AIRLINE BOOKING SCAM

ComplaintsScamsCheapoAir.com

Complaint

0
CHRISTINA
Country: United States
CHEAPOAIR.COM is definitely a very poor company and I strongly urge ANYONE reading this to NOT use there "service".

On July 9th I went to CheapOair.com to purchase a ticket and was provided with a Reservation ID and a booking number. Now, I also went directly to the airline's website to verify the prices, and they were accurate, BUT Cheapoair was offering a $10 instant coupon so I figured I would purchase the ticket through them and not directly with the airline itself.

A few hours go by and I did not receive my ticket so I called them. I was on hold for 15 minutes and then was "disconnected". I then called back and after another 30 minutes was told by a representative that they were "processing' it and I should have a ticket shortly. A few hours later I call back. I waited 30 minutes on hold and once the representative asked me "do you really need a morning flight"? At this point, I'm thinking something is obviously wrong. Apparently, they were unable to offer me the ticket that I had purchased and booked. I requested to speak to a manager and was transferred to SHAW. He would not provide a last name. He basically kept giving the run around and tried to continuously blame the airlines. I told him that if I had NOT used the CheapOAir service and directly booked with the airline that I would have had a ticket so what reason do I have to use his service ever again if they can't provide what they advertise and promote? He did not have an answer. I made him give me a written confirmation that I would not be charged. I also requested the name of a superior. He declined to give me any names so that I could formally complain and told me to send a generic email to their feedback@cheapair.com. I gave him ample notice that I was going to post my story anywhere I could to warn other consumers that this website does not provide the services it charges to the customer!!!!!!

Comments

  • 0
    ter-em-up
    Just to be fair - I have gone with Cheapoair 4-5 times and they had the
    lowest airfair, always sent me the confirmation by the next day and everythig went fine with the flights and reservations.  Maybe just lucky, but I'm not normally!!!
  • 0
    J. Minton
    I booked a flight from Richmond VA to Freeport thru these guys.  Got a booking number and an airline confirmation number. The fare was 371.00 including taxes.  Got an e-mail the next day stating there was a technical difficulty and they couldn't book my flight and the new fare would now be 577.00.   Called them and after 50 minutes on hold got the run around and was told to call Vision Air.  Called them, said they can't control what 3rd party bokkers do and I was screwed even though I had a booking and confirmation numner FROM Vision Air.  Vision said I DID have the confrm. Number, but CheapOair canceled it.  I asked why, they said they didn't know.  Then he booked me on the SAME flight at over 100.00 more.  CheapOair is a SCAM!!!!!!!!!!  You can e-mail me at coralrives @comcast.net for the whole story.
  • 0
    J. Minton
    EXACTLY what happened to me!!!!!!!
  • 0
    CheapOair
    I have looked into your reservation and what I found was that you originally booked a reservation confirmed at the cost you agreed to.  You called back because the name of one of the travelers was wrong, so you canceled that booking, and said you would rebook on the website. You did rebook the flights, however, at that time the fare you originally had was no longer available. Because we rely on our 3rd party vendors to keep the flights and fares updated, this had not happened this quickly therefore that is why you still saw that fare. It wasn't until we received the booking that Vision airline denied the fare because the class of service was soldout. The flight was still available, but at the next level of cost.  We do not control the cost of plane tickets, the airline provided the fare in this case, once it's soldout, it's soldout! we can offer you the new fare with the options, but you are also given the opportunity to decline and purchase with someone else. We do apologize for the inconvenience.
  • 0
    Hirel Gala
    | 1 reply
    My Booking number is 9192952. CheapoAir charged my credit card TWICE for an international flight and now my card has exceeded its credit limit.

    One is on hold forever and can never seem to reach their billing dept.
    From what I researched then, this is pretty common with CheapoAir. This has got me worried.

    CheapoAir customer service... WAKE UP!!

    Hirel Gala
    +1 972.971.8018
    • 0
      Hlm replies to Hirel Gala
      Complain to your credit card company!
  • 0
    Cheapoair
    Thank you for your booking number, I am reviewing this now, and someone will be in touch.  I am very sorry for the inconvenience.

    Regards,
    Randrews
  • 0
    Hirel Gala
    This has been resolved. Thank you for the quick turnaround.
    Appreciate this.

    Hirel
  • 0
    CheapOair
    Hirel, my pleasure!

    Regards,
    Randrews
    CheapOair.com
  • 0
    CapeCodder
    I booked a one-way ticket with Cheapoair in October for my son to fly this Thanksgiving. However, our plans have changed, so I called their customer service. I didn't expect a refund, because when I bought the ticket it said non-refundable. However, I did expect to be able to use the money I had already paid on another ticket at a later date, maybe within a one-year period. When I called, I was on hold for a long time, and so decided to do the online live chat. It took me a long time to understand their policy because it is so ridiculous and such a ripoff. Their name should really be RipOffAir, not Cheapoair. First, they told me I have to pay a $25 cancellation fee. My original flight cost $210, so if I want to use that money, I have to first pay $150 in order to be credited the $210!!!!! So, overall, I have to pay $175 on top of the $210 I've already paid, for a total of $385. That is more money for a flight than it would cost to fly anywhere I'm likely to want to go anytime soon.

