flight centre stuff up holiday

Dear Flight Centre and Wholesaler,

From the 2007 I went to Bali to attend a wedding and have a holiday, of which I utilized the services of your company to arrange. After considering your recommendations for accommodation and looking at brochures you provided and also their website, I decided on the Villa Ramah Manis in Seminyac

On our arrival the resort looked rather rundown the main swimming pool had green slime around the walls and floor of the pool, we were shown the villa 818 which had no electricity on arrival but were connected after half an hour.

We had two menus to the mini bar for upstairs and downstairs but both bars were empty. Upon checking out we were asked to pay for both Mini bars. Of which we flatly refused, but felt offended by the request.

We had hot water for one day out of ten. We were told when checking in, that the hot water would take half and hour to work, and what we had to do was turn on the shower, go and have breakfast and then come back and it would be hot. This never happened.

We had the pleasure of one downpour whilst there, which soaked the bed because of the four holes in the roof. The mattress needed to be replaced.

The upstairs shower was so bad I wouldn’t even set foot in it. It was built up with so much scum and mould, we used the outside shower.

The complementary breakfast was worth going without. We told the breakfast was buffet, it wasn’t. However by having breakfast we discovered after talking to other guests at the resort, that five previous couples were offered our accommodation and promptly declined after looking at it as they too thought the standard was unacceptable and were upgraded or left the resort. I proceeded to request a better room but was informed there was nothing else available. There were only six staff to run the front desk, house cleaning, maintenance of the resort, room service, laundry service and kitchen.

Out of the forty villas, there were eight villas ooms that were basically good enough to accommodate guests (according to the staff). All the rest are what they call 000 not livable. The staff also informed us that the resort is due to close in four months because it is so rundown and the owner doesn’t want to renovate. May I say that our villa should have been classified with the 000 villas.

We spent $1290 each on our flights and accommodation. I feel greatly disappointed on the money we have spent to stay in a ZERO star resort. Talking to other holiday makers in Bali, I feel completely cheated out of a great holiday because of the complete frustration at having to put up with a disgusting situation.

The only nice thing about the resort was the staff and their genuine hospitality. We didn’t feel compelled to take out our frustration on them as they are not the ones who sold us a second rate holiday.

You should take a leaf out of your advertising campaign, and go and spend some time there and when you get really bad customer send them.

I feel some sort of compensation is in order from your companies, it was the worst travel experience I have ever had. I am now reluctant to ever go to Bali again, or utilize the services of your companies in making my travel arrangements.

Yours Sincerely

QUESTION HAVE YOU EVER WROTE LETTER TO FLIGHT CENTER WHAT WAS OUTCOME

Did you write that letter under your alternative identity Bazza?

Bazza, as passion overcomes theatricality the standard of your English improves immeasurably. Sorry to hear of your experience. It's one of the reasons I use travel agents only as a last resort (possible bad pun there). If someone is going to stuff up my trip it might as well be me, and I can do it cheaper.

Too late now, but the Bali Ayu (Petignetet, walking distance to Seminyak, great pool, super breakfasts top staff, excellent rooms and inexpensive) is a little known gem.

Would the Department of Consumer Affairs (might have the department name wrong, but someone will know it) be able to help? I am assuming that there must have been something misleading in their advertising.

I thought you said you were in Perth for a Holiday. When did you travel to Bali?

as a travel agent, i can tell you unless you have better evidence, you got no leg to stand on. which, yep, sucks. a lot of people get messed about like this and it's just not fair.

however, since flight centre is such a large company, they usually refund either part or all of the payments to avoid the issue becoming a hassle (i've personally witnessed this a few times). the problem is, a travel agent's recommendation is just that - a personal recommendation. the star rating system is controlled by a body external to a travel agent. and its not easy being an agent when every customer expects you to know details of every hotel in every country in the world intimately - we have to go by the media releases of the resorts. i'm not saying you're wrong, clearly you were misinformed, but the problem is often that this doesn't translate to commercial neglect. the travel agent sells the product, but doesn't make the product, and they're going to tell you that you should have done more research on the resort.

my advice would be to continue fighting it. as soon as the letter is received by FCL, call the store or head office and ask to be given the number of the store's area leader. call them consistently until they get authority from the legal department to give you a refund (will most likely be for the accommodation part only).

good luck with it - here's hoping it's the last time.

