(169) Comments on Expedia Dot SCAM?
I warned Expedia about this. Now I'm taking my story here, and next to the L.A. Times and East Coast. I booked my package through Expedia and they charged me just over $1,000.00 for my 5 night stay in the Bahama's. At check-out, the Westinn Hotel gave me my hotel bill which was only slightly over $600.00. I paid that bill via my credit card. I called Expedia and told them I needed a refund on my Expedia charge of $1,047.00 due to the fact that I paid the Hotel directly. About $300-$400.00 less. Expedia told me I wasn't suppose to see that bill. They wouldn't refund my money. They called the Hotel and had the hotel take the charge off of my card so Expedia could reap the profits. I recommend using any other service at this point. They lead you to believe that you're getting a great deal when in reality, they are turning huge profits off of us-the consumers.
Comments by Mark : Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at 01:10 PM
I also had a horrible experience using EXPEDIA. Read my case in my website:
http://www.victimsofexpedia.com
Regards
Comments by John : Tuesday, September 05, 2006 at 05:55 PM
Expedia sucks and makes false advertisement.
Do a search for Air Canada.
What pops-up at the top of the page is the paid-for banner of Expedia, advertising the best rates and the best savings. That is shit and lies.
I was able to book the very same flight, one-way, from Vancouver to Montreal for January 8 2007 and saving over 25% by booking directly with Air Canada.
Expedia's supposedly best price was $516, but as soon as you clicked book now or next page, the price had changed to $527.
I was able to book the same flight for $419.41 all the extra taxes and fees included.
So, before booking anything with Expedia I suggest that you do some footwork, if you don't want to be shafted.
Michel, Coquitlam BC
Comments by Michel : Wednesday, January 03, 2007 at 02:31 AM
I recently booked a flight from DC to Iowa to visit my family for the holidays.
I reserved and purchased my flight 3 weeks before my trip. I was sent a confirmation email immediately after purchase as well as a second confirmation email the day before.
To my surprise when I arrived at the airport the airline told me that I had a reservation, but no ticket. I called Expedia with confirmation emails in hand, confident that they would sort everything out. I was on hold for 1 HOUR AND EIGHT MINUTES before speaking to anyone.
When I finally spoke to the rep. they told me "Sorry, we were not able to give you a ticket....we will refund the money to your credit card." I explained that I had confirmation emails and had already paid. I just need to get on the flight. The rep said sometimes Expedia sells tickets that don't exist. I was dumbfounded. I asked for to speak to a supervisor. They told me sorry....but that's the way the company works.
I can't explain how angry I was. The way this company operates is unethical and unacceptable
I told the rep I needed to go home for Christmas and could he please assist me finding another flight. I was placed on hold for ANOTHER 27 MINUTES!!
The rep came back and told me that he found a flight the next morning for $1200 and how would I like to pay for that. I told him it was not my mistake that his company had messed up. He told me "Sorry, but there is nothing I can do."
They offered me a $100 hotel voucher that can only be used for an Expedia Super Saver Vacation...actual value= $0
Luckily, I found my own flight they next day for $800 less that Expedia quoted me. I really appreciated having Expedia sell me a non-existent ticket and then leave me stranded at the airport and then finish off by trying to con me into purchasing a last minute ticket at an exorbitant rate.
I will never do business with this company again.
Comments by Jennifer Byers : Sunday, January 14, 2007 at 07:44 PM
I just had a major issue with expedia too!!!! I had booked a package to the Bahamas about 2 months ago. Got my itinerary that said I was staying the Sheraton on Grand Bahama and I would fly into Georgetown (GCM). Me assuming that everything is OK I load my girlfriend and my son onto the plane to find myself in Grand Cayman not Grand Bahama. It turns out that GCM stands for Grand Cayman!. So they stop me in immigration at the Caymans and I call Expedia. Well talk about useless. They told me I should have checked the Itinerary!!!! How was I supposed to know GCM stood for Grand Cayman. They told me that if I wanted to go to the Bahamas I would have to pay for the flight!!! So basically I have to pay for their mistake. All they did was cancel my Hotel in the Bahamas and credit my card.
I then tried to find a Hotel in the Caymens. So I am sitting in the Airport and Expedia are recommending Hotels which I do not have any idea about. Luckily for me the Manager at Delta airlines was a doll (Marva) she told me to stay at the Marriott beach resort. So I told Expedia to get me in that Hotel. They came back and told me it had no availability, so I called them on my own and found out they had plenty of rooms available. Expedia then explained that they could not get a room!!! I finally just booked the room on my own.
The people at immigration said that the same thing happened to two other couples in the previous week...the exact same thing. I think that someone at expedia is getting a kick back to send people to the Caymens. The Island was still recovering from Hurricane Ivan, and although the waters were beautiful and the people were nice half the island was still wrecked and rebuilding.
Then Hurricane Dean made an appearance and headed for the Caymans and although we left on our regular flight, the airport was a complete nightmare. I have never seen such poor organization in my life. The authorities who run that place should be run off the island. I could go on and on about the airport alone but thats another story.
Suffice it to say...Thanks Expedia you made my son's first trip to the carribean a real horror story. The scary part was they just couldn't care less. They had my money for the flight and there wasn't much I could do stranded in the caymens.
So I got screwed.
Comments by Erik Langelius : Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 03:14 PM
OK you guys are all idiots. Let me explain how the travel business actually works and then I'll call the waaaaambulance. First of all, Mr. Evan Roberts, the Expedia lady did NOT say "I'm sorry sir we had to change your flight to the evening flight." You know why? Because the AIRLINE is the one who changed your flight time, because that's what airlines do, everyday, all the damn time, Delta in particular. You would have had the same problem had you booked with the airline directly. Then, you know why the price changed when you were trying to book your other flight? Because the airline happened to be on our website at the same time you were updating the price. That's why it clearly says on the website that airfare and hotel rates can change hourly. I've seen them change in the span of a 5 minute phone call.
Mark: $600.00 is not what you would have paid the hotel had they actually done their job. That rate is a GROUP rate for big companies like Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity for buying 1000's of rooms. Just because the front desk clerk happened to be an idiot and gave you Expedia's receipt doesn't entitle you to a rate for one room that you should only get if you booked 100. If the reservation was prepaid, and you agreed to the rate, then you should be GLAD that the Expedia agent was nice enough to get an extra $600 off of your credit card!
Michel: Kind of can't help it if Air Canada lowers the airfare on their website to where it beats Expedia's. That's why you comparison shop online when you travel. If Air Canada got you a better rate direct, good for you. Be happy about that instead of whining about Expedia over something they have ZERO control over. (Since when did "when in doubt, blame Canada become "when in doubt, blame Expedia?")
Jennifer Byers: Just like Evan Roberts, you make up things said to you by an Expedia agent or don't listen. Once again, it would have been the AIRLINE who overbooked their flight, not Expedia! If Expedia is not informed about this by the airline, then what happened to you getting stuck at the airport is the end result. I'm sure the agent you called was just as dumbfounded as you were about you not having a ticket considering the airline didn't have the courtesy to contact Expedia to inform the passenger that they oversold the flight. But once again, Expedia's fault for someone else mistake. Oh and a $100 hotel voucher is worth $100, you're just bitter.
Erik Langelius: It IS your fault for thinking that GCM wasn't Grand Cayman. But hey, it's easier to blame some poor Customer Care agent on the phone than to take responsibility for you own stupidity. That is NOT "their mistake," it was YOURS. And just because the Marriott Beach Resort had rooms available direct doesn't mean that Expedia does. As explained on the website (clear that no one in this blog ever bothered to read), Expedia is given an allocation of rooms at a hotel on a prepaid basis. So guess what Erik? If we were given 20 rooms and our 20 were sold out, then we can't sell you a room even if the hotel has 50 left, because they didn't give any of them to us to sell. Your time could be better spent telling the hotel that if they do such good business with Expedia, then allocate them more hotel rooms. Nah, it's easier to whine on this blog than to think about ways to improve service for others.
So folks, all of you need to learn to read "terms & conditions" on a website, LISTEN to a Customer Care agent when YOU call into THEM seeking assistance, and learn to take responsibility for your own mistakes instead of bitching about the travel company you made the decision to book with. What's sad is that the 6 of you who posted comments on here probably think you're going to impact Expedia's business in some way. Let's see here... millions of satisfied Expedia customers every year vs. 6 whiners. I'll take my chances on the big greedy corporation!
Comments by Team Expedia : Tuesday, September 04, 2007 at 07:16 AM
Wow, I think Team Expedia's post tells us EVERYTHING we need to know about "customer service" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) at that company.
Thanks to all those who posted their horror stories!
Comments by ChrisJ : Tuesday, September 04, 2007 at 12:10 PM
I too had an expedia nightmare. They sent my ticket to the wrong address. They would not send me an e-ticket and actually didn't require a signature so Fedex left the envelope on a NYC sidewalk and expected me to find it when I came home. When I complained to Expedia, they first agreed to replace the ticket, then the song and dance happened. They wanted me to buy a second ticket and wait to get reimbursed for their lost ticket.
I wouldn't give them permission, but they did it anyway, illegally charging my credit card. I wound up missing my flight (having to take a later one) and was unable to pay for my hotel room because of the extra charge. Will never use them again and will tell everybody just how bad they are.
Comments by Tigerd : Tuesday, September 04, 2007 at 02:43 PM
Heee hee... that's so funny. This Expedia-favouring person comes in an bitch-slaps all the whiners in one blow. Hilarious.
There will always be big corporations ripping 'little people' off, just as there will always be moaning misfits that never take the blame (very often Americans, since taught to complain if not content from an early age).
Expedia may very well have under-paid staff with bad attitude and slim-to-none customer skills, but the other extreme is of course the bitching American from hell, who 'is always right'.
Thanks for the laugh.
Comments by Yebo : Thursday, September 06, 2007 at 03:52 AM
Heee hee... that's so funny. This Expedia-favouring person comes in an bitch-slaps all the whiners in one blow. Hilarious.
There will always be big corporations ripping 'little people' off, just as there will always be moaning misfits that never take the blame (very often Americans, since taught to complain if not content from an early age).
Expedia may very well have under-paid staff with slim-to-none customer skille, but the other extreme is the bitching American from hell who 'is always right'.
Thanks for the laugh.
Comments by Yebo : Thursday, September 06, 2007 at 03:54 AM
Predictable lame responses to my post, along with more whining and not listening to Customer Care. Yebo you're absolutely right about the "moaning misfits" that don't understand that people are responsible for their own actions, but just so you know, Expedia's pay and benefits are actually very solid and I happen to have very GOOD Customer Service skills thank you very much! I admit I would have probably handled the whiners incidents a little more professionally, although I'm sure these people would still have something to complain about.
Tigerd, Expedia has no control over whether or not the airline requires that you have a paper ticket or if they will send an electronic ticket. A paper ticket is shipped only to the address that YOU provide, Expedia wouldn't have had a wrong address if you hadn't GIVEN THE WRONG ADDRESS! I guess the next accusation will be "Expedia opens the phone book and finds random addresses to ship tickets to." Come on, dude. Admit that YOU screwed up and gave Expedia the wrong address.
Chris J., if there is any problem with Expedia customer service, it's because the Customer Care agents are burnt out from having to deal with stupid people like the ones who have posted here, who prove that they don't listen to the people who are trying to help them. It is so damn frustrating that people CALL IN TO US for our help but yet are all Mr. & Ms. Know It Alls while we're trying to do the best we can to resolve their issue. I have learned that people have a genuine lack of listening skills and no sense of respecting someone that they are asking to help them. If everyone is such experts, why call-in? Oh yeah... it's because they're NOT experts, WE ARE. For every half dozen complaints like there are on this website, there are thousands of issues resolved daily by the hard work of Expedia agents. So Chris J, get over yourself, and find a way to use your time more effectively than by coming on to a blog like this and encourage people to keep whining and bitching, particularly when you don't even say what your own beef is with the company.
Comments by Team Expedia : Friday, September 07, 2007 at 02:29 PM
Don't ever use expedia
1. service rep are horrible (non of them can speak english and they like to give you a run-a-round)
2. they like FEES (so they will charge you for anything that you want to change)
3. manager is never there. So you can never talk to an upper management.
I would rather pay $100 extra than going through all these head ache with them.
Expedia DOT SCAM!
Comments by Jason : Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at 02:35 PM
I booked a package deal to Las Vegas for $599 CA. 3 nights stay, four days,at New York New York, which included 2 for 1 to the Il Fornio Restaurant, 2 for 1 To the Fine nine Irishman Pub (meals and drinks), among a ticket to Zumanity and a couple other perks. I noticed after I selected this package and by the time everything was finalized and paid for there was nothing on my iternerary about the "extras" that made this package such a great deal. I leave on Tuesday and as of today i have spent a total of 3 hours on hold. I have spoken to two seperate managers who told me there is nothing they can do as they don't keep track of the "deals" and unless i fax them the web page with the offer, there was nothing they could do. (Which does not exist anymore because the deal expired. Does anyone have that page showing the package for New York New York? PLEASE e mail me if you do!! I'm going to prove to these jerks that this was what i paid for and what i expect!!
Comments by Tanis : Sunday, September 16, 2007 at 07:01 PM
Well here I am again! Straightening everybody out!
Jason, only a fraction of Expedia reps are of foreign decent. The majority are right here in the good 'ol U.S. of A, including myself. Last time I think I speak (and write!) English pretty well. Your "Fees for everything" claim doesn't hold water b/c you don't even outline what you were charged fees for. I bet I know... necessary fees from the airline or simple fees for a hotel booking that YOU AGREED TO when you booked the reservation! If you don't agree with the policies, don't book the reservation! And finally, I always have a Supervisor or Lead Agent available, so if they are not there you can leave a voice mail and they will call you back within 24 hours. If you would allow the first person you speak to to actually help you, you probably wouldn't need management anyway!
Tanis: First real, legitimate problem I've seen on this website. You might contact the hotel because the promotion might be through them, as an incentive to you for booking their hotel on Expedia instead of their competition. A lot of Vegas hotel-casinos do this with "food credits". The hotel is the one actually offering the promo on Expedia. It's a shame that the deal expired b/c if you had something to fax in showing the promo, a supervisor could definitely help you. But try calling the hotel.
Comments by Team Expedia : Monday, September 17, 2007 at 04:40 PM
I received notice from Expedia.ca that they had received notice from the airline that the departure time for a flight had changed. This was six days ago and to date, my itinerary online has not been updated. Also last week, I sent three E-mails to customer service, and have yet to receive a reply to any of them. This despite the fact that their website says I will receive a reply within 24 hours. So much for customer service. I tried the phone, but after navigating the menu, I get a message that my call cannot be completed, or am put on hold for over an hour. I have had no problems with Expedia in the past, until now. What gives? Is there a labour dispute or something?
Comments by Robert : Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 04:27 PM
Robert... just getting out of a peak travel season. No reason hold time should be an hour but may be a while... call 1-800-EXPEDIA.
Comments by Team Expedia : Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 02:14 AM
Expedia is a horrible company. I made the mistake in booking a flight and having to cancel it within 7 hours and they wouldn't give me a refund after I realized my mistake. They're quick to take your money in a few hours but want to take months in giving the money back to you. I've already filed a complaint with the attorney generals of Texas and CA.
My situation basically amounts to fraud and theft. Expedia is just trying to use the same excuses that the airlines give to people when they provide poor service but fortunately they're not protected by federal laws. Expedia is a service, they don't run anything...as a service oriented company, they should be the first to treat their customers like gold. Now that airlines realize the crap Expedia pulls, they're setting things up so you don't need Expedia anymore to buy tickets at decent prices. It's best to buy directly from the airlines now rather than deal with online travel agencies like travelocity/Expedia/Orbitz. HELP CLOSE BUSINESSES LIKE EXPEDIA DOWN! BUY TICKETS DIRECTLY FROM THE AIRLINES ONLINE.
Comments by Roy : Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 09:57 PM
My god, I can't help but laugh at the stupid complaints you people have!!!I am a loyal customer of expedia and I NEVER had a bad experience with them. You know why? because I LISTEN to their explanation if I have problems. Maybe thats what you people should also do. Roy, do not blame expedia for the mistake that you made. Of course when you book, money will be taken out of your account. If there would be a refund, a process would have to be undergone. There are also some airlines with a NO-VOID policy (meaning no refund)- so if refund wouln't be given, BLAME THE AIRLINES.
"Now that airlines realize the crap Expedia pulls, they're setting things up so you don't need Expedia anymore to buy tickets at decent prices." <<<---- are you kidding me? can you name an airline who backed out from business with expedia because of your so-called scam?
Again, another "moaning misfit" that never take the blame ...tsk tsk tsk
Comments by Monica : Friday, September 21, 2007 at 01:20 PM
I have just tried to book 2 flights from Glasgow to Las Palmas on the 1st of
October returning on the 8th of October 2007, I was advised there were flights available, i then proceeded to book the flights but was advised after a few minutes "We are unable to complete your booking at this time, please try later".
I then decided to try another website, i found 2 flights available on
www.lastminute.com, when i went to book the flights my payment was declined,
i have enough funds in my account so i called my bank, They advised there was a hold on funds for £448.00, so i called
Expedia (10p per minute)as i assumed the flights may have been booked. I spoke to a young lady who advised the flights were not booked as they are no longer available and that the payment was put on hold from my account before confirmation that the flights were available.
I want to know how they can put a hold on funds when no transaction has taken
place, the young lady also advised it can take up to 7 days for the funds of
£448 to be released which means i now cannot book the flights with
www.lastminute.com
I am absolutely disgusted with their business process, don't touch them with a barge pole.
p.s. I'm still waiting for a reply to my e-mail i sent them! + the flights i tried to book are still showing up on Expeida as available. A total waste of space!!!!
