In September, I booked return flights for my wife and I from London to Hamburg, leaving in October. We used the travel agent website Opodo.
We are in our 90s and we have entered into a guarantee provided by Opodo which states that we will refund 80 percent of the price if one of us becomes ill and cannot travel. It costs £26 per person.
Especially since this happened and had to cancel the trip before leaving because my wife hates it. Flights cost £574, so £459 should be returned.
But I haven’t seen the money yet. I spoke to Opodo on the phone five times and was told the refund would be in my account within a few days – but it never happened.
I have been given an excuse such as the manager being on holiday and Opodo not having my card details, which I have provided.
I’m also concerned that I paid for an Opodo membership that I didn’t really need. I asked for it to be canceled, but I’m not sure if it was.
My bank statements show that, on top of the flights, I paid Opodo three times £69.99, £51.86 and £54.52. Opodo also refunded the £25, but I don’t know why. AR, Cornwall
Canceled: AR says he called Opodo five times he was missing, but it never came
Helen Crane, This is Moni’s shop assistant, replied: If you’re looking to get out, there are more companies competing for your business than ever before.
Understandably, many people use comparison websites to compare rates in our chosen destination and hotel prices, and see which offers the best deals.
When I was booking flights and hotels for a wedding in Canada recently, I came up with a lot of different names that I had never heard of.
Some are dark airlines, but there are also many online travel agents, known as OTAs.
Similar to traditional travel agents, these websites act as an intermediary that allows you to find travel options from many different operators in one place. Some will only offer hotels, while others will sell you flights, cars, and more.
Opodo is one of them, and other popular names include Kiwi, Expedia and Booking.
Opodo has a premium membership for £69.99, which it says gives customers access to better deals on flights and hotels.
According to the company, it will include a customer service helpline. Opodo subscribers who are not planning to sign up for membership want to remember that they are at the back of the queue.
Whether you knew it or not, Opodo has confirmed to me that you signed up for a membership, called Prime. At first it was on a free trial, so you may have mistaken the number.
I understand your embarrassment. These days, there are so many ‘extras’ when booking a flight – even a bag larger than a postage stamp on some airlines – that people find confusing.
You must sign up as a member to receive the 80 percent money back guarantee, as this is only offered to Prime members.
Travelers may pay a premium for this because they can avoid airline refund obligations. EasyJet, who booked you, only sells non-return tickets for example.
The end result is a good thing for you – in theory, at least – as your wife is too sick to go to Hamburg, so you can get back most of the money.
If you booked directly with Easyjet, you wouldn’t have seen a penny – even if it was cheaper than you, so it’s hard to compare directly.
But even if you’ve been promised a refund, putting the money back in your pocket is a different matter – and you may even see some unexpected charges in your bank account.
I contacted Opodo to ask what was going on.
Said your booking includes Easyjet flights, and other services in the form of a cancellation guarantee, automatic check-in and priority boarding.
You saved £166.04 on your flights because you signed up to membership, it says.
But when you asked for the flights to be cancelled, Opodo said it was a technical error that caused your refund not to be paid.
The return request was mistakenly entered into the system because it was sent to Easyjet and not one that Opodo is supposed to process under the terms of the ‘cancellation for any reason’ guarantee.
This caused Opodo agents to mistakenly tell you that the refund is in Easyjet’s hands.
Opodo now offers a 100 percent refund for your flights and additional services you purchased, as a positive sign. This costs £756.
As for the membership, Opodo said you tried to cancel at the end of the free trial and will charge you £25 for the annual membership you agreed to. This is why £25 is in your wallet.
He has now refunded the balance of the subscription fee in full, and canceled the automatic renewal next September so that there will be no future payments.
Online travel agents have their place, especially when they offer things like this cashback that benefits you in the end – you don’t get it with the airline.
But I worry that in other cases, they add a layer of management and frustration when things don’t go to plan.
Among the issues of flights that I have canceled in the past, the the buyer is no longer willing to pay the customer until the airline pays the customer – the delay will be long. It’s up to the customers too it was difficult to get refunds for things like airport taxes.
A spokesperson for Opodo said: ‘We would like to thank (AR) for his experience, which never fails to reflect the high standards of service we strive to provide to our 21 million active customers. us every year.
‘Due to an error in processing his refund request, the information entered into our system was incorrect, resulting in incorrect information regarding the status of his refund.
‘We have resolved the matter and he has been fully refunded, including all non-refundable fees, as a positive sign.
‘His Premier membership fee has been refunded in full and he will continue to enjoy the benefits of the program for free for the rest of the year as part of our efforts to compensate for the inconvenience caused. We remain committed to providing exceptional service to all our customers.’
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