#2. I agree, I would never use flight centre due to the quality of their personnel. If I do end up using a travel agent, I generally use STA as they seem to often employ people who have at some time in their life caught a plane to somewhere other than the gold coast and bali.

Well, #7, as a lawyer, might I refer you to the Trade Practices Act - the bit that prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct? If a Corporation decides to sell a property in its brochure and makes claims about its quality that don't stand up, then that becomes the trader's problem, not the customers. If a travel agent doesn't know the detail of a property it is putting in its own brochure (a rather smaller expectation than knowing "details of every hotel in every country in the world intimately") then basically it carries the can. The standard of "commercial neglect" has no place in the Trade Practices Act.

It is a little dismaying that you as a travel agent see him as not having a leg to stand on, which says something about your own attitude to customer complaints. Not nice, and another reason to do as many others do, and avoid using travel agents wherever possible.

And #9 - don't forget the potential for damages for loss of enjoyment!

Who did bazza go with? There are an awful lot of "we's" in the piece. A friend from skype?

I'm guessing he didn't go anywhere - this is probably a cut and paste from somewhere else.

Im not sure Bazza has stated it was him, just that he wanted to know if anyone has written a letter to Flight Centre, and what was the outcome. Seems to me he has used this letter as an example.

I work for Flight Centre, and I can assure you I am neither a young twit, nor untravelled. I can catergorically state that if you make a complaint it will be looked at thoroughly by the team leader of the store concerned, then area leader if need be, and you will be contacted with the outcome. May I ask, as is recommended on your travel docs, did you call your Flight Centre consultant from the hotel when you discovered the issues? They can't do anything when you have already returned, but had you called them whilst you were away they may have been able to move you to a better hotel. We personally have very few of these type of issues at our store, but when we do they are dealt with professionally and quickly, and I honestly believe this is the case with the majority of Flight Centre. I hope that you get a satisfactory outcome!

#9,10. By the time he's paid for your lawyering, he could have had two holidays. he wants a holiday, not a chance to make a lawyer even richer.

The only sensible advice is: bazza, we're sorry it happened, but get over it. the next one has to be better. As an outback plumber, you can afford it.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>I would never use flight centre <hr></blockquote>

Why not?

I use Flight Centre all the time. I research my travels (usually going to a contract or returning with a stopover or two), then go in and tell them to beat the price, which they do every time.

I have had excellent service out of flight centre staff, and had the pleasure of watching one girl get stuck into Virgin when Virgin tried to stiff me. Virgin are great when everything runs right, and a good airline to fly on, but the office gallahs are lying bitches.

You know what, Harry, I wasn't inviting, let alone asking, for any payment for any lawyering. I was responding to #7: if you didn't have some sort of bug up your arse about lawyers, you might have been able to read that.

Trust you Harry - we're only here to help!.....for example:

Jarvis v Swan Tours [1973] 2 QB 233

Mr Jarvis, a lonely solicitor in Reading who took only two weeks' holiday per year, booked a winter sports holiday which Swan Tours advertised in their brochure as "a houseparty in Morlialp" with "a special resident host"... "a Welcome party... afternoon tea and cakes" and a "yodler evening". Ski packs would be available and the brochure concluded "You'll be in for a great time". The houseparty consisted of 13 people in the first week, and only Mr Jarvis in the second, when there was no representative at the hotel; there was no welcoming party; full-length skis were available on only two days; the cake for tea was only crisps and dry nutcake; the yodeller was a local who sang a few songs wearing his ordinary work clothes. Mr Jarvis claimed damages for breach of contract.