Comments by mike fyfe : Saturday, September 22, 2007 at 05:57 AM
Well, this definitely was useful in deciding whether or not I wanted to use expedia for my next vacation. More horror stories for the list, along with the link to http://www.mouthshut.com/product-reviews/Expedia.com-925035233.html provided by the wikipedia entry.
Seems as if Expedia customer's service is also exemplified by "Team Expedia's" insulting responses here. Demeaning customers? Not only is it unprofessional, it's unwarrented here. After all, how are customers idiots for not knowing the inner workings of an online travel agent? You know, good customer service goes a long way. Just look at the mistake Audi made in 1986 in response to false allegations. (A textbook case on crisis management.) Now I'm not even saying that Expedia has the luxury of calling its shortcomings "false", but even if it did, not letting the customer win is a stupid thing to do. And blatantly disrepecting them even more stupid.
In short, you're the idiot, Team Expedia.
Comments by aidepxE maeT : Saturday, September 22, 2007 at 11:15 PM
I have recently had very bad experience with Expedia.ca customer service.
On September 1, I booked a return flight to Brussels on Expedia, for October 20 - 24, at a cost of $1850. This week I saw a price of under $1000 for flights to the same destination, same dates!
I have tried to call Expedia to ge tinformation about the cost of canceling my easrlier reservations at their 1-888 number at least four times, waiting over a half hour each time before hanging up in disgust. I also left three messages on the e0mail reply which promises a repl;y within 24 hours, and have had no reply in four days!
I'm not sure how Team Expedia can justify this lack of reasonable customer service. I just want an answer!
Comments by George Teather : Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 10:45 AM
George, the number to call Expedia is not 1-888. It's 1-800-EXPEDIA.
Roy, read my earlier posts. The no-refund policy is that of the AIRLINE, not Expedia!! Get through your thick skull that airlines have strict policies and the chances are nil that you get a refund from an airline or from the company you booked the airline through because THEY will not refund Expedia or YOU. Book the right flight the first time, and don't blame a travel company for you own mistake or the policies of an airline!
Now, aidepxE maeT or whatever your ridiculous handle is. (Not as ridiculous as your unoriginal response of calling ME an idiot.) I'm not asking anyone to "know the inner workings of an online travel agent." I'm asking that people use common sense before they book something. I'm asking people to realize that 9 times out of 10 the problem is caused by an airline or hotel, not Expedia. I'm asking that people LISTEN to Customer Care agents when they call in to the Customer Care department wanting help. There are no false allegations being made Expedia or by customers on this website. (Expedia doesn't come close to your Audi example in ANY way). It's all just a result of people not using common sense and not hearing the answer they want when they call in to Customer Care. So no, person with goofy handle, I'm not an idiot. People who call in and don't listen, and YOU... are.
Comments by Team Expedia : Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 03:23 PM
The main problem I have with expedia right now is I can't reach customer service. I've called a few times, waiting over an hour on hold and sent an email, waiting over 24 hours for a reply, and I have still not heard from them at all.
Does anyone know what happens if my paper ticket is lost or stolen in a foreign country? Am I supposed to call expedia long distance and wait on hold for hours?
Comments by Ben : Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 04:43 PM
Here's a link for you.
http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/f.php?pagetitle=expedia
According to wikiscanner, people within the Expedia company have made 16 changes to the Expedia wiki entry. This is a breach of ethical behavior, similar to the other companies such as Coca-Cola recently ratted out for removing incriminating information.
A few of the notable changes?
December 21, 2006 edit:
The entire customer feedback section, detailing common complaints, was deleted by Expedia.
January 23, 2007 edit:
The customer feedback section (restored by someone else) was again modified by Expedia. All negative information was removed, and positive press was added in.
Just more evidence that Expedia is run by a bunch of sleazes bent on dishonestly painting a brighter image on a flawed company.
I'm not even going to bother responding to your post in detail. I can hardly believe that you're a representative for Expedia. If you are not, someone will track your post IP, and you will be found liable. And if you really are - then all the more reason not to work with a company that sends dimwits onto online blogs to post ad hominem attacks on discontent customers.
Comments by aidepxE maeT : Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 04:44 PM
2 days later, still unable to get through to anyone at Expedia on the phone after waiting a total of hours on hold. Emails not responded to in over 48 hours.
I found flightcenter.com has much more responsive service. They answer the phone *and* reply to email. Amazing!
Comments by Ben : Friday, September 28, 2007 at 12:23 PM
aidepxE maeT, what are you talking about? You have WAY too much time on your hands apparently. And don't throw your pompous "we're gonna find out who you are" attitude around. My IP is nobody's business and it sure as hell better not be tracked. Wait a minute. It wouldn't, because it's just 1 little opinion site that has a small fraction of the hits that Expedia.com does everyday. Just so you know, I came on this site of my own free will, and my posts are for the purpose of providing an understanding of how travel planning works, and maybe to vent just a little frustration after a day of handling phone calls from many who don't listen or don't try to understand.
Ben, I'm sorry. Keep trying, and call late at night. Customer Care is 24 hours!
aidepxE maeT, back to you. I can't help it. You're a pompous prick. If you have had a bad experience with Expedia, say what it is. Don't come on here with an "I'm gonna throw my weight around and uncover all kinds of dark secrets" and try to act all threatening and cocky. Go ahead with your little plan, I'll sit back and laugh when you come out looking like Geraldo Rivera opening up Al Capone's vault.
Comments by Team Expedia : Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 04:47 AM
i dont think that this to expedia. i believe expedia the whole expedia company is trying thier cest to meet the needs of every traveler. we should be thankful that there is a company name expedia because we wre able to look and compare for other options. i believe that their customer service rep is great and helful.
thanks
Comments by joewary anderson : Tuesday, October 02, 2007 at 10:18 PM
Way too much time? It takes a couple minutes to run simple checks and to write posts that piss off people like you.
The fact that I'm able to elicit such a response from you is tickling. Anyways, I'm done with you here. Expedia's hardly even a company worth flaming about. According to alexa.com, it's lost about 75% of its internet traffic over the past two years. Only a matter of time before Expedia won't even exist and these posts won't matter anyways.
You are far too easy.
Comments by aidepxE maeT : Wednesday, October 03, 2007 at 12:39 AM
aidepxE maeT, I'm not at all pissed off at your lame comments. I'm disgusted with your "know it all" attitude that in reality doesn't mean a damn thing to anybody. Thanks for that info about Expedia's website traffic that comes from a website that gets a small fraction of the traffic that Expedia does. Brilliant insight. If you think that Expedia is somehow doomed then your just an idiot. The only thing "easy" is blowing holes in your irrelevant arguments based on information from websites no one has even heard of or cares about. Even if you spend a "couple minutes" on those websites, it's too much time dude. Get a grip.
Comments by Team Expedia : Thursday, October 04, 2007 at 02:21 AM
Expedia screwed up my hotel reservation and ended bumping me up to a $700.00 a night suite for the $199.99 I was booked for, so I got a $700.00 suite for $199.99 It rocked. All travel website and agents and airlines suck, it's because there is always someone who will take the punishment so complainers don't matter, they are so few and far between.
Comments by Fred : Monday, October 08, 2007 at 03:02 PM
A month after booking my trip I got a call that their was a change to my itinerary. I called in and was told that I would now have a 7 hour layover in a Mexican airport. When I said that was unacceptable I was told they would look into it to see what they could do and that they would call me back. They called back and to my delight said that no changed were made afterall, that the original itinerary would remain as it was when purchased. Well fast forward to now, two days before our flight... the changes were made, I was lied to by Expedia, and now my only option is take what is given to me or pay a minimum of $200 to change flight times to my approval. I find that to be dishonest ans minipulative. I will never ever use Expedia again and I will be sharing my experience with all personal and professional contacts. I will also post on any anti-Expedia message boards and re copy links to other anti-Expedia links online. Thanks Expedia.
Comments by jillian : Friday, October 12, 2007 at 08:18 PM
Expedia has ripped me off for $500 by charging my credit card twice for the same flights/itinerary. "Customer Service" is a joke. I have written about it here:
http://wyaryan.blogspot.com/2007/10/expedia-sucks.html
Comments by Will Yaryan : Sunday, October 14, 2007 at 08:24 PM
I have been on hold for 4 hours waiting to change a flight. My e-mails have gone unanswered after 24 hrs. I will never use this company again!
Comments by Brendan : Monday, October 15, 2007 at 06:19 PM
Well this is probably more "American" whining to some but it has seriously stressed me out and has completely convinced me that Expedia is a company full of lies, incompetance and also from what I have read above rudeness. I can not believe that is what you call customer service! But let me share my experience so that you can tell me how this was my fault.
I had to book an emergency flight to Santa Rosa, California for my mother due to a sudden death in the family. I booked the flight on 15th with Expedia leaving Wichita Ks. at 6:00 a.m. the following morning. When I explained the situation to the operator she nicely suggested that I purchase the $15 protection so that if my mother decided she needed more days in California she could change her flight without any further expense. She said the only thing that I would have to be sure she did was to call 2 days prior to changing her flight. I was very appreciative and agreed to this purchase. I also had her note on the account that my mother was free to discuss ticket changes with them and she assured me her name had been added as a person who could do so. She said all my mother would need was the confirmation number. I was very relieved to know that she would be taken care of and had plans to use the services of Expedia again. That all changed at 3 a.m. the following morning.
My mother arrived very early to the airport as is her policy just in case. She went to the Atlanta SE (Delta) counter where she was suppose to be able to pick up her tickets. There were no tickets and they did not have her booked on any flight. They did have a flight leaving at 6:00 and arriving in Santa Rosa at 3:30 but they did not have her on any of the flights (which by the way took her all over the U.S. to get there). So she called me to find out what was the problem. I called Expedia and after 5 phone calls and 4 hours later we had the matter resolved. (Her flight left at 6:00!!) At one point I had the counter assistant on one phone and Expedia on the other because Expedia kept telling me that they were calling the number I gave them to reach the ticket agent to straighten it out. They kept saying they couldn't do anything about it that it was the airline's fault however when I said well I have the man you are trying to call on another line via my mother's cell phone and I know for a fact you have not called him they finally got the call through. It was only through this 3 way conversation that the matter was taken care of.
The resolve didn't cost me extra...the Expedia agent had to point that out..that they were so nice that they would not charge me extra for the changes in flight and he also did apologize but never did admit that it was Expedia's fault that her electronic ticket was not there at the counter as they said it would be the night before. This apology and no charge was to make up for the fact that my mother had to spend the rest of the day in the airport waiting for her now 2:10 p.m. flight because she was 2 hours from home at this point.
Had this been the only trouble with this flight I would have probably have taken it as a fluke and tried Expedia again. On the 19th my mother said it was obvious to her that my aunt would need her for another week to help straighten out insurance, estate, etc. So she called Expedia to change her flight. They would not talk to her about it because she was not the one who booked the flight. I said it is okay Mom, I will handle it (she had enough to deal with). I call Expedia to make the changes. The operator asks me if an Expedia agent sold me this exchange protection or if we purchased it at the airline. I said no mam, the Expedia agent who sold me my tickets on the 15th is the agent who sold me this protection. She said okay please hold...(in total I was on hold 5 hours with this company!!) So I hold and hold...finally she comes on and says I am sorry mam' but I am showing no such charge on your account and we have no such coverage. I said okay well maybe it got messed up when we had to make changes on the 16th due to the previous mess up. She said no mam...it is not our policy to exchange tickets. I can do that but it will be at least another $100. Then she tells me that there have been paper tickets produced so I can not even exchange these tickets without first turning in my paper tickets to a Delta counter. What!!?? I have no paper tickets...remember the electronic tickets that are suppose to be at the counter?? Also my mother is in Ukiah, California...and she will have to drive to LA to make these changes.
When I get upset she tells me mam..I am doing my best and you are not handling this well...duh!! do you think?? How would she feel if this was her situation to deal with. She tells me she can cancel the return flight a refund $100 of my $900 round trip to my credit card. I said well I am not even sure how much my card has been charged already because I have not recieved any of the emails promised confirming the charges or the flights. She said well mam you will just have to trust me....Right...I am suppose to trust her that she will handle this but yet she is not trusting me that I agreed to a $15 protection plan?? I have already put my trust into this company twice and been let down..it doesn't take a genius to figure out that they can not be trusted.
So now my mother is going to see what she can plead out with the Delta agents...I will in the mean time wait to see how much they have ripped me off.
Tell me Mr. Expedia man...how would you feel in this situation?? Tell me how I was to properly handle this??? Tell me why I should ever use Expedia ever again or ever reccomend this company to any of my friends??
Oh by the way the people I dealt with at Delta said this is Expedia all the way around...they do this all the time.
Comments by Richelle : Friday, October 19, 2007 at 08:55 PM
I'd just like to know how many of you remember a positive customer service experience, be it a cabbie, a waiter or phone agent? Most likely not as much as all the negative experiences listed above. The reason is that people do not really remember the good experience but a bad memory sicks out like a sore thumb. Do you think that I wake up each day to try and milk every cent from you? I love vacations - in fact, i love it so much, I love helping people plan and book vacations. That's the reason i work for expedia. If there is a screw up, i try my best to fix it myself - no matter who made the mistake - because i've been there myself.
My mother always used to tell me to "use the eyes, not the mouth". All the rules are listed on the itinerary when you purchase it, right? Even honest mistakes are still mistakes and there are still consequences for making them. But we still try to help you guys out. I wish you guys could know what it's like to take a call from someone who is as upset as you are now, about a problem you didn't make - but you won't.
Comments by Expedia Rep : Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 03:35 PM
Warning.... Expedia led me to believe I was booking into the Downtown Seattle Travelodge. When I arrived, we discovered our paid for hotel was 15 minutes out of downtown. The hotel in Aurora confirmed that this happens frequently with Expedia. We paid $120 / night to Expedia for a room that rented for $79 / night book rate.
TOTALLY NOT IMPRESSED WITH EXPEDIA - BUYER BEWARE
Comments by Cindy : Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 12:12 AM
Richelle, I honestly have no idea what might have happened here because I handle mostly hotel and car reservations not flights, but I have never heard of Expedia offering this "$15 protection plan" that you are referring to. We have absolutely no control over flight schedule changes as these are done by the airlines. Funny that the Delta guy would put us down considering the MILLIONS of dollars of business that we generate for them every year, but if he wants to name call us, I'll point out immediately that out of the flight itineraries I HAVE worked with, the overwhelming majority of flights that had problems due to last minute schedule changes were Delta flights. No airline causes more headaches for passengers due to their last minute schedule changes than Delta.
Your comment about you getting upset while on the phone with the Expedia illustrates all of my points on here perfectly... you call Customer Care to get help and then you get mad at the person trying to help you when the problem is likely some kind of technical glitch between Expedia and the airline. I just CANNOT UNDERSTAND any logic in calling in for help but then make life a living hell for the person trying to HELP YOU by screaming instead of being patient and letting the agent do their job.
Cindy, too bad that the Travelodge failed to mention that all information about their hotel on our website, including location, is provided by THEM. If they're not in downtown Seattle, then they need to contact us and tell us that they're not in downtown Seattle instead of pointing fingers at us. DUH. I'm sure that simple logic like that though is too difficult for someone who is going to make such a gripe about 15 minutes to understand. Oh, and if the hotel told you that they were $79/night, that's called UNDERCUTTING the rate that you booked in advance. Hotels are not supposed to do this but they do. But again, easier for you to join in the finger pointing at Expedia than being disgusted at the hotel for offering better rates at the last minute than for those that book in advance.
Kudos to Expedia Rep for helping me illustrate the main point I've been trying to make on this website... many problems are avoided if people would actually READ the terms & conditions before booking and then REREAD their confirmation... and why call Customer Care for help when all you're going to do is yell and not let them help you? Buyer beware Cindy? More like "Customer Care agent beware of those who won't let you care because all they care about is griping!"
Comments by Team Expedia : Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 09:02 AM
I don't care for griping; I do care for promised low prices and common courtesy, neither of which I received from Expedia. Misled by their advertising into thinking they secured lower rates than I would be able to get elsewhere (including the hotel, I booked a hotel with them only to find out later that my sister booked a comparable room with the hotel at a lower rate. When I called Expedia and asked for an adjustment, they were unable to help me, explained that rates change, yada, yada. I asked for a supervisor and she immediately told me I wasn't getting any satisfaction from her. BUT, they would give me a voucher for future bookings to offset the cancellation charge! Just what I want--another chance to be duped and inconvenienced and rudely treated. NO MORE EXPEDIA! PS If Expedia reads this, the agent's name was Tina and so was the Supervisor's. Send them to "customer care" classes.
Comments by Aileen Reinstatler : Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 11:55 AM
I love it! Yet ANOTHER comment to prove my point from Ms. Aileen here. Aileen, you mention "yada, yada" in your post... when translated to English that means "I didn't listen." In your situation here, the only misleading done was by the hotel because after your booked your room in advance at a low rate, your sister books LATER and gets a LOWER rate? I love how when this happens that people blame Expedia. Ever stop for a minute and think that maybe it's the HOTEL doing something strange?
I'll try to explain this as clearly as possible so even someone as thick headed as you are can understand, Aileen. When you booked your reservation, you DID get the lowest rate at the time you booked it. When your sister booked her reservation later, the hotel had lowered their rates and undercut Expedia's price. And Expedia has control of this HOW? But instead of calling the hotel and finding out what kind of operation they're running that they're offering lower rates on last minute bookings instead of rewarding those who book in advance, you join the people who post on this site as yet another mind-numbed finger pointer.