    Needless to say, I will never use Cheapoair again, and probably not United Airlines either. I will tell everyone I know (and I know a lot of people) about this experience. I will fly Southwest whenever possible; they have a very sane and fair policy when it comes to changes in plans.
  • 0
    cheapoair
    Dear CapeCodder, Most airlines with an exception of Southwest charge a service fee for rebooking, so it's just not United or CheapOair.com. Please feel free to check any airlines website, or other related travel sites for the general information regarding the change fees, and polices.  We do have this information on our website under terms and conditions for your review before purchasing a ticket. The fee of 150.00 varies from individual airlines, and is also determind on the type of ticket purchased. As for the $25.00 cancellation service fee, that is waivable by contacting me.

    Regards,
    randrews@cheapoair.com
  • 0
    Karen
    I had a flight booked with COA.  There was a schedule changed that caused them to reschedule my flight.  When they rescheduled me, they added on travel assistance, and charged me 23.90.  I didn't have this on my initial bill/itinerary, so I don't know why they added it with the schedule change. I called and they reversed it.  It wasn't a big deal, just a hassle to call, wait on hold, and talk through the problem to get it fixed.  I wonder how many people didn't catch similar things on their bill.
  • 0
    CheapOair
    Karen, I would like to look into this charge you mentioned was added for traveler assist. There should not be any additional charges being applied to a customers account without authorization, so if we have a technical issue this needs to be reviewed. Now for any reason if you went onto the website and accessed the seat map, there is an option to accept or decline the traveler assist service. In order to determine the reason why, please forward me your 7 digit booking number and place BLOG  in the subject line.

    randrews@cheapoair.com
  • 0
    luv2travel
    Cheapoair is the biggest scam!  Westjet.c.  There's enoughom had a flight for $1117 CAD, which was the same price they had on the cheapoair website.   When I saw my receipt, they charged me the exact amount on USD!  so aftet the conversion I basically paid $50 more than what I would've paid if I had booked directly from westjet.  

    Oh and customer service, they don't know the meaning of it!  Do uourself a favor and stay away from this company.  Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company.  There are enough unsatisfied consumers consumers.  Don't add yourself to the list!
  • 0
    CheapOair.com
    Dear Luv2travel, our company is based in the US, therefore the charges will be placed in US currency. It appears you didn't notice on your final booking page where the price is listed, it clearly states fare quoted in US currency. West Jet is located in Canada, therefore, they do quote and charge in CAD funds. I do apologize for the inconvenience. If there is anything further I can assist you with, please forward your 7 digit booking number to feedback@cheapoair.com.

    CheapOair.com
  • 0
    Leroy
    I just had $1,600 stolen from me by Cheapoair!  I've flown all over the world with every major airline and ticket broker out there but until I dealt with these creeps I  didn't know how unprotected you are when dealing with internet con artists. They also work in concert with other unscrupulous companies to rip you off.

    I'm well educated (law school and business degree) but was played by these scumbags like a novice.  If it can happen to me it can happen to you.

    Book directly with the airline or hotel if possible and avoid a similar nightmare.

    Leroy
  • 0
    Robert Cobb
    1.   Cheapoair sent no tickets
    2.   Cheapoair sent no confirmation
    3.   Cheapoair sent no itinerary
    4.   Cheapoair would disconnect my phone call and then not answer when I called back
    5.   Cheapoair did take my $800, ruined my vacation and cost me another $1,000 in other expenses.
    6.   Cheapoair put the blame on me when they sold me a ticket designed to fail
    7.   Cheapoair worked in concert with Copair to foul-my-flight!
    8.   Cheapoair will probably rip you off as well
    9.   Cheapoair seems to be structured as a internet scam operation
    10. Cheapoair seems to bend the truth and then point the finger back at you as if you have scammed yourself
    11. Cheapoair will offer you a credit to quiet you down but then not honor that credit (see Cheapoair credit offer
         to me) in paragraph below
    12. It's no accident that most complaintants have similar stories - Cheapoair seems to want to scam as many people as possible with as little effort as possible, in the shortest time, for the greatest return on its investment.  

    Will I, for the 2nd time, try to book a flight using the credit for $800 dollars that they have offered?  They wouldn't honor it on my first attempt.  Well maybe, but only if they won't credit my card for the $800, or send an $800 check to cover my loss. . .I'm waiting for a fair resolution - a resolution that doesn't entail subjecting myself to the same demeaning, frustrating and time consuming experience of traveling through Cheapoair again.
  • 0
    narnia
    Smart Choice - book directly with the airline or one of the other booking outfits.
  • 0
    CheapOair.com
    Leroy, I certainly would like the opportunity to assist you with your complaint. In order to do that, you need to forward me your 7 digit booking number, and place BLOG in the subject line.

    email to:
    randrews@cheapoair.com

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