HELD that the statements in the brochure were contractual undertakings which had not been fulfilled, so that there was a breach of contract; Mr Jarvis was awarded 125 pounds, twice the cost of his holiday. Although in general in breach of contract no damages can be recovered for mental distress, where the purpose of the contract is to give pleasure or alleviate distress, damages may be awarded for the failure of the contract to achieve its purpose.

I'd pay not to have the yodeller.

perhaps, Myshkin, I should have left the word "your" out of my first line, however the rest applies. I wasn't particularly having a go at you (or #17, as an individual, just the usefulness of your advice.

No lawyer will get him his money back for free. Good luck to him if he does.

believe in Santa do you?

And two of my best friends are lawyers, and would have probably said the same. I live in the real world.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>if you didn't have some sort of bug up your arse about lawyers, you might have been able to read that.<hr></blockquote> Don't be rude.

So, no-one should ever mention what the law might be because lawyers don't work for free? What are you saying here, Mr Mudd? As it happens, Mr Mudd, I work with an organisation staffed by lawyers who on a daily basis dole out free legal advice, it is called a community law centre. I do this as a supplement to my normal job - it is called volunteering. Within the context of my normal job, I also give out a fair amount of legal advice - the operative word here being give. Many of the people with straight-forward sorts of problems like that of the OP can go a long way towards resolving their own problems, with just a little extra knowledge. But, a point which you still seem to have failed to notice, I was not even pretending to advise the OP. I am, however, sorry that your friends are not of the helpful type. Or maybe the "real world" you inhabit needs a better class of inhabitant.

As for rudeness, I don't really see you as being in a position to demand politeness.

and I have been known on more than one occassion to consult with our solicitor who doesn't charge , this is in his office during normal appointment times just gives advice on how I should deal with the problem. Last time I saw him, he gave me the contact details of another lawyer, followed my query up with this guy and the other guy didn't charge me for his advice.

Sorry Harry, there are some nice lawyers out there.

One of the young twits there didnt know where Culcutta was

I know that there are good lawyers out there, it's just that 99% give the rest a bad name.

God, it was so cold out at Orange the other day that the lawyers had their hands in their own pockets.

boom-boom.

****

Myshkin, your rant tells me that is is you that has a bug up the quoit. Bit self important aren't you, mate? Relax.

You are right - there is a bug and his name is Harry. If that makes me "self important" to you, well I guess that doesn't really give me a whole lot of grief.

relax you boofhead. talk about over reacting.

#25- Flight Centre do not match prices, they beat them, if they are available. Had you taken the price you found with SAA back to the store, they are obliged, by law, to beat that price. The consultants can't quote a price beat if we don't know what we are beating, hence the need to challenge them with a price initially. If, however, as indicated, you were wanting prices from Aussie to SA and were asking in SA then the cheaper price might not have been available in the SA market... it is generally better to enquire/buy tickets in the country of origin of travel.
I would also like to point out to the posters calling the consultants twits, that everyone has to start in a job somewhere, and most people can't walk in knowing everything.... just because they knew nothing about where you wanted to go does not necessarily mean they knew nothing at all. Everyone has to start somewhere, so cut them some slack. Unfortunately there is not an endless supply of omniscient ex-travellers available to work in the industry!

Bazza, You have stirred up a nest of angst!

boobra, sorry some travel agents are just twits. Or in cases they are just not interested in finding out the information so lie making them twits.

A few years ago I went into a flight centre to check a ticket price to Hanoi and was told that you can't fly to Vietnam. I then told him that Thai flew there and what times, so he looked and found it. Sadly good travel agents are few and far between. Most are just interested in the milk runs.

Also Flight Centre doesn't always keep to its promis which is why they can longer advertise the lowest price guaranteed because too often ACCC found they didn't keep to the guarantee. Don't know how reputable their new Low Price Promise is.

Bazza, you never cease to amaze me. Such eloquence!

my spelling good hay

gdonya, take a bex, mate. she's allowed to defend her job, as you are allowed to extol your experiences.

you seem to be "attacking" her, which is why she is "defensive".