Perhaps the 2 Tina's could have handled your call more professionally, but you just dismissing a voucher for a future booking doesn't exactly illustrate that you were a patient, understanding customer. The reason the vouchers are offered in the first place is basically for us to say "we're sorry" and want to give you something for your inconvenience when there is nothing else that can be done, i.e. match a hotel's last minute rate that is less than what they are billing our company for. Again, didn't a thought of "why would the hotel do something like this?" ever cross your mind? Oh wait, no it didn't... we've already established you as a mind-numbed finger pointer.
Anyone that uses the words "yada, yada" doesn't get to suggest what Customer Care agents need to do to improve at their jobs because we don't get to suggest to you over the phone that you do something about your attention-deficit disorder.
Comments by Team Expedia : Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 03:37 AM
This morning, I got an "Urgent" email message to call Expedia about my flight. They said they had "received notice from Delta Airlines that they have:" and then there was nothing after the colon. Then it gave the number to call them. So I called at 11:20 a.m. and was on hold until 1:05 p.m. One hour and 45 minutes. I didn't even know what happened to my flight. I had received two previous emails with slight itinerary time changes, but this urgent one was new. So, while on hold, I surfed the net and found several complaints about Expedia (.ca is what I'm using). I ended up calling Delta directly, and they sorted it out. I now have a ticket and confirmation directly from the airline. Even though my problem was small, I won't use Expedia.ca again. One hour and 45 minutes on hold trying to respond to an urgent message is totally unacceptable.
Comments by Kathy : Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 02:06 PM
I've just had almost the exact same experience. Urgent notice from Expedia to call to find out about a schedule change, hours spent on hold on the phone (2 1/2 last time) and still no information. I, too, have contacted the airline directly and am presently waiting to here from them. Hopefully, they'll take over my reservation from Expedia.ca. I'll never use again either.
Comments by Caroline : Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 02:28 PM
This is for our customers in general...
Yes, I work for Expedia. Reading all of the negative posts here makes me sad, only because I know what it's like to plan a vacation through a company (I've used a few before I started working for Expedia) and finding out too late that you've been duped. Team Expedia is right, people need to listen to the "legal scripts" that are read to you (or shown to you if you book on line) during your call to Expedia. The rules of the airline, hotel, and/or car company are explained, in detail. If there is something that is read to you that doesn't make sense, STOP the agent and have them explain it. Do that BEFORE we process your credit card.
Again, I do feel bad for those of you who have had bad experiences with Expedia. Take your time with the agent when you call so you can make sure that everything is accurate in your reservation. Ask questions! At Expedia, we don't have a certain number of calls we have to take in an hour, so there's no need to rush through anything. Ask the agent to call the hotel if you have specific questions that we aren't able to answer. Or, ask the agent for the direct number to the hotel if you would rather call.
Comments by Expedia Employee : Monday, October 29, 2007 at 09:05 PM
MY EXPERIENCE IS THE SAME AS:
Comments by mike fyfe : Saturday, September 22, 2007 at 05:57 AM
I TRIED TO BOOK A TRIP TO ORLANDO. MY CARD WAS CHARGED/AUTHORIZED TWICE FOR THE SAME TRIP AT 1600.usd A POP! THEY SAID THE AIRLINE HAPPENED TO BE UPDATING THEIR SYSTEM WHEN I TRIED TO BOOK SO THE AOURTHORIZATION WENT THROUGH BUT THEY DIDN'T ACTUALLY BOOK THE TRIP. I TOLD THE GUY THAT I COULD TRY ALL DAY TO BOOK AND IN EFFECT END UP WITH A $64,000 USD IN CHARGES AND STILL NOT HAVE A BOOKED TRIP...HE WAS SYMPATHETIC BUT SAID THAT'S THE WAY THE SYSTEM WORKS...DUMB ASS SYSTEM! WAS SUPPOSED TO TRY AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN..ALL AT 1600. A SHOT... THIS HAS THE EFFECT OF ESSENTIALLY FREEZING THE FUNDS IN MY BANK ACCOUNT FROM BEING USED BY ME FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE...LIKE SAY A TRIP TO A THERAPIST FOR AN ANGER MANAGEMENT COURSE WHICH IS BADLY NEEDED AFTER TRYING TO DEAL WITH EXPEDIA!....WAS ON THE PHONE OVER AN HOUR TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT...NOW 3200.USD OF MY FUNDS ARE ON HOLD FOR UP TO 3 BUSINESS DAYS AND I STILL HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO BOOK THE TRIP. IDIOTS. AWFUL BOOKING SYSTEM. WILL NEVER TRY AND USE THIS FIRM AGAIN.
Comments by Krissie : Saturday, November 03, 2007 at 09:22 AM
You will find it hard to believe my story which I am writing while waiting on the phone for Expedia.ca. Here is the complaint letter I wrote half an hour to Expedia -
121650756459
Expedia.ca
I have been trying 2 hrs and 20 minutes - and I am still waiting on the phone line - to change flight dates on a Expedia.ca issued ticket.
The first try I was transferred and waited 50 minutes with no answer so stared again.
Unbelievably after speaking with Brenda she did exactly the same thing - EXACTLY THE SAME THING !! This was after I told her I have waited 1 hr and half and asked to speak with a manager since she could "not guarantee" that I would not have to wait. She was right - STILL WAITING.
I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on flights this year and this does not include my staff who travel equal amounts.
I am entitled when I buy a ticket to a reasonable amount of service as part of the value of the ticket. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT COMPENSATION I SHOULD EXPECT FROM YOU FAILING WHICH I WILL MAKE SURE I GET IT THROUGH THE COURTS AND PUBLICATION OF THIS EXPEDIA PROBLEM ON MY COMPANY BLOG.
PS - Timing you - 1:14:49 on the second call so far.
PPS - 1:47:41 STILL WAITING !!
It is time for the Airlines to take back this reversation function and allow us to book the best flight no matter what airline!
Ed
President& CEO
Name of Company withheld
Comments by Ed - EXPEDIA IS A DISASTER : Monday, November 05, 2007 at 01:08 PM
Well, here's another one for you. I have now been trying to get through to them for five hours. I also waited, talked to a guy, got transferred...battery on portable died after 1.5 hours. So I started again. Made an error after getting through and lost the connection - another hour lost. Then I got through again and once again was transferred. I am so desperate I was crying when I was talking to the guy. He did nothing. I tried to find out how long I would be waiting. He wouldn't tell me. So, two and a half hours later I'm still on hold trying to change my ticket. They changed my flight so that my transfer time is not adequate to get from flight to flight. I'm sure their hope is that people will hang up and give up. It's just too pathetic - and unfortunate for expedia who clearly know nothing about customer relations (see message above from them to prove the point). Could have been a great business. The competition is great out there. My family and friends travel a lot -word will be spread and I will never use them again. I am madly running between two phones - trying to keep one charged so I don't lose the call again. Bastards.
Comments by jane : Tuesday, November 06, 2007 at 12:43 AM
Well, just a follow up. I never did get through to Expedia. Waited on the phone for four and a half hours listening to music. I'm going to try phoning the actual airlines in the morning to see if I can get some help. As this is an emergency I had to book another flight but did it through Air Canada - had to call them twice to ask a question about my booking and they answered the phone each time within less than a minute. So, folks, just deal directly with the airlines. Expedia is crap. The guy at Expedia told me they were going to be reorganizing their system. Yeah, sure. Hate to phone and give a service person a bad time. Not their fault of course, but man this is so frustrating....and I'm out over 1000 dollars at this point. (The same ticket through Air Canada was 600.00 by the way).
Comments by Jane : Tuesday, November 06, 2007 at 02:09 AM
The Latest from Me, an email to Expedia.ca =
FLIGHT CANCELLATION - Itinerary No: 121650756459
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please be advised this November 5th, 2007 at 4:33 EST that the above flight is cancelled. I require you to return ALL my money for this flight and compensate me at my consulting rate of $175 per hour for the six hours I wasted waiting for you to answer the phone. You never did answer the phone but kept me waiting in line all that time. In addition you do not permit the Airline or anyone else to make changes to the flight [according to Lufthansa], and you require this to be done by phone according to your website.
Please be in no doubt that I hold you in fundamental breach of contract and am entitled to full damages in compensation. These damages are as follows -
Time expended - $1,050
Flight Change extra cost - $700
Return of payment $2,177.65
TOTAL CLAIM - $3,927.65
Note that I will not accept any kind of a credit from Expedia since I have no intention of ever doing business with Expedia again. [You can probably see from your records that I fly extensively.}
Unless payment is received within seven days I will indeed proceed to to Small Claims Court and will include other claims against you and expenses.
Ed - EXPEDIA IS A DISASTER
November 6, 2007
Comments by Ed - EXPEDIA IS A DISASTER : Tuesday, November 06, 2007 at 04:55 PM
You must have a legal background. Maybe you could advise some of us on how to go about this. Maybe if everyone acted together we could put an end to Expedia for good and protect others from the nightmares we all know too well.
Comments by Richelle : Tuesday, November 06, 2007 at 07:39 PM
The Expedia Saga continues their answer my reply . .
From: support@service.expedia.ca [ mailto:support@service.expedia.ca ]
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 6:37 PM
To: anderson@trugroup.com
Subject: Re: 4105:Expedia.ca, I wish to cancel my booking - Case ID: [REQ:37452174]
Dear Edward,
Thank you for contacting Expedia.ca regarding your reservation.
Due to our high security measures your request can not be done via e-mail.
We ask all Expedia.ca members to call us directly and speak to one of our agents in order to change or cancel their booking.
We apologize for your inconvenience this may have caused you.
* Note: Certain flights are non-refundable and cancellation may result in a future travel credit. Along with any change penalties issued by the airline and fair difference.
=
MY REPLY -
Sent: 11/6/2007 4:23:56 PM
To: support@service.expedia.ca
Subject: RE: 4105:Expedia.ca, I wish to cancel my booking - Case ID: [REQ:37452174]
IS THIS A JOKE - YOUR ANSWER - I WAITED SIX HOURS WAITING FOR YOU TO ANSWER THE PHONE.
ARE YOU LISTENING - SIX HOURS AND YOU DID NOT ANSWER THE PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are both crazy and stupid if you think I am going to call again !
I WILL NOT BE CALLING AGAIN AND WANT MY MONEY INCLUDING MY DAMAGES SETTLED FORTHWITH. HERE IS A COPY OF THE EMAIL SENT YESTERDAY. YOU HAVE SIX DAYS TO PAY AND THEN YOU ARE IN COURT.
Ed
Comments by Ed - EXPEDIA IS A DISASTER : Tuesday, November 06, 2007 at 09:45 PM
Ed,
I'm sorry that you're having such a problem with Expedia.ca. I will tell you, I've talked to A LOT of people who are having issues trying to get in touch with anyone at Expedia.ca. I've booked many many trips for people in the past week who had spent a lot of time trying to work on our Canadian site. I wish that I had an answer for you! If I had any way of even looking up your itinerary number, I would! Our system only allows me to look up itinerary numbers that were booked with one of our US agents or on our US website.
Comments by Expedia Employee : Wednesday, November 07, 2007 at 12:31 AM
My Expedia nightmare began back in Feburary. I decided to book the holiday of a life-time for my 30th birthday. I wanted flights only, travling from England to Jamaica to visit a friend for a while then we both flew to Las Vegas together where some more friends were flying out from England to meet us. Finally flying back to England after a dream holiday.
I could see all the flights that I wanted on the web site, I just couldn't get the right combination online so I called them and booked it over the phone, not a problem I booked the flights for the dates and times that I wanted. Only, when the e-mail confirmation came through my sirname had been spelt incorrectly. Even though I had spelt it out over the phone useing the phonetic alphabet at least three times during the booking. (they did manage to get it right for the credit card compny though) I notified them imediatly by e-mail (the office had closed for the night) and by phone the next day. I had no reason to belive that this was a difficult problem to resolve. Any way to cut a very long story short, by the end of April after about 15 phone calls over the months since booking, I finally got the issue resolved about a week before my holliday. I had been in tears on the phone no end of times (once in a life time holiday and all that) speaking to people who don't seem to know the meaning of the term "customer service",it was like banging my head against a brick wall. They did apparently however credit my Expedia account with a £50 voucher. I still don't know how they managed this as I don't even have an account with them, (I booked it through my friends account and she hasn't seen the voucher either). They did tell me that I would be able to reclaim any expences incured (phone bills). I have been trying to do this since the beging of July. They will ony corespond through my friends e-mail address because it is the one assosiated with the account,(this makes life very difficult as she is in Jamaica, I have to E-mail her every time to forward it to them) even though they sent me the amended E-ticket to my E-mail Address. I am getting so fed up with Expedia this has been going on for over nine months now, and it wasn't even my mistake in the first place. I swere I will never use Expedia again!
Comments by Sharon : Thursday, November 08, 2007 at 11:44 AM
Ed...I am anxious to hear how your situation turned out. Please post any info; I'm following your saga with interest.
In the meantime, I'm also warning everyone I know about the horrible (nonexistent!) customer phone service, and advising against any bookings with expedia.ca .
Comments by Kathy : Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 11:52 PM
Expedia = BAIT AND SWITCH.
plain and simple these guys are crooks with a brand. And if you call to change even the smallest thing 2hr hold times.
Comments by Mike Toronto : Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 09:32 AM
thanks TEAM EXPEDIA! i don't think that it is right to blame the travel agency that YOU customers booked your reservations with.
To customers who call in asking for assistance:
LISTEN to the Travel Experts, they were trained to handle your concern. Think before you start to complain.
Comments by eXpEdiA fAn : Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 08:07 PM
alright so here is the deal! firstly to team expedia THANK YOU so much for debunking some terrible ... misunderstands If you can call them that.. customers have. basically here is how it works people!
EXPEDIA.CA AND .COM DO NOT FLY PLANES, WE DO NOT OWN HOTELS, OR PROVIDE YOU WITHS CARS! we are merely the middle man. we charge you and either pay the vendor at that time OR we have already paid.so expedia only gets that 9.00 BOOKING fee! and any proft we make from our ESR purchases (which is not that large) basically as we have our VENDORS who ADVERTISE we HAVE to follow their rules WHICH ARE WRITTEN IS RED WRITING BEFORE YOU PURCHASE! we expect our customers to be interested in reading all rules for hotels or cars before the purchase! If all the pissed off customers blogging here stopped using expedia.ca or .com we would loose about 9 bucks per person..frankl;y if you are going to make silly mistakes like some that are listed then we dont want your business as all you do is aggrevate the CS agent and make us less than happy with the next bonehead customer.
Now to clear a few things up on expedia.ca's end. YES WE ARE RECIEVING A HIGH CALL VOLUME FOR THE FLIGHT CHANGE DEPARTMENT! that department IS the only one who can help you and i know how frustrated you are. But telling the unlucky rep who answered your call how long you have waiting will not get you anywhere..VERY RARELY will a manger be able to help you with the change! and even if they can they will most likely not as they are not allowed to! company policy. ONLY THE FLIGHT CHANGE/CANCELLATION department can take care of this as NOBODY ELSE ON THE FLOOR HAS TRAINING! this is because flight changes deal with thousands of dollars and it is our wauy to ensure that no mistakes are made with these flights. IF all agents had this training then there would be no agents available to take the rest of the hotel car insurance ppv calls. we do have different depts. we neeeeeddd the diff dept! VERY RARELY will an airline take over the flights unless it is within 24 hours of travel and if they do count yourself lucky because it is a rare occurance..
now ALL calls do need to go through the General inquiry department becasue not all changes can be delt with by expedia and we do not need that queue clogged up with calls that are unnecessary. to specify, if you have a west jet flight call west jet as they use a completely different system and they only advertise through expedia. so the general department will direct you to them, if this flight is in progress you need to call the airline, and at this time expedia.ca changed their booking system so for any flights that were booked before june or july the 14th need to go to a completely different department at our old location. now this department is only open 9am to 5pm est. so if you call after that regrettably you will be directed to call back between those hours, and trust me no matter how pissed you are about that the agent having to deliver that news is cringing becuase there is literally no other options..thankfully that department will no longer be needed soon..
as far as hotels are concerned yes they do undercut us in prices.. and we do apologize abotu that..please call hotels and give them trouble, but even then the person you speak to from the hotel most certainly did not do that.
my favourite calls are the ones where customers expect us to know all their information as they had been speaking with an agent earlier..lol i laugh at those silly people.
OMG and the worst calls are the people who put their names in wrong! considering half the times the AIRLINE do not allow expedia to make that change please ALWAYS PUT THE NAME THAT IS ON YOUR PASSPORT! we hate dealing with this issue as most of hte time there is nothign we can do, which effectively makes the customer mad at expedia..even though the rules state that name changes are not allowed..somehow this is expedias fault...
YES sometimes there are agent errors..misinformation most of the time, and that is unfortunate, but seriously we correct and compensate for those errors! WE HAVE TO! and if you havent been then perhaps you were not listening correctly or you did miss reading a rule so we could not compensate.
SO PLEASE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU CALL IN ABOUT CHANGES OR CANCELLATION YOU WILL ALWAYS BE TRANFERED!
the louder you get on the phone the more unlikely help will be.
As a rep i love going above and beyond to help my customers! i pride myself of good customer service and yes when i first started i did make silly mistakes!
