirmation email. I find it puzzling that I never even saw a confirmation at all. It only had a red message at the top of the screen that said the purchase could not be completed. I also find it suspicious that it took two days for a charge to show when the other purchase was showing up immediately. Orbitz has been very unhelpful. They claim that they can not refund me because it is the airlines rules and they can only give me a credit. I argued that they had no right to charge me when the purchase was not completed. I never made it past the credit screen. It is also suspicious that you have to sign an agreement to their terms before you even enter payment information. They claimed that an IT person looked into it and determined that only the first card was rejected but the second card was approved. I asked to see the IT records showing my attempts but have not heard back yet. I even have a witness that was there when both pruchases were denied. As a matter of fact he was the one who suggested going to a better site. I also have my bank investigating the incident. It just seems to me that Orbitz is trying to wash their hands of any responsibility and is trying to blame the airline for the charges. Now I have a feeling I may have to take even more time off from work to argue with them as well.
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