My most recent experience with Flight Centre (From a Newcastle suburb) was with a twit. I am off to Melbourne and their quotes were $200 more than what i could do myself over the web direct with Virgin and the hotel.

I used their 13 number and got through to the Junction shop. The Jesmond shop is to be avoided at all costs, but the Kotara store is wel managed with knowledgeable staff.

I don't know about the new rules someone mentioned, but they definitely beat prices back in August.

I stayed at a place called Villa Ruma Manis, which may be the same place, in 2001 I think it was. Our villa was lovely, so we must have got one of teh good ones, pool was spotless as was our outside plunge pool in our private courtyard. Minus about the place was the cash i left with reception staff to post a whole lot of postcards- not one person ever received a postcard- so you can figure out what happened to the cash i left with the staff! Also, have to agree the breakfast buffet was truly awful, only time we ever ate there we got sick, so ate out from then on with no problems whatsoever

lol, ol' baz chin up buddy! couldn't have been THAT bad, really?

Although it sux to have wasted your money like you did, this experience should hit home the message that booking through a travel agent should never substitute your own time and research into YOUR holiday, why leave your precious holiday time and hard-earned savings at the helm of some dumb-witted flight agent who thinks Venezuela is part of Africa (happened to me the other day) ?? I think they should only be used as last minute option or for booking flights. Come on mate, do the research and you'll enjoy your holiday ten times as more, and plus find it more satisfying and rewarding.

Compensation? yeah s'pose why not, you blindly followed their word, but if you don't get compensated you'll learn a valuable lesson yeah? one can only hope baz! Bazzaaaa!!

Unbeatably Bad

Last year we went to Flight Centre in Rockhampton to book our family vacation overseas.

No names for my family members were shown on the bookings at the time of payment in July 2007 and we assumed that the agent had booked the flights under the names clearly provided to her in an email prior to booking.

When we went to pick up the tickets the week before travel in December we discovered the booking for my wife was erroneously booked under my surname rather than her maiden (and legal name) name as supplied in our email. As we had no valid identification for my wife in the booking name, we were forced to purchase a new ticket for her under her maiden name that she has a passport for. While our agent who made the error refused to take any responsibility for her obvious mistake, we were told we would be reimbursed for the purchase of the extra ticket.

During our actual travels in December/January we encountered numerous problems with our tickets, some relating directly to the purchase of the extra tickets, others simply just poor service from an inexperienced travel agent.

Since December of last year we have been awaiting a refund for the purchase of an extra ticket costing $2027.81. We've now lodged a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading.

We’ve been out of pocket for Flight Centre's mistake for over four months and they don’t seem to care a toss about it- perhaps because we are complaint number 899,462 in their system. Buyer beware- Flight Centre are happy to take your money up front and get you into the air, but don't be surprised if they crash land you in the end.

For anyone planning on purchasing their next holiday, or even just flights, through Flight Centre here in Australia, a few short minutes reading this may very well save you several hundred of your hard earned dollars. Just think of what several hundred dollars could be used towards on that next holiday that you have saved so long and hard for. If reading this for just few minutes saves you money, then on my calculation, that is time, and ultimately money well spent.

Many of you might recall that a few years ago Flight Centre here in Australia got in to some serious hot water with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (“ACCC”) over its then long running advertising slogan of “lowest airfares guaranteed”. Flight Centre was forced by the ACCC to change that slogan as it couldn’t guarantee that its airfares were in fact the lowest. Flight Centre was also blasted by the ACCC over its use of the “global buying power” slogan which implied that they were able to get better deals for their customers over that of their competitors. Flight Centre got into serious strife over that one too as it does not have any such buying power because it does not buy airfares in bulk. Flight Centre’s current slogan is that of “unbeatable”. Well, they are beatable, and I am going to tell you how you can beat them and maybe save several hundred dollars in the process.