Before you call expedia please read the faQs portion the site because what the site tells you is what needs to be done. please make sure you check all requirments before for entry into a country and any you may have layovers in as you will be denied boarding if you do not..we have it on the site, and customers need to check before you book or call as this is the custoemrs responsibility! and NEVER PUT YOUR NICKNAME ON THE TICKET! this is a hassel for you an expedia.ca
Now i have not been rude nor demeaning to customers, i have merely explained process
oh and for hotels yeah we do need to speak with hotel before we can waive a fee and we need a fax from them stating so as we can not refund with out confirmation from them that is okay..
so now all i have to do is post this on all exisitng blogs..lol this will take forever! i dont think there are stupid custoemrs i just believe that many customers do not consider the seriousness when booking online as it is slightly less concrete. so please READ EVERYTHING before you book. do not be casual with expedia. it is no different from booking directly, or other online agencys!
thank you for reading this little rant/explanation
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Friday, November 16, 2007 at 03:18 AM
ok specifically to ed!
about this this change. as i stated in my earlier post, and i apoligize for not noticing this earlier!
yes the e-mail is correct for security purposes WE do need to speak with you..and yes the hold times right now are ridiculous! let me tell you reasons
1. airlines have hold times and we do need to confirm changes with them while we talk to you. sometimes suggested flights are no longer available and that is unfortunate. if you would have gotten through to that dept then you would have noticed that you call may have taken hours to resolve and that is not expedias fault but the airlines!
2. expedia purchases about 80 seats per flights approx. and when the airline makes a change that change is applicable to ALL 80 expedia customers. now even if we had 50gents on the floor and there are about 20-30 flights changes per day including cancellations name changes and voluntary changes there would still be a hold time. as it stands i have seen some ridiculous queue amounts! and yes right now we have SEVEN training classes of over 23 people going through the training to try to lower this but it does take time.
I assure you that this is more stressful to the agent then to yourself, as 90% of the agents so badly want to help you but can not..
oh and to let you know we only hear from 15% of our custoemrs meaning there are 85% percent of customers who do not have issues..possibly they were better shoppers, oorr they were fortunate enough to have any changes made.
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Friday, November 16, 2007 at 03:34 AM
ok specifically to ed!
about this this change. as i stated in my earlier post, and i apoligize for not noticing this earlier!
yes the e-mail is correct for security purposes WE do need to speak with you..and yes the hold times right now are ridiculous! let me tell you reasons
1. airlines have hold times and we do need to confirm changes with them while we talk to you. sometimes suggested flights are no longer available and that is unfortunate. if you would have gotten through to that dept then you would have noticed that you call may have taken hours to resolve and that is not expedias fault but the airlines!
2. expedia purchases about 80 seats per flights approx. and when the airline makes a change that change is applicable to ALL 80 expedia customers. now even if we had 50gents on the floor and there are about 20-30 flights changes per day including cancellations name changes and voluntary changes there would still be a hold time. as it stands i have seen some ridiculous queue amounts! and yes right now we have SEVEN training classes of over 23 people going through the training to try to lower this but it does take time.
I assure you that this is more stressful to the agent then to yourself, as 90% of the agents so badly want to help you but can not..
oh and to let you know we only hear from 15% of our custoemrs meaning there are 85% percent of customers who do not have issues..possibly they were better shoppers, oorr they were fortunate enough to have any changes made.
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Friday, November 16, 2007 at 03:34 AM
ok specifically to ed!
about this this change. as i stated in my earlier post, and i apoligize for not noticing this earlier!
yes the e-mail is correct for security purposes WE do need to speak with you..and yes the hold times right now are ridiculous! let me tell you reasons
1. airlines have hold times and we do need to confirm changes with them while we talk to you. sometimes suggested flights are no longer available and that is unfortunate. if you would have gotten through to that dept then you would have noticed that you call may have taken hours to resolve and that is not expedias fault but the airlines!
2. expedia purchases about 80 seats per flights approx. and when the airline makes a change that change is applicable to ALL 80 expedia customers. now even if we had 50gents on the floor and there are about 20-30 flights changes per day including cancellations name changes and voluntary changes there would still be a hold time. as it stands i have seen some ridiculous queue amounts! and yes right now we have SEVEN training classes of over 23 people going through the training to try to lower this but it does take time.
I assure you that this is more stressful to the agent then to yourself, as 90% of the agents so badly want to help you but can not..
oh and to let you know we only hear from 15% of our custoemrs meaning there are 85% percent of customers who do not have issues..possibly they were better shoppers, oorr they were fortunate enough to have any changes made.
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Friday, November 16, 2007 at 03:34 AM
CORRECTION! traning classes, we are training, i mixed up the classes not sure of the flight change class amount, but know we are workign to rectify the situation. we do know of your complaints and we are sorry for them
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Friday, November 16, 2007 at 04:15 AM
i love how expedia caused it to rain all day making one of our customers sick..like seriously! dont stay outside all day :P
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Friday, November 16, 2007 at 05:14 PM
well all i have to say is that when you call into expedia.ca you need to think about something. We are there working hard to serve you....when all you have to do is complain about things forever then you ahve to realize what are you accomplishing NOTHING. What you need to understand is DON"T BOOK ONLINE IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT!!!!!why do i say this well i say this because about 99% of tickets are non refundable and what don't people understand that when something is nonrefundable THAT MONEY CANNOT BE REFUNDED,
also finally:
IT IS THE AIRLINES CHNGING THE FLIGHTS NOT EXPEDIA
Comments by exp3dia.ca rep : Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 10:03 PM
to all those people who trying to give STUPID and LAME comments...dont blame the company for having your stupid mistakes that you made..i've been using them for quite sometime now and i never had a bad experience to the representative that i talked to. i think that your only suffering for your STUDID ASS mistakes that you made...
EXPEDIA ROCKS!!!
Comments by jinchuukuri : Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 05:55 AM
I don't know about you guys but it always isn't smooth especially if it's real time.Sometimes you get an error because the Expedia partners-the one who has access/who updates info online do not update so you see the cheap price but your not able to book it.PRICE CHANGE happens within minutes so if it took you 30 minutes to book the flight then you lose it. If you got an error using you credit card and you put it in several times, your bank will detect that activity and will automatically put a hold in it, while expedia's system will put a hold on the purchasde as well. What will be reflected is a charge but there is no booking.
Moswt of you who purchase flights dont read the FARE RULES and Cancellation policy and then if something goes wrong end uop whining and creating sites such as this one.
Comments by Cindy : Monday, November 19, 2007 at 08:14 AM
the bottom line is, most of you guys listen and understand less but complain too much. A proof that you guys have a big mouth and a microscopic brain...
Comments by Alexander : Monday, November 19, 2007 at 08:41 PM
Uhmm... to the Expedia rep, I have two things to say:
1. 5 hours on hold and still no person
2. $99 million net profit in the past quarter at Expedia
Give up on the pathetic excuses and start spending some money on more agents and provide some service like the rest of the world. This company is truly pitiful, and I pity you who has to work for it and obviously believes in it enough to get on here and try to defend it. You need to wake up and smell the jet fuel, my friend.
Comments by randy m : Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 01:26 AM
Randy, have you actually tried to wait for 5hours? give us the proof and don't exaggerate.agents are there 24 hours and every week the centers are putting in hundreds of people esp. for the upcoming holidays.I suggest you call early morning or late evening.dont call during business hours.You know how staffing works? i bet you don't. you can't predict the volume of calls coming in at a certain hour.How i wish we could explain to you guys how the logic works!Ah!
Comments by ashley : Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 05:07 PM
im an idiot add me and spam mail me littlechavydude91@hotmail.co.uk
Comments by mathiew : Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 07:39 AM
im an idiot add me and spam mail me littlechavydude91@hotmail.co.uk
Comments by mathiew : Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 07:39 AM
Ashley:
More whining. Yes - in the end, I waited a total of 8 hours on hold, which I documented. That wasn't continuous - it was spread over 3 days with an average of 2.5 hours per day. And I'm not exaggerating.
I tried calling early morning (I got up at 4:30am) and after only 2 hours got an agent. Woo hoo! She was very courteous, and solved my problem.
Do I know how staffing works? Well, I'm the CEO of a growing technology business, so I would have to answer yet to that. And I'd have to also say I understand the importance of customer service, which is clearly lost in Expedia. Stop whining and making excuses and fix the problem.
Comments by Randy m : Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 11:11 AM
lol i'll get right on that hiring more people..because i actually hold that position! I wish i had the power to just snap my fingers and fix agent, customer, airline, hotel errors..but i dont..nobody does! not even the supervisor you demand..remember rudeness breeds rudeness..rude to us..and the supervisor you get is not going to be the most empathetic person in the world..
the problem here is not only bad customer service it is ridiculous customers who call and shop with an agent for two hours and then not buy anyhting...making YOUR hold time longer becuase we can not hang up on customers who do not understand the concept of ONLINE BOOKING!
and randy m, very nice you are a CEO and everything..but are you a CEO in customer service? anyhting to do with customer service? have you ever even worked customer service? because if you have then you have a very limited understand of what the job ACTUALLY entails if you think WE can fix the problem, and the problem is not even EXPEDIAS it is in fact the airlines problems that we are having to sift through and fix, and of course who takes the heat? the poor customer service agent who is just trying to put food on the table for their kids! seriously, i dont care how long you have to wait..you have to..unfortunately right now that is the way the way it is..big deal take a day off from work, i mean being a ceo im sure you can afford to take a day off (really expedia is giving you an excuse to sit in your pjays with food watching tv all day waiting for an agent to answer) I know people get through there..becuase that department is the busiest for a reason!
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Sunday, November 25, 2007 at 04:13 PM
wow, I've been reading this list as I sit on hold waiting for a service rep to answer. I gave up yesterday. They sent me an e-mail stating that my trip arrangements had to be changed. I called with my itinerary number and the woman who answered asked what she could do for me! I asked her if her screen showed anything when my number was typed in and she said 'oh, just a minute' and then transferred me to where I am now, on hold. I hope I don't get arse jammed like the people writing on this web site. Had I known that I wouldn't have booked on in the first place.
Comments by Tom : Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 03:41 PM
"i love how expedia caused it to rain all day making one of our customers sick..like seriously! dont stay outside all day :P"
Comments by expedia.CA rep! : Friday, November 16, 2007 at 05:14 PM
"my favourite calls are the ones where customers expect us to know all their information as they had been speaking with an agent earlier..lol i laugh at those silly people. "
--------------------------------
OUCH. Try updating your customer software so that you can follow customer issues.
The comments by alleged Expedia employees seem a bit harsh. Those people would fit in at TELUS, another "customer dis-service' company.
Comments by Tom : Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 03:47 PM
Am still waiting on hold, half and hour. Surfed over to theeir web site and found this "Customer service improvements underway
We're currently receiving a large volume of telephone and e-mail inquiries. As a result, your call wait time or e-mail response time will be longer than usual. We're working hard to improve service capacity as soon as possible; in the meantime, we appreciate your understanding - and your patience."...... wow, OK I feel better now. I feel like an Expedia Platinum perks client. Oh sorry, that's a TELUS term. I'm getting these fucktards confused. Happens when I fall asleep on the phone waiting for Expedia........zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Comments by Tom : Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 03:54 PM
Hey check this link out, another happy customer who got royally shafted:
http://www.horsepigcow.com/2007/11/12/why-smart-travelers-should-never-book-with-expedia/
Comments by Tom : Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 04:01 PM
1 hour 47 minutes on hold and counting!!! I could walk to my destination and save the fare.
Comments by Tom : Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 05:13 PM
Expedia and other online services have no control over hotel prices. Hotels control the prices through and extranet system and are free to change them as often as they like and to whatever they like. Many hotels, and all hotels with a smart revenue management team, do guarantee the lowest available price on their own website. The reason can be summarized in one word…Capitalism. These big third party channels have a set markup on the rooms they sell. The rate that you are seeing on Expedia, Orbitz, and the like are not the same rate that the hotel will get paid from the agency. The markup is different based on which sight, but can be up to 33%. On Expedia for example a room that costs you $149 will only net a rate of $111.75 for the hotel. It is way more cost efficient for hotels to sell rooms directly at the hotel or their own websites because they do not have as much built in cost to makeup. Old school travel agencies can sometimes find better deals than mega online booking engines for much the same reason. Most actual travel agencies receive a 10% commission on the total amount of the hotel stay. Do the math: at $149 the hotel would make $134.10 through a travel agency, but only $111.75 on the same rate from Expedia. Over $20 per night extra in the hotels bank account. Even if the hotel gave the Travel Agent a special rate of $129 they would still make $116.10 rather than the $111.75.
I hope some of that makes sense. Expedia’s service problems are legitimate at times, but their pricing is not up to them at all. Hotels will normally price their rooms higher on these sites because of the expense related to them.
Comments by justin : Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 07:09 PM
hey people, Expedia is a good travel agency, if you are having trouble or any problems,hassles on your trip DO NOT BLAME EXPEDIA.
Expedia is NOT the one who is changing your flights.. ITS THE AIRLINES !
EXPEDIA IS THE BEST !
Comments by menara p. Support : Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 02:33 AM
Expedia ahs been nothing but great for my family, particularly with package deals for vacation.
We've enjoyed several all-inclusive vacation deals through them. Always a great low rate, and not one problem with flights overseas.
For domestic air-only travel, I use the airline carrier directly in most cases. However, airlines have changed flights on me as well.
For all the nay sayers about Expedia, then solution is simple. Pay $28 to have a travel agent book your ticket, and they can handle changes for you much better than you can. You can't be a ridiculous complainer and be totally cheap too. If you want great service, pay for it.
Comments by Superdave : Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 06:30 PM
"my favourite calls are the ones where customers expect us to know all their information as they had been speaking with an agent earlier..lol i laugh at those silly people. "
--------------------------------
OUCH. Try updating your customer software so that you can follow customer issues.
LOL what i meant here was, they expect without giving ANY information including THEIR name for us to know what the want. no matter what sort of customer software we have, it cant be THAT good..our phones do not recognize phone numbers! and if they did it would a hellauva pain in the ass as most people would use the same number to call all the time!
and of course we have customer software..we leave notes, but we do need your information or we cant bring you up..not mind readers here!
Comments by Expedia.CA rep : Friday, November 30, 2007 at 04:48 PM
I thought I had all this sorted out a few days ago but then received an e-mail message shortly after my last conversation.
I'm on hold now, have been for 2:32 YES over two and a half hours!!!!!! These people are fucked!
Comments by Tom : Monday, December 03, 2007 at 04:20 PM
obviously this is about a flight change..and OBVIOUSLY the airline made another change...dont blame expedia, if you want to call and yell at someone call the airline as they made the change again
Comments by expedia.CA rep : Monday, December 03, 2007 at 07:19 PM
Join the campaign to stop EXPEDIA's unethical (scam, fraud) business practice:
https://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/stop-expedi-as-unethical-business-practice
Comments by John : Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 10:29 AM
Expedia is the best until you need to speak to someone about your change. The fact that they take your money then let you rot when the airline makes changes is unethical. The airline may be chaning your flight but the fact that you book through Expedia means that Expedia should be helping you or at least letting you know what happened.
Also, putting people on hold for over 20 hours over the course of a week is ridiculous! People do have to work and eat and sleep, not wait on the phone for 3-4 hours. Book through a real agent or book through the airlines, car rental companies, hotels directly. And if the representative says that they will do something you fully expect it to be done. People don't have time to babysit other people who are so incompetent they can't even do their job correctly.
Comments by Pam : Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 10:56 AM
QUOTE..."obviously this is about a flight change..and OBVIOUSLY the airline made another change...dont blame expedia, if you want to call and yell at someone call the airline as they made the change again"
AND OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE A DUMB ASS. EXPEDIA TOLD ME THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE CHANGES AND I'D HAVE TO CALL THE AIRLINE DIRECTLY. END OF CONVERSATION. When I called the airline I got through in 1 minute and they confirmed that all flights were as booked. SO EXPEDIA SENT ME AN E-MAIL FOR NO REASON, MADE WE WAIT THREE HOURS TO GET THROUGH TO A REP THAT COULDN'T HELP ME. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT ADDS UP TO PAL?....YESSSSS....FUCK YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON.
Comments by Tom : Tuesday, December 04, 2007 at 04:23 PM
it isnt a matter of doing our job correctly..it is a matter of people calling for us to book stuff for them..and forcing us to talk on the phone with them for an hour or two..THAT makes your wait times high..and yes flight changes can take forever to fix..im sorry but if you would of just not hung up the first time or the second or the 18th time you would have gotten through.
have you ever heard of a computer gliche? obviously not..the agents you talk to can not control it..nor do agents sit there sending notifications..it is all computer..
ask any of the people who actually are decent and hold which there are hundreds a day who get through, sometimes they are on the phone with that agent for over 3 hours trying to fix the airlines problems. i dont know how people think our computer systems work..ever used msdos? where everything is codes..yeah, we use something similar..all codes..except for hotels and cars..only flights..the system is called sabre.
i dont know how people think we have these systems with magic buttons that jsut say refund, change, Credit card override..like seriously..dont work like that..love it if it did ...but it doesnt..you know, if all agents could take care of flight changes why wouldnt we? seriously? you think we enjoy talking to you people? HA! we are equally as frustrated with the wait times..but there is nothing we can do.
even if we hired hundreds of agents there would still be a hold time..of course airlines answer quicker..they dont have nearly as much content to take care of....and i have called airlines before...and i have waited for upwards of an hour..and that is while i am working with a customer on the line..tell me. you think were the only ones busy?
please dont give us that much credit...that is just insinuating we have a larger customer base then any other company..and if we do it is because we do provide great service..for those who do not screw up reservation, or have the airlines mess it up.
and i really do not think that language is necessary..plus we dont want your business anywyas..we get a whole 9.00 per booking..well person..and the booking fee is never higher then 36.00...that alone speaks volumes about how many customers we truly have..we are a multi million dollar corporation for a reason.
