I have booked a return flight with Royal Brunei airlines through EaseMyTravel. I had paid £478 and it is pending on PayPal. EaseMyTravel have got in contact to ask me to pay an additional £109 and have said if I cancel the flight I will have to pay around £100 anyway. They said it is something the airline is requesting. I have contacted the airline directly and said they can see my booking and I think they said it’s been held (I’ve not had a ticket issued or anything from the agent). They said they can’t see on their side why I would need to pay more, the airline doesn’t need anything from me but can’t comment on why the agent is asking for more money.
Just wanted to ask how to proceed. I’m reluctant to pay the extra money if I’m being scammed! If I’ve already lost money I don’t want to lose more.
It sounds like your agent has missed the ticketing deadline, the price has increased on them, and they’re trying to recoup their losses from you. If you paid the agent within the originally agreed timeframe, then you aren’t liable for the difference in cost. That has to be worn by the agent.
Ask them to provide you with a breakdown of the fare and taxes and to highlight where the additional cost has come from compared to the original invoice you paid.
@Casey
Thank you so much for your help! Would you know if they are allowed to charge me a cancellation fee? I was told if I don’t pay I’d be charged anyway to cancel.
True said: @Casey
Thank you so much for your help! Would you know if they are allowed to charge me a cancellation fee? I was told if I don’t pay I’d be charged anyway to cancel.
That would be in the agent terms and conditions, which you would have agreed to by paying them. That fee should be deducted from the amount refunded to you, as opposed to you having to pay more.
If the ticket hasn’t been issued yet, then there is no airline cancellation fee.
True said: @Casey
Thank you so much for your help! Would you know if they are allowed to charge me a cancellation fee? I was told if I don’t pay I’d be charged anyway to cancel.
I mean just tell them you paid for a ticket at an agreed on price. The ticket has not even yet been booked and the airline confirmed that. So if they cannot book your ticket at the agreed upon price then they need to give you your money back. You are not cancelling anything because there is no ticket to cancel.
I’d just book the flight and everything else on my own. You have a head start by just using the same itinerary your agent already made you but didn’t book yet. Just book the same flights and other things you need directly.
In too many years of travel, there was one route that made financial sense to book through one of the aggregators… it was Zurich to Geneva or something like that and the difference between 100 dollars and 500 made it attractive; but with the stress and hassle, I’d never do it again. It was out of this world trying to get a confirmation or a ticket or get someone on the phone, and no one was more surprised than I when they actually let me on the plane…
It worked that time, but honestly, I’d pay 500 direct next time to avoid all the stress.
For clarity, this route is an edge case. Always book direct if you can. There is no reason to go to any third party by default.
@Davi
You are right. Honestly, the deal was really good, which is why I thought I’d go ahead and book. Plus, other travel agents had similar prices and I’ve used other travel agents with no problem. But this has honestly traumatized me They’re being so pushy and have sent a weird link to send the extra money which has no option for PayPal, so it definitely feels like they want my details.
You booked the ticket at a certain price and now the agent is asking for more. In these situations, generally the agents return 100% of the money as they messed up the ticket at their end, but not in your case. He is trying his luck - cancel and rebook somewhere.
Not helpful, but always book direct with airlines. Google Flights (and others) will help you find a good price for your route and dates, then go check on the airline’s own website and book there. The middleman always complicates things.
Sounds like your agent messed up and wants you to cover it. If you paid on time, you shouldn’t owe more. Ask for a breakdown of the costs and where the extra’s coming from.
The only time I’m booking through a travel agency is when I’m using credit card points (Chase Sapphire). Even after a successful booking, the big risk is if something goes wrong with your flight or you need to change it, you’ll be dealing with the travel agent as the middleman, not with the airline directly. Try getting a hold of EaseMyTravel in an emergency. Good luck!
They’re being so pushy and have sent a weird link to send the extra money which has no option for PayPal, so it definitely feels like they want my details.