Travelstart Daylight Robbery

Snyper564 said:
ah gotcha this is a very specific clause though and I doubt it would have been added... it would have been quite a significant cost. This is like all cover...
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Yeah, we've got permanent travel insurance, which covers small things during the year, but when we then take trips we get specific cover and because we have ongoing cover, we get this included automatically. Might be a Netherlands thing though, but I'm sure you'll be able to get it. Or, alternatively, go to a sangoma and say you've fallen ill and let them write you a note saying you can't travel. :) :)
 
WaitWot? You bought the cheap tickets, the ones you can't change without paying a hefty fee, now you want to change the tickets without paying the hefty fee?

I am very happy with Travelstart (have been using them for years). One trip I had to cancel due to death in the family, they were very good, I lost out some but not as much as I could have (and I cancelled like three days before the flight).

Cheap tickets carry risk.
 
dontcryforme said:
Firstly, who books a holiday on credit? I mean, she is booking it with delayed payments on her credit card. Imagine not being able to afford it on credit and then selecting the credit on credit option...for a holiday.

Secondly, did she get quotes for the changes directly from the airline(s) as well? Then she could have dealt directly with the airline. I once made a booking through Travelstart where I also had to change the flight, Travelstart was crazy with the change, but the airline directly charged me R500 - for an international change. So, I did it with the airline directly.

It is painful to lose so much money, but I guess take it as school fees. Meaning, if you learned something from it, it wasn't a total waste. By the looks of it, she didn't learn a thing.
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Is that possible even when you book via a 3rd party?
That would probably help the op hugely but I suppose she's now mia
 
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Insint said:
Good. The point of complaints is to let the most eyeballs see it so that the company can either change its ways or lose business.

I was not aware of all the complaints and won't be supporting them.
Let their competition get the money.
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I don't think the entire aviation industry is going to change its' billing practices because of this....
 
Bismuth said:
I don't think the entire aviation industry is going to change its' billing practices because of this....
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If enough people stop supporting something then it dies.
If a company does not make money then it dies.

So yes, you are correct this single post won't make much of a difference but if there are plenty of people with the same negative experience then it gets noticed and the company get avoided.

An easy example of this is what is happening to woke entertainment.
Most people are choosing not to spend their money on any woke entertainment.
 
chrisc said:
Travelstart got me cheaper tickets from Cape Town to Windhoek. Not much, but R1900 per seat less than the direct Airlink price

Worth a couple of clicks I would say
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R1900 cheaper per seat? On a flight from CPT to WDH? That is a crap load and doesn't make sense. Did you mean R190?
 
airborne said:
Is that possible even when you book via a 3rd party?
That would probably help the op hugely but I suppose she's now mia
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You can manage the booking if you have the booking number of the airline and your surname, which is usually sent by the 3rd party.

Haven't seen anything in the terms which limits you when you book with a 3rd party with this specific airline and I did it with a few clicks on the airline's app.
 
dontcryforme said:
You can manage the booking if you have the booking number of the airline and your surname, which is usually sent by the 3rd party.

Haven't seen anything in the terms which limits you when you book with a 3rd party with this specific airline and I did it with a few clicks on the airline's app.
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Correct, once you have your PNR/Booking Ref, you can manage the booking yourself directly with with airline, eg. seat selection, other extras or to change flights. Of course, there are certain costs you won't be able to avoid, whether working directly with the airline or via a third-party.
 
Snyper564 said:
Travel insurance would not have covered this.
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It may have, this is from a tic policy from last month which would have covered visa denial and delays:
3.9: DENIED VISA
If your visa is denied by the Embassy, resulting in your international journey being cancelled prior to departure, we will pay
for or reimburse you the non- refundable portions of travel or accommodation expenses for which you are legally liable.
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a delay in processing your visa application, subject to all criteria for your application as set out by the relevant Embassy
and/or Consulate, being met.
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I wouldn't use Travelstart myself, but I don't think that they're at fault here.
 
Ϲhristopher said:
It may have, this is from a tic policy from last month which would have covered visa denial and delays:



I wouldn't use Travelstart myself, but I don't think that they're at fault here.
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Ok, SO, this assuming the application is 100% correct. If you are the cause of that delay no matter how small the detail that will not be covered by the policy. This seems like round two of delays, seems like someone is not completing it correctly....
 
Willie Trombone said:
Did you buy travel insurance? I'd cancel and put in a claim with them.
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read comment above... this is the second time they have caused a delay I think OP is at fault here and doubt travel insurance would have even been taken out.

Then they would have been blaming them for not covering claim.

This is also why I asked if OP has ever done an international trip...
 
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Japan is the most fussy country for SA citizens visas we have encounterted. I have a UK passport so no problem

My wife had to visit the Japanese Consulate 3 times. They wanted a complete itinerary, proof of the hotel bookings. We were also going on a cruise, one of the ports was in Korea, so she had to get a 2-entry visa

The ship called at 11 ports. At each, Japanese immigration checked each passport leaving and returning. In Pusan in Korea, there was a 45 min wait while the 2000 odd passengers were processed. In the end the ship left 3 hours late due to the holdup for boarding passengers

Then there is a Health Check. They want proof of Covid jabs

On the other side, the US Border Agency are a pleasure to deal with. Friendly and efficient. A 10-year visa without asking

Don't let me start about Columbia. Bribes are only part of it
 
Bismuth said:
Correct, once you have your PNR/Booking Ref, you can manage the booking yourself directly with with airline, eg. seat selection, other extras or to change flights. Of course, there are certain costs you won't be able to avoid, whether working directly with the airline or via a third-party.
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This generally doesnt work anymore. A few years back you could make changes direct with the airline if you booked with a third party, but not anymore (at least not in my experience the last 3 years with Emirates, Qatar, Kenyan Airways, Swissair and British Airways).

You can make seat changes but that is about it, anything else they refer you back to the travel agent you booked through, and Travelstart is just an online travel agent.

There is really very little reason to book with Travelstart though. They have by far the worst customer service of any company in the travel industry. They are virtually impossible to get hold of in an emergency, and they are seldom if ever significantly cheaper than booking direct with the airlines themselves. The only time they are a little bit convienient is if you want to structure an itinerary with flights from multiple airlines. But after the trouble I had with travel start during the COVID lockdowns, I won’t even use them for that. I will just book individual flights directly with the airlines.

Travelstart used to be a good place to check all the various options for a specific route, but Google Flights is better than them for that, and gives you multiple options of where to book the tickets for the best possible price. But unless the saving is massive, it’s still better to just book direct with the airline.
 
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Insint said:
If enough people stop supporting something then it dies.
If a company does not make money then it dies.

So yes, you are correct this single post won't make much of a difference but if there are plenty of people with the same negative experience then it gets noticed and the company get avoided.

An easy example of this is what is happening to woke entertainment.
Most people are choosing not to spend their money on any woke entertainment.
Click to expand...

Yeah erm no...it's a minority.

But besides that these costs don't come from Travelstart they come from the underlying industry and are forwarded to the end customer.

Should Travelstart just foot the bill if their customers don't check what they are signing up for?
 
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