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Pick Up The Phone, Pay Twice The Price
By Christopher Elliott, Tribune Media Services
Q: Is there a difference between the price you pay for an airline
ticket online, compared with offline? I recently tried to buy a ticket
for my mother on I kept getting to the end of the process and it would not let me fully complete the transaction. The online price for her round-trip ticket from Tucson, Ariz., to Fayetteville, NC, was $490 .
I called
The next day, I went back online to check prices, since my wife would also need to fly to North Carolina. Now the round-trip fare was $415 on
A: Ticket prices can fluctuate -- and yes, they might vary between online and offline -- but I've never heard of a fare doubling in a matter of minutes in the way you describe. I think someone, somewhere, hit the wrong button.
Was it
Then again, it could have been you. You mentioned that you kept getting to the end of the process and then having the site stall. That normally happens when you input the wrong credit card information, like a wrong number or expiration.
Calling
Reluctantly accepting that story about the one-way fare? Bad idea.
You had to have known that you were looking at round-trip fares. In a situation like this, you could have hung up the phone, restarted your computer and rebooked your tickets through another online agency.
If I didn't know any better, I would believe you were uncomfortable with using the Internet to buy travel. Which is completely fine. The next time you buy airline tickets, I would recommend using a human travel agent, in order to avoid any misunderstandings.
The form letter
I contacted
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(Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at celliott@ngs.org.
This news arrived on: 09/23/2008
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Posted Comments:
10-07-2008 23:30
steve jacobson wrote:
and you accapted this?
Did you get conned also. Over charged over 700 dollars and you help and proud that you got $300 back. I am disappointed in you....you didnot do very well
10-07-2008 05:54
ken Wallace wrote:
Twice the price air fares
Hi Every one
I too have had the double air fare price problem
I am in the UK and last year my wife and i traveled to Kelowna via Vancouver with Canadian affair and i must say this company is 100% perfect-the reps are terrific and so are the prices which were half the price-on the phone not online than 2 well known Uk operators-
so again we have booked with C Affair to go to Vancouver again in 2009
The message here is check on line then phone and between the 2 there are good deals -just do not be too hasty and do a bit of bluffing if needed
regards
Ken
I too have had the double air fare price problem
I am in the UK and last year my wife and i traveled to Kelowna via Vancouver with Canadian affair and i must say this company is 100% perfect-the reps are terrific and so are the prices which were half the price-on the phone not online than 2 well known Uk operators-
so again we have booked with C Affair to go to Vancouver again in 2009
The message here is check on line then phone and between the 2 there are good deals -just do not be too hasty and do a bit of bluffing if needed
regards
Ken
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