Comments by expedia.CA rep : Wednesday, December 05, 2007 at 02:12 AM
QUOTE " and i really do not think that language is necessary..plus we dont want your business anywyas..we get a whole 9.00 per booking..well person..and the booking fee is never higher then 36.00...that alone speaks volumes about how many customers we truly have..we are a multi million dollar corporation for a reason."
Quote " you think we enjoy talking to you people? HA! we are equally as frustrated with the wait times..but there is nothing we can do."
-------------------------------
Well now,I think that language is VERY necessary. In fact I scaled it back. Your sense of self importance and ability to pass the buck is truly stunning. Are you a Congressman? C'mon don't lie.
Anywyas, learn to spell, it will give more impact to your writing and make it look like it's coming from an educated person (maybe). By the way smart ass, I have used MS Dos, it was the first computer language for PC's, it's actually easy if you have more than a high school education and a brain like a sieve. I was using it when you were in diapers. Don't complain to me about your computers or the software. Take the dos book home and study it instead of playing video games and smoking pot. I BEG YOU for the benefit of all customers, post a note on your web site that say's "WARNING, WE HAVE FUCKED UP COMPUTERS RUNNING DOS, AN OPERATING SYSTEM THAT WE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND AND WE ONLY MAKE $9.00 PER BOOKING AND OUR AGENTS CAN'T SPELL AND THE AIRLINES PUT US ON HOLD AND PLEASE DON'T COMPALIN IF YOU HAVE TO WAIT THREE HOURS ON HOLD WHEN WE SEND YOU A CRYPTIC E-MAIL....WE'RE A MULTI MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY AND WE DON'T REALLY ENJOY SPEAKING WITH CUSTOMERS ANYWAY SO PISS OFF YOU PEON, Thank you and have a nice day".
If that was posted people wouldn't get as angry about getting screwed over. Stop crafting bloody excuses for the company and take some personal responsibility instead of blaming everyone else.
Thanks.
Comments by Tom : Wednesday, December 05, 2007 at 04:08 PM
My progress since November 6th -
I am increasing my claim to $10,000 and I will be filing December 7th against Expedia.ca for fundumental breach of contract, false advertising, and several other improper activities. I have no doubt I will win.
P.S. Evidence posted on this site will be introduced as evidence. Keep it coming especially if it occurred on or arround November 6, 2007
Comments by Ed - EXPEDIA IS A DISASTER : Thursday, December 06, 2007 at 02:42 PM
I hope expedia's lawyers have to book their flights on Expedia.ca. You'll win when they don't show up because their flights were cancelled.
Comments by Tom : Thursday, December 06, 2007 at 02:56 PM
Plaintiff Claim Summary Filed Dec 7 in Superior Court against Expedia.ca Case #SC-)7-061623-00
1. Defendants fundamentally breached its contract with Plaintiff by blocking legitimate changes to his prepaid flight itinerary on November 7, 2007 and refused to cancel the flight or to subsequently refund the Plaintiff's money amounting to $2,177.65
2. As a result of the Defendants blocking a legitimate change in flight itinerary Plaintiff was forced to change to another Agent, thereby incurring extra costs of $700
3. Plaintiff is a fully chargeable industrial consultant charging client $175 per hr and spent six hours waiting for Defendants in a line-up to answer the phone, but they never did. Plaintiff claims $1,050 for this wasted effort
4. Plaintiff is increasing his claim to $10,000 and will prove Defendants conducts misleading advertising and employs deceitful and fraudulent business practice in Canada and applied these practises in dealing with the Plaintiff. Plaintiff claims punitive damages.
5. Defendants advertises and instructs that changes to an itinerary are made by phoning Expedia.ca knowing this to be false. Plaintiff tried to call Expedia.ca but the phone was not answered timeously.
6. Plaintiff called the correct Expedia.ca phone number but was left in a line-up for more than 50 minutes. Plaintiff recalled the number and after another one-and-a-half-hours the phone was answered by Brenda: Defendent [Brenda] refused to allow Plaintiff to speak with a manager after respondent acknowledging that I would be put in another line to make an itinery change and there was no guarantee that there would not be a long wait. Plaintiff remained in the line-up for six hours before giving up.
7. Defendants purposefully, or by gross negligence, does not timeously answer legitimate calls made to numbers posted on its website Expedia.ca and Plaintiff, and other customers, are expected to rely on the truthfulness of information published on its site.
8. Defendants purposefully blocked Plaintiffs email changes to his itinerary knowing that Defendents could not be contacted any other way to make these changes
9. Defendants purposefully prohibited airline Lufthansa from effecting legitimate changes to the itinerary knowing that the Plaintiff Anderson could not make changes through the Defendants. Plaintiff called Lufthansa to request a change but they said they were blocked by Expedia from doing so
10. Defendants purposefully, or by gross negligence, does not respond timeously to email knowing that Plaintiff can lose its payment to the Defendants
11. Defendants hides behind an Agent in Canada that is not possible to urgently visit, or to make legal claims against the company
12. Plaintiff sent a claim by mail to the Defendants but there has been no answer
13. Supporting documents are attached hereto 14. Other evidence to be provided at trial
Comments by Ed - EXPEDIA IS A DISASTER : Friday, December 07, 2007 at 02:34 PM
Not sure howt this thing works, but my card ended up getting charged double the amout of the amount that was on my itenery receipt.
I had paid up with my debit card, and because of this double charge , my checking account got overdrawn and had to pay 160 $$ for the overdrawn and insufficient funds.
I called up expedia cust supp and the lady told me that they charge this amount to hold up till the transaction gets cleared up. but she could not answer why it took them the whole ticket cost as the charge.
She told that itll be returned in 24 hrs, still waiting, but im not sure if im satisfied with her answer and would appreciate sumbody from the expedia loving ppl here, if therz something i should worry about ill get my
money back by tomorrow?
Comments by PM : Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 02:32 PM
Hey EXPEDIA IS A DISASTER, you probably need to hire a lawyer with spell check. Your petition is a nightmare.
Comments by Bill Green : Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 12:31 AM
Tom:
The program we use in the flight dept is NOT dos. Stop acting like a smart ass know it all. If you'd like you can come to my desk and fix your flights yourself since you apparently know how to use sabre.
expedia.CA rep said it is *like* dos, not that it *is* dos.
You should read more carefully..it'll make you look smarter.
As for taking responsiblily? 90% of the calls to the flight dept are people who don't read the rules or don't double check what they are agreeing to purchase so they either booked the wrong dates or want to change flights but don't want to pay more to do so.
All because they didn't review their purchase during one of their 4 oppurtunities to do so in the booking process.
As for airline schedule changes, that is not up to expedia. We don't have control over the airlines and how many times they decided they want to leave a little later or which flights they don't want to fly anymore so if you booked with expedia or the airline directly, you would still have the same schedule changes.
Comments by Another expedia.CA rep : Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 04:41 PM
Quote "The program we use in the flight dept is NOT dos. Stop acting like a smart ass know it all. If you'd like you can come to my desk and fix your flights yourself since you apparently know how to use sabre.
expedia.CA rep said it is *like* dos, not that it *is* dos.
You should read more carefully..it'll make you look smarter."
I would have loved to come down and fix my flights myself, it would have saved me a few days of screwing around. Sorry, I did misread the DOS reference but the point remains the same. If sabre is complicated then pick up the book and learn the codes instead of telling customers that they are getting screwed around because the software is too difficult. wha wha wha!
In regard to me looking 'smarter' I could give a rats ass if you think I'm smart or stupid. Now get back to work dickwad, there are ten thousand people on hold trying to sort out their screwed up plans.
Comments by Tom : Monday, December 31, 2007 at 04:52 PM
fuck expedia and fuck all its customer agents, i have had it with these assholes!
Comments by bill green : Thursday, January 03, 2008 at 01:11 PM
there are never ten thousand people on hold tom! come on..be serious. yes you waited a long time..it happens..not only expedia. every company has peak hours, as well as peak seasons..it is a fact of life.
unfortunately with travel it always seems to be a peak season.
if you do not want to wait for answeres or whatever then do not do online booking of any sort. go straight to the source, or go to a travel agent. you will pay more at a travel agent, where as expedia you pay 9 bucks. online booking. self serve price. basically you get what you pay for. it sounds awful, but that is what comes with the territory.
it doesnt matter if you paid 85000 dollars on a trip expedia gets 9.00 per person, and only up to 36.00. that nine dollars doesnt even cover one hour of wages for the agents you speak with. if you want to get mad at someone about involutary changes, get mad at the source..the Airline.
if you want to get mad about waiting for a voluntary scheduale change go for it, but do not blame expedia because you spend a few hours waiting. keep in mind that during those hours if your waiting the agent you end up speaking with has been working their asses off. and tom, i do not see these reps on here passing the buck and not taking responsibility, and it is also not just the complicated nature of sabre, it is also the airlines. they are not always willing to cooperate, even when they are wrong. I guarantee you that all the agents who work with sabre have more then mastered the program, and that is not the issue. i do believe that the previous expedia.CA agent wrote the explanation in a way that caused confusion.
people need to realize that just because you book through expedia doesnt mean you are immune to the complications of Airlines, hotels and cars. Expedia has to follow the same rules that our customers do. you may have bought your ticket through expedia.ca, a THIRD party, but you still paid the airline, and they own the flights.
when you pay 10-40% of your trip to a travel agent yes you will be able to sit down one on one with them and fix the problems, but when you pay 9.00 for a self serve price you do need to wait with the rest of the customers.
I am sorry you all feel this way about expedia. please do not blame the agents. they truly have no control over anything!
Comments by yo : Friday, January 11, 2008 at 03:42 AM
Yo...If Expedia didn't make money on selling airline tickets they simply wouldn't do it. Expedia is not a non profit organization and will only push products that they can make money on. I am not involved in the airline industry, but if it is anything like hotels, and I imagine it is, Expedia makes AT LEAST 20% of the price of the airfare, could be as much as 30%. Customers purchasing on Expedia in fact DO NOT PAY the airline/hotel, they pay Expedia...Expedia pays the airline/hotel.
Comments by justin : Friday, January 11, 2008 at 11:28 PM
not quite. hotels more or less yes..but that is a complicated contract we have individually that allows expedia to pre purchase rooms in bulk, an expedia special rate room, but in that agreement we have to charge our customers change and cancellation penalties, which all goes into hotels pockets.
with airlines you will see two charges on your credit card. one from expedia travel, the booking fee be it 9.00 18.00 or 36.00 depending on the amount of travellers. and then the rest goes directly to the airline, check any customers Credit card bill you will see our booking fee, and the rest of the airfare is charged by airline. so no we do not get 20% of the air fare. sorry to dissapoint you, but i spoke the truth. i am sure that any customer on here who has actually used us for flights will vouch for that
Comments by yo : Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 03:53 AM
Wrong again Yo...not sure what you are trying to sell here, but I am not buying. Hotels do not pocket change or cancellation policies like what you speak of. The contracts...which I have seen and signed require Expedia to adhere to that particular hotel's cancellation policy, but does not require Expedia to charge anything for cancellations outside of that policy or for any changes. This is all done at Expedia's discretion. Expedia does not "pre-purchase" hotel rooms in bulk, they are given certain amounts of inventory by the hotel based on availability. You did not, by the way, tell the truth about the amount Expedia gets for airline tickets. You originally said that $9 was all Expedia got regardless of the price, now it is anywhere from $9-$36. The only thing that "disappoints" me is that you attribute fees Expedia charges to the hotels when they have nothing to do with them.
Comments by justin : Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 07:59 PM
OK I have a solution. Perhaps I've been too harsh here. Expedia needs to understand the concept of 'disclosure' and make the necessary changes so that people like me and countless others are not blindsided. In this case disclosure refers to the notice that Expedia needs to post on their web site that says: PLEASE NOTE, WE ONLY MAKE $9 PER TRANSACTION AND AS SUCH WE WARN ALL POTENTIAL CLIENTS THAT THEY WILL BE TREATED IN A MANNER EQUAL TO WHAT $9 IN SERVICE WILL WARRANTS. IF WAITING 3-4 HOURS ON THE PHONE, HAVING YOUR FLIGHTS CHANGED AND GETTING CRYPTIC E-MAILS DOESN'T APPEAL TO YOU THEN TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO A FULL SERVICE TRAVEL AGENT OR DIRECT TO THE AIRLINE. IT WILL BE EASIER. ALSO, OUR COMPUTER SYSTEM IS VERY CONFUSING AND WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS USING IT SO EXPECT ISSUES IN THAT REGARD, YOURS SINCERELY THE STAFF AND MANAGEMENT AT EXPEDIA. THANK YOU AND HAPPY TRAILS."
Comments by Tom : Monday, January 14, 2008 at 05:26 PM
firstly, go through airline changes will happen too. i am not going to argue on here anymore. clearly you customers are completely misunderstanding and reading what you want to read. justin i did mention in my first message about the range of 9-36 perhaps you need to read a little more closely. +++++9.00 per person, and only up to 36.00+++++
yes justin we buy in bulk. otherwise explain how we can offer for cheaper. you are right we dont always buy in bulk. if you see a ESR or expedia special rate, weve pre purchased, any that arent we have been allotted.
they do have everything to do with the change fees. the front desk managers have nothing to do with the relationship or contracts, you need to go to the coroporate side of the hotel. they will tell you the truth. but you are allowed to believe and be as dissillousioned as you want. and yes my spelling is terrible tom, not necessary to rip my character apart as you did expedia.CA rep previously. i can spell, i just dont really care on here.
and my fingers have a mind of their own.
IDIOT TOM! our system is very easily used by those trained in it. just dont expect the hotel car and general departments to know how to..as they do not require it.
YOU GUYS NEED TO LEARN HOW TO READ..AND NOT ONLY WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR.
but im soo done. it is impossible to argue with idiots
Comments by yo : Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 04:51 AM
I am on the Corporate side of the hotels. You don't sell cheaper, you tell people that you do. There is a big difference. I can tell people that an apple is an orange, doesn't make Granny Smith citrus does it? The rate on Expedia is normally 20-30% higher than the hotel direct because of the markup/fees that Expedia charges the hotels. Wrong again on the Expedia Special Rate...that appears on the listings for several hotels I am involved with, NONE OF WHICH HAVE PRE-SOLD ANY ROOMS TO EXPEDIA.
Comments by justin : Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 08:57 PM
I enjoyed the Expedia representative tell us how business flights are rebooked. Enjoyable.
Now wordsmith an answer to this. This past Valentine's Day I had booked a hotel in Negril, Jamaica (Negril Gardens). When I got there, they told me I had to goto another Hotel...an "upgrade". I did not want an "upgrade" - I wanted what I had purchased.
For 2 of the 5 night stay I was at another resort. I was then told that I had to leave and head back to the other hotel. (I was really happy that I was of so much convenience to Negril Gardens.)
Everyone knows one of the key intangible take-aways from a vacation is familiarization and no hassles. Well I have neither.
I called Expedia wanting a refund - for simply the 2 nights not promised at Negril Gardens. They flat out refused. They placed blame on Negril Gardens.
I tried countlessly to inform them that the issue of refunds does not come from Negril Gardens but with whom I purchased the ticket from; Expedia. The relationship between Expedia and Negril Gardens is for Expedia to fix. (Its like ordering a Blue Ford Taurus and receiving a gray Chevy Mailbu, then beng patted on the shoulder and told 'its ok')
At a minimum I want to be refunded the money for 2 nights that I DID NOT RECEIVE. In reality I should be reimbursed the complete vacation.
There Customer Service is a HUGE JOKE. They "xfer" you to a supervisor who never comes to the phone. Its a big wait game.
Screw Expedia. I hope they get whats coming to them.
And Mr Expedia who answered above -please respond. I am waiting to hear your arguement.
Comments by Robert Murphy : Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 06:28 PM
I will never give Expedia my business again. I bought two tickets to Hawaii: when I opened my email notification of my itinerary and opened the link, it said the fare had increased by $600 per ticket. AFTER I had booked, they notified me of the change.
Next: our plans changed and we had to postpone the trip. I called first, to find out what to do, was told that it would cost $100 per ticket and a $30 service fee and was given a confirmation number. This seemed fair and was fine with me. I had my confirmation number, after all.
When I tried to re-book, this number didn't seem to matter much, as my records were frozen in the system, unable to be retrieved even by the "saber computer" and a supervisor.
Another thing: I was issued paper tickets, although I never asked for them. When I called to cancel and get my confirmation number, I was never told that it was imperative that I hold on to them. I learned this the day after garbage day.
In the end, I dealt with US Airways/America West, which was smack dab in the middle of their merger. Drove all the way to the nearest airport, only not to be helped, but on the whole the airline people were much smarter and friendlier than Expedia. They told me they NEVER recommend dealing with these online sites, they make problems that the airlines have to fix. Spending their time (money) and customer service to figure out. In the end, I lost. Filled out the "lost ticket refund", waited 6 months for a reply and was denied.
Okay Mr. "Team Expedia". What about me? The charge was shown AFTER I had booked and reported through a LINK in an email, not on the email directly. It said, "the price on your tickets has gone up". That's AFTER I booked.
I never asked for paper tickets, (why would I?) and was not told anything about the paper tickets when I called to get my confirmation number on rebooking. Evidentally the man was looking at my reservation. I think he would have seen the paper tickets and told me EVERYTHING I needed to know about rebooking.
Also, what's with my reservation being lost? This mystified many over at Expedia. I spent 5 days and 10 hours on hold or speaking with people that spoke limited English. Quite a few references to the "saber computer".
So, besides correcting me, can you help? I still have a copy of my email and orignal ticket numbers and confirmation code. I'll pay all the fees. I'm not asking for something for nothing, I want justice.