By way of background it should firstly be explained how a Fight Centre consultant earns their money. All consultants are paid a base salary of around $28,500 per annum. Not a lot of money, but on top of their salary they earn commission. In short the more money they earn the company, the more money they earn themselves. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this practice, it does leave the door open for unscrupulous behavior on the part of consultants, particularly when it comes to overcharging clients which is often rife when you have commission based consultants. Consultants have no set boundaries imposed by the company when it comes to charging you whatever they want, and your appearance will often determine whether you get a good price, or simply get taken for an expensive ride, or pardon the pun, an expensive fight. That is certainly one advantage of booking online, website don’t discriminate like money hungry consultants do.

Each month a consultant is expected to make the company a certain amount of money. This is referred to as the consultants cost of seat “COS”. Generally speaking this amount is about $10,000 per month. This means that the consultant must make the company $10,000 per month, every month. That’s commission mind you, not total sales. To explain this in easy to understand terms, if a consultant sells an airfare for $1000 of which there is a 15% commission, that is $150 commission, that $150 goes towards their COS and there is $9,850 to go for that month that they must earn the company. As you can see a consultant has to work very hard to achieve their COS each month. A consultant is expected to reach their COS each month, regardless of whether they are on leave or away from work. A consultant who consistently fails to reach their COS would eventually find that they are unemployed.

Now, how a consultant is paid their commission is as follows. For every dollar the consultant makes up to their COS they earn 10% commission. Anything over that and they earn a whopping 35% commission. This is when the real money kicks in. There are many consultants out there earning in excess of $100,000 a year, and each month they are all vying to get as much money out of you so that they get over their COS and get a fat healthy pay check in doing so. Constantly pushing them on are equally money hungry Team and Area leaders who ultimately get their fat share of the commission pie as well. At the end of each month a celebratory dinner, known as a Buzz night, is held where the top money earners are rewarded in a lot of congratulatory backslapping reminiscent of cult like behavior. Those top performers annually are then whisked away to an all expenses paid overseas Global Ball in places such as Dublin or Honolulu where more backslapping takes place.

So, how can I save money I hear you ask? Firstly, avoid using the Flight Centre web-site to search for airfares. Despite all the millions and millions of dollars Flight Centre spend annually on advertising and marketing, its web-site does not have the basic capability to check airfare availability like web-sites such as Zuji and Travelocity do. I have mentioned those two, but there are many more that have the capability of searching actual availability.

The Flight Centre web-site, like all Flight Centre marketing tools, is cleverly designed to bait you, get you into the nearest store where a consultant can then attempt to switch you to something more expensive. More often than not the cheap fare shown on the Flight Centre web-site that so eagerly appealed to you was sold out six months ago, but alas your Flight Centre consultant will have just the fare for you at several hundred dollars more which needs to be paid today or you will surely lose it. A quick search of web-sites such as Zuji or Travelocity or any of the others will give you a more honest answer as to what fares are actually available. A search of any of the airlines web-sites will also give the same result.

If you do happen to venture into a Flight Centre store to get a quote, make sure you get it in writing, insist upon it, then shop around for a better price, and don’t be fooled by the consultant who tells you that you need to leave a non-refundable deposit in order to hold seats’. The airlines don’t ask for deposits, so why should they. Deposits are only insisted upon to lock you in and prevent you from going elsewhere to get a better price, which is what they absolutely do not want you to do. Remember it is a buyer’s market out there when it comes to travel. Spending a little time searching the internet will save you a lot of money.

Over the last few years many airlines have consistently cut back on the amount of commission they pay travel agents. It may surprise you to know that some airlines these days don’t pay any commission at all. This means that the consultant will only make money if he or she marks up the airlines fare. Remember, a consultant has to exceed their cost of seat if they want to survive in this game. Always check your Flight Centre quote against the airlines web-site. You may very well find it cheaper directly with the airline these days.

