Imagine Holidays

[jayla]

Good morning,

I was looking for a group tour for my family to go on next year when I spotted the Singapore/Bali group tour advertised by Imagine Holidays at R2,499. I immediately called them up and they claimed that it was a marketing mistake.

I told them that that wasn't my fault and as a customer, I was obliged to receive the tour at the price advertised. I asked to speak with the manager who took the call with a very negative attitude - interrupted me to tell me that she knew what the call was about but that I would not be getting it at that price. Her tone was strident and unfriendly and before I could say anything else, she slammed the phone down.

I would like to know what my rights are in this case. Firstly, I was not allowed to book the tour at the given price. Secondly, I don't think anybody who can't deal with a customer should work in the tourism/hospitality industry and it has brought my image of the company down. I am attaching screenshots of the price displayed on the site.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

 

[DarkDragon]

Put in a complaint and see where it gets you. The manager could have handled it better. But that is clearly a mistake.

 

[Sepeng]

I reckon E&OE might apply here, I think it's clear they simply left out a zero or something. I wouldn't think they're obliged to honour that amount; let's say they had it for 20k you might have a case.
But yes, say it were my company I might, depending on how many people applied, provide some sort of discount.

 

[maumau]

Don't be a dick, it was obviously a mistake.

 

[HunterNW]

Had a company quote me 3.4K for an item of 34K ..... honest mistake leaving out a zero. Can't hold them to deliver on such a big difference.

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

Good morning,

I was looking for a group tour for my family to go on next year when I spotted the Singapore/Bali group tour advertised by Imagine Holidays at R2,499. I immediately called them up and they claimed that it was a marketing mistake.

I told them that that wasn't my fault and as a customer, I was obliged to receive the tour at the price advertised. I asked to speak with the manager who took the call with a very negative attitude - interrupted me to tell me that she knew what the call was about but that I would not be getting it at that price. Her tone was strident and unfriendly and before I could say anything else, she slammed the phone down.

I would like to know what my rights are in this case. Firstly, I was not allowed to book the tour at the given price. Secondly, I don't think anybody who can't deal with a customer should work in the tourism/hospitality industry and it has brought my image of the company down. I am attaching screenshots of the price displayed on the site.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

You obviously knew it was a mistake, but still tried your luck.

You were subsequently unreasonable over the phone and were eventually told to fuk off.

Imagine not at fault and you have no rights to that package at that price.

 

[ld13]

As per the Consumer Protection Act they don’t have to honour prices which are “obviously” wrong. That price seems obliviously wrong to me.

 

[jayla]

Thanks for your responses. Personally, I think we can all be polite when dealing with others - whether on the phone or social media.

Let me give you some background. Imagine Holidays is an Emirates-affiliated UK tour company that have a branch in SA. Black Friday deals are going down and lots of tour agencies are advertising them. I figured this was some such. I didn't think an international tour agency would make this mistake. Yes, I did reiterate my rights as a customer in this case, but, I did it calmly and politely. So, it's a bit unfair to call me names. (Btw, I can't be a d**** since I don't have one, sorry.)

Secondly, I didn't appreciate being rudely spoken to by the manager when there was no provocation from my side. If she had approached it like Sepeng suggested, that might have helped. In what world can anyone hope to achieve anything that way?

 

[Sepeng]

For sure, but that manager probably fielded a bunch of calls before yours and had to deal with customers around this so I'd cut them a bit of slack as well. The damage has been done in any event, like you said their name has gone down in your eyes.

 

[xrapidx]

Sounds like you're the problem Karen. Your rights as a customer do not cover obvious advertising mistakes.