Comments by Sonja : Saturday, March 01, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Expedia pulled the same scam with me as well (which is more of a breach of contract, or should be looked at as a promissory estoppel issue). It seems that I am not the only one who has fallen victim of their omissions/misrepresentations either. I think everyone should get together and see if we can't get a class action law suit against them. I would also like to say that their agent supervisor, Carmeli (spelling?) has omitted or deleted important conversations from their records in regard to their fraud and misrepresentations, and if one was to enter into such a suit, they shoudl try and get a litigation hold put on their records ASAP under the new FRCP rules in re electronic discovery.
It seems obvious that there are a number of people who have fallen victim to Expedia, Inc.'s scam, which view in a light most favorable to them, is nonetheless a breach of contract. I think in the aggregate there would be significant damages that could easily be proven, provided of course Expedia, Inc. has not destroyed that information (Although the FRCP 2006 amendments will provide for sanctions and strick punative damages if they did).
Where they need to be hit the most though is on the punitive damages side to keep them from continuing on this practice for fraudulent misrepresentations.
I think they feel that it would be too costly for most individuals to hire an attorney to resolve their $100-$1000 issue (risk assessment), so most customers will eat that cost. But I think there needs to be a class action law suit filed against them. I plan on taking them to small claims court this summer, but a class action suit seems more appropriate to keep them from doing this in the future.
Expedia was also in court a few years ago because they were charging customers for taxes that were supposed to be paid out to the cities in whch they booked packages too...I just think that their misrepresentation scam is a way to compensate for those lost revenues...
Are their any attorneys out there just itching to get a big cut on a punitive damages award? I think you'd have a great case in a class action suit!!!
Comments by Jake Bogdon : Monday, March 24, 2008 at 11:31 PM
"The Gnome from Travelocity, who actually guarantees all their trips EXACTLY as you booked it" as posted is not true. I was scammed by both Expedia and Travelocity. I would book a hotel, guaranteeing the type of room, and end up with something less than satisfactory. The hotel managers would then just tell us that it's their policy to overbook rooms and it's your problem with Expedia/Travelocity. You call Expedia/Travelocity to correct the problem and they will tell you to find yourself another hotel and they will refund your money. Or if they do find a hotel but at a higher cost then it's your problem to pay for the difference? So I'm supposed to pay more for their mistakes???
So the lesson learned is to use Expedia/Travelocity as a research tool. Once you locate a good price, call the airline or hotel and book directly through them. If you quote the Expedia/Travelocity price, most of the vendors will honour it.
Comments by Selina : Friday, March 28, 2008 at 04:50 PM
You whiny, bitchy customers really need to shut the fuck up. Go work for the Expedia.ca call centre at 235 King street in Kitchener, Ontario so you can find out first hand how lovely it is to work there. A company that makes millions for overcharging on flights/hotels then keeps your money regardless if you got what you paid for. To top it off the customer service call centre isnt even owned by Expedia. It's a 3rd party call centre called Arvato Digital Services. Customer service agents make $10.00 per hour and the rest gets pocketed by the management and owners of the call centre. What does this mean? Well the average Expedia.ca customer service agent has about a 1-2 month life expectancy before they say fuck it and quit. So this basically means everyone you talk to is new and doesn't have the slightest fucking clue what they are doing much less give a flying fuck. Arvato Digital Services took over for a company called HRG based in Ottawa. When they were running the call centre things were much better. Needless to say Arvato won't have the contract with Expedia.ca much longer as they have fucked up and cost Expedia.ca way too much money. All I am saying is while Expedia Canada is a slimy dirty business, a big part of that is the shitty call centre they are doing business with... By the way ask for Deb Renner when you apply/call. She is the beastly account manager for Expedia.ca. Ask her how Kimbery Witmer's tongue feels on her asshole.
Comments by travelmann : Saturday, April 05, 2008 at 04:03 AM
I booked my husband flight with Expedia, but unfortunately I spelt his name incorrectly. I contacted Expedia within less than 24 hours and said that unfortunately nothing they could do, they said that they contacted the airline (British Airways) and that they refused to make changes of the name.
So you know what? We lost the ticket and this will not be refundable, so we had to buy a new one.
I contacted British Airways and said that if the ticket was bought through them name changes could be made, but unfortunately nothing they could do about this.
We are very frustrated about this situation as we feel this is a scam. Expedia is not helping at all in this situation and is adamant to correct the error on the ticket. So feel that we will loose $1,200.00 for a small typing mistake.
Anywone can give us advice?
Esti
Comments by Esti : Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 10:41 AM
We booked flights online from Austin to NY to Casablanca, they were a little more but the 300.00 extra was ok because it was a straight flight. We recieved tickets and guess what. The tickets are from Austin to NY to Belgium w/7 hour wait bf going to Casablanca. Called expedia where they are located in Phillipines and of course waited and waited for supervisor, who never answered. To cancell flight they were going to charge over 200.00 for each of us. They could not make changes they said. Also said you confirmed flight when u paid. I replied yes we did, but it was not what you sent us. No matter what there was no help for the customer. This is a rip off! Maybe someone out there could bring this to the attention of 20/20 program so people can be more aware of what is happening. Please someone help.
Comments by C. Romero : Saturday, May 03, 2008 at 06:31 PM
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Comments by dudley : Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 03:22 PM
I work for Expedia.co.uk and what that lady says is right and also the prices on the site go up and down, its not always up like that, but they can go up by hundreds in a matter if seconds, its due to availability and other crap, but its to do with the airline not Expedia.
Expedia are shit, I would never in my life book with them, but not just because they're shit but you get a better deal and its safer booking directly with the airline or hotel and you save on SO many admin fees Expedia charge. Remember Expedia are just a middle man. And when I say Expedia is shit, I don't mean the call centre staff or their managers, but the people who actually make the rules and systems and decide on how much would be great to charge people in fees. They're the scamming ones. The call centre staff's hands are tied by all these stupid rules and most of the time I feel like telling customers they are insane for booking with Expedia. In a way I do blame them for being stupid enough to think London to Dublin for £1200 is a great deal, but not all people are travel minded or are just rich and don't care so it can be understandable.
So my advise to all you people complaining, is just don't f**king book with them. They don't need your custom nor do they care if you're unhappy, they have your money and thats the end of it. Just don't book with them again and advise others not to.
Comments by Jen : Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 06:16 PM
Esti,
did you know that changing a name on an airline ticket is ILLEGAL? ever since september 11th, thats how al-queda got on the plane!!
if british airways said they could change it, they are LYING
Maybe next time, try spelling yout husbands name correctly and you wont have this problem, its not like our website gives you THREE chances to verify all the information is correct or anything...
Comments by expediaemployee : Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 10:19 AM
DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR TRUST OR MONEY!!!!
I COULD WRITE PAGES ABOUT THEIR TERRIBLE SERVICE.
tHEY ARE THE WORST.
Comments by David Sherman : Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Thank you for the information on expedia. Unfortunately it comes to late for me as I've been scammed by them for hotel reservations that were listed as refundable which magically became non-refundable after they had my money. Expedia seems to follow the Ferengi rules of business "once you have their money, never give it back". I have caught the ear of my state's attorney who is going to investigate them and possibly go for damages if they can find enough evidence. Any employees who have inside knowledge of deceptive practices by management are encouraged to post them either here or on Topix (which has great google search placement). I am also looking for advice on how to inform people of problems with Expedia BEFORE they make the mistake of doing business with them. Also it seems Expedia owns a number of other travel websites such as Hotels.com , Tripadvisor.com and Hotwire.com. If you don't like Expedia, you're going to want to avoid its affiliates or satellites also.
Comments by Expedia Hater : Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 08:52 AM
I recently purchased a ticket from Frankfurt, Germany to Austin,TX but due to an emergency needed to change flight dates. I called Expedia from Germany, since changes weren't allowed online, only to be told that no changes at all would be allowed on the flight. It was a "use it or lose it" ticket. I understand that airlines have rules and expedia has to abide by these rules and thats all good. However, while purchasing the ticket, when I clicked on "rules & regulations" I was taken to a page that said "could not retrieve rules". So now I haven't seen the rules, purchased the ticket, but still have expedia applying the rules to my ticket. If I'd known that the ticket was non-changeable, I wouldn't have purchased it. I've called from Germany several times, emailed several more only to be on hold for hours and be told that those are the rules. When I purchased the ticket I agreed to the rules that were shown but can't possibly agree to something that wasn't there and somehow in retrospect is being applied now. I'm out of over 1200 euros...
Comments by ruinedTrip : Friday, June 13, 2008 at 03:45 PM
On hold with expedia right now to speak with a manager. The first line of defense customer service rep refused to believe that the rules were not shown when the ticket was purchased. He kept telling met to click on the 'rules & regulations' link. Of course, he wasn't listening to what I was saying though its been mentioned on this very site that its the customers that don't listen and the reps are all ears. I'm sorry but this one cust rep refused to listen to what I was saying. Now I made a screen capture video of the entire purchase process and yes, clicked on any and every link that could show me any rules and a page kept coming up saying "We have not received rules or restriction information for this flight". Now my issue is that if I wasn't even shown what the rules are, why are those non-existent rules being applied to my ticket...
Comments by ruinedTrip : Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Spoke with a supervisor (Leo Dela) in Manila who claimed that he is the highest point of contact and has no bosses. Well unless he is the CEO of expedia or something, that just can't be true. Anyhow, he squarely put the blame on the airlines. Again, I said, I did my part in being a careful purchase by clicking and wanting to read the rules applicable to my fare. The rules now showing up is their fault and they should take responsibility for that instead of hiding behind "its the airline rules". Its not like I want them to give me a free ticket, I just want the ticket I paid for changed to a different date!
Comments by ruinedTrip : Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 11:01 AM
I am the Manager of a Hotel that does lots of business with the online travel sites, including Expedia. While I greatly enjoy the revenue I get from such sites, I would never use them myself.
1. You are not getting a "discount" in most cases, especially if you have bought just a ticket or just a hotel room. You are really only going to save by booking packages. You will often times get a better rate by calling directly.
2. There are lots of restrictions and limitations with these type of bookings. Expedia is actually one of the more lenient booking partners, where as Priceline's bidding system rarely gives you what you are hoping for and you cannot make adjustments/cancellations to your booking.
3. It is very, very important you actually read the fine print. While I empathize for most of the situations described here, as I have seen some of them unfold right in front of me from guests in my hotel, it is rarely the direct fault of Expedia. Often times people are quick to "grab a deal" and do not read all the limitations. Most 3rd party websites do not guarantee room type or even smoking/non. You can put in requests, but it is ultimately what the hotel has available in their inventory that decides what type of room you are booked into.
4. With double charges on your card, don't call Expedia to try and have them reverse it. Call your card company and dispute it. Not only will it be faster, but you will far more often get a decision in your favor. I can honestly say that the amount of proof I have to provide in any dispute by a guest is sometimes bordering on the absurd. Card companies will usually side with card holders, not companies.
5. What Expedia Team said is true, Expedia and other 3rd party sites CANNOT book up a hotel. I have it limited to 20% of my inventory. Once all those are booked up, regardless of whether the other 80% is still available, they CANNOT book another reservation.
6. Hotels set the benchmark rates, provide the contact info and ammenity descriptions. What is on the site for my hotel is exactly what I submitted to them. If there is wrong information, then it is the fault of the hotel and not that of Expedia.
7. Hold times are abhorrent. I tried calling today about a billing issue, and sat on hold for entirely too long, however it was eventually settled. They do an enormous volume of business and such have a large call volume. I understand that it is frustrating, but unfortunately, usually when you are calling, so is everyone else that has an issue. If possible, wait until non-peak hours to call, you will have much better luck.
I've worked with 3rd party sites for many years now on the other side of the spectrum and know exactly how they book rooms at my hotel along with the limiations, if you have any further questions, please post them here and I will do my best to answer.
Comments by Nick : Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 02:43 PM
The customer service reps tell you that prices can change on a moments notice. This has happened to me three times now where I was told the price changed when I went to check out. Funny thing is, I kept checking back every day thereafter, and they kept advertising the same bogus price and kept upcharging at checkout. It is a SCAM, plain and simple. Each of these three times I ended up finding the same flight on Orbitz for the original Expedia-quoted price. Since then, I just started skipping Expedia altogether.
Comments by Jason Mast : Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 10:37 PM
I've finally come up with an idea to inform people who may not otherwise know of the negatives of doing business with Expedia. Magnetic placards for our automobiles. All we need now is a short effective memorable quote that will make anyone seeing it think twice about doing business with this sorry company. Something humorous and memorable would be good for spreading the anti-Expedia anti-Hotwire meme.
Comments by Expedia Hater : Wednesday, July 09, 2008 at 02:13 PM
After planning our trip for several months. We decided to book our trip using Expedia. The first customer service person we contacted was not very knowledgeable and deleted our information 3 times and had to start over. This should have been my first clue to do it myself. (1 hour and 28 minutes
on the phone).
After no sucess with the telephone agent I decided to book it online. We split our payment between 2 debit cards. When we submitted the reservation 1 debit card rejected the other debit card accepted. But the reservation was not made & was not held in pending it was just rejected. Our debit card that was accepted was deducted a charge of $1151 even though our reservation was not accepted. I called Expedia, after 3 calls, and over 2 hours on the phone I was told there was nothing we could do and the charge would fall off our card in 24 to 72 hours.
3 banking days later our money was back in our account. We attempted to make reservations one more time using Expedia & the same thing happened again! This time Expedia deducted $781.18 from one card, rejected the other card and did not book our reservations.
The amounts deducted from our accounts were bizarre amounts and had nothing to do with the reservation amounts or the amounts entered into Expedia. This time I contacted my bank directly and told them what happened. I was given a merchant removal hotline number, by my bank, and contacted Expedia and after a little over an hour on the phone & 2 disconnections later my money was back in my account.
Prior to making the reservations we visited our banks and raised our daily limits so that there would be no reason that the reservations would not be accepted.
It seems like Expedia is using customers money up to 3 days therefore earning interest without providing the customer with anything.
On a positive note we booked our reservations directly with the airline and directly with the hotel and ended up with an upgraded room and saved ourselves $249.00.
If this happens to you call your credit/debit card company & get there merchant removal hotline number, then call Expedia and stay on the phone with them until they remove the charge!
Lisa
midland, Texas
U.S.A.
Comments by lisa : Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 07:09 PM
u know what the problem is... you people want everything for free because you are cheap asses so you book with expedia because they have such great prices...and when the airlines or the hotels screw you up they tell you: *talk to expedia* becuase they do not want to take responsability over the shit they do... but seriously do you think expedia enjoys working with this shit! taking your load of crap knowing that you stupidly believed the airline's excuses and that now you are blaming them... i admire the representatives because even though they are not the ones who have screwed you over they take responsability for it and try to do their best helping you out... but if you are not listening yelling and trying to make your stupid point nobody will help u because you don't want to be helped u just want to complaint! expedia obviously hates to deal with this because they need to clean up other people's mess... because you believe that for just $7 that you payed when you booked they have to help you.. they don´t have to but they do and u should be thankful for it because they do what they can but believe me they play by the airlines and hotel rules....
Comments by SAKURA : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 08:34 PM
ah... i almost forgot: the idiots that misspelled their relatives names... that is just stupid? how dumb are u not to remember your husband's name that just lame! the airlines do not allow any name changes! it is not expedia's fault that your brain does not funtion properly! expedia tries but if the airline says no what can they do?! ah and if the airline says yes we can do it, why is it that they don't do it right away when you call? because it is a lie if they could do it they would, but instead they tell you to call expedia! and u believe them! HA now that's funny!
Comments by SAKURA : Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 08:52 PM
This is not true..This is a whole bunch of crap..Hey is Priceline or Travelocity paying you?Stupid
Comments by Gary Smith : Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 06:21 PM
I am just a little surprised by everything on here. For one, it is true that most of these complaints should not be directed towards expedia but the responses to them are quite rude as well.
I'm going to try to explain certain things that I do keep seeing on here that I think need explaining.
1. Hold times. Yes, sometimes they suck. That does happen with a lot of companies but it is never the intention. What bothers me is that people wait on hold and then are very rude the representative about it even though they have no control. They work as fast as they can and have no control over how many employees are hired and working to lower the hold times. Honestly, you catch flies better with honey, if people were less rude people may try a little harder for you.
Though that is more of a pet peave so lets move on.
2. Expedia vs. the airline when flights are changed. I do realize that it sounds like Expedia won't take responsibility but to be honest, it's not their responsibility. Expedia is an online booking company. Not a travel agency that does everything for you and not the airline that controls everything. If it were Expedia changing your flights then Expedia would have control over every airline it is able to book (which is a least almost all of them).
3. Calling expedia a scam because the price sometimes changes as you're going through the process of booking. I do agree that is a major pain in the ass and I wish it didn't happen to but there is nothing illigal until they charge you more after you've given them your credit card information. Telling you the price was wrong before you pay for it is not wrong. I would also like to note that I've also had it lower in price as I go through the process. The simple explanation is that the website is not up to second and unfortunatley not always even up to the day so as it checks availability while going through the booking process, sometimes it's different so the price changes.
4. Lasty is hotels. Yes, any company like Expedia does charge you more than it pays for hotels. That is how it makes money. That is why Expedia is a company and not a non-profit organization. Honestly, it's not always a deal. About 9 times out of 10 it is, but sometimes it's not. That is why when you're a booking anything, hotel, car, flight, package, anything you should shop around. That is just good sense. What I don't see as good sense is complaining because the company you want to book with doesn't have the cheapest price. Shop around and book the cheapest way possible.