Taxes, fees and charges are something that everyone should be aware off. The only taxes, fees and charges you should pay to a consultant are those that the airlines themselves collect from the consultant and not a cent more. It is not uncommon for consultants to mark up taxes, particularly when they are making nil or minimal commission off the airfare. Some airlines, such as Korean, Emirates and Etihad, have very low taxes because they do not include their fuel surcharges in their taxes. Some consultants use this as a golden opportunity to tack on a couple hundred dollars to the unsuspecting consumer. Remember from a consultant’s point of view it all about exceeding their cost of seat each month. On a final note consultants will also include, under the guise of taxes, a $28 ticketing fee for the issue of your ticket. If you have several tickets, then it will be several times $28. This fee will just be added into the whole taxes and you will be unaware of it. This is a fee charged by one Flight Centre department to another which is then passed on to you the unsuspecting consumer.

Any consultant worth their pinch of salt will try and sell you travel insurance. They will give you a multitude of travel disaster scenarios that will leave you trembling on the edge of your seat debating whether you should in fact travel at all, whilst at all times appearing genuinely concerned with your health and well-being during your up and coming holiday. Whilst it is true that travel insurance is an absolute necessity, and anyone who travels without it is a fool, their concern is motivated by money more so than any genuine concern for your health and well-being. You see, in an industry where commissions range between 5 and 10%, and in some cases zero, Flight Centre earns a staggering 40% commission from its one and only preferred travel insurance provider Covermore. To put this in perspective, a two week, nil excess policy for two adult to the United States costs $424. Covermore pays the consultant $169.60 commission on that policy. If a consultant tells you that he can knock 10% of the brochure price of the insurance, what he really means is that he is only making 30% of you. Always shop around when it comes to travel insurance. This is where you will save big money. On a final note with regards to travel insurance. Many credit card providers include some form of travel insurance as a benefit to their cardholders. It would be impracticable for me to mention these individually, except to say that should inquire with your relevant credit card provider when canvassing travel insurance options. But beware; every consultant is skillfully trained in every rebuttal as to why you should choose their travel insurance over that of your credit card providers. Why wouldn’t they be at 40% commission?

I hope you have all learnt a few valuable tips. Planning and booking a trip is a very emotional experience for some. Consultants are highly trained in the art of manipulating these emotions and creating a sense of urgency in the moment. For a lot of people they have save long and hard for their holiday. They need to take things slowly, always shop around, and most importantly not be fooled.

Thank you, Andrew. I enjoyed reading that.

How did you know all that Andrew?

Andrew is a disgruntled ex-employee of flight centre. Isn't it obvious??

Over the last few years many airlines have consistently cut back on the amount of commission they pay travel agents. It may surprise you to know that some airlines these days don’t pay any commission at all
Taxes, fees and charges are something that everyone should be aware off. The only taxes, fees and charges you should pay to a consultant are those that the airlines themselves collect from the consultant and not a cent more

That is stupid and contradictory - if the airline doesn't pay them a commission, then they need to make money somehow.

A good agent is well-worth their booking fee and can still save you money (and precious time, and hassles).

Just because FC are a bunch of clowns and you were stupid enough to work or fall for them, doesn't mean that all agents should be tarred with the same brush

Virgin Blue pay 2% commish, Visa & Master Card companies charge 2.5% & American Express charge 4%.
So if you book a Virgin Blue flight through a travel agent & they don't charge a fee, they lose money.

Flight Centre is the K Mart of travel agents.Obviously inexperienced trainees are let loose on the public,who naievely expect competent,professional service when they walk in the door.In my experience you must double check every detail of your travel booking and insurance with them for mistakes.My last booking to Bali had me miss my connecting flight home by 2 days.Not even close!...and the replacement flights cost me more than my whole holiday.Their Customer Relations Department will simply tell you there is nothing they can do,it is your responsability to check flight details etc.I did not get what specifically and carefully asked for.They do not stand behind the product they sell,which should be efficient and competant service,otherwise what are you paying for?.Learnt my lesson the hard way.Never again.I will be booking my own travel in the future.At least then any mistakes are my own.Caveat Emptor

Welcome back - Andrew!

is this the new flight center ripped me off thread?

is elguido and elgerma related

Popps
.
elguido uses to many big words and capital letters for my liking.. can't you tell?
.
and i haven't been to bali too
.
as he has