I would think a “confirmed” reservation is another way of saying you have a ticket. She went on to explain that even though my travel agent had billed a credit card, that didn’t mean the airline was paid. According to her computer, there was no record of a ticket with my name on it
I deeply regretted that I had not caught a ride with my friend and her husband early that morning, but they were not going where I needed to be and there would still have been several hours of train riding. Flying had made more sense.
I called the travel agency even though I knew it was closed and when I got an answering machine, I hung up. What was the point of leaving a message? (The next day I was told that even after hours messages are picked up, so remember, it doesn’t hurt to leave a message – you might get a timely call-back. Not leaving one guarantees no one will get back to you in time.)
Surprisingly, there was room on the 6:00 p.m. flight (actually it was half-empty) and it would cost me $1000 Canadian to book a seat. I had to go over to another agent to make the reservation, and there I was told it would actually be over $1600 for the seat – a far cry from the $1000 price that had been quoted to me minutes earlier. Being a nice guy, he said he would not charge me the $35 booking fee, but oops – the machine is mightier than the man and he told me the computer wouldn’t let him ignore it.
To go or not to go, that was the question. I could shlepp my weary, stressed-out self back home, or drag myself downtown and take an overnight bus. Or pay for a new ticket.
I reasoned that I would be really annoyed if I did either of the first two options only to find out that “oops – sorry about that – you did have a ticket!” Or I could buy a new ticket, come to the rescue, and find out that the airline had made a mistake and was reversing the charges. That seemed to be the right choice, especially when the next day the travel agent insisted that the ticket had been paid for.
It has now been three weeks – and the airline has not given me my money back. I have called the credit card company several times and received several opinions regarding disputing the charge. One representative was appalled and began telling me how to start the process of disputing the charge, but we got cut off. Another basically said, “You bought the ticket, knew the price and got the service, so it’s between you and the airline.” In another words I can’t dispute a charge I “accepted.” Others have told me I have to pay or be charged interest even if it’s being disputed. When I find two who agree, I’ll go with them.
The travel agency is still working on my refund but the wheels move slowly when it comes to money. I mentioned that I don’t need the money back. If there was an error on the travel agency’s part and the payment was not submitted – though the person I spoke with insisted they did (I have used them many times and never had a problem) – then the agency should just give me the equivalent of $1600 in free flights, and if the airline is at fault, just some travel vouchers. No one will be out of pocket, its just that the profit would be smaller.