I don't want to be rude and call anybody stupid but a lot of these 'horror stories' are simply people wanting the rules to be different than they are. Unfortunately their not. All companies have 32000 loop holes to cover their buts and 32000 rules to save their money. Expedia doesn't want to shell out their money just as much as you don't. Do I think Expedia is absolutely the best way to go? Not at all. It's one of the many options available to you and if you don't like it, don't use it. I just ask that people put the blame where it belongs. If you booked a flight to the wrong place or spelled your name wrong or want a cheaper price than what you agreed to pay in the first place, I just don't see how Expedia is responsible for that.
Comments by Miscommunation147 : Monday, July 21, 2008 at 02:57 PM
my god people who wine about expedia!!!! GET OVER IT!!
i am a 17 year old girl, i complain about EVERYTHING!! but to see people complain about something they brought on them selfs by not reading the term and conditions Word for FUCKING Word! or even fuckin skimming over it! i also know what the reps at expedia have to deal with and you fuckin people that dont fuckin listen to them when they try to fuckin help you well yeah then i guess you fuckin deserve this i have NEver had a problem with booking with expedia because most of the issues you people are bitching about are fuckin lies !!!! you are just stupid little whinnning fuckin babies that have nothing better to do then sit her and fuckin complain about stupid ass shit that NO ONE fuckin cares about ...... oh and if you have that big of a deal with expedia then why dont you fight to get ur money back ..... oh wait i knoe why none of yyou put that thats wat you do because you fuckin cant because its not there fuckin fault!!!!!!!
if you have nething to say to me send me an e-mail at
loves-boys@live.com
but i will say this i am NOT oblique i wont beat around the bush ornething so if you dont want to be told the truth dont send me an e-mail.....
Comments by taylor edwards : Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 04:29 AM
Omg you fucking stupid customers! I work at expedia.ca and have for a year I know what I'm doing I could use the sabre system in my sleep! So let me tell you its not a matter of our agents not knowing how to use the system its because the system is ancient! Its all codes! Let me tell you its not as easy as clicking an option on a screen! Just to pull up rules on a ticket you have to type in a command that takes up half the screen! Looking up rules can take 10 minutes if it is a multicarrier tkt!! And then when we get the rules on our screen it takes a little while to go through the 6 screen fulls of writing! Why don't we get a different system you ask? Because every airline uses sabre! Don't fix it if it aint broken! So after we look up the rules we have to sit there and find flights for you cause you stupid fucks don't know what u want before you call! Once all that bullshit is over we need to do the exchange and do something called a qrex if we type one thing wrong all hell breaks lose! So we take our time a qrex can take 5 minutes and we need to do one for each passenger so that takes a long time to so next time you wanna whine and bitch about the hold times think that maybe this shit takes time because there are steps that we need to take! And we want to do it correctly so you stupid fucks can have a good vacation and for everyone that spells their name or spouses name wrong should really be kicking themselves in the ass cause if you can't spell your name right you deserve to buy another tkt
Comments by expediaemployee : Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 03:46 PM
I messed up a flight I booked with Expedia, and whilst waiting to see if I could get a refund (being disconnected 2x and misinformed 1x and on hold for a total of 3 hours during 5 calls.....!) I found this site. I decided to be nice to the agent who was trying to help, and not only did she get a full refund for the ticket I purchased in error, but gave me a $100 gift coupon for use on a further purchase. I think it pays to be nice. Don't we have enough negative vibes around us? Think about it! Worked for me!
Thank you Expedia!
Comments by weinan : Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 04:37 PM
1st of all let me say I have experience from both sides. Expedia is a SELF SERVE web site. YOU are responsible for what you enter and as ANY other web site you have to agree with the TERMS?CONDITIONS !!! If you DONT read them dont blame someone else. If you spell yours or anyone elses name wrong, dont blame someone else. And believe this happens ALOT. Expedias agreement with the airlines does NOT allow name changes, primarily because you are getting much lower fares than the airlines would like. Name changes are sometimes done by the airlines but only if it is 1 or maybe 2 letters, but NEVER a complete change, tickets are not transferable and that in effect is what you are asking.
Hotels: ESR clearly displayed on the website are pre allocated rooms to Expedia in bulk, therefore discounts are better, when their gone their GONE, no matter how many rooms the hotel may have left.
3. The bigger the discount the less flexibility, want a 100% refund on your airfare, pay the full price, so you cheappies, dont ask.
4. Stop complaing about the fine print, your using a computer, you can increase the size soooo big even the blind can read it, and in most cases their even in RED.
5. Fares can change and do, live with it, they advise you of an increase, and even a decrease. YOU dont have to accept it.
6. The airlines change their flights, cancel flights, overbook etc. NOT Expedia so why blame them. Let them try to help you. If the airline CHANGES your flight(s) you are entitled to a refund.....
7. Expedia agents are human and do make mistakes, if they do, Expedia has to honour what you were told, and do.
and lastly, most of us have had to deal with poor customer service, whether it is our phone/cable/mobile phone provider etc you get the idea, I am currently in a 4 month dispute with mine. It happens, but not as often as you think. Expedia books thousands of flights/hotels/attraction passes etc around the world daily, so a few hundred complaints over a period of a year or so is actually quite LOW.
AND LASTLY, Like any good lawyer will tell you, read the fine print ( but enlarge it 1st ) before you pay. If your not sure call 1st. In the U.S.A. 1-800-EXPEDIA and in CANADA 1-888-EXPEDIA and make note of the date/time and the agent you spoke with in case you have to verify what was said, by both so be careful what you ask for, it may well be YOUR mistake.
P.S. if booking flights in advance try to avoid connections, fly direct whenever possible.
Thank you APOO
Comments by apoo : Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 08:23 PM
I currently live in Vancouver, now you'd think booking a flight from the uk to Canada would be an easy process. My brother who had a vacation planned before he rejoined the forces was all set to come out and see me before the huge mistake I made of recommending he try expedia, he checked and found then proceeded to book a flight. After completion it would not let him confirm his flight, anxious a quick call to expedia customer services. They went on to explain they only have a number of direct flights available, that particular one is not available?! Okay thank you ( I don’t get why in that case your advertising the flight as a available direct flight bookable through your site but okay) will just book else where.
As he tried to book a flight direct through British airways, they where unable to take payment as expedia had taken the payment for 2 people on a flight they say doesn’t even exist through them and for a customer who’s not even booking with them!
On realizing there mistake only after being contacted, they said they would then transfer the money back which may take a week!!
Comments by has had enough : Friday, August 29, 2008 at 02:43 PM
I currently live in Vancouver, now you'd think booking a flight from the uk to Canada would be an easy process. My brother who had a vacation planned before he rejoined the forces was all set to come out and see me before the huge mistake I made of recommending he try expedia, he checked and found then proceeded to book a flight. After completion it would not let him confirm his flight, anxious a quick call to expedia customer services. They went on to explain they only have a number of direct flights available, that particular one is not available?! Okay thank you ( I don’t get why in that case your advertising the flight as a available direct flight bookable through your site but okay) will just book else where.
As he tried to book a flight direct through British airways, they where unable to take payment as expedia had taken the payment for 2 people on a flight they say doesn’t even exist through them and for a customer who’s not even booking with them!
On realizing there mistake only after being contacted, they said they would then transfer the money back which may take a week!!
Comments by has had enough : Friday, August 29, 2008 at 02:44 PM
i work for expedia and i must say it as a fair company with good staff who try and help people but human error dose happen on our part and the part of customers and lets face it so customers are just idiots e.g. if you spend 600 pounds on a holiday and dont check for human error than that makes you an idiot
Comments by TrafficoneMan : Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 06:29 AM
hello..my name is Chin Lee and lives at Seattle
this is my story.
i made a reservation 2 weeks ago for Oct 30, for my friend from LA and paid by my credit card.
however, my friend got a accident and wouldn't be able to travel.
Thus i ask Expedia for cancle and refound the money($180) or change name(because i paid).
they said they can't do it neither refund nor changed name.
i made reservation through my account and credit card but they can't do change name and they can't refund.
i complaint and they said it is because of the United Airline police and it is not their reponsibility.
moreover, they email me just right now and said if my friend want to change flight, Expedia require $150 penalty and $30 for processing fee... it is so funny. the ticket i paid $186 and they want me to pay $180 for penalty and processing fee.
they are so greedy and non customer support,
everybody has to know what expedia is and not using ....they are just bad.
Comments by chin lee : Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 04:29 AM
I've done business with Expedia many times with no problems. After reading these horror stories, I guess its just a matter of time before I get burned as well. I will no longer do business with them. Gnome (Travelocity), here I come!
Comments by Chris : Friday, October 31, 2008 at 12:23 PM
I hope this recession puts these f$%$!s out of business.
Comments by screwed by Expedia : Monday, November 17, 2008 at 02:59 PM
When i clicked to actually purchase my flight on Expedia after giving them my credit card number and everything, they suddenly said the flight price had changed from $1,810.54 to $1,875.20. I clicked cancel, however they charged my checking account $930.20 anyway. I called customer service, which repeatedly put me on hold and then told me the refund department was closed. Apparently, it may take 3 to 5 business days to see if i actually get a refund for the $930.20 that they charged me for NOTHING (I haven't even purchased a ticket yet!!!!). I checked on another computer while this was going on and it showed that the price for the flight was still $1,810.54. This is obviously outright FRAUD!!!
Comments by chris : Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Hey team expedia,
Let me axe you a question.
I read of other bait and switch tactics that people have posted , however they did not have proof of thier incident, Well,being the anal person i am (yes im american,which means i stand up to pee) did print out my problem. Talked to all the excellent personell @ expedia incuding shayne(supervisor) RE: case # 40668380 and faxed a copy showing comp. upgrade to royal service ocean view suite(a larger sq. ftg rm) ,along w/ our receipt from expedia showing the word suite conv. missing.
Same story as all over this board.Oh we can do this for you however theres an addl. charge ,oh and well reimburse you. I figure you screwed me once and now i should trust you again?? Come on im not from over the pond.Sorry limeys just had enough of your f$%king bashing.
(back on track)
sooo, now there's case id #'s, ftc ref. #'s,and the worlds in the toilet . Believe it or not all our past dealings w/ expedia have been great except for this incident (march of 07 mexico trip).Probably still use these necc.evils in the future also, but always check on flights and reservations 2-3 weeks out and reconfirm your not getting f&%ked.
Good luck all , its been fun
Comments by whiteboy : Monday, November 24, 2008 at 07:01 PM
Wow, I am completely disgusted by the comments from the Expedia employees on this board. I have used Expedia once before and did not have any problems, but I have to say that will be the last trip I will book with Expedia ever again.
How stupid do you have to be to come onto a public forum and call your own customers idiots? You should NEVER publicly insult customers (this is coming from someone who worked as a customer service rep for several years).
Do you think people are going to want to do business with Expedia knowing they might have to seek help from people like you? I will make sure and do my part by spreading the word. Way to go, Expedia.
Comments by caroe : Monday, December 29, 2008 at 07:20 PM
Please say you are kidding me when a threat is being made that you are taking this to the L.A. Times.
Why on God's Green Earth would you want to announce the following in Headline & Leader Line Form:
"Man Claims Travel Scam When Mistress; Flight Bumped!"
"Matt O'Hern is spending his time getting the word out. Recently O'Hern accuses Expedia.com of Bait and Switch tactics while attempting to schedule a romantic getaway with this secret lover."
Go ahead, I dare you to post it. What, your wife doesn't read?
Comments by AngelPress : Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 06:22 PM
Just got an email from said post originator.
I personally apologize for coming to the conclusion that in fact _he_ wrote said article.
He merely posted it.
To whom ever did write said article, the previous post applies to them.
Comments by AngelPress : Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 11:23 PM
Only way to avoid getting ripped off, don't book and DON"T give them your credit card #!!!
I too have been fighting Expedia and Univisit for over a year now trying to re coup over $400cnd in unauthorized charges. Although my itinerary clearly shows the hotel room was unavailable, it still took our credit card info and charged us twice! Expedia still forward the reservation to Univisit Globespan who forwarded the reservation to the hotel in Mexico. Now Expedia blames Univisit, and they claim the hotel vendor is responsible for the refund. No surprise, the poor Mexican hotel owner is not forthcoming with our refund. Talk about passing the buck!!! The lack of customer service
is deplorable... now everyone, including my credit card company has wiped their hands of it. Unbelievable. I will not stop until I get my money refunded. For anyone wanting to play travel agent thinking they are getting a good deal doing it themselves online...Don't do it! Never again Expedia!
Comments by julie : Tuesday, February 03, 2009 at 11:41 AM
What's that Team Expedia? You said someone in here has way too much time on their hands? You respond like a fool to everything. Right, right.... Expedia NEVER makes a mistake! It must be the airlines! or the hotels! Call the Waaaabulance for yourself! As your just defending the company to save your minimum wage a$$. Expedia screws up too, get over it. Clearly it's customer service is one of the main screw ups. Ya Whiner.
Comments by Team X-pedia : Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 12:21 AM
I booked a return flight to england from seattle. The outbound date must not have been available and the system changed the date to 2 weeks earlier. I didn’t notice and booked it. I called expedia within 3 minutes and asked to change it as it was their system that had caused it. They said I had lost my $1600 flight as it couldn’t be changed or cancelled. Air Canada says that even block wholesale flights like this do have a 24 hour cancellation rule for errors - back to expedia and they said it was THEIR policy not to implement the 24 hour error rule and I had lost my holiday money.
I think they are a scandal and should be closed down - its a scam and a just awful for the victims
Comments by alan hill : Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 02:11 PM
Customer service was horrible.
Booked an "all inclusive." Got to the hotel and it was *not* an all inclusive.
Spoke to customer service representative ("CSR") for nearly an hour. CSR claims I selected a package of airfare, hotel, transportation and would "include" the "hotel expense" of $50.00. The revised plan is now $720.00 more. I reasoned with the CSR that I had nothing in front of me (in the Carribean) to refute what he was saying, however, I disagreed with his position becuase, as the party that made the reservation I believed I had done everything properly.
I asked for a $200.00 cash credit to the resort to offset the additional $720.00 I was facing. CSR wnet to supervisor; answer: "A $100.00 credit towards my next Expedia.com trip." I tried to paint a picture of a consumer and a provider where, every once in a while there is a genuine issue of material fact, and that a resolution that demosnatrated a willingness to address that genuine issue would actually enhance the relationship long term. I re-stated my request for $200.00. No, I went through the whole thing again. The counter offer was $100.00 credit on next trip. I then explained that a $100.00 credit for my next trip was meaningless because this experience at "Getting to YES" was a failure. I told the CSR that if this was his best alternative to a negotiated agreement, his "company" not him ("George") had failed.
I thanked him for his efforts and concluded that I was not upset with him, I apologized if my tone with him was over bearing and wished him hte bes of luck. I was able to get a postal address and will send this concern to Expedia.com as well.
-mjs
Comments by MJSinCT : Monday, March 16, 2009 at 09:31 AM
A friend recently sent me a link for a site called Optifly, which shows possible flight routes in Google Maps. I’ve never seen anywhere else that does this, and it’s pretty cool. You can even download the Google Earth plug-in and look at your flights in 3d.
Actually, the best part is that Optifly shows low-cost carriers. It shows you all of the possible flight routes, and not just the ones that Expedia and Orbitz want to show you.
Apparently you can save hundreds of dollars by using it to buy legs of a flight with a low cost carrier and then buying other legs using another travel site like Orbitz.
I thought it was cool, too, that they had also integrated city information for any connection locations. It’s a pretty neat interface, and I wish they offered direct ticket sales. Even as is, though, it seems like it would save a lot of time searching for cheaper tickets.
I thought it was a very helpful site and will definitely use it next time I take an international trip. The url is http://optifly.com, and you don’t have to log in or anything. I would definitely recommend it, especially for international travel.
Comments by OptiFly is Cool : Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 03:47 PM
Recently there was an Expedia promotion to refer a friend for a voucher. I referred a few friends, but none of my vouchers work.
Comments by Dion : Friday, May 08, 2009 at 09:38 AM
I also had a very bad experience with Expedia, a horrible experience with Expedia. We booked a hotel in Fresno,CA. & paid for it June 5- 7, 2009 when we arrived they said they had no reservation & that we could not stay. So we called Expedia they said they would refund us & for us to find another place to stay. So we drove around Fresno for 3 hours & called them back they said oh they forgot all of Fresno is booked up due to something like a track meet in town or something. So we said what do we do? No rooms were available,we have a 2 1/2 yr old daughter that by this point she was out of control from sitting in the car from Sacramento to Fresno then driving around for hours. So we called Expedia back to tell them what should we do? They said they have a room, with 2 double beds to go there straight away so we did and you won't believe what room we got! They gave us a room with one double bed, stuff dripping off the walls, liquid inside the over head lights in the sink area, what looked (to me_) like boogers on the wall in two spots, a huge hole over the bathtub (that was supposed to be a vent I guess) and things LIVE walking around in the sheets! Dirty sinking carpet and a smell that could only be called a smell of human "POOP" that you could smell extremely well when you first entered the room, no toilet paper,and two paper thin towels to dry with, by sides all of that the next morning the housekeeping MAN that looked like some sort of drunk hung over knocked on our door for our towels but we had yet to shower so we told him that then a women knocked on the door 2 more times till finally we gave her the towels. Unreal! So we packed up and left! We tried to tell em what the problems were and we wanted our money back but they didn't care. So it ruined our whole trip and we had to barge in on our family unexpectedly. I emailed them,called them and so far all I got back from them is a case number but no action. I have pictures to prove it.
Comments by Mervin & Stacey Edie JR : Monday, June 08, 2009 at 06:59 PM
I haven't had any bad experiences with Expedia...
Comments by James Marvin : Tuesday, June 09, 2009 at 06:04 AM
I've purchased a round trip tickets from San Francisco to Las Vegas through Expedia.com
Next thing you know, I get a phone call from the airlines saying that my flight was cancelled and I either could:
-take a next possible flight;
-cancel the trip and get a full refund (which I decided to do).
Now the airlines told be they weren't responsible for refunds, because eexpedia was the one, whom I have submited the payment. I call expedia, they say they got it and ask me to wait 1-2 billing cycles. Now a month passes by, I call expedia they say my refund is being processed and that I should wait. Now 3 months passes by I call Expedia and they tell me my flight was never cancelled. Then they tell me I am not entitled for a refund and other bulshit! It is horrible, I've wasted so much time on this. This is the last time I am purchasing something through Expedia.
Another story. I've purchased a roundtrip ticket from SF to Bangkok and got a flight protection plan with that. A week prior to my departure I had to make changes to my flight (absolutely calm because I had the flight protection plan). I call expedia, they say that this protection plan work only if something extreme happens (like someone in my family dies and I must change my flight). But with an additional $100 I would be more than welcome to make any changes. So what I do I call the airlines directly and tell them that Expedia (through who I've purchased my tickets) were unable to make changes to my flight. And guess what, they airline agent did it for free.
I really do not mind paying a bit extra or waiting on hold for 30 minutes. It is just these negative feeling that you are being ripped off. Never ever am I returning to Expedia.
Comments by Gizelle Lee : Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 06:40 PM
I'm freaking out with Expedia! It's such a company of scamming. I'll do all that I can to prevent any friend to book anything on the website.
Comments by Wang, Hanyu : Thursday, July 09, 2009 at 01:12 PM
Clearly, Expedia is a fraudulent company that deliberately rips people off. They purposefully lie to customers and frequently employ bait & switch tactics. They are liars, cheats, and engage in criminal business acitivty. Avoid.
Comments by Matt : Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 02:44 AM
Expedia is the worst. I booked a hotel with them for a business trip and because I had never used there services before I made sure to call the hotel to confirm, and everything seemed ok. Unfortunatly when I arrived at the hotel after 14 hours on the road, no room was available even though I made a reservation. I asked for a refund and was told to contact expedia. When I called expedia they said I could not cancell the room at this date and I would be charged the full amount. I explained to them that no room was available at the hotel and that I never recieved the room I paid for or any other room for that matter. The customer service rep simply did not care and kept telling me that they would not refund the money or even get me other accomidations. I contacted my credit card company and had them block the purchase, but Expedia got together with the hotel and forged a document showing that I checked into the hotel and then later checked out. Of course my signature was not on these documents because there was not room to check iito in the first place and I had to stay at a another hotel in town. I could not believe they would go to so much trouble to steel $527 from me. Now my credit card comanpy cannot help because they think I checked into the hotel. At this point I am considering getting an attorney involved. I don't know what else to do.
Comments by Andrew : Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 07:04 PM
Dealing with Expedia.com was unbelievably wretched customer service nightmare, and by the time it was over I still had a hard time believing how horribly run Expedia is.
This is what I experienced when trying to book a Legoland “Expedia Extras” deal on July 13, 2009.
The following offer came up when I was booking a San Diego hotel reservation:
"Buy Adult 2-day LEGOLAND/SEA LIFE Park Hopper Ticket, get Child 2-day Hopper ticket FREE. This offer is effective for admission on the Two Day Hopper ticket from 7/1/09 - 9/30/09, with a discount on additional child tickets when you book by 7/31/09. Must purchase LEGOLAND® + SEA LIFE? Park 2-Day Combo Ticket on the Customize Your Trip page to qualify."
Below that, there was also an “Expedia Extras” offer for a $50.00 Visa gas card.
I completed my hotel reservation, and was taken to the offer page for the Visa gas card, which I also completed, but I was never taken to the “Customize Your Trip” page to get the Legoland offer. So I called Expedia’s customer service number.
This was the beginning of a total of six hours of phone calls to Expedia.com, by myself and by management and staff of the hotel I booked through Expedia, who also tried to help.
The main problem is that their customer service phone staff seem to be making up information as they go along. Over the course of these multiple phone calls, I received a plethora of different answers as to why I could not access this offer, most of which contradicted each other or the text of the offer above. Here is a summary of the explanations I received over the course of these numerous phone calls:
· “This offer has expired.” (Me: “but it says it doesn’t expire until July 31.” Agent: “We haven’t updated our web page yet.”)
· “The hotel has decided to discontinue this offer.”
· “Legoland has decided to discontinue this offer.”
· “I don’t see any such offer anywhere on our site.” (Two different agents told me this.)
· “You have to cancel your hotel reservation and re-book it again for a later date to be eligible for this offer.”
· “You have to book this offer at the same time you make your hotel reservation – it cannot be booked separately.”
· “You can get this offer by visiting the ‘Activities’ tab, it does not have to be booked in conjunction with a hotel.”
· “You have to visit Legoland on the same date as your hotel check-in date.”
· “This offer is only available with a two-day advance purchase.”
· “This offer is only available with a five-day advance purchase.”
· “There is no reason why you should not be eligible for this offer, and I will transfer you to customer service.” (I was then disconnected after a 20-minute hold.)
· “You are not eligible for this offer because it only applies to children ages two and under.” (Two different agents told me this.)
The only reason I was finally able to get the promised offer was through the combined efforts of the hotel management and the Legoland Guest Services office – because both knew that Expedia’s incompetence reflected poorly on them. Ironically, the only party that never came through was Expedia – and it was their company’s offer that created this problem in the first place.
Comments by Linda : Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 05:55 PM
ALL OF YOU CAN'T WRITE!!!!! GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ERRORS EVERYWHERE!!
Comments by Vane : Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 12:32 PM
I am another victim of expedia. I was charged for a ticket that was never issued. Customer Service did not give any solution. The only name for this is Fraud.
Don't risk your money... buy your tickets somewhere else. Please believe me.
Comments by Davicho : Monday, July 27, 2009 at 07:40 PM
Several months ago I booked two round trip flights on Expedia from Sacramento, CA to Cabo San Jose on Mexicana Airlines. They were offering a special fare which was too good to pass up. Tonight, July 27, 2009 I received an urgent e-mail from Expedia advising me to call them because the airline had canceled my flight. When I spoke to the customer service rep, she told me that Mexicana had canceled the flight from Sacramento to Cabo. When I asked her why, she said it was due to the swine flu. She went on to say that Mexicana had extended their restrictions on flying through October 2009. I asked her if there was a possibility of my return flight on Nov 7 also being canceled because of the swine flu and she said perhaps. She offered to give me a voucher for the amount of the two round trip tickets that I had paid for. When I looked at Expedia's website for alternative flights on the same dates, there were no longer non stop flights and the prices were almost double what I had paid. I asked to speak with a supervisor. His name is Brian and he listened to my story, then gave me a reference number and said that he needed to call Mexicana directly to see if they would put me on another flight perhaps the following Saturday. Ironically, the following Saturday is still an Oct. date. He never mentioned anything about the swine flu restriction. He promised to call me back in ten minutes. After an hour and a half, I called Expedia again. I spoke with someone who said her name is Erica. I gave her my reference number and asked to speak with Brian. She said that she could not guarantee that I would speak with the same supervisor and so she placed me on hold. Fifteen minutes later she returned to say that perhaps they could get me on a flight later in the afternoon on my original departure date. Ironically, while I was holding, I called Mexicana and was told there is no travel restriction due to the swine flu....AND my canceled flight was still a scheduled flight on Mexicana's website, at a much higher price. OK...holding...holding....here comes Joe the manager. His story is that Mexicana did give Expedia the swine flu excuse for canceling the trip. He said that Mexicana has been offering reprotection. When I asked him what reprotection means, he said that Mexicana is offering to rebook us on a different airline. In his opinion he suggested that the airline may be going bankrupt. I asked him if that was the case, why wouldn't they reprotect us for our return flight too...and rebook that flight. He said they would only do it for the flight that had been canceled. He asked me to hold while he tried to set up a conference call with the airline to get this straightened out once and for all.....Guess what...yup you guessed it...disconnected. It's been a two hour battle....I will take this up again in the AM.
Comments by LS in Sacramento : Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 12:14 AM
Expedia calls are routed in the Philippines, just an FYI!
Comments by Anonymous : Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 02:06 AM
expedia is great. and some of the representatives are also in WASHINGTON STATE,MIAMI, INDIA, CANADA. But what i like most are the filipinos. they are truly kind and helpful. when i booked my vacation package, the girl was very helpful. i spoke with the supervisor to say thank you. i will continue to book with them. cheers.
Comments by kimberly of florida : Wednesday, August 05, 2009 at 07:45 PM
Most decent, reputable companies simply do not tolerate or having their employees post such ugly and condescending remarks on a website like this. Such rants and accusations speak volumes about the company's culture and its opinion of itself.
Customers who post here are describing legitimate experiences; there ARE serious problems with Expedia and its customer service policies; after reading remarks here from employees which are hostile, accusatory, denigrating, etc., we should all take pause and ask ourselves if we would want to work with anyone or any company who employs such people.
Comments by Exhausted by Expedia : Sunday, August 09, 2009 at 02:26 PM
I purchased a ticket for my minor child to fly from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Augusta, GA through Expedia. I was given a confirmation from Expedia that the flight was confirmed. On the day of the flight, we found out the ticket was for Augusta, Maine instead of Augusta, Georgia. After two long calls to Expedia that were over 30 minutes, they answer was that they isn't anything they can do. I will have to pay a change of flight fee of $150.00.
I explained to them that this was unacceptable and as the consumer, I should not have to pay for Expedia error. The long and short of this, my minor child was not able to complete my trip and Expedia pocketed $314.20 for a service that was not delivered.
Comments by curtis : Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 10:54 AM
So what's the problem if the calls are routed in the Philippines?
Comments by WonderChild01 : Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 10:28 PM
On the 17th of August I booked a flight through Excretia from Oklahoma City to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Total cost was $318.40.
On the 19th, I checked my account and was surprised to find that there were TWO charges of $318.40. Contacting my bank, they stated that it originated with Excretia and two identical transaction numbers were used in order to accomplish this.
Contacting Excretia, Gabriel stated they had booked a ticket, cancelled it, and then rebooked it the following day using the same transaction number. There were statements to the effect of a 'ghost ticket' being charged and used, although I'm unsure of what a 'ghost ticket' is. He continued to state that the cancelled booking wasn't debited from my account and COULD NOT UNDERSTAND when I told him that it WAS debited from my account. Not pending, not cancelled, but actually debited from my account. For Team Expedia, who seems a little slow, when I say debited, I mean gone. As in 'subtracted from'. As in 'removed'. Not as in 'pending' or 'on hold' or 'cancelled'. I mean a total of $736.80 was taken, of which $318.40 was in error. $318.40 that was no longer available to me. $318.40 that required me to transfer funds from another account to avoid overdraft and NSF fee's.
This doesn't begin to address the 72 minutes I spent trying to correct this with no satisfaction.
The end state is a dispute filed through my bank that will require between five and thirty days to resolve.
Thank you, Excretia. I will spread the news of your amazing efficiency in erroneously debiting my account far and wide.
Comments by Sam : Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 07:26 PM
I always book with Expedia. I didn't have problem, The sales agent was very helpful and resolved my request. They have the lowest rates compared to any other travel agencies.
Comments by troy annapolis, md : Monday, August 24, 2009 at 06:34 PM
Having read all of these posts, I was prepared for the worst when I called expedia.ca to cancel part of my booking. I had booked two tickets under one booking (I called expedia before making the reservation to make sure that I could cancel/change for only one traveler, even if it was under the same booking) and then needed to cancel one of them, knowing the penalty would be around $200. But then, I got an email saying the flight had passed and that it wasn't in their control anymore, so I should contact the airline.
I had been prepared, having already tried to cancel it at the airport directly through the airline. They told me since the booking was made through expedia, it had to be refunded by expedia.
But after reading these posts, I wasn't surprised that expedia told me they couldn't do it. So, I called anyway. I thought I'd have to pull teeth.
First, I told the rep the situation, and that the airline said to contact expedia. She then told me I couldn't cancel it because it was only for part of the booking. Then, I told her about having talked to an expedia rep pre-booking, so she told me to hang on. After being on hold a mere five minutes, voila! Refund issued! She said it would take 6-8 weeks for it to appear. Still, I was amazed, and very happy. She was very friendly, though I can't say she was very proactive--I did have to explain and push (otherwise the conversation would have ended with her simply repeating what the email said--must be done through the airline). So, in the end (I guess we'll see in 6-8 weeks) it was pretty easy to cancel.
The only troubling part is: why would expedia send me an email saying "...nor do we have the ability to make any changes. In order to discuss any changes or cancellations, you must contact the airline directly..." if that was clearly not the case? As just a way to dissuade me from trying to claim a refund?
Anyway, it also only took me 1 minute of being on hold at the beginning, and 5 min in the middle--pretty impressive. Perhaps they have reacted to recent online complaints and tried to improve their customer service recently?
Comments by Claire : Wednesday, September 02, 2009 at 01:20 AM
EXPEDIA IS ADVERTISING FLIGHTS THAT ARE NOT PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE! Ok, we booked our flight from PHX to Guadalajara. Get a email saying one leg is cancelled. Called them (expedia), rep said they (areomexico) won't put us on another flight because of the difference in cost. So they get me on the phone with Areomexico, the guy from the airline tells me that is not true, they will accomodate us on another flight. He said Expedia is selling tickets for a flight that does not have enough time for a international arival (45 minutes). THEY ARE STILL SELLING TICKETS FOR A FLIGHT THAT HAS BEEN CANCELLED!! The Expedia rep said, well, the site maybe isn't updated. This flight has been for sale for over 3 months..
Comments by Don S. : Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 11:50 PM
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Comments by Candace Mancuso : Wednesday, October 07, 2009 at 03:41 PM
ANOTHER EXPEDIA SCAM I completed an online booking with expedia.com for a trip. Flight and hotel originally was for 2 nights I called expedia to add one day to the itinerary, they told me the difference would be $78.02. When I checked my bank statement I found that expedia had charged me $251.44 + $110.70 four times for a total of $694.24 and they also charged me $329.46 + $111.70 four times for a total of $776.26 for a grand total of $1470.50! They also failed to inform me that each charge comes out separately, and only expecting one charge of $776.26; a total of TEN different charges, it caused Bank NSF fees totaling $125.00. Turns out instead of changing the return flight they booked me on an entirely different airline. They refused to refund anything saying the flights were not refundable. SKIP expedia, book directly yourself or if you prefer the package style use AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL. Also don’t use a debit card, use a credit card you have better protection and chargeback rights!
Comments by M. : Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 02:50 PM
Recently I had to cancel a booking with Expedia and realized that the advertising was a mere eyewash. The reason that I had to cancel was because my itinerary was changed 4 times by the airline and found myself on a route that had 3 stops instead of the one stop promised.
Based on this I decided to cancel my bookings. The trouble that I am having to go through to get some changes made on Expedia has been a truly harassing and bad experience.
On one day itself I had to call Expedia around 8 times:
The first time the agent lied to me saying that the airline office was closed, I made him give me the number he was dialing and spoke to the airline agents who told me they were open and available.
The second time, the line was disconnected after I waited online for 15 minutes.
All the other times agents just hung up or never came back online.
I have been on hold for nearly 3 hrs in totality with no resolution. And I am still on hold.
Comments by Chaiti Sen : Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 04:14 PM
it's so convenient the way expedite-me-not can explain away all these inconveniences that people blame them for.
of course, a catchy jingle won't save you from accountability or consumer transparency.
here's a good question, team expeditiontarded: these reasonable answers that you have on here now, where were they when your shafted customers wanted reassurance for your apparently fishy dealings?
Comments by Ryan : Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 02:46 PM
Just so everyone knows.... Expedia takes a MINIMUM of 25% of your money for every hotel night you book. If you think you are going to get an upgrade or something because you are a "Valued Expedia Guest" think again. You are the lowest rate the hotel is getting and will probably get the worst room.
Comments by Rascal : Friday, October 30, 2009 at 05:27 PM
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Ok, I've officially had it with Expedia. They are a worthless bait and switch company with a stupid jingle. Now I'm not just bad mouthing them because of some shoddy service or I couldn't find the getaway I wanted. It's deeper then mere frustration with their inadequate site they are running a shady business and I have proof of two separate occasions they tried to stick it to me. Well Expedia, you messed with the wrong blogger I'm letting the world (or at least the people that read this blog everyday) know what is up! For the sake of time I will cut to the chase. The first occasion was when I was flying to the left coast to visit a friend of mine. I had booked a flight a month in advance to leave at 7am on Friday, well being the smart traveler that I am, I decided to confirm my flight 2 days prior and make sure nothing had changed. Well what do you know my 7am flight now was 7:30pm which wouldn't put me at my friends till well after midnight and really shortening my vacation time. I decided to call Expedia.scam and figure out what had happened and maybe see if the system had made a mistake. After waiting on hold for 18 minutes and 22 seconds, a nice lady comes on the phone and I briefly explain the situation. After a few minutes of looking it up, she comes back to me and this is how the conversation went: 
The package price went up a matter for $150 in the 3 seconds it took for me to click on 'book now.' I figured ok maybe it was an error, so I went back and checked other packages to other destinations but I kept getting the same message. Maybe they have just placed a cookie on my computer that says "Scam this guy" but from now on I am sticking with the Gnome from Travelocity, who actually guarantees all their trips EXACTLY as you booked it. If anyone else has had bad experiences with Expedia please let your comments be